AUTHOR'S NOTE –
At this point in the story, trying to include Zinnia into the Marvel Cinematic Universe's convoluted timeline becomes really tricky. There are so many source materials (including, but not limited to, movies and shorts and television shows) that don't give proper dates on when something happened exactly. Also, as Zinnia is screwing with said history, many events that were to occur later in said source materials will be changed – sometimes in small ways and others in huge ways.
What I'm getting at is that the timeline is mine now. Please do not waste time on comments regarding that something in the MCU didn't happen that way. I know. But I need things to happen my way for the story to work… or, at least I hope it works.
Thanks for reading.
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Okay. Zinnia could admit it. Some of this world's sorcery was pretty good. Recreating the sling ring was easy peasy, but trying to manipulate the actual magical formula that allowed them to work and thereby rendering any remaining sling ring useless was a problem more in the area of Hermione than for Zee. In other words, it was too damn hard. In fact, rendering them inoperable was practically impossible. What she could do, however, was to lay an actual Curse on the Runic Cluster, causing a backlash of magical energy whenever it was used.
She'd lay a trap for the remaining sorcerers later. Zee still wanted that sword, plus whatever other enchanted items they might have. And books. She was sure they had to have magical books somewhere.
"Good morning, Lillian."
Peggy Carter's voice interrupted her musings. Turning to seek out the S.H.I.E.L.D. council member, Zee smiled to see Agent Janet Pym with her. Nothing but trouble could come of those two seeking her out this early on a Friday.
"Hey guys. What's got the both of you smiling like that?"
"We're thinking of going to the World's Fair this weekend." Janet supplied.
Peggy nodded along. "And since Howard's World Exposition is happening right alongside of the Fair, we though since we get free tickets anyway that we should go see what all the fuss is all about."
"And we decided you have to come with us."
"Since it's been a while since we've let loose for a few days."
Zee shook her head in exasperation. These two were like Daphne and Tracey back in school. "Any chance I can get out of this?"
The two women looked at one another before both smiling at her. At the same time, they said nope, as if rehearsed… which it might actually have been.
"What about Hank, Jan? Or your husband, Peg?"
Peggy answered quickly, obviously expecting the question. "They both told us to not go over budget and to make sure we had a good time…"
"But not too good of a time." Janet interrupted.
"Right." Peggy took up the train of thought without a problem. "And that we had to bring you along just in case we did decide to get into any trouble as you always seemed to be able to avoid getting in to too hot of water."
"So, the truth then." Zee smirked. "I'm to play chaperone to the two of you. Do they know me at all?"
Janet laughed. "If they never realize that you are the one that gets us into all of the trouble in the first place, then you being the mother of the trip makes it all the better."
"Fine." She answered. "But no trying to set me up with a husband this time, all right? You two being so deliriously happy is enough for me."
"But I know this really cute guy, Lils." Peggy started.
"No."
"He's rich, too." Janet offered. "He's partners with Mister Stark. Looks, brains and money."
"So why's he still single?"
"Why don't we find him this weekend and ask him?"
"No."
"Oh, posh, Lils. You are absolutely no fun whatsoever."
Choosing to ignore Peggy for the moment, Zee stood from her desk chair and cut off the desk lamp, making sure to throw the sling ring she'd been examining into the drawer and carefully locking it. The fact that she also set a Ward over the entire desk might have been overkill, but better safe than sorry.
"What was that?" Peggy asked.
Zinnia sighed. "A possible oh-eight-four, actually." When the other two women gasped, she nodded and then directed them both out of her tiny office. "While in China, I came across one of these. It's supposed to be magical, but I haven't figured anything out about it yet."
"I don't remember a report on a ring. It was a ring, right?"
She shook her head at the superior agent. "No report because I have no idea if it's actually worth of the classification. It doesn't seem to work, but I can log it in if you're like."
Peggy thought about it for a moment. "I guess not. But when you're done with it, send it down to are and dee and see if they get anything from it, okay?"
"That was my plan."
"Okay." Janet interrupted before either she or Peggy could continue. "Enough work. It's the weekend and I'm away from my husband. Time to let loose."
"You're right."
"Let's go."
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How had she missed it?
She had proven herself the rule rather than the exception as a Witch - she had focused so hard on magic and her own superiority that she failed to recognize that her very own fears had blinded her to the truth that had been staring her right in the face the entire time. The yawning blackness that had been Zo-Kalar's kind in her own reality, those that she had feared so horribly, were nothing but a figment of her own warped imagination here.
No, the danger in this universe wasn't the Ancient Great Ones and their spawn (though they were still dangerous), but rather the very technology that existed here.
For thirty years now Zinnia had clawed her way through various skirmishes with the remaining sorcerers, learning of their three primary strongholds, forcing them to remain hidden behind those mystical walls. The stalemate of letting them hide there gave her the freedom to continue her pursuits of building up S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA, until only she knew how far each was inter-tangled with the other. Her own hubris at manipulating the various groups and important people that she had missed how the very brilliance of those she thought under her control had begun to create a danger that made even the thought of looking at her non-reflection terrified her again.
Zola's had finally succumbed to the ravages of time and sickness, possibly on purpose in order to escape from Zee's control. The years that she had made use of the mad scientist had led to their animosity towards one another, especially after she had taken some of his so-called master plans and used them for her own. She had bene forced to use several mind magics to force him to continue aiding her, but it was never the same. Zola had eventually found his escape by pretending to come to her with an offering of knowledge, a she felt his end was near.
In her own ignorance, Zee had assisted him in what she was sure was to be his final request – the saving of his intellect; all of that wondrous plans and ideas, to be saved on the S.H.I.E.L.D. computer servers, all there for her to retrieve and use at leisure. But, no… Zola had done the impossible and actually found a way to upload his very consciousness into the computers. He had become a technological abomination of his own creation, something beyond her ability to control.
Zola had beaten her.
Zinnia often wondered later if the she had been too concerned with the arrival of a Great Old One in Missouri and It's impregnation of a human woman to pay attention to what Zola had been up to. The fact that a Great Old One existed in this reality had scared her into making so many mistakes that it was almost unforgivable… Zola's ascension into what he had become being just the first.
The second potential mistake had been when Zee Evans, as Zola's acknowledged successor, had been called to meet with the HYDRA elite at the Malick Mansion, at the behest of Nathaniel and Gideon Malick. While there, she was introduced into the misguided practice of sending a sacrifice into a gateway Monolith. The fools were right in the thought that HYDRA was to be the tool of a demonic god, they had just chosen the wrong one. Zinnia and Zo-Kalar didn't share. The stink of the Ancient Great One had surrounded the portal rock, so much so, that Zinnia had immediately destroyed the Monolith, revealing her magic, and therefore had been forced to murder all that had been present. That she alone had come away from the meeting of such a prominent family within the HYDRA organization led to her having to kill off the Zee Evans alias that she had been fond of, requiring more time to rise within the ranks of the very structure she had built.
After "killing off" Zee, she began carefully looking at her other personas. Even properly aged with Glamour, it became apparent that it was time for the Lillian Potter alias to die; she was in her late fifties by now, which meant that the friendships and allies created would have to be reestablished.
So one Lillian's final acts into the organization she had helped build and turn into the global peacekeeping agency it had supposedly become was for Pandora Peters to be vetted and recruited into S.H.I.E.L.D. And while the Pandora Peters disguise was in an excellent position to start making new changes within, her limited access to the Council now left a lot to be desired… which is why the creation of the Arc Reactor by Howard Stark was such a blow – that such a narcissistic arse could create such a technology that was able to somehow interfere with her magical abilities though Zinnia for a loop. It was too dangerous to allow to exist, though she was hard pressed to convince him under her new guise to trust her.
No.
Stark Industries would have to be destroyed.
Zee remembered a name… Obadiah. Obadiah Stane. He was Howard's go to guy. There was something that was on the edge of her thought process, a memory or something besides Janet and Peggy trying to set her up with him. Something Zola had once remarked on. Oh, right… he was greedy. Such an admirable quality for a possible minion to possess. Perhaps he could be encouraged to make a play for Stark Industries… with the right amount of backing, Howard's legacy could be broken and absorbed into her own plans. Although Zee remembered that Zola might have already had a plan to eliminate Howard Stark in play.
She'd have to wait and see if there would be an opportunity to make use of whatever idea Zola had enacted.
And so the seventies passed by. Not nearly as successful as the past two decades had been for her, but extended plans had to be tweaked often, especially as her presence within this reality had surely made changes for beyond what she could discern. But the coming decade would possibly be worse, but not in any way that Zee would understand for a long, longtime.
The nineteen eighties were difficult for the once feared Dark Enchantress as the weight of the years began to take their toll. Even the constant banter with her not-reflection seemed to have lost its appeal. Her once friends, Hank and Janet Pym had a daughter at the decade's beginning whom they named Hope, the meaning behind Lillian's codename of Iris; a fact that Janet had confided to Peggy and Pandora when they'd met the child. A happy birth, as opposed to the monstrosity that was born of the union between the human woman and the Great Old One that continued to visit. Zinnia debated long and hard about possibly killing the infant, but was too worried on whether the abomination's Father would know of what she had done, so Zee patiently watched.
But time seemed to be catching up to her. So many long reaching plans had to be abandoned, world events occurring so differently than her own reality, and while the need for secrecy regarding her true capabilities prevented Zinnia from maintaining her status for too long, which resulted in having to constantly reestablish ties. So many things were slipping through the cracks.
A young, charismatic politician working at the State Department – Undersecretary Alexander Pierce – he approached Pandora and attempted to recruit her for HYDRA, a fact that she found quite humorous although she allowed it to happen. Under his tutelage and mentorship, Zinnia as Pandora gained a better understanding of politics, as well as Zola's plans that he'd kept hidden from her. Eventually, he pulled young Pandora Peters away from SHIELD and into Washington, D.C. A fact that she would later hate him for, as it caused her to miss Janet Pym's death. A few years later when Hank would quit due to Mitchell Carson's mishandling of her once friend, Zee made Pierce aware of his failings. Carson would not rise within HYDRA if she had anything to say about it.
Working for Pierce held her attention for a while. She even was sent by him along with several S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents to observe a prisoner from World War Two… a man he claimed was one of HYDRA's best and brightest from the past. From Schmidt's memories, she realized that he was one of the men she had hoped to recruit soon after she had made it to Earth. As they were letting him go, she scanned his surface thoughts and found the image of Jiaying central in his mind… and the sick perversion of thought he had for her.
Reinhardt's study was of one of the Inhuman Obelisks, something that Zee already knew so much about. He was useless. While helping him out of his cell, having explained that he had been granted a medical pardon, Zinnia jolted his heart, killing him.
It became too much, and so Zinnia discarded being Pandora and decided to step back into the Daisy persona and seek out Jiaying and Afterlife. She teleported to Afterlife, but couldn't find anyone that was willing to talk to her, as those that had known Daisy previously were all gone now, and the rest were very protective of their leader. Zee was not discouraged, though, and sought out her former lover with a zeal not felt in quite some time.
Eventually, she found Jiaying in one of the villages (now an actual town) that she had enjoyed visiting from time to time. But finding Jiaying was not to be the relief she needed; no, she found past lover pregnant and in the arms of a man. Zee slipped away without letting the other immortal she was ever there.
And Zo-Kalar… who had been so silent and good for so long… that's when He swept in; at her weakest.
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She wiped at the tears that trailed down her cheeks, trying to hide the physical proof that it hurt to see her former lover happy with someone else. It had been years. Decades since they had seen one another. It was foolish to think that either of them would wait for the other. Zinnia had been with several men and women while away, but those were only distractions; maybe a means to an end related to her overall plans… but never someone to hold, to hug. To bear a child for.
*Betrayed again.*
At the soothing, unwanted voice, Zinnia glanced around the cheap hotel room she had made her way into, the mirror over the cabinet drawers allowing her not-reflection to have form. Her true visage instead of the disguise she currently wore. Upon seeing Zinnia Potter… or His taking of that form was enough that Zee dropped her Glamour and stood as herself for possibly the first time in what seemed forever.
It was almost disappointing to bear witness to.
Zee had never really considered the dangers of living so long under different likenesses, the hiding of her actual form to point that haircuts and makeups, styles of dress, were all tailored for someone else. And now, to see what consequences it had left upon her… had Nymphadora Lupin suffered from this? Had being a Metamorphmagus been even harder? Dropping her clothes to the floor, standing nude under the hotel room's harsh light, Zee took a long hard look at herself.
She still looked young; late teens or early twenties, although the sallow color of her skin – the deep purple bruising under her eyes – and the obvious failure to care for her upkeep left an unhealthy aura seem to encircle her face. Green eyes, dull, lifeless. And her hair that should have shown black as night with hints of deep red under sunlight, fell limp and dead around her face. Zee tried to smile at herself. Seamus had always liked her smile, but the grimace that showed was yellowed teeth and cracked lips. She seemed in fairly fit shape, at first, although having trained for so long with S.H.I.E.L.D. that was to be expected… but how would anyone find her attractive?
How had she missed it? All of it?
Zinnia had never been exactly vain, but no girl – no woman – wants to be faced with the reality of having potentially lost so much. Jiaying would have turned her away.
*She wouldn't dare!*
The tears that had stopped from before began again. Goddess, but she was such a girl right now, crying over an ex being happy with someone else. Ginny would have made fun of her.
*She's wasn't worthy of you.*
"Who? Ginny? Or Jiaying?"
Her not-reflection hugged itself tightly. Zee found her own arms around her torso. *Both. You are a jewel beyond measure. A promise given that will never break. And any that you offer to gift with even but a bit of who you are should be counted as blessed beyond all others.*
"But she found another."
*And she is worse for it.* Zo-Kalar argued. *You and I… we will make this world ours in a way that none other could ever dream. I am God. You are my avatar. My child given unto the Earth and the stars surrounding. You will never be alone again.*
Her appearance in the mirror pulled her attention slightly away, but He wasn't ready to let her go just yet…
*Let's fix it.* Her not-reflection spoke then, interrupting her mind from wandering away; He was saying all the right things. *We can throw away the long game. Let's start making some changes now; let the world know that you are here. That I am here. I can be the God they need… and you will be my Priestess. My High Priestess.*
"But all of the work I've done…"
*Will not go to waste.* He promised. *You will start pulling those strings, not just making sure they are still there, but using them, directing them.*
"It will be war."
*Perhaps. Maybe not. You've been the spider in the shadows, creating your web. Let's make the web bigger. Stronger. And see what we have already caught, as well as what we can ensnare in the future.*
Her gaze was drawn to the mirror, watching as her not-reflection began transforming before her eyes. Zee felt the magic rise inside the room, the overpowering aroma of ozone and lightning everywhere, but it wasn't her magic being called. Her core stayed silent. No, Zo-Kalar was feeding her vanity, her need of the moment. Her hair was full and alive; her skin – still pale – now seemed to glow with health. She couldn't help but laugh at the transformation in reality, not another Glamour, her smile worthy of a toothpaste commercial.
*Beautiful.*
"Beautiful."
Beautiful.
She never noticed that all three voices seemed to speak at once; her aloud along with her inner voice and the not-reflection's voice. And what would that have mattered anyway? For maybe one of the first times in a long time, Zinnia felt comfortable looking at herself in the mirror. Her reflection smiled back in return to her smile.
"What should we… should I do first?"
The silence of the room would have been telling if anyone else could have heard the conversation previously. A tickle at the back of her thoughts made Zee turn, to gaze about the room.
"Reveal yourselves."
And suddenly the room was filled with the dead of this world. Ghosts and spirits from the supposed Great Beyond stood all around her, waiting.
"What do you want?" Zee wondered why after all this time living within this new reality that the powers of the Resurrection Stone decided to begin working again. "Well? Answer me."
The apparition of what appeared to be a business man (he was dressed in a suit and carried a briefcase) floated forward, his eyes respectfully downcast. "We come as commanded, Priestess. We come to serve."
Commanded? Had she commanded them to finally reappear?
"And what do you offer?"
The spirit's head rose and his faded eyes gazed into her own. "What would you have of me?"
Zinnia ignored him and moved over to some of the other spirits that had apparently answered her call, hoping to find one that looked more useful. They all seemed fairly useless; average people that had led average lives, at best. Looking over them all, she considered what she needed.
"I want you to seek out others. Find me those that had magic in their living days."
A spirit of a fairly old looking lady spoke up. "That is not how it is done."
"Oh?"
The ghost nodded. "You call. We answer. We do not seek out others that are dead."
Zinnia considered the words of the dead woman. "I don't care how it was done. This is how it will now be done. Obey my commands. You will seek out those that I want and bring them to me."
"I will not." The old woman's ghost stood firm. Zinnia considered for a moment before the knowledge of what she could do came to her. Her reflection smiled. "I command you."
"No."
"If you will not serve me then you are of no use to me." She threatened.
The ghost actually smiled. "Then release me."
"I offer you as tribute to Zo-Kalar." At her words, Zinnia's reflection moved of its own volition, coming closer to the mirror's surface, almost as if it was going to climb right out of the mirror world and into this reality, but the glass' surface acted as a barrier. The ghosts within the room all became captivated by what her reflection was attempting. As she and the spirits within the hotel room watched, her reflection opened its mouth. The apparition of the old woman began screaming in unholy terror as her insubstantial form was pulled towards the mirror.
"I'll serve, Priestess." The ghost begged. "I will do as commanded."
"Good." Zinnia spoke… and for a moment, the dead woman seemed relieved. "Then I command you to accept your final fate."
"Nnnoooooooooo!" The spirit continued to howl and despair as Zinnia's reflection swallowed the spirit. The silence afterwards only added to the eeriness of the ghost's demise. She watched as her reflection licked at her crimson lips and then slowly shifted back into position, copying Zinnia's current position, appearing again as nothing more than her reflected image. Looking around the room, the rest of the gathered souls stood ready for their orders.
"Find me those that had power. Not money. I want the magic of this world." She paused. "Understand?"
In one voice, the room suddenly was filled. "As you command, Priestess."
"Then go."
And Zinnia was once again alone in the room… or, at least, as alone as the Priestess of Zo-Kalar could ever be.
The weeks and months that followed, the spirits and ghosts sought her out whenever she traveled to a new area. Each time, the restless dead offered her whatever knowledge they had found… and although the multitude of ghosts were limited to other spirits within the time of Zinnia's arrival on this Earth, they were able to find out so much.
The names of so many Inhumans were revealed, allowing for Zinnia to discover so much history of their kind that had even escaped Jiaying's ear. There were apparently temples and other hidden places all over the world that held secrets long forgotten, riches and knowledge to be rediscovered. But more than the Inhumans, there were the rumors of alien spirits trapped on this world, just waiting to be pulled from whatever hiding place such extraterrestrial ghosts or whatever they considered themselves might be hiding.
But it was the sorcerers… Earth's magic users, which offered Zinnia what she was looking for: hidden pocket dimensions created out of magic, safely kept in-between the various multiple realities that the sorcerers had apparently always known about and considered their sacred duty to protect. It was their very reason for grouping together, training and preparing. Zinnia was the very thing they were founded to protect against – a dimensional traveler that would upset the very balance of their existence.
Commanding the long dead sorcerers to reveal their secrets, Zee discovered the true purpose of the so-called sling rings. It wasn't just for teleportation around the Earth, as well as their mirrored world, but to pass back and forth between this reality and the spaces in-between… a type of bleed over… and possibly from there, into the various other realities.
Their sling rings were miniature versions of the Veil!
It was during this time that the ghosts also brought her what could possibly be the greatest news that she'd received in a very long time: the Great Old One's spawn had been removed from the Earth. And while that was amazing news, the fact that an alien ship and all of its unique technology has slipped through her grasp almost made her wish she'd kept a better watch over the little abomination.
With a renewed sense of purpose, Zinnia reestablished her cover as Pandora Peters and sought out the various branches of HYDRA to see how they were fairing, only to find they had grown in the last few years to even farther exploration than she could have imagined. Technology that rivaled much of Stark's early work seemed almost everywhere.
Project Deathlok and the Centipede Project sought to create cybernetic-enhanced abominations to act as soldiers, while others wanted to splice alien DNA with human hosts to create hybrid monstrosities that could possibly do so much more. There was even work on a new element that would break the very law of gravity, putting such power into the hands of a mere mortal. Everywhere she looked, both HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D., plus so many other organizations, were on the verge of letting technology become the very god that would destroy humanity.
Taking some time to herself to consider what her next step would need to be, possibly even going so far as to reveal herself to her enemies, Zinnia traveled to California and the home she had set up there so many, many years ago… when providence took ahold of her fate and that of soma many others. Magic like that of Hogwart's and her home reality called out to her. It was faint… almost such a weak presence that she might have missed it completely, but that it stood out in a city filled with technology.
Following the magical trail that seemed to almost sing to her, Zinnia was pulled into the urban areas of Oakland, towards a rundown apartment building. Applying a Glamour to better fit in, she traced the call of magic to an upper floor.
Using her inherent ability to turn invisible due to the Cloak's power, Zinnia snuck into the apartment and found a treasure beyond all measure. Hidden behind a holloed out wall was a Philosopher's Stone. It was different from what she remembered, glowing blue instead of the deep red as Flamel's had appeared… but she'd know its magical signature anywhere. This was a game changer. The game changer.
Pocketing the large tube containing her new acquisition within her jacket, Zinnia teleported out of the apartment as voices drew closer.
How had a Philosopher Stone come to be in Oakland of all places?
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"Well, I now possess one of the greatest discoveries of the Wizarding World. So what do I do with it now?" Zinnia spoke to her reflection.
She didn't really expect an answer, though any advice that Zo-Kalar might offer wouldn't be discounted out of hand. The fact was, she was unsure of what she should actually use the Stone for. Sure, gold was great and all, but currency on this world was easy to duplicate… no Goblin damned gold to contend with. Not to mention the various bank accounts that she had under her various aliases, all of which were accumulating interest on the stocks that she knew to invest in. So, no, gold wasn't really a necessity.
And long life? She had that upon becoming Zo-Kalar's Priestess. She'd already lived well beyond the normal lifespan of any Witch or Wizard she'd ever read about, save Flamel… but he was a special case. And besides, he had continued to age, while she was still young. Frozen in time.
There was a purpose to her finding a Stone here, she just wasn't really sure what it could be.
*It can be used to magnify you to new heights of ability.* Looking back into the mirror, Zinnia smiled to see her reflection sitting in a different position as she currently was.
"How so?"
The reflection sighed. *I can use the Stone to enhance you, much like Rogers and Schmidt were. But we will use magic. Your magic and mine. Together, the Stone can be laced throughout your body, making you so much more than you currently are.*
"Let's do it." She immeidarely agreed. Who would turn something like this down?
*Wait. Hold on.* Her reflection was motioning for Zee to sit back down. *I agree that this should be done, but we need to make sure that all of the plans we have been working on can do without us for a little while. A Ritual of this magnitude will take time to come out from.*
"How much time?"
*I can't predict. Months, maybe. Or a year. Two at most. I think.*
Zinnia blinked. Twice. "So you, as a demonic god, don't know? Maybe this isn't the best idea we've shared together."
*No. It's exactly what we should do.* the reflection stated. *Zola predicted that great changes were coming. Stories of myth and legend. Technological marvels. We have to be ready. You have to be ready for whatever might come.*
"Well, sure, but I'm a Witch with a lot of magic. And I've got you."
*And I'm telling you that you must do this – to be ready.* The Zinnia in the mirror pinned her with a look. *You are my Priestess. I say that you must perform the Ritual.*
"Fine."
Her mirror image snorted. *You could use a nap anyway.*
"And the God makes a joke, everybody."
Her reflection put her hand against the glass. Zinnia matched the movement, their hands would have bene touching if not for the mirror's surface.
*I am changed, just as you are changed. Neither are we what we were, but together something new.* Every movement made, Zinnia found herself almost bound to copy. *This is just yet another step of an evolution that not even the Outer Gods might have been able to predict. Surely, this is why those that came before were Forgotten.*
"So we're doing this." Her voice barely shook. "Where am I going to sleep for up to a year or two without my body being in danger?"
*You will join me inside the mirror.*
Said the spider to the fly. Zinnia knew that Zo-Kalar needed her. Sure, it was nowhere as deep as how she needed Him, but the thought of leaving this reality behind and entering into some mirror dimension freaked her out. Justifiably, she was sure.
She took a breath, slowly letting the oxygen out. "What do I need to get for the Ritual?" And just like that, the spell components needed for the Ritual were there inside of her mind.
*Make sure that the various strings are all cared for. It might not be a bad idea to let them know you are going deep undercover to take care of an important matter.*
"That's a good idea.*
*Of course.*
Letting her various contacts and such know that she would be incommunicado for a while took almost no time whatsoever. No, it was the gathering of specific Ritual components that took so much time. It wasn't like she could just Apparate over to Diagon Alley and visit the Apothecary there or down Knockturn Alley. Scales of a venomous snake not yet hatched? Okay. All of the teeth from a mother goat? Not too bad. Menstrual blood from a virgin female over the age of thirty years? That one took some work. Zo-Kalar was worse than Snape had ever been.
But finally the ingredients were ready. Now to preparing it all from a full moon into the new moon. Three seventeen in the morning, stirred with a branch of an ash tree never touched by metal, inside of a copper bowl. Potions were horrible. Potions for Rituals were the absolute worst. But once all done, Zinnia would pour the mixture over her head while she was sitting naked on a mirror.
She felt ridiculous, but she followed every step exactly as her reflection directed her to. That Zinnia's Potion had turned a pleasant grass green in color, the same could not be said for the one in the mirror. Zinnia had realized early on that her reflection's ingredients and Potion were obviously different… but that its color was a sickly yellow still almost gave her pause.
*Ready?*
The Potion felt slimy as it trailed though her hair and began dripping over her shoulders and down her back. The blackness of the night was cut by the light now given off from the mirror, as the stench of ozone and burnt copper seemed to seep into her skin, to never be washed away, and the air all around was filled with the moans and cries of something that was apparently dying. It was only as she felt arms reach out from the mirror and begin to drag her down into the reflected world that Zinnia realized that it had been her that had been screaming into the night.
And once returned, Zinnia would realize that she would miss more than just a year.
Maybe two.
It would be almost nineteen ninety-eight before she would walk this Earth again.