"Kid! Hey, kid, are you alright?"
Harry groaned in response. He felt as if he's been hit by the Hogwarts Express.
"Oh, Man," a boy's voice was saying, "Someone go get a teacher!" Harry could hear the crunch of feet on leaves retreating in the distance as he was lifted off the ground.
Fragmented images flashed through his head as he was jostled up a hill. Neville, adding the wrong ingredients to their potion, Snape telling them all to evacuate, Hermione, down on the floor, a bright light, and then: mind numbing pain.
Harry heard a small shriek and realized he have been taken up to the hospital
wing.
"Dear Merlin," the mediwitch was saying, "Wood, go and fetch the headmaster."
Harry smiled to himself. Dumbledore would know what to do. He always did. And
with that, he settled into the blissful sleep of unconsciousness.
Harry woke to the sound of what seemed to be an argument.
"Well, obviously, he's a wizard, or he wouldn't have been able to get past
the wards!"
"But he definitely isn't any student of ours! I've never seen the boy before in my life!"
"Look he's waking up!"
Harry groggily wondered who they were talking about as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.
Someone sat down beside him and he turned.
"Snape!" he exclaimed, jumping backwards, "What are you doing here? Where are Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall?"
"Albus?" Madam Pomfrey stepped forward "Why, he's been gone for a while, now!
How did you know him?"
"Gone?" Harry echoed, "Gone where? When will he be back?"
"Child," She said kindly, "Albus, is, well, he died. In the final battle almost twelve
years ago." She wiped at her eyes, "A true hero's death."
"What?" Harry gaped. Had she gone mad? Turning to Snape, he said, "Professor, I-."
"Who are you?" Snape cut him off abruptly, "You seem to know a great deal
about my staff, but we know absolutely nothing about you."
Harry stared at his longtime nemesis in shock. Was this a joke? "It's me,"
he said almost pleadingly, "Harry! Harry Potter!"
Now it was their turn to wear the shocked stares. "Potter, did you say? whispered
Poppy, "But-!"
"Obviously he is lying, " snapped Snape. "All the Potters were killed thirteen years
ago. I saw their bodies."
"But Severus," murmured Pomfrey, " Look at his eyes. They're just like-."
"A glamour is all," sneered Snape, "Watch." He lifted his wand to Harry's
eye level and shut his eyes in concentration. He opened them back up
expectantly and stared at the results.
Harry stared back through unchanged killing curse green eyes.
"How old are you?" Snape whispered hoarsely.
"14," Harry responded. Snape turned white as the bed sheets and
Madam Pomfrey looked as if she might faint.
"The same age as he would be," She gasped.
"What's the matter?" Harry looked around. The two of them looked
as if they had just seen a ghost.
"Potter," Snape snapped back into action, "What's the last thing you
remember before you woke?"
"Potions," Harry thought back. "I was working with Neville. We were
making... poisons and Neville was messing it up. So I gave him an easy
set of instructions and left to get Wormswood Solvent. When I got back the cauldron
was smoking and hissing. Professor Snape, he told us all to get out, but Hermione
left her books. Someone hit the cauldron and it went flying towards her while she picked
them up, so I pushed her out of the way. And then.. I felt as if I were being ripped apart
set on fire, and injected with basilisk venom all at the same time. I could hear Hermione
screaming, but...then I was here."
He finished his story and looked up, expecting to see looks of shocked disbelief,
but was instead met with Snape's thoughtful gaze. He murmured something under his
breath, and started talking to Madam Pomfrey in hushed tones.
"Well Mister Potter," Snape turned back to him, "it would seem you have managed
to create a portal to an alternate dimension -ours- and have no way to return home as
of now." He stood up and grabbed Harry's shoulder, leading him out of the room.
"I don't know how much of this will be knew to you and what won't but here's
how things are around here. I am Headmaster of Hogwarts and my deputy
Headmistress is Professor Minerva McGonagall, who is also Head of Gryffindor
House ( I assume you know the houses? Good.) You will be bunking with the Slytherins
as it is the only house with extra beds in the fourth year dorms. If you have any more
questions, ask your new guide. Wait here for a moment."
Guide? Harry leaned against the wall as Snape left, thinking over this new information.
He was still thinking, when he heard footsteps round the corner.
"Mr. Potter, " Snape said, "Meet your ne companion for the next few days. He's going
to a lot of trouble to help you helping me out."
"It's no trouble at all, Headmaster," a familiar voice drawled. Harry almost jumped in
shock and terror. He knew that voice.
Harry snapped his head up, finding himself nose to nose with a smirking Draco Malfoy.