Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ Fusion of Destinies ❯ Convergence ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Fusion of Destinies
a Harry Potter/??? crossover
Chapter 2: Convergence
9-11-2005
by Grey

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling.

This fic is dedicated to Razor Knight and CubedCinder128, whose support gave me the confidence I needed to write this thing.

---

McGonagall stood outside the door of the hospital wing, unsure if she should go in. Dumbledore and Snape were in there with the stranger, trying to find a way to cure her amnesia. McGonagall snorted at the thought of helping someone who had brutally assaulted them all; her legs still ached from when the intruder had swept them. However, Dumbledore had insisted that they should help her if they could, and her trust in him was absolute.

Many other things were on McGonagall's mind as well. She had just seen off Hagrid and Olympe Maxime, who were now on their way on their covert mission to find the giants. Could they really succeed? Then there was the uncertainty of whether or not the Order of the Phoenix could truly keep Voldemort were getting was he was after in the Ministry of Magic. And who knew what other schemes he could be hatching at this very moment? And I'm still not convinced this woman isn't part of one of them, McGonagall thought sourly.

A series of wonderful, distracting smells, however, caused McGonagall to stop dwelling on these worrisome issues. Looking around, she saw the house-elf named Dobby coming toward the hospital wing, carrying a tray with food. A bowl of steaming soup, roast chicken and several breadsticks adorned the tray, and McGonagall had a feeling it was for the stranger.

"Dobby is here to deliver this meal to the hospital wing, Professor McGonagall," said Dobby, obvious suprised to see her standing around the entrance. "Dobby was told an amnesiac is here at Hogwarts and needs help."

"You heard correctly," said McGonagall, staring down at the house-elf and opening the door for him. "Go on in." Dobby briskly darted into the hospital wing, and McGonagall decided to follow.

The stranger was sitting on one of the hospital beds, her knees pulled up tightly to her chest. She had an air about her like a frightened child, which contrasted with her size and inhuman strength. Dumbledore and Snape were on either side of the bed. Dumbledore looked as calm and scholarly as ever, but Snape's face was once again twisted in frustration. "I just don't understand it!" he hissed. "Not only is her body resistant to magic, but her MIND is too!"

"Errr, I take it progress has been slow?" asked McGonagall. The three of them, who had been unaware of the new arrivals, turned to face McGonagall. "Unfortunately, Minerva, yes. Severus and I have tried every variation of all the charms used to jog a memory and cure amnesia. However, her brain simply repels them all just as her body repels most magic."

"What about potions, Professor Dumbledore, sir?" squeaked Dobby as he stared curiously at the stranger.

"We've tried a variety of potions as well, even Veritaserum. But nothing works. I've never seen anything like it," growled Snape. "All we've gotten out of her was a single word: Sam."

"'Sam?'" repeated McGonagall. "Could that be her name?"

"Doubtful, it's a male name, after all," said Snape. "But it could mean her name is Samantha."

"I have an idea," spoke up the stranger. "Let's all talk about me as if I'm not here." There was a bite of anger in her voice, which caused all of them to jump slightly, even Dumbledore.

"I apologize, my dear. I must be losing my matters in my old age," said Dumbledore, smiling kindly. "Anyway, we've brought you some food. Please, help yourself." With that, he conjured up a stand beside the bed, then made the tray levitate out of Dobby's hands and float over to the stand.

Dumbledore then turned to McGonagall. "We were unsuccessful, but I am still certain that she is no danger to us. There is no trace of enchantments in her. I suspect that, somehow, the side of her that is not human resists magic naturally, much like a giant's blood does."

"B-but You-Know-Who could be trying to plant a spy...." McGonagall began.

"Unlikely, since he already believes he has a spy in Severus," interrupted Dumbledore. McGonagall looked over at Snape; the headmaster trusted him completely, but she still had some doubts. "Besides, we used Veritaserum, remember? If she was someone sent by Voldemort, she would have confessed."

"Well, what do we do with her?" asked McGonagall. "What can...."

She was rudely interrupted by the sound of someone noisily slurping down soup. Dumbledore and McGonagall turned to see that the stranger was holding up the bowl, tilting its contents into her mouth. They also noticed that the breadsticks were already gone, no doubt greedily scarfed down by the stranger. "It looks as if forgetting table manners is also a result of her amnesia," sneered Snape as he stared at her disapprovingly.

The stranger ignored Snape's remark and continued to drain the bowl. When she was done, she set it down and looked at the chicken. But Snape noticed that she had an odd look in her eyes as she eyed it. She almost looked.... disgusted.

"I-I can't eat this," she said softly, pushing the tray stand away.

"Why not?" asked Snape, convinced that, somehow, this could be an important clue.

She looked at the roasted chicken again, and for some reason, the thought of eating anything that came from a bird made her nauseous. "I-I just can't," she said simply. Then she got off the bed and faced Dumbledore. "What's going to happen to me? Where am I to go?"

"Seeing as we have no idea where you came from, I believe we are responsible for ensuring you have a place to stay," said Dumbledore. "You are welcome to remain here a Hogwarts if you wish. Arrangements could be made to include you in our staff."

Upon hearing this, McGonagall and Snape exchanged furtive looks. Dumbledore was allowing the one who had nearly killed them all a job here at Hogwarts? The stranger looked even more confused. "You mean, you'll, e-even after what I...."

"Those transgressions are forgiven, considering you felt you were acting in self-defense," Dumbledore said; once again, Snape and McGonagall exchanged mutinous stares.

"W-what would I do here?" asked the stranger. "You said this is a school for.... for people like you. But I'm not like you, I don't have powers or weapons like...."

"But obviously, you have other talents and skills," interrupted Dumbledore. "You could be an all-around handyman. Or handywoman, in your case. You could help patrol our grounds, and our corridors with the prefects once the next term begins. You could help out our house-elves in the kitchens...."

"Dobby would be honored to let our new arrival work with him, sir!" spoke up Dobby. "Dobby will gladly help her around Hogwarts!" The stranger glanced down at Dobby, noticing him for the first time, but her expression was not one of confusion. It was as if she was used to seeing such sentient, non-human beings every day.

"Thank you," said the stranger. "I-I'd like that. If I'm to stay here, I want to earn my keep."

"However, there are two more things I must ask you," said Dumbledore as he raised his wand. He flicked his wrist, and then, from the other end of the hospital wing, a large, glass container floated toward them. Within it was the strange metal sphere Hagrid had found beside her unconscious body. "This.... object. Do you have any idea what it is?"

The stranger stepped closer to the glass case to examine it closely. She observed the grooves and lines of the sphere, and its blinding, metallic glint. "Yes, I remember this. I-I remember walking through the forest, and carrying this.... thing. That's all I can remember before I woke up in here." She looked at it again, and felt as if she should remember what it was and what it was supposed to do. But she had absolutely no idea what the sphere's function was. "I feel like I'm supposed to know what this is, but I don't," she said at last.

"I see. Perhaps in time, your memory will return," said Dumbledore, and with another flick of his wand, it levitated back over to the far end of the hospital wing. "Now then, the other question is.... what to call you?"

The stranger stared at Dumbledore for a moment, unsure of how to answer that. How was she supposed to know what to call herself, when she couldn't even remember who she was? But after a while, the answer came to her. "Go ahead and call me.... Samantha. Somehow, that seems to.... fit."

"Very well, Samantha," said Dumbledore kindly. "Now then, I know of a place that will provide the perfect living quarters for you. If you will follow me, please." And with that, he swept out of the hospital wing, and Samantha followed after a second's hesitation. Dobby followed them soon afterwards.

McGonagall turned to Snape after they had left. "Well, what do you think?" she asked him, the disbelief in her voice evident.

"I think that if the headmaster does have her patrolling the castle at night, Potter will be in for quite a surprise if he tries sneaking past her," replied Snape with a faint smile.

---

McGonagall walked into the library with several books slung under her arm. The time for leisurely reading was over, even if they were books to help her bone up on defensive spells and battle tactics, so that she could better serve the Order of the Phoenix. Tomorrow was the start of term, and that meant it would be business as usual, teaching Transfiguration.

Hmmm, this year will be Neville Longbottom's O.W.L. year, McGonagall thought to herself as she set down her books at the front desk. Turning to leave, she continued to dwell on Neville. I can't remember any other student of mine who had such little confidence in himself, but I'm sure he'll scrape an 'Acceptable' in Transfiguration at least. I do hope he'll manage an 'Exceeds Expectations' though, so I can continue teaching....

As she neared the exit, however, McGonagall saw that, out of the corner of her eye, she was not the only one in the library. Seated at a small table was Samantha, idly reading a book, one that seemed relatively brand-new.

McGonagall stared at Samantha for a moment. When Dumbledore had offered her a position at Hogwarts, she couldn't believe it; she hadn't doubted a decision of his that much since he had taken Severus Snape under his wing. Despite how Dumbledore deemed it unlikely that she was a pawn of Voldemort's, she had remained suspicious of her for a long time.

But now, after all these months, McGonagall could see she had been mistaken. Never again had Samantha attacked anyone, or stepped out of line in any way. She diligently went about whatever jobs were assigned to her without complaint. However, her amnesia had persisted, and she seemed so quiet and reserved, always timid when around the Hogwarts staff. McGonagall knew she wasn't afraid of any of them; she had a strange feeling that, perhaps, Samantha was uncomfortable being around her own kind. Then again, part of her isn't human, she remembered. We don't know what else she is.

Samantha suddenly seemed aware that eyes were upon her, and looked up from her book, a slightly nervous look in her eyes. "Oh, hello Professor McGonagall," she said quietly.

"Hello Samantha," replied McGonagall. "It's quite late, you know. Tomorrow, term begins, and there'll be much work."

"I know," said Samantha dismissively. "But I wanted to read a bit more."

"What are you reading?" asked McGonagall, curious.

"Just a book on the recent history of your world," said Samantha. "I figure if I'm going to be part of it, I should know more about it."

"I see," said McGonagall.

"You've had quite a violent history in the last few years," Samantha went on as she turned a page. "It was practically a state of war, wasn't it? The way you had to fight this Lord Voldemort...."

"Please, don't say that name!" snapped McGonagall at once.

"Oh yeah, that's right, you're not supposed to say the name," said Samantha, realization sweeping over her. "But it sounds so stupid calling him 'You-Know-Who' or 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.'"

"Well, forgive me for being blunt, but you didn't live through that time, did you?" said McGonagall sharply. "You have no idea what he's capable of!"

"True, but it still seems illogical to refuse to say a name," replied Samantha, her voice now steady and firm. "By being that fearful, one plays right into his hands. And you all have to stand firm, don't you? He's returned, hasn't he?"

"How did you...."

"The headmaster explained it to me a couple weeks ago," said Samantha, cutting her off. "Well, maybe someday, I could help fight him. Magic doesn't seem to work on me, now does it?"

McGonagall stared at Samantha, surprised by this willingness to once again do battle. Perhaps she's right, she realized. Perhaps even the Unforgivable Curses would have little effect on someone like her. Out loud, she said, "Well, I'm turning in, Samantha. I'll see you in the morning when we make our final preparations."

"Alirght. Good night, Professor," said Samantha. Then she turned her attention back to her book. She then heard the library door open and shut, but paid no notice; she was too absorbed in her reading. She turned another page....

Now she had gotten to the point that went into detail about Voldemort's disappearance, and of the one who was responsible. Intrigued, Samantha read on....

---

The next day, in the hours before the students would return to Hogwarts, Samantha walked into the kitchens, ready to get to work. For a brief moment, she stood and watched all the house-elves running about busily and tending to the cooking food. For some reason she couldn't put her finger on, she felt more comfortable working with these house-elves than she did with the Hogwarts staff. Why is that? she silently wondered. Is this the way I was before, a hermit who shut herself away from humans?

"Samantha, you are here!" came the voice of that one house-elf who had befriended her the day she had arrived at Hogwarts. "Dobby is glad Samantha is here! Dobby could use some extra help!" said the freed house-elf as he scampered up to her.

Samantha looked down at Dobby and smiled. "Sure thing, Dobby. Lead the way." And so, Dobby led Samantha over to a series of stoves where potatoes were being cooked. However, before Samantha got to work preparing mashed potatoes, she turned to Dobby and asked, "Dobby, tell me something. What do you know about.... Harry Potter?"

---

And so, that's how a mysterious, unmagical, super-strong, not-quite-human amnesiac wound up working at Hogwarts. She worked there all throughout the summer, and I heard she fit in quite well for someone who couldn't use magic.

As for me, I didn't meet her until the start of my third week back at Hogwarts. That morning, I was brooding on my upcoming History of Magic and Potions classes, not to mention the scars on my hand still burned and I was still thinking about Hermione's idea. Little did I know that soon, things would happen that would make such worries seem like nothing....

---

AN: Now the story fast-forwards to a point in-between Chapters 15 and 16 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, just so you know.

The start of Harry's third week began just like any other day, except of course, his scar prickled a bit more than usual after waking up from yet another one of those dreams. Plus, he noticed even more furtive stares from students as he went down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Harry tried to ignore them all, refusing to let the injustice of it all steam him up, but he wasn't having much luck.

When he reached the Gryffindor table, Ron and Hermione were already there, and he quickly sat down with them. Ron was busy stuffing his face, while Hermione was quietly reading the Daily Prophet. Harry noticed that she also had a Muggle newspaper on the table as well.

"Hey, Harry," said Ron once he had swallowed his food. Then he turned to Hermione. "So Hermione, anything in the Prophet today?"

Hermione set down the newspaper and said, "No, today it's smut-free. Though there was this scandalous editorial about werewolves."

Harry grimaced inwardly. Could the Ministry be leaning on the Prophet to reflect Umbridge's bigotry against part-humans as well? he thought. As Harry was thinking about this, Hermione then opened the Muggle newspaper and began reading it.

"You won't find any info on You-Know-Who in there either. Why'd you bother having those papers mailed to you?" asked Ron curiously.

"Oh, I don't know, might have something interesting," Hermione replied. She idly read the newspaper for several minutes while Harry helped himself to breakfast. Eventually, she set that paper down too, saying, "Mostly rubbish as well. Nothing unusual, except that some shuttle parts mysteriously went missing from NASA."

"NASA? What's that?" asked Ron.

"It's a group in America responsible for space research and exploration," answered Hermione. "It is funny how these parts managed to go missing, though. I doubt they could be stolen; NASA has the backing of the American military, I think."

"Well, maybe You-Know-Who stole them," suggested Ron. "Maybe the weapon he's after is in space or something."

"Come off it, Ron. Voldemort wouldn't be caught dead using Muggle technology," said Harry, ignoring how Ron flinched. "And I'm sure this weapon he's after is still on Earth."

"What do you think, Hermione?" asked Ron hopefully.

"I think it's about time we head off for History of Magic," said Hermione dismissively, folding up her newspapers and stuffing one last biscuit in her mouth. Harry and Ron looked at each other and sighed, then followed her.

As usual, the boredom induced by Professor Binns in his History of Magic class bordered on oppressive, and it took all of Harry's willpower to not fall asleep and show some semblance of actually paying attention.

However, today, Harry was actually able to pick up on some interesting information that Professor Binns doled out. They were still covering giant wars, and one little tidbit he mentioned intrigued Harry. According to Binns, some giants had reluctantly recruited some wizards into their conflict and came up with a rather innovative method of using magic. Using special crystals, wizards would charge them with magic energy and then giants would use them to power a variety of things, such as force barriers. But after the giant wars ended, according to Binns, the wizarding world deemed such a practice inefficient, but possibly only because giants had originally come up with the concept....

And that's all he picked up on before the lecture descended into the mundane once again and Harry stared off into space.

Finally the bell rang, and everyone got up to leave. "It really is shameful, the way giants are persecuted," said Hermione in that same voice she had whenever she talked about S.P.E.W. "Sure, they do fight among themselves, but that gives wizards no right to cause them more trouble...."

"Oh please Hermione, don't tell us you're going to start fussing over giants, too," huffed Ron. "It's bad enough you're still trying to get that House-Elf Liberation Front thing off the ground."

"Ugh, your indifference sickens me sometimes," said Hermione angrily, stopping directly outside the classroom door. "And it's not 'House-Elf Liberation Front,' it never was."

"Yeah, well why was it the title of a whole chapter in the last...." Ron began.

It happened faster than Harry could even blink. Hermione raised her wand, muttered an incantation Harry couldn't quite make out, and conjured up a huge, wooden mallet, with which she used to bash in Ron's skull repeatedly. "NO FOURTH-WALL BREACHES!!" Hermione howled as Ron lay crumpled on the floor.

Harry stared down at Ron, then looked up at Hermione, who was still wielding her mallet. "Uh, I think you made your point," said Harry quietly, then he helped Ron get to his feet. However, he couldn't help thinking, Girls tend to beat the shit out of the guys they like to get their attention, I've heard.

The trio were about to get moving, but before they could head off for Potions, they heard a voice from within the classroom that was not Professor Binns's. "Ah, Binns, how was that seminar over the weekend?" It was the voice of the Bloody Baron.

"Very enlightening, thank you," replied Binns. "I actually learned something about the goblin rebellions I never knew before, a recent discovery...."

Harry didn't much care for any new historical findings, but Hermione grabbed his shoulder and said, "Hey, we've got time, this sounds interesting." Sighing, Harry decided to stay behind and eavesdrop on the ghosts.

"....So, it turns out that the goblins in question recruited a rogue wizard to perform a very ancient, very complex, and HIGHLY illegal Time Travelling Charm which very few know of. I was told it requires several complex potions, carefully-timed charms, and precise astronomical conditions," continued Binns.

"What's so special about this charm?" asked a third voice, which Harry recognized instantly: Moaning Myrtle.

"The details were a bit fuzzy, but I was told it allows the caster to see into the future and seek out dangerous new potions, inventions or weapons yet to be dreamed up. Then whatever is chosen is brought back into the present time. The goblins' choice was an odd one though. It was a Muggle weapon, what they call an atomic bomb." Harry and Hermione both let out frightened gasps, but Ron was still seeing stars, and probably didn't understand what an atomic bomb was anyway.

"I know what those do," said Myrtle. "But there's no record of one going off during the rebellions. How come?"

"Because there's a downside to the charm," said Binns. "The charm also brings someone with the knowledge and power to defeat whatever is brought back. The records are incomplete, but they believe the charm brought back a single Muggle who knew how to.... what's the word.... diffuse the bomb. After he got over his confusion, he agreed to help. The bomb was somehow placed within the Ministry, and the Muggle.... diffused it."

"What became of the Muggle?" asked the Bloody Baron.

"Arrow to the heart shortly thereafter, records say. Goblins weren't happy about their scheme being thwarted," answered Binns. "Anyway, this was a fascinating discovery, but the Ministry is debating whether to even allow this finding to be printed in any journals. For now, it's to be kept hushed up by all those who attended."

"But you've told us," said Myrtle slyly.

"Oh, yes.... well, I trust you two won't go blabbing about it, though," said Binns sheepishly.

Seeing that there was no point in staying any longer, the three hurried off. Harry couldn't help but thinking about what he had overheard. A charm that can bring things from the future into the present? There was no telling what harm something like that could do.

Hermione was apparently thinking the same thing. "I can't believe what I heard.... bringing inventions from the future to wreak havoc in the past.... it's unthinkable!"

"This clinches it," said Ron. "Whatever You-Know-Who's after, it's in the future! He's trying to put together everything he needs to do this charm!"

"Not even V-V-Voldemort knows what's in the future. And he may not even know that this spell even exists," said Hermione hotly. Harry doubted that though, considering how much knowledge Voldemort had about all manners of sorcery. "Besides, I don't even want to think about what weapons there are in the future."

"How come?" asked Ron.

Hermione turned and eyed Ron angrily. "The deadliest weapon in existence right now is the Muggle's atomic bomb. Just one of them can wipe out a major city in an instant, and there's enough built to incinerate every square inch of the Earth's surface, several times over. If there's a worse weapon than THAT, I don't want to know about it."

The three continued heading for their favorite balcony for their between-class break, but Harry's mind was still racing. Could Voldemort truly be planning something like this? Could he want to probe the future to find new weapons to use?

---

When the trio arrived in Snape's classroom, they had only missed the bell by ten seconds. Predictably, however, Snape seized the opportunity to dock Gryffindor points. "Late again," Snape sneered, while Draco Malfoy sniggered behind his back. "Five points from Gryffindor, from each of you. Now sit down."

Harry heard Ron mutter something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "Kiss my ass," as they went toward their assigned seats. But for once, the injustice over Snape's never-ending grudge didn't infuriate Harry. He was still thinking about what he had just overheard.

"Now then, we will be continuing the brewing of Strengthening Solutions, and I trust you have all read the assigned chapters," Snape began, his voice as cold and silky as usual. "I suppose I can spare a few moments to drill you to make sure, since I don't yet have the ingredients for today's lesson."

"And why is that?" came a sneering voice that made Harry's temper rise far more than Snape's: Dolores Umbridge's. Harry looked around, the saw the squat witch sitting in a corner, a clipboard in her lap. Obviously, today was the day his two least favorite teachers would square off.

"Because the ingredients needed for today's lesson haven't been delivered yet," Snape said. "They should have been brought here already, but of course, she's late again...." Snape muttered that last bit through gritted teeth. It was clear he wasn't pleased that his teaching seemed subpar during Umbridge's inspection. But he quickly regained his composure, and turned, not to Harry, but to Neville, who gulped. "Now, Longbottom," Snape began, "what ingredient would...."

Neville was spared having to answer Snape, because before Snape could finish the question, the sound of the door being slammed open filled the classroom. A second later, a tall, blond-haired woman in long, black robes walked into the dungeon, hoisting two heavy-looking trunks on her shoulders. "Sorry Snape, I almost forgot you needed these today," said the woman apologetically as she walked up to Snape's front desk. She then set the trunks down, and they landed with a loud thud.

"Just try to be on time from now on, Samantha," Snape said coldly.

"Alirght," was all the woman said, then walked over to Umbridge. "Oh yeah... Professor Umbridge, right? I have something for you too." The woman handed her a rolled-up piece of parchment, then she turned to leave.

However, when she was halfway across the dungeon, she slowly turned her head to look at the students. And Harry noticed, to his discomfort and utter amazement, that her gaze soon became fixed on him. Ever since returning to Hogwarts, he had been besieged by accusatory, disbelieving looks, but this woman's gaze was different. There was nothing hostile in her eyes; her gaze almost seemed.... subdued and tragic. And somehow, her eyes betrayed a mixture of empathy, curiosity, and.... most perplexing of all.... recognition; recognition as if she KNEW him, instead of having just seen him his picture.

"SAMANTHA!!" snapped Snape, and at once she turned her gaze away to look at the Potions master. "If you have no more business here, and you don't, please vacate my classroom." Samantha said nothing more as she turned away and walked out the door, slamming the door behind her; it sounded as if it had almost come off its hinges.

"Well, it appears the Minister of Magic wishes to see me at once," said Umbridge, reading the parchment Samantha gave her. "I suppose this means your inspection will have to wait for another time," she said saccharinely as she stood up to leave.

"I suppose it does," said Snape, not sounding the least bit displeased. Harry's heart leapt too; the less he saw of that dumpy, vile ogress, the better.

"One question, though, Professor Snape. WHO was that woman? During my time here I've never seen her...."

"The headmaster hired her as a handywoman over the summer," said Snape. "She had amnesia and was wandering around the grounds, and the headmaster allowed her to stay. An odd choice, though; she's not a witch, and there's evidence she's not entirely human."

That last sentence, predictably, seemed to catch Umbridge's attention. "Oh, is that so? Why would the headmaster employ such a mysterious, and possibly dangerous, woman?"

"I suggest you ask him," Snape said shortly.

"Oh, believe me I will," said Umbridge, and with that, she stormed out of the dungeon.

"Are you serious, Professor? The headmaster let someone with no magic at all work here?!" blurted out Malfoy, unable to contain his curiosity. "How low can he sink?"

"Enough!" shouted Snape, which surprised Harry. Snape always favored his Slytherin students, especially Draco Malfoy, so it was odd to see Snape react in such a way toward him. "We have wasted enough time, and must jump right into today's lesson." Snape then waved his wand a few times, and the delivered trunks snapped open and instructions appeared on the blackboard. "You have an hour to brew this potion, the Draught of Invigoration. Begin."

And so, the class began brewing the assigned potion, which was actually easier for Harry than the ones assigned during the last few days. It was a good thing too, for many things were still on his mind besides potion-brewing. The time-bending charm Binns mentioned was still foremost among them, but now, the image of that woman's face flitted in and out of his mind as well.

Who was she? Why had Dumbledore let someone who was probably a Muggle work at Hogwarts? And most of all, why did she look so empathic when she met his gaze?

---

Don't have much to say here, other than that next chapter, Harry and the mystery character finally meet face-to-face, and we'll learn why she's so intrigued by him.

So long,
Grey