(AN: And apologies to the story's faithful readers for the delay, I got caught up in the new story and other life events happened. But, I am still pushing onwards, it seems like this book has a small but faithful following. This chapter is more of a breather before we get into the really heavy stuff, so I appreciate your patience. To throw my readers a bone there's a guest appearance from an old fan favorite in this chapter, so hope you enjoy that. I promise after this interlude we will get back into the Disney-verse. Anyone who wants a particular crossover just post a comment or a PM.)

"Sometimes the hardest thing

and the right thing

are the same thing..."

- The Fray

"Sir, can I go on record and say this shit sucks ass?"

Lt. Bradley wiped some sweat off his forehead with the cuff of his ACU blouse, but didn't respond to the private's complaint. He was concentrating on pulling out a particularly stubborn dandelion. The issue with these weeds was their roots went deep, and unless they were pulled out in their entirety then the plant would just grow right back.

Finally the plant conceded defeat, and with some effort Bradley pried the stalk, root and all, out of the ground. He sat up and tossed the offending weed into a wheelbarrow to his left. After that the young officer wiped some more sweat stinging his eyes and surveyed his surroundings. Their spot was a small 'clean' patch of green in the much larger courtyard of the castle. Already Bradley could see the shadows were getting longer, which meant that dusk was less than an hour away, but they were less than a quarter of the way done.

PVT Davis stood up and tossed a bunch of dandelions, along with large clods of dirt, into the wheelbarrow. The medic was also looking out over the courtyard, probably thinking the same thing as Bradley. He continued.

"Fuck! This is gonna take forever, man!"

Another voice, gruff and gravelly, spoke up behind them.

"Pri'at, if you weeded as much as you bitched this courtyard would be a fucking putting green by now."

Both soldiers turned and saw Sergeant Major Wolfe glowering at them, his arms folded. Lt. Bradley dusted off his hands on his ACU trousers.

"C'mon, Sar'ent Major, this shit's hard work!"

Wolfe regarded the officer, chewing on his lower lip.

"So's following orders, sir. Maybe after you've gotten some dirt under yer fingernails weeding you'll remember that...sir."

His eyes flashed to the right, then the sergeant major suddenly stiffened to attention.

"Detail, Ten-Huit!"he drawled.

Both the officer and the private stood at attention as LTC Long, the leader of the Exiles approached. He gave his three subordinates a friendly smile.

"As you were, gents."

Bradley and Davis relaxed, and Wolfe adopted the slightly less formal stances of parade rest.

"Sir! Permission to speak freely?"

Long regarded Bradley and nodded.

"Go ahead, Eric, speak your mind."

The lieutenant glanced over at Davis, then spoke.

"Sir, with respect, it's almost dark and we've been at this weeding detail for almost five hours..."

Long looked up at the sky, which was now turning pink as the sun set. He raised an eyebrow as though a sunset was a new experience to him.

"So it is, lieutenant, so it is. What of it?"

Bradley sighed.

"Sir, with respect, if it's dark out we can't continue, I mean, we don't have lights to turn on, and both the private and I are bone-tired."

LTC Long seemed to weigh what the young officer was saying, all the while under the scrutiny of Sergeant Major Wolfe. Finally Long spoke.

"You know what? You're absolutely right lieutenant, we can't get any more work done. Might as well call it a day."

He ignored the growing frown on CSM Wolfe's face and continued.

"So, go and get cleaned up and get a good night's rest, Lt. Bradley. Same to you Private Davis."

Both the soldiers let out a whoop of relief, while Wolfe glared at the lieutenant and the private.

"Thank you sir!"

Long gave both the soldiers a friendly smile.

"No, Bradley, you earned it. Get some chow and a good night's sleep, moreover you'll need it."

The joyous look on Bradley's face faltered, while Wolfe's face took on a puzzled look.

"N-need it, sir?"

"Of course, you'll need to recharge your batteries for tomorrow..."

Long glanced over to Wolfe, whose puzzled, dour expression slowly gave way into an uncharacteristic shit-eating grin. The older officer continued.

"Why, there's still more dandelions in this courtyard, lieutenant. I thought my orders were clear, were they not Sergeant Major Wolfe?"

The grin left Wolfe's face, and in its place was his usual frown as he replied in his usual guttural growl.

"You were, sir. You told the loot an' the pri'at that you wanted every dandelion weeded outta this courtyard, sir."

He glanced around the courtyard.

"An' no offense to their efforts today, but they gotta long way to go..."

Long nodded.

"Very well, Sergeant Major, thank you for that clarification."

He then turned to address the two crestfallen soldiers standing in front of him.

"Gentlemen, I appreciate your hard work, so get some chow and rest, but come 0600 tomorrow morning I want you out here weeding. I will allow a 30 minute break midday for lunch and we can stop again tomorrow evening at sundown, but I want you at this until this courtyard is spotless. Is that understood, gentlemen?"

The two soldiers responded with a less than enthusiastic

"Yes, sir."

Long paused, then glanced over to CSM Wolfe.

"And gentlemen, while I understand this is not going to be a one-day job, I don't want any slacking off from either of you. If Sergeant Major Wolfe gets even a whiff of you two being Sham-Rangers there will be consequences, consequences that will be meted out at his discretion. Understood?"

"Roger that!"

Long watched as the two soldiers shuffled off to the castle. He heard CSM Wolfe step up beside him.

"Hope you don't think I'm getting too soft on them, Sergeant Major?"

Wolfe shook his head.

"Negative, sir. I think that bait and switch was a nice touch, sir."

The older NCO reached into one of the bellows pockets of his ACU's and pulled out a small tin. Long watched as Wolfe pulled out a cigarillo and lit it with a small yellow bic lighter. The cherry end of the small cigar glowed orange as the battalion sergeant major took a deep luxurious drag.

"I thought you ran out of your smokes back in Dubai."

The sergeant major exhaled a cloud of dark blue smoke and nodded.

"You would be correct, sir. I did."

Wolfe pocketed the tin and his lighter, jerking his thumb towards the castle.

"Ol' Whiskers came up to me after formation and asked me if there was anything I needed."

He took another drag and smiled thinly.

"Well, bein' a smartass, I told him I could use a tin of Baccarats. I figured it was a good joke..."

Long smiled.

"Lemme guess, he waved his wand and conjured it out of thin air?"

Wolfe shook his head.

"Hah, that's a negative, sir. He just reached into his pocket and handed them to me. Apparently the Lady with the green hair, What'erName, gave them to him saying that I'd be asking for `em."

He saw the perplexed look on Long's face and shrugged.

"Hey, we're in a medieval world that's essentially every Disney story in the book. This shit's pretty tame in comparison, sir."

The Exiles XO chuckled.

"Don't forget we're also in the Harry Potter universe, as well sergeant."

That elicited a rare laugh from Wolfe and he coughed slightly as he finished off his cigarillo and stubbed it out on the castle stoneworks.

"That reminds me...my only regret is that Pri'at Gobbi wasn't here to enjoy the mandatory fun, but I reckon bein' turned into a girl an' reliving high school is punishment enough..."

(Meanwhile, at that very moment in Hogwarts)

Gina was awoken by a sudden sneezing fit, and she sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

The first thing she felt was a presence. Two deployments to Afghanistan and 6 months in Dubai had honed the private's instincts, and she distinctly felt the presence of someone. Actually, two someones. There was someone standing in her room, and someone in her bed. She could feel Nanette's warm body curled up behind her in bed, snoring softly in her sleep. But there was also a familiar greenish-tinged light in the communal bedroom of House Slytherin. Standing beside Gina's bed was a tall, beautiful ethereal woman with long emerald-green hair. The Weaver of Fate regarded the young soldier-turned-witchling with eyes of the same green hue, and a small mischievous smile creased the Lady's fair visage. When she spoke it was in a melodic, lilting voice.

"I hope I am not disturbing anything, Private Gobbi."

Gina sat up in bed.

"Yeah, screw that. I don't s'ppose yer here to change be back and tell me the mission's over?"

The Weaver of Fate giggled musically and shook her head, her long tresses swishing softly.

"I regret not, Pete...or should I say Gina?"

She smiled as the girl reacted by making a face. The Lady glanced around the room and made a slow, sweeping gesture.

"But surely this situation is preferable to what you endured in Dubai, is it not?"

"Yeah, no. I'd rather be back there, even scrubbing the latrine in boot camp with my toothbrush would be preferable to this shit."

The Weaver's gaze fell upon Gina's bed mate. Nanette Wilson was still sound asleep, although she shifted somewhat in her sleep as if unconsciously aware of the scrutiny. She heard Gina speak up again.

"So, if you ain't here to release me from this god-forsaken fanfiction writer's wet dream, then whatcha here for?"

The smile left the Lady's face, and her fair countenance became grave as she regarded Gina again.

"I am here because there is danger on the horizon for you and your charge, and your newfound friends. You must not let your guard down, for the Dark Lord will use any tool at his disposal to achieve His foul ends."

Gina shrugged.

"You mean planting a sleeper agent from the Damned? Yeah, we know about that. I have a pretty good idea who it is, too."

The Weaver of Fate inclined her head slightly.

"Indeed. But there are other things at play as well."

She regarded Gina with her bewitching green eyes, and the gaze shifted from the private-turned-witchling to the other occupants in the room.

"You must tread lightly in all things, Gina. For the patterns in this Weave are like ripples on a placid Lake...every small ripple can turn into a wave, and even a decision that seems inconsequential at the time may in time turn into something much more dire."

Then the moment gravity passed, and the Lady gave Gina a beatific smile.

"Know I have faith in you, Pete Gobbi who nows goes by Gina Gavin..."

She leaned over the bed and kissed Gina on the forehead.

"...Even as I had faith in your friend First Sergeant Robert Crosby, you will make the right decision when the time comes, but you must be patient."

The Lady then reached out and caressed the girl's cheek with her slender hand.

"Now go back to sleep, as tomorrow brings new challenges..."

She finished her caress by giving Gina's cheek a gentle pinch. The private-turned-witchling frowned and slapped the Lady's hand away.

"Cut it out, will ya?!"

The Weaver did not respond but giggled musically, then without a word raised her hand and snapped her fingers. As Gina drifted back off to sleep, she saw the Lady disappear into a shower of shining motes of green, gold and mauve which winked out one by one. The girl was back sound asleep by the time the last mote disappeared.

(The following morning)

"Just how long do you plan on sleeping in, girl?"

Gina slowly opened her left eye and blinked out the sleep. Daphne Greengrass stood at the foot of her bed, grinning at her. The older Slytherin girl's face looked more attractive with her smiling, although the private-turned-witching wasn't in the mood to appreciate it. She heard a yawn off to her right, and suddenly knew why Daph was grinning. Nanette finished stretching next to Gina, and sat up.

"Oh come off it Daph, it's Saturday!"

Daphne chuckled.

"Yeah, but it's almost 10 o'clock in the morning. You two trying to stay in bed all day?"

Gina turned and glared at Nanette.

"Yeah, speakin' of which, what in the actual fuck are ya doing in my bed?"

Nanette giggled at the American girl.

"Really, you need to watch your language, Gina. If Professor McGonagall hears you talking like that again she's going to apparate a bar of soap in your mouth!"

The private-turned-witchling sighed as she climbed out of bed. Nanette continued as she started brushing her hair.

"Well, if you must know it was very chilly last night and my bed is near that window with a nasty draft...your bed was so nice and cozy and warm...I thought it would be better to ask forgiveness than permission..."

Tracy popped up, seeming out of nowhere brushing her teeth.

"Does this mean you two are an item?"

Gina shook her head vigorously, pointing at the half-blood Slytherin student.

"Abso-fuckin'-lutely not! There ain't no funny business going on!"

She then pointed to Nanette.

"You, I'll get to you in a minute, and we can discuss boundaries..."

Finally Gina pointed to Daphne.

"An' screw you, Lucky Charms, for waking me up on the only day I can sleep in..."

Daphne giggled.

"Right back at you, bloody Septic!"

All of the girls, including Gina, burst out laughing at the jibe. Tracy was the first to speak up after the laughter died down.

"So, a group of girls are going to London for shopping, who all wants to go?"

Gina wasn't in the mood to go anywhere, so she focused on lining up clean clothes for the day.

"...it's a pretty broad mix of students going to the Muggle world, including Ravenclaw and Gryffindor."

That caused the American girl's ears to perk up. If her HVP was going to go out, she should know about it.

"Hey," Gina said trying to sound casual, "Who all from Gryffindor is going?"

Tracy thought for a moment.

"Lavender Brown, Parvati and Padma Patil, Katie Bell, Angelica Johnson, Mandy Brocklehurst, oh and I think Hermione Granger as well!"

Gina stood up.

"Any of you goin'? I just remembered I'm s'pposed to meet my Dad at Kings Cross, so might as well go with that group."

Daphne shrugged.

"Not a fan of Muggle stuff, so I'm staying."

Tracy shook her head.

"I've got a paper to write, and someone's homework to...help out with."

Gina didn't notice the cold look that Nanette was giving her, so she nodded.

"OK, do you know when this little expedition is gonna kick off?"

The older Slytherin girl stood up and stretched.

"Nope, but Professor Flitwick will know, he has the details..."

(King's Cross Station, Ladies' Room, 1123 hours local time)

With a loud crack! Gina Gavin appeared out of thin air, landing with both of her feet on the toilet seat in a loo cubicle. Disoriented from the apparation spell, the private-turned-witchling almost slipped into the toilet bowl before unsteadily standing on solid ground. She was dressed jeans and a hoodie, Muggle clothes which should allow her to blend in and at the same time still be able to identify herself to fellow Hogwarts students. She left in such a hurry that she didn't have time to stop by Dumbledore's office and get her radio, but for something as mundane as an observe and report mission Gina figured she didn't need backup.

She pushed the door open to the cubicle, and noticed that there was an older woman in the ladies room as well. In spite of being a girl for almost a month now Gina felt a flush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks. She waved behind her.

"Don't go in here for about 10 minutes, it's a mess..."

She rapidly left the bathroom, avoiding eye contact with the other inhabitants and stepped onto the station's main thorofare. Gina checked her bearings and saw a group of giggling girls making a beeline for the exit that opened onto Euston Road. Even within the group the American girl could make out the head of mousy brown hair that belonged to Hermione Granger, so she picked up the pace to follow the group.

Unbeknownst to Gina, there was another set of eyes watching. Watching the group, but now the attention was focused on her. Gina, oblivious, trailed to be in the tail-end of the group so as to be still part of the herd but not so close as to be noticed. Her plan was to casually run into Hermione at one of the stores and strike up a conversation, hopefully establish some sort of rapport and ask her for help with her homework. It was a simple enough plan.

However, just as the group exited the railway station, Gina got separated as a large group of tourists barred her way. It took her almost 5 minutes for the crowd to cross the street and clear the way, and by that point the private-turned-witchling was frantically looking about for the Hogwarts group. She was so distracted that she wasn't maintaining situational awareness, and was unaware that someone was behind her, until it was too late.

The first sense Gina had that something was off was when her world went dark and upside down. She felt rough hands holding her shoulders and legs, her wrists and ankles pinned together along with the distinctive sound of zip ties being zipped. She felt weightless for a brief few seconds, then she heard a car door open. She was tossed into a vehicle, and felt upholstery on her legs and thighs as she was placed upright. All of this took place in in the span of less that 90 seconds, and for the first time in a long time, the private-turned-witchling felt a stab of cold fear in her gut. She was kidnapped, and she had no idea who. And moreoever she was in the vulnerable form of a teenaged girl with no backup and nobody expecting her to be back on school property at least until evening.

She started to struggle against her bonds, but it was no use, Gina could feel the hard plastic cutting into the soft flesh of her wrists. Then she heard a voice that made her freeze in place.

"That's enough. Take her hood off."

Suddenly the darkness turned into blinding light, and Gina's eyes took a minute to adjust to the brightness. She was sitting in the back seat of a large SUV, fairly high-end if the luxurious leather upholstery was anything to go off of. But what she saw confirmed what she heard, and her heart sank.

Sitting in the passenger seat was Captain William 'Wild Bill' Pilton is sitting in the passenger seat, playing with his Zippo and giving a friendly smile to the private-turned-witchling.

"Well hello there, missy. Fancy meeting you here in London, Miss Gina Gavin...or should I say Private First Class Pete Gobbi?"

Gina turned and saw Polly Perkins sitting in the seat next to her, brandishing a wand that was pointed right at the private-turned-witching.

Gina was in deep shit.

(AN: DUN-Dun-DUUUUUNNNN! So now our hero(ine) is captured, and at the mercy of Captain Pilton no less! How will she escape? Will she complete her mission? Will she be stuck in a girl's form forever? Will the idiot in the Centurion Club lounge in O'hara International Airport stop monologuing?

GET ON WITH IT!

Ahem! So, this chapter was originally much longer, but I figured I would break it off into a cliff-hanger, and also gauge the interest so far. The next chapter won't take as long, I promise, and should be up in the next couple of weeks. Until then feel free to follow/fav/comment or jeer away! Until then!