First Contact

Lightning crackled and rain fell onto the ordinary house of number four Privet Drive. Well, the house was ordinary from the outside, but the most extraordinary thing was inside the house. It is within this nondescript house lived sixteen year-old Harry James Potter, the most famous person known in the wizarding world. Why is he so famous? Because he survived a direct blast from the Killing Curse and is now being pursued by the most powerful dark wizard on the planet.

Harry lay on his bed, waiting impatiently for the summer holiday to pass. The Dursleys hadn't bothered him much, probably because of his privilege to use magic from Moody's unexpected visit.

Flashback

The Dursleys had been watching television in the living room when Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody Apparated with a loud CRACK directly in front of the TV set. Uncle Vernon gave a yelp of terror and leapt up from his chair. Dudley squealed and toppled backwards in his chair, crushing it on impact. Aunt Petunia gave a scream and leapt up from her chair to Uncle Vernon's side. Dudley remained on the floor.

Moody gazed at them with his normal eye while his sinister looking eye revolved menacingly in its socket.

"Potter. Where is he?"

Uncle Vernon blubbered something in a high-pitched voice before pointing up, indicating the second floor.

Moody didn't respond as he simply walked out of the room and up the stairs to Harry's room. Stopping at Harry's door, Moody rapped on the door.

"Harry?" he called out. There was an exclamation of surprise from behind the door, then a small crash before it opened.

"Moody?" Harry stood in the doorway, looking at Moody with joy. "What are you doing here?"

Moody regarded Harry with both eyes for a moment before answering. "Harry, the ministry has finally agreed to lift the Decree of Underage Sorcery on you. You can now do anything you feel is necessary." He paused. "Well, not anything. Just don't cast any of the Unforgivables or kill anyone."

Harry laughed. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Moody turned around and headed out of the room and down the stairs. Harry followed.

"Um, Professor, will I be going anywhere for the rest of the summer?" Harry asked.

Without turning around, Moody answered, "Only if it is necessary. For the time being, you are safest here. And don't call me professor, I never did got around to teaching ever since that scum stuck me in my own trunk."

Harry didn't know what to say.

"I have to leave now," Moody growled. "Take care Harry." With a loud CRACK, Moody Disapparated.

"So, you are alone now."

Harry turned around. "Oh, it's you," he said with disgust.

Uncle Vernon had appeared in the room with a murderous look in his eyes. "How many time have I told you not to have any of your FREAK friends in here!"

Harry stood his ground. "So many times that I am not surprised if I opened a wine bottle, you would think one of our kind came here."

Uncle Vernon turned several shades deeper in red. "If you bring anymore of your FREAK-"

"A freak am I?"

Moody had appeared again. "So, you think we are some kind of filth under your foot? Well, let me tell you something. It is because of us you are still alive. If wizards didn't exist, the entire world would fall into chaos. Creatures beyond your darkest imaginations and nightmares would roam freely across the world."

Noting the fear growing on Uncle Vernon's face, Moody added in a whisper, "Yes…that's right…"

By now, Moody's expression had turned truly sinister, and the smile that accompanied it amplified it even more. Uncle Vernon had backed up into the wall, whimpering and blubbering. Harry knew he had to step in before Moody got carried away.

"Um, Moody, what are you still doing here?" Harry asked.

Moody gave Uncle Vernon a last glare before turning to Harry. "I have a letter from the ministry to give to this slimeball here," he said, indicating the trembling Vernon. "To inform him about your," he paused, "magical freedom."

He handed the trembling Vernon the letter and Disapparated for the final time.

End Flashback

Now all he had to do was wait for the summer holiday to pass. Harry sighed. It wasn't easy waiting when time seemed to crawl by like a tired snail.

After a while of listening to the steady drumming of the rain, Harry began to feel his eyes grow heavy…

Harry found himself standing on a metal platform the size of two football fields placed next to each other. Above him, around him, just about everywhere he could see, were clouds. A blue sky filled with white clouds; the sun nowhere to be seen.

"What is this place?" he muttered. Walking toward the nearest edge, he looked down and gasped. There was another surface leading down. It was then he noticed the corner of the strange platform. He walked over to it and gave a cry of astonishment.

"This-this is a giant metal cube!" he breathed. In his astonishment, Harry didn't pay attention to where he was walking.

He slipped off the edge. Instead of falling down however, Harry found himself falling forward, and landing on the metal surface that was just under him in a crumpled heap.

Ow. Harry stood up and walked slowly away from the edge, careful not to step off again.

I have got to be careful here. Harry thought. Even though I can't fall, I can still hurt myself.

The cube gave a sudden lurch, throwing Harry to the "floor." Before he could react, the cube lurched again, this time in the opposite direction. There was a metallic groaning noise, followed by a violent jolt.

"Please no more. Please no more," Harry cried out desperately. To his surprise, the cube went still. Just then, he noticed a figure in the distance, sprawled out on the ground.

Harry ran to the fallen figure and stopped. It was a young boy, who looked about the age of twelve, dressed in a silvery robe.

"Are you alright?" Harry called out to him. The boy stirred, then opened his eyes.

The boy gave a yelp and leapt to his feet and backed away from Harry.

"Who are you! How did you get here!" the boy demanded.

Harry stared at the boy, shocked. "I-I don't know. I just found myself here," Harry said nervously.

The boy's eyes narrowed. "Impossible. You cannot just appear here. I ask again. Who are you?"

"H-Harry Potter," said Harry.

"What are you doing here?" the boy asked briskly.

"I told you. I don't know." Harry was starting to get annoyed. He was not about to be pushed around by some kid.

Suddenly, as the boy locked his eyes onto Harry's own, he felt a tingling sensation, as though someone were trying to look into his mind using Legilimency. Instinctively, he raised his Occlumency shields. Instead of blocking the mental probing, Harry felt the tingling sensation turn piercing. His shields crumbled and the mental probe seared into his mind.

He felt the scan burn into his mind as he saw his memories pass by rapidly. Being beaten by Dudley and his gang, the first letter from Hogwarts, fighting Quirrell, the basilisk, his godfather, and the tri-wizard tournament.

As the memories came to the events in the Department of Mysteries, Harry felt the probe slow down to analyze the events more carefully, then moved on again. Desperately, Harry tried to break away from the gaze, but he was frozen in place. Harry feared that the boy would see everything in his life, especially his private memories and thoughts. However, the moment the probe scanned the memory of the prophecy, the mental probing quickly retracted.

"What was that for?" Harry demanded, gasping for breath.

"I didn't know!" the boy pleaded. "Please. I'm so-"

"Do not EVER do that again!" Harry shouted, nearly losing his temper.

The boy nodded. "Please. I'm sorry for doing that."

Harry took several deep breaths before answering. "Alright. Just keep out of my head."

"Certainly."

"So what's your name anyway?" Harry asked.

The boy looked confused. "M-my name?"

"You don't know your own name?" Harry asked incredulously.

"I know my name," the boy snapped. "It's just been years since I last thought or spoke of it."

"Then-"

"Tersan Anthrias," the boy interjected. "My name is Tersan Anthrias."

Harry smiled. They were finally getting somewhere.

"Well Tersan, would you like to tell me what this place is?" Harry inquired.

"The Chamber of Isolation," replied Tersan.

"What's the Chamber of Isolation?"

Tersan looked at Harry with amusement. "What does the name suggest?"

Harry glared at him, only to invoke a chuckle from Tersan. Suddenly, boy's eyes widened, as though realizing something.

"You can get me out of here!" Tersan exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry uneasily. "Are you stuck here?"

Tersan turned serious. "I have been within this ream for over one thousand years. I no longer wish to stay, and I see that you can help me."

"How?" Harry asked cautiously. "And why were you placed here in the first place?"

"I will provide you with a key that is only operational on the outside of this realm. It will activate when you are in the appropriate location and time," Tersan informed him.

Tersan pointed his finger at Harry's wrist and muttered an enchantment. Light erupted from his wrist in lines, forming unrecognizable arcane writings and runes.

Harry looked at the key, which was inscribed painlessly around his wrist.

"And where is this location?" Harry asked, after looking up from the symbols.

"The entrance to the Great Hall in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."