Breaking the window: Expedition to Hyperborea
Chapter 29: A girl learns the truth…
"When my Hermione went missing, I was beside myself with worry. She was out there, all alone, in one of the most hostile and deadly environments on the planet. My girl. The mother of my child. The love of my life. There are few things in my life I fear and resent. One of them is feeling helpless and hopeless, knowing there is nothing I can do. It is the antithesis of the Slytherin spirit. And the weakness of it: we Slytherins love our well-laid tapestry plans, our contingencies and our power of improvisation. When all of these fail, the Slytherin spirit offers no alternatives. Little did I know that Hermione had a date with destiny. Little did I know the wonders she would find. And the terrors."
- Bellatrix Black, Expedition to Hyperborea, published 2006
The first thing that washed over Bellatrix when her eyes fluttered open was an abject wave of nausea, to the point that she felt she was going to vomit out her entire stomach. She threw the covers off herself, starting Zipper awake and tossed herself off the bed. She almost vomited then and there, but managed enough willpower to keep it in. In her groggy state, it took her annoyingly long to find the makeshift latrine. After making it just in time, the only discharge was some foul-tasting bile… which was good because she'd hate to waste any of yesterday's hearty stew. Something told her she was going need the energy in the coming hours.
The downsides of pregnancy were becoming all too apparently after she drank a bit of water and spread some toothpaste over her teeth, her finger acting as a makeshift toothbrush.
Now feeling somewhat better, Bellatrix wobbled back to her bed where Zipper was waiting for her. Curiously enough, Hermione wasn't there. Bellatrix figured she'd crawled over her in her haste to get to the latrine and Hermione was mucking about somewhere in the tent. As most people were still asleep it seemed, she quickly crawled under the warmth of the covers and cuddled Zipper in her arms. No doubt Hermione would return soon.
So she waited.
And waited.
How odd. Was Hermione quietly reading a book somewhere?
She drifted off into sleep a few times, but never found rest. When she opened her eyes again, some people were getting out of their bunks. But still no sign of Hermione.
Bellatrix got out of bed and dressed herself, looking to join the others at the breakfast table. Kirk, Chandra and Sunniva were already there as Haema had gotten up early to prepare breakfast in the other tent. "Has any of you seen Hermione?" asked Bellatrix, not bothering to exchange morning pleasantries.
"Come to think about it, no, I haven't," replied Chandra, a furrowed brow accentuating her confusion.
"Maybe she went to the other tent?" wondered Kirk.
Bellatrix picked up a crusty loaf of bread and wolfed it down before moving to the other tent. Thankfully, this was easy enough to do because the two tents were connected through a small fabric corridor. The secondary tent contained more bunks than the primary tent and the kitchen area. The second longboat was also parked here. Bellatrix saw Daelia and Irrena chatting and immediately burst in. "Have you seen Hermione?" she asked again and again and the answer was the same.
Bellatrix was starting to get more and more nervous now. She turned to the wasp whom had been following her. "Zipper," she asked nervously. "Go find Hermione, hm?"
Zipper understood and buzzed away, back to the other tent. Good. With Zipper sniffing around there, she had some time to search around more. So more people to question, more nooks and crannies to search. Twice and three times over, still yielding no result. When she may her way back to the other tent in near desperation, she almost ran head-first into Zipper. The wasp hovered in front of her and made a 360 degree turn in the air, indicating that he hadn't found a trace of Hermione.
Now in a state of abject panic, she rushed to Kirk and almost grabbed him by the lapels as he was eating his breakfast. "I CAN'T FIND HERMIONE!" she exclaimed.
Kirk gave him a dead serious look, slowly rose from his chair and called out. "ROLL CALL!" he yelled. "All crew and passengers report to the primary tent for headcount and inspection."
Everyone gathered within minutes, man, woman and wasp. Everyone was accounted for. Minus one.
Bellatrix was near hyperventilation at this point. "Hermie?!" she shouted again. "Where are you?! Hermie!"
"Maybe she stepped outside for a bit?" suggested Oswald.
"You barmy fucker," Copperhead returned. "Who 'steps outside for a bit' in a frozen wasteland, you barmy bugger?"
Sunniva was looking particularly grim as Tahki and Nymphadora were starting to look more worried. The large Neo-Viking woman motioned to Svari and Gudrun and, together, the three of them made for the tentflap. A worried Bellatrix didn't bother donning a parka when she joined them, the cold being the very least of her considerations. The four of them were joined by Kirk, who did don a parka, and they were met with a cloudy sky. Though it was not snowing now, it was clear that enough snow had fallen since last evening. The day was bright, though the sun was blocked by the clouds.
The red-headed Gudrun knelt down in front of the tentflap and studied the surface of the snow. Though Bellatrix could see nothing, it was obvious that Gudrun did.
"It's faint," said Gudrun in an accented voice. "Mostly covered up by fresh snow. But it's there. A light step, small feet. It'd say it matches the weight and size of your bondmate closely. The footsteps are… erratic. Not a steady pattern. Not at first. There's more regularity to her stride when she moved further away from the tent and turned into the direction… we are headed towards."
"Hermie!" Bellatrix shouted, but just as she was about to run into the cold frozen plains, Kirk reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist. Bellatrix cursed and struggled like a rabbit in a snare as she was being dragged back into the tent. "LET ME GO! SHE'S ALL ALONE OUT THERE! WITH THE UNICORN AND THE BEARS! I HAVE TO FIND HER!"
A slap in the face silenced her.
"Listen to me! LISTEN TO ME!" Kirk said, holding her in place as he looked her in the eye. "You're not even wearing a parka! There's not a chance in hell I'm letting another person run off into the cold alone!"
"BUT…"
"NO!" he hissed. "We will break up camp within half an hour and set off. We'll have some brooms in the air to see if we can spot her, but you sure as hell are not going out there alone."
Nymphadora was upon her as the three Neo-Viking women returned inside as well. "Look, it's Hermione, yeah?" she said, placing both her hands on Bellatrix' cheeks. "If anyone knows what she's doing and can make it out there, it's her, alright? Hah, for all we know, she'll be waiting for us at the lost city with a warm cup of tea in hand."
Kirk started barking orders for the crew to break up the tent and to start moving towards the lost city. Tahki joined them, concern etched to her face. "Hermione…" Bellatrix sniffed, still near insane with worries. "She wouldn't go out there alone without reason. What if… what if she was compelled? Gudrun said that her step was erratic. She might have been trying to resist."
"What, like Goneril when she released the unicorn?" said Tahki.
"Well shit," Nymphadora muttered, making sure to remain out of earshot of the others. "What the hell is our mysterious would-be murderer up to then?"
"And why now?" asked Tahki. "I mean, we're all headed to Hyperborea anyway. Why would they send in Hermione ahead of us?"
"I don't know," Bellatrix hissed. "It doesn't make any sense at all! I need to go find her."
"If I know Kirk, and I do," said Nymphadora. "He won't let you anywhere near those two service brooms. Too worried you'd simply fly off to look for Hermione. Expect to be grounded."
"Worst thing is, he's probably right," Bellatrix sniffed, tears running over her cheeks. "Fuck, this is so frustrating. She's out there, Nymphadora. She's all alone! She needs me!"
"You should stay with the group, Bella," said Tahki. "I know it's hard, but… look, we're going to go there anyways. It's a big flat surface and there's going to be brooms in the air looking for her."
"I'm more worried about the fact that Hermione might have been compelled, yeah?" said Nymphadora. "And look, her coat is missing. If whoever compelled Hermione wanted her to die out there, then why bother having her put on her parka and boots? I mean, if they wanted her dead, they'd just send her out there without her parka to freeze to death."
"Gah!" Bellatrix shouted. "Can't this caravan get underway already?!"
Both Gudrun and Svari approached them, the two women offering an encouraging glance. "Take heart, Mortal Valkyrie. We will stand with you."
Somehow being surrounded by encouraging friends did make Bellatrix feel better.
Hermione was… confused to say the least. A torrent of different feelings was coursing through her being.
Sat on the back of Unicornis Rex as it trotted through the snow of the frozen wastes, she felt like she should be deathly afraid. This was the very beast which had been hunting them since meeting it in the Fae Realm. Hermione regarded her silver hand, now clad in a glove; this very creature was the reason she was missing her real hand. Hell, last time she was this close to it, she'd wet herself. And yet here she was, calm and unafraid.
What was she even doing here? All alone. On top of this unicorn. And why the hell wasn't it hostile. It had something to do with her necklace, that much was clear. The unicorn's entire demeanour had changed the moment it learned of its existence. Unicornis Rex had noticed it even under her clothing.
Curiosity won out on everything. For years she had wondered what her necklace could be, whatever she had charged or downloaded with it would entail. It was somehow connected to the unicorn. Which was now headed to the lost city. Was her necklace connected to Hyperborea? Was the unicorn? The creature certainly wanted to go there. But would that mean… that the Fae Realm was also connected to Hyperborea?
Hermione's mind was running over with sheer curiosity and zeal to learn. Still, she glanced over her shoulder to look back from where she had come from. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to see. The snow was still whipping around her and the white fog above the ice didn't do much for her visual acuity. Still, she knew Bellatrix was somewhere in that white void and would undoubtedly be worried to death. While the person whom had put the curse on her had been gracious enough to have her at least fetch her parka, she wished she could have left a note for Trix. Just to let her know she would be okay.
Hermione smiled for a moment. She was going to be a mum. It hadn't quite sunk in yet after trudging through the snow all day yesterday, but now that the unicorn was kindly ferrying her towards Hyperborea, she had all the time in the world to think. Bellatrix… had been demanding a baby; her family had children young, that much was clear. But Bellatrix also mentioned that she felt a child would 'make things better'.
Perhaps it would. Hermione knew she was a mess. Things had been going better a lot ever since the trip, despite some of the nasty things happening along the way. Getting out of the routine back home where she could quietly work herself to death rather than dealing with her problems had been a good thing for her and, ironically, she felt like she finally had had the time to work a little on herself because she had been forced to do so.
Things would be different when they'd get home.
If they'd get home.
Hermione immediately cursed herself for her realistic negativity. If one were to lose hope now, that would become a self-fulfilling prophecy. All she had ever wanted was to build a future with Trix, the girl she loved so much. Starting a family was an inevitability, but Bellatrix had felt strongly enough to force the issue. Because she was worried about her. Hermione didn't know if she should be angry with Bellatrix for deciding to get herself pregnant behind her back or hug her and love her for making such a sacrifice for her behalf. And, god, what kind of mothers were they going to be? A child would be massive responsibility and she swore she would work even harder to fix herself.
Mum and dad were going to be over the moon, that was certain. Cygnus and Druella would once again welcome little ones into the home. At least they had some experience with being grandparents. Oh, god, mum would probably insist on having their child baptised at St. Jude-on-the-Hill. Cygnus would probably want them to be blooded to honour the Black family's devotion to Cernunnos.
Well… that was going to be an interesting conversation.
Further thoughts of her future family were interrupted by a huge dark spire looming up in front of her. From a distance, she had guessed that the mountain hadn't looked natural and now that she was getting closer and could finally get a good look, it confirmed her suspicion.
It was a huge crag of rock, if she were to guess it had a circumference the size of the entirety of Westminster. But what struck her as artificial was just how steep and high it was. It jutted out of the ice at an almost ninety degree angle. Her neck craned upward and though her vision was impeded by the fog, if she'd have to guess, she'd say it was some two to three hundred meters high. It had a rocky surface, that much was clear.
When the unicorn stopped and sank to let Hermione climb off its back, Hermione stretched her legs for good measure before she stepped through the snow and placed a hand on the mountainside. The rock on it was a sort of brittle soft rock; if she didn't know any better, she'd say it was some sort of sandstone. She removed her glove to have a better feel and felt the tips of her finger tingle with magic energy before the cold caused her to lose feeling in her fingers. Hermione shivered and quickly replaced her glove, hugging herself for warmth.
Unicornis Rex whinnied and obviously wanted her to follow. Together, they walked around the mountain until they came to some sort of hole in the ground and the ice. It wasn't located at the base of the mountain and led into a cave or tunnel veering off to the right. It was far too dark too see inside and it rather puzzled Hermione that this ice-cave wasn't somehow snowed under or plugged with, well, more ice. How had this tunnel been made? The walls seemed smooth as if it had been cut out so precisely it could only have been done with a machine. And when she knelt down to feel the ice, it was oddly warm to the touch.
Enchanted ice?
Intriguing.
The unicorn was obviously eager to go down there.
"Wait," exclaimed Hermione.
To her surprise, the unicorn actually understood and turned its six eyes to look upon her impatiently.
"I, uhm, just wait a bit, alright?" asked Hermione, a little more demure when under the creature's intense scrutiny.
Reading about the Franklin expedition, she knew the doomed crew had left a cairn for other travellers to find at several locations. Hermione looked around and saw some of the soft rocks in the snow. She drew her wand and accio'd all the rocks she could find. She closed her eyes and made the shape of a cairn in her mind. The rocks took flight and circled around each other as she waved her wand and willed them to take the shape of the cairn. A further spell and ice flowed over the stones, acting as cement to keep the cairn in place. Here, right next to the cave, where Bellatrix and the rest of the crew could find it. Though she lacked a copper message tube, she took out a notepad and a pen and scribbled a short note for Bellatrix. After placing it into the cairn's center top, underneath a large flat stone, she took out her camera and shot some pictures of both the mountain, the cairn and the entrance. Despite everything, documenting her finds and journey was still important.
Until she felt something really sharp pressed not-so-gently into her back.
"OW!" Hermione exclaimed and jumped forward. Turning her head, she found Unicornis Rex stood behind her with its head bowed down after having poked her with its horn. The impatient unicorn was ready to give her another poke when Hermione exclaimed: "Yes, yes, I get the hint!".
Together, they stepped into the all-encompassing darkness of the ice tunnel. "Lumos!" exclaimed Hermione as light started to emanate from her wand as she held it in front of her like a torch. The light of her magic was distorted by the refraction from the seemingly polished ice. This was definitely not a natural cavern. Hell, the ice was even warm to the touch.
Interestingly enough, these tunnels were large enough for the unicorn to move through comfortably. The other thing Hermione noticed was that these tunnels were a warren of sorts, with tunnels splitting off ever so often and leading into all kinds of different directions. Oddly enough, the unicorn seemed to know where it was going and led her through the twisting and turning tunnels of ice. Thinking of the others whom would undoubtedly follow, she used her wand to etch an arrow into the ice ever so often to mark her path.
After a minute or two of walking and marking, the unicorn came to a stop. Hermione found out why when she roved her wand ahead of her and whispered a quick Revelio. A powerful magical field appeared. A really powerful one. One she couldn't even begin to crack within her own lifetime. Fortunately, the unicorn provided a passageway. The creature pressed the tip of its horn against the forcefield. Hermione watched in fascination when the tip of its horn started to glow blue. Energy shot from its horn into the field and, in a few seconds, the field had been completely negated.
The unicorn continued on its way and Hermione followed. Not much further in, she came to the literal end of the road. The end of the road being a large metal barrier with what seemed to be a door. The door itself was surprisingly ornate with unrecognisable reliefs etched into them. The door consisted of three interlocked panels and a raised slot in the middle of those panels. Symbols that looked somewhat familiar were etched above the door. Curiously, the symbols and the reliefs didn't seem to be carved out or hand-edged, but precise enough to be… machined?
Curious and curiouser.
The unicorn stood next to her, six eyes looking at her expectingly.
"Don't look at me as if I know what to do," muttered Hermione as she removed her glove and let her silver hand slide over the metal. "I'm completely in the dark here."
The unicorn simply kept staring at her intently, letting out an impatient whinny while starting to scratch one of its claws into the ice. Rather not wanting to deal with this creature while it was irate, Hermione took another look at the door. Of course, Alohomora didn't do a damn thing. That would have been too easy. Another glance at the door and Hermione's eyes lingered on the slot in the middle. In particularly, its size and shape.
No.
No, it couldn't be.
Hermione reached out to her necklace, still hung around her neck. The crystal's purple light was pure and constant now, emanating from scintillations deep inside the crystal itself. With a lump in her throat, Hermione removed her necklace, took a deep breath and pressed it into the slot. It fit perfectly.
At first nothing happened, but when Hermione tried to remove it, a purple beam shot out and hit her in both eyes. Immediately, her brain exploded in agony. Her entire body was frozen to the point that she couldn't even blink. Purple light penetrated her eyes, her brain and her mind. She felt as if she was being torn asunder, like her brain was boiling in her skull. She heard something echo from the walls of the ice-cave, something loud. She never did quite realize that she was hearing her own screams.
When the beam released her, Hermione fell to her knees and held her head before doubling over, wailing in pain. When her vision started to return and she could think straight again, she saw that her necklace at fallen onto the ground. The glow was dimmer now, but still there. When she picked it up, she glanced up to the door.
"How… How can this…" she muttered to herself when she looked at the symbols above the door. "I… I can read them!"
The symbols were indeed some sort of complex alphabet. But she understood them perfectly. The words above the door clearly read 'Facility 001 Exterior Exit' in whatever language it was written. With a hum, the three panels slid into the metal barrier and allowed both Hermione and the unicorn access to whatever it was that lay beyond it. Her heart pounded in her throat when she took her first step forward. And she almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a digitised female voice speak loudly.
"Welcome back to Facility 001, director," spoke the artificially cheerful voice. "It has been 3.572.189 planetary axial rotations since your last visit. You have full level 3 security clearance."
Some quick math in her head later, Hermione concluded that number of days was roughly 10.000 years. With a lump in her throat she stepped through the portal only for the voice to continue. "Resynchronisation complete. Warning: paradox detected. Please report to the temporal observatory at your earliest convenience for treatment. Failure to do so might result in temporal aphasia."
Hermione didn't know what any of that meant, and, to be honest, there was far more to take in here than just a disembodied voice. When Hermione had imagined the lost city of Hyperborea, she had imagined something grand. But in the style of ancient civilisations that would make buildings from stone and wood. Impressive, certainly, as the ruins of Babylon, Egypt or Ancient Greece would attest to. The last thing she had expected to find was a grand hall with sterile white metal walls and smooth organic forms. Above her, lights were coming on and something which she only put two and two together for was that this place was actually powered. Whether by electricity of by magic didn't matter. This city, ten thousand years old, had power while most of humanity was still huddling in caves. The air wasn't stale either. It felt fresh and… warm.
Since her early childhood, she had been weaned on old 70s science fiction films and series. Every Sunday, she would sit on her father's lap as the two of them were parked in front of the telly to immerse themselves in tales from a future that would never be. This place, with its stark white almost plastic walls, its lights and glass… it wouldn't look out of place as a set on Buck Rogers, or maybe a cargo bay on the TMP Enterprise refit. It made the place feel oddly familiar. As if Admiral Kirk and Spock could be rounding about the corner at any moment.
Equal measures of fear, awe and curiosity soared through her. This wide open space didn't strike her as an entrance at all. This was confirmed when she saw more symbols on the wall which read 'Exterior Access. Level 2 clearance only'. Apparently this might have been some sort of garage or workshop area. Of course, she was just guessing at this point. In the back of this spacious room was a large round platform and a corridor leading deeper into the complex. Symbols above the corridor read 'Holding Facility 001'. The moment Hermione stepped towards the corridor, the unicorn rushed forward and blocked her path by holding its horn in front of her.
A stark, demanding whinny encouraged Hermione to step towards the large round platform instead. The unicorn followed and Hermione found herself stood on a transparent platform above a massive shaft going so far down she developed acute vertigo. Especially so when the platform hummed to life and started sinking down into the shaft with alarming speed.
Hermione steaded herself and looked around her in the transparent tube as it passed floors upon floors. Nothing, however, what she saw would not resemble what she imagined an ancient lost city to look like. She passed endless amount of machinery she didn't even dare guess the function of, all apparently operational, and endless miles of pure orichalcum pipes meandering across this amazing construct.
This was some sort of factory, not a city.
She cursed herself when she realized she should have been taking pictures of all of this. She swiftly grabbed her camera, undid the lens-cap and started to shoot all the pictures she could. Scant a few seconds later, the platform came to a stop. The place in front of her was again metallic white and organically shaped, with a tall ceiling and tiered rows of floors. In a way, it sort of resembled one of those indoor shopping centres she'd been to in London. Though instead of shops, these seemed to be work and living areas for… ancient wizards? Had ancient wizards really built all this? That seemed less and less likely by the minute.
The symbols did indeed read 'Habitat Ring'. Considering it curved in the distance, this area probably looped around itself. It was also very warm here, to a point she unzipped her parka. Walking through this area gave her no small sense of unease: people were supposed to be here, but they were not. She took a few steps forward and almost jumped out of her skin when a nearby terminal sprang to life.
"Welcome back, director. It has been 3.572.189 planetary axial rotations since your last visit," said the machine.
Hermione rubbed her chin. "Why is it reminding me about the number of days passed?" she muttered to herself.
A beep sounded. "Working. Reminders of the passage of time will help the transition to living within the limitations of linear causality."
Hermione swallowed hard. "Did… you just answer my question?"
"Working. Terminals placed in the habitant ring are designed to answer queries. Information given is limited depending on security clearance status. Your security clearance is level 3. You have full unlimited access to facility records."
"Okay," Hermione crossed her arms. "God, it's like I've walked right into a Star Trek episode. My dad's going to go mental when I tell him all about this."
"Working. Please rephrase query."
"Right, uhm," said Hermione. "Let's start with the beginning. What is the purpose of… all this?"
The digitized voice spoke again. "Facility 001's primary function is to house the 145 Khramphstar reactor instrumental for the Program's terraforming efforts…"
"Hold…" Hermione rubbed her temples. "Please… explain it to me as if I'm five years old."
The computer voice sounded again. "Working. Please wait. Loading introductory program. Playback commencing."
Hermione watched in awe as some sort of hologram started to take shape right in front of her. A much more colourful collection of images, what seemed to be a map of the facility. It was mostly an underground warren with several sections connected through tunnels. Was that what she had just travelled through? It showed her current location as being a constructed ring deep underground. The habitat ring surrounded a large natural cavern with some sort of rather large machine in the center.
"Welcome to Facility 001 basic orientation," said the computer. "By now you've had a chance to acclimatize to your new home. While living in a three-dimensional state with linear time might be somewhat confusing or distressing at first, those who have come before you will do their utmost to help you through this difficult transition. You, along with those already working at this facility, will be the vanguard who will pave the road for our kind to escape our doomed world."
"Whoa…" Hermione exclaimed as she let her mind rove over the implications of what she was hearing. She'd been right. No wizard or primitive man had built this facility. Instinctively, she looked up to the ceiling and the unseen sky that would be far above. Who'd have thought that that crackpot ranting about 'ancient aliens' could actually be fucking right all along. The image changed to what was obviously Earth. "Chthonius III is uniquely suited for our purposes regarding atmospheric levels, temperatures and abundance of complex lifeforms. Of course, a three-dimensional world is a poor substitute for the fifth-dimensional world we hail from."
The image zoomed in to the natural cavern she was close to, and revealed what seemed to be a large tubular machine suspended by massive support struts above a lake of molten rock with a long shaft leading down into said lake. "The 145 Khramphstar reactor is a brilliant masterpiece of engineering, representing the work of thousands in development and construction. This machine opens up a bright and prosperous future for our people. The location of Facility 001 on Chthonius III was chosen because of the available geo-thermal energy to feed the reactor core while also having access to the proper amount of cooling the reactor would need to retain its efficiency."
Hermione blinked. So that's why that mountain above looked so unnatural. It wasn't a mountain at all. It was a cooling tower for that reactor!
The image zoomed out again to an image of Earth. A red light indicated the location of Hyperborea… or, rather, Facility 001, and a network of natural energy conduits started to run across the world in predictable patterns. From main arteries, the energy spread out in smaller forks across the entire world. Hermione gasped. Those were magical lay-lines. Was this… was she looking at the very origin of magic? With this reactor at the heart of the network of lay-lines?!
Another voice sounded. "It's really quite simple," sounded the voice. "The 145 Khramphstar reactor effectively simulates our natural fifth dimensional abilities within the limitations of a three-dimensional world. Inside the reactor core exists a derandomized quanta singularity. The resulting predictability is then cascaded to a minute volume of space-time with a positive feedback loop. At that point, energy infusion within the reactor sends this singularity spinning exactly 716 rotations per three-dimensional second of time-unit. At that point, of course, the quanta is exactly as large as Chthonius III itself. It then only takes a minute change in said quanta to effect a large and predictable change in real space. Life-forms possessing certain genetic markers will be able to tap into the quanta's energy matrix to effect his change in real linear time."
Hermione blinked and found her breath quickening. That was magic. They were talking about magic. Or rather, 'magic'. There was nothing inherently magical about it! It was all facilitated by a machine at the very core of a network spreading this 'quanta' energy across the globe! "Oh my god," whispered Hermione. "This will change everything!"
The program paused. "Please clarify inquiry," spoke the voice.
"Oh, sorry, uhm, please continue," said Hermione.
"Working."
"Facility 001 is already being used to make Chthonius III a better place for our people to settle," said the voice. "Facility 002, also known as the Seeding facility, is being used to alter and create life-forms. Specific life-forms from Chthonius III have been chosen to be uplifted and infused with the genetic markers to interact with the Khramphstar quanta. Infused creatures will be bred and raised at Facility 002 and released to predetermined habitats on Chthonius III. Tranche one and two have already been finished and infused creatures have been released into the wild. Tranche three is currently 3.572.188 planetary axial rotations behind schedule, but is expected to launch soon."
A horrible, horrible realisation overcame her. As the computer continued its introduction, Hermione stopped it. "Give me more information on facility 002. Report current status."
"Working. Such information cannot be divulged in public areas currently. Please proceed to the control deck."
"How do I get there?" Hermione demanded impatiently.
"Working. Please follow the yellow indicators. The control deck is near the temporal observatory. Warning: paradox detected. Please report to the temporal observatory at your earliest convenience for treatment. Failure to do so might result in temporal aphasia."
Hermione nodded and followed the yellow indicators across this vast empty habitat right, her footsteps echoing through empty streets flanked by empty living spaces. It was more than a little unsettling and, unfathomably, she was happy to have the unicorn as a form of companionship on some level. The unicorn itself calmly sauntered behind her, now letting her take the lead. After what felt like ten minutes of walking, Hermione arrived at another wide open space. There were more platforms here and it resembled a sort of travel hub. Two large globular constructs were on either side of the ring, one clearly marked 'Temporal Observatory', the other 'Control Deck'.
Despite the warnings, Hermione decided to go into the control deck first. Doors parted as apparently the computer considered her the 'director' of this facility. Well, Hermione wasn't complaining about this. The room she found herself in had control panels similar to that she had found on the central island of the Fae Realm. That alone confirmed her terrible suspicion already. A large window gave an incredible view of the natural cavern beyond. The huge mostly tubular shaped machine which was surely the 145 Khramphstar reactor hung suspended above a lake of molten rock. The magic in the air was palpable, to the point that her entire body was tingly and her hair had become somewhat charged. Three massive collections of pipes fed into the machine from different directions. Hard to imagine that all the magic in the world had its origin right here.
Hermione stepped to the largest console and placed her necklace into the slot. Immediately, the console sprang to life through a holographic interface.
"Computer?" asked Hermione. "Are you here?"
"Acknowledged," replied a different digitised voice. This one sounded more direct and far less inviting. "State query."
"Show me current status of Facility 002."
"Query illogical. Please rephrase."
Hermione thought a moment. "Specify why my query is illogical."
"Facility 002 exists out of third-dimensional space-time. Please rephrase."
Hermione thought a moment. "Show me status of Facility 002 as it exists analogous with current date in third-dimensional space-time."
"Acknowledged," said the computer. "Working."
"Warning," replied the computer. "Facility 002 control systems malfunctioning. Non-responsive to queries. Engaging back-up connection. Working. Done. Displaying status of Facility 002 analogous with current date in third-dimensional space-time."
Hermione felt her heart break when she was shown images of Facility 002, the Fae Realm. The place where Bellatrix and Hermione had met for the first time, where they had their first kiss, where they had first made love. It was a picture of abject destruction. Floating islands had slammed into each other, tipped over or had been smashed into rubble. The once so pleasant yet so dangerous Fae Realm had been reduced to complete and utter ruination. Such a monumental achievement, now forever lost. Aside from all the knowledge, her thoughts went to those poor animals who didn't manage to escape to the Fae Realm and perished amid all the destruction. Still, she took some solace in the fact that those animals who did survive had finally made it to the home that had always been meant for them.
"We did this…" Hermione felt a tear run over her cheek. "I did this. That facility was running perfectly for god knows how many centuries and I managed to wreck it within days of arrival."
"Logs accessed," said the computer. "Multiple temporal anomalies detected within creature seeding system. Cause: lack of maintenance. Cascade effect imminent. Addendum. Cascade effect took place 2720 planetary axial rotations ago analogous with current date in third-dimensional space-time."
"That's one way of putting it," Hermione muttered. She thought back to the mural they had seen in the Fae Realm, that of the creatures they had called elves. Not house-elves, but rather elves as in the members of King Oberon's court. But that was just a mural. Still, it gave Hermione an idea.
"Computer. Show me a picture of the director of this facility."
The hologram shifted to show Hermione… herself. Or rather, real-time footage from some sort of security device somewhere in this room. Hermione grunted in dismay and decided for a different approach. "Computer," asked Hermione. "Show me my personnel records."
"Acknowledged."
And then she finally saw what the people whom had built this place actually looked like. The 'elf' on screen indeed had a lanky and lithe body and looked to be standing some 8 foot tall. Their limbs were long and ended in hands with six digits. They had two sets of arms, a grayish almost translucent skin pulled tightly over their lithe bodies. Their hairless heads were elongated with sharp chins while antler-like structures adorned the top of their heads. Six eyes, clustered in pairs of three, were set in their face. They had a distinct otherworldly look, but there was something calming about their presence. She knew she was looking into the eyes of an ancient, knowledgeable race.
"What happened to you…" muttered Hermione.
"Please specify," asked the computer.
"What happened to the race which built this place?"
"Please specify."
"Wait," said Hermione. "Okay, who designed this place and who built this place?"
"Facility 001 was designed by the Council of Science and constructed by locally sourced workers."
Hermione frowned. "Locally sourced workers? Explain."
"Native bipeds found to have pre-affinity with simulated fifth dimensional ability have been hand-picked for uplifting and altered with the necessary genetic markers. Initial placement of the 145 Khramphstar reactor from fifth dimension to construction site offered large enough quanta to empower the workers during the construction of the rest of the facility," said the computer.
Ah, now it started to make sense. Ancient wizards weren't born. They were made. And quite possibly bred. All to pave to way to the coming of these creatures to our world. Her ancestors had actually made this place, likely with the guidance from these elf-like creatures. What did Tahki's ancestors call this place again? The Frozen Mountain Where The Gods Dwell? Pieces of the puzzle were starting to fall into place now. These ancient elves came to Earth to make a home. And they were willing to share their great power with the people who already lived here.
With stories of Hyperborea being lost fresh in her mind, her mind went to places it perhaps shouldn't be.
"Computer," Hermione asked, a lump in her throat. "Why was this facility abandoned?"
"Working."
No voice came through the console this time. Instead, a bright red lettering appeared in front of her, looking to be some sort of logging screen. Next to it appeared a holographic map of the facility. Looking at the map, she could see that the three conduits feeding the reactor led to three massive industrial complexes. The one nearest to the exterior exit, however, glowed bright red. In her experience, bright red wasn't usually a good thing. Though the time-stamps didn't make sense, it was in fact, linear.
1. Industrial accident at processing facility 002.
2. Safeguards engaged.
3. Safeguards failed. Explosion imminent.
4. Explosion detected.
5. Catastrophic failure of processing facility 002.
6. Reactor safe mode engaged.
So. Some sort of accident had taken place. Rather alarming, it seemed that in the next nine thousand years, the reactor's output had been slowly reduced from 80% of maximum to 20%. Though this number was relatively stable, it was still dropping slowly over time. This did explain why wizards over the centuries had felt like magic had become less powerful over time… because it truly had. And, unfortunately, it meant that the Death Eaters had been right and magic was indeed a finite resource unless this reactor could be repaired or rebalanced.
One question remained.
"Computer," asked Hermione. "What was the cause of the accident?"
"Working," said the computer, causing Hermione to swallow hard. "Large scale worker revolt and sabotage."
Hermione closed her eyes and sighed, a wry chuckle leaving her lips. "Of course," she started laughing. "Of fucking course. Here is this wondrous, knowledgeable race of wise creatures. They come to our planet seeking a new home and are willing to share their wonderful creations and powers with us. And what do we do? We turn against them. We revolt. We kill. And we destroy!"
Seething with anger, her eyes turned to the bright red processing facility. "We always destroy what we don't understand. We always fight against those who are different. We are never willing to share anything with anybody! EVEN AMONG OUR OWN KIND! Oh, no, Hermione, you'll never be a real witch, you filthy little mudblood! You don't belong with us! Wizards and witches never learn, humans never learn, WE NEVER FUCKING LEARN! WHY DO WE ALWAYS DO THIS?!"
"Query illogical," stated the computer. "Please rephrase."
"You know what, computer, you're quite right," Hermione hissed. "It is illogical."
That said, she ripped the necklace from the slot and marched out into the corridor with the overwhelming urge to kick the first thing she'd seen. However, considering the first thing she saw was Unicornis Rex she wisely decided against it. The unicorn seemed to study her quietly while she heaved and paced, her mood more than foul. "Do you know the story of Prometheus?" asked Hermione. The unicorn, of course, didn't respond. "Well, of course you don't. And it's not true anyway. Mankind didn't discover or invent fire… probably not even technology, knowledge or civilisation. We have stolen it. I mean, in the story Prometheus stole it, but we were still given stolen goods all the same. We've always been carried. Well, I say let the magic die then," Hermione muttered. "We don't deserve it."
The unicorn stopped her when she was about to storm off to vent her rage. Hermione looked at it rather angrily. The unicorn let out a whinny and aimed its horn at the temporal observatory. Hermione tried to brushed past it, but the unicorn pushed her back. When she tried again, she found the business end of its horn pointed right at her chest. It seemed like the creature didn't want to let her go until she'd stepped inside. Fine, then.
Hermione huffed and entered the building. The building itself appeared to be a series of connected round rooms. There was some more consoles, but for the most part only these dome-like structures. When she passed the threshold, the most friendly computer voice was back. "Warning: paradox detected. Please report to the temporal observatory at your earliest convenience for treatment. Failure to do so might result in temporal aphasia."
"I'm here already," shrugged Hermione. "How does this work?"
"Please step forward into the temporal pod," said the computer voice. "A qualified healer will see to your needs."
"I somehow doubt that," muttered Hermione. "So what is a temporal observatory?"
"The temporal observatory is a facility meant to help adjust newcomers to this world to living in a linear third-dimensional timeline with singular causality. As some might find this concept difficult and even distressing, a temporal observatory is used to apply causal order or to repair paradoxes incurred by the transfer from fifth-dimensional non-linear existence to third-dimensional linear existence. Warning: paradox detected. Please report to the temporal observatory at your earliest convenience for treatment. Failure to do so might result in temporal aphasia."
"What exactly is temporal aphasia?"
"Temporal aphasia is a physiological side-effect of the advent of multiple possibilities existing in a single linear time-line caused by a faulty transition," said the computer. "The temporal observatory can be used to repair the time-line without destroying the mind. Warning: paradox detected. Class three scan recommended."
Before Hermione could react, the temporal observatory decided to do its thing on its own. Hermione understood it, to a degree. She had altered the flow of time to save Trix from death and had used Facility 002 to do so. A facility which had been faulty. Not to mention that there had been things locked in her mind ever since coming out of the Fae Realm for whatever reason.
More was her surprise when she saw that Unicornis Rex has also chosen to step into one of the round rooms. The both of them were bathed in some sort of purple light, Hermione feeling pinpricks in her brain. She briefly wondered why the Unicorn has been so eager to step into a round room of its own and if it even knew what it was, because she lost herself to whatever was now happening to her.
It did take Hermione a bit to focus on what was in front of her. It was as if she was looking through a veil at first, and she moved as if she was walking over the bottom of a swimming pool. There was thick pressure on her chest. Imagines, living memories started to float in front of her. Her first day at Kindergarten. Singing in the choir at St. Jude-on-the-Hill. Sitting on her father's lap while the two of them played on the home computer. Good memories. Finding out she was a magical child. Meeting Harry and Ron on the train. The troll in the bathroom. More and more memories came. More unpleasant ones. The start of the war. Fighting at the Ministry. Being on the run from the snatchers. Killing a snatcher in self-defense… she'd always told herself it was an accident, even with the warm blood still on her hands.
Hermione looked down at her hands, one flesh, one silver. Though there was no blood on them now, she still felt unclean.
Captured in the woods. Taken to Malfoy manor. Being tortured by Bellatrix. A much older Bellatrix. No wait. Rodolphus. No. Bellatrix. Wait… what? How could these things both be true?
"Anomaly detected," said the computer. "Classification: Paradox. Correcting."
Bellatrix.
It was Bellatrix.
It had always been Bellatrix.
Hermione stood there dumbfounded. She loved her Trix. So very much. And Trix loved her! They've been together for longer than five years. Trix was carrying her child. They were going to get married and build a life together. So why was that lovely, plucky yet infuriating girl she loved so much now torturing her with this mad glee in her eyes. And then… Rodolphus? What?
She watched in fascination as time went on. She saw the battle of Hogwarts and all the death and destruction it had brought. Her trauma. Her pain. Going back to school. Meeting Trix in the woods, through the Fae Mirror. The thing she now knew was a malfunctioning distribution node for magical creatures bred in Facility 002. Going to the Fae Realm together.
"Error. Fifth dimensional leak detected. Correcting."
Falling in love. Fighting the unicorn. Escaping the Fae Realm. Emerging years after she had left.
"Error. Faulty temporal merge detected. Correcting."
"Wait… wait…" Hermione muttered. "I… I think I understand now."
Time moved ever forward. Hermione saw herself writhing in pain. Curiously enough, she didn't remember this at all. But what she did understand is that she and Trix had changed the time-line. Trix had never been around to become a Death Eater and the universe had corrected to have Rodolphus take her place. That was the problem here. She had created two time-lines which had been poorly integrated. That was the anomaly the computer had detected. It explained the block too: her mind wasn't able to handle the fact that she had conflicting memories because she was not a being from the fifth dimension. The block had only been meant to lock memories of the old time-line away so she wouldn't hurt herself anymore. The revelation gave her, oddly enough, some measure of peace.
"Error. Memory block detected. Scanning. Memory block faulty. Memory block fully removed. Continuing correction."
"Well, that was a frightening bit of luck," Hermione muttered. If the block would have prevented correction, she'd be stuck with a faulty brain forever. She wondered what could have broken that block.
Whatever this machine had done, Hermione could now process the fact that she had lived two separate time-lines by effectively placing the memories as separate entities rather than overlapping ones. She could now remember the old Bellatrix in all her insane sadistic glory: it was hard to imagine her lovely Trix like that. Technically, this Bellatrix never existed, giving her girl a new chance at a different future. It was, undoubtedly, the best thing she had ever done with her life. It made her feel warm and fuzzy.
The memories continued but there was no more mention of any errors or correction during the next few years she'd spent with Bellatrix. It was actually a rather fun relaxing trip through memory lane. Eventually, the timeline went to the moment they had boarded the Kingfisher and it crept ever closer to present okay. But something rather horrifying started to happen. The scan didn't stop.
"Uhm, computer?" Hermione said, trying to look away from the images. "You're done. You can stop now."
"Negative," said the computer. "Scan incomplete."
With sheer horror, Hermione realized that the scan would go through her entire life-time and that was not what she had signed up for. "Computer, I don't want to see my future. Stop the scan!"
"Negative," said the computer. "Scan incomplete."
"NO!" Hermione shouted, squeezing her eyes shut. "I am the director! I order you to stop the scan! I am the director. STOP!"
"Director invoking emergency stop," said the computer. "Scan winding down. Please wait."
When she opened her eyes, the scan was still running and she was being drawn into a memory while it was apparently shutting down. This was one memory… a memory of something which hadn't happened yet oddly enough… she was going to see. Hermione was… she was… was this a hospital room? Yes… yes, this was St. Mungo's. There were sounds… shades of people. When the sounds became clearer she became eye to eye with… herself. She didn't look much older than she was now, so this was possibly the near the future. But… why a hospital?
When the haze became clearer she heard… crying? An infant? No… two infants. Three.
Ah yes, of course. Bellatrix was pregnant. She was going see the birth of her child. Or children. Triplets? She supposed she could live with knowing this one.
A small phalanx of medical personnel were running back and forth. The future Hermione looked to be pale, worried and tired to the bone. It was hard for Hermione to see exactly what was going on from where she was stood. She tried to move through the thickness and only managed to shuffle a little closer.
"Breathe, Trix, breathe," she heard her older self say. Her older self's voice was not one of calm and serenity, not by a long-shot. When she managed to get more closer, she saw why: Trix was on the bed and she was not looking good. Her curly haired fiancee looked to be ashen grey, drenched in sweat with hair matted to her skin. She was having trouble breathing, it seemed. God, the bed was completely drenched with blood. In her arms were three babies wrapped up in bundles.
"Three…" Trix whispered. Oh god, her voice was so weak. So far way. "Three sisters…" she struggled to say the words. "With… with… an unbreakable bond…"
Hermione was the doctor and head-nurse exchanging a final glance. Hermione's heart skipped a beat when Trix exhaled, a smile on her lips while holding her babies. And then… nothing.
Hermione simply stood there in disbelief, mirroring the expression of her older self.
"No," whispered her older self. "No, no, no, no, no, no, this isn't happening! Trix! Wake up! TRIX!"
Hermione's heart sank in her chest when her older self threw her arms around Trix' still body, the three babies in the middle of it all. "No… no, no, no, no, no!" the older Hermione let out a wail of agony and disbelief, clutching onto Trix' body and kissing her forehead. "You can't go. Not this way. Not after all we've been through!"
Hermione swallowed hard. Was this… was this indeed her future the machine was showing her? Was this… her fate?
The older Hermione than turned her ire towards the nurse and the doctor. "You useless idiots!" shouted the older Hermione. "You stood there and did NOTHING! Who the fuck dies in childbirth in the twenty-first century?!"
The doctor raised his hands. "Madame Black," started the doctor. "We were… aware… your wife's condition was deteriorating when the first child was born. Too much blood loss. Too much strain on her body. It was all we could do to keep her alive until the two other children could be born. She was beyond saving after the first birth."
The older Hermione let out a cry of anguish.
"Please, madame Black!" the nurse added. "It's what…"
The older Hermione's head snapped to the nurse, an expression of unadulterated rage etched on her face. "If you're about to say 'it's what she would have wanted', I swear I will kill you where you stand!"
Hermione could see in her older self's eyes that she meant that. Oh god did she mean it. The last thing Hermione saw before the veil returned was Hermione gently taking the babies from Trix' arms, trying to hug all three of them at the same time. Whispers. The older Hermione whispered something to them. A promise. A promise to make it all better. To make it all as it should be.
She found herself in a featureless white void, just like she had been before. It was hard to breathe, hard to see, hard to think. Again, the veil was being lifted ever so slowly. Again she tried her best to see. Again, she struggled to make sense of it all. White walls, white floor and… black on white? What was she seeing? Hermione focused on a figure in the room, sat cross-legged staring at the wall. It was her self again, older still. Looking from her complexion, she was in or around her forties. In her older self's hand was a piece of charcoal. Charcoal she had used to write on the walls.
Symbols and runes adorned the walls, as did calculations. These were symbols she recognized: she and Trix had developed a ritual to unlock the potential of the Fae Mirror and used it to travel through space and time itself. The older Hermione had filled the wall with these calculations and was currently writing on the floor. "I'll fix it," the older Hermione whispered to herself. "I know I can fix it. I'll fix it all. Make it all better. Make all the bad go away."
There was a demented quality to that voice. Hermione took a closer look. Though the writings and calculations made sense at first, the more she read the more the writing became inane gibberish and non-sequitor nonsense. The room itself? Padded walls, padded door. Hermione closed her eyes. God, an asylum.
She merely stood there in disbelief when the older Hermione was rocking back and forth while writing, her hands trembling and her voice devolving into demented giggles. "Fix it. Fixitfixitfixit FIX IT!" the older Hermione threw her head back and cackled. Hermione couldn't help but notice the scars around her older self's neck by rope burns. If she'd hazard a guess, her older self's wrists weren't in much better shape either.
"Hermione Black," sounded from the other side of the padded door. Hermione turned her head and found two people stood there. A doctor and an intern if she were to hazard a guess. "She is a sad case."
"How long has she been here?"
"Close to fifteen years, give or take," said the doctor. "Her obsessions got the better of her. She became violent to herself and others. Most of the time we are forced to lock her in solitary. Don't take away the charcoal. It keeps her calm. Last intern who tried to take it away lost an eye. She needs to write. She always needs to write. Every two days, we take her out and clean the walls. She just starts all over again from scratch. Used to be a famous botanist, member of the Black family and all."
"Merlin, what happened to her?"
"Wife died in childbirth. Mrs Black was already somewhat unstable but after that, something in her mind just… snapped. She never recovered."
"Wait! That's Hermione Black? The mother of the Black triplets?"
"One and the same," said the doctor. "Though I understand both sets of grandparents raised those three. They visit once every month, but sadly Mrs Black doesn't respond to them anymore. Too focused on finding a way to 'fix things'. We're tried everything from magical remedies to muggle electroshock. One of the other doctors suggested a mild lobotomy, but he got voted down very quickly. Still, it shows you just how in bad a way she is. Nobody believes she will ever recover. Best we can do is keep her comfortable and make sure she doesn't harm herself or others. Who knows, perhaps, one day, her children will get through to her. But I'm not holding my breath."
Hermione felt tears run over her cheeks. Was this her future? Was this what the universe had in store for her and Trix? Was this some form of universal punishment? She had altered the flow of time itself to save Trix, only to lose her to something else? And losing her sanity in the process.
No.
No.
This would not be how it would end.
She would find a way. To prevent this. To fix it.
The computer piped up cheerfully just as the temporal observatory wound down with a slight hum. "Scan aborted. Fix complete."
Hermione closed her eyes and fought back tears. "Computer," she spoke through her sobs. "I have full access. To everything. Right?"
"Access to the entire archive can be achieved from the master console at the Control Deck."
That was all Hermione needed to know. With grim determination and no a small amount of tears, Hermione strode out of the temporal observatory and headed towards the control deck. The unicorn was now also there and it stepped forward to try to block and direct her elsewhere. But this time, Hermione wasn't having it. She kept walking and struck out with her hand, slapping the dumbfounded unicorn across the snout as she brushed past it and walked right into the control deck. The master console was undoubtedly in the middle and slammed the crystal into the slot.
"Computer," she demanded. "Start synchronisation. Hook me up to the archive. I want everything."
"Warning. It it ill-advised to…"
"SHUT UP AND START SYNCHRONISATION!"
"Acknowledged."
Two purple bursts hit her eyes and immediately her head felt like it was starting to explode. Knowledge started to flow inside her mind. Despite the agony, she kept her eyes open and focused. She had to endure. She had to find a way to fix all of this.
"I'll fix it, Trix," Hermione smiled despite the pain. "I'll fix it. For you. And for me. And for our daughters."
The pain became unbearable, but still Hermione would not relent.
"GIVE ME MORE!" Hermione demanded. "I NEED TO FIX IT! GIVE ME EVERYTHING!"
Bellatrix felt the snow crack underneath her boots as she paced back and forth, frustrated to the brim of her being. Around her, the crew had only just finished breaking up camp and were packing the tents up to be put back into the boat. An hour had passed and they were yet to get underway! It all went far, far, far too slowly for her liking. Didn't they realize that Hermione was in mortal peril.
She felt angry. She felt scared. She felt helpless. Especially that last one she didn't like. But what could she do?
Zipper, clad in a wasp parka, was buzzing around her in an attempt to keep her company, but Bellatrix paid him little mind. Instead, she gave vent to her frustrations, but spinning around and kicking a small stone off the snow beds. The feeling of cold wind slashing across her cheeks felt like a slap, and the rock collided rather impotently with a much larger crag sticking out of the white snow.
Bellatrix froze for a moment, simply staring at the crag. An idea formed. Under normal circumstances, she would have simply dismissed it as silly, but right now she was desperate enough to try. The young witch stopped by one of the boats to pick up what she needed and then returned to the crag. She yelled out a spell, causing a hot stream of magic to shoot out from the top of her wand. She held her curved wand with two hands and steered the beam blasting the crag. Scant a few moments later, she was left with a crag now adorned with a rather crude depiction, or rather, an outline, for the Horned God Cernunnos. A plastic cup from the supply boats made for a makeshift offering bowl.
Bellatrix sank to her knees, settling down on the snow while Zipper landed on top of her woolly hat. She dug into her coat and found, to her delight, a penny which she quickly dropped into the plastic cup. "Look," said Bellatrix to the crude depiction. "Me and my family have shown you respect for our entire history. I've always given you your fill of copper or tin. It's true I'm not one for praying and I believe very strongly in making one's own fate, but I've also never asked anything of you before. Nothing serious anyway, but if you exist, I am asking you now. Please watch over Hermione. She's out there alone and I am worried about her. So worried."
She heard her voice falter, felt her jaw clench and her eyes sting. "It's because of me that Hermione even came to the Arctic. I don't want her to freeze to death all alone in these white wastes! I want to find her and bring her home! So all I ask you is to keep an eye out for her."
Bellatrix was surprised when there was a second clang of metal landing. She looked up and saw her cousin standing next to her, a smile on her face. "That's a proper American cent," said Tahki. "I'm sure your Cernunnos will appreciate that."
More people joined after that, much to Bellatrix' delight.
"A buckle from my armour," said Sunniva as she dropped it into the cup. "Bronze. Both copper and tin. I am certain Freyja will forgive me for showing deference to another pantheon if it will help the loved one of a friend."
Copperhead was next. "Rivet," he said, pointing at his skull. "They fall out sometimes. But that's all you're getting! I'm not putting my head in there!"
Daelia was next, offering a button from her coat. Irrena and Haema followed her example. Zipper flew off and would quickly come back with the other three wasps. The four of them dropped small bits of metal into the cup, likely not all copper, but it was certainly a gift from the heart.
"Gear from an old watch," said Nymphadora, shrugging as she dropped it into the cup. "Trying to fix it for weeks without any luck. Better use for it now, yeah?"
Captain Kirk was next, gently putting a brass cigarette case into the cup. "Should stop smoking anyway," he said before stepping back.
"Aye," added Beodul while tossing a coin Bellatrix didn't recognize into the cup. "Hermione might be a scabrous cunt for running off in the middle of the night, but she's our scabrous cunt. And we want her back."
Bellatrix smiled, wiping away tears before they could freeze on her face. It was such a good thing to see that Hermione had so many people who cared about her; her girl could have that effect on people. Her greatest wish in that moment is that Hermione could see that herself. That she was not alone. That people cared. That she had friends who cared for her wellbeing. That life was worth living.