Trinity Angles (Discussion Thread)

[Kieran]

Sorry I'm late. Been busy with stuff.

It's OK, it happens - I've had a few changes in my life/schedule this week, myself.

Interesting, I'm getting a serious Mulan vibe. Combined with Slayers?

Actually, it's "Power Rangers Samurai."

*Shrugs* I've been binging on the last few years' worth, playing catch-up - it's interesting, and potentially a world that could mesh with the "Trinity" universe. Though admittedly, I prefer "Megaforce/Super Megaforce" for the plot (planetary invasion, intergalactic fleet - there's an upping of the ante).

Of course Galen would show up. Nothing would stop him but being 15ft down in the ground and even then its a toss up.

True - but I foresee this as something that causes a genuine fight, for once, and something of a clash between East and West. Takara would feel she had to do this, which he understands, but not at the cost of sacrificing her family life, and not on her own.

[fsnfan]

Power Rangers? Haven't seen those since I discovered the world of manga & anime. Which was about 10-15 years ago. Can't really remember. Still, I recall the American version which I watched had some childish genres like friendship and stuff which can't compare to bonds that are forged from various hardships like in some of the animes I've seen throughout the years.

I consider the show suitable for children but I feel like I grew out of it. What's the Samurai season like? I couldn't really get a good grasp on it just from reading through the internet.

[Kieran]

Power Rangers? Haven't seen those since I discovered the world of manga & anime. Which was about 10-15 years ago. Can't really remember. Still, I recall the American version which I watched had some childish genres like friendship and stuff which can't compare to bonds that are forged from various hardships like in some of the animes I've seen throughout the years.

I consider the show suitable for children but I feel like I grew out of it. What's the Samurai season like? I couldn't really get a good grasp on it just from reading through the internet.

Well, to begin with, this is the first series helmed since Saban re-took the brand from Disney, so there's something of a "return to the original" air to it - the theme is a remix of the classic "Go Go Power Rangers," and the Zords are less CGI than some of them have been.

There's some childishness attached to it (it is a kids show), largely on behalf of a couple of the characters (a slacker and a prankster, respectively - and Bulk returns as comic relief, with a new sidekick). But on the plus side, it's pretty faithful to the original series, even split into two seasons - it contains almost all the episodes, right down to the major story twists. That's quite the difference from its successor series "Megaforce," which took two 50-episode series and recut them into two 20-episode seasons of one show (especially disappointing, because I like Megaforce's characters better, but they get almost no development).

Thematically, there's a lot about discipline, and the various samurai virtues. It also raises some interesting themes, in that one of the Rangers is a self-made samurai, rather than from a bloodline, and the value of teamwork versus fighting alone, via a ronin-type rival for the Red Ranger. I'd argue that it's probably on the same level as "Naruto" or "Bleach," but less bloody and depressing. Heck, Naruto and Ichigo would've likely watched a series like this growing up; Shirou would have, for sure.

[Kieran]

Continuing . . .




July 30, 2011
Shiba House








Takara swept the dojo as a sort of meditative exercise; the familiar, repetitive motions led her mind to a tranquil state, as did the almost-pleasant burn of her muscles as they were used. She'd performed this task countless times over more years than she'd admit to almost anyone - certainly more than she'd admit to her teammates - and it was soothing on a certain level. Honestly, by now, dojo cleaning was almost a kata in itself.

It would be a lie, she admitted to herself, to say that she wasn't enjoying her time as a Power Ranger on some levels. To begin with, they were good kids, for all that they were kids, to her perspective - a near-decade's separation in age was just that, after all. Jayden carried everything on himself with a discipline and dedication that seemed wrong for someone so young; Kevin was a better mix of being torn between dedication to the code of bushido and the call of a normal life, in that he showed that conflict, but Jayden seemed to have nothing but his duties. That, she feared, would bring him trouble, down the road.

Mike was a laidback prankster by nature, but just as dedicated to the ideals the Samurai Rangers espoused as any of them. Motivating him took a different tack than one that would be effective for Kevin or Jayden, and she meant to discuss that with Ji or Jayden soon. The amount of antagonism between the serious-and-possibly-overcompensating Blue Ranger and the more easygoing Green was not good for their teamwork, and Ji's usual firmness was unlikely to produce the results they wanted from him. But Takara had no doubt that when it counted, Mike would be just as dedicated as any of them.

Serena was a bit trickier to deal with, at least from Takara's perspective. Firstly, because they were the only girls in the compound, and secondly, because Serena was a prior acquaintance. It was harder to maintain the distance she needed to from her than it was from the boys; and yet, more necessary, because Takara was more likely to open up to Serena, if anyone. Add to that the fact that the country-born girl felt she had something to prove to the more worldly Rangers, and was looking to the team's "big sister" for advice . . . Well. Takara supposed it was a good thing that she'd had a similar relationship with Ginny Weasley, in the beginning - and Ai Einzbern, for that matter. There was very little that Serena could come up with that she didn't know something about.

No, for all that each of them looked less Japanese than she did - or than Ilya did, for that matter - their hearts were as much samurai as any others' she'd known. Add to that the austerity of the samurai lifestyle, and the quiet isolation of Shiba House itself, and Takara had to admit that she was very comfortable here. The adherence to a traditional lifestyle here brought a sense of comfort to her Japanese soul that she hadn't really realised she'd been missing. And her duties as a Power Ranger . . .

Twenty years ago, before Hogwarts, before the Grail War, when she was just an ordinary Japanese schoolgirl, this would've been her dream life. Living as a sword-wielding heroine of justice, protecting humanity from evil, and not being looked down on for her heritage or gender. And in those daydreams, she might have fought alongside Tatsuya-sempai, the captain of the kendo club - though fifteen years ago, those daydreams might have had Galen as her teammate, instead. He might even had dreamed them alongside her - certainly, he would enjoy the Power Ranger part . . .

. . . But now, she was an adult pretending to be a youth, a witch pretending to be mundane, a wife without her husband, and -


A fluttering leaf caught her eye, as it blew its way into the dojo - particularly when it expanded into a sheet of origami paper and hovered in front of her. A tiny, neat hand - Hermione's - spelled out a message:

You are cordially invited to a picnic in celebration of your birthday - food, transportation and security provided. Please RSVP immediately, as the chocolate cake is in quite severe danger of being eaten without you otherwise.

Shaking her head in exasperated amusement, as the security breach was irritating, but she could practically hear Hermione's dry, teasing tone reciting the message, Takara snatched at the paper - and felt the Portkey go off immediately.

She landed on a red-and-white-chequered blanket, anchored by four large parasols at the corners. A large wicker basket that probably held even more food than it looked like it could was sitting to one side. Beside it was Hermione, garbed in sunhat, sunglasses, and opera gloves, sitting in the shade.

"Glad you could make it," she said with a smile, which turned a bit rueful. "And I suppose we should be grateful the weather's pleasant, shouldn't we?"

"Hermione, I can't be here . . ."

"You are entirely reachable, in an emergency," the vampire witch responded in clipped tones, "and you know very well that you could Apparate to an attack site directly, arriving ahead of your teammates. This particular clearing has enough defensive enchantments to fend off anything short of a tactical nuclear device for force, and repel anything living or undead other than us for well over a mile. Even Divination will have difficulty here - we've had several months to make sure of it.

"And," she added thoughtfully, "created a few new protective and concealment charms in the process. The Department is rather impressed with the work, actually - and so is Whitehall. They were perfectly willing to give us the time off for this; and some time beyond, as well, which means we'll be available to help you with your 'extracurricular activities,' should you feel the need."

Takara processed that for a moment. They hadn't been happy about her leave of absence - at least until the planetary defence aspect was explained - so that it had been granted so willingly . . .

"I would love to have a look at those Charms," the Japanese witch admitted.

"Then sit," Hermione said primly, "and we will happily tell you all about them over lunch." A faint smile graced her lips as she added, "Assuming, of course, that you can tear your attention away from - "

A high-pitched squeal, one that was very nearly a shriek, cut Hermione off, and a tiny body slammed into Takara with wild enthusiasm. Fortunately, the sound had been warning enough for Takara to prepare herself, and they did not go tumbling over. Nor did she choke at the death-grip the newcomer had on her - though it was close.

"Hello, Elise," she murmured, stroking the top of the chestnut mop she could barely discern at the edge of her vision.

"MUMMY!"








Writer's Notes: Eight-hour shifts (even on weekends!) are great for my bank balance, but not my writing time. Neither are workouts that leave me aching for days . . .

Suffice it to say, I'm not going to have the next chapter of "Trinity" ready by Sunday (it's currently 16% complete), but it is Takara's birthday, so I wanted to give you something.

[Rai Burnout]

Aww... look who's a mommy. Or as she puts it, mummy. Where did you come up with Elise as a name? Because all I can think of when I hear it is that chick in Sonic 2006 who's apparently into necro-bestiality. Nice trick Hermione pulled. Better to do something and beg forgiveness then get stuck forever asking.

[Kieran]

Aww... look who's a mommy. Or as she puts it, mummy.

Well, by thirty (Takara's biological age notwithstanding), you'd assume she feels ready for kids.

Where did you come up with Elise as a name? Because all I can think of when I hear it is that chick in Sonic 2006 who's apparently into necro-bestiality.

It's a combination of her grandmothers' names - honouring them, but giving Elise her own name, as well.

Nice trick Hermione pulled. Better to do something and beg forgiveness then get stuck forever asking.

Sadly, that's often the case in life.

[Kieran]

Hogwarts Castle
June 21, 1998








None of them had thought of trying this before.

Not for lack of creativity, mind you, or even lack of desperation, but because they'd had so little time to truly consider the problem. All of them had been too busy coping with the situation (or, more often, situations) at hand to try to puzzle out long-term solutions, as well as a certain sense of inertia where the problem was concerned. They tended to think of it as being absolute, if only subconsciously, and thus, weren't (in general) motivated to try and find a solution, because they didn't really believe there was one.

Not that Hermione blamed them - after all, Galen had suffered from lycanthropy for years, and this had still never occurred to any of them. And even she, Miss Logical Thinker, was trying very hard to stack the odds in her favour, even if it meant indulging in every possibly applicable superstition. That was why she'd chosen to do this on the day of the summer solstice; when the power of Light in magic began approaching its zenith. If necessary, she'd try again at midsummer - but for now, she paced the hallway anxiously, concentrating fiercely on her objective.

I need to find a way to cure vampirism, I need to find a way to cure vampirism, I need to find a way to cure vampirism . . .

Words couldn't adequately describe Hermione's relief as the door of the Room of Requirement began to materialise; she very nearly wept, and as it was, she did fall to her knees. The Room, they'd learned, had four certain limitations: the things it created couldn't exist from outside it, anything that it didn't create from whole cloth had to be somewhere within the castle grounds, if not within the Room itself, and it couldn't conceive of anything by itself - someone had to know of it, first.

Which lead to the final limitation: if the Room was unable to fulfill the request, such as needing to create something truly impossible, then the door would not appear.

It was everything she could do to keep her trembling hands on course to open the door, but she did it - and within . . .

Hermione gazed upon a grassy field, lit by twilight. Puzzled, she stepped through the door - which slammed shut behind her and vanished, revealing -

"Saber?!"

The green-eyed knight's gaze measured her carefully for several beats, before her head dipped in acknowledgement. "Hello, Hermione."

"You know my name?" the vampire witch sputtered. "How and why would you know my name?"

"Firstly, because you have done much in Britain's service, and I am its king," the armoured blonde answered seriously. "And secondly, because many of your friends are my comrades." She switched tacks abruptly. "Tell me, Hermione, where do you think you are?"

". . . Is this Avalon?" Hermione asked in an awed whisper.

"A border of it," Saber replied. "One where its dreams can touch those who wish them hard enough, in the right place, at the right time. In this place and time, you have asked for help, and it would be a betrayal of myself not to offer aid, when it is within my power to do so - and here and now, it is."

"It is?"

"Indeed," was the serious reply. "There is a cure to the unicorn's curse; if proper atonement for its death is made within a year and a day, it can be lifted. Unfortunately, that option is already lost to you. But there is one other method . . ."

For the first time, the knight hesitated. "King I may be, but even I am bound by laws I dare not break. Until you choose to walk the path, I can tell you little of its details. However, I can assure you that it involves great sacrifices - both on your own part, and by those who surround you. It is a goal you may chase endlessly, possibly without ever reaching it, and yet so long as you pursue it, there will always be at least a chance of success.

"Unfortunately, that is the limit of what I may offer you, both in terms of the value of the offer itself, and the details surrounding it. The choice of whether or not to pursue it is now yours; should you accept, I will tell you more. Should you decline . . ." Her implacable expression softened slightly, along with her tone. "Should you choose to turn away, and seek what solace you can in your life, I, at least, will not think less of you for it."

She sounded almost wistful, Hermione thought, as though she envied those who'd taken the second choice - and that, more than anything else, gave her a hint as to what, precisely, she'd be getting into. She was very tempted to turn around and leave . . .

. . . But the Sorting Hat had put her into Gryffindor house for a reason.

"What will I need to do?"








Unknown location
Unknown time








Even with her Occlumency training, it was difficult to keep a straight face as she cribbed the speech that Galen was enthralled by; her lips quirked in amusement even as the words left her mouth.

"In answer to your summons, I have come forth. I am Servant Caster, and I ask of you . . ."

Raising her head in sync with her words, she glanced from beneath the hood to get a good look at the one who'd summoned her - and froze.

". . . Takara?"








Writer's Notes: The day after my blog post, I get roped into bunny-sitting again. The next chapter is 2/3 done, and I'm sorry this was so late - I had a glitch eat my first attempt, a couple of hours ago. This isn't quite the same, but hopefully it conveys everything as well as I meant to.

[fsnfan]

The HGW? Oh, this is gonna get so fucked up.

[Kieran]

Yeah. I'm unsure of whether this would be "Legacies of Fate" redone, or a variant of Takara fighting the Moon Cell's Grail War, but I just couldn't resist the idea of Hermione as a Servant. My other option was to class her as an Assassin, but let's face it - the brightest witch of her age really ought to be a Caster, vampire or not, eh?

[Mattias]

Wow. Saber must hate Hermione, if she sends her to a wish granting tournament that kills you if you lose and kills the world if you win.

[Kieran]

Wow. Saber must hate Hermione, if she sends her to a wish granting tournament that kills you if you lose and kills the world if you win.

That assumes that this is your standard Fourth/Fifth Grail War setup. As far as I know, the Moon Cell version of the War does have a Grail that functions as advertised, despite the high body count - and if this is an Apocryphal War, then all bets are off.

. . . Then again, this may be the War which follows the one responsible for Grail Works, Ltd. - in which case, it's the genuine article.

[hatori]

Colour me impressed.

[Kieran]

Continuing . . .








Fire, as hot as any ever dreamed of by Hell, seared Hermione's throat, as a lump of acidic napalm melted its way into her core. There was pain . . .

. . . And then, there was Light.








Some centuries later







". . . Guardian?"

". . . Guardian!"

Reluctantly, he opened his eyes, blurs gradually resolving themselves into discernable blobs, then coherent forms. Floating in front of him was a metallic(-ish)-looking sphere that looked the offspring of a training remote from "Star Wars," and a cone shell.

"Eyes up, Guardian," the sphere informed him. "We've got work to do."

"I did mine for almost six hundred years - can't somebody else do it?" he grunted, and he was surprised to find that his voice, while raspier than usual, more resembled the fluid tones of his youth than the creaky ones of his aged form. Still, he stowed away the shock; Rule 1 was never give away an advantage - and if you had to surrender it, make them work for it.

"After all the trouble I went to in order to repair two derelict Ghosts, and figure out where they'd buried you?" Hermione asked, outraged. "Not a chance, Galen - get your lazy bones up!"

He turned, and blinked in surprise. It sounded like Hermione, all right - but she had a blue-gray skin tone, hair that looked almost metallic, and eyes to match. And none of the darker tinting she'd possessed as a vampire; her hair and eyes held hints of leonine influence, still, but the blood curse's touch appeared to have vanished.

"Hermione . . .?" he sputtered. "What happened?"

"The Philosopher's Stone apparently has an interesting effect, when taken internally, particularly by someone who's as close to a 'Light' vampire as it's possible to be," she drawled. "The common term for my new species is 'Awoken,' as I understand it. Though, really, that ought to apply to you, right now."

"You've been dead a long time," the sphere agreed. "You're going to see things that you don't understand - "

"That's not an uncommon occurrence for him, Ghost," Hermione said playfully, a teasing smile playing at her lips.

". . . Hermione, why?"

Ultimately, it was the only question he could ask. What could possibly have driven her to twist the balance of life and death so completely as to resort to this? How she'd done it was another question - his will had ordered his remains cremated specifically to prevent this sort of thing from happening - but he knew that Hermione would find a way to accomplish something, if she wanted it badly enough. Which left the only other thing of importance in the situation: her reason for doing it in the first place.

She sobered immediately. "Because things are bad - as bad as they've ever been - and all of humanity is at risk. They're desperate for champions, because it's a rare sort of person with the power and the willingness to take up the fight . . . But we've always had plenty of both."

"Maybe too much . . ." Galen sighed. ". . . But it is that bad, isn't it?"

"Possibly worse," she admitted. Gallows humour coloured her next words. "You can see why I thought immediately of you?"

"Yeah . . ." He stretched in place, shifting his neck and hearing a satisfying crack somewhere in his neck. "OK, I'm in - wait, did you say you'd repaired two of these 'Ghost' things?"

Hermione smiled brightly, the sparkle in her eyes indicating her delight at being able to show her teeth without baring fangs. "Did you think I'd leave her behind?"

"Once, maybe." He tilted his head. "How many derelicts can we get our hands on?"

"Aiming for the full set?"

"Yeah - and if we can manage it, the original set, too."

If things were really as bad as Hermione said, having Shiki, Ciel, Kiritsugu, Iris, and the Aozaki sisters on hand sounded like an absolute must . . .

[Funderfullness]

Now that's a hell of a Destiny party.

[Kieran]

Now that's a hell of a Destiny party.

I thought so . . .

Now, as is usually the case, I don't actually own the game (maybe one of these days, if I can find the room, I'll get a next-gen system), but I've done a bit of online research and watching walkthroughs - and I was thinking "Stormcaller" for Galen, given its lightning tricks (Ionic Pulse/Apparition, anyone?). The rest, I'm a bit up in the air about, though.

[Rai Burnout]

I'm BACK! And I bring a gift of a surprise snippet.

Enjoy...

Persona Trinity: Q

Matchmaker's Game.

'This..' Galen thought 'could be trouble.'

The Trinity (or so they where called) and friends had some experiences dealing with unusual worlds. After all, they had just come from the world of Harry Potter and thus of wizards and witches and all sorts of magic. Before THAT they came from the nasuverse, of magic and the price paid for miracles. Now though... they seemed to stuck in place weirder than both.

And of course... they were in school...

"Greetings, I'm Margaret."
"I'm Elizabeth, he-hee."
"And I'm Theodore.."

"AND Welcome to the Velvet Room"

'Truly.. he was cursed.'

He had played Persona 3, Once or twice but he knew the game and he seen a bit of the show based on the fourth. But THIS?

"Who are you, are you with the Yasogami High students? Answer me!" Mitsuru asked.
"We don't know them. Right Yukiko?" Chie said.

The casts of both games, in a weird Alice in Wonderland world. About this.. he had no goddamn clue.

After introductions and interrogations were over with The scarelet seven (And family) had joined forces with See's and the Investigation Team in order to put an end to this mess.

Which led to this current mess...

At the end of the hall stood a door and a massive sign in lights above with the words "Match Maker's Paradise" in neon.

Truly, he was cursed.



You guessed it, Time for Persona Q. Any one who's played it can guess what's comming up. The rules are simple. Who do you want to see in Holy (Fake) Matrimony.
The winners of the poll will be our (unlucky) contestants.

Enjoy.

[Kieran]

I'm BACK! And I bring a gift of a surprise snippet.

Enjoy...

Persona Trinity: Q

Matchmaker's Game.


. . .

You guessed it, Time for Persona Q. Any one who's played it can guess what's comming up. The rules are simple. Who do you want to see in Holy (Fake) Matrimony.
The winners of the poll will be our (unlucky) contestants.

Enjoy.

"Cursed" - yeah, that pretty much sums it up. I've never played the game, but I've seen YouTube videos of this particular scene, so I know where this goes . . .

And you're right - I've played Persona 3, FES, and 4 (never beaten any of them - stupid carpal tunnel), and I own the P4 animation, but I'm unfamiliar with the "Golden" stuff, so it'd catch Galen by surprise; and this would be COMPLETELY out of left field.

. . . My vote would partially depend on what state they ended up in, here - Persona users, I assume, though I wonder what pantheon (Norse, maybe?).

But Persona doesn't do vampires, so far as I know, so what would Hermione have translated as? A Shadow? A weapon like Aegis? One of Igor's minions? Or did they somehow arrive with all their abilities and natures intact (not impossible, I suppose, if MegaTen can allow for Dante) . . .?

(For what it's worth, if you want the "mind-screw" option, I prefer Elizabeth to her sister . . . )

[Rai Burnout]

Hermione as a Velvet Attendant? I can do this. I was thinking of giving them their original powers for the snippet since this is supposed to be a comedy.
This part in the actual story, however, is going to be vastly different. Remember, Time Paradoxes make everything better and the casts of BOTH P3 and P4 are going to be there.
As for the choice... I was asking who is going to be in the matchmaker game. For shits and Giggles I thought Shirou and Galen.

AKA.

Shirou: This is horrible. Why on Earth where We chosen?
Galen: Maybe Luna was right about men and hairjell. Something you want to confess?
Shirou: I'm married already. And this was your choices that got us here.

Later at the church doors.

Galen: Ladies first..
Shirou: Age before beauty.

Basically an excuse to make fun of each other and have a blast. Plus Illya at the end.

If they're picked I'll redo this teaser and add more. Or do whoever is picked if not.

[Kieran]

. . . Tempting. Especially since, as Shirou is married, you can make a point about his "cheating" on Ilya - to be followed with, "This coming from the polygamist."

Followed by the mutual realisation: "We are so doomed when we get out of here, aren't we?"

[Kieran]

Eight years later . . .








Going by appearances, the decade that lay between their initial meeting and the present moment had seemed to affect Algernon Croaker not at all.

Partially, that might be attributed to the fact that wizards simply aged slower than mundane humans; and as they'd discovered, that was doubly true for Animagi. That meant, depending on whether or not he was one - and legalities aside, it was highly unlikely that the Head Unspeakable would actually be found on the register if he was - he could be aging at a quarter of the normal rate. Coupled with good genetics, a mere two and a half years of time, relatively speaking, might show little if at all. It would certainly explain his apparent agelessness . . . Personally speaking, however, Galen assumed that the old man was just too curmudgeonly to let even time tell him what to do.

Or bathing in the blood of virgins was involved, possibly - either way, however, he wasn't going to ask.

As it was, the old man still looked irritated at something - scratch that. Croaker gave every appearance of recently having been forced to undergo a colonoscopy, minus the anaesthetic, and looking to take it out on someone. More specifically, Croaker was looking at Galen as though he'd been the one to administer it . . . Whatever had gotten the boss's ire up, it wasn't good.

The ex-werewolf (official records aside) wracked his brain, trying to figure out what he might have done this time . . .

"Tell me, Mister Salvatore," the Head Unspeakable said crisply. "I trust that you're familiar with the Avalon Files?"

. . . Oh, bugger. Oh bugger, oh crap, oh bloody, burning HELL . . . What the bloody hell did I do that involves THOSE?!

". . . Assuming that wasn't meant rhetorically, sir," Galen answered, "they're the Department's files involving temporal - 'anomalies,' shall we say? Mishaps with Time Turners, the odd prophecy that's a bit more important than a Seer quoting somebody's future prize-winning cake recipe, and the results of other experiments that involve knowledge we have to have, but can't afford to use - yet. So named after T.H. White's novel - everyone loves the idea of 'The Once and Future King,' and it's bloody comforting to know he'll be there . . . But considering everything that we've been through already that hasn't called Arthur back, no one really wants to be around to see what'll actually do the job."

"Quite," the elder wizard said in clipped tones. A dark look crossed his face. "One of those files has just gone active, Mister Salvatore, and it seems that you're the man for the job."

"Sir, given my" - he coughed "juvenile record with the Time Division, the odds of my being allowed anywhere near anything to do with their work, is about the same as a falling meteor hitting my skull right at this particular second." Both of them glanced upwards for a moment, and then Galen shrugged.

He still got dirty looks from any Unspeakable in that division for having both the audacity and the ability to steal a Time Turner when he was fifteen - it was considered a stain on their honour, and his proven ability to break into Gringotts two years later hadn't alleviated that, in their eyes.

A wintry smile crossed the old man's face. "Oh, you'll be allowed, Mister Salvatore - they have no choice but to allow you full access to their resources, in fact." He summoned a file folder wordlessly, and opened it to retrieve a photograph. "You see - they already have."

Galen looked at it, and blinked. "You're kidding."

Croaker's tone was as dry as desert sand. "Naturally - I do so enjoy my pranks, as you well know."

". . . Well, since I apparently can't get out of this, when do I leave?"

"As soon as your compatriots get here, and you're properly outfitted and briefed. Miss Granger, I believe, can mimic an American accent well enough; and I'm given to understand that Mrs. Creevey is an expert on the time period and key individuals. Between the three of you, everything that needs to be accomplished ought to be, with a minimum of fuss."

Croaker's eyes turned icy. "That said, however, allow me to reiterate the warning that terrible things happen to wizards who tamper with time - and those who survive what history does to them for it still have to answer to me."

Galen swallowed heavily. "Yes, sir . . ."