Team SAGE: Two Worlds Over

Wanda: (chuckles and then shrugs) Have you ever had an idea, then gotten another idea, and had one of those ideas completely cannibalize each other? Well, that just happened to me - I originally intended to write this separately from Seal of Salem, and then I realized they were sharing way to many plot points so it would just make more sense for me to condense them into a single story. (sorry about that) Anyway, here goes! I hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter nor RWBY.

Prologue:

The girl tied to the tombstone was only half listening to the mad ramblings of Voldemort, aka Tom Riddle, aka the murderer of her parents and god alone knew how many other people. Her eyes were flickering between him, the corpse of the Hogwarts Champion, and the traitor Peter Pettigrew. Blood was seeping down her arm from the knife cut the man had given her, causing a constant throbbing pain on top of everything else. She had gone deep inside herself, not just from shock and fear, but resignation.

Contrary to what some might believe, Emily Lily Potter was not a pampered princess, nor was she a fool. Spending eleven years living in a boot cupboard tended to shatter your illusions about the world. Also contrary to what most people believed, her life hadn't gotten any better when she entered the wizard's world.

The girl-who-lived-to-be-frustrated-by-society wondered if she was a bringer of death. In her first year in this world, her friend Hermione Granger was killed by a troll brought into the building as a distraction by one of Voldemort's followers. In her second year, Ginny Weasley died in the chamber, a sacrifice to give Tom Riddle a second life, something Emily had just barely managed to prevent. All she really had was her godfather, and he was on the run, unable to protect her in one of her most dire hours.

And now, Cedric, a nice guy who had looked out for her while she was stuck in this nightmare of a tournament (that she had been entered into illegally, but that kind of went without saying at this point), was dead as well.

Emily's lip twisted into a bitter smile. Part of her wondered if it would surprise many people if she, after all that, knelt in front of Voldemort and asked to join him, if only to prevent all the terrible things that keep happening to her. The Prophet certainly didn't have a high opinion of her thanks to the Skeeter cow; she wouldn't put it past them at this rate.

She would never join him or bow to him. That fact was embedded so deeply in her character that it didn't even require thinking. She would never be like him. She would die first.

Emily examined the circle of Death Eaters she was surrounded by. Most of them were pretty far away, after all 'only Voldemort could defeat her', but some were close enough that a small explosion could at least do them some pretty severe harm.

She closed her eyes and reached inside herself.

Accidental magic could still occur even after a person started formal education, since it was heavily connected to the wielder's emotions.

Emily imagined a solar flare, an explosion. She imagined fire bursting out of her and consuming everything around her. Then she closed her eyes, muttered, "I'm sorry, Sirius, Remus," and let out a feral scream.

She exploded like a small air to surface missile. Voldemort was caught in the blast and destroyed down to his bones. The two Carrow parents, who had been eagerly hovering nearby, were also obliterated. Lucius Malfoy, also closer to his master, survived, but sustained severe burns all over his face and arms.

Peter Pettigrew was far enough back that he only received minor injuries. But he also saw something very strange.

A flash of white light, independent of Potter's magic, surrounded her in the split seconds before the explosion went off. And when it faded, those there were scorch marks and bloodstains on the tombstone she had been chained to, even the Unspeakables could find no trace of her body.

**~Line Break~**

"Are you sure this is wise?"

"My counterpart likes to weigh the dice before the game starts. This will help balance the decks."

"But she's a child...all of them are."

"And children are the future. I have hardly seen such a pure, honest soul in all my years of existence. Have a little faith, my herald. This will begin to make things right."

"She won't have a family. We aren't able to bring them all together now without disturbing the balance. She'll have to survive alone."

"Alone? I don't think so. Individuals like her have a way of drawing others to them. ...And you'll be in the shadows every now and then. Insurance."

"...I can protect every child but my own, then..."

"Do not fret, my herald. That will not be forever."

**~Line Break~**

Gold Trailer

Adam Taurus wasn't having a good day; ever since the morning he'd been dogged by press gangs for a mining corporation that used faunus labour. While the twelve year old believed he could take those freaks on any day, he had little four year old Blake to worry about, and he couldn't fight and protect her at the same time.

His old man had died a year ago in a Schnee dust mine, though that at least was an actual accident instead of being the result of malicious lack of safety protocol. His dad's best friend, Anne Belladonna, a well known faunus activist, had 'gone missing' a few days afterwards, leaving him in charge of protecting her daughter Blake.

(Adam was pretty sure Anne had been killed. Faunus like her didn't 'go missing', and Anne was pissing off some rather powerful people.)

It was approaching the end of the day, and Blake was crying because she was hungry. Unfortunately, the shopkeeper was refusing to sell anything to them.

"You probably can't read," The man sneered, "But there's a sign on the door. We reserve the right to refuse service. Now beat it!"

"You know that's illegal, right?"

Adam started and turned around at the small, defiant voice. In fact, everyone in line turned to see it.

It was a human girl – of all the oddities. She was a bit shorter than Adam, wearing a yellow and white sundress and sunglasses two sizes too big for her. She had messy, fire red hair and scarred hands; she was another street kid like them. There was an odd scar on her forehead, shaped like a lightning bolt. She dramatically pulled off her glasses and gave the receptionist a questioning look. She had the greenest eyes Adam had ever seen, and there was a sharpness to them that killed any laughter her cute appearance might have brought up.

The man did a double take. "What are you-?"

"Refusing service on the basis of species is an infraction of the Atlas Treaty," The girl said as if it was perfectly obvious, walking up to the counter. "I think the fine was five thousand dollars? Or was it six?" She giggled, "I suppose I wouldn't really know, I'm just a silly little girl after all."

Several people in life shuffled uncomfortably; one guy's mouth was hanging open. He'd probably been winding up to call her just that only for her to pull the rug out from under him.

"W-What's it matter to you?" The receptionist looked extremely wrong footed; Adam would have snickered if he wasn't taken aback himself. "You're a human kid! These animals-"

"Have thoughts, feelings, aspirations, and the ability to empathize with people." The girl interrupted, causing the man to gape outright at her. "I'm pretty sure that checks in all the 'sapience' boxes. The nice man at the end of the street who works for the General told me about that." She smirked. "Of course, I could go get him and ask him if I'm wrong. I'll be right back!"

"H-Hey! Wait!" The receptionist sputtered as the redhead began skipping towards the door. Blake was watching her with awe in her eyes. "Y-You don't need to get anyone. I understand."

The girl paused at the door, before turning on one heel and staring at him. "You do?" She asked challengingly. "That surprises me. I figured people who thought they had the right to take the freedom and happiness away from other people were incapable of comprehending things like that."

Her piece said, the girl then turned and left through the door. The chime rang loudly in the ensuing silence.

Adam wrestled with his desire to laugh in the man's face; the humiliation of being told off by a kid was going to be sticking around for a while. "Can we have those bread loafs now?" He asked, grinning mockingly at the man.

Red faced, the man shoved the basket across the table. Adam payed up, took Blake by the hand, and headed outside, determined to catch up to that redhead.

The girl hadn't gone too far. Adam sat her at the end of the street, conversing with an Atlas soldier. She gestured wildly with her hands before pointing down the street towards them. The guy nodded, gave her a lolipop and started heading their way.

Adam's disbelief spiked, and he walked up to the girl, frowning. She gave no indication she'd noticed them until he and Blake were standing right next to her.

"Why'd you do that?" Adam wanted to know.

The girl pulled the lolipop out of her mouth and eyed him with some confusion. "...Do I need a reason to help people?" She asked, tilting her head to the right.

"But you're a human." Blake whispered. "Why help faunus like us?"

"Why not?" The girl seemed genuinely puzzled by the question. "I like to do good. And I know a little bit of what it's like; being treated horribly for something you can't help." She gestured vaguely to herself. "I've always been a bit of an outsider myself."

"...I've never met a human who's offered to help us for nothing in return." Adam said gruffly, his eyes narrowing with memory.

Schnee had offered his old man a better living...in exchange for ratting out the White Fang's planned demonstrations and high profile members. He'd refused, and Schnee angrily informed him that untrustworthy faunus would never be given work by his organization.

The girl licked her treat and smiled sunnily at him. "Well, now you have."

She said this in a very matter-of-fact way, as if this didn't completely uproot everything Adam believed about the world. The redhead then looked around before adding, "Do you wanna eat here? I don't get chased off too often, and the tables are somewhat clean."

Now Blake was looking at the redhead with awe and admiration, so Adam felt like that decision was already made. "Alright." He said gruffly. The girl beamed.

They divided up a few of the rolls and ate in mostly companionable silence. "What's your name?" Blake asked. "I'm Blake. This is Adam."

The redhead seemed to ponder the question for a moment before saying, "I'm Emily. Nice to meet you."

"Do you have a home?"

"Nope." Emily said with a shrug. "That's okay, though. I get by."

Adam stared down at his plate, trying to place the fact that he was feeling sympathy for a human. Sure, she was a very...unorthodox one, but still human, and his experiences had taught him that humans weren't trustworthy.

After they finished eating and left, Adam had a sneaking suspicion Emily was following them. Sure enough, Blake let out a small squeal of joy when her new friend appeared from behind the tree near the shack they called a home, looking hopefully at him.

"You two have a roof over your heads? I'm so jealous. Is there room for one more, maybe?"

Blake looked pleadingly up at Adam, who threw his arms in the air in surrender and said, "Sure. Why not?"

**~A few days later~**

Emily continued to pop up in their lives after that. Adam found he didn't mind it as much as he thought he would; they weren't stopped or refused service as much with her around. Plus her friendliness and cheerful disposition was kind of charming, though he'd never admit it out loud.

One night during a storm, Blake had a nightmare about her mother. Adam shook her awake, looking at her tear stained face with uncertainty. He had never been good at dealing with other people's emotions.

Emily walked over to Blake and sat down next to her. "What were you dreaming about, Blake?"

"My parents." Blake whispered.

Emily paused, her green eyes growing distant at that. "I understand." She sat down next to the smaller girl and gave her a hug. Blake nuzzled her head into the other girl's shoulders, shivering.

"...You do?"

"Do you want to hear a bedtime story?" Emily asked. Blake nodded a little. "Okay. Once upon a time, there was a prince and a commoner who went to the same school. After spending a few years together, the prince fell in love with the common girl, even though everyone said it wasn't 'proper' for someone of his statue. They were very happy together, and eventually they had a daughter together."

"Now, there was a rival tyrant who wished to take control of the world. He believed that royalty were never to mix with the 'lesser' kinds. The Prince and his wife were two among many who stood against him, and they were strong enough to drive him away three times."

"One night in the middle of this war, a spy in the ranks lead the tyrant to the family's home. Ambushed, the prince was killed while his wife ran to protect her baby. After a battle, the tyrant offered to spare the commoner's life if she handed over her child. The woman loved her daughter too much, and refused, and she was slain too."

Blake whimpered. "I don't like this story..."

Emily gently stroked her hair and murmured, "It's not quite done yet."

"This was the tyrant's final mistake. The mother's love was so powerful, that in her death it became an incredible force of magic. When the tyrant attempted to finish what he had started, this great force protected the child and threw his attack back in his face, destroying him completely. So no matter where she was, or what happened, that girl was always protected by by her mother's love and sacrifice. It would follow her where ever she went. Always."

Blake smiled a bit, before drifting off into sleep. Emily gently set her down on the mattress bed and pulled the blanket over her, before raising one hand to the lightning bolt scar on her forehead.

"Where did you hear that story?" Adam asked.

"...It's my story." Emily responded, her eyes growing distant again.

"...Yours?" Adam echoed, regarding her with confusion and shock.

Emily nodded. "My mother and father were killed when I was little. I know the story through my nightmares." She gently tapped the scar again. "This is my memento from that night."

"Why would anyone want to kill a small child?" Adam asked, sincerely revolted by the thought.

Emily snorted, shaking her head. "How would I know? Maybe he hated anyone less powerful than him. Maybe he was just insane. I never thought to ask. Those kinds of people are usually the same in the end."

"Is that why you helped us before?" Adam wondered.

"It was part of it," Emily admitted. "But it's true that I did it because I wanted to. I want to be there to help other people. When the water is rushing up, I'll be there to pull people out. That's who I am." She smiled at him. "What about you, Adam?"

Adam looked away. "I'm not much of a bleeding heart."

"There's a lot of anger there, huh?" The redhead asked softly. Adam's head snapped up towards her, to see that there was no judgment in her voice. "That's okay."

"Really?"

"I think I'd be afraid of you if there wasn't any." Emily said.

"You're not afraid of me?"

"No." Emily met his gaze softly. "I'm not afraid of you."

Adam stared at her for a moment longer only to find himself chuckling, shaking his head with disbelief and a shred of fondness. "You're either a saint, or a maniac."

"I like to think maniac." Emily remarked with a straight face.

Adam snorted in amusement. "Get some sleep, Emily."

Emily blinked once, twice, and then smiled brightly. She recognized the offer to stay and be part of a makeshift family with the two faunus. "...Thank you, Adam."

End of Gold Trailer

**~Line Break~**

Silver Trailer

Gratcia Nightshade stumbled across the rough ground, nearly treading on her tail causing her to hiss in anger and frustrating. There were three other faunus with her – an antelope girl, a cat boy and a lion girl - all her age, all of whom were equally sleep deprived, anxious and glancing over their shoulder as they made their way across the dim streets of the small town.

Gratcia's fox ears twitched, and she growled inaudibly and turned to her companions. Her long, reddish brown hair fell in tangles around her sweat stained face; she irritably swatted it away as she tried to catch her breath. She was wearing the tattered remains of grey work clothes and leather boots. Her fierce brown eyes narrowed into slits at the familiar, hateful sounds in the distance. "They're getting closer. We need to get you guys into town."

"I don't think I can walk much further," The lion girl gasped, the broken chains of the shackles still strapped on her wrists. "I'm getting dizzy."

Gratcia obligingly turned on her heel, hurried to the lion girl Lenore's side and let her lean on her shoulder. They had been fleeing for nearly two straight days, and the only reason she was doing better then her other companions was because of magic.

"Are you sure you know where we are, Ginny?" The antelope wheezed, using her friend's preferred nickname out of habit.

"Yeah. I remember this place from the map, Diadem." Gratcia responded. "The Station is within running distance. If we get there, we'll be safe. Darrel, is your leg acting up?"

Darrel set his face. "I can make it a few more yards, Nightshade, if it means I never have to go back to that mine."

The four children had escaped from an illegal Dust mine that employed desperate faunus. Safety precautions were borderline nonexistent, and cave ins were common occurrences. Younger faunus were forced to squeeze into small tunnels with nothing but a rope to help them get back out. Gratcia had been kidnapped as a young child, and had spent the upshot of a year trapped in the darkness of the mines, with terrible food and constant heavy workload.

Finally she found a way to get herself and three of her fellow mine workers out of the mine. They had spent the last two days running almost nonstop from the armed guards pursuing them in order to drag them back and prevent news of the mine from getting out.

Gratcia, the girl once known as Ginny Weasley, didn't have an extremely high opinion of her new life so far – but then again, she hadn't seen very much of the world outside a broken down town and the mine. And anything had to beat being a broken ghost trapped in the Chamber of Secrets where she had died the first time.

The last thing she remembered before waking up with fox ears and a tail was a bright white light and two people distantly talking. She couldn't make out their words and the memory faded as she integrated more into the world of Remnant.

"I see them!" A distant voice called. Gratcia spat out a curse and skidded to a stop, handing Lenore off to Diadem.

"You guys run ahead. Get some help." She instructed.

"But what about you-?"

"I'll live. Just go!" Gratcia insisted.

The three others exchanged a quick look before rushing down the path. Gratcia turned her attention to the pathway, catching her breath, before running off down a different street once the men had her in their sights. Sure enough, they followed her, allowing the rest of the faunus to reach safety.

And while she didn't know it at the time, three aspiring Hunters had been training in the open space of the ghost town where she was recaptured. And when the men knocked her unconscious with batons, they followed her all the way back to the mine.

**~Line Break~**

"...Hey. Hey, wake up!"

Gratcia shifted and groaned, the hard gravel digging into her shoulders. Someone was shaking her, voice heavy with concern...couldn't be one of the overseers, then. Slowly she opened her eyes and looked up.

A young cat faunus was leaning over her, eyes full of worry. She put a finger to her lips when Gratcia opened her mouth to ask her what was going on, pointing off to the side. Dazed, Gratcia sat up to see her troop's overseers all unconscious, bloodied and dumped in an unceremonious heap in a corner. An older boy and girl were standing in front of them, the girl dusting her hands off and saying, "good riddance."

"Can you get up?" The cat asked. Gratcia blinked heavily and nodded. "Do you think you can walk?" Another nod. "We're gonna get you out of here."

"How?" Gratcia rasped.

The cat girl smiled. "By busting out. How else?"

"You're corrupting Blake, Emily. She's starting to sound like you." The boy told his female counterpart accusingly.

"That's a bad thing, Adam?" The girl, Emily, said with a giggle. Gratcia gaped at her for a moment. This girl looked eerily familiar...like another Emily she had known in another time.

Was it possible?

"For the sake of my sanity? Yes. That's a bad thing." Adam said hotly.

Blake offered Gratcia a helping hand up. "We saw you mislead those guards so your friends could escape. That's really brave. What's your name?"

"Gratcia Nightshade." The darker redhead said with a small smile. "Thank you."

**~Line Break~**

They ended up blowing the entrance of the mine to kingdom come. It was Adam's idea – leaving a message behind. Emily agreed wholeheartedly.

Lenore, Darrel and Diadem had relayed their story to the Atlas military, who arrested every perpetrator at the sight. Even with Adam's grumpy observation that some of them were going to get lesser sentences compared to what they deserved, the success put everyone in a good mood.

Gratcia took this moment to walk over to Emily. "This might sound weird, but...have we met before?"

Emily blinked and looked intently at the other girl. A flash of recognition went through her eyes and she asked, "That depends. Who do you think I am?"

"...Emily Potter." Gratcia responded. "...There was once a time I was called Ginny Weasley."

Emily gasped and gave Gratcia a crushing hug. The fox girl squeaked, her recently healed ribs twinging a bit at the pressure, before leaning against Emily's shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't manage to save you in time," The older girl whispered.

"No, it's okay. I'm glad you payed that bastard back for me," Gratcia responded. "It's so good to see a friendly face after all this..."

Emily nodded and smiled. "Come with us. Me, Adam and Blake live and train together, we're like a family. We're going to see if we can enter the White Fang soon. I'm sure they wouldn't mind having another person around!"

Well, Adam might mind, but Emily had learned that if she followed him around with 'sad baby kitten eyes' for long enough, he'd cave in. No matter how much Adam tried to play the 'aloof, cool older brother' card, in the end he was never able to refuse his girls anything.

"I'd love to," Gratcia said with a small smile of her own.

End Silver Trailer

**~Line Break~**

Obsidian Trailer

Selene Lumen fiddled with her practice weapon, alternating between examining the various books on the table, and waiting for Professor Korban to arrive. Her curly brown hair was carefully packed into a practical bun to keep it out of her hazel eyes while training; she wore a dark sleeveless shirt and leather pants. A couple other kids walked by her room, and the eldest grimaced before pushing his gang forward without bothering her.

There was a reason for that - or reasons, with an s. Selene was a very dedicated student of both history and violence, being both poised and dignified as well as viciously precise and brutal towards her opponents. She had put three bullies in the hospital before the caretakers running her orphanage threw their arms in the air and asked a nearby Hunter to train her, if only to give another outlet for her 'obvious anger management issues'.

Selene didn't think she had 'anger management issues'. She preferred the term 'cautious, perhaps slightly short of being paranoid'. Being clubbed to death by a thrice damned troll when you turned eleven can do that to a person.

Yes, Selene Lumen was once Hermione Granger. The same mysterious light had rescued her alongside Emily and Gratcia/Ginny following her would be death, and now she lived in Remnant. Her second set of parents had died during a Grimm attack on the city, and she was bent and determined to become one of the greatest Huntresses this world had ever seen.

"Ah! There you are, Selene."

Selene closed the book on Dust she had been reading and looked up to see Korban Fischer. "Professor Korban! You're late!" That was rather unlike him; he maintained a very neat schedual at all other times.

The man in question was a somewhat world-weary veteran of the Faunus War and many, many Grimm attacks, and had a reputation for being a fairy talented battler. He used a shotgun mace as his primary weapon, though so far he had only taught Selene using wooden training sticks.

Korban might have retired, but he took a liking to Selene's determination to learn and improve herself, so he volunteered to both train her and deal with her 'people problems'.

"Sorry about that. The traffic downtown was unbelievable." Korban said, running one hand through his greying brown hair. "Now, shall we go?"

"Of course!" Selene set her book aside and jumped to her feet, picking up her practice weapon as she went. The two were making their way downstairs when the newsfeed caught their attention.

"...just the latest in a string of robberies and arson committed against companies with unethical practices regarding both humans and faunus, with the four perpetrators vanishing into the night once again. As you can see in this citizen filmed footage, it seems the four evacuated the building with a false fire alarm, before setting a real one, revealing a criminal coverup based in the offices."

Blurry footage of four figures – three girls and a boy – showed on screen, leaving the smoking Schnee company building behind just as flames burst out of the doors and windows.

"Heard of them?" Korban asked his student, noticing her distracted look.

"Yes...well, sort of. I've heard some rumours about their methods." Selene gave the computer a look of contemplation. "Someone asked me if I thought one of them had a Semblance related to invisibility or intangibility, since they've managed to escape the scene of their crimes each time."

"It's entirely possible." Korban agreed. "Now, do you want to get to today's lesson or not?"

"Haha! Sorry, Professor."

**~Line Break~**

"Have you thought of applying to Beacon Academy when you get older, Selene?" Korban asked her at the end of the day.

"Of course I have." Selene said, puffing out her chest a bit. "It's the best Hunter's school in all of Vale. And I want to experience the best."

Korban chuckled and lightly messed with her curly brown hair. "Well then, if you make it that far I'll put in a good word for you. Huntress." He then left, leaving Selene giddy and rocking on her feet, making plans to ensure her eventual application went through no matter what.

"Hey, you're pretty good!"

Selene turned in surprise. Her lessons had gained an audience without her noticing; three girls and one boy roughly around her age. Three faunus and one human, who picked up a stick and asked, "Do you mind if we ask for a spar?"

She had familiar emerald green eyes. Selene looked at her, first with shock, then with pleasure at seeing her first real friend alive and well in this strange new world.

"That would be nice, thanks."

**~Line Break~**

"Okay, fine. You're pretty good...for a human."

Selene covered her snickers with a cough and curtsied. "I'll take that as a compliment...Adam, right?"

"Yeah," Adam said, waving off Blake's offered hand as he got back to his feet. Gratcia and Emily didn't bother to hide their laughs, causing him to scowl at them. "Sure, laugh it up. I can still beat you both, need I remind you."

"Just barely! And we're getting better every day!" Gratcia protested.

"Yeah, so am I." Adam retorted. Blake just rolled her eyes affectionately at the scene. Selene found herself agreeing; these four were more like a group of mildly dysfunctional siblings than a gang of street miscreants.

"Oh, stop squabbling kids, you're all talented." Selene said teasingly, surprising herself. She hadn't felt comfortable enough to tease anyone not named Emily Potter before.

"Kids!" Adam grumbled. "I'm the eldest, and I still get no respect."

"But how do you gain something you already have?" Gratcia asked warmly. Adam gave her a sideways look and laughed, Selene catching the smile in his eyes.

"Well if you want, I intend to be a great Huntress myself. We can all train together." Selene offered. "It's not like there's much else to do...in an orphanage."

Blake looked sympathetically at her. "We understand. We're all orphans here."

"People like us should stick together." Emily added. "I think that's a great idea. Adam?"

The boy started a bit, surprised at being offered veto power. After a minute of deliberation, he nodded in assent. "Sure. Why not?"

And that's how the the group that would become team SAGE met each other. And the world – Remnant and Earth alike – would never be the same.

End Obsidian Trailer

End Chapter

How's that for an opening? Emily, Ginny/Gratcia and Selene/Hermione's benefactor is not just random chance or the veil being a plot device (which I admit to having used before) but is part of the mystery in this plot, including the person they're conversing with. I very much hope I'll be blowing your mind with the identity of the herald in the future.

Read and Review please!