9. Winter Wonderland continued.

River examined her room carefully, unable to resist the temptation, despite the circumstances. And anyway, she reasoned, it couldn't hurt to check for bugs or other forms of surveillance. Though she had to admit that she had no idea what that would look like in this universe.

It no longer looked like the disused classroom that it had been originally. A bright light glowed on the ceiling, looking magical despite the fact that it was Muggle technology. Perhaps it was the magical surroundings? In the middle of the room there was a large double bed covered with red sheets and a truly snuggly looking duvet. Plump pillows completed the look, making the bed quite possibly the most comfortable looking one she had ever seen. To the left of the bed was a bedside table with a lamp perched on top. Along the walls were bookshelves, paintings and a wardrobe. Out of the window, she had a clear and uninterrupted view of the grounds, something that she had no doubt would prove to be very useful for sneaking out if needs be. Large drop notwithstanding. There was no bathroom, but Dumbledore had assured her that she was on a disused corridor, which just so happened to include a public toilet.

She supposed her trips to the shower would prove to be very interesting when the students got back.

She sat down on the bed and looked at the clock on the table. It was just after lunchtime. She thought for a moment, wondering what she should do first. She pulled the Dimension Canon out of her backpack and peered at it. The Doctor Detector wasn't telling her anything, but that was hardly surprising; she remembered the books mentioning that spells wreaked havoc with technology.

So, she had no leads. She instead placed the Dimension Canon on the table and tipped the backpack onto her bed. Enough clothes to last her for a week, toiletries, money and weapons came tumbling out, soon filling much of the spare space on the bed. Methodically, she began putting it all away, and reflected on her options.

Dumbledore had not mentioned seeing the Doctor, and she knew that he could generally be trusted. The question, however, was whether or not he trusted her, which he obviously didn't, or he wouldn't be keeping her in the castle right under his nose. So it was highly unlikely that he would tell her even if he had seen the Doctor.

Perhaps the students had heard something? According to the Headmaster, they returned from the Christmas holidays in a week, but there were still some staying at Hogwarts. With luck, maybe one of them would be a certain Harry Potter. If she could win his trust, she might just have access to the Order of the Phoenix (if indeed it was still around, or even existed in this version), who would be the most likely to have heard anything.

Until then, the only option she had was to search the newspapers in the library – every decent library had newspapers - and keep her ears open.

But first, a quick surveillance of the area. Dumbledore had mentioned a town of sorts nearby, and it was a good idea to check it out considering she had been drawn here.

She quickly donned her warm coat, scarf, gloves (debated and rejected the idea of a hat on the grounds that it would have to fit over her hair and wouldn't in this climate) and set off through the corridors towards the Entrance Hall.

Professor Dumbledore wandered, seemingly quite by accident, given his exclamation of surprise, into the Entrance Hall at the same time that she did.

"Ah, Mrs Song."

She managed a small smile, though she cursed inwardly. "Headmaster."

He regarded her clothing with a completely unsurprised expression. "I did think that you would want to venture out into the snow," he said mildly. "It is quite wonderful at this time of year."

"Actually I was hoping to take a look at the grounds."

Dumbledore nodded, again not at all surprised. "Ah. Well in that case, I would be willing to be a guide. By quite a happy accident, I appear to be dressed for cold weather," he said, raising an eyebrow, "though I do not remember putting my winter cloak on."

River raised her eyebrows. That had to be the worst excuse she had ever heard. "Happens to the best of us," she replied neutrally.

Dumbledore's eyes began twinkling in amusement. "Indeed." He gestured towards the doors. "Shall we?"

River followed him out into the snow, prepared for the cold this time. The playing children had gone inside, presumably having taken as much amusement as they could out of the snow. Dumbledore lead her down a hill, heading in a seemingly random direction, regarding the snow around him with a smile.

"The forest," River said, breaking the silence, "how big is it?"

"Very large," Dumbledore replied in a mild voice. "I would say that it goes on for at least several miles, but I suspect that parts of it are hidden."

"Hidden?"

"There are many secrets hidden within the wizarding world," Dumbledore explained. "It is impossible to know everything."

"Of course."

There was a brief pause.

"I saw a creature," River began again. "Tall, skeletal and with wings. Was that what I think it was?"

Dumbledore nodded gravely. "A thestrel."

"Are there a lot of other creatures in that forest?"

"Yes," the old wizard replied, "though I would not recommend going looking for them. It is, after all, the Forbidden Forest for a reason."

River nodded. Right. Of course. "And Hogsmeade?"

Dumbledore looked at her curiously. "You know of Hogsmeade?"

"Yes. It's near here, isn't it?"

Dumbledore nodded. "How is it that you know so much yet so little of our world?"

"It's a long story."

"At my age, a long story is welcome."

At that River smiled genuinely, but she hesitated. Would it even help to tell him where she was from? It was a tall tale, especially in a time where alternate dimensions had not yet been discovered, but hiding it would only lead to her seeming suspicious. Or, rather, more suspicious. If she was in Dumbledore's place, she knew that she would be treating herself with caution. A "Muggle" who was not a Muggle randomly wandering onto Hogwarts' grounds without setting off alarms and looking for a missing person could so easily be linked to the Death Eaters. She could be a spy. It could be anything. Was there any chance he would believe her?

She had thought that it was better to stay silent before, but looking into the old wizard's twinkling eyes, she suddenly wasn't so sure. She knew this man was to be trusted. And, for once, there were no spoilers. She sighed internally. Maybe she really had been living the life of a time traveller for too long.

"It would be easier for you if you told me," Dumbledore said, as though having read her mind. "From what you have told me," he continued when she hesitated again, "your husband disappeared under strange circumstances. I can hardly help you if I do not know what they are."

River nodded. This was for the Doctor. Foreign universe, foreign rules. It was like a needle in a haystack. Perhaps it would be useful to know someone with a magnet.

"We're from another universe," she said, finally.

Dumbledore looked openly surprised, now, and River felt somewhat proud that she had made the legendary wizard speechless. Or she would have, if worry for the Doctor was not gnawing at her from the inside out.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "You look human."

Ah, some clarification was needed here. "A parallel universe. I am human," she emphasised, "because I come from an Earth similar to this one, but existing alongside it unseen."

She could practically see the cogs turning in Dumbledore's head. "Magic does not exist in your universe."

"No," River replied, completely astonished. He was quick. "It doesn't. How did you know?"

"As I said when you first arrived, you appeared to be a Muggle with knowledge of this world, though it was almost as if the knowledge was somewhat unfamiliar. Therefore," he summarised, "I knew that you were not a Squib, but something else."

"I come from a world where magic does not exist."

"Yes," Dumbledore said, almost as if to himself. "If it existed, you would have seen it, as we now know. How did your husband come here?" He asked, suddenly.

"He was pulled through. I know now that it must have been a powerful spell; Earth does not have the right type of technology at the moment, and even if it did, it should have been impossible to achieve. The walls between universes are closed."

"Indeed."

"I can think of one person who fits the profile," River said, "but I was hoping I was wrong."

Dumbledore shook his head. "I fear you may be right. Voldemort is the only wizard alive with such power. Unless your husband was also displaced in time, I can think of no other."

River shook her head. "I tracked him to this time period."

"He must be very important."

River didn't feel the need to answer that. It was obvious even without her confirmation of the fact.

"Unfortunately," Dumbledore said regretfully, "I have not heard of any disturbances that would indicate such a rupture between universes."

"Is there any way of tracking it?" She asked.

Dumbledore shook his head. "The wizarding world is ill-equipped to deal with concepts such as alternate universes. However, I believe that a bit of research and experimentation should give us some results."

"Headmaster," she said, stopping in her tracks as a thought occurred to her. Dumbledore turned to look at her. "If I was able to see Hogwarts and was not repelled by the wards, would I be able to learn magic?"

Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a moment. "It is difficult to say. The wards are designed to keep hostile wizards and Muggles away from the school and its grounds; I would have been notified immediately had you penetrated them, given that your presence is not known to this world and could therefore have seemed hostile. It is quite possible that you somehow managed to appear within the wards, rather than outside, and that they were therefore never triggered."

"Is there any way of detecting magical ability?"

"The only thing that we can do is see if you perform accidental wandless magic. It is possible that, after having been in this universe for long enough, your body will start to adapt," Dumbledore said.

"That doesn't help me get my husband back."

"No," Dumbledore agreed, "but given the strange nature of your arrival and the circumstances in which you normally live, I have little else to suggest. In the meantime, however," he continued, "I suggest that you learn what you can. I find that even the dullest books prove to be useful."

River nodded, resisting the urge to sigh. She had known that trying to find the Doctor would take a long time and be difficult, but she had to admit that snatching him back from the claws of Voldemort had not been something that she had anticipated.