Title: Convergent Possibilities
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: Nothing Specific, general for first few books.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Hermione, or Luna, or Ginny, or Susan, or... I would buy them all but I am broke.
Summary: From across the Multiverse, four extraordinary individuals are gathered together to prevent the fall of a vital reality. Slight crossover with Buffy.
Harry was having a lie in, as it was the first Saturday since the beginning of term. The Four had developed a routine of all getting up at five in the morning for a run as part of their training program, thus his Slytherin friends were not used to him sleeping in this year, so Daphne had come into his room to wake him. After years of harsh training and combat experience, Harry did not react well to being woken unexpectedly, so when Daphne put her hand on his shoulder to wake him up, like she had to the other Harry the year before, he just reacted. Before she knew it, Daphne was face down on Harry's bed, her knees on the floor and her arm held behind her back with one hand and his other hand on the back of her neck.
"Oh god. Sorry Daph." He said, releasing her and helping her up.
"That was so cool." Tracy said from the doorway.
"Maybe next time you want to volunteer." Daphne snapped at her friend.
"Or not." Blaze said.
"Why did you wake me?" Harry asked.
"We're going for breakfast. And you are usually up by now." Daphne replied.
"Fine, fine. I'm up." Harry groaned. "Can I get dressed first?"
Harry quickly dressed in a pair of jeans and a blue button up shirt, which he somehow made seem like a uniform, before joining his friends in the Slytherin Common Room and heading for the Great Hall.
Hermione sat in the Ravenclaw Common Room at one of the numerous tables, while most of the House were down for breakfast before their first weekend of the year. There were only two others in the Common Room, one being Luna who was reading the latest edition of the Quibbler, her father's paper, on one of the slightly overstuffed recliners with her bare feet tucked up under the skirt of her dress. The other was a seventh year boy who was studying.
To any observer it looked like Hermione was reading an unmarked, leather bound book with a clasp. In reality it was a quantum computing based tablet from Harry's SARS field load out. The quantum processors from Harry's reality were specifically designed to be able to operate in high magic environments, and were both faster that anything Hermione had ever used, even the Atlantis System, and had enormous storage space. She was actually reading a series research papers that the version of herself in Harry's reality had published, while in the background the tablet was running a simulation on the compatibility of Zero Point Energy and Magic, including the possibility of creating ZPM's with magic.
She was just finishing one of the publications when there was a deluge of students returning to the Common Room. She finished the article and then locked the tablet, letting it continue with the simulation, and pulled out a large sheet of parchment and begun to sketch out, from memory, the designs of the shield array from Atlantis with mathematical notations calculating possible modifications to be made to either incorporate the Quantum tech from Harry's reality or to incorporate magical athermancy from shielding charms to either reinforce or modulate the shield.
Several other Ravenclaws glanced at her work as they went about their day, most assuming that it was work for either Athermancy or possible Ancient Runes and may even be a long term project to create a new spell, even if it was unlikely for a Third Year but then again it was Hermione Granger. Even the few Seventh Year students who did either Athermancy; Ancient Runes or both were confused by what she was doing, but there was one lesson that all the Ravenclaws had learnt over the last two years. When it comes to book learning, never argue with Granger. Hell, last year she had spotted an error in seven pages of calculations that a then Seventh Year had done after looking at it for ten seconds.
Neville and Susan were moving quietly through the Forbidden Forest. Not because they were on Patrol or in danger, but because it was in both their nature to move stealthily. In fact they were both in the forest to relish to relative solitude it provided as Neville was still nervous around crowds and Susan had spent so much time only with Xander as company. Susan missed her capable, if sometimes irreverent, Watcher with his dedication, loyalty and hard won knowledge. In some ways the others reminded her of Xander.
A snapping branch brought Susan out of her introspection, and sent both of them into a silent crouch behind a fallen tree. Susan noticed out of the corner of her eye that Neville seemed to come alive, his movements more fluid and he seemed more competent, when there was danger. Peering over the fallen tree, they saw a young female Centaur had fallen with what appeared to be a broken leg with a number of Acromantula cautiously approaching her. There was a small hole in the ground around the Centaur's broken leg, indicating why she had broken it. The Centaur's bow had fallen several feet away from her, with her arrows scattered around her and one lying near the bow, and she he snatched a fallen branch and was swinging it wildly at approaching giant spiders. Susan silently cursed that she was only armed with her wand, several stakes and a few throwing daggers.
With some quick and simple hand signals to Neville to lay out the plan, Susan vaulted the fallen tree and let loose with one of her throwing daggers, which hit one of the Acromantula through one of its primary eyes and penetrated into its brain, as she sprinted for the fallen bow. Scooping up the bow and the nearby arrow in a single motion, Susan loosed the arrow as she moved towards the next closest arrow. By the time that Neville reached the Centaur, Susan had taken down all of the spiders.
"What are you doing?" the centaur asked, looking down at Neville who was now hovering over her broken leg.
"Well, I just saved your arse, and he's going to fix your leg." Susan replied.
"What's your name?" Neville asked.
"Elath." The Centaur replied.
"Ok, Elath. I'm going to have to snap the bone back into place before I can heal it." Neville said.
"I'll hold her down." Susan said, getting a derisive snort from Elath.
Susan kneeled down behind Elath's back and put one hand on the shoulder of her forelegs and the other on her flank. Elath grasped at a thick tree root to support her upper body. Neville made ready by trapping her uninjured front leg between his legs so it could not build up momentum and grasped the broken leg above and below the break. With a sharp jerk, he snapped the bone back into line causing Elath to scream in pain and, despite herself, tense up in pain. In the battle between equine instinct and mystical Slayer strength the Slayer won and Elath's body did not thrash around, leaving it safe for Neville to perform the medical spells he knew to fix up her broken leg.
"That should do it for now." Neville said as he slowly stood and backed away. "You can walk on it but I would not gallop or anything for a week or so."
Susan released Elath and also backed away, giving her room to climb to her feet.
"Think you can tell your kin to point their arrows somewhere else?" Susan asked as Elath was testing out her leg. "You in particular."
With that last comment Susan's pointed to a tree off behind her to her left without looking. Four more Centaurs, older and taller than Elath, emerged from the trees.
"Humans are not welcome here." The one Susan had pointed at said in a harsh voice.
"Shut up." The largest Centaur said. "Thank you for helping my daughter. I am now in your debt. What do you wish in payment of this debt."
Susan could tell that the Centaur was sincere in his offer but was worried about what they would ask for in return. Susan glanced over at Neville who simply shrugged in response.
"I would request two things in payment." Susan began.
"I knew the humans would take advantage of us." The surly Centaur said.
"Quiet, Mullan. I wish to hear what the human wishes." The largest Centaur snapped.
"Firstly, if you hear of anything moving through the Forest that wishes harm to the residents of the Castle, then you will inform me." Susan said.
"Just inform. You do not wish us to deal with it?" The largest Centaur replied, slightly confused.
"Unless they threaten your own community, then no." Susan replied. "I never expect others to fight my battles. Such a practice makes one weak."
"That is… wise." Elath said in shock.
"And what is the other request?" Elath's father asked.
"I need a bow. Elath's is not bad but I like mine with a bit more draw weight. Like three or four times the draw weight." Susan said with a grin.
"You want a bow?" Mullan said, incredulous.
"Of course. I lost my last one. Great weapons."
"Slayers." Neville said with a shake of his head. "Never get between a Slayer and a weapon."
"You saved my daughter. You could have had her as a slave if you wanted and instead you ask for warnings and a weapon. You are very unusual, Human." Elath's father said.
"I don't want or need a slave. Better one friend at your side than a thousand slaves at your back. Each slave has two hands, either of which could hold a dagger for your back." Susan replied with a shrug.
"Elath broke her left foreleg. I have re-aligned it and set the bone but it will still be healing for the next week. She can walk on it but no running, jumping or any activity that would put more weight onto the leg. She will also probably be hungry tonight, so give her twice her normal rations." Neville instructed.
"It will be done." Elath's father replied. "And we will get our master Bow maker working on your requested weapon. It should be ready in about a week."
"Sweet." Susan said.
The five Centaurs moved further into the forest as Susan and Neville made their way back towards the Castle.
TBC…