Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ Fusion of Destinies ❯ Twin Souls ( Chapter 3 )

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

Fusion of Destinies
a Harry Potter/??? crossover
Chapter 3: Twin Souls
9-16-2005
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.

---

That evening, Harry sat alone at a small table in the library, which was nestled in one of its far corners, away from most of the other students. He was working feverishly by himself on yet another essay assigned by Snape and flipping through one of many books. Normally, Ron and Hermione would work with him, but this evening he felt better being by himself. He didn't think it was possible, but now he was in an even more sour mood. Hearing Trelawney babble once again about the nearness of his doom, along with simply being in the same room as Umbridge afterwards, was enough to put him over the edge.

At least I don't have any more detentions with that miserable excuse for a human being. Ugh, that Umbridge is insufferable, Harry thought acidly as he jotted down another sentence onto his piece of parchment. He looked at his right hand again, where the words 'I must not tell lies' were still etched on his skin. What I wouldn't give to take that book on defensive theory and shove it up her....

"Harry? Harry Potter?" came a low, yet feminine voice.

Harry looked up from his parchment to see that across his table stood the woman he saw earlier in Snape's dungeon. Now that she was much closer, Harry could clearly see she was indeed a very tall woman, about 6'3"; if it wasn't for Madame Maxime, she would've easily been the tallest woman he'd ever seen. And yet, her expression was still one of timidness and insecurity, gazing at Harry with a nervous stare. "Uh, hello," Harry said nervously, remembering that she was one of the school's staff. "Er, am I in trouble or anything?"

"What? Oh no, nothing like that," said the woman, shaking her head. "I was just wondering.... could I talk to you for a minute?"

Why would she want to talk to me? thought Harry. But curiosity trumped his willingness to finish Snape's essay, and he simply nodded and said, "Alright." The woman then took a seat directly across from Harry.

"My name's Samantha, by the way," she said. "Or at least, I think it is...."

"You.... 'think it is?'" muttered Harry, unable to hide his confusion. "What's wrong, you have amnesia or something?"

"Actually, that's exactly what I've got," Samantha said sadly. "I've been here for months, but I still have no idea who, or even what, I am."

Harry thought about this for a moment, remembering what Snape had told Umbridge after Samantha had left the dungeons. "I heard Snape say Dumbledore hired you over the summer, even though you're not a witch. And yeah, he said you've got amnesia."

"That's all true," replied Samantha. "But it's sort of a long story, though."

"Let's hear it," said Harry. He hadn't been making much progress with his essay, and was now very intrigued by this stranger.

And so, Samantha launched into her tale of the night Snape and Hagrid found her unconscious in the Forbidden Forest, and how she had attacked all of the teachers upon awakening, and how, after Dumbledore had finally calmed her down, she had been offered a job at Hogwarts until she could discover the truth about herself. "So, that's pretty much it," finished Samantha. "I've been working here ever since that night. But I still haven't figured out just what I am, and all the teachers here are clueless too."

Harry stared across the table at Samantha, unsure of what to make of her story. Here was this woman who was stronger than Hagrid, was some sort of part-human hybrid, and yet no one could figure out who or what she was. "This is all very interesting," he said plainly. "But I don't see why you want to talk to me."

"It's.... kind of complicated," said Samantha, hanging her head. "It's kind of illogical too, but...."

"But what?" asked Harry.

Samantha looked up at Harry again, considering what would be the best way to explain things to him. "I've been doing a lot of reading lately, about magical history. I was hoping I'd find some record of people with abilities like mine, or perhaps some other clues. But.... when I got to recent history, and read about the war against Lord Voldemort...."

Samantha paused when she saw the incredulous stare Harry was giving her. Harry had no fear of Voldemort's name. He never did. But he was taken aback to hear a complete stranger say his name freely, even though Samantha wasn't a witch. "Well, anyway, when I got to reading about him, what caught my interest was the part about.... you."

"About.... me?" asked Harry, suddenly feeling nervous.

"Yeah. I don't know why, but when I read about how your parents were murdered and you survived, I don't know.... all of that sounded so.... familiar...." Samantha's voice trailed off; she knew all of this must have sounded suspicious to him, and she didn't quite understand it herself. But somehow, in a way she couldn't explain, Harry's tragic origins seemed to jar something in her soul.

"What do you mean.... familiar?" asked Harry, who was growing even more nervous by the second. "If you've lost your memory, how could...."

"I can't explain it, Harry," Samantha said softly, "but when I read and reread all that stuff about you, it stuck in my mind. And when I talked to Dumbledore about it, and how he explained that Voldemort's been revived, my curiosity grew. I also asked Dobby about you."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You know Dobby?"

"Yes. I work with him and the house-elves quite a lot," said Samantha. "He was more than happy to tell me all he knew about you, but it wasn't enough. What I really want is.... to talk to you. To hear everything from you. And I want to know about the REAL Harry Potter, what the man is REALLY like, not what some sensationalists make you out to be."

Harry eyed Samantha suspiciously, trying to make sense of her request. His curiosity had now been replaced by a sudden rush of irrational anger, along with a sense of deep-rooted paranoia that would've made Alastor Moody proud. "Get out of here," Harry said angrily. "I'm not an idiot, you know. I think I know what you're playing at."

"What're you talking about?" gasped Samantha, her face one of indignant shock.

"Umbridge must've told you to try to weasel some incriminating info out of me for the Ministry's smear campaign, probably blackmailing you to make sure you'd do it," spat Harry. "Or maybe you're relaying info to the Daily Prophet instead, so they can do another story about how...."

"Listen to me!" Samantha hissed through gritted teeth, cutting Harry off. "I don't know where you're getting these paranoid ideas, but I assure you, I'm no mole. I know all about what's going on; Dumbledore's explained it to me, how everyone's turning a deaf ear. And I think it's outrageous too," she went on. Harry listened, not quite believing her. "Besides, I'd get fired if I tried something like that, and I wouldn't risk it. I've nowhere else to go!"

Harry stared back at Samantha, gazing into her sparkling blue eyes, and found his temper was subsiding. There was a pleading, apologetic look in those eyes which Harry found he couldn't ignore. Besides, Harry was still enraged because of how so many people thought he was a liar, and here was someone who claimed to believe him, though she was a total stranger to the wizarding world. And lastly, here was someone who wanted to know about Harry Potter as a person, not the celebrity called 'The Boy Who Lived.' "Alright," said Harry, in what he hoped was a softer, apologetic tone. "What is it you want to know?"

"Everything," was Samantha's quick, excited reply. "Tell me everything."

Well, if I spend this evening telling you my whole life story, I won't have any time left for homework, thought Harry. Out loud, he said, "Not tonight.... not all of it anyway. I'll tell you about how I found out who I was, and what's been happening lately."

And so, Harry launched into his tale of his miserable upbringing at Privet Drive, and the night Hagrid sought him out and revealed his true origins to him. He couldn't help but smile to Samantha as he recalled the exhileration he felt upon learning he was a wizard, and how within a few months, he finally made true, life-long friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger foremost among them. But then Harry skipped forward, telling Samantha about the night that Voldemort regained his body, and how ever since, the Ministry of Magic has refused to believe him and Dumbledore, and was even interfering at Hogwarts to hush them up.

Samantha listened attentively, enraptured by Harry's tale and taking in every word. When Harry finished, Samantha just stared back at him, trying to think of something to say. Eventually, she spoke, every syllable barely above a whisper. "It must be so difficult for you," she breathed. "You survived an attempt on your life as a baby, and now you've grown-up, and have to fight against the same one who killed your family."

"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah, I do, though I really never thought of myself as a fighter." But then, Hermione's suggestion came back to him, and remembered how she insisted he was brilliant at Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Still, there's no denying you've got what it takes, if you can turn the tables on Voldemort the way you did a few months ago," said Samantha praisingly and with a smile. Harry just stared down at his Potions homework, unsure of how to respond. "Still, it's outrageous how this government of yours is ignoring the problem and hoping it'll go away," she snarled. For some reason, Samantha felt she understood what Harry was going through lately.

"Yeah, it is," said Harry bitterly. "Well, did any of this.... help?"

Samantha looked at him for a moment, then said, "I don't know. What you've told me.... I was right. Somehow, it's all so familiar." Then she stood up. "I have to go now, though. There's something I have to do for your gamekeeper Hagrid, watching over these things called 'thestrals.' But I was wondering.... could you meet me back here tomorrow, around the same time? Can you tell me more then?"

Harry simply nodded, and Samantha responded with a smile. Then she turned and walked out of the library. Harry watched her go, hoping that somehow, he had helped her in her search for her identity. As he resumed his work on his Potions essay, he couldn't help but wonder why his life story seemed so familiar to this stranger.

Another voice from across the table interrupted his work yet again. "That wasn't a good idea, Harry," said the voice. Harry recognized it immediately, and looked up from his parchment to see Ron was now standing across the table, along with Hermione and his brother Fred.

"What are you talking about?" asked Harry, a little miffed.

"Telling that Samantha woman about your life," said Ron. "You might have been right the first time, she might've been some stooge of the Ministry's...."

"You were eavesdropping on us?" asked Harry indignantly.

"Yeah, we were looking for some good books about the Dark Arts, and we happened to be behind the bookshelf next to your table when that Samantha showed up," explained Ron.

"Harry, the point is, it's not wise to trust just anyone right now," admonished Hermione. "Not with the way the Ministry's trying to paint you as a nutter."

"Wow, in the time you spent at the Order's headquarters before they rescued me from the Dursleys, Mad-Eye's paranoia must've rubbed off on you two," spat Harry. "Listen, d'you really think Dumbledore would've hired her if that was the case? Hardly anything gets by him."

"Except how a Death Eater posed as his old friend for a year," pointed out Fred. "But the point is...."

"Come off it, all of you," said Harry, his temper rising. "I was thinking the exact same thing at one point. I'm sure you heard me telling her to get lost. But when I saw that look in her eyes.... I can't explain it, but I just know she's sincere. And let's face it, there aren't too many people outside the Order who believe me, so I'll take whoever I can get." Harry then remembered how Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom and Ernie Macmillan said they believed him too. Add another to that list, Harry thought.

"But you heard what she said," said Hermione. "She admitted herself she has no idea what she is, and that she's not entirely human...."

"So the fact she's a part-human makes her suspect?" asked Harry, astonished. "I thought that's the kind of prejudice you're trying to fight against?"

Hermione looked thunderstruck by Harry's rebuttal and said nothing in response. Fred spoke up next, trying to diffuse the tension. "Maybe you're right, Harry. I've seen her before, and she doesn't seem too bad. A real looker, actually, even if she is a bit of an Amazon."

"When was this?" asked Ron curiously.

"Oh, my last Charms class," said Fred. "Y'see, we're doing different variations of the Aguamenti spell, and that day we had to focus the water into a super-fast stream that'll cut through stone and wood and such. So five minutes into class, that lady walks in hefting a bunch of oak logs for us to cut through. Must've been a heavy load, but she lifted 'em like they weighed nothing."

As Harry listened, he remembered how he had trained himself to use that charm in such a way. It was one of the many offensive tactics he researched when preparing for the Triwizard Tournament's final task. However, he had never come across a time where it was preferable to a good Stunner or Reductor Curse. If I start teaching others about Defense, should I try and teach that? he wondered.

"Were you able to perform the charm like that?" asked Hermione.

"With distinction," beamed Fred. "But Samantha.... she was real quiet, just did her job and left. Seemed kind of nervous around the students, though. Dunno why."

For a while, silence lingered between the four of them. Eventually, though, Hermione spoke up again. "Well, in all likelihood, she's alright if Dumbledore's taken her in. And besides, she said she's worked with the house-elves. Maybe she can help me with S.P.E.W...."

Harry, along with Ron, simply rolled his eyes, then he got back to work on his essay.

---

Tuesday began pleasantly enough, as Harry hadn't had another strange, scar-prickling dream, and not as many people seemed to glare at him suspiciously that morning. He was actually quite satisfied with himself, managing to finish his Potions homework and most of his homework for Transfiguration the previous night. And without Hermione's help, to boot.

As Harry walked with Hermione and Ron toward Hagrid's hut for their next class, he could hear Pansy Parkinson, who was about twenty feet behind him, saying something, and then heard Crabbe laughing maliciously. But Harry ignored them, thinking instead about Hagrid and why he still wasn't back. Maybe Samantha knows something. I'll have to ask her tonight, he thought somberly.

When they reached the hut, Professor Grubbly-Plank was already there, standing beside several tables, which all had several baskets on them. In each tiny basket was a cat-like creature with big ears and lion-like tales, and Harry knew they were kneazles. Crookshanks was half-kneazle after all.

"Everyone here then?" asked Professor Grubbly-Plank as she scanned the faces of the students. "Alright, let's get started. I'm sure all of you know these are kneazles, but there's a lot of information one needs to know if one aims to raise one properly. For instance, does anyone know the best thing to feed female kneazles during their adolescent stage?"

As usual, Harry heard Hermione's hand go up instantly. But Grubbly-Plank's gaze seemed to glide over her, focusing on a student far behind Hermione. "Uh, yes?" she said in a slightly surprised tone. "Can you tell me, Goyle?"

Eyes widening in surprise, Harry turned around to see that, indeed, Gregory Goyle had his hand up. What's going on? A dim bulb like him.... he's never raised his hand to answer anything! Harry thought.

"Er, no," Goyle said nervously. "But I was wondering.... what's that?" he asked, pointing toward the top of Hagrid's hut. Along with everyone else, Harry turned to look at the top of the hut....

Perched atop Hagrid's small house was a small creature whose body vaguely resembled a koala bear, but it had bright, blue, shiny fur. Around its neck was a collar of fluffy grey fur, and its face was remarkably primate-like. But the real attention-grabber was what was atop its head: two small, swishing antennae. The strange creature eyed the class, not looking the least bit nervous, but looking rather curious instead.

For a few moments, no one spoke; they were all taken aback by this sudden arrival, even Grubbly-Plank. "I.... I don't know...." she whispered. "This is a new discovery.... how exciting. If I can just...." She slowly approached the hut and raised her wand, but then the bizarre animal leaped off the roof. It landed on top of Grubbly-Plank's head and made another leap, right into the crowd of students.

"Oooof!" cried Grubbly-Plank as he creature soared over Harry. Turning around, he saw that the furry creature was now being held by Pansy Parkinson, who apparently had caught it instinctively as it was descending. The strange animal looked at Parkinson, and she stared right back, her expression one of complete confusion. "That's good, Ms. Parkinson!" came Grubbly-Plank's voice. "Just hold onto it for another...."

But the creature was on the move again. It freed itself from Parkinson's grasp and dropped to the ground. Then it dashed on all fours, zigzagging through the students, and then barrelled toward the Forbidden Forest. Grubbly-Plank and all the students watched the creature go, unsure of what to make of it all.

"What.... was that?" Hermione said to no one in particular.

"You're the human encyclopedia. You tell me," sneered Parkinson. Harry continued to stare at the Forbidden Forest. Although he hated to admit it, Parkinson did have a point: if Hermione didn't know what it was, he doubted anyone would.

---

As Harry walked into the library that evening, his mind was in a fog. So many strange things had happened in the last two days. Binns's overheard description of a time-bending charm, meeting a strange new Hogwarts employee, and now, a sighting of a creature no one had ever seen before. And for some reason, Harry felt as if all of these things were interconnected somehow....

Putting it in the back of his mind, Harry surveyed the library, but saw so sign of Samantha. However, he did see Cho Chang, along with Luna Lovegood; they were sitting at opposite ends of a small table, and they appeared to be simply staring at each other. Also, Ginny was standing by the table.

Harry reasoned Samantha would probably be at the table he sat at yesterday, so he walked over to the far corner of the library. However, he passed by Cho and Luna's table, and as he did, he suddenly heard Ginny's voice bark, "Ha! You blinked, Cho! Luna wins again! Pay up!" Turning to look at the table again, Harry saw Cho angrily hand over five Sickles to Luna, and Ginny was standing over them, her arms folded and looking triumphant. Obviously, Cho and Luna had wagered a bet on a staring contest. And Cho lost.

Dumb move, Cho, Harry thought. Luna hardly blinks at all. He then had the urge to talk to Cho again, but he had promised to meet Samantha. Sighing, Harry continued walking toward the far corner.

When he got to the table, he found Samantha was sitting there, in the same place he sat at yesterday. However, to Harry's utmost surprise, she was not alone. On either side of her sat Ron and Hermione, and they were both smiling broadly and looking at Samantha with faces that showed utmost respect. Harry noticed that Samantha was looking down at the table, looking sullen, but had managed a weak smile of her own.

"What's going on?" asked Harry incredulously as he sat down, across from them. After the way Ron and Hermione had told him off for opening up to Samantha, he considered it odd to see them so chummy with her now.

Hermione turned to face Harry and said, "Oh Harry, we were in here doing research and saw her here waiting for you, and.... well, we started talking, and, well...."

"She's a bloody genius, she is!" Ron cut in. "She's got a brain almost as big as Hermione's." Ron noticed that Hermione was now gazing over at him. "I said 'almost'!" Ron said defensively.

"Yes, it's true, she's brilliant," said Hermione, turning back to Harry. "Samantha's a master at astronomy! She's taught us methods of calculating the distances between planets, their orbits, the movement of moons.... methods I've never even heard of!" That last bit got Harry's attention; that was the second time today Hermione admitted she had come across something she had no knowledge of.

"It's nothing, really," Samantha said softly. Harry could tell she was trying to be modest, but was secretly delighted to have won Ron and Hermione's respect. "It's basic science, really. It's just simple mathematics and physics, calculating distances and the effects of gravity and...."

"There's nothing simple about these equations you've shown us," interrupted Hermione, with a tone of utmost sincerity.

"Not to mention you've helped us out in Potions, too," said Ron. "Hermione's always been helpful, too, but the advice you've given.... you make things sound so easy."

"Again, it's really basic science," said Samantha. "The subject of Potions seems to simply be a supernatural version of chemistry, and many of the same principles still apply. You simply have to understand the properties of the compounds you're working with, understand the conditions under which the desired chemical reactions will take place, and...."

"Samantha, one thing's pretty obvious," spoke up Harry. "Whoever you really are, you're some sort of Muggle scientist."

"I suppose so," said Samantha, turning to face Harry with another sad look. "But that doesn't explain my superhuman strength, or my immunity to sorcery."

"I've done a little research on that, and sadly, I haven't come up with much," said Hermione. "There was a mishap with potions back in 1653, though. A potioneer by the name of Wandala Wezema messed up a potion she was working on and it splattered all over her. The next day, her muscles had the consistency of stone, and made her stronger than a troll. But it didn't grant her agility like what you've described to us, or any sort of resistance to curses. So I doubt yours is a similar case."

"I see," said Samantha, disappointed that Hermione had failed to turn up anything useful. "Anyway, I don't mean to be rude, and I enjoyed this talk, but...." She turned to Harry, looking at him expectantly. "Harry, today you said you could tell me more."

Harry nodded and said, "Uh-huh, I can." After quickly looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was eavesdropping, Harry started explaining to Samantha about his second and third years, which he had skipped over the previous day. He didn't get into all the details, but told Samantha enough to give her the general idea of what had happened. It made Harry uncomfortable, but he forced himself to retell his harrowing account in the Chamber of Secrets and his face-off with the basilisk and Voldemort's teenage self. Then he went into the story of Sirius Black's escape and the events surrounding it, how he learned the truth about his godfather and how he warded off scores of dementors.

Once again, Samantha was totally enthralled by Harry's account of his previous years, never uttering a single word and letting Harry tell his tale uninterrupted. "And so, that's basically it," said Harry when he finished telling Samantha about Sirius's escape. "And the next year I was in the Triwizard Tournament, and you know how that ended."

"Yeah, I remember.... Voldemort's comeback," Samantha said gravely, noticing that Ron shuddered and even Hermione shifted slightly when she said Voldemort's name. "You've been through so much, but somehow, you manage to come out on top, despite the odds," continued Samantha. "That battle in the Chamber of Secrets sounded especially tough.... you had to slay that giant snake without any magic, and as far I can tell, you've never been trained to use a sword."

Once again, Harry felt the need to be modest and play down his victories. "Yeah, well, it was hard, but if it wasn't for Fawkes, I wouldn't've had a prayer. Besides, it wasn't exactly a flawless kill. I got that fang stuck in my arm when I delivered the death blow, remember?"

"True, but the point is, whenever there's trouble, you seem to be the go-to person," said Samantha. "You're the one everyone can count on."

Harry looked down at the table, somewhat embarassed by Samantha's remark. Sure, he had gone out of his way several times in the last four years when there was trouble, in order to save a friend in need or to thwart someone bent on doing evil, but he didn't like to think of himself as a hero. Ron seemed to notice that Harry desperately wanted to change the subject, and said, "I think we still have some Transfiguration homework to do. I don't know if you'll be able to understand this though, Samantha. Hardly any science in it."

"I have nothing else to do this evening," replied Samantha. "Right now, I'm just looking for a way to kill some time."

But over the next hour, Harry and his friends hardly got any schoolwork done. Most of their remaining time in the library was spent in idle conversation with Samantha. She was still obviously very curious about Harry and his friends, and they happily answered all her questions. But at certain points, Harry could tell she felt slightly guilty that she had nothing interesting to tell them about herself, since she still had no clue who she really was. When the trio finally left the library and headed back for the Gryffindor common room, Harry found that he felt more at peace than he had felt at any point since returning to Hogwarts. He now knew there was someone other than Ron and Hermione he could confide in and would listen to him.

---

It was now well after sundown, and Samantha found herself patrolling the corridors of the castle, dressed in the same outfit she had on when found in the Forbidden Forest. She walked on, heedless of her surroundings, only half-awake....

After a while, however, she found herself in a hallway she didn't recognize. Samantha knew she shouldn't be too surprised; even after spending several months at Hogwarts, there were still parts of the castle she was unfamiliar with. And every night, she had the urge to explore the castle further, to uncover all of its secrets....

But this time was different. She felt no exhileration upon discovering this new area; on the contrary, it was giving her the creeps. The walls were made up of a glassy-looking, black stone, and were lined not with doors, but old, carcked, dusty mirrors that one could hardly see oneself in. Not only that, a turbid mist lingered on the floor, filling Samantha with a sense of foreboding doom.

Samantha pressed on, not sure what she would find down the hallway. Eventually, she reached the end, where there was a solid wall, adorned with another large mirror. But this one was unlike the others. It was not dirty and cracked, but simply misted up.

She had no clue why she did it, but slowly and nervously, she reached out with one hand and wiped away the mist that covered the mirror's top half. She could see her reflection clearly in the mirror....

But the reflection.... was all wrong. Oh, the person staring back at her certainly LOOKED like her, but there were obvious differences. The woman in the mirror didn't have her hair done up in a ponytail, and her long hair looked dirty, frayed and wild. The reflection's top was the same shape as hers, but it was black and made of cloth instead of teal rubber, and the wristband was black as well.

Samantha stared at her reflection, trying to make sense of it all. Did this mirror have some sort of magic in it? Was it revealing some clue about herself? As she was pondering this, she blinked, and her reflection did the same....

But when her eyes opened again, she saw that instead of dazzling blue eyes, the reflection's eyeballs had changed to solid orbs that gave off a sinister, yellow-green glow. Samantha gasped, her expression one of shock, but her reflection's face did not show this change. Instead, the reflection's face twisted into a hideous snarl, leering at Samantha.

Samantha was about to back away from the mirror, but before she could, the hands of her reflection actually shot out of the mirror and latched onto her throat. Panicking, Samantha tried to pry them loose, but her reflection's strength was equal to her own. Her reflection was pressing against her throat more tightly, blackness began to fill her vision....

And then, Samantha awoke with a start, sitting up in her bed.

Breathing heavily and drenched in a nervous sweat, Samantha too a good look around her. She was safe, within the modest living quarters that Dumbledore had provided for her. Filch had given her a night off, so she had decided to catch up on her sleep.

Letting out a sigh, Samantha crashed back down onto her bed. But she found herself unable to fall asleep again. Her mind was too preoccupied with the nightmare she had awoken from. What was that all about? she silently wondered. That reflection in the mirror.... what did it mean?

---

I'm astonished by how much progress I've made ever since posting the first chapter of this story. With my last two super-long fics, I only got one or two chapters done a month. So far, I've gotten three chapters of this done within about a week!

Anyway, so far I've done a lot of Rowling-style foreshadowing and hint-dropping and all that jazz. Next chapter, I promise that all the science-fictiony stuff will begin coming to the forefront when the U-No-Poo gets chucked at the fan.

So long,
Grey