Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognise
Harry Potter is shot off into a world that is nothing like he recognises. A world where Voldemort was crippled and Harry himself was never born. Is this a new chance for Harry and a place to get over the horror's of his past, or has someone followed him?
This has been revised ever so slightly – I got a little bit stuck with it and then realised how many people liked the fic when, after goodness knows how many years being on fanfiction I figured out how to find the stats for my story!!
Ok this is alternate universe after book 4. it follows most of book but does differ slightly from it. The story of Harry will be told eventually but its part of the mystery for you to figure out!
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His back was against the wall, sweat turning the dust into paste on his spine, underneath his shirt. His breath was ragged as he crouched, the blade in his hand cutting into his fingers as he waited.
His knee's ached from being in this position for as long as he had. He tried moving his neck from side to side in the hopes of drawing out some of the stiffness. His shoulder protested at the movement and dampness spread down his sleeve, reminding him partly, for the reason of his sudden exhaustion and utter pain.
A creak rattled the floorboards in the room behind his wall and he immediately quietened his breath. Closing his eyes he reached out in the hopes that he would be able to hear exactly what was happening. All he heard was the soft padding against the floor of someone walking without speed or worry as they searched for something.
"I know you're here" came the maniac's voice.
He opened his eyes, partly surprised to find tears blurring his vision. He clenched down on his teeth to prevent himself from taking a ragged breath and letting the bastard know that he feared what was about to come.
"Pathetic. Hiding like a little child"
I am he thought to himself, then shoved that thought ruthlessly back. It didn't matter, none of it mattered but the here and the now. He shifted his grip on the blade, ignoring the stabbing pain and the stickiness. His knee's started to shake worryingly and he feared that his body, whether his mind willed it or not was about to give up.
He must have made some noise, or perhaps the bastard had always known where he was and had just been playing with him. Before he could register that the door was being opened a foot cracked into his cheekbone and shot greasy waves of pain through his body and his mind into a brief comforting darkness. He opened his eyes what must have been seconds later when his wrist was bent at an unnatural angle as though it had been a twig that a child snapped. He opened his mouth to scream when a foul tasting rag was stuffed into his mouth.
His hair was gripped and yanked, forcing him to follow the man, regardless of how his body protested. His mouth felt dry as a bone and the rag was near chocking him as he tried to spit it out. Eventually he gave up as each struggle simply resulted in him feeling as though he were about to throw up.
He was thrown against a wall and made no movement to get up, his body simply sagging where it was dumped. He opened eyes, sticky with tears and pain and watched as the dimming figure drew some symbols into the floor. His eyes flickered around the room, the shadows playing with the walls of the deserted building. Briefly he thought he saw movement at the window and focused on it. Half a second later there was an almighty bang as the door thudded open. His breathing was too loud to hear what was being said, his vision to cloudy and dreamlike to clearly understand what they were doing. He thought he felt a sudden pressure in his forehead but ignored it. That was impossible. He had killed that…thing nearly two weeks ago, before all this had happened.
But when liquid hit the rag and bled through into his mouth he recognised the coppered taste. Blood. His head was bleeding.
No.nononononononononononononononononoo.
It wasn't possible
It wasn't fair. Suddenly an eruption of laughter nearly burst from him. Was this how He had felt when he had foiled all those plans time after time after time?
Everything was suddenly far too bright and painful. There was loud noise of sorts but he really couldn't care less.
Harry Potter simply slipped away from the world without protest.
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Sirius Black was rudely shaken from his sleep by Alistair Moody screaming down his fireplace. Marie simply shoved him away from her and muttered something about "his bloody job". With a slight growl he stumbled out of bed, eyes blind with sleep and tore on a dressing gown that hung on the back of his door. He walked into his office, shut the door and, before Tristan had any ideas about getting up and accidentally falling over with his ear to the door, warded the room.
Moody's head floated in the fireplace looking worryingly impatient. Under other circumstances Sirius would have been down like a shot, dressed and ready for action. But, while Moody had been his usual calm self, there had been no other indication of an emergency, and, for Moody, waiting in the fire probably was the most patient thing he had done all year.
"I need you to get a message to Albus" the man snapped as Sirius sat down.
"Mmmm" Sirius replied half asleep
"Black, pay attention here. This is important. The ministry's on high alert"
Sirius froze and raised an enquiring eyebrow
"Listen to me boy. There has been a great disturbance in magic, somewhere in London. Absolutely huge, but we can't trace what it is. The ministry is trying to put a lock down on this, but if anyone might have a clue"
"Dumbledore would" Sirius agreed
The floating head turned slightly as if acknowledging something behind him. Moody turned back and gave a gruff nod in Sirius' direction then vanished in flames.
Sirius stared at the fireplace for a second, then rose and stretched. He walked to the door and hid a smile at the sight of his son conveniently walking from the kitchen, past the door and back to his bedroom.
"Dad" Tristan said with an innocent tone. A frown came over his face, one that Sirius perfectly recognised "What's going on? Is something wrong?"
Sirius reached out and playfully ruffled his son's hair pushing the boy in the direction of his room
"Bed" he said pointing
"Dad" Tristan whined "Come on. I'm not ten"
Sirius opened his mouth "according to departmental law zero three five three"
"I'm gone" his son ran back into his room.
"That will cease to work the moment he becomes an auror and realises that there are only seven departmental laws" and amused voice piped up from their room
Sirius grinned "I know but if I switch off and it's coming out of my mouth..."
Marie rolled her eyes "That child has to have some of my genes somewhere"
Sirius shrugged "Be thankful he is brilliant and witty like his father"
Marie shook her head in amusement but there was that glimmer behind it. The glimmer of fear. "What happened?"
Sirius shook his head "Dunno. Whatever it is has the ministry stumped"
Marie raised an eyebrow at that.
"Yeah well, I'm playing owl service. I'll be back soon"
Marie sighed "Where are you going?"
"Hogwarts"
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The minute that Sirius arrived he could tell that something was wrong. The hallway pictures were awake and whispering and the ghosts where roaming with an odd restless need, instead of their usual aimless drifting. Instincts kicking in Sirius drew his wand and walked quietly down the dimly lit corridor.
A shadow swept by and Sirius shot out his hand to grab on to the squirming figure and silently lit up his wand…
…to stare right into the hazel surprised eyes of his godson.
Sirius let out an irritated sound "Chris what are you doing out of bed?"
Chris opened his mouth and then locked his gaze behind Sirius' back.
"Sirius Black, this is a school. Kindly stop manhandling my Grandson"
Sirius winced and let go. Then put on a dashing smile.
"Lizzie, how lovely to see you" he began watching her mouth press together firmly at being addressed as such. "Uh…where's Dumbl…what are you doing here?"
The formidable Mrs Potter rolled her eyes "I'm here at Albus' request Sirius."
"Is it about the guy?"
Sirius turned back to is godson who was listening intently to every bit of information
"What guy?" Sirius asked
"Christian go back to sleep" his grandmother said quietly but firmly
Chris' face fell and he muttered some condemning words under his breath as he left. Sirius watched him go, not trusting the boy further than he could throw him at times like these. Elizabeth Potter seemed to be of likewise mind and remained quiet long after Chris had disappeared from sight.
"Guy?" Sirius asked quietly turning to her.
Elizabeth frowned and inclined her head in the direction that she had just come from, then begun to walk. Sirius followed without complaint, keeping an eye out for any other children that stayed over the holidays.
"Hogwarts screamed half an hour ago" she said calmly
Sirius blinked "It did what?"
"Screamed. The wards were being disrupted"
Sirius grabbed her arm "No. No-one could bring down the wards. No group could do it. Only Albus"
Elizabeth sighed "I am well aware of that Sirius, as are we all. Would you like me to continue?"
Sirius frowned, then let go of her arm, a fierce look in his eyes.
She sighed "At least that's the reason that we thought anyway. It would appear, according to Albus that Hogwarts itself was temporarily dismantling the wards. It was screaming for another reason"
Sirius blinked "The castle removed its own wards?"
Elizabeth glared at him "Do you doubt it?"
Sirius glanced around him briefly as they walked then shook his head
"Anyway" she said with a slight glare "All that Albus saw when he got down to the great hall was…a young man"
Sirius nodded "How young?"
Elizabeth shook her head "Schooling age. But not a Hogwarts pupil. The boy was, is a mess. Hence Dumbledore asked for mine and Henry's help"
Sirius nodded "The Ministry felt a huge disruption"
She nodded "I'm not surprised"
"In London"
Elizabeth glanced at him "Are they sure?"
Sirius sighed "If they'd had the excuse they would have been here before the disruption ended. What they felt was definitely not from anywhere close to Hogwarts"
The pair walked up the stairs to the infirmary in silence.
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