The Otherwhere

Sandrine's story

"Wake up!" Somebody hammered so hard on the door that Ginny almost toppled out of the bed in surprise.

She blinked and looked around.

"That is so unfair," somebody muttered next to her. "I had such a nice dream."

Ginny wrinkled her forehead. What the hell was Draco Malfoy doing in her bed? And - was that his hand on her leg?

Her confused state lasted only seconds.

"You ... you ... we had an agreement, Malfoy!" she yelled, jumping out of the bed.

He only shrugged, rolling over lazily.

"Your naivety is heartwarming, Scrawny. Did you really think I would sleep on the floor?"

Ginny was very close to smacking him in the face when the door opened and Cray peered inside the room.

"What are you, deaf?" he grumbled. "Wake up and follow me now!"

"We'll talk about this later!" Ginny hissed.

The Slytherin didn't even give another shrug.

Cray sped forward with fast steps, and both teenagers hurried to keep up with him.

Ginny tugged awkwardly at her dirty, crumpled clothes. She would have preferred to wash and change before leaving the room, but she didn't dare to raise that plea. Malfoy's appearance wasn't any better, but he didn't seem to care.

Cray entered a large hall, in the middle of which, were tables were standing in a circle.

"Knights of the Round Table," Malfoy muttered, and Ginny threw him a surprised glance.

"What?" he snapped.

"That's a Muggle story!"

"Oh, really? Remember that Merlin had his part, too!"

"Silence!"

The two shut their mouths.

The old woman looked at them with a friendly gesture and pointed at two empty seats next to her.

"Were you able to sleep well?"

"More or less," Ginny growled, with a dangerous sidelong glance at the Slytherin, who only sneered.

The woman smirked slightly.

"It is nice to know that some things never change - for example the rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor."

That stunned the both of them.

Ginny had never seen that facial expression on Malfoy - total perplexity. Not that she herself looked any more intelligent.

"Sandrine," Malfoy whispered then. "Sandrine Slytherin. I knew your face was familiar."

She made a taunting bow.

"That's right. And your name is ..."

"My ... Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

"Malfoy, I see. And yours, girl?"

"Ginevra Weasley. But I'm known as Ginny." Ginny was still trying to get over her shock.

"You're dead," Malfoy said, having found his voice. "Have been for centuries!"

"Obviously not. I'm here, fifty years and more, but by no means centuries. And as you can see, I'm not dead, either," she stated dryly. "What year have you come from?"

"1997."

"Ah. The Otherwhere is still used, I see?"

"Well, actually it was an accident."

"Was not! It was a plan to get rid of Harry!"

"Shut it, Scrawny!"

"Please." Sandrine held a hand up. "No arguing. I would like to hear the whole story. And surely you're burning to hear mine. Have breakfast, and afterwards we will talk."

During the whole meal Ginny and Draco exchanged murderous glances. But food was more important than anything else.

***

"So, you want to go back home," Sandrine stated, after she had heard the summary of the events from Ginny and Draco, every so often disrupted by smaller arguments.

"Sure," Draco answered huffily.

"Do you know of any possibilities?" Ginny asked pleadingly. "And if yes, why didn't you use it yourself?"

Sandrine sighed.

"Yes, I know something that could help you. It's dangerous, and its success is very dubious. To answer your second question ... well, I never had the desire to go back home."

"But you are Salazar Slytherin's daughter!" Draco was almost outraged. "Salazar was inconsolable when you disappeared, I read about it in the history books."

"History books?" Sandrine sent him a sharp glance, as if trying to read his thought. Something in her gaze made Draco uneasy. "How do you explain then, that it was my own father who pushed me through The Otherwhere?"

Draco said nothing.

"Why should Slytherin do that? Your own father?" Ginny asked.

A short pause followed.

"Because in his eyes, I was a traitor," Sandrine said finally. "Do you know the name Rupert Gryffindor?"

Ginny nodded.

"He was killed in the Goblin Rebellion, right? The son of Godric Gryffindor?"

Sandrine's smile was now bitter.

"This is what is written down in the history books? So be it. He was dead. And I was carrying his child under my heart."

"What?"

"Excuse me?!"

"Rupert and I, we had married secretly. Our fathers weren't too happy about that, as you can imagine."

"A Slytherin? With a Gryffindor? Impossible!"

Just to think it led Ginny and Draco to make more space between each other.

"Maybe impossible, but still true," corrected Sandrine. "Rupert was dead, I lost my baby - what was holding me back in the world where I was born? That's the reason I never tried to go back. This world was as good as any other to start a new life."

Silence followed her words.

Draco frowned deeply, but he didn't make any attempt to speak.

Ginny tried to change the topic.

"What kind of world is this?"

"Its name is Chryois, and it is very peaceful - well, it was, until some years ago. Until Tanadryl's army appeared for the first time. Did you see the undead in our ranks?"

"Well, we weren't exactly able to overlook them," Draco snarled.

"Tanadryl commands the Army of Undead. You see, it's a disease called Malateras - the people die, but not entirely, not really. It first appeared seven years ago. Most of the Undead lose their memory and become willing slaves to the self-titled King of the Undead. But Tanadryl is human. We don't know how he makes them follow him, but he uses his powers to domineer us - or tries to. He now holds large parts of the country. You remember the Gramières we met yesterday? It's his breeding, and there is almost nothing more dangerous."

"Nice prospects you're facing," Draco said in a bored tone. "And? How do we get home? I'm not interested in your problems anyway!"

"Malfoy!" Ginny hissed.

"What? It's true!"

"You should be interested." Sandrine was watching him intently. She didn't seem to mind his disrespectfulness. "Rajahin doesn't exist in Chryois, and even if it did, it would be of no use to you. You can't find a way through The Otherwhere. But you can through a permanent portal. On some worlds, they exist."

"Excuse me? What's the difference? And this world - is this one of the ´some´?"

"I have to disappoint you, I don't know for sure. The legends tells of a gate for wanderers, deep in the south. Nobody who's left for it has ever come back. I suppose, it's a permanent portal. And this is the difference between the two kinds: The Otherwhere, opened by Rajahin, throws you wherever it wants. But a permanent one will obey your wishes."

"A bit too much probability" Ginny started to pace back and forth.

"Is there an alternative?" Draco stared angrily in her direction. "To die here? I would prefer to risk it instead of ... of ... of becoming a wandering corpse!"

"You could stay here," Sandrine said seriously. "We need any help we can get."

"No, I'm not taking any chances!" Draco shook his head furiously.

Ginny hesitated and then threw Sandrine a look.

"I hate to concede, but he's got a point - we have to try."

"I can describe the way to you. But I can't and won't let you take a Calinor. It's a long, long distance, about a thousand miles or more."

Draco swallowed. Ginny paled.

Then they exchanged a glanced, knowing exactly what the other was thinking.

"We'll try."

Arrangements

"So far, this is the only the way we know."

Sandrine had unrolled a thin map and used her finger to identify some points on it.

"Chryois has very fast changing surroundings. You could be wandering through a desert only to find yourself in a snowstorm. I don't know why. Normal laws of nature as we know on Earth don't exist here. The most import checkpoints for you are these: the Steaning Woods - look, here - after that, the Cross Road, but only a short distance. You mustn't follow it, because it leads to Yorga, Tanadryl's kingdom. And finally the Dark Swamp. Nobody I know has ever reached the end of the Swamp and come back, so I can't tell you exactly what will be after it. But as the legends tell it, the Dead Town begins there, and inside its heart there will be the Gate of Wanderers."

"Why does it sound like a cheaper version of ´The Lord of the Rings´ to me," Draco muttered quietly, but Ginny heard him anyway.

She didn't make a comment, but decided to ask him about it later.

"Take this bracelet with you. It proves that you are friends of the Mistress of the Fortress - that would be me. Show it to the people in the villages you pass, so you can get food. But make sure that they are really humans."

Ginny and Draco grabbed it at the same time.

"I will take it!" he huffed, and pushed her hand aside.

"No way!" Ginny said sharply. "You'll turn tail and flee first chance you get, and then where am I going to get food from! Give it to me!"

Sandrine's glance wandered from one to the other, one could see she was suppressing a laugh.

"Maybe you should take turns?" she suggested, smiling.

Draco knew they looked silly and dropped his hand. He hated nothing more than somebody laughing at him.

"But tomorrow, it's mine!"

"Yes, promise," Ginny said impatiently. "We Gryffindors keep our promises, unlike Slytherins!"

"One more thing." Sandrine intervened before a new argument could break out. "Remember to watch your forearms. I don't think Malateras is contagious for you too, but I don't even know that for sure. If dark stains show up on your arms, you have to head to the nearest village. You can heal it during the early stage, but only in the first four days. After that, it's too late."

"How delightful."

"It's almost noon." Sandrine ignored Draco. "Wait until tomorrow, so we are able to arrange clothing and food for you."

"Why does it take so long? We're losing a whole day!"

"Really, Malfoy, Sandrine is right, the day is almost half over! How many miles are we able to get by each day, twenty, maybe twenty-five?"

"Assume it's twenty," Sandrine warned. "There will be very hard grounds during your journey."

"Okay. Easy calculation, we need at least two months. So this one day isn't that important, I think. And I presume you don't want to go without any food, Malfoy." A hint of sarcasm was present in her voice.

"I won't sleep another night with you in the same room! You snore!"

"Is he always that thick-headed?"

"You have no clue." Ginny rolled her eyes.

***

They came to an agreement. Draco was willing to wait until the following morning, and Ginny agreed to spend the night in Sandrine's private chambers.

In the sunlight, the fortress offered an even more impressive view than it did during the night. Draco and Ginny followed Sandrine silently as the old woman showed them around.

The Undead completely ignored them, but all the humans stared at them curiously.

"They don't see strangers very often," Sandrine said calmly. "I had the same problems when I got here."

She nodded a greeting to somebody.

The young woman, barely older than both ´strangers´ sat on a projection on the wall and was sharpening her weapon, a forearm long short sword. She nodded back and rose.

"Milady, the armory is full again," the girl said reluctantly.

"Thanks, Chiané. May I introduce you Draco and Ginevra? They are my guests. This is Chiané, she is responsible for the armory of the fortress."

Chiané bowed shortly.

"An unusual hair color," she said in Draco's direction and threw him a glance between long lashes. "It looks like the moon was banned into it."

Ginny looked away, but Draco eyed the girl a little closer. He liked what he saw, and his eyes twinkled.

Chiané smiled openly at him.

Ginny bit her tongue to suppress a sarcastic remark.

***

"Wow." That came from Draco, when Sandrine showed them the armory. You're prepared for anything, right?" His gaze wandered over the great amount of weapons, a calculating look in his eye.

"Sure," Sandrine answered grimly. "We need all we can get to strike back at Tanadryl's armies."

"I don't even know half these weapons," Ginny murmured. "What's this?" She pointed to a round metal plate, looking like a dish, but very thin, with obscure signs engraved into it.

"A Chakra," Draco answered promptly. "Do you know anything, Scrawny?"

"Well, here it's named a Gelavàn, but I'm sure it's the same weapon." Sandrine looked thoughtful. "Can you use it?" she asked Draco.

"Yeah," he answered shortly.

"Your range?"

He shrugged.

"Don't know. Haven't used it for years now and ...." He silenced and threw Ginny a sideways glance.

Sandrine took the Gelavàn and gave it to Draco.

"Take it. Maybe you will need it one day," she said quietly. "I don't know many people who can throw this weapon effectively."

"How does it work?" Ginny asked curiously.

"You throw it like a discus, know that?" Ginny nodded. "Its edges are ten times sharper than a sword. When thrown, and with enough power, you can cut off body parts easily."

Ginny swallowed.

"And where did you learn that from?"

Draco preferred to keep his mouth shut.

***

Dinner was taken in the same hall they had had breakfast. The great chamber was filled with people who were all staring curiously in the direction of Ginny and Draco.

Draco talked with Chiané, who sat next to him and they flirted outrageously. The dark haired girl was almost sitting on his lap while they talked and seemed to forget everything around them.

Ginny was disgusted. According to Hogwart's rumors, Draco Malfoy had laid almost half of the girls fifth year and up, but that didn't mean she was eager to see it in action.

She concentrated on Sandrine and Cray. The old woman seemed to hold the Undead soldier in high regard, because he was the only Undead who sat at the table.

"May I ask you something, Sandrine?" Ginny said hesitantly, and the woman nodded, smiling. "The canyon, where we were before ... was that a battle against Tanadryl, too?"

"The Canyon of Bones? No. The legends tell of a great battle eons ago. It says the builder of the Dead Town was beaten there."

Ginny thought that over.

"How high do you estimate our chances are to really finding a portal?" she asked finally.

Cray answered instead of Sandrine.

"Don't give up hope, Ginevra. There is always a way, even if it seems hopeless."

The face was dead, but the remaining eye now had a green colour - an emerald green that reminded her of Harry.

"Cray is right," Sandrine said, her hand touching the Undead's lightly. "There are times in life when you only have one choice left, and you just have to go with it. Maybe you've already experienced such a time?"

Ginny examined her plate. Thoughts of Riddle's diary and the resulting consequences ran through her head. Suddenly, she felt a pair of eyes watching her and looked up. Draco continued his stare a little bit longer before abandoning her for Chiané again.

"Nobody said it would be easy," Cray finished.

Ginny sighed.

"No, it's not. But, as you said - what else is left?"

Conversations

Ginny was standing in front of the mirror in Sandrine's chamber of clothes and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Granted, these clothes were an enormous diversion from her usual outfit.

The light brown trousers composed of fine buckskin, the shirt of something she couldn't identify, but it was a little similar to the jeans Harry was often wearing. It was long and almost reached her kneecaps. After long consideration, she stuffed it inside the trousers, otherwise it would look like a dress. A very weird looking dress. Not for the first time, she cursed her height, or better said, her tininess.

She was fighting with the calf long boots when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in!" she shouted, while tearing on the insistent leather.

"Are you done, Ginny?" Sandrine asked in a friendly tone.

"More or less. I look ridiculous, don't I?"

Sandrine smiled.

"Wrong one."

"What?"

"That's the wrong foot."

"What ... oh." Ginny reddened until her face had reached the color of her hair. "No wonder it doesn't fit. You have to think I'm daft."

Sandrine laughed out loud.

"No, I don't think you're daft. You just looked like you were in deep thoughts." She grew serious. "I wanted to request something from you."

Ginny looked questioningly at her.

"Well, in fact there are two things. First, keep an eye on Draco Malfoy and prevent him doing anything rash. Sometimes I see myself mirrored in his eyes, and that makes me worry."

"You haven't the slightest resemblance to him!"

"Ginny, my name is not Slytherin for nothing. I wasn't always old and a little bit wiser. You both have told me very little about that Voldemort thing, but your face tells me that he's as evil as Tanadryl, am I right? What kind of role is Draco playing, do you know that?"

Sandrine's voice was still friendly, but a hint of something was in her voice again. Ginny didn't notice it, but Draco would have been alarmed if he had been there. Very.

"Well, his father is a Death Eater. I mean, he's a Voldemort supporter. And that slimy git will follow his father's actions, I'm sure. You should have seen how he treated us at school ....."

Sandrine broke in.

"His father, I see. But why are you so sure Draco is following him?"

"How do you mean that?"

"He doesn't strike me as the kind of person who blindly does what somebody has planned for him. On the outside, maybe, but let me tell you one thing: Slytherins are well known to be good actors. Maybe I'm mistaken, maybe you're right. But it's just something you should keep your mind on."

"I don't understand you," Ginny said openly. "First you say I have to keep an eye on him to prevent him from doing something rash, and now you defend him. Malfoy, for as long as I've known him, has been an arsehole - sorry, but it's true."

Sandrine didn't mind the expression.

"Ginny, point is, you need to work together, otherwise you won't reach the Dead Town. You hate and despise each other, and that's not a good basis. I repeat, you need to work together."

Ginny began to get angry.

"You say that as if it depends on me, but that's not true. I try to get along with him, but he simply doesn't want to. I'm just trash to him. Coming from the wrong family, I am poor, I have red hair and I am as attractive as... as... a hippogryff!"

Sandrine's lips curled, but she swallowed the laugh.

Ginny decided to leave the topic; she wasn't sure where it would end.

"What's the second one? You wanted to request two things from me."

Sandrine's eyes narrowed a bit before they regained their friendly aura again. And again, Ginny didn't see it.

The old woman sighed and took something out of her robes.

"I want you to do something for me, when you get back to Hogwarts - assuming you get home." She sighed a second time. "If a grave exists, please leave this here. And if not, burn it and pass the ash out into the wind."

Ginny looked at the object she was holding. It was painted in oil and showed two persons, looking in her direction. She noticed a very young looking Sandrine in a green robe. The young man at her side wore a Gryffindor uniform, holding each of Sandrine's hands.

"Is that ...."

"Yes, it's Rupert. Promise me you will bring it back with you."

"I promise."

***

Ginny never came to know, but that wasn't the only conversation Sandrine had that morning.

***

One hour earlier

Draco awakened slowly and stretched like a cat. Chiané laid next to him, still sleeping. Maybe she was a muggle, but she had been a damn good sleeping drug.

He stared at the ceiling where shadows danced, courtesy of the morning sun. Reality came back too fast, and he started to mull over his situation again.

He was trapped in an impossible world, accompanied by somebody he couldn't stand - what if he would have to spend his whole life here?

Would that really be so bad? A low voice was whispering in his head. Stay here. Chiané has the hots for you, so will the other girls. You are able to use a Chakra. These people would never sacrifice you like your own father did!

But another voice was screaming murder now. The voice which belonged to Lucius Malfoy's son. Are you MAD, Draco?! Look at these lousy people! All of them of minor value! They fight a battle they will lose! Without any magical abilities, and their pride will be come their misery! And, to finish off, look at Sandrine Slytherin! A Gryffindor!

The battle of voices wasn't anything new for Draco, he had been used to it for years now. Since he had been old enough to think, this little arena had built up in his head.

When he had been very little, he had looked up at his father awestruck. Lucius had been somebody who was at home on very rare occasions, and when he was there, he brought him generous presents and took his son everywhere he wanted. Draco had not been able to understand many things his father had shown him until very, very late. Sometimes he wished he hadn't understood them.

Growing up, his awestruck state had vanished, and taking its place were now doubts and hesitance. He never had understood why Lucius was one of Voldemort's greatest supporters. Lucius himself always blabbered about unworthy half bloods and Muggles. And, in fact, Tom Riddle, Lord Voldemort, was a half blood. Draco secretly had his own ideas of such themes, but he would have rather bitten through his tongue before speaking about that aloud.

There is an end to this, Draco. Your goal must be the portal, and only the portal. Let the past be past. When you get home, you can still spit in Lucius' face.

But would he really? Or was he destined to follow the Dark Lord, regardless of what he did?

Somebody entered the room and he pushed the unwelcome thoughts away.

"Draco? I need to speak to you." Sandrine's voice, demanding and cold.

Draco just watched her coolly, while Chiané shot up.

"Milady?" she stuttered.

Sandrine just waved her away.

"Go, Chiané. This has nothing to do with you, we will talk later. Now I need to be alone with Draco."

Chiané bowed hastily and left the room.

"What do you want?" Draco's voice had reached freezing point. "I don't see any point talking to you."

"Watch your mouth, young man!" Sandrine sounded so much like Lucius that Draco grew stiff.

This wasn't the kind Mistress of the Fortress anymore, it was the true daughter of Slytherin who stood in front of him.

"I see you despise me, Draco Malfoy. You haven't got any right to, believe me. You should despise yourself. Slytherin are you? You got fooled, fooled by your own father! How could that happen? And where is your pride? There is no pride inside of you. Sleeping around with the first woman you can lay your hands on!"

Sandrine's eyes were blazing.

Draco was speechless - something which rarely happened.

"I want to give you some advice before you are on your way, dear young Master Malfoy: watch your back. You're far too proud of yourself. It will catch up with you, and it will destroy you. Remember my words."

She swept around and left the room.

A deadly silence followed after her departure.

Departure into unknown territories

It was a short goodbye.

Ginny wanted to thank the old woman for everything, but didn't find the right words.

Malfoy, on the other hand, kept a large distance from Sandrine, and he was avoiding her gaze. That seemed to be strange, and Ginny asked herself involuntary if something had happened she didn't know about yet.

"Good luck," Sandrine said. "And Merlin, you will need it. Just remember what I told you."

Chiané was there, too, and Draco exchanged some halfloud words with her.

"You won't be coming back, will you?" the girl asked.

"Hopefully, I don't," he answered gruffly.

"Was it that bad?" Chiané grinned.

"That's not the way I meant it."

"I know, I know. Just joking. Take care - and good luck."

She kissed him on the mouth.

Ginny let out a snort, which Draco ignored.

"Just follow the path, and be careful not to come in contact with Tanadryl's armies," Cray said urgently.

Ginny nodded.

"Thank you. For everything."

***

They left the fortress without looking back.

Draco wore similar clothes to Ginny, only his shirt was green - he had insisted on that. In consideration of what Sandrine had told them about the weather, each of them was wearing a thick and long leather coat which both had bound around their hips - the sun was shining, and it was almost as hot as it had been upon their arrival. A cross between a backpack and a bag was hanging on their backs.

"What are we, burros?" Draco muttered grumpily.

"You can leave your food, if you want to," Ginny answered coldly. "You won't get anything from me."

Draco just snarled, but had the decency not to answer.

They followed the path silently, both deep in their own thoughts.

Ginny was getting bored and tried to think of something to distract her.

A thud made her head snap up. She hadn't noticed that Draco was playing around with the weapon Sandrine had given him, and now it was stuck in a tree twenty meters away, the metal shivvering.

Against her will, she was impressed.

"That thing has a huge range, doesn't it?"

"That's nothing," Draco answered a bit snobbishly. "Chakrim can be thrown more than a hundred meters - if you're able to use them."

Ginny immediately started to fume.

"Well, demonstrate it."

The snotty grin was freezing a little bit, and she knew in an instant, why.

"Not for you, right?" she asked sweetly.

"Shut up!" he spat out, and pulled the Chakra fiercely out of the wood. It dropped down on the ground.

Ginny tried to pick it up and hastily released it again.

"Ouch!" She looked at her fingers. Three of them were cut from the razorsharp edge and bleeding a bit. "How can you take this thing in your hand?"

Draco was obviously fighting with himself a moment, then picked the Chakra up. He hadn't any problems holding it.

"Give me your hand," he said shortly.

"What?"

"Your hand, Scrawny. I won't tear it off."

Ginny was deeply suspicious when he took her hand and put her index and middle-finger gently on a brink of the metal.

"You feel that?"

"A ... a bump? But very small."

"Put your thumb on the other side, and don't slip."

He released her hand, and Ginny was able to hold the Chakra. It wasn't half as heavy as she had imagined. She even tried to throw it only to be held up by Draco.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked sharply. "It isn't as easy as it looks. I don't have any chance of conjuring your fingers back on, and I hate using first aid, so drop it."

Ginny sighed, but obeyed anyway.

"How does that work? I mean, you can't search for the edgeless point in a battle, right?"

"If you have thrown a Chakra often enough, you just know it. For emergeny cases or unexercised throwers, there exist special bags to have them ready to hand- they exist on Earth, that is."

"May I ask you ...."

"No."

""You don't even know what I wanted to ask!"

"I know what you wanted to ask, and the answer is NO. I won't tell you who taught me to use a Chakra."

"Excuse me for daring to ask!!" Ginny hurried up her steps. She was again furious.

For the rest of the day an icy silence stood between them.