Chapter 3
Harry walked into the house first. The door seemed to close behind them of its own volition. A grizzled voice from the shadows spoke then, not any understandable phrase but an obvious incantation. The room hummed with the power of his words, and all seemed to hang still in time till a single sound broke through.
A beam of light brighter than the sun flooded behind Harry's eyes, blinding him in a binding white light. He blearily blinked. His vision cleared somewhat to reveal a wild landscape of untamed forest and creatures not of earth.
He looked around, eyes darting from place to place. Everywhere his gaze went, a new and unexpected sight awaited, but something was wrong. There was a darkness in the sky above, a cloud among the bright sunshine and rays of light. Harry stared up at it for a time before looking back down. He realized then it was not a place of light he was standing in but darkness. The horizon stretched far in any direction he looked, but it was where he stood that darkness lay creeping in the heavens.
Internally asking why, an answer came to him echoing from the chiseled trees and reverberating soil.
"This world is not the only one, Harry Potter. Do not be consumed by the task at hand for you are destined for far greater things than defeating Voldemort. There shall be bigger evils in your times to come. This I have seen. Trust me, child, and let me guide you into the way of light."
The voice echoed to silence before the world faded back to the dingy house that stood upon the edge of Hogsmeade.
"You all saw that too, right?" Harry asked fervently. His companions looked back at him quizzically, somewhat different than how he'd expect them to react. Their faces froze in this position, as did the flame in the fireplace.
Again, the voice spoke, "Realize this, Harry Potter. The world I took you to and the world you are in are not so different. There are channels among them and places where all is connected, yet you worry with what is near. Reach, child. Reach beyond your world." And the voice ended, but instead of again fading to 'reality,' it went to black. An implied instruction: find your way home.
Spots of light danced in Harry's field of view, some brighter and some too faint to see, yet he knew they were there. The lights, he assumed, were universes, entire worlds where all was left bare of life and wild magic ran free. Even from so far away, their tendrils of power could be felt dancing upon the cosmic field he stood.
He began walking towards the light nearest him, its size quickly becoming apparent as it began to dwarf all other things in his field of view. Still he walked till he reached a bubble.
Harry blinked. It was not supposed to be so hard. And so, he poked it and prodded it till an indentation began to form. Working his way through the universe's hard outer casing, Harry managed to stick his right arm through the ever-growing hole. Then his leg, and then only his head stayed out, clinging to the breath he knew was guaranteed.
"Go," said the voice, and Harry slipped inside.
Harry slowly came to with his friends kneeling around him looking concerned.
"Harry, are you okay?" Hermione asked, wondering if he could even hear her. He blearily turned his head towards the sound before trying to sit up. His body protested at the slight movement before his muscles gave up entirely, and he fell to the floor once more.
"Come on, Ron, help me lift him up," said Hermione grabbing Harry's legs. Ron made to grab Harry by the arms, but stopped before doing so. A shadow had appeared from behind Hermione casting them all in darkness.
"He'll be fine," the man said, stooping to pick Harry up by himself and lay him on the couch a few feet away. "It can happen, sometimes, that people faint if they have a particularly strong reaction to my methods, but it always wears off in a few minutes. Well, except for that one time, but that doesn't really count anyway," he said, drawing concerned looks from Ron and Hermione.
Harry mumbled something out, trying to make a sentence, but his words stayed slurred. His eyes flicked around behind his eyelids. Ron and Hermione exchanged worried glance with each other as the man who had promised them so much stood up and start walking to what Hermione assumed was the kitchen though she wasn't sure. It had been chiseled from looked like solid rock and left unused for a century.
"You two hungry at all? I was just about to start dinner before you all came in," the man asked to Ron's delight.
"Starving, actually!" the red-headed boy exclaimed getting a sharp jab and sideways glare from Hermione.
"Are you crazy?" Hermione whispered exasperated under her breath so the man wouldn't hear, "we hardly know the man and Harry just had what looked like a magical seizure. I could see his eyes glowing behind his eyelids while he was convulsing!" Hermione added as if it starkly put the teacher into an unfavorable group that you certainly did not accept food from.
Ron was of other mind as he gratefully accepted his plate of steaming food, taunting Hermione, swishing the fork in front of her face. By this point, Harry began stirring from his coma before his eyes popped open suddenly. Hermione gasped as she looked at him; Ron dropped his fork to his plate causing a loud clatter.
Harry looked back and forth at them, hoping for an explanation as to why they looked so shocked. When no answer came, he timidly asked, "What?" his voice shaking slightly.
"Your eyes," Hermione let out in a whisper. Harry's stomach tumbled anxiously. What about my eyes, he thought to himself as he jumped up to look in closest mirror. He stared into the reflection for half a second before stepping back suddenly. He looked at his friends dumbfounded before stepping back to the mirror.
A deep blue iris surrounded a black pupil. His face looked same as it always had, but no longer did his mother look at the world through him. A deep galaxy swirled in his orbs that told of unspoken knowledge.
Harry turned to walk back to the couch, too stunned to speak.
"Did you see anything when you fainted?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded slowly, the visions coming back to him.
"There were universes and…" Harry's forehead wrinkled in concentration as he tried to remember more. "I can't remember anything else," he said exasperated after a few minutes of intense silence.
At this the man who had promised to teach them so much walked forward from his spot in the corner. "Bring out your wand and make a light for us all," he said, snuffing out the fireplace. The room was pitched in complete darkness as a shuffle signaled Harry's compliance. "I might cover your eyes, you two," the man added as an afterthought.
"Lumos!" Harry exclaimed, his wand tip exploding in a brighter light than either Ron or Hermione had seen. The small house burst with light from within, the windows screaming with strain as they poured light into the night. Harry looked down at his wand to see it vibrating ever so slightly. It began vibrating more violently till his hand was scalding from the heat it was emitting.
Then black.
