Chapter Twenty-One: An Assortment

Upon appearing in the corner of his dorm room, Harry glanced around quickly to make sure the room was empty. Relieved that it was, he quickly changed into his robes, leaning out the window to find the sun directly above.

He walked down the stairs to the Common Room, which was empty and silent. As he reached the bottom of the stairway the door behind the fat lady's portrait frame opened and Gryffindors came pushing in, chattering loudly to each other. It was a small crowd, but among them were Ron and Hermione. Seeing Harry, they looked confused, and headed his direction.

Uh oh, Harry thought worriedly. What are they looking confused for? Am I supposed to have some kind of excuse prepared? What if they ask me where I've been? What has Ren told them? I don't want to contradict her. Unfortunately, he couldn't see Ren anywhere.

"How did you get here so fast, Harry?" Ron asked.

What? That wasn't a question Harry had been expecting.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said truthfully.

"You were just heading in the other direction with Ren," Hermione prompted. "Now you're here."

"I had to come back for something," Harry told them. "Could… could you guys tell me what time it is?" he asked hesitantly.

They gave him the same confused look. "Lunch, Harry, you just had class with us and we were going to meet in the Great Hall for lunch," Hermione told him.

"Are you feeling alright Mate?" Ron asked him.

"Yes, sure, fine," Harry said.

The portrait-door opened again, and Ren leaned in casually. "Hey Harry, hurry up. You said you were going to show me how to find that book in the library."

"Right," Harry said, escaping to her side. Ron and Hermione waved good-bye, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief when the door closed behind him.

"I had no idea what was going on there," he told Ren.

She looked around the hall to make sure nobody was listening, but then looked at all the portraits lining the walls, realizing they would be eavesdropped on even if the hall was empty of students. She took his hand and dragged him away, checking doors until she found one unlocked and the room beyond vacant.

"Thank goodness you're back, I didn't know if I could keep this up any longer!" She exclaimed, giving him a hug.

"What IS going on here?" he asked.

Ren took a deep breath, squinting her eyes in the way he knew she did when she was focusing. To her left the air flickered momentarily and then a figure solidified; someone who looked exactly like Harry. The illusion lasted for a couple seconds before fading away.

"I couldn't sleep all night," she said, "And when morning came and you still weren't back, I first thought I would tell everyone that I'd seen you already and that you'd been feeling sick but… that really doesn't make any sense. What, you ran over to tell me, and then disappeared? And didn't go to the infirmary? So I made that. I've been keeping it up all morning."

"Wow," Harry said, extremely impressed.

"Probably one of the most difficult and draining spells I've ever done," Ren admitted.

"Weren't you worried that I would come back, show up and there would be two of me?" He wondered.

With a sly grin, Ren reached into her pocket and pulled out the Mauraders' Map. "I borrowed this," she said. He'd shown it to her on her first day on Earth. "I've been trying to watch it constantly. But I also had to make sure nobody looked over my shoulder, even Ron and Hermione," She laughed. "They may have noticed that you were labeled 'Fake Harry Potter'."

"Genius," Harry praised. Ren is pretty powerful.

"So, what happened?" Ren demanded.

"Gray was with Jon, Vosenn, Sariah and Enna, and they were fighting an ice lizard that was trying to kidnap Enna. I fought it off, and they're all fine."

"How long were you on Origin?" she wanted to know.

"A day or so," Harry said. "You're never going to believe what they're planning."

"Really?" Ren said with interest. "I'm pretty open-minded."

"You're still not going to believe it," he assured her. He sat down and she followed suit, settling down while he reiterated the events of the past day. Ren nudged him and lifted her eyebrows when he told her about Enna and him at the grotto, he blushed. She listened with rapt attention as he told her about the Vineadryads, and eventually about the meeting. When he got to the conclusion of the meeting and Madalena's decision, she opened her mouth in an 'o' of surprise.

"When are they getting here?"

Harry shrugged. "No way to know."

Ren handed him the Marauder's Map. "You better watch for when they come through. Are you sure nobody uses that bathroom?"

"I'm sure."

After that they went to lunch, and then they had afternoon classes. Dean Thomas mentioned how Harry must be feeling better, as he had 'seemed zoned out all morning'. Harry just nodded agreeably.

By dinnertime, nothing had happened yet. Harry and Ren were taking turns checking the Mauraders' Map, when Ren suddenly poked him hard in the side and gave him a meaningful look. Harry left the meal, hurrying to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Three people stood there: Madalena, Lexian and Amanda. Surprised by the last two and the fact that both his aunts and his uncle had all come to Hogwarts, Harry stepped in and said "Hello" kind of dumbly. Amanda greeted him warmly, and Lexian looked about himself skeptically. Harry was a bit unsettled by the sight of Madalena and Lexian without wings, and they looked just as uncomfortable.

Madalena showed him the disguise amulet around her neck. "I have a pile of these," she told Harry. "A full set for everyone."

"They aren't hard to make?" he inquired.

She shook her head. "For me, no. Yours was difficult because it was a special case. These are all not as refined, they only hide what's on the outside."

"Why them?" Harry asked Madalena, gesturing to Ren's parents. Madalena just smiled in response.

"Madalena has a plan," Lexian told Harry. "You can go pretend you don't know we're here yet, we need to talk to whoever's in charge here."

"That would be Dumbledore," Harry told him.

"Yes, we know," Lexian assured him. "Now go."

"See you soon," Madalena said as Harry disappeared to return to dinner, worried but curious what they were up to.

As he took his seat between Ren and Hermione, Ren leaned over and asked quietly in his ear, "Are my parents really here?" She patted the Mauraders' Map in her pocket.

Harry nodded before taking a bite of his steak.

"Aren't the Professors going to wonder how they got here from Origin?" Ren pointed out.

Harry shrugged. "They'll know they went through a portal. The only thing we need to keep from them is the fact that I made it."

They watched the staff table carefully. About half an hour later Filch approached the Headmaster and spoke to him in an undertone, and Dumbledore left the Great Hall. Soon Professors McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick and Sprout followed. Right as Harry and his friends were all about to go to Gryffindor Tower for the night Filch approached them as well.

"You two are needed by the Headmaster," Filch said gruffly, gesturing to Harry and Ren. Harry looked at his housemates and shrugged.

Once again Ren and Harry found themselves stepping into the Headmaster's office to find the teachers looking at them curiously, only this time there were three other people under the same scrutiny.

"Ren!" Amanda exclaimed happily and Ren ran wordlessly to be embraced by her mother. Lexian smiled, giving his daughter a hug too.

"Hello Harry," Madalena said calmly.

"Harry?" Dumbledore asked. "Is it correct that this is your Aunt, and those two are Ren's parents, also your Aunt and Uncle?" Harry tried to decipher what the Headmaster could be thinking, but as usual it was a mystery. Dumbledore's expression betrayed nothing.

Harry nodded. Everyone seemed to be looking at Lexian mostly. "Do you realize how much you look like James?" McGonagall asked Harry's uncle unexpectedly.

That's Madalena's plan, Harry thought. Well, part of it anyway. She brought them because they know most about Hogwarts from James and Lily.

"James was my older brother," Lexian told them. "I've heard a lot about this place."

"Yes, we have," Amanda agreed. "Lily was… my closest friend. I thank you for taking my daughter Ren. Lily would have been thrilled that Ren came here, she always spoke highly of this place, and all of you."

Everyone looked flattered, and nostalgic.

"Well, James and Lily were close to our hearts," Professor Sprout said. Professor Snape was looking uncomfortable in the midst of all the mushiness.

"You came here from Origin through a portal nearby?" Dumbledore prompted, and the visitors nodded.

"I have a dire matter to discuss," Madalena said somberly.

"Go ahead."

She took a deep breath, and began. "You were in Origin recently. Did you hear about the ice lizards?"

Dumbledore nodded gravely. "Lord Marr informed us of the situation."

"They've been becoming bolder," Madalena continued. "They've been targeting the children of various authority figures in Origin, and the children are in danger. We're going to move them to Earth and hide them as well as we possibly can." She leaned forward, speaking calmly and charismatically. "We know this is the safest more protected place on Earth, and the children could blend in as students. Please consider taking them in."

The professors, except for Dumbledore, looked amazed; Dumbledore looked calm and insightful as usual. "Hmm," he said thoughtfully.

"Hmm?" Professor McGonagall repeated. "What's that supposed to mean Headmaster?"

"Lord Marr and the others, such as the guide, did us a favor in Origin by taking us in and showing us around," Dumbledore said. "How many children did you say there were?"

"I didn't." Madalena said. "Nine."

"Nine what?" Professor Flitwick exclaimed. "Nine children?!"

"Yes," Madalena said, looking at them calmly.

"How exactly can we just add nine extra students?" Professor Snape demanded. "We're already returning the favor to the City Lords by accepting Ren!"

Ren and her parents looked injured by his ferocity, and Lexian opened his mouth to retort.

"Calm down, Severus," Dumbledore commanded. He gave Lexian an apologetic look, and Lexian was silent.

"If these children are being targeted by monsters," McGonagall pointed out, "Wouldn't that bring danger here? We have to think of the students."

"There is no way for the ice lizards to know we're coming here," Madalena assured them. "As long as there isn't a fuss over them and no one gives them away, it will be fine. And everyone involved has a personal stake in the children's safety."

"Do these children have Wizarding abilities?" Professor Flitwick asked.

Madalena frowned. "I'm not certain. Some of them do."

"This is a preposterous idea," Professor Snape said in a low voice. "It's unheard of."

"Yes," Dumbledore agreed. "But sometimes preposterous ideas are the very best ones. It's a unique situation, and Hogwarts has always been a haven for those in need of it."

This brought most of the professors around to his side, their faces softened. Professor Snape snorted in disapproval.

"I say, bring them here and let's have a look at them," Dumbledore told Madalena, who smiled.

"I'll return shortly," She announced and left the room.

"How's Ren doing in her classes?" Amanda asked.

"Really well," McGonagall said. "I'm impressed; she's been catching up to the curriculum remarkably well."

"Hermione Granger has been helping me," Ren admitted, blushing.

"Something has been on my mind," McGonagall revealed, talking to Lexian and Amanda. "The Potters were a well known pureblood family, but you three aren't called 'Potter', and I really don't think the Potters come from Origin. I met them several times before they passed away and we had some mutual friends. How exactly is James Potter related to them?"

Lexian smiled. "We have a relation to the Potters; although a bit more distant than James let on… we did them some favors. They willingly took him in during his time on Earth."

McGonagall didn't seem particularly satisfied with this answer, looking only more puzzled.

The door reopened, and Madalena returned, followed by a long line of young, very human looking people. Harry watched them crowd in, marveling at how Shetha looked with normal hair and only one pair of arms. He caught Enna's eye and smiled. Most of them looked mostly like themselves. Jon, Vosenn, Sariah, Gray and Enna just didn't have wings anymore, Miren the centaur had the lower body of a human, and Thamn looked like Shetha. Xaxx had undergone the biggest transformation, he looked quite different. Harry did notice that he was missing the fingernail on his right index finger.

Madalena introduced everyone, Xaxx was introduced as Zack, his name was perhaps a little too odd for Earth.

"What now?" Lexian asked.

"Well we can't put them all into one house," Dumbledore said. "We need to sort them so that they're dispersed, placed among those they will get along with best. We'll have a private Sorting Ceremony, right here, right away." He explained the houses, and the sorting hat.

Madalena looked intrigued. "The hat tells you where they should go?"

"It can also tell us if they have magical abilities or not," Professor McGonagall added.

"And if they don't?" Amanda asked anxiously, looking with motherly concern at Enna.

"I think I have an idea," Professor Flitwick announced. "Absorption wands."

"What are those?" Harry asked, he'd never heard of absorption wands before.

"They're a sort of trick wand," Professor Flitwick explained in his squeaky voice. "You flip them one way, and instead of casting spells, it absorbs them. Then if you hold them in the correct direction and say the incantation, the spell is released. We can provide them with the spells they need for their classes, but they need to keep their spell use to a minimum. Absorption wands aren't commonly used because they're draining on the wizard storing spells in it, and they don't last too long. But it should do the trick."

Dumbledore sifted through some papers, and pulled out the parchment that already had Ren's name on it. "We can begin. We'll write down their names and their houses, here."

"… can I try it?" Ren asked curiously, looking at the Sorting Hat. She'd watched the Sorting on the first day of term. "I've wondered what it would say."

Dumbledore nodded and she put the hat on her head. Predictably enough, it immediately pronounced her Gryffindor. She grinned and looked satisfied, then passed it on.

The nearest person to her was Shetha. Shetha proved to have Wizarding ability, her brother Thamn not quite as much, although he had a little. Both became Hufflepuff first years; it turned out that the twins were older than Harry had thought. They looked so young because of their diminutive size; it was just a Vineadryad trait. They were both just as short in human form.

Gray was a Ravenclaw sixth year, full magical ability, and Miren was a Ravenclaw seventh year with absolutely none at all.

Xaxx was a Slytherin. No surprise there.

Enna was a fifth year Hufflepuff, and so was Sariah.

Jon was a Gryffindor, to Harry's pleasure, he'd missed his friend. The only real surprise to him was Vosenn. The hat sat on her head for some time before deciding she would do best in Slytherin.

"We have a good variety, that's good," Dumbledore commented. "They'll be less noticeable that way."

Gray and Shetha were the only ones who would get their own, real wands. Thamn and Enna as well both had a little magic, but not enough, they would get trick wands like the rest.

"Before it gets too late, these… new students should be off to bed. Professor Sprout, will you take your four new charges to their dormitory? Severus, these two are yours now; Flitwick, you can show these two young men where the Ravenclaw Common Room is. The last one can accompany Harry to Gryffindor tower. I'll see to it that room is made for you and extra beds provided," Dumbledore said.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Madalena said graciously and the students all murmured thanks. Dumbledore nodded in acknowledgement. As they all filed out, Harry found himself standing next to Gray.

"Meet me first thing tomorrow?" Gray whispered.

"The Library," Harry decided. "You can ask anyone, they can tell you here to find it."

They took off in their separate directions from then on, and Madalena slipped away with Ren's parents.

"This is pretty dark," Jon commented, eyes roaming over the halls. He looked at Harry sideways, speculatively. "It's good to see you again, Harry."

Harry smiled with relief; Jon at least seemed to have forgiven him for deserting his Hand. "Good to see you too." He showed Jon the fat lady's picture frame, but after stepping through into the dark Common Room said, "I'll be right back," and ported to Moaning Myrtles' bathroom. It was empty. He knew his aunts and uncle would have gone through by now, and the portal needed to be closed. Harry peered curiously into the last stall. It was empty, but he looked it over carefully, closely. The portal is here, but can I see it? And how do I close it?

Finally he spotted it— a glimmer of blue. Leaning in, he saw a sparkling line extending up from the top of the toilet tank. If it was the same thread he'd seen the Void, he could disrupt it and the portal would close. He waved one hand through the line, it snapped and disappeared. Good, he thought with satisfaction. I think I've got this portal thing down.

He joined Ren and Jon who were patiently waiting for him in the Common Room.

Jon was standing on one of the plushy armchairs, jumping on it. Ren was watching, amused.

"Congratulations," Harry told Jon, and Jon hopped down as he saw Harry. "Gryffindor is the best house."

"I'd agree and maybe even join in on your… leaping fun, but I'm dead tired. Goodnight," Ren gave Harry a pointed look. "You realize this is going to be crazy, having all these… Originians here."

"Originians?" Harry laughed.

"Well that's what we're called, right?" Ren asked. "I've never thought of the appropriate word before because usually everyone is from Origin so you don't have to label them."

"I'm not tired," Jon announced, looking around the room as if looking for something to mess with.

"Yes, but we don't have time to baby-sit right now, so go to bed," Ren ordered.

Jon looked hurt. "I don't need to be baby-sat."

"Let's go, Jon," Harry said, pulling Jon up their staircase while Ren left to the girls' side.

When Harry woke up the next morning, it was a good hour and a half before classes would start, and he had a cousin to meet with. His dorm mates were all fast asleep, including Jon in the extra bed that had been waiting for him the night before. Dumbledore could sure get things done fast when necessary.

Ren was sitting down in the empty common room. "What?" she asked. "I heard you two planning. I want to see Gray, too."

"Of course," Harry said, and they left in the direction of the library.

Gray was already there, sitting in front of a stack of books.

Ren had to practically yell to get his attention. "HEY GRAY. WE'RE HERE."

Gray looked up with surprise, blinking. "Oh. Hello."

"How long have you been here, Gray?" Harry asked, amused.

Gray didn't answer his question, confirming Harry's suspicion that Gray had immediately asked for directions to the Library and had already been up for several hours.

"This library is amazing!" Gray exclaimed, getting to his feet "Look at all these books!"

"We need to introduce him to Hermione," Ren said dryly. For a moment she held back, but then stepped forward and enveloped Gray in a big hug. "I was worried about you for a while there."

Gray looked slightly surprised, and patted her on the head. "I've missed you too."

Ren stepped back quickly. "I wouldn't go so far as to say I missed you."

Harry laughed, and Ren glared at him. "Nothing," Harry said, "Just thought of a funny joke is all."

They sat down in the chairs around the table Gray had claimed, while Gray moved his book stack to the floor so that they could see each other.

"So, what's happened since I left and opened the portal?" Harry asked.

"Harry caught me up to events up until that point," Ren assured Gray.

"Well, quite a few things have happened over the last three days," Gray started.

"It's been three days?" Harry asked. This is getting way too confusing. "I have to admit, I still don't fully understand the way it works. Here I was gone for half a day, while I spent a little over a full day in Origin. Now another half day has passed, but in Origin it's been three days? That doesn't make any sense."

"You're not supposed to understand how it works," Gray told him. "It has nothing to do with the relationship between Earth and Origin. It has everything to do with the Void. As you know very well, portals travel through the Void, and the Void makes absolutely everything unpredictable and inconsistent. For instance you can open two portals going to the same place, right next to each other, and have two people step into one at the exact same time, but you can arrive days apart. People stopped trying to understand the Void millennia ago."

"But as a general trend time seems to pass faster on Origin," Harry. "So how can I have grown up here, and you grown up there, but you're not twice as old as I am?"

"Because time only varies when there's a portal involved," Gray explained. "None of us passed through portals often and went through the Void, so time has been nearly parallel. In addition, you were born on Origin and so you'll always be attuned to Origin- time, no matter where you are. At least that's the theory."

"I'm just… not going to think about it any more," Harry decided. I'll just give myself headaches.

"Wise choice," Gray said. "So anyways several things happened… let me think. Well Aunt Madalena set up that spell, and we built up some tents and have been camping in the spot where you left us. We put a couple of small pebbles around the portal to mark it's location so nobody would stumble into it by mistake. Aunt Madalena is almost positive the portal can't be traced— though you would know best, what do you think?"

Harry pondered this. "Well… I know there are dozens of portals leaving Origin for other worlds, but when I'm in the Void I can only see the ones I make, I've never seen others. If I can't see their portals, nobody else can see mine. Your threads are personal."

"Threads?" Gray looked intrigued. "Never mind, we can talk about that another time. Madalena then brought her disguise amulets; we put them on and have been traipsing around the circle like idiots."

"Why?" Ren asked curiously.

"To get used to them of course," Gray responded. "We Silents all staggered around unbalanced, unused to our new center of gravity. Shetha and Thamn keep dropping things, and Xaxx doesn't seem to be able to chew properly. He'd take a bite of meat, chew for a couple seconds and then swallow, but his human teeth aren't good enough for the speed he tries to eat things and he choked about three times. And then there's Miren!" Gray shook his head. "For someone used to four legs, two legs came as a big challenge. He fell on his face every time he stood up for two days; he's still a total klutz."

"Sounds like fun," Harry commented, sorry he'd missed it. It would have been comical.

"The Queen was gone for the first day, she'd gone to the shore to consult with the mer-folk," Gray continued. "She asked them if they were having any conflict with the ice lizards, but they told her that ice lizards don't swim. They're too dense, they sink. Also they're so scattered out there in the ocean that there isn't a leader. The only people of importance are the priestesses, the prophets, and I'd like to see an ice lizard sneak up on them, the seers would see them coming hours before they even get there."

"True," Harry agreed. "I think I'd enjoy watching an ice lizard try to swim."

"Me too. Oh right!" Gray exclaimed. "And then there was the Chief-King. When you were at the meeting, he was too distraught for words over the death of his oldest— and in my opinion, favorite son. But after staring at nothing at all for a day in a half, he confronted our Queen and said he wanted to send his own protection along for Xaxx. The Queen told him there was no room, and he said that she didn't need four extra people along, that she should send two and he could send two. She explained that it wouldn't be a complete Hand anymore, and they argued for a good while longer before the Queen told him that it was her expedition, she was in charge and if he didn't like it he could take his son somewhere else and make his own portal. The Chief-King stormed off, but he left his son so we assumed he wanted Xaxx to come with us. I tried to talk to Xaxx, but he just glared at me. Madalena said she was worried about his loyalty but he overheard us, the circle isn't that big after all. He told us he's not stupid and wants to live. So we trust him, tentatively. But I'm to tell you to keep an eye on him. We should tell Vosenn though; she's in a much better position to do that. "

"I really don't like him," Harry said vehemently. "He attacked Phia and her sister, remember?" He gripped his claw at the memory. "Not to mention me as well."

"I remember," Gray said solemnly. "But Madalena says the reason the Queen is taking him along is because she doesn't want to get hostile with the Bloodbeasts. They can get pretty nasty, and they'd make a lot of trouble if we offended them in a big way."

"It's a good thing Xaxx and I aren't sharing a house," Harry said. "He'd try to steal this from me in my sleep, probably." He held up his claw before tucking it back under his robes.

"We brainstormed a couple rules right before we left," Gray said. "We're not to draw any attention to ourselves, obviously, or act like we know each other. Especially the Silents, we're not allowed to stand together in public, because a lot of students saw us in the City. Even if we look somewhat familiar, they probably won't make the connection, but if we stood in a group that would be pushing it."

Something occurred to Harry. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to know more about my father and the Potters? It's something I always meant to ask your parents about, but then the whole mess with the ice lizards happened and I never got the chance." Harry had been about to say 'the whole mess with Alexander' but had changed it to ice lizards at the last second. Alexander's siblings looked saddened at the reference anyway.

"Father told me the details after you left," Gray nodded. "James wasn't always called James… that's not a Silent name. Before going to Earth his name was Jaim, but he decided to tell everyone his name was James, more for his own sake. New life, new name, that kind of thing. Then he met your mother and she knew him as James, so he stuck with it. But I still haven't answered your question… our family, the Raschadin clan, would be considered a medium sized clan. There's one particular branch of it that we're a part of, which has the reputation of being a little odd… both of our fathers ended up choosing human wives. That kind of thing is what makes others think we're odd, it isn't the first time. A couple generations ago a great, great uncle of ours moved to Earth and married into a Wizarding family: the Potters. It's been a few hundred years, but the Potter family had some traces of Silent blood in them, it was the family secret. James showed up and asked to be enrolled as their son; in return he brought them some gifts, old manuscripts and such from the Pit. The elderly Potter couple was both historians so they were thrilled, and 'adopted' James."

"Has there been Cursed in our family for a long time?" Harry wondered.

"Yes, since the very beginning."

"Do they… get married, have kids, that sort of thing?" Harry wanted to know.

"Every now and then. But when it comes to inheriting the curse, it doesn't even matter, it's in our blood. A Cursed can have normal children, and normal parents can have Cursed sons, just as you and Alexander kind of showed up out of nowhere and surprised everyone."

They'd been speaking in undertones, even though the library around them was still and empty. The silence was shattered as someone came through the front doors of the library and yelled "Harry!"

Harry turned around. "Hey Ron."

"You'll never believe it! There's some stranger sleeping in our room!"