Author Notes: I've had several people suggest this universe, and honestly, it was one of the first ones I wrote. It's probably been done, though I haven't read any fanfics like it myself. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

A Rose By Any Other Name – Chapter 26

When the spinning stopped and Harry opened his eyes, his first instinct was to inspect his hands. Whew – they were not green and elvin. Harry the elf was Harry Potter once again. Looking around, he was shocked to find himself standing in the living room of Number Four Privet Drive. Shocked and more than a little nauseated. Zippy wasn't with him, and neither was Hedwig. Where had she gone to?

In his travels to date he had not experienced the 'pleasure' of seeing the Dursleys in alternate dimensions. It was something he hadn't missed in the least. Standing in the hated parlor, seeing the familiar gleam of the street lights casting a silver glow on the spotless, loveless home, Harry found himself breathing deeply trying to cope with the unwelcome memories

'So it's night. What year, what season I wonder?' he pondered. Swiftly casting silencing spells around the room, the young man walked over to the fireplace and scrutinized the many photos lining the walls and mantle. 'Hmmm – nothing of Dudders in his Smelting's uniform. None of his graduation from primary school… I think that's the whale's 4th year portrait. That means I should be in the cupboard and nine years old.'

With a gulp of heartfelt trepidation Harry turned from the insipid collection of photos and faced his old 'bedroom' under the stairs. The padlock was firmly in place – probably meant 'he' was 'home'. Walking quietly over to the dreaded door of memories, he whispered a low 'Alohomora' and knelt down to coax out what should be a nine-year old version of himself. He opened the door and peered in, the only light to aid him being a very small Lumos from his wand. 'Harry Potter?" he asked gently, in a non-threatening voice.

The small frail figure curled up on the small mattress woke up with a start. Vivid green eyes met his own, and with shock Harry realized age wasn't the only difference in this world.

"I'm Harriet Potter," the girl with a lightning bolt scar whispered back. "Who are you?"

Harry leaned back with a start, but swiftly got his repose back. "I'm a friend" he smiled softly. "How'd you like to leave the Dursleys forever?"

"What's your name?" Harriet asked, with painful hope and longing in her eyes, balanced with a healthy dose of disbelief. Obviously she was as used to her dreams and wishes being unanswered as he had been at that age.

"My name is Harry Potter" he said gently. "I'm a relative. I just found out you were here, and I came immediately to get you." He brushed his fringe away from his scar and pointed his lit wand at his forehead. She gaped at the scar and at him and immediately crawled toward him.

"Where have you been? How does your funny flashlight work? The Dursleys will never let me leave" she added as a sorrowful afterthought.

They stood up in the parlor and looked each other over. Harriet was small, bruised, underfed, and poorly dressed. She had the same green eyes and scar as Harry, with the same ugly and cheap eye glasses he used to wear. Her face was thin but finely boned, and her thick black hair was long and tied back in a braid. She kept glancing up the stairs fearfully.

"Don't worry about the Dursleys" Harry smiled, speaking normally. "They can't hear us."

"How?" the girl whispered in disbelief.

"Magic" he answered simply. With a laugh he interrupted the automatic response he knew she would make. "And yes, the Dursleys are very wrong. Magic exists and you are chock full of it."

Feminine green eyes filled with deep longing, tempered with skepticism. "Prove it" she begged.

"HEY VERNON, YOU BIG FAT WALRUS!!! IS IT TRUE YOU AND MARGE ESCAPED FROM SEA WORLD?" Harry screamed on the top of his lungs. Harriet yipped and dove for her cupboard, quivering with the anticipation of a severe beating. Harry bent over, laughing, and dragged her out by the ankles. "Look – no Vernon. I cast a silencing charm on the upstairs." He turned and faced one of Petunia's unbearable nic-nacs on the coffee table, and with a casual smack of his hand, shattered it into shards.

"Oooooooh Harry" the girl moaned weakly. "Aunt Petunia loved that stupid thing."

But Harry simply smiled at her and waved his wand with 'reparo', and to the girl's amazement, the hideous porcelain figurine became whole again. She picked it up and examined it minutely. A moment later she looked up at him and matched his grin. "So you are really going to take me out of here?" she chirped.

"Yep – right now! Do you have anything you want? We aren't coming back." Harry looked around and frowned briefly. He couldn't remember owning anything before Hogwarts, except for a couple of stolen broken plastic soldiers Dudley had thrown out, and a few pathetic articles of the whale's cast-off clothing. Harriet was standing there in bare feet and one of Dudley's torn and stained t-shirts that was more of a parody of a dress on the child. She shook her head sadly.

"Can I use the loo first?" she asked softly.

"Sure" Harry nodded, embarrassed. "Probably a real good idea before you appariate for the first time. Don't worry – the Dursleys won't hear a thing." He watched her disappear into the bathroom and called out "Zippy!" The ever-faithful elf appeared with a 'pop'.

"Yes, Master Harry?" Zippy gave an amused bow. "You have lost your good looks, sir."

"Are you familiar with this universe?" Harry asked him, scratching his head in deep thought and ignoring the jab.

"I am familiar with all worlds, Master Harry," the elf answered patiently, waiting for an order.

"I take it Potter Manor is livable and empty, then?" Harry asked, while idly plinking Aunt Petunia's Llardo figurines off the mantle, to shatter on the hearth below. Fifty quid, eighty quid… oh this one was a pricey one! Smash, tinkle, crash.

"Empty except for myself and the elves, Master Harry. Do you wish to bring Mistress Harriet there?"

"Yes – I think that's best. Are all the wards still in place?" Harry started in on the Precious Moments statues in the curio cabinet. He really hated those big-eyed things. Crack, pow, tinkle. Boy it felt great.

"The wards are strong and safe, except for Albus Dumbledore – you will need to alter them to take away his knowledge and access to the manor. Yes, Master Harry, you can apparate there with Mistress Harriet." Zippy rubbed his hands in anticipation. Two young Potters to serve! House-elf heaven.

"Did Hedwig arrive there by any chance?" Harry asked hopefully, picking up the last of the pastel-painted kiddy statues and doing an exaggerated slam-dunk onto the floor.

"Yes, Master Harry. Your owl arrived about 30 minutes ago."

Harry turned and grinned at Zippy. "Perfect! Please go and prepare rooms for both of us – I'll pop in as soon as she's out of the bathroom. She doesn't have any clothes or belongings so perhaps you could shrink some pjs at the very least for her." Zippy bowed and popped away, just as Harriet came back. She gaped at the shattered remains of Aunt Petunia's figurine collection.

"Are you going to get in trouble for that?" she asked weakly.

"Would you like me to leave them like this or fix them?" he grinned evilly.

But the small, slight girl shook her head sadly. "Please fix them – I don't love the Dursleys any more than they love me, but I don't want to hurt them. I just want to leave."

Harry gave a snort. "I knew you'd say that – I agree" he shrugged while casting multiple 'reparos' But he did cast a couple of additional charm on the silly nic-nacs – a lasting gift to the relatives that raised him without love and support. They would discover one in time. "Now hold on, Harriet. We are going to travel with magic. It doesn't hurt, but it feels really, really weird." He put his arm firmly over the girl's shoulder and held her against his side. Was he this skinny at her age? She felt like she would break in a stiff breeze.

"Rose" the girl whispered with longing. "Please call me Rose".

Harry looked down in surprise. "Rose?"

"My middle name" she answered, looking down and blushing. "Harriet Rose Potter. I hate my first name. I always dreamed of someone liking me enough to call me Rose".

"Well, hang on, Rose" he smiled. He felt such a strong, instant bond to the girl. It was hard to think of her as himself – more like a little sister he could rescue from the hell he grew up in. "Here we go." And with a rush of wind, the Dursley's home was left to the Dursleys alone.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

They landed in the foyer of Potter Manor. Harry glanced around, taking in the differences. Although the layout was the same as Harold's world, it was obvious this manor was decorated before the fame of 'The-Boy-Who-Lived', or in this case, 'The-Girl-Who-Lived'. Rose staggered from his side, gasping in shock. She spun on her bare heel and asked him with large open eyes "where are we?"

"Welcome to Potter Manor, Mistress Harriet" Zippy popped in front of the startled girl and bowed low.

"Eeeeeep!" she squealed and jumped into Harry's arms. He laughed and set her down, patting her back in awkward comfort. "W-w-what, who are you?" she asked the elf shyly.

"Rose, this is Zippy. He's a house-elf. House-elves are very powerful magical beings that for some unfathomable reason like to clean up after wizards and witches. Zippy, she likes to go by Rose." Harry spun the girl gently from him so she could meet the elf.

"Hello Zippy. I'm glad to meet you" she answered on autopilot. Although not exactly frightened, the girl started to tremble with the shock and fatigue. It had been an earth-shattering half an hour.

Harry realized she was extremely stressed, so he scooped the fragile girl up in his arms, patting her back. "Zippy, please get me a child's dose of dreamless sleep potion, and have some pj's and her room ready." He held the quivering girl close, who was starting to silently cry.

Another elf popped in with a curtsey. Tiny, plump and motherly, wearing a folksy green dress, she gently patted Rose on the arm. "Mistress Rose, I is your personal elf, Sally. You won't remember me, but I used to help Mistress Lily feed and clothe you. Let me take you up to your bedroom – you can talk with Master Harry in the morning."

Rose nodded dully and let the elf lead her up the curved staircase. Sally called over her shoulder "I'll make sure she takes the potion, Master Harry, and watch her during the night."

Harry smiled, watching her go. Turning to the parlor, he sat in a thickly padded and comfortable chair and popped open a butterbeer that Zippy wordlessly brought him. "What are you thinking about, Master Harry?" the elf asked kindly.

"Please, Zippy – call me Harry. I beg you – elf to elf. No more Master this and Master that – please?" The wizard gave Zippy a beseeching look. He must have spoken that title a million times in the last two years as a servant, and it was usually followed by punishment.

Zippy smiled. "Yes, Harry. I will do so. Now what is troubling you?"

Green eyes glanced around the room. "I guess I feel a bit overwhelmed, Zippy. I never liked how house-elves are treated, but living as one really got to me. I can't thank you enough for all your help in all these worlds." Harry paused to take a deep drink from his beer. "And I can't tell you how much it offends me to see someone else treated the way I was." His eyes glanced up in the direction of the bedroom Rose was sleeping in. "I can handle being abused myself, but to see a poor little girl in that situation – my blood just boils!"

"You are learning empathy in your travels, Harry," the elf explained softly while summoning another couple butterbeers, and opening one for himself. "Not all the lessons you have to learn before you can defeat your Voldemort are in magic and dueling. You had stilted emotions with your betrayals and abuse, and no way to easily start to heal from them, as Dumbledore had taken all the adults out of your life." Zippy examined him shrewdly, with a twinkle in his eye. "I notice you don't flinch or tense up when touched like you used to – even after two years of living as one of my kind. And the Harry I met at the beginning of your travels pretty much ignored misery and pain around him – you felt like it was just part of life."

Harry looked at him with surprise and started thinking back on the last few adventures. Zippy was right. Between worlds with loyal friends, and several worlds with loving parents, knowing that Sirius was alive and well… he was beginning to trust adults more, think things through instead of acting on emotion and instinct, and to care. Really care. He gave a dry chuckle. "So you are saying that fate is making me grow up a bit?"

Zippy smiled warmly and toasted him, clinking bottles together as they sat in comfortable companionship on the warm chairs. "Grow up, Harry? Were you ever a child? No, I think that fate is helping you heal – that's all."