"…know who he is?" came the voice of someone familiar, but Harry could not place a name or face to it. He opened his eyes blearily to find everything very white and very out of focus. He touched his face where his glasses should have been. Harry tried to sit up, but found that when he did, he became so dizzy that he had to lie back down.

The other occupants of the room noticed the soft thump and stopped chattering immediately to rush to his bedside. "He's awake!"

"Dear… dear, can you hear me?" a motherly voice asked him.

"Yes, but I can't see you," Harry said. He finally realized that the voice he was hearing belonged to Madam Pomfrey, the fussy, strict inhabitant of the school hospital.

"Oh, yes, of course…," He heard some rustling then his wire-rimmed glasses were shoved into his hand. Placing them carefully on his nose, he sat up more carefully, propped himself up on a few pillows, and looked around the school infirmary. Except for him, there was only one other student in the room; a red haired girl sleeping four beds over. The only other occupants were Madam Pomfrey, Professor Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall. They were all huddled around his bed. Something wasn't right.

He looked up at Dumbledore, confusion written across his face. "Sir, where are Ron and Hermione?" He knew that they, along with a few others from his Department of Mysteries escapade, were staying in the hospital wing.

"Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, they were in here. Were they released?" Harry felt a familiar feeling of frustration creeping up his throat. Why was Dumbledore acting like he didn't know what he was talking about?

"They have not been at this school since their second year."

"Wh- what?" Harry asked. He wasn't making any sense.

"They were unfortunately murdered in their second year," Dumbledore said somberly, though he still looked befuddled. Harry's heart stopped beating. Murdered. The word seemed to echo. It could not be true. Dumbledore was having him on. They had been with him since he first came to Hogwarts. Unless…

"The door!" Harry exclaimed, horrified. He had gone through that blasted door! It had led him here.

"Excuse me, Mr…?"

"Potter," Harry quipped.

Professor McGonagall's eyes widened behind her glasses and she exclaimed, "That's not possible, Albus!"

But Dumbledore had a thoughtful look on his face. "Well, we found him lying in the middle of the sixth floor corridor. We don't recognize him… the door… yes, yes it is quite plausible…" Dumbledore seemed to be speaking to himself more than anyone else in the room.

"Sir?" Harry asked, desperate to find out what had happened. They did not recognize him, yet he was the Boy-Who-Lived. It did not make any sense.

"I think, Mr. Potter, you have come from an alternate universe. Or, I suppose, you would call this universe an alternate universe," Dumbledore added thoughtfully.

"So, you mean… that… that the door I went through brought me from my world to… wherever this is?" Harry asked slowly. It made him worried. Very worried. How was he going to get back?

Dumbledore nodded and made a slight noise of agreement. "How am I going to get back, sir?" Harry asked.

"Well, you'll have to wait until the Door of Slytherin reappears," Dumbledore said casually.

Door of Slytherin…Harry thought. "Okay… so when is that?"

Dumbledore shrugged. "I do not know. The only time the Door of Slytherin appears is when a student is in need of guidance. The student will go through the door and reappear in whichever place will help them the most. Normally, when they go into this other universe, their other self in that universe is the one that helps them. When they have finished their business, the door will reappear."

Harry eyed him suspiciously, even though the thought of another him running around was kind of shocking. "How do you know all this, Professor?"

His eyes twinkled. "We all have our secrets, don't we, Mr. Potter?"

Harry nodded, thinking of the prophecy. "Alright, so, when can I meet myself?" He decided to get straight to business so he could get back to his world as quickly as possible. He did not particularly want to stay in a world where Ron and Hermione were dead.

Dumbledore's mouth twitched slightly at the question. It was a bit ridiculous to be asking about meeting yourself. "Well, it depends. We have to make sure you are the son of one Lily and James Potter." Harry nodded.

"I am."

"Well, then, shall we get to it?"

Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall helped Harry stand up; slowly, as to make sure he did not get dizzy and fall over.

Harry looked down at his hospital gown and asked, "Uhm… can I have some robes first?"

---

Harry was led up to the Gryffindor common room by Professor McGonagall. Good, Harry though, at least I'm in Gryffindor in this life, too. They entered the common room to find it filled with students. Harry's heart jolted as he recognized a few. Angelina, Seamus, Colin…. But he didn't see himself, as ironic as that sounds.

"Stay here, please, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall told him as she went off to get his other self. He stood there for a few moments, noticing that he was starting to get funny looks. He looked at his shoes. It was easier than looking at all the faces that were there. And aren't there, Harry added as he thought of Ron and Hermione. Well, he guessed would give himself an odd look, too, if two of him were wandering around the place. And, apparently, there were.

Harry looked around, hoping to see McGonagall returning. And, not a moment later, her tight, gray-black bun appeared from throughout the crowd. Someone was following her, but he could not see their face. His stomach squirmed in nerves. He felt foolish. He was nervous because he was meeting himself.

As soon as the duo got close enough to see clearly, Harry's stomach dropped. No, he was not nervous because he was meeting himself, he was nervous because he was meeting herself.

A/N: Yes, I know it's short, and I meant to make it longer, but it was the perfect place to stop! I promise the next chapter will be longer.

R E V I E W