A howl rings out from the distance, closer again but Tom isn't worried as he picks through the leaf litter and jutting roots that occasionally catch on the hem of his school robe. His wand lights the way in bright white, casting shadows that lean around the bases of trees as he moves onwards.
The forest has nothing of note in terms of location. It's flora from all over the northern hemisphere and perhaps also the south, though Tom couldn't say with utter certainty. He sees both muggle and magical, though no sign of fauna from either. The moss grows on all sides of the trees.
There are no stars.
A second howl, followed by a third. The three are slowly circling, coming in closer. Perhaps some kind of creature, Tom has made a list in his head but is quite certain it won't be a problem.
Well, maybe if he was alone and had the freedom to pick and choose the spells he likes.
The boy calls himself Harry, dressed in barely fitting clothes even for being muggle but also has his wand out. Harry is also school age it seems, perhaps newly graduated, and also doesn't seem particularly concerned about potentially being killed by a strange Dark creature.
No, he seems far more concerned about Tom. Harry said his name, confirmed Tom's questions with simple nods, and then hasn't said a word since. Tom doesn't quite believe him either but can't catch his green eyes for legilimency.
So they've been walking around for fifteen minutes in an odd forest with the occasional howling and Tom has no new leads on where this is or how he can get out. He doesn't even know how he got in.
Apparation doesn't work, point me spells do nothing, Tom can't find Hogwarts even though he was barely past the forest line when he stumbled into here, and when he cast a time spell it was the correct time and date for when he left – except this dimension is clearly night time and cold enough to be winter.
Harry has been approximately zero help through all of this but Tom is used to that so he's taken the lead now and they're trying to find the two spots on Tom's radar spell.
Tom drops the light, relying on Harry's instead though he loathes to do even that, and once more casts the spell. Rings of grey form loosely around his shoulders and two green dots appear in front of him, having moved slightly to the left so Tom corrects their course.
Three more dots are further off, one a pitch black, the other two flickering strangely between green and a dim yellow so Tom certainly doesn't trust them.
Tom drops the spell, raises his light again and continues on. Tom could use about thirteen other spells to make this easier but doesn't want to demonstrate his ability in case they run into a situation where Tom needs to play dumb.
They're coming up on the two dots soon though so Tom turns to Harry who's following a step to the side and a few behind. Tom offers up a polite Head Boy smile. "The two people are close by. Unfortunately, the spell only indicates if they're human so perhaps we should conjure muggle torches instead of using our wands so we don't accidentally break the Statue of Secrecy."
Harry simply conjures a white plastic tube, a tiny thing the length of his palm and width of a finger. The entire thing lights up and spreads the light further than the lumos did as Harry hangs the attached cord from a finger. He hides his wand in his pocket but still keeps a hold of it.
Tom takes another glance at the tube light as he conjures his own heavy black police torch and his wand snaps up his sleeve with a holster spell. "Perhaps that's still a bit too magical."
Harry looks at Tom sideways. "It's a flashlight?"
Tom looks again at the small thing and purses his lips. Harry is clearly a muggleborn and while Tom still spends summers at the orphanage, he doesn't interact much with the muggle world. Perhaps that thing is normal, but Tom still files that away as suspicious for later.
They continue to walk and Harry vanishes his flashlight, conjuring instead one like Tom's. Tom rolls his eyes out of sight. Too late for that, Harry.
A howl, further away.
The second is closest to them, then the third far off again.
They come across another light off in the distance between the trees, two figures lit up. One holds up their arm and waves. "I dearly hope you haven't come to eat us!"
Tom laughs lightly because the person is expecting laughter and Tom is playing nice for now. "No, rather lost actually. Is that a German accent? Are we still in Europe?"
"We fell through from Britain actually," the same man says, close enough now to be picked out as blond and perhaps around Tom's height, with small balls of light bobbing around.
Harry suddenly has a coughing fit.
"Are you alright there?" asks the shorter red haired man, dressed as neatly as the blond, coming to a stop as their two groups meet, the light doubling and blending out further.
"Fine," Harry rasps, back of the hand up against his mouth. "Just, yeah. Fine."
Tom smiles at the two new people, also the same age it seems. "You're lost as well then? You mentioned falling through."
"Yes, from the forest of Hogwarts," the red head says, obviously having caught sight of Tom's uniform. "I just graduated actually, and it's…summer holidays."
"There's two months left to summer," Tom responds. "And I'm quite certain I haven't seen you before."
Harry scrapes a hand through his hair, looking between all three of them with eyes wide behind his glasses.
"A wonderful time for an introduction then," the red head begins. "I'm Albus Du-"
"Is anyone else concerned about the howling?" Harry says loudly, suddenly very concerned when Tom saw none of it before. "I mean, have you two heard it? It's getting a bit close, don't you think?"
Albus pauses. "Yes, we have. There are three of them and they seem to be moving. I've used a seeking spell but it's coming back a bit odd so I think we should perhaps avoid whatever it is."
"Tom said the same," Harry offers. "That's Tom by the way, and I'm Harry. You two said you were Albus and Gellert, right?"
"I don't remember telling you my name," Gellert points out.
"I've heard of you," Harry tries. "From a friend, who also went to…well, you know."
"Implying you didn't go to Durmstrang," Gellert surmises. "The Britishness of you means you must have gone to Hogwarts, right?" Gellert looks Harry's odd clothes up and down. "When did you graduate?"
"I dropped out," Harry retorts sharply. "We should focus on finding our way back."
"I rather think the time displacement is awfully important," Gellert says slowly. "Tell me, Harry, why don't you want Albus to say his last name?"
Tom leans back, pleased that he doesn't have to bring it up. The argumentative ones always draw more ire so staying quiet is best when he doesn't know these people.
Harry stays quiet for a long moment. "I think it's best if none of us mention our last names and I'm really hoping we all just forget this happened when we leave."
"Is knowing each other bad?" Albus asks, his expression one of light confusion but his eyes are focused.
Ah, Tom is starting to not like them. Too many clever people and it makes Tom's job harder.
Harry does seem to loosen up a bit when talking to Albus. He gestures vaguely. "Let's focus on the howling so we don't mess up timelines, okay?"
"That's a sound excuse," Albus admits and places a hand on Gellert's upper arm. "Perhaps we'll leave it for now."
Gellert is frowning at Harry but nods. "Alright, that's fine I suppose."
Playing good cop, bad cop?
Tom smiles. "Well then, does anyone have an idea to get out? Harry and I have already tried apparation and the basic point me spells." Normal, boring ideas to act average.
Albus sighs, crossing his arms. "We've tried a portkey. I levitated Gellert and its just forest for as long as the eye can see. No stars to navigate with either."
"No stars?" Tom asks in carefully crafted worry.
Gellert does a subtle double take on Tom, raises an eyebrow. Tom contemplates his options, and then narrows his eyes.
Predators recognising each other.
"Yes, so it must be a pocket dimension of some sort," Albus continues. "I know the Forbidden Forest has dangerous magical animals and plants but we didn't even go that far past the tree line."
"I thought the only thing that could do this in Hogwarts is the Room of Requirement," Harry admits.
"I did…shift some things around," Albus says slowly, looking at Gellert. "Did you get that kind of sense?"
"We weren't even close to the castle," Gellert points out. "I'm sure you'd know the place better than me but I don't think either of us caused it."
"Maybe a by-product of something coming out of the forest," Tom offers. "Perhaps a pollen? There's a…something in the air here."
"A bit heavy," Albus muses.
Gellert tsks. "Just say it, this is going to be a long conversation otherwise."
Albus blinks and follows Gellert's gaze to Tom. Harry looks at Tom too, glances back at Gellert, and then rolls his eyes.
Tom keeps the expression of slight worry on his face. "What do you mean?"
"No, no, I insist," Gellert says and gestures to the middle of their make-shift circle. "Take the stage, Tom. I'm never going to see you again in my life, go for it, let it all out."
Tom's expression blanks. "What year are you from?"
"1899," Gellert says candidly.
Tom thinks about it for a moment and then pastes back on the good student mask when he thinks it's too risky. "What do you mean?" he repeats in a slightly ditzy voice, mocking.
Albus purses his lips. "I'll trade you my last name for everything you know about the current situation."
"Albus!" Gellert cries, offended. "What, you think he knows something we haven't already figured out?"
"I think it's a harmless trade," Albus admits. "And four people together is better than three and a fake half."
Gellert pouts a bit.
"I-" Harry begins, stops himself, starts again. "Maybe you shouldn't."
"What's your last name then?" Tom interrupts.
Albus smiles reassuringly at Harry and then turns to Tom. "You first."
Tom tsks. "The stars are gone because the barrier doesn't reach that far. This is less a separate dimension and more of a realm overlayed on top of the real Forbidden Forest – though I have seen no evidence of fey, I would still suggest not eating anything."
Tom gestures outwards at the trees. "If this is a realm, we won't be able to find landmarks because they are simply not inside the barrier and thus they don't exist. We need to find the entrance, and then we can get out. I have no idea what the entrance might be, as while I assume this is fey, it feels too new, the magic isn't settled here."
"Do you think trapping us was deliberate?" Albus asks.
"I cast several wide detection spells, nothing is watching or listening to us, there's nothing alive here apart from us and the creatures - I wouldn't even consider the trees to be alive, they sound hollow." Tom tilts his head a bit. "Of course, you can never be certain with trickster fairies."
Gellert frowns a bit. "I'm sure I would have eventually figured all that out. I got halfway there before I was interrupted when you two came up."
"Your name," Tom demands of Albus.
Albus hums. "Nice to meet you, Tom. My name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."
Tom slowly turns to look at Harry - and then it occurs to him and his head snaps around to Gellert.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Gellert asks in amusement.
Wait but why are they - they know each other now when they're - and Harry knew that - why are they clearly friends when - Albus Dumbledore and what must be Gellert Grindelwald the Dark Lord?
"How, exactly, did you two meet?" Tom asks lightly.
"I'll trade you for your last name."
Tom chuckles humourlessly, narrowing his eyes. "No, I think not."
"So that is quite the threat then," Gellert muses. "I'm sorry for doubting you, Harry."
"It's fine," Harry sighs.
A howl, far too close. Everyone extinguishes their lights immediately, but Harry is the one to snap up an invisible shield around the group. Tom notes him down for quick reflexes.
The howl trails off and the boys stay silent, soon hearing running steps against leaf litter, a flicker of a shadow twenty meters away between the trees.
Albus hurls a spell and it streaks dark blue, a barely there light until it skims past a figure and splashes, throwing blazing bright blue light over tree trunks, hanging branches, bushes spotted over the ground.
It's a boy, lit from behind.
A jumper with a hood at the back in deep wine red, black pants, wild black hair stuck to his forehead and wiry glasses. His lips are parted, chest heaving as he pants, frozen in place like a deer in headlights. His front is cast in shadow but he still looks familiar enough.
A second howl, the boy blinks and he turns away towards the sound, takes off running again on light feet and he's fast despite how exhausted he looks. The light spell fades and he fades with it.
A third howl, the boy is already out of sight. It also drowns out whatever Harry gasps out.
"James!" Harry calls but it doesn't sound like what he said earlier. He takes a few steps forward, growing faster and like he's going to run after the other. Harry staggers to a halt, turns to look across the three others. He grits his teeth, takes one last look towards the darkness and walks slowly back.
"James, was it?" Tom asks pointedly.
"A brother? Or are we talking different generation?" Gellert muses. "He wears clothes like yours."
Harry wears a zippered jacket with a hood, a simple T-shirt and dark wash denim material. Harry self-consciously pulls up the zipper even though it is dark enough without lights that Tom can barely see his face. "It's…yeah they're not creatures. Well! I mean, it's fine, they'll take care of themselves."
"Like they'll 'take care of the threat'?" Albus asks.
Harry looks around at the three of them and picks his words. "They're friends, it's fine. We do need to stay away though."
"May I ask why your…James, is running after what I assume is a werewolf?" Gellert asks.
"No you may not," Harry says firmly. He hesitates and looks at Tom. "You said they flickered?"
"So they aren't just human," Tom guesses.
Harry ignores him but seems strangely reassured at the confirmation that James is a creature of some sort.
"So about the entrance…" Albus begins.
They relight orbs and settle in for the long haul, Albus putting up wards and then Tom putting up more because he only trusts his own work. Gellert conjures chairs and a table. Harry just meanders around, staring longingly after where James had run off to.
The three friends, if Harry is to be believed, soon meet up. One howl is joined by two and then three in quick succession, all overlapping into a haunting crescendo that rings through the forest before dropping off. There is no more noise after that.
Harry doesn't seem particularly concerned about any of it.
.
A/N: Tom Riddle, Gellert Grindelwald and Moony - all casually strolling through dark woods at night, all thinking they're the most dangerous thing in here.