Two - Compiling The Tools

The Sempra Deck is dedicated to the real mystic goddess Mimi Manderly; to her beloved SeverusMuse, and to my precious Dahlra. All characters with the exception of Mimi Manderley, Peter and Dahlra belong to JK Rowling. I make no money from this publication.

"...I think she's coming round, sir."

"Good. If he's still waiting – "

"I'll look and see..."

Mimi opened one eye, and instinctively put her hands in front of her face to block out the harsh light that threatened to pierce her eyeballs. She had a splitting headache and felt sick in the bargain. Oh God, she thought. I must have had waaay too much to drink last night–

Memories flooded into her mind, of the museum and the witch box, and the Sempra Tarot deck, and Mimi sat bolt upright. Then she wished she hadn't. Nausea overcame her and she turned over and vomited on the floor. Her mind must be playing tricks, she surmised, as the mess seemed to disappear from the floor almost immediately.

"Oh dear, we've had a nasty time of it, haven't we?" The voice, a female's, was brisk, but not unkind. It was also unmistakably British. Still retching, Mimi looked up to see a woman in her late fifties looking down on her intently. She was holding a little blue bottle out to Mimi. "This should take care of that upset stomach, dear."

Mimi blinked. The woman was dressed like Florence Nightingale, with a white wimple and long grey gown. A white apron with a large red cross completed the look, along with lace-up brogues. She gestured with the bottle. "Bottoms up! The sooner down, the sooner you'll feel normal again."

"Where am I?" Mimi was shocked to hear how weak she sounded. She looked around at her surroundings, and gasped. She was in a huge infirmary that looked like it was already old when Queen Victoria was on the throne. "More to the point, what am I doing here?"

The woman frowned. "Well, I think the best person to answer that is the Headmaster." The bottle was shoved under Mimi's nose again. "Now, Miss, I don't like to resort to using brute force, but you need – "

"Okay! Okay," Mimi said, and took the proffered bottle and studied the label carefully. "If I start to shrink, I'm blaming you."

The nurse gave her a puzzled frown. "Why on earth would I give you a Shrinking Potion? This is an Anti-Nausea Potion."

Mimi looked at her blankly, trying to digest the gestalt of what Florence had just said. "Anti-Nausea Potion. Of course it is," Mimi replied, her voice almost feverishly cheerful. She saluted the nurse with the little bottle. "Down the hatch." She gulped the bottle's contents, swallowing hard over and over to keep them down. "Christ, I hope it works, because it tastes like sh-"

"Ah, I see our guest is awake now. Thank you for alerting me, Madam Pomfrey."

Mimi turned around to see a tall, elderly man in a floor-length, lavender robe, looking down at her. He had a long, white beard, and looked for all the world like an aging hippy. Bright blue eyes smiled merrily at her, and Mimi gasped.

"Jesus jumped up Christ on a pogo stick!" she blasphemed. "Are you supposed to be Albus Dumbledore?" She grinned, shaking her head. "You are, aren't you? Okay, I'll give you ten out of ten for costume and makeup." Mimi looked up at the benevolent, grandfatherly figure. "What on earth is going on?"

The Dumbledore look-alike glanced at Madam Pomfrey with raised eyebrows. She returned his look with a shrug, adding confidentially, "I think she must be delirious, Headmaster."

Dumbledore-alike nodded sagely. "Perhaps she is. Strange, is it not, that she thinks she recognizes me?"

"Um, why are you two talking about her like she's not in the room?" Mimi said, deliberately. "I'm not delirious, as far as I can tell, and I'm not dreaming, unless this is the most vivid damn dream I've ever had, so would you kindly stop acting like I'm not here and tell me what is going on?"

Dumbledore-ish smiled down on her. "I would be happy to explain, my dear, but I'm afraid I am at a loss myself." He extended his left hand. "I am also at a disadvantage, as you already know my name, but I don't know yours, Miss-"

"Manderly. Mimi Manderly." Mimi took the outstretched hand in an awkward greeting, and it was then that she noticed the blackened marks on his right hand.

"Miss Manderly. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, at your service."

Mimi was thunderstruck. She looked around the Infirmary again. "I'm at Hogwarts?" She began to laugh. She looked from Madam Pomfrey to Professor Dumbledore and burst into peel after peel of hysterical laughter. "I have got to say, that this is the best practical joke I have ever had pulled on me! You two are perfect!"

Her dizziness forgotten, Mimi jumped out of bed and rushed to Dumbledore. "Is that a real beard?" She gave it a tentative yank, and when the old man looked down at her with mild offence, she laughed again. "That is amazing! What are you - some sort of touring group for hire?"

"I told you she was delirious!" Madam Pomfrey declared, and grabbed Mimi by the shoulders. "Please get back in bed, Miss Manderly. You're obviously unwell!"

"Unwell?" Mimi's laughter sounded slightly deranged to her own ears. "I'm transported! Did one of my friends put you up to this?" She laughed, shaking her head. "I can't wait to see the rest of the cast." She gasped. "Oh, please tell me you have a Snape. I love Snape! He's my favourite!"

"Excuse me? Headmaster, you wanted to see me?"

Mimi looked beyond the Dumbledore-alike and squealed. A tall man stood in the doorway, looking at the tableau with thinly veiled confusion and consternation. Long, blue-black hair hung oilily about his face, throwing into sharp relief his almost-black eyes, pale, sallow complexion and large nose. His lips were pressed into a thin, disapproving line, and his large hands were tensely clenched by his side.

He was dressed head to toe in deep, unrelieved black. Buttons marched elegantly on his robe: from neck to floor, from elbow to wrist, and from calf to ankle. His slim waist was belted with a long sash, also of black. He looked like a fallen angel dressed as a monsignor.

It was Snape. And he was a good one. She clapped her hands in delight.

"Wow! You are amazing! I had no idea there was a call for this sort of thing!" Mimi's eyes roamed warmly over the figure of the man playing Severus Snape and said with a smile and a sigh, "You are the perfect Severus Snape." She didn't add out loud, and I could eat you up, you sexy beast. I think I'll keep mouth shut, but if you're single and straight, I'm definitely giving you my cell number.

The Snape could not have looked more alarmed if Mimi had suddenly jumped up on the table and started removing her clothes. His dark brows shot up almost to his hair line, then rushed together angrily. He turned to the Dumbledore.

"Sir, I received word that you wished to see me." He risked a glance at Mimi, but his dark eyes darted away quickly when Mimi grinned and wiggled her fingers in greeting to him. "Is there something you needed?"

"Oh. My. God. Even your voice is perfect!" Mimi gasped. "Pure Alan Rickman!" She closed her eyes and grinned. "You are the perfect Snape!"

The Perfect Snape turned back to the Dumbledore with a look that could have peeled paint from the walls. "Headmaster, could you please explain what –" he gestured toward Mimi with a baffled expression on his face "- this person is talking about?"

"I'm not sure, Professor Snape, but since our guest seems to know you already, allow me to finish the introductions." He turned back to Mimi. "Professor Severus Snape, this is Miss Mimi Manderly."

The Snape nodded stiffly, his eyes meeting hers for an uncomfortable moment, then looking away quickly. "I'm quite busy, Headmaster. What is it that you require?"

The Dumbledore looked carefully at the Snape, then back to Mimi. "I think we require your skills in ascertaining how Miss Manderly found herself unconscious on the steps of the school. Have you heard anything about this?"

"I haven't heard anything about this!" Mimi declared, confused. She looked at the three people carefully. "Look, I think this great fun, but I really want to know exactly what's going on. I mean, you all look wonderful, and it's obvious that someone's gone to a lot of trouble to do this for me, but, really, I think the jig is up." The trio of costumed players remained silent. Mimi felt the first vestiges of uncertainty. "What are you doing here?"

"I think the more appropriate question, Miss Manderly," replied Snape, in a haughty, unfriendly voice, each syllable struck like a piano hammer, "is what are you doing here?" He walked swiftly to her, bearing down on her. "Who sent you? You're obviously American – what emissary sent you here? It is imperative that we discover whether or not there is Dark Magic being used here."

Mimi felt her indignation rising. "Now look here, mister," she said, her voice quiet. "I wasn't sent by anyone. And I don't appreciate your rude tone. I'll have you know that I like the Goth look and I don't have a Dark persona!" She allowed herself a little indignant huff. "I know you have to stay in character, but enough is enough."

"You are hardly in any position to make demands, Miss Manderly," Snape hissed menacingly. He turned to Dumbledore. "Sir, I propose we encourage Miss Manderly to tell us the truth. A little Veritaserum should persuade her adequately."

"Hey, you," Mimi shot back. "I'm not the enemy here! Besides, I can't tell you something I don't know, even with Veritaserum, and further besides, does it actually work on Muggles?" She looked down. "And why am I playing along with this like it's real?" she said to herself.

Both men looked surprised. "Miss Manderly," Dumbledore said quietly. "Are you honestly telling us that you are a Muggle that has somehow landed in our world?"

Mimi made a little sound of desperation. "No, I'm telling you that I am not really feeling up to playing this game anymore! I mean, guys, really, this was great, but my head is killing me and I want to go home!"

"Quite right, Miss Manderly. I cannot blame you in the least." Dumbledore held out a hand to quell Snape's impending protest. "There is obviously something going on that is beyond our understanding. I believe Miss Manderly needs to see for herself exactly where she is."

As they escorted Mimi down the hall, she marveled at the sheer amount of huge, elaborate portraits marching down the corridor. Any museum would have given their eye-teeth to possess a tenth of what she'd seen on this hall alone. As they neared the end of the passageway, she glanced at a life-sized portrait of a wizard defeating a hag. Mimi stopped and looked at for a moment.

Suddenly, the hag stood up and walked to the front of the portrait. She drew herself up to full height and said, "D-yew mind? I am a little busy, you know." She had a broad Lancashire accent, and the wizard in the picture turned to see Mimi gaping at them.

He grinned toothily and winked. "Well, helloooo." He gave her a come-hither look. "Where have you been all my life, gorgeous?"

"Shut it," The Snape snapped at the painted wizard, whose features creased in surprise. He pursed his lips disapprovingly.

"Well, you don't have act so jealous, Professor. I am, after all, just a painting." With great dignity, he turned away from the trio in the hall and returned to subduing the hag, who had been picking her teeth with a chicken bone.

Mimi watched the whole incident in stunned silence. The two wizards looked at one another, and Dumbledore's eyes twinkled mischievously. "I think Miss Manderly is starting to understand our world a little better, Severus." With that, the Dumbledore withdrew a long wooden wand and conjured a gorgeous bouquet from the air. Mimi looked from the Dumbledore to the Snape. Both looked solemn, and worried. Mimi realized that they were frightened, and she was somehow the cause of it.

Two hours later, Mimi was more frightened than the lot of them together.

"As you can see, Miss Manderly – "

"Please, call me Mimi," she replied, her face ashen, her voice shaky. "I think, considering the circumstances, formalities seem a bit redundant."

Snape, who'd been standing off to one side, leaning on the fireplace mantle with his arms crossed, snorted. "Formalities? You, a Muggle, have blundered into our world at the most unstable time in our history." He pushed himself from the mantle and walked over to her.

"We are threatened by the worst monster since Hitler and you blithely open some sort of magical portal no one has ever heard of and fall at our feet - and you question formalities? Miss Manderly, you don't know what you've gotten yourself into! Do you have any idea what a dangerous weapon you could be, in the wrong hands?"

"That is quite enough, Severus," Dumbledore chided gently. "I think from what Mimi has revealed, she is quite aware of how dangerous she could be in the hands of the enemy."

Mimi watched as the younger wizard turned away angrily. She was absolutely stunned at what had happened to her. She was now a living, breathing part of a fictional story known to millions in her universe – a story that had already played itself out and was already finished.

She had told the two wizards all about the witch box and the Tarot deck it had contained, and how the Sempra deck had somehow transported her here. At this news, both wizards looked grave and began to pace.

It did Mimi no good to tell herself this was a dream or hallucination. She was trapped in it, and, from what the two men were telling her, it was permanent. They had no idea how to return her to her own reality. Mimi looked at Snape and Dumbledore, the two most important characters in the story, next to Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. These two powerful wizards were the lynchpins in the fight against the Dark Lord Voldemort.

Her eyes followed the restlessly pacing Severus Snape. How many times had she read the stories and envisioned him, her secret favourite character? It had never mattered to Mimi that his creator had painted him as an unattractive, petulant, mean-spirited man. That same creator had also bestowed upon him a deep undying love, a sense of unwavering duty, and stalwart courage. Mimi had developed a crush on him reading book one.

As Mimi watched him, she also thought of his love for Harry's mother, and his betrayal and subsequent enslavement by Dumbledore to spy for the Order of the Phoenix. As the endgame played out, Snape would meet with his destiny at the top of the Tower –

"Oh, shit!" Mimi whispered, causing the two wizards to turn and look at her. Her lovely eyes were enormous with barely controlled panic. "What is the date?"

"It's the twenty-seventh of February, 1997. Why, Miss Manderly?" It was Snape who answered.

Mimi looked from one man to the other. She felt tears pricking her eyes. "It's 2011, in my time."

Both wizards looked at her in dawning horror. Finally, Professor Dumbledore spoke. "In other words, Mimi, you know what will happen to us. You already know our future, and the future of the Wizarding world." He glanced at Snape. "And that means you know the parts we will play in the war, and its outcome."

Mimi slowly nodded, and looked from one to the other. "I think I'm going to be sick." She stood, and felt herself falling forward, just as Snape rushed to catch her before she hit the ground.

When Mimi awoke, she was not in the infirmary, nor was she in Dumbledore's study. She was in a bed in a brightly-lit room, and she stretched and relaxed. Her eyes flew open and she sat upright. She was in a huge bed, draped with green velvet curtains and a matching duvet. The room was large and dark, and the walls were made of stone worn smooth by time and the friction of human energy. It had rubbed up against the stones, just as it rubbed against Mimi's skin.

She could literally feel the residual energy of those who had lived and breathed and died within the walls. She was still at Hogwarts. Mimi hugged her knees to her chest and tried, for the millionth time, to reconcile what had happened to her, but every time she thought she might be close to an answer, it skidded away from her consciousness like a cloud of gnats.

She had revived quickly from her sudden faint in the Headmaster's office, and, after meekly submitting to another examination by Madam Pomfrey, Mimi sat in the study quietly, as Dumbledore and Snape spoke amongst themselves. They stole occasional glances her way, and each time, Mimi found she could not meet their eyes. Finally, the Headmaster addressed her again.

"Miss-" He made a little courtly bow. "Forgive me, Mimi, I have arranged lodgings for you down in the dungeons, while we endeavour to discover how you got here, and more importantly, how to get you home again."

Mimi was shocked. "You mean, you can't send me back?" She looked beseechingly from one man to the other. Dumbledore looked sympathetic; Snape defiant.

Mimi felt her heart contract. Tears filled her eyes. "Are you telling me that there is a possibility that – that I might never leave?"

Dumbledore sat down beside her and patted her hand reassuringly. "I promise we will do everything we can to get you home. Rending the fabric of space and time is an aberration, and must be righted for you to find your place in the universe.

"But, I'm afraid my colleague was right, Mimi. You have literally dropped into our midst during a very dark and troubled time, as you well know. Resources are quite limited and compromised at this point. It may be awhile before we can truly help you."

This was why, several minutes later, Mimi found herself trotting down the hall, trying valiantly to keep up with the long strides of Hogwarts' most feared and loathed professor, Severus Snape. He had barked, "This way, Miss Manderly," and had taken off so quickly Mimi literally had to run to catch up with him.

"Do you – think we – could – slow down a little?" Mimi panted, as she galloped beside him, her shorter legs having to take three steps to his one. If Snape had heard her, he paid her no attention. Mimi's temper, already on a short fuse, began to smoke.

"Hey!" She grabbed his arm, and he whirled on her as if ready to hex her. She took an uncertain step backward. "Would you look at me? I'm practically cantering here, Severus!"

The dark man looked down at her with undisguised contempt. His onyx eyes flashed with suspicion and mistrust. "I do not recall giving you permission to call me by my christian name, Miss Manderly!"

Mimi fumed, and her eyes narrowed. She stepped closer. "And I don't recall meriting your rudeness, Professor Snape! Now, slow down!"

Equally furious, Snape turned and resumed walking. Mimi followed in his wake. She did not thank him for slowing down, to allow her to keep up with him. She merely smiled and trotted more easily by his side.

As he showed her the room that Dumbledore had prepared for her, Mimi was struck again by Snape's very presence. He was sullen and brooding, but underneath, Mimi sensed something else.

"I trust everything is in order, Miss Manderly," Snape said, his cold formality back in place. He gestured to a bell on the nearby table. "If you require anything, just ring this bell. It will summon one of the house-elves for you."

"Thank you, Professor Snape," Mimi replied. He regarded her for a moment, then turned to go.

Impulsively, Mimi called out, "If you ever need someone to talk to, Professor, I'm a good listener."

He turned at looked at her suspiciously. "Why would I wish to discuss anything with you, Miss Manderly?" Again, that look of contempt, and something more inwardly directed. "You don't even know me, nor I you. Nor do I wish to."

Mimi grimaced. Now she understood it; that indefinable something hidden behind his dark eyes. It was fear. Self-basting, testicle-shriveling fear. "Ouch. I should have suspected that."

Snape's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

Mimi shrugged, and took a deep breath. "I mean, I should have known you would react this way!" She tried to smile. As gently as possible, she added, "I know you. I've watched you grow up from a boy."

She flinched inwardly at the sudden, naked fear she saw flash in his eyes, but she pressed on. "I know all about you, Severus Tobias Snape. I know every sad moment, every humiliation, every dirty deed you've felt or experienced or done."

She hesitated, and only because he seemed frozen to the spot, was she able to continue. "I know everything that has happened or will ever happen to you, and I want to be your friend. I care about what happens to you," she said, with a sad smile, "And let's face it, Severus, friends are a little thin on the ground for both of us right now."

For a moment, she thought he was going to tear into her with all the vitriol he was capable of conjuring, but he did not.

Instead, he looked deeply into her eyes, and in that voice that literally made Mimi shiver, he said quietly, "If I asked you to tell me what will happen in the future, would you?"

Mimi closed her eyes. The unguarded, unmistakable silent cry for help nearly drove her to her knees. A tremor passed through her, and she had to turn away. "Ask me anything, but please not that, Severus."

She looked at the severe, lonely man, and her heart broke for him. "Aside from the possibility that knowing the future will change it, do you really, really want to know?"

He merely looked at her for a long moment, then nodded quietly. "I understand. Goodnight, Miss Manderly." With bleak certainty in his eyes, he turned and left, quietly shutting the door.

Mimi, exhausted and upset, slowly crossed to the bed and sat down. It occurred to her that Severus had not rejected her outright. It also occurred to her that she'd just talked to one of her favourite characters, ever, and tried to make friends with him. Following close on the heels of this thought was the awful, final realization that, in her time, this quietly brave, often misunderstood man was dead, and nothing she could do or say would change that.

Mimi then did something very rare for her. She lay down on the bed and cried herself to sleep.

Back in the Headmaster's study, Severus was facing the wrath of Albus Dumbledore.

"You assured me you had destroyed the deck, Severus!"

The younger wizard held his ground. "I put it away, Albus! When she sent it back to me I hid it -"

"You sent it to – "

"Lily!" Severus sank to his knees. "I sent it to my Lily, stupidly hoping it would bring her back to me. But she rejected it, just as she rejected me." He lowered his head and closed his eyes, as if half-expecting to be physically chastised.

Dumbledore stood over the younger man like an avenging patriarch of old. "The fabric of time and space has been torn, Severus. An innocent has been sucked into this feeble attempt of yours to re-create that which never belonged to you. You will have to repair it, and make amends to that lovely woman."

Severus bowed his head. "I will make things right. With Miss Manderly, with you." Snape swallowed, and put his past behind him. "With Lily."

To see the lovely cards that Mimimanderly has drawn based on the story, you can find them starting here: http://mimimanderly.livejournal.com/100663.html