Displacement

Rating: PG
Genre: Strange.
Setting: Hogwarts
Main Characters: Harry, Hermione and a random assortment of other characters!

Part 1

The borders between different worlds are unbelievingly thin. And every so often, they rip, allowing access to other worlds. It doesn't happen very often, but it does happen. And this time, it happened on Earth.

A certain point on Earth, to be precise. A castle, which, to the untrained eye, merely looks like an old ruin. However, magic has cunningly crafted that. In reality, the castle was a grand place, with all sorts of magical things, like stairways that moved, and portraits that spoke. Ghosts also flitted around. This place was Hogwarts. Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry. A school that trained those with the gift of magic to use their gift. It was at this very school where the thin fabric that separates the different worlds was ripped. Ripped incredibly badly. Generally, when the fabric rips, it only allows access to one world. But due to the high magical properties of Hogwarts, this rip opened doorways to hundreds of other worlds. And one boy had to help those lost from their own worlds to return.

Harry Potter, the most famous young wizard at Hogwarts. When he was just a baby, he defeated the evil Lord Voldemort, causing him to lose power and retreat into hiding. His adventures through the school years brought him more fame. But it was he who happened to stumble across those who had got lost in the rip.

The day had started out perfectly ordinary, well, as ordinary as it could be at a school for witches and wizards. The first lessons that Harry had taken had gone smoothly, first, Herbology, which he was generally good at, and second Divination, which had given him an opportunity to rest. Now he was wandering the grounds on a break. And that was when he met the first of the displaced people, lost in our realm.

As Harry passed the forbidden forest, he heard a cry of annoyance, and before he could do anything someone darted out of the forest and ran headlong into him, knocking him to the ground. He stood up and half turned, to see a boy clambering to his feet. The boy half turned and saw Harry, before taking on a battle pose, feet apart, knees bent, hands poised at the ready, and holding a dagger in each hand. But that was not what shocked Harry. The boy clearly had a monkeys tail. He stared at the boy for a few moments before speaking.

"Who the hell are you?" The boy relaxed, ever so slightly.

"You aren't a monster?" This question amazed Harry even more.

"What are you talking about?" The boy relaxed completely, and walked around Harry, before speaking again.

"Where are the others? I just got out of the forest before it was petrified, and they were ahead of me." Harry felt even more bewildered, and looked at the forest, wondering how a petrifaction spell could work on it. He figured an incredibly powerful wizard would have to cast it, but surely there was no wizard powerful enough to petrify a forest. But now the boy was looking around in bewilderment, and asked another question.

"What happened to the mist? We're definitely below it. Alexandria is just up…" He turned, looking up, and gave a cry of astonishment. "Where's Alexandria gone?"

Harry was fast coming to the conclusion that the boy was crazy. He had no idea how to deal with this however, and decided that the best course of action was to get to Hermione. Perhaps she could make some sense out of him. He addressed the boy.

"Stay here. I'm going to go and get a friend of mine. She'll be able to help." He turned and left, hoping that the boy would stay put, and searched for Hermione.

In the library, Hermione was finishing off a bit of homework she had been given in her last subject. Harry found her just as she completed it. She was startled by his sudden appearance.

"Harry, what's up? You look flushed. Did Cho talk to you?" Harry ignored the jibe about Cho Chang, a girl who he had had a crush on for two years. Instead he told Hermione about the boy.

"…And he just kept talking about some place called Alexandria. I told him to wait outside the forest while I found you." Hermione stood up.

"Ok then. Let's go have a chat to him. Lead on Harry." Harry gave a nod and led her back to the forest.

As they arrived, Harry felt a surge of relief that the boy hadn't moved. He was sitting on the ground, and seemed to be tapping his shoulder with one of the daggers he carried. Hermione gave a gasp.

"He's armed? Why didn't you tell me that?" The boy clearly heard her voice, for he stood and turned. He gave Hermione an admiring look, causing her to giggle. Harry rolled his eyes, and muttered to Hermione.

"Talk to him!" Hermione approached quickly. Harry noticed that the boy appeared calmer than when he first met him. Hermione asked him his name. The boy revealed that he was called Zidane. Hermione then questioned him about what happened just before he ran into Harry. He related the events that had happened quite quickly. Hermione listened intently, nodding every so often. It seemed that a queen had shot a bomb onto his airship as they tried to escape Alexandria. The airship had crashed into the forest, and a princess had been captured by a giant plant. Together with two others, he had found her and then the entire forest had started to come after him and the others. It also seemed that a friend of his had been caught just before the forest got petrified.

After the boy had related his story, Harry looked at Hermione, expecting her to agree that he was crazy. But she had a serious look on her face, before speaking softly.

"He's from another world."

END OF PART 1