CPOV
"Back in my world, in my Reality, we are told a legend. A man who could stride from world to world, a man who made the World's. He was a god, a God of Reality. His name was unknown, but he had five sons, and a daughter, who gave up her immortality for mortality and magical powers, so she could be with her lover. She is the first magical being on record, in my world. The Son of Water, the Son of Fire, the Son of Air, the Son of Earth, and the Son of Time. There are, I believe, five Realities in the universe. I have been doing research, back in my world, research on Reality, and trying to find out whether the legends are true. Whether the stories we are all told are true. Each Reality is home to one of the five Sons, or so we believe. Or so I believe. The Ministry - we have a Ministry, a Ministry of Magic, that enforce our laws, as well as the laws of the Muggle world - don't approve of my research. I haven't been given any express order to stop, and that's probably because they have no valid reason to order me to do so. So, five Realities, and five Sons. And it all makes perfect sense, looking at you. The Son of Time is one of the immortals, it's logical really. Emmett, you may be the key I have been searching for."
"I'm just Emmett," he whispers, looking around. "I'm just Emmett. I'm not special."
"Of course you are." Hermione says, firmly, looking surprised at Emmett's assertation. "You may be one of the most special people in the universe. All I need to do is test the theory. Can you get me back to the place I met you?"
"Yes," Edward says, surprised. "Easily."
"Then lets go."
She holds a necklace with a sand timer in the centre up to the sunlight, and waves her wand, muttering under her breath. Suddenly, the clearing vanishes and we seem to be standing in an office. An oldish woman is staring at us in alarm.
"Hermione!"
"Minerva, I haven't much time. This connection lasts only three minutes, keeping it open any longer could have terrible consequences."
"Who are these people?"
"They're the Cullen family. I cannot explain now. Minerva, this man, is he at all familiar to you?" she asks, urgently, dragging Emmett forward.
"The legend of Time -" Minerva gasps.
"As I thought. Minerva, this may prove my research. If I am right, I may have a way to close the Pathways. The time limit may no longer apply."
"Hermione, this is dangerous and -"
"Then don't tell the Ministry."
"They were fairy stories. Fairy stories for children, myths of other worlds, other peoples."
"I know. But if Emmett is who I think he is, who you may be able to prove he is, then those fairy stories may turn out to be so much more."
"This is illegal."
"Then it's illegal for a reason. The Ministry must have had a reason for forcing me to stop my research. There must be more than legends and myths. Minerva, there are books in my trunk."
"Hermione, even having those books -"
"I know, Minerva, I know. But you must prove it. I'll speak to you soon, if I can. This must not go public, Minerva. Nobody can know. If we are right, we may be able to close the Pathways, we may be able to stop - well, this might give us a way to fight back. Because if the Realities are real, then so is the Gap. This could save us."
"Or destroy us."
"Are you willing to take the risk?"
"Every time."
"Give Harry and Ron my love. I have to go. I can't risk saying any longer."
"Hermione, wait! Who are these Cullen's?"
"They're vampires, Minerva. Such wonderful vampires. The Son of Time is an Immortal, Minerva, think about it."
"They know the legend?"
"Some, I have not told them all. But I will. Prove it, Minerva. Make sure it's certain."
The woman in the office nodded and then vanished. Hermione turns around, smiling.
"OK, so, Hermione…do you want to explain that to us? What is the Gap? And Pathways?"
"The Gap is the space in the middle - oh, I need pencil and paper. It works better if we draw it out."
We go back to the house, and Alice fetches Hermione drawing pad and pencil. She does a very rough sketch, five circles, touching at the outer edges, not overlapping, with a space in the middle.
"This is the Gap," she says, touching the pencil to the centre. "A void. There's nothing there. Or so we used to think. Researchers of the Realities will, sooner rather than later, come across this Gap. Now, has anything strange happened in this world? Either recently, or hundreds of years ago? Freak weather, patterns in the sky, inexplicable earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, moon acting oddly, anything at all? Atlantis rising out the ocean, has anything happened?" I exchange glances.
"Crop circles. Crop circles, the number of UFO sightings has increased in the last century. Crop circles, they're -"
"Thank you, Carlisle, but I know what a crop circle is," she says, smiling. "Can you show me them? Are there pictures?"
"Sure," Emmett says, jumping up. "Come over here." He leads her to the computer centre. He gets her up all sorts - UFO reports, crop circle documentation.
"I need access to the military files." She nudges Emmett out the way, and does some more mumbling of odd words and some wand jabbing. Within seconds, she's looking at military files.
"How the hell? Won't they detect you?" Edward asks.
"Oh, please." There's a little pause, while she taps the keyboard. "Ah, so they're covering it up."
"Covering what up? Hermione, what is in that Gap?" Jasper demands, military bearing winning over dislike.
"This is only speculative. Either these crop circles and UFO sightings are alien activity, or they're something else."
"You think something else?"
"I think something else. In my world, there's been a force of unimaginable evil. Think of the most terrifying and evil thing you can, and multiply it by ten. His name was Voldemort, and he was not quite human. He was a wizard, and a feared one. Nothing is more dangerous than a wizard so evil, he tore his soul seven times to make seven small versions of himself, so if his body was destroyed, he could return. Everyone thought he was an anomaly, an evil force that was born of hatred. I believe Voldemort was something that was not meant to be on Earth, never meant to be seen by humans. I believe that he was born of the Gap, and fell through a Pathway, which is a rift in Reality."
"You said that wasn't meant to be possible."
"It isn't. The fact that is beginning to happen means that Reality is fragmenting. It's a bad thing because if people can jump from world to world we've got issues. If Magic can come here, if you could get to my world, or the others - we don't know what all the Realities are like. My world has the daughter of Reality himself, and I believe that we used to have the Son of Water, before both disappeared - we have magic from the daughter, and various sites of religious importance around the world - all of which feature water as a holy entity. You have the Son of Time, and immortals are within your world. I would assume there are a group of higher powers? Then there are three remaining worlds. If I'm right, there will be the Son of Fire, Air and Earth left. Nobody can even begin to theorize on what the other worlds are like. Just because yours is habitable, doesn't mean the rest are. There could be hell in the next world, and can you imagine falling into that. Just because I didn't come through brandishing a deadly weapon, doesn't mean every other world is the same."
"So you're saying there could be anything out there? You're saying crop circles and UFO's could be beasts from the pit?"
"Yes."
She's so horribly matter-of-fact. But I don't miss that Jasper is practically chomping at the bit.
"So, can we fight them?"
"A soldier, before this life? A soldier, and then a soldier again. A fighter, tactician, strategist. Jasper, you may actually come in handy. We may be able to, I don't know. This world has weaponry?"
"Yes."
"What sorts?"
"Guns, bombs, nuclear weapons -"
"Nuclear weapons? What do you mean?"
"Nuclear bombs. They use radioactivity. It's a really powerful, lethal weapon. They say they could wipe out humanity," Jasper puts in, looking offended.
"That's horrible. What kind of idiots would make a weapon like that? What's wrong with you people?"
"I know."
"If I am right, however, and you had best hope I am wrong for once, your world will need those weapons."
"You're always right?"
"Always, Jasper. Fact of life, like seasons. I am always right, chances are you will be wrong."
HPOV
They all stare at me for a few minutes. Then Carlisle speaks.
"Are you saying time could be limited? That any moment now the world as we know it could be completely destroyed?"
"That has been so for millennia, Carlisle. All that has changed is that you know it now."
"Knowledge is a powerful thing."
"Very true. Jasper, you say you can fight?"
"Yes."
"Then we prepare. I will need to meet the highest authority the immortals have, they must be warned about the gap and the pathways. What can you tell me of them?" Jasper replies to me, looking to Carlisle for consent.
"I can tell you all you need to know, and it would be best if I accompanied you to the Volturi."
"This is correct. Take her to the study, Jasper, tell her the story. We'll arrange your journey."