Displaced - part 6

Merula had slept well, despite spending nearly the entire night crying about her scary situation. She wasn't used to Slytherin beds, she just wanted to go back to her soft hufflepuff bed. But once she had managed to fall asleep, she had pleasant dreams where nothing bad could happen to her, and Anon was there to protect her.
However, when it was all over, she woke up in a strange common room with strange girls. But in the end, she was still the same Merula.


"Good morning, girls!" She said cheerfully to the three slytherin girls in the room.
"G-good morning, Merula." Two of the girls replied slightly nervously.
The third girl was in the corner, Merula had seen her before, but she couldn't quite place her. Wasn't she a ravenclaw before?
"Aren't you cheerful this morning, Merula..." The girl said with a soft voice.
"I just have a feeling it's going to be very beautiful day." Merula said smiling at the girls, who had stopped to stare at her.
"Why is everyone looking at me?" She asked and tilted her head in confusion.
"Everyone is waiting for you to be done in the washing room." The dark haired girl said.
"O-oh, no need to wait for me, I am just going to..." Merula said looking around at the girls, why were they so polite towards her?
None of the girls moved towards the bathroom.
"Oh just go, don't worry about me, I'm just going to..." Merula started, but it seemed like all the girls expected her to go first. "O-oh, okay then..."
Merula stepped into the slytherin bathroom and was disappointed to find a regular shower, instead of a comfortable bathtub, like hufflepuffs had. The snakehead faucets were neat looking though. She was having a bit too much fun playing with the hand shower nozzle shaped like a snake throwing up water.
"Oh no, Mr.Snake, you shouldn't have drank all that water." She giggled.
Merula found it convenient that all the personal soaps and stuff were on shelves with their names written on. Hers were on the largest shelf on top, all organized neatly. She read the other girl's names, in hopes for remembering them later. But she realized she didn't know who were who, hopefully she'd hear conversations and could connect the names like that. One name stuck out, however.
"Ismelda..." She said contemplating, sounded familiar... She must have been a ravenclaw before. This was all getting confusing.
Merula finished in the shower and was disappointed that her favourite brush wasn't there, how would she brush her hair... Or Anons. Then she remembered it.
"O-oh... Anon..."
She got out of the bathroom and let the next girl in, appologizing for taking so long. She was confused at the girl's reaction, she just looked down and said it was no problem, really. The situation felt odd, the other girls were polite. Or was it fear?
Merula however was still cheerful, she always got cheerful after a warm shower; even if it wasn't a relaxing bath, like usual. One of the reasons she always wanted to go in last, because she took so long. Sometimes she hoped Anon would get impatient and tired of being late from the first classes in the morning, that the boy would somehow show up in the bathroom and scold her. But she knew about the silly charms preventing such things.
Oh well, Anon would never scold her, or yell at her for taking so long.
"MERULA! WHAT IS TAKING YOU SO LONG!"
Merula jumped a little when she heard the shouting from the common room. She was brushing her hair with the hard hairbrush she found in her nightstand, it seemed like it wasn't used very often. She dropped it on the bed and hurried to get dressed.


The other girls looked at her nervously as she hurried into the common room, the dark haired girl looked the most confused of them all and followed Merula to the common room.
"Why is that mudblood calling out for you?" The gloomy girl asked.
Merula remembered what Anon and... Rowan? had said. About acting like she hated him.
"I don't know, I will... D-destroy him...?  The... Mud... Mudblood." She said slightly uncomfortable about acting like she hated her boyfriend...'s weird slytherin version? Merula's head started hurting.
"We should teach him a lesson about insolence, shouting at you like that..." The black haired girl said softly, with her voice sounding like a whisper, but audible as if she was talking normally. And it was almost like it was oozing with venom. Merula was slightly unsettled by the girl, Most of all because she just talked about teaching Anon a lesson.
"Oh, it's fine... I'll settle this myself, you just leave everything to me." Merula said, trying to keep the girl off Anon.
The two girls walked into the common room, where anon was waiting with Rowan. They both looked tired, like neither of them had slept a wink during the night.


"Oh shit, I forgot about Ismelta." Anon whispered at Rowan, while they watched for Merula walk down the stairs to the common room.
"Ismelda, and I did too." Rowan corrected Anon out of habit.
"Fuck, she absolutely must not realize what happened with Merula. Why wasn't she out looking for her yesterday?"
"I don't know, maybe she doesn't care about Merula?"
"Okay, quiet, we need a plan for her... We'll split them, you keep an eye on her and warn me if she starts looking for Merula..."
"Why me..." Rowan started but was interrupted by the two girls.
"Good morning, Anon~" Merula said cheerfully.
"The hell, you so chipper this morning, Merula... What are you planning?" Anon asked, trying to signal the girl with his hands.
Merula looked disheartened, Anon was still mean to her.
Rowan realized what Anon was going for, but Merula didn't. He would have to create a diversion, so Anon could get Merula on board with his plan. He couldn't think of anything, so he just snorted loudly and started walking away.
"Oh, how transparent of you, Merula... Ismelda." He said trying to draw Ismelda's attention. "Acting all nice in the morning, we know you're planning something."
The girls took the bait, Ismelda turned towards Rowan, letting Anon discreetly pull Merula's hand and winked at her, while Ismelda didn't notice. The girl was confused at first, but then had an expression of realization.
"B-believe me, You won't see what's coming..." Merula said trying to sound hateful. It really was difficult for her to pretend she hated Anon... Unless...
"Bah, These peasants aren't worth the effort, I'll teach Anon a lesson... He... Wont... Forget." She said putting emphasis on her last words. Trying to sound dangerous and seductive.
Ismelda looked at Merula, who was now pulling a confident smile, like she owned the school.
"I am the most beautiful, witch in Hogwarts." Merula declared.
"Powerful." Anon whispered at her.
"Powerful!" Merula said, trying to stay confident looking as she looked at the girl, now identified as Ismelda.
"You're going to have to fill me in on that plan later then, Merula..." The girl smiled venomously, but looked at Merula a bit confused about her declaration."
"All in due time, Ismelda... You may leave, I'm going to go get something from my room." Merula sighed exaggeratedly and walked off. She glanced behind her and realized Ismelda had listened to her order and was walking out of the common room, shooting hateful gazes at Anon and Rowan.
When Merula was convinced Ismelda was gone she rushed back to Anon.
"I'm so sorry!" She said nervously.
"You need to start acting like that when there are people around." Anon said.
"I was just acting like Penny."
"Wait what, that was your Penny impersonation?"
"W-well, she acts like she owns the school and uses her beauty to get boys to do what she wants and she bullies girls by dueling those who're weaker than her."
"That doesn't sound much like Penny to me." Rowan said scratching his neck confused.
"You were acting nervous around Penny, is she different in... Your memories?" Anon asked Merula and glanced at Rowan and looked annoyed.
"She's a slytherin."
"A slytherin Penny, who is ruthless and uses her looks to subjugate men and likes to duel?" Rowan asked confused and looked at Anon nervously.
"Oh, whatever, this is too confusing... Let's just get to the sorting hat and get that done with." Anon said.
"What about Ismelda?" Rowan asked.
"Oh yeah... That girl who followed you, what do you know about her?" Anon said turned to Merula.
"I don't know anything about her, I thought she was a Ravenclaw."
"Bloody hell, that is amazing, Slytherin Penny, Hufflepuff Merula and Ravenclaw Ismelda." Rowan said astonished. "What about me then, what do you know about me?"
"Umm..." Merula started.
Rowan looked disappointed.
"You're a hufflepuff, but... We never talked much." Merula said finally.
"Your Anon is not my friend?"
"Anon is friends with everyone." Merula said quickly.
"Well, this guy is barely friends with anyone." Rowan said and nudged Anon with the back of his hand.
"You two seem close..." Merula said and looked at the boys.
"At the risk of him not helping me out with my problem, he's a bit of a cunt." Rowan said finally.
Merula blushed at Rowan's use of language and looked at Anon.
"Eh, it's probably true." Anon admitted. "I'm not helping you with your tie, Rowan, why did you even untie it?"
Rowan looked at Anon annoyed, who glanced back at him angrily.
Merula was confused and decided to step back a bit. She had a lot to take in, the way she was supposed to act. She watched as the two boys bickered and tried to take in the differences between this Anon and this Rowan. She couldn't bear say that she was so clingy to her Anon, that it was probably the reason they weren't this good friends.
"I tied it two weeks ago!" Anon yelled.
Merula tried to remember what Ismelda was like, she was a ravenclaw. Quiet one, she was probably smart, but never stuck out. The biggest difference was that she covered more of her face with her hair than this one. She had bangs that covered her eyes in a way that it was a miracle she didn't walk into walls, but they both smiled the same way...
"I was stressed, man, you put me under a lot of stress with this dial nonsense!" Rowan shouted.
What about Penny then, this hufflepuff-Penny is a sweet girl, Merula could sense she was a mischievous soul, but she was kind to her when they talked. Even when Merula was nervous about being near her. If Anon and Rowan think this was all just a magic curse put on her, it was pretty convincing. There seemed to not be any gaps in her memories. Only details were off.
"Learn to tie it yourself then!" Anon shouted and angrily took the tie from Rowan's hand.
"I tried that, it looked worse than when I just loosen and re-tighten it!" Rowan said.
"Stop wearing a tie altogether then, no one gives a single fuck!" Anon shouted and took his own tie off.
"And look unprofessional?"
"Unprofessional, you fucking moron, you can't tie your own goddamn tie and you worry about looking unprofessional." Anon tied Rowan's tie around his neck and loosened it to pull it over his head then threw it at Rowan.
"Thanks..." Rowan said seething.
"Fuck you." Anon said and walked to Merula who was deep in thought. "Let's go get some breakfast... I really don't know what to do with the Ismelda thing, I suppose you could just tell her to piss off."
"Isn't that a bit rude?" Merula asked.
"I don't give a fuck, and Merula probably wouldn't have..."
"Why are you like that? You act all tough, yet you care more than you let on. You're asking me to act like I hate you, yet you're the worst actor in here!" Merula said angrily.
Rowan was tightening the tie around his neck and glanced at Anon then decided he would go ahead and leave for great hall before Anon blew up.
"Acting, you think I'm acting!" Anon shouted.
"YES!" Merula shouted back at him. "You pretend like it's such a huge hassle to be nice, and you shout at me, but at the same time you're really concerned about me."
"I am only acting, because you are this... Fluffy, weird... I don't even know how to describe you, you look like you would cry if I didn't mollycoddle you."
"I don't need mollycoddling from you." Merula said slightly hurt, but still angry.
"Do you have any idea how strange it is for me to act nice to you, Merula. A week ago you started a duel against me, just because you learned how to make depulso more powerful, just so you could see me in pain."
"That wasn't me. If dueling is all you and your Merula does, maybe she did that to impress you?"
Anon went quiet.
"If this is a nightmare and all my memories are completely messed up and I am different to how everyone remembers me, I don't care... If there's nothing that can be done to reverse that, I have to live here." Merula said sad.
"Merula..." Anon started.
"Zip it, buster. It's quite obvious where you stand in this. You hate me more than you hate that Merula, because I am different and that makes you uncomfortable. If I'm stuck like this, I don't want to start pretending like I hate anyone... I will just remember you the way I know you... And I would have to ask you to leave me alone completely, just leave me alone..."
Merula felt tears coming out.
"This is too perfect to be a switch, you even look different to her." Anon said.
"...What?" Merula said saddened.
"There has to be a reality where you belong, where there is this Anon. I thought about it earlier. but the more I thought about it, the more my common sense rejected the idea. This all sound impossible, but it has to be the truth."
"So I am from another dimension?" Merula asked confused and wiped her eyes.
"We really need to talk to the sorting hat, and to find that fucking dial."
"Okay..." Merula said finally.
"Look, Merula... I am sorry, I am doing my best here. I just am not a terribly great person, especially towards... Well, you. I'd like to say it's nothing personal, but it really is."
Merula looked at the boy confused.
"You need to keep a low profile. If someone like Ismelda realizes something is up, they might just go tell Dumbledore about it."
"Alright... I'll try..."
"I really hope the Merula in your world..." Anon stopped "...Slytherin Merula, is not starting anything major, otherwise you will have to clean her messes. Would Anon reign her in?"
"Probably not... He's kind, and if you're any indication on how she would be... She might just force him to do anything she says."
"Would I have become as spineless, if I was a hufflepuff?" Anon said, more to himself.
"I think out of the two of you, you might be more spineless..." Merula said.
"Be that as it may." Anon said and lead the girl into the dungeons. "Let's go eat breakfast, we also need to figure out what to do with Ismelda."
Merula followed Anon timidly, she was really starting to dislike this version of him. But he seemed genuinely interested in getting her home. She would have to ask him more about how he felt about his Merula.
"You really hate Merula then?"
"It's complicated." Anon said dismisively.
"What is complicated about that, you either hate her or you don't."
"Fine then... I hate her." Anon said looking away.
"Just like that, you just hate her?"
Anon stopped and looked at Merula.
"...like I said, it's complicated. We're in a situation of mutual destruction, a cycle with no end."
"Didn't this end the cycle then, I don't fight you, is this not preferable? Why do you want her back?"
"Look... I am not doing this to get her back, I am doing this so your Anon gets his' back... You."
Merula looked at the anguished boy with wider eyes.
"Meru... Is that what he called you?" Anon asked and turned away.
"Yes..."
"Listen to me, Meru... You only need to worry about getting back. This isn't your fight, you don't need to try to understand me or my motivations; or hers. I'll make sure you get back to where you belong, where you can snog with the Anon of that place or whatever it is you do."
"B-but..."
"It's a lost cause, maybe just maybe if I hadn't been such an asshole towards her all these years and maybe if she wasn't such a bitch towards me... Maybe..."
Meru was silent.
"But no... And that's it." Anon said and took Meru's hand and lead her out of the dungeons.
"just avoid me most of the day, we'll talk more when we have time between classes. As for our fight... Meet me infront of Dumbledore's office after the last classes, just shout Flipendo and wave your wand at me, I'll make it convincing."
Meru decided she wouldn't let it rest, she was too nosy not to try to understand what went wrong between the two here. Maybe it helps with her relationship too... There was something more hidden behind this boy's harsh shell. Meru looked at the boy's hand, He was trying his best to comfort her in this strange situation. He has to care about his Merula aswell... On some level.
"About Ismelda, tell her that you have a brilliant plan and you need her to keep a distance or something." Anon said finally.
"I think I have an idea..."
"Alright, fine. And don't worry about making waves, so long as you act like Merula. I'd be surprised if you didn't return to a Hogwarts on fire. When we finally find the dial."
"You think your Merula is going to start trouble?"
Anon smiled, actually smiled a genuine looking smile.
"Yes, the first thing she probably does is figure out she's in a new situation and then try to figure out what the pecking order is in your world... And then try to climb to the top. She will probably duel your Anon first, and from your description he will fall quickly." Anon said and scratched his chin. "If Penny is the person who is the most powerful in your school, she will go after her next. If she is a slytherin, Merula will take that as a personal insult and humiliate her in duel."
"You think your Merula would win against Penny?"
"She's not my Merula, and I don't know. She's a powerful duelist. If it weren't for me, she'd stand confidently at the top of this school."
"You're that powerful?"
"Yeah... I am, I have to be."
"What do you mean, you have to be?
Anon let go of Meru's hand before they came to the lobby and stopped in an empty hallway.
"Because..." Anon started. "Look, trying to explain it here would take too long. I think you might benefit from hearing me. I might be able to help you with your issues back in your world at the same time."
"What do you mean?"
"After we've talked to the sorting hat, provided I don't get expelled immediately, I will meet you infront of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy in the seventh floor. I'll explain it to you there."
"Alright..."
"Well, good luck with Ismelda... Uhh, I should've warned you about her, she's... Dark, she might actually hate Merula. I don't know, she seems to hate everyone especially me. Be careful around her."
Meru swallowed nervously.
"Don't worry, so long as she thinks you're Merula, she wont start anything. Because compared to you... Her... Merula. She is really weak."
"What if she wants to duel me for some reason?"
"I've only ever seen Merula practice on her, never seen them duel. And the one time I dueled Ismelda, she wasn't experienced. I'd wager Merula doesn't actually train her. But, if she wants to duel you, tell her to go fight me. Just think of a reason, say you're not in the mood, or that it doesn't further your goals or something."
Anon looked around.
"Telling her to leave you alone isn't a bad idea either. Merula probably tells her off quite often."
"I don't want to mess up Merula's friendships while I'm stuck here."
Anon looked at Meru surprised.
"You know what, do as you wish..."
Meru watched the boy walk into the great hall to join with Rowan. She decided to understand Anon's situation, even if he doesn't want to.


Meru walked to the Slytherin table and sat infront of Ismelda, who was eating breakfast alone. Meru started gathering different sweet foods on her plate and glanced at Ismelda. she was to gouge Ismelda's expression, but the girl was just smiling emptily. It looked creepy, like a mask. Meru jumped a bit when the girl talked, her voice made her uneasy.
"You're going to have to let me in on this plan of yours, Merula."
"W-what plan." Meru said surprised, without thinking. "Oh right the plan."
"What is so important in the hufflepuff room, that you tried to get in with a disguise?"
Meru tried to think of something quickly.
"The treasure of Helga Hufflepuff is hidden in the basement."
"The... Treasure of Helga Hufflepuff?" Ismelda said in disbelief.
"Yes, it will help us beat Anon into the..." Meru tried to remember.
"Vaults?" Ismelda asked
Meru tried to think of what Penny would say in this situation.
"No, not vaults... There are bigger things to consider here..." Meru thought that the Merula here would probably never admit to being corrected or wrong.
"I see..." Ismelda said and went back to her cereal.  "You've talked to Anon more lately. What is he trying?"
Meru started to think talking to Ismelda might have been a mistake, but she was determined to get some other people's views on Anon.
"What is your opinion on the boy?"
"Why do you suddenly care what I think about Anon, Merula?" Ismelda asked slightly surprised.
Meru tried to look at Ismelda's expression, the girl was still smiling, but Meru's question still caught the girl by surprise. Didn't Merula ever talk to Ismelda?
"Just tell me, what do you think of him..." Meru tried to think fo a way to make it seem like this wasn't the first time they talked. "Now that he's changed a bit?"
Ismelda seemed to stop to think.
"He's still mocking us, that is unforgivable."
"He wont mock us for long." Meru said trying to copy Penny's snobbish mannerisms.
"Why are you so obsessed about him, Merula?" Ismelda asked suddenly.
"I... What?" Meru said surprised. "I am not obsessed... I need to beat him... To the vaults."
Ismelda kept smiling and went back to her cereal. Meru started to think she might have made a mistake. She should have listened to Anon and told Ismelda to leave her alone for the time being. But she learned something about what Merula thought about Anon.
"I have a plan, and I need you to leave me alone for the time being. Just keep your distance." Meru said finally.
"You're still making plans like this, and not telling me the details... This is just like the time you tried ambushing Anon in Hogsmeade, but he expected a trap..."
"What are you talking about?" Meru asked carefully.
"Oh, too embarassing to remember? Anon asked you for a butterbeer in Hogsmeade and you went in trying to catch him off guard, just to be ambushed yourself..." Ismelda smiled. "You were both so pathetic... And you decided not to tell me about that either."
"Well, this time is different, just leave me alone."
"Fine... I'll just do something worthwhile, while you try to beat Anon for the hundredth time this month."


Anon didn't have any appetite, but he still forced himself to eat, he needed energy for what was coming. Rowan seemed to not have much appetite either, he was just poking his scrambled eggs around his plate.
"Stop fucking about, Rowan, you nervous cunt." Anon said trying to eat his eggs confidently.
"How can you still act like that? This whole situation is so messed up, I am surprised you can eat at all." Rowan said angrily.
"I am eating, especially because the situation is what it is... First sign of weakness is to stop eating when you run into situation where you need to be at 100%."
"Wow... Was that Sun Tzu?" Rowan mocked Anon.
"Fucking hell, Rowan, You need energy!" Anon said annoyed.
"Why can't we just confess to Dumbledore, just tell him that she used the dial herself." Rowan pleaded.
"We'll try my way first." Anon said sternly.
"You do realize how stupid it is to wait around while things are fucked up like this? What if it was easilly reversible a few hours ago, but it caused permanent damage on Merula, because you didn't want to get scolded by Dumbledore?"
"Listen to me, very carefully, Rowan... I will not get expelled or go to Azkaban because of what stupid thing Merula did." Anon said while slicing sausages hatefully.
"You were blaming yourself yesterday."
Anon scowled at Rowan.
"I am not shrugging off my own responsibility in this matter, but I will not get punished for it either."
"Right... And it has nothing to do with you wanting Merula back..." Rowan said with an unconvinced tone.
"I swear to you, Rowan, if you betray me... I will find a way to get back at you."
Rowan rolled his eyes.
"I am not going to tell Dumbledore, you don't need to threaten me."
"Fine, then we'll proceed with the original plan, once we're in Dumbledore's office, knock on his door and tell him you found a cursed vault then lead him to the vault I found the dial in. He hasn't heard about it, so it should work out."
"A lot of things rely on blind luck, Anon, what if he kicks you out of his office, when he leaves?"
"Well, we need to take risks." Anon said and forced more food down with orange juice. "Eat you fucking, whiner!" He mumbled past his food.
"Why are you convinced the hat will tell what house she was sorted into?" Rowan said while eating his cold scrambled eggs.
"The hat decides wich house your ass gets put when you come here, the hat has to have some advanced sort of mind reading, It will work... It has to."
"Whatever, I don't understand how the hat works..." Rowan said while crunching on lukewarm bacon.
"The hat goes back to the original founding, I don't think anyone understands how it works... Not even Dumblefuck himself..."
Rowan was annoyed at the disrespect Anon was showing, but let it pass. He'd never seen Anon this nervous about anything. It had to have been his coping mechanism.
"What will we do if the hat says she's a Slytherin?"
"I think we should let her decide then... If she wants to go to St.Mungo, I will turn myself in; If she wants to continue with Hogwarts as things are, I will leave her alone, you and Penny make sure she gets trough Hogwarts without problems."
"Then what about you?"
"Meru already said she doesn't want to have anything to do with me, if that is the case. So I will leave her alone completely."
"Meru?" Rowan asked raising his eyebrow.
"It's what I... He... Her Anon calls... Shut the fuck up, Rowan."
"Fine, let's get this over with..." Rowan said tiredly and got up.
"Just stick to the plan and tell Dumbledore about the vault. And stop whining It's not like you'll be stuck in his office." Anon said drinking the rest of his orange juice and got up.

The day's classes whent uneventfully, thankfully Snape was droning about theory, so even potions classes went without any problems. Anon caught glimpses of Merula during charms classes, the girl was talented with charms, she was even helping the slightly nervous girls around her while praising them cheerfully. Anon decided not to get involved in it, if she wants to ruin Merula's reputation, by being nice to people for once... So be it, it can't possibly be as bad as what would wait for her in her own world. After the classes, Anon and Merula nodded to eachother and got into positions infront of Dumbledore's office. Rowan was waiting a bit further away.

"Alright, Merula... I have had enough of your attitude for a long time." Anon declared loudly, while taking out his wand.
"Fah, Attitude? You dare face the most bea... Powerful Witch in Hogwarts?" Meru said trying to sound confident, while she took her wand out.
Anon took his dueling stance immediately and realized Meru had told the truth, the girl had zero experience in dueling. Her stance... Wasn't really a stance, she just took her wand out and pointed it at Anon. Anon would have to make this into a mobile fight, or else everyone would see trough them. He would have to set the tempo for the fight.
"Flipendo!" Anon shouted and pointed his wand at Meru. He held back and the spell would have been just a slight tap, but Meru wasn't on guard at all and fell on her butt.
Meru got up and rubbed her bottom, while tearing up, but recovered quickly and aimed her wand at Anon.
"F-flippendo!" She shouted and pointed her wand at Anon. Only a few sparks flew out of her wand, but nothing else.
Anon decided to duck on ground, as if he was either hit by the spell, or just dodging, to make it seem like they were dueling really.
"Flipendo" Anon shouted again and aimed at Meru, who knew to brace against it now. The girl had actually looked at Anon's stance and tried to copy it now. It was pretty terrible, but atleast the girl had realised to make herself into a smaller target. What hit Anon next caught him by surprise.
"Flipendo!" Meru shouted and copied Anon's wand movement. The spell actually worked that time, but Meru didn't know how to hold back. The spell hit Anon in the chest and he tumbled back into an armour display. He could've cast protego, but it was not a good idea  to reflect Meru's flipendo back at the girl.
Anon kicked the armour display down, and it tumbled down making a huge racket. If Dumbledore didn't hear that, the old fuck was completely deaf, or not in his office...
"Oh right..." Anon realized.
"Flipendo!" Meru cast again and hit Anon in the shoulder. Anon actually lost his balance then and slipped to his butt. He looked up and noticed Meru was giggling at the sight. For some reason he took this as mocking, even though the girl was clearly just amused at the sight.
"Tarantallegra!" He cast at Meru, who immediately started dancing and giggled even more. This annoyed Anon even more, it felt like Merula was mocking him.
"Depulso" He cast, but came to his senses just before he finished with his incantation and turned his wand at an armour display instead, which blew up in a huge clatter.
Anon heard Dumbledore's door being opened and immediately turned his wand at dancing Meru.
"Finite Incantem." He removed the dancing jinx from  Meru and took his dueling stance again, this time with his wand pointing up, hoping Meru would realize it, the girl put her wand away and clumsily copied Anon's stance.


Anon and Meru waited for Dumbledore to take the two of them into his office. His office door opened and to Anon's relief, dumbledore stood behind it.
"Ms. Snyde, Mr.Ymous, if you could come into my office..." He said calmly.
Anon sand Merula entered the headmaster's office. Anon had visited office a few times before, but it seemed like Meru had never been in there. She was smiling brightly and looking around in awe. Dumbledore had his back to them, so Anon quickly elbowed the girl, trying to make her seem a bit more like a delinquent.
"Sit down..." Dumbledore said and pointed at two chairs infront of his desk.
The two sat on the chairs. Anon looked down, while Merula seemed to want to immediately jump up and go pet Dumbledore's bird.
"You two have been exceptionally disruptive to the order in Hogwarts, and now you're dueling infront of my Office..."
"We're sorry..." Meru said without thinking.
Dumbledore looked a bit surprised, and turned to look at anon, and then back at Meru.
Anon looked at Meru angrily, she glanced at the boy and realized she needed to act more like a troublemaker.
"I didn't start this." Anon snapped at Dumbledore, who turned to look at Anon.
"Oh, but you did... you crossed me..." Meru said unconvincingly.
"I did no such thing, you will always look for excuses to jump at my throat, Snyde." Anon said angrily.
At that point Rowan had realized it was his turn and knocked the door.
Dumbledore waited for a while, looking at Meru and Anon.
"Well, first of all, 50 points from Slytherin, for having the gall to duel infront of the headmaster's office. I don't know if you two are doing this on purpose at this point, but I am deeply disappointed in the both of you."
Rowan knocked the door again and yelled.
"Please Professor, I have something important to show you, hurry."
Dumbledore seemed to prepare for a speech towards the two, but instead went to the door.
"Mr.Khanna, what is so urgent?" He asked.
"I found a door leading into a vault, atleast I think it is." Rowan said nervously, he felt scared lying to Dumbledore like this.
Anon crossed his fingers, in hopes that Dumbledore took the bait.
"Very well, Mr.Khanna, lead the way." Dumbledore said and turned to Meru and Anon.
"You two will stay in my office until I come back, try not to touch anything, you're in enough trouble without it." Dumbledore said with a no nonsense tone, which made Meru nervous.
Anon on the other hand sighed in relief, their plan's first part worked perfectly, all they had to do was plop the hat in Meru's head and have it tell which house she was sorted into.


Once Dumbledore left the two alone in his office, Anon immediately got up and went to get the hat.
"Alright, wait here."
"I am a bit scared, Anon. I don't want to get Merula Expelled." Meru said nervously.
Anon picked up the surprised sorting hat from the shelf and rushed back to Meru.
"First offense for you, if this was all it took to expel Merula, then it was just a matter of time... Also she deserved it." Anon said coldly and put the hat in Meru's head.
The hat flopped down and obstructed Meru's vision.
"Interesting, it's not a time for sorting." Meru heard inside her head.
"U-um.. Hello... Mr.Hat... Anon wants me to ask you what house I was sorted into."
"Well, this is quite peculiar, quite peculiar indeed... I seem to remember you, Merula Snyde... But... Something is off."
"W-what's that?"
"I remember all the students I sort, but you seem to remember it completely differently..."
"What house do I belong into?"
The hat went silent.
Anon started getting impatient and poked the hat with his wand.
"Spit it out loud, you fucking hat or I will set you on fire and throw you out of the window."
The sorting hat ignored the angry boy on the outside.
"It seems... Yes... This is new for me..."
"Please say hufflepuff..." Meru pleaded to the hat in her head, she wanted to know she wasn't crazy...
"Very well, this isn't official at all, but you two seem to care more about my opinion than anything else."
"Hufflepuff!" The hat declared out loud.
Anon went pale immediately and looked at the hat speechless.
Meru hopped up in joy and took the hat off smiling brightly, she wasn't completely crazy. But she stopped her joy when she saw Anon's face.
"Are you alright?" she asked concerned.
"We need to find the dial..." Anon said quietly and took the hat off Meru's head and rushed to put it back where he got it.
Meru was in good mood, No one could claim she was a mean slytherin anymore, not even this Anon. But it also meant there was another Anon waiting for her. She walked to the phoenix and politely asked it if she could pet it.
Anon started going trough all the different scenarios in his head, he needed to get the girl out of the office without getting either of them expelled... Or just one of them... He could send Rowan instructions via owl, if need be. He turned to look at the cheerful Meru, who was beset with joy, when the bird let her stroke him carefully.
Anon sat down on the chair and waited for Dumbledore to get back.
"Meru, get back here." He snapped at the girl.
"Coming." She said still smiling. "I am so happy I really am a Hufflepuff."
"I'm glad for you, but we need to get out of here without being expelled now." Anon said, trying to get the girl to take this seriously.
"O-oh, I know! Let's just say it was... Lover's quarrel, I'm sure he'll let us go."
Anon was silent for a while.
"That is the dumbest fucking idea I have ever heard! What kind of a moron would Dumbledore be, if he believed something that insane? He'd first have to believe we were even capable of being lovers. Which we absolutely are not." Anon said angrily, but was shut up, by Dumbledore coming back in the office.
Anon looked at Meru nervously, and was annoyed the girl was incapable of rubbing the smirk off her face. He turned to look at Dumbledore nervously.
Dumbledore crossed his fingers infront of him and looked at Anon over his half-moon spectacles.
"I trust you have a good explanation for this, Mr.Ymous."
"Explanation, for what?" Anon was worried Dumbledore decided to pin the whole duel on hi... OH FUCK.
"Yes, explanation, yeah..." Anon started.
"Oh, it was just a lover's quarrel." Meru said cheerfully and winked at Anon.
Okay, guess we're doing this now... Anon thought to himself, fuck...
"Just a little duel." Anon said looking at Meru annoyed.
Dumbledore was surprised to hear Meru call it a lover's quarrel.
"Lover's quarrel? You two surprise me... Has it always been like this between you?"
"Y..." Meru started
"No!" Anon said quickly. "Why would it be, Just let her go, I confess."
Meru looked at Anon worried. Was he going to take the full blame?
"Yes, well, it seems that... Alright. 25 points from Slytherin, from you Ms.Snyde... You need to find a better way to sort your issues, you two. I have something to discuss with Mr.Ymous then... You may leave."
Meru didn't get up, she just looked at Anon worried.
"Just go!" Anon whispered angrily.
Meru stopped smiling and walked off sadly, she looked at Anon, who scowled at her for messing things up. She walked out of the office and noticed Rowan was waiting for her.
"How did it go?" Rowan asked the girl who walked up to him saddened.
"The hat said I was a Hufflepuff, but Anon seemed to take full blame for the duel... He might get expelled..."
"Well, we always acknowledged such possibility... You two had been walking on razor's edge, it was just a matter of time when it was going to catch up to either of you." Rowan said tired and worried about Anon. "Let's go to the common room and wait for Anon there..."


Meanwhile Anon was watching Dumbledore, who was looking at his fingers, trying to decide what to do with the slytherin troublemaker infront of him.
"Mr.Ymous... I was just in a vault that had been opened by some unknown person." Dumbledore started.
"Is that so?"
"I believe you might have entered that vault, despite numerous times being told not to do so."
"I don't recall going into any vaults, I once got lost on the way to the bathrooms, but I ran into an empty room with nothing in it."
Dumbledore closed his eyes and sighed.
"There was a message on the wall..."
"Oh really, what did it say?" Anon asked defiantly.
"Is that why you told ms.Snyde to leave, Ymous?"
Say it, fucking say it, you old fuck, say it... Make it worth it to get expelled, last fucking joke! Anon thought to himself.
"Meru had nothing to do with it... Just tell me what the message said."
Dumbledore looked at Anon a bit surprised, perhaps what ms.Snyde said was true...
"Merula Snyde sucks Niffler..." Dumbledore stopped "But you knew what it said."
"I'm afraid I don't remember that..."
"Dicks..." Dumbledore said disappointed.
"HAHAHA" Anon laughed at Dumbledore, who looked at the boy. Perhaps he would have to expel him for bullying Merula Snyde like this.
"I'm such a fool... I deserve this." Anon said angrily.
"Just do it!" Anon shouted. "Meru doesn't deserve this, she never deserved any of this... It's all my fault, she was the victim. I confess, just do it!"
Dumbledore stopped to think, Anon's behaviour was strange. It seemed as if he was protecting Merula Snyde, even though it was blatantly obvious this was mutual. Would expelling the boy do any good at this point?
"Lover's quarrel?" Dumbledore said finally.
"Guess you could say that... What a messed up situation..." Anon said and sat down, he was angry at himself and everyone, mostly Merula, but the one who wasn't even here.
"I will give you one chance to explain this situation to me, but you are walking on thin Ice, Ymous."
Anon stopped to think... He tried to think of a way to save his hide... Lying about Meru wouldn't work in this situation, he had to be convincing. He decided to forget about Meru and focus on Merula.
"Fine... The truth..." Anon said resigned and looked Dumbledore in the eyes.
"This goes beyond anything we've done... We got stuck into this situation where everything we did was to hurt the other, and neither could walk away from it. I don't know if it's because we cared about what the other thought, but every time we fought it was for some messed up reason to try to reach the other... I once felt I reached her, but I messed things up. And the message, I was full of rage, but that was before any of this happened." Anon said full of regret, he was remembering about a time when the two genuinely tried to have a discussion, but she had her wand out and was ready to destroy him once more.
"Alright... I will give you a very serious warning, Mr.Ymous." Dumbledore said.
Anon was quiet.
"However, 150 points from Slytherin..." Dumbledore said finally and turned to look at Fawkes.
"Am I free to go then?" Anon asked tired.
"Did you find anything in the vault?"
"No, just a mess and heartache... I doubt it even was a vault." Anon said and got up.
"very well, but remember, you two need to find out better ways to sort your differences."
Anon walked out of the office defeated.


It was getting late when Anon got to the Slytherin common room and saw Merula talk to some girls cheerfully about something. The girl's optimism had been completely rejuvenated by the hat's declaration. Meanwhile it made Anon feel completely empty.
Anon noticed Rowan was reading some book again and walked up to him.
"So, she's not from around here..."
"Yeah, she told me. What are we going to do now?" Rowan asked without lifting his head from the book.
"We need that dial, Merula couldn't have hidden it anywhere far, it has to be in the dorm..." Anon said and glanced at Meru, who smiled at the girls and excused herself.
"If we find the dial, I need to use it first, just to make sure it works in the way we believe... If not... We might be fucked either way."
"What if it switches your place with some weird alternate version?" Rowan asked closing his book.
"Then we better hope the dial is reusable, or the Anon that pops out is hers and that the two are fine with being slytherins..."
"I am not going to tell you what to do, but you seem really self-destructive now." Rowan said worried.
"I am not fucking self-destructive, you cunt, If we let her use the dial and it pops her into a worse fucking place, what is she going to do, hope the Anon from there helps her?"
"I am not completely following you here."
"The more I look at her, the more annoyed I get, her Anon must be some weird anomaly... You have to agree her description of me is completely outlandish." Anon said and watched Meru try to leave the common room discreetly.
"I am not even going to try to follow your reasoning anymore, Anon... Just do whatever you think is right." Rowan said annoyed and went back to his book.
"If there are more than one possible reality for her to pop out of, we need to understand how the dial works... I will use it first to find where real Merula is, because I can handle the situation better than this naive Merula."
"You're just going to trust blind luck again."
"I will. And I will get her back and then things will go back to the way they were, where I can look at Merula without feeling guilty, because she's just as much of an asshole as I am..."
"...right." Rowan said and ignored Anon, who walked out of the slytherin dungeons.


Anon walked to the seventh floor and met with Meru infront of the tapestry of Barnabas.
"Alright, do you know this room?" Anon asked the girl.
"Y-yeah." Meru said blushing.
Anon ignored the girl's reaction and started walking up and down the hallway, while imagining his training room. Once the door appeared the told Meru to enter room and closed the door behind him.
The room was fully equipped with training dummies and t he floor had a soft mat, it was also large enough for proper duels.
"This is where I trained..." Anon said and took his robes and tie out and threw them into the corner and loosened the buttons on his shirt.
Meru looked around nervously, why did the boy bring her here?
"You are curious person, you want to know what goes between me and Merula... I am not going to tell you exactly why we both hate eachother. That's none of your business and hopefully you will never need to know." Anon said and rolled up his sleeves.
"W-why are we here, Meru asked.
"Take out your wand and take a dueling stance, any stance... Just imagine fighting me again." Anon said and walked infront of Meru, while rolling up his sleeves
Meru hesitated, she really didn't want to duel the boy again, why did she have to?
"Fucking hell, Merula, just do it!" Anon snapped at the girl, who yelped a bit and took her wand out quickly and tried to take a stance.
Anon walked around her, poking her with his wand.
"Alright, first things first. Mollycoddling is over, I will start shouting at you, I will swear at you... Will you start crying?"
Meru got angry at the boy being mean to her again, she had just gotten good news and was just about ready to go home and this idiot wanted to make her miserable.
"I am not going to cry over you, you... Idiot."
"Good answer, I am going to teach you how to duel now... When you go back to your world, you will be able to protect that spineless coward Anon of yours."
Meru's eyes got wider.
"W-what, why?"
"Because you have the same potential as the Merula who I've fought, Maybe it's just inherent in both of you." Anon said. "I am going to help you realize it. And maybe, just maybe. I will tell you about her."
"O-okay." Meru said surprised, she looked at the boy and saw his face, she recognized the look... It was determination.