As Harry had been welcomed into the Otherworld by Siobh and her family, back in Trollberg Hilda's home had become a hive of activity. Once they returned from Tildy's Garden, Johanna took her daughter and her old mentor aside, leading them into her room quietly. Hilda sat silently, as her Mum re-opened the safe she'd kept the memories of Harry in. Yesterday, when she'd first opened it, Hilda had heard what sounded like a stick hitting its metal surface. Now, after everything she'd learned, it was obvious what it really was; her Mum's old wand.

Or what remained of it anyway.

Johanna's was made mostly of birch, with an oak handle and a brilliant pink gem wedged into the bottom of it. Hilda didn't notice it initially though, shuddering as she took in the broken wand. It had been split in two during her Mum's confrontation with her old partner, a direct link to that terrible moment when Harry had been taken from them. Her Mum seemed to pause briefly as well, before she took a breath and picked up the wand. She held the pieces out to her mentor, and as Tildy studied them mournfully Johanna sniffled and wiped her eyes.

'Don't worry, dear, we'll have it patched up in no time!,' Tildy assured, like a parent soothing their child. Johanna nodded, as Hilda scooched over to join her Mum while Tildy clicked her fingers and summoned an ancient looking book from thin air.

'What's the gem, Mum?,' Hilda asked curiously.

'Oh..my old friend gave it to me before she was corrupted..a gift for me passing my Librarian trials,' Johanna explained, rubbing Hilda's shoulder, 'Do you know how wands work, Hilda?'

'..Not really, but Frida got hers during..during an adventure we were on,' Hilda explained vaguely. Johanna didn't push her for the time being, keeping on topic as Tildy delicately flicked through the book's pages.

'Well, a Witch usually takes their wand from a memorable experience during their training. I took mine from one of the puzzles in Tildy's maze, the first time I ever made it through by myself'

'That's right,' Tildy confirmed dryly, focusing on the book.

'When a Witch moves on their training then, we craft our wand into something more elegant to show our progress. If a Witch has a familiar, they're allowed to help too!,' Johanna grinned, rubbing her daughter's shoulder. Hilda's eyes lit up at the prospect, before they both looked to Tildy, who had set the book down. Picking up Johanna's wand, she nodded for her to hold out her hands and placed one half on each of her palms. Muttering a brief incantation as she pushed the palms closer, Hilda watched quietly as Tildy locked eyes with her Mum.

'Johanna, do you wish to recommit yourself to the ways of magic, to uphold its laws, to defend its secrets and to never drink tea on a Tuesday?,' Tildy asked, Hilda almost laughing at how serious she sounded saying that last part. Her Mum nodded, her expression equally serious.

'I do'

Outside, David, Frida and Kaisa were making small talk when a blue light flashed from underneath Johanna's door. The children were alarmed, but Kaisa was grinning from ear to ear as the door opened and Hilda bounded out happily. Johanna followed, holding her restored wand up to the light carefully. She definitely needed to give it a clean at some point, as the gem shone brightly in the Summer sun.

'Wow! Your wand is beautiful!,' Frida said admirably, '..I hope mine looks that nice one day!'

'I'm sure it will, David and Hilda will be full of ideas!,' Johanna assured, giving David a wink as Frida held her friend's hands. The boy was confused initially, but smiled when the two girls nodded earnestly. Maybe he wouldn't be that left out after all, David figured, as Tildy rapped on the table to get their attention.

'Now, to business!,' she declared, 'Johanna, dear..would you have any idea of where your son could have been taken?,' she asked, and Hilda thought she could see her Mum start to sweat a little as all eyes settled on her. Johanna wrung her hands; she had never actually told Tildy or Kaisa that Tadgh was Tuatha De Dannan. While Witches weren't hostile to other magic users, they didn't mix with other branches of magic under any circumstances. Johanna had worried that she would have been punished for her relationship, over fears that she and Tadgh were crossing magical boundaries.

'..He wouldn't have been taken anywhere we know,' she began, picking absentmindedly at a bit of dirt on her wand, 'My partner was Tuatha De Danann..Harry was probably taken to their World,' Johanna revealed, looking back up to see Tildy's reaction in particular. Her expression was painted with total surprise for a moment, but it quickly disappeared. David and Frida glanced at Hilda, who wore a thinly veiled anger at just how far her Father was willing to go to keep Harry from them.

'..I see, that certainly complicates things,' her mentor murmured, holding her chin, 'I would suggest making sure that Harry isn't up here first, dear,' Tildy explained, 'But for that to work..we'd need something that he had a great connection with..'

'I don't have anything here..,' Johanna replied mournfully, 'Hilda and Harry shared their toys, at least when I was looking!,' she smiled, winking at Hilda who chuckled sadly but felt the pit open up in her stomach regardless. How much trial and error would it take to figure out how to even get started on finding her brother? Everyone else seemed to be thinking the same thing, but Johanna was strangely relaxed. She leaned back in her chair, one leg over the other as she smiled at them all wryly.

'What? I only said I don't have anything here, didn't I?' she laughed, causing Kaisa to chuckle.

'That's the `Anna I know..always speaking riddles!'

'Where are Harry's things?,' Hilda asked curiously, and her Mum's eyes became watery.

'Out in Tofoten..I couldn't bear to have them in the same place, s-so Astrid and I picked them up and..and put them in her attic,' she explained. Hilda's eyes lit up at the prospect of visiting her Aunt, before she zoned in on David and Frida, who both looked and felt like they were intruding. Hilda stood up and beckoned them aside, while the Witches put their heads together to speak quietly.

'What's up?' Hilda asked, leading them into her room for good measure and closing the door.

'..Just feeling bad for you and your Mum, that's all,' David sighed and Hilda pulled him into a hug, with Frida joining in as Hilda's emotions unravelled. Her friends still didn't know much of what had happened; Hilda kept breaking down when she'd tried to tell them earlier. But David and Frida knew that Hilda was hurting inside, and would stick by her even if they didn't know enough to try and comfort her. Something Hilda knew as they pulled apart, something she would forever be grateful for.

'I hate to interrupt!,' Johanna called through the closed door, 'But the next train to Tofoten is in an hour and we have to walk to the station!'

Hilda knew it would be goodbye once they got there; they'd been out for most of the afternoon and their parents would be worried for them, especially Frida's. Still, it didn't take away from the walk in the Sun, the children laughing and Johanna reconnecting as they made their way to Trollberg's central station. Here, she filled Tildy and Kaisa in on Harry's story, and a sharp contrast soon emerged between them and the children in front.

'I can't believe he didn't care..,' Kaisa muttered, looking at Hilda as she chatted happily to her friends, 'I just can't wrap my head around it..''

'I admit, I kept trying to understand even after what happened,' Johanna sighed, 'But there's no point now, Harry is what matters, not Tadgh,' she said stiffly, using his name as Hilda wasn't in earshot. She'd decided a long time ago that her daughter would never know his name. After all, Tadgh had never used hers unless he really had to.

At the Station, Hilda hugged her friends goodbye, while Johanna's insistence that she pay for all of them was quickly bulldozed by Tildy. David and Frida waved them off, as Hilda shouted out the window to them.

'I'll be back soon, don't have too much fun without me!,' she called out, laughing as the train to Tofoten pulled away, the hiss of steam drowning out her friend's goodbyes.

'So, now what?,' Frida asked, and frowned when David flummoxed for a moment, 'David, really, Hilda and I don't want you to be the odd one out! Just cause you're not a Witch or Hilda doesn't mean you don't have good ideas up there!'

'I mean..I guess it wouldn't hurt to try and learn more about these Tuatha de Danann,' he shrugged to Frida's encouraging nod, '..but her Aunt probably knows all about that anyway,' he sighed, letting his doubts take over again. Frida placed a hand on his shoulder, gripping it tightly as she suppressed the urge to shake him.

'David. That's. A good. Idea!,' she said through a wide grin, shaking him slightly anyway. David laughed at her insistence, and Frida took his hand so they could head towards the Library as Hilda's train vanished into the distance.

'It's grown since I was last here,' Tildy said of Tofoten as Hilda and Twig ran ahead over the little bridge that led into the town. Johanna didn't respond, looking about her hometown admirably. She hadn't actually been back to it since Astrid had sent her off to Trollberg after..whatever had happened with her parents. All she remembered was Astrid coming in and saying they had disappeared, and that memory felt almost..fake. She certainly still felt a little bitter that Astrid hadn't moved with her to Trollberg either, but that was something for another time.

'Will your Aunt mind us arriving unannounced?,' Kaisa asked and Johanna confidently shook her head as Hilda held back to gaze up at a faceless, sinister looking statue standing in the middle of the town square. Despite the Summer sun, she shivered and hurriedly caught up with the others. The whole time, it felt like something was watching her..

'No, she won't mind, especially if it's about Harry,' Hilda heard her Mum say as they made their way out of town, 'Besides, she'd show up to our cabin unannounced all the time as well,' she explained. As they continued on their journey, the houses became more sparse, replaced by the greenest fields Hilda had ever seen. Finally, around the corner a large homestead came into view and Hilda paused to take it in. Her eyes were quickly drawn to the massive, thatched roof tower before they settled on the blue tiled home built into it, with smoke drifting lazily from its tall chimney.

Hilda followed on slowly as Johanna and company opened the rusted green gate with a creak, craning her neck as she went up the path. She would always remember their old cabin lovingly, but Hilda now felt a little envious that she hadn't grown up here instead. Johanna knocked on the rustic red door, jostling Hilda from her thoughts. There was some scratching on the other end, before Astrid opened the door and what looked like a patch of grass with furry white legs came bounding out happily.

'Johanna!,' Astrid beamed, pulling her into a hug, 'What a surprise, just when I was thinking of writing to you as well!,' she laughed, before she noticed Kaisa and Tildy and gave them a welcoming smile.

'Oh..and you've brought friends as well?,' she asked, perhaps not being as open as Johanna had thought.

'I'll explain everything, this is about Harry,' her niece replied, settling any issues as Astrid nodded and stood aside, gesturing for them to enter before she looked out at Hilda, who had gone from being chased to being the chaser as she ran around laughing after the odd creature. Astrid almost didn't believe it was her, the girl had shot up since the last time they met.

'Come on Hilda!,' Johanna called and the girl came running up to her Great Aunt, embracing her happily as Twig and Astrid's pet came running inside as well. Laughing, Astrid sprinkled some salt in the child's hair, a ritual she had done since after Harry was kidnapped. Once they had come apart, Astrid led them inside, where Tildy was studying the books in her living room admirably. Kaisa less so, noticing a purple tag on one of the spines.

'..I know this book,' she muttered, taking it from the shelf, 'It's been missing for five years..'

'Oh? And how can you tell that?,' Astrid asked wistfully, leading them inside, though Hilda felt she knew more than she let on. Johanna felt the same way as they sat down on the kitchen table, but launched into an explanation regardless as she took out her wand, placing it in front of her Aunt. Astrid's eyes went wide and momentarily flitted to Hilda before she nodded.

'Witches,' she said casually, dropping the facade.

'You knew?,' Tildy asked, although she didn't seem a bit surprised.

'Of course, I've known since Johanna started!,' Astrid laughed, taking a fairy charm from her pocket and holding it out before them, 'You'd have to be a fool to think there's no such thing as magic, though I never dedicated myself to it,' she explained. Hilda again felt that Astrid was only revealing some of what she knew, and she was right, but the girl knew that this was about Harry and buried her curiosities for the time being.

'We need something of Harry's for a spell,' Johanna explained, 'It will help us figure out if he's up here..or with the Tuatha De Danann,' she said after a pause. Clearly, Astrid didn't know who Tadgh had been either, and she went noticeably pale. Looking to the others and Hilda, Astrid nodded towards the stars.

'Pick a room up there and get to work, Johanna and I will head up to the attic,' she instructed. As they moved, Hilda felt that the atmosphere had cooled somewhat. Choosing the first room they came too, Hilda and the witches stepped inside to allow Astrid and her Mum to pass. Kaisa made a point of closing the door behind her, and Hilda was interrupted by Tildy clearing her throat, as she reached for the door handle.

'I know what you're thinking, deary,' she mused, as Kaisa sat on a bed and pulled a potions book from thin air, as if she was trying to hide from the conversation in front of her.

'..You know I have to go to the bathroom?,' Hilda replied after a moment, hand still on the handle. The older Witch chuckled and pushed her glasses up her nose, before she fixed Hilda with a sharper expression. The girl swallowed and took her hand off the door; Tildy was not her Mum.

'Good. You can help Kaisa and I here, why don't you tell us how you're finding being a familiar?,' Tildy asked, putting the grandmotherly persona back on as upstairs, Johanna and Astrid worked through the attic and their feelings.

'Tuatha de Danann..why didn't you tell me, Johanna?,' she sighed, taking a box her niece passed out to her. Harry's old things had been buried all the way in the back of the attic, just like Johanna had tried to bury her pain and her guilt.

'Maybe you should have stuck around to keep an eye on me!,' Johanna shot back, the situation causing her emotions, and her bitterness, to flow before she sighed, '..I'm sorry I-'

'No, you're right,' Astrid interjected, 'I..I was always more suited to being an Aunt, I allowed myself to think I couldn't take care of you..and I'm sorry,' she sniffed, wiping her nose. Johanna had stopped at pulling out a box, wiping her eyes too. Seeing this, Astrid forced herself to use the moment to try and cement her years long lie, even though the idea caused her heart to ache.

'..Do you think we could use this spell for something else?,' she suggested half-heartedly, continuing when Johanna looked at her, 'I mean, to find your parents? There are plenty of their things here too..'

'Oh..um..,' Johanna murmured, feeling small as she drummed on the sides of the box for a moment, 'Let's..not. At least you wrote to me after I got sent to Trollberg,' she muttered and Astrid nodded in fake sadness as she was passed the box. In reality, she had asked so Johanna wouldn't, which would've put her put her Aunt in an..awkward position, to say the least.

Finally, Johanna saw the box with "Harry" written on in Astrid's writing. She had no memory of what had happened after it had been put there. All she remembered next was sitting in Astrid's garden, rocking Hilda back and forth as the Woff's flew overhead, the tears wetting her daughter's hair.

Zoning back in, Johanna heaved it out, the box somehow being heavier than the others. There was probably a metaphor there, she thought bitterly, but pushed the thought out as Astrid took the box from her. Using the box knife, they cut it open to reveal all of Harry's old toddler clothes. Underneath, to Johanna's hard swallow, she heard something call out from beneath; a certain toy, its electrics dying as it sputtered out the phrase that had circled Johanna's nightmares for years:

'La..La bzt off..the rescue..La La..off to crk rescue..'

'You can tell me what you're looking for,' Astrid said, holding her niece's hand, 'I'll get it and you can go downstairs,' she offered, but to her surprise Johanna shook her head, eyes clenched shut against the bombardment of guilt.

'No, it's right..w-we're off to rescue Harry!,' she exclaimed, before she started to rummage about the box with both hands. Astrid joined in, and after a couple of minutes Johanna finally pulled a tall, battered looking book from the side of the box. With food stains on every page, it was all about space for toddlers and something Johanna was certain Harry had absolutely adored.

'His first word was "space" you know..,' she sighed, 'His father was irritated that it wasn't "mama" or "dada"..he probably only included me then because it was still early days..'

They stood to leave, but not wanting to leave Astrid with her mess Johanna managed to lift some boxes into the air via magic. She only managed to get a few in, but satisfied with Astrid's thankful nod that she'd done her best, the two of them returned downstairs to the Witches. There, they found Tildy and Kaisa setting up as Hilda took some notes for Frida.

'Have you only just started?,' Johanna asked, confused as Kaisa had brought everything they needed. With her and Tildy working on it, she had expected that they would have everything ready to go.

'I had to find a cauldron that wasn't hexed, full of holes or both,' her mentor explained, 'But this won't take long, I assure you!,' she said happily, as Kaisa stirred the potion while muttering some incantations. Astrid took the book from Johanna, rightly guessing that its bond to Harry was important. They didn't need Johanna getting second thoughts if it needed to be destroyed.

In the meantime, Johanna sat down beside Hilda, an arm around her daughter. They didn't speak, Hilda too tuned into the potion making, but the girl rested her head against her Mum's shoulder as the Witches worked. Astrid threw open some windows, as the ingredients collected into a bubbling pink broth. Hilda loosened her scarf, sweating slightly as the heat built up. Finally, Tildy beckoned her and Johanna forth, wiping her brow with a handkerchief.

'Alright, we just need to add the book,' she explained, taking it from Astrid and before either Johanna or Hilda could object, she fed it into the frothing mixture. The cauldron shook momentarily, Hilda having to duck away from some splashing before she returned to her Mum's side.

'Alright..now, the both of you hold hands and shut your eyes. `Anna, put all of your thoughts on your son and stick your hands into the potion on the count of three, ok?,' Kaisa instructed. Johanna nodded stoically, and both she and Hilda rolled up their sleeves before she closed her eyes. Keeping her breathing steady, Johanna plunged into her memories. The only thing keeping her emotions anchored was Hilda's grip, as Kaisa's voice called out from above.

'One..two..three!,' she called, bringing her arm down like she was at the races. Hilda and Johanna immediately stuck their hands into the mixture, and in moments were swept off into somewhere else entirely. All Hilda saw at first was a blinding pink light..before she realised that she was sitting on something. Looking down, she saw that it was Harry's old book, speeding along down a winding road. Looking up, her Mum was still gripping her hand tightly, eyes clenched shut. Hilda knew better to try and interrupt, soaking up the experience as they flew along. Eventually, the book took off like an aeroplane, Hilda instinctively putting a hand on her beret as they took off.

Looking back, she saw the ground become tiny and realised that they were above the Wilderness, Trollberg's mighty Walls visible in the distance. Further and further they went, and eventually Hilda glimpsed the motorways down below, great black things snaking their way across the land. The whole time, the experience felt like a dream, the sky above them being completely pink with blue clouds. After a few minutes, the book swerved and Hilda had to cling on, though her Mum seemed unshakeable from her stupor as they took off deeper into the countryside.

Hilda's attention was momentarily drawn to some mountains nearby, making the ones that surrounded Trollberg seem tiny in comparison, when the book suddenly lurched sideways. Hilda's stomach somersaulted as they dove towards the ground and, for a moment, she panicked. The wind pulled at her face and caused her to tear up, but the experience ended just as quickly. She felt her Mum squeeze her hand while their ride returned to gliding peacefully over green fields.

In the distance, Hilda's eyes narrowed towards an odd collection of rocks sticking out of the landscape. The book changed direction again, enough for Hilda to see that it was a monument of sorts, before they shot towards it. This time Hilda leaned forward, seeing that the ground in the centre of the stone circle was completely clear, like a window into another world…

She heard her Mum gasp and felt her eyes go so wide that she thought they'd fall out of her head. It was a pinprick at first, but as they spiralled downwards it grew into that of a small child with their back to them. A frail looking boy with overgrown blue hair, dressed in jeans and a white woollen top.

Harry.

Hilda and Johanna reached out, tears flying upwards, but their hands suddenly landed flat against the barrier with massive THUD that bounced around both their heads. The barrier shook at their impact, and Harry spun around. The boy looked terrified, and Johanna reacted immediately, slamming on the barrier repeatedly with both her fists.

'HARRY!,' she cried out desperately, as Hilda also attempted to break through to her brother, but it was fruitless. Instead, Harry seemed to back away before he turned and ran into a fog that engulfed their view. Johanna slammed both fists on the barrier, screaming as Hilda stared on, pale and frozen by what she had seen. She was about to make another attempt to break through, when the book suddenly lurched backwards, shooting them back up into the sky. Johanna lurched over the top, arm stretched out in desperation as they were pulled away.

'HARRRYYYY!...'

'...Johanna!'

With a gasp, Johanna lurched forward, finding herself slumped against the wall. She was in a cold sweat, shaking uncontrollably as Hilda sat sobbing in Astrid's arms. Struggling to her feet with Kaisa's help, Johanna's first idea was to try and leap into the cauldron, before her daughter's cries brought her back down to reality. Turning to Astrid, she scooped Hilda up, sitting down on a bed to console her. Eventually, Hilda managed to get a hold of herself, rocking back and forth as she gazed around the room. When her eyes fell the cauldron, though, her eyes went wide and she shot towards it. Before anyone could stop her, Hilda leapt up and cannonballed inside-

'-oof!'

It was empty, drained completely of the mixture that had been spilling over previously. Some frantic pawing came at the door, which Astrid opened to reveal Twig and Lome. Hilda scooped the Deerfox up before she settled in the cauldron, holding Twig close and trying to wrap her head around what had just happened.

'It was so vivid!,' Johanna gasped, grabbing a pen from her pocket and sketching what she had seen on the inside of a book. Of course, drawing in books was extremely frowned upon by Witches, but neither Tildy or Kaisa said a word as Johanna went on.

'He was there..He really was there but-but something stopped us! A-A barrier..we tried to smash through but..but Harry just ran away..,' she explained, turning her rushed, yet understandable drawing towards them.

'A barrier..it means that he is beyond our reach, beyond this world..,' Tildy murmured, 'You were right, Johanna! He's been taken to the Otherworld!'

'We..We ended up at this stone circle..it was like a monument!,' Johanna explained, resting against the wall and putting a hand against her forehead, breathing deeply. Astrid snapped her fingers.

'A portal tomb; the Tuatha de Danann use them to travel between this world and theirs,' she explained, '..But there are none in the Wilderness, not that I know of at least! The legend was that they were chased out by the creatures that live here now..'

'Where's the nearest one?,' Hilda asked, poking her head out of the cauldron with Twig.

'Too far away to consider going to,' Astrid said firmly, 'You'd be much better off going to Ireland itself!,' she explained. Johanna didn't look the least put off and she made towards the door, when she stumbled, putting a hand against the wall to support herself.

'Mum!,' Hilda called out, scrambling to her side. Johanna patted her on the shoulder, giving her a weak smile.

'This..This has knocked the wind out of me..sweetheart..!,' she murmured as Hilda hugged her leg, also exhausted. Twig stood up on his hind legs, pawing at Johanna nervously.

'You both need rest,' Astrid nodded, 'Feel free to stay the night if you need to, Lome and I will happily take you!'

'Thank you, Astrid..,' Johanna breathed, sitting down against the wall with Hilda beside her. Kaisa joined them and her old friend chuckled, waving her off, though Kaisa made clear she wouldn't be moved as she put an arm around her

'I'm alright, Kaisa..I owe you both so much!,' she sniffed, 'I-I only bothered to..!,' she began before Tildy put a calm finger to her lips. Whatever reassurances or warm words came next Hilda didn't know, as she committed herself to fighting off her sleep. Despite herself, there was something alive inside her, bristling both with joy and anger, refusing to settle down. Her brother really was out there, frail, frightened and torn from his family. Like her Mother, Hilda wanted to get up and run; she'd swim to Ireland if it meant getting Harry back quicker..but her body refused. Slowly, steadily, the adventurer gave way to her fatigue, soon totally adrift in the Land of Nod…

Authors Notes:

Hello Fanfic users! Hope you've all been well (especially whoever has been reading from Ukraine) and I'm glad to say that the Boy in the Photo should be posting much more frequently as I reach the end of College! Of course, that doen't mean I've escaped the purgatory that is College, but I have found the time to write the whole way up Chapter 12! That's about 4 weeks of content and I'll be writing in the background constantly too, since thanks to issues with my old laptop I don't have HOI4 to distract me anymore, for the time being at least.

Anywho, Astrid is here! With her appearing i should probably tell ye that Johanna's backstory with her parents is completely different from S3 of the show. It will be dealt with in the sequel to the BITP, so consider that a little teaser :P.

Another lore change is the location of Trollberg. This is something that everyone in the fandom has talked about at some point, and I've decided that it makes the most sense story wise for it to be on an island. Before, I had it chilling on the coast of Britain but that didn't make much sense long term. Trollberg and the Hilda Universe haven't moved too far from there, and I decided that the Isle of Man (Isle of Trollberg?) is the best place to put it. If you don't know, the Isle of Man is between Ireland and the UK in the Irish Sea and for the purposes of this AU has no real-life locations such as Douglas, etc.

I've also learned the black arts of putting a photo into your work on a03 (not sure about fanfic yet) so stay tuned for a map of Trollberg and new character art too! When I get time, I'll also edit this fic so it's more in line with the new location of Trollberg as well.

All that said, I cannot avoid the 2k word essay at the back of my mind any longer, so good luck to ye all and see you next week for part 9, where we'll pick back up with Harry and Siobh's adventure!