Falling Through Worlds: The One Who Was There

Sorry so late. D: but my beta seems to have vanished, again. So if u want some work with this ficy, pelase say so in ur reveiw, thankies. But there are going to be mistakes by the butloads until then. Forgive me. I try.

Harry was used to the dream, and used to recognizing it for being just that, a dream. He was lying back against cool grass, the blades tickling his arms. The sun tingled against his skin, letting him know that it was a nice day out, though he had yet to open his eyes. There was a cool breeze ruffling his hair, and he smiled to himself. The hand was covering his eyes just like it always was. Not wanting him to see this beautiful, much too perfect world he often took solace in in his state of unconsciousness. "Why won't you let me see it?" he asked, the same question he'd been asking for years.

"Because you are not yet meant to," the tone was low, annoyed with having to provide the same answer time and time again.

"Stubborn git," Harry mused more to himself than anything, smirking.

There was no reply from the other except for an exasperated sigh, "I am not here to be insulted by you, Mr. Potter."

"Hmm, I know," Harry replied smoothly. "But you don't have to come at all, really. Believe me, I'd much rather speak to Professor Dumbledore, or Remus, or Sirius, than you."

"As you have clearly told me before," The voice said evenly. "But they would do nothing but coddle you, and tell you nothing but perfect reassurances that everything can always end happily. That's not what you want or need, is it."

"You have a sick sense of humor, Severus," Harry muttered, smiling slightly.

"And I take pride in it," Severus Snape replied. The fingers covering Harry's eyes slackened a bit, "You're troubled," it was an obvious statement

"I am," Harry admitted. "Wouldn't you be too, if you'd discovered what I have found? Another world where I died years ago, and everything is worse than I ever would have imagined it would be." He sighed, "I always blamed myself for not killing him as a baby, even though I had no conscious choice in the matter. But I never thought about what would have happened if I had not lived at all."

"It's not something one normally considers."

"No, it's not," Harry relented. "Severus . . . I'm scared." It wasn't as much of a cry for help as it was simply an admission of a weakness.

"It is no cowardice to be afraid," Snape murmured.

"But I'm not scared like I usually am," he wasn't sure why he felt that he had to explain this. "I was scared before, for Albus and Scorpius when they fell. But that was not for myself. I haven't been scared fro my own life since . . ." He paused, swallowing hard.

"I remember," Snape shushed him, not urging him to speak aloud his darkest of memories. "When you went into the forest to die. I have not forgotten," even though his eyes remained covered, Harry could tell that Professor Snape was looking away. "Why are you frightened now then?"

"Because this isn't where I belong," Harry whispered, "It isn't my world, or my home."

"Who says that you do not belong there?" It wasn't so much a question as it was a direct statement. "There was a place set aside for you in every world, Potter."

"But the me who should be there is dead."

"Then is it not your place to fill?"

"I'm not needed."

He could sense the smirk behind Snape's words, "The Boy-Who-Lived was never needed, Potter. But he was always wanted, and that's a different matter entirely."

"Need is a necessity," Harry muttered. "Want is a desire."

"Correct," Snape said solemnly. "But your friends never needed to stand at your side when things went wrong. They wanted to. There are people here that will desire your courage and assistance as well. But not out of need."

"Draco doesn't trust me," Harry said slowly, darkly.

"Do you trust him?" "No," it was an honest reply.

"Trust is a mutual thing, Potter," Snape informed, "You have to give it to receive it."

"But Malfoy-"

"They are one and the same, yes. But you can start over with this one. Take the hand that was offered to you, and make amends for the faults that were yours."

"But he was a right git from the beginning!" "And did you ever give him the chance to be anything but that?"

Harry's breath caught in his throat at this, his heart sinking with horrible realization, "No . . ."

"Correct. The Harry Potter who always believed in second chances, even with the Dark Lord, couldn't throw his pride aside for one second to extend the same courtesy to someone who may have needed it more than anyone else. Even the headmaster tried to do what you never even thought of, Potter. And you saw it to, how, for a split second, he nearly succeeded. That is, until I was forced to step in." A sigh escaped him at this, and his fingers tightened over the boy's eyes again, "There are many things one does not regret until it is far too late, Potter. Try and think of this as a second chance to make right what you both did wrong."

Harry jolted awake, a cold sweat lingering on his body and his breath coming in uneven puffs in the chilly night air. The sun was just barely starting to creep above the horizon, and he shifted where he sat, back rubbing uncomfortably against the bark of the tree he was perched in. Pulling his knees up to his chest, he found himself unconsciously glancing around for Draco. It made him uneasy to think that if the blond suddenly decided to run off that he would be completely lost in this world.

He found Draco sitting on a branch a few feet higher up, the broom they'd flown here on balanced on his knees. Harry climbed up to join him, rubbing his hands over his goose bump covered arms, trying not to shiver. "Can't we light a fire or something?" he asked softly, scrambling up beside him, foot slipping a bit as he teetered for a moment before Draco put a hand against his back to steady him.

"It would give away our position," Draco replied, propping the broom up against the trunk. He cast Harry a wary look, shifting his eyes away just as fast.

And Harry didn't fail to catch sight of it, "You still don't trust me," he said, knowing he was stating fact.

Draco shook his head, lowering his gaze to the ground below, "Not really. Even if I said I believe your story . . . It's still hard to get used to the idea. I mean, I grew up hearing all about what you could have been. It's not that easy."

Harry tilted is head to the side, confused, "Hearing about what I could have been? How's that?"

The blonde's eyes grew unusually dark and strangely defensive, "I suppose I can tell you one thing, it's common knowledge in this world." His shoulders hunched, "You were only one in a series of people meant to be killed that night, Potter," he mumbled, as if afraid that speaking it aloud would bring unwanted guests. "I don't know why everyone but you was on the list, they just were." He held up a hand, four fingers raised, "There were four. Four children. You," he lowered a finger, "Me," another dropped, "Neville Longbottom," a third, "And Ronald Weasley," the final was lowered.

A spark of realization coursed through Harry at this. He knew the connection immediately. Those were all the people in his world that had been a direct influence on Voldemort's demise, specifically the destroying of his horcruxes. Though now the real question was how this world's Dark Lord had found the connection to begin with. "You said your parents were killed for disobedience," he began, "They didn't-"

Draco laughed coldly, "Save me? No, never. They were fully prepared to hand me over to the Dark Lord." He snorted, though Harry noticed the flash of pain in his eyes, "Unlike you're mum and dad. Died protecting you. Anything to please their master, that's my parents. Disgusting," he frowned, legs swinging back and forth off the side of the branch. "No, I was saved just in time."

"By who?" Harry flinched at the sharp look that was cast in his direction, immediately backpedaling away from the question, knowing he'd overstepped some sort of boundary. "Sorry, never mind," he waved his hands in front of his chest defensively, watching as Draco merely turned to watching the sun edge slowly over the horizon again.

The blond chewed thoughtfully on his lip, eyes becoming glazed in a way that Harry recognized as being deep in the process of remembering. "I can't tell you," Draco said after an awkward moment of silence between them, "Because I have to protect them, as they did for me." He glanced at the raven haired teen uncertainly, "Sorry."

"I understand," Harry smiled. He moved a bit closer to the other, not missing the way Draco's shoulder hunched with unease. "The werewolves cut your ankle yesterday, right? Let me see it."

November 5th, 1981

"You brought the child here?! Are you entirely mad, Snape?!"

Severus Snape scowled, folding the baby into his robes again protectively, the boy beginning to wail at the yelling around him. "And would you have rather I let him die? The Dark Lord wanted him, so I took him for our side instead. It's what Dumbledore wanted."

"Then Dumbledore is a fool," the other growled. "The boy is a Malfoy, Severus. You know as well as I that-"

"You use his name as his guilt?" Snape hissed. "Well then, by the same tokens, should I not charge you equally, Sirius Black?"

"Don't you dare talk to me like-" Sirius started, eyes blazing with fury.

Snape sneered, "I shall talk to you how I please." His arms tightened around the sobbing baby, "And you will not cast this child aside because of your damn guilt."

"It is just as much your guilt as it is mine!" Sirius screamed, unable to contain his anger any longer, completely outraged at the accusation. "You told Voldemort the prophecy in the first place!"

"And you negligently handed over your duty as secret keeper to Pettigrew," the other replied coldly. "This is the only child we were able to spare from the Dark Lord's warpath, Sirius. He can not replace Harry, I know. And nor will he make up for the mistakes we both made. But as long as he remains alive the Dark Lord cannot rest."

Sirius's shoulders hunched, "Just because the Longbottoms vanished without a trace doesn't mean that their son is dead as well," he said lowly, eyes on the ground as if he already knew the lies in his words.

Snape watched him a moment, an almost inaudible sigh escaping him, "I know. But we can't do anything for the child or his grandmother now. If the old bat doesn't want to be found, then she won't be."

The other man snarled in frustration and stalked over to him, taking the squirming and crying baby from his arms. "You're holding him all wrong, no wonder he's fussing." He snorted as he caught the strangely astonished look from his companion, "What? I . . . Used to hold Harry like this . . ." His gaze shifted away from Snape again as the child stopped crying, grabbing hold of his thumb with stubby fingers. A soft, hesitant smile lit his face for the briefest of moments, "Harry was smaller," he said quietly, the agony that should have laced his tone suddenly absent. He gripped the tiny hand in return, "What are we going to do with him?"

"Raise him, hide him, bide our time," Snape deadpanned as though it was completely obvious. "There's not much we can do beyond that for the time being. As it is-"

A flurry of noise interrupted their conversation, the sound of fists banging on the door to their small room above The Leaky Cauldron. Sirius frowned, reaching for his wand with one hand while handing the baby back to Severus with the other. Snape took a few steps back towards the wall, wrapping the child in the folds of his midnight cloak once more. A cry became mingled in with the pounding on the door, "Sirius! Sirius! Open up! Please-"

"Remus?" Sirius's eyes widened in alarm, moving to open the door until Snape waved at him to stop. "How do I know you're really Remus?" he asked, though Snape could tell his heart wasn't in the question, and worry barbed his voice.

"Padfoot, open the door!" Remus all but wailed, and Sirius immediately ran over and flung it open. The werewolf stumbled, as he'd been leaning heavily against the structure, but Sirius caught him.

"Remus, you were supposed to be with the Order, guarding the School. What happened?"

Snape clenched his teeth, lowering his gaze to the carpet with a sinking heart, knowing the answer from Remus's anguished gaze and wounds alone. Remus rested his head against Sirius's shoulder, breath coming in short, pained gasps and coughs, and Sirius drew in a startled gasp as he noticed the clothes all but melted against the other's back, his skin still raw red beneath them from heat. "Burned," Lupin coughed, "All of it." He shook a bit as Sirius's hands tightened against his shoulders, "I was patrolling Hogsmeade with Mundungus and it-" He buried his face entirely against Sirius's shoulder, "There were still children in there! I could hear them screaming as it burned! The greenhouses, Hogsmeade, Hagrid's hut, all of it! Gone!"

Sirius trailed a hand though the werewolf's singed hair, making a soothing humming noise in the back of his throat, "Shh . . . It's all right," he whispered, though his eyes clearly said otherwise, "Did anyone get out?"

"Slughorn, Hagrid, Flitwick," Remus slowly rattled off a very small list of teachers, "And a bunch of students." He swallowed, "But not all of them. Anyone who wasn't in the dorms . . . They didn't make it."

"Where did they go?" Snape prompted from across the room, and Remus looked up at him, startled, as though he hadn't noticed his presence before.

"I don't know. Hagrid wouldn't tell me," he whispered, "I was just supposed to come back here and inform the two of you, and any other Order members that weren't there." He shook his head, pressing it to Sirius's shoulder again with a shudder.

Snape eyed him, gaze traveling over his burns and cuts, mentally making out a list of ingredients he would need to brew up something to heal them with. "You did not mention the Headmaster," he murmured after a moment.

Remus flinched, a shudder passing through him that was so bad that Sirius had to hold him steady. "Gone," he said in the eerie silence that had settled between them, "He went back in to get more students . . . And he never came out."

Sirius hissed between his teeth, shaking his head, "We need to get out of here then. Get away. Something. We're probably next on the list. Especially because we have the kid."

"Can't get away," Remus whispered suddenly, closing his eyes, "Can't apparate."

"What?" Sirius's breath caught in surprise at the statement, "What do you mean we can't apparate?"

"That's what happened to a bunch of the Order," Remus went on, "Tried to go get help just outside of the barrier around Hogwarts. Got splinched. Every one of them. Something's wrong with the magic behind it, like the rules have been changed. the Death Eaters could apparate in, but we couldn't apparate out."

Severus muttered a curse under his breath, sweeping across the room, "Sirius, go into Diagon Ally and gather everything on this list," He waved his wand, procuring a small, already made list of potion ingredients and a collapsible cauldron. "And be quick about it." He watched Sirius look over the paper, memorizing it before shifting where he stood, a scruffy black dog taking his place. "We have to move. Now. Meet us in the bar on Tottinham Court Road." He paced over to where Remus was slumped on the floor, waving his wand over the man, "Come, Lupin. We can not have you running about London looking like that." A robe settled over Remus's shoulders, and the werewolf wrapped it over himself with a shiver. "You have one hour, Sirius," he said to the dog that had begun to lick at one of the cuts on Lupin's arm, "If you're not there by then, we will assume your death and move on. Understood?"

The bar was a shabby place, dimly lit with moth eaten tablecloths on the booths. They sat near the back, next to the emergency exit just in case anyone found them there, though the even of that was highly unlikely in muggle London. Remus had taken a turn holding the baby in his arms, the small blond having dozed off on the short trip there. "This isn't going to be easy," he said softly, glancing at the stoic Snape at his side. "We're going to have to be on the move all the time as it is. With the child, even more so."

"Correct," Snape drawled, "But what other choice do we have? The Dark Lord clearly thought he was a threat, or he would not have gone after him at all." His eyes shifted away, "It would have been better if we could have saved all of them . . ."

A small smile flitted across Remus's features for a moment, "I thought you hated children," he teased.

Snape snorted, "Of course I do. I just . . . Never wanted this." "No one would wish for such a thing, Severus," Remus assured, "Unless their heart was completely black." He rocked the baby in his arms as he began to whine, "Have you heard anything about . . ." Snape shook his head, making it unnecessary for him to finish the question. "There's still hope there, then. Sometimes no word is a good thing."

"Or it means that we failed to save anyone but Draco Malfoy," Snape growled, frustration clear in his dark eyes. He looked up as the door to the bar opened, Sirius shuffling in and shaking white flakes from his hair, "We almost left without you."

"I still had ten minutes left!" Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "And I got your stupid supplies, praise my swift and speedy awsomeness," he dropped a burlap bag onto the booth with a loud thump, looking pleased.

"And did you meet any trouble?" Snape inquired, sifting through the items to check that everything was in order before he stood up from his seat.

"If I hadn't been transformed, I'm sure I would have," Sirius muttered, "There were Death Eaters everywhere."

Remus stood as well, passing the child into Sirius's waiting arms, "Then we should get out of here before they find us."

"Quite right," Sirius nodded, tucking the baby against his shoulder, "Let's try for someplace outside of muggle and wizard settlement alike for now." He glanced at Snape, "Any ideas?" Snape met his gaze for a moment as he tossed the bag over his shoulder, motioning their small group towards the door, "The Burrow," he said after a pause.

Sirius frowned, "But isn't it . . ." "Burned down. Yes," Remus finished softly. "But there's a lot of wild land still around it. And since the Death Eaters only just took it out, they won't be returning there for quite sometime. It's a decent hiding place for now."

November 23, 1997

"Where exactly is the order's base then?" Harry asked from where he was seated sidesaddle style on the back of the broom. He'd allowed Draco to fly it from here on out, not knowing the way. His eyes fell on the blonde's bandaged ankle, relieved that blood had yet to soak through the bindings. And as far as he could tell, it wasn't infected yet either. Which was lucky considering how dirty a werewolf's claws must be.

"Well, it's not my place to tell you, really. Nev's the secret keeper. But . . ." He smirked, "What's it gonna hurt. It's not like you'll be able to get in until Neville let's you anyways. And it'll piss him off if I did tell you," his shoulders shook slightly with muffled laughter at the thought. "Do you know a place called The Burrow?"

Harry's face lit up, "Ron's place? Of course I know it!"

Draco's small smile fell at this, "You knew Ron in your world?"

"Of course!" Harry pretended to sound aghast at the idea of not knowing Ron. "He's my best mate!" He stopped, eyes narrowing in worry, "Don't tell me he's . . ."

The blonde's gaze grew strangely defensive at this again, and he shook his head, "The Burrow you probably knew was burned down the same night you died here." He said no more, looking at the ground far below as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

Harry too looked away, trying not to let a wash of anguish roll over him at the words. Ron couldn't be . . . No, Draco had only said that the house had burned down. The people who had lived there were another matter entirely. "How close are we?" he asked, beginning to recognize a few landmarks here and there from his trip there in the flying car when he was twelve.

Draco tilted the broom down as an answer, bringing them to a slow decent towards the ground. Harry's stomach dropped, and he was faintly reminded of how long it had been in his old world since he had found time to ride his old Firebolt. Draco's heals touched the dirt and he slid off the broom, "Through here," he motioned, throwing the thing over his shoulder as Harry jumped down. "It's about a league or so from here, but we have to walk through the first barrier of spells. He smiled once again as he noticed Harry hesitating on the outskirts of the tree line, "Well, come on. We don't have any werewolves guarding the place like You-Know-Who."

The raven haired teen nodded, his words in his dream the night before still echoing in his head. "Severus . . . I'm scared." He swallowed, "It is no cowardice to be afraid," he whispered to himself. "I'm not scared of werewolves!" he spoke up suddenly, glaring at Malfoy's back.

"Oh?" Draco smirked over his shoulder, "Then what are you waiting for?" Harry laughed, running to catch up with him, placing his hands behind his head as he slowed to a walk. "You know, in my first year, you're the one who ran away when we went into a forest like this," he remarked.

"Do tell," Draco smiled, "Because it sounds like a right bloody lie. And besides, I thought you said we weren't friends."

"We weren't," Harry huffed, as if the very idea was absurd. "But you were a prick and went and got us both in detention. So we had to go on a romp through the Forbidden Forest as a punishment."

"Well it's no wonder I ran then. Everyone knows that place is crawling with all sorts of nastiness. Werewolves being the least of your worries," Draco frowned. "So what happened?"

"We saw a unicorn getting it's blood sucked out by Vol- er, You-Know-Who, and you ran away screaming like a little girl," Harry chuckled.

"Then I was the smart one," Draco scowled, "What kind of idiot stands there gawking at the Dark Lord anyways?" He grinned as Harry merely blinked at him, "Exactly."

"Well at least I had enough guts to face him," Harry muttered, tripping on a root that suddenly rose up out of the ground.

"Willow roots, watch it," Draco warned, glancing back to see the other had fallen flat on his face. He rolled his eyes, "Are you sure you defeated the Dark Lord wherever you came from? Because you're making that harder and harder to believe."

"And you're starting to look more and more like the git I know," Harry said into the ground, groaning as he heaved himself to his feet. He tried to brush off his already filthy pants, to little avail, muttering something under his breath.

"Hurry up then," Malfoy frowned, "or I'll leave you behind for the Watch to find. And they're not so nice."

"Well that is indeed a threat," Harry deadpanned, "If you're what this place considers nice."

"I'm what this place considers bloody sexy," Draco grinned, "Just in case you wanted to know. Now can we keep moving, or are you going to snog the ground again?"

"Oh shut up," Harry grumbled, finding that once again he had to run to catch up. They continued on through the forest, Draco always obnoxiously farther ahead than Harry was comfortable with. Though it was to be expected, really. The way the blond navigated the thin paths through the trees and undergrowth clearly said that he knew where he was going and how to get there. Harry was just fumbling along behind him.

So he was entirely surprised to find that Draco suddenly stopped to wait for him, extending a hand behind him, "Come on, first barrier is just ahead. We have to cross it together."

Hesitantly, Harry took the hand that was offered, a memory lingering at the edges of his mind. "I can help you there." He wondered what would have happened if he had taken Draco's hand back in first year. Would he have been able to change the Slytherin, or would he himself have turned as dark as Malfoy had been. The thought made him shudder.

He could clearly feel the magic as they passed through it, faintly recognizing spells similar to the ones Hermione used to cast around their camps in seventh year. "You said this was the first barrier?" he asked, the hair on his neck prickling with sudden unease.

"Yeah. But whether or not we'll be able to pass through the next one depends on-" He was cut short as a spell suddenly hit a tree just over his shoulder, making him jump. "Okay, what nincompoop with terrible eyesight is on the Watch today?!" He yelled as a group of cloaked figures emerged from the trees ahead, wands raised.

Harry slid in a bit behind the taller teen, wary of the newcomers. They were garbed too similarly to Death Eaters for his liking. "Sorry Draco," one figure muttered apologetically.

Draco rolled his eyes, "Usually you lot can see me coming a mile away," he snorted. "And Seamus, I swear to god if you do that again, you're dead."

Seamus Finigan threw his hood off with a bark of laughter, "But you dyed your hair! I'm used to seeing the pale bleach-blond, not this," he gestured to the other absentmindedly, "And look, you're totally filthy too."

"You just motioned to all of me," Draco frowned. "And I needed to be at least a little disguised, you git. I was tramping through bloody muggle London after all. Death Eater playground, that. Almost got eaten by dementors and werewolves on the same night." He glanced over his shoulder at Harry, who had perked up as soon as Seamus had revealed himself, recognition in his eyes. "Right, off with the hoods you lot, you're freaking out the new recruit."

"I'm not freaking out," Harry muttered, though his eyes lingered on Draco's wand, just in case he had to grab it and make a hasty retreat. There were four of them, Seamus included. The other three began a series of questions directed at them as they drew off their hoods. Zacharias Smith, Katie Bell, and . . . Harry's breath caught as the last person slowly let their hood fall to their shoulders, complete and utter shock lacing through him and making him fall to his knees.

There was a worried cry from Draco at this, and the Watch rushed over to help as he kneeled down beside Harry. The person Harry was so startled to see crouched down in front of him, light gray eyes wandering over his features curiously. "Bloody hell, this kid looks like those old pictures of James, Draco," he said in awe, "Just who is this?" He reached out a hand towards Harry's scar, blazing red against his suddenly paled skin. "What's this?"

Draco slapped his hand away defensively, noting the way Harry had become frozen to the spot, "Get back, you wanker. Can't you see that something about you has set him off?" He turned back to Harry, "Hey, Potter. Snap out of it." His eyes went back to the Watcher again, "I said back off, Cedric!"

Cedric Digory rolled his eyes, "I'm still at a higher post than you, Draco. So shut it." Though he moved back a pace, still crouching not far from the two of them. "So, who is he exactly then? You called him Potter just now."

"Yeah, he says he's-"

"You're really Cedric then," Harry suddenly interrupted, still in shock. "You look . . . Older than I remember . . ."

"I'm twenty this year," Cedric smiled. "Though I don't believe we've ever met."

RANDOM AUTHOR RAMBLE

Dun dun duuuuuhhhnn . . . The sudden twists are revealed! Argh, Draco's life is really hard to describe. Ack. We'll see a lot more of his past later tho. Hmm . . . And as to how the Voldemort of this world knew who to kill as children? We'll get to that later. Don't worry. Same for what became of Snape, Sirius, and Remus, as well as what exactly went down at the Burrow 16 years ago. Let's just say that Draco's hiding a lot of secrets.

Anywho, about the opening part, I've always thought that Sev was Harry's ultimate guardian. So I plan to use him and his lovely sarcasm to give Harry advice throughout the fic. And now we know that some things end up a little bit better in this world, with the introduction of the AU Cedric. He'll have a major role to play in this too.