Disclaimer I do not own Harry Potter and everything recognisable belongs to J K Rowling.
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Chapter Thirty Five
AU World
James waited patiently for both his sons to return. He glanced at the stone bowl sitting on his coffee table before turning his gaze back to the essays he was supposed to be marking. He let out a sigh as he picked up his quill and began grading the homework.
It was after he had marked a quarter of the essays in total that the stone pensieve shook a little. James looked up just as Damien and Harry hurtled out of the basin. Both boys landed on the sofa, which James had moved as to catch them.
James got up and came around to face his sons. Both looked a little pale and clearly upset.
"Are you okay?" James asked, sitting down, addressing both boys.
Harry shared a look with Damien, both boys looking like they could be sick at any time.
"I can't…I can't believe, that…that happened." Damien said. He squeezed his hazel eyes shut, bringing up his hands to rub at his face.
"This is why I didn't want you two to see that memory." James said, feeling his heart twist at Damien's reaction.
Damien brought down his hands, shaking his head.
"I still don't see why he would do that? Why did Hagrid react like that?"
James didn't answer. He looked over at Harry. The raven haired boy was sitting with his hands drawn up and resting against his mouth. It looked like he was willing himself not to be sick. Dumbledore had restored the glamour charm so Harry was back to looking like his other dimensional self.
"I warned you the memory would make you feel bad." James reminded them. "But you insisted on seeing it. Now you have, so you can move on."
"It doesn't answer anything." Harry said quietly, moving his hands away from his mouth. "The memory offered no answers, only more questions. Why was Hagrid protecting the Giants when they were in the process of an attack? How could he disobey Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked, still in disbelief.
"He only reacted when that Auror killed the giant approaching them. Hagrid just lost it." Damien said, remembering the way Hagrid had almost torn that Auror apart with his bare hands.
"I didn't think Hagrid could do that, to anyone." Harry said, feeling his stomach roll at the memory of the attack the half giant had leashed on that Auror.
"He killed that Auror, didn't he, dad?" Damien asked.
James nodded his head. He didn't want to discuss this with his sons but he knew they wouldn't rest until they had all the answers.
"Hagrid was trying to explain something to Professor Dumbledore. He wasn't fighting with anyone. It was only after the Aurors stared killing the Giants that Hagrid lost it." Harry said, running a hand through his hair. "Why would Hagrid do that when he could see what the Giants were doing? He could see that the Giants would've killed the Aurors if they didn't attack. It makes no sense."
"I already told you none of it made any sense, Harry. Hagrid's actions can't be explained." He looked over at Harry's grim, yet determined expression. "You both promised me that after watching this memory, you both would stop investigating Hagrid's death. Are you going to keep that promise?" he asked.
Harry and Damien shared another look. After a moment or two, both nodded, albeit unhappily. James relaxed glad that his sons wouldn't put themselves into anymore danger investigating a closed case. He did feel bad for them though, both looked so miserable.
"Hey, come on guys." He tried. "I know that what you saw was upsetting but, but it can't be changed. Don't be like this, okay?"
"It's fine, dad. We'll be fine." Harry assured.
James made both boys a cup of hot chocolate before reluctantly returning to his desk to resume his grading. He glanced over to the whispering boys every so often. He knew they were upset that they got no answers from watching the memory of Hagrid's death. He had already warned them of that.
A part of him wished they had found something, anything that would have made it easier to understand what had happened that day. He himself had searched for answers. Shortly after Hagrid's death, James, Remus, Sirius and a few other Order members had searched around, trying to gather information that may offer an explanation of Hagrid's actions. Despite being there at the time and seeing Hagrid's defence of the rampaging Giants and his frenzied attack on the Auror, they still wanted to find a way to explain it all. An explanation that didn't condemn Hagrid. But they found nothing. It was at last Dumbledore's orders that stopped them from looking for answers and accept what had happened.
James glanced back at the two boys sitting on the sofa. He saw Harry looking at the pensieve with a strange expression. He hoped the two boys kept their promise and stopped looking for answers that just weren't there.
xxx
Harry knocked on his dad's door frowning when it failed to be answered. He knocked again, harder and louder this time. There was still no answer. He tried the doorknob but it wouldn't budge under his fingertips.
"That's odd." Harry muttered to himself.
He turned from the door and headed towards his mum's quarters. He found that the door to her quarters was locked too. He headed up to the Great Hall, trying to figure out where both his parents had disappeared to. It was a Sunday and usually, his parents had the whole day planned with him, starting with breakfast in James' quarter.
As Harry turned the corner he caught sight of Damien, heading towards him.
"Where are you going?" Damien asked.
"The Great Hall, I think mum and dad might be there." Harry replied.
Damien looked surprised.
"It's a Sunday." He said. "We don't eat in the Hall on Sundays." He reminded him.
"They're not in their rooms," Harry explained. "Their doors are locked."
Damien joined Harry and headed for the Great Hall, still confused at the change in their weekly routine. However, at arriving at the Great Hall, they found that their parents weren't there either.
"Where are they?" Damien muttered, more to himself than Harry.
Harry's eyes scanned the staff table.
"Professor Dumbledore is not here either." He said, his eyes scanning over the Headmaster's empty chair. "Come on." he told Damien and exited the Great Hall, heading for the staircase.
"Where are you going?" Damien asked again, chasing after him.
"To the office, maybe Professor Dumbledore is talking with mum and dad."
The two boys reached the stone gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office. Usually, Harry's mere shadow on the gargoyle would cause it to leap aside, revealing the spiral staircase. Harry had figured Dumbledore had purposefully set this up, so if the Harry of this universe ever had any reason to go to him, he could without guessing the password.
However, today the gargoyle stayed put, denying the two boys entry.
"What is going on today?!" Harry exclaimed, eyeing the gargoyle angrily. "Why is it not moving?"
Damien just shrugged, not having an answer.
"Maybe he's not in. The office could be locked." He helpfully suggested.
Harry thought about this. It was possible. He didn't think the gargoyle would give access to the office if Dumbledore was not in, would it?
"If he's not in, then that means he's missing too, along with mum and dad." Harry said.
Damien looked alarmed at his words. His eyes darted to the gargoyle and then back to Harry.
"Don't say it like that," Damien muttered.
Harry looked back at the gargoyle, feeling his heart clench painfully. He knew something wasn't right, he could feel it.
xxx
It was past noon when at last, Harry caught sight of his mum and dad. He stopped mid pace and turned around when there was a knock on the door before it opened and James and Lily walked into the quarters.
"Where have you guys been?" Harry asked relieved beyond belief at seeing his parents again.
"You've been gone the whole morning!" Damien added getting up from his seat.
"Sorry, it was sort of unplanned." Lily replied.
Harry noticed both his parents looked tired but they seemed happy, small smiles graced their faces.
"Where did you two go?" Harry asked.
James and Lily walked over to Harry's sofa and sat down, gesturing to the two boys to do the same.
"We got an urgent summon this morning." James started, as soon as Harry and Damien sat down. "It was from the Minister. He wanted to speak to me and Lily."
"About what?" Harry asked, feeling dread build in the pit of his stomach.
"About you." James answered simply.
At Harry's nervous expression, Lily rushed to explain.
"Don't worry, it all worked out in the end."
"What worked out?" Damien asked before Harry could.
"It turns out, the security orb in the Repossession Chamber didn't just show Blake for what he really was, it gave you away too." James said, looking at Harry. "At first, the Aurors that checked the orb thought you were a friend of Damien's. They didn't recognise you. But when they heard Damien call out to you as 'Harry' and they caught a clear image of your face, they realised you were Harry Potter."
Harry looked over at Damien, whose face had just rapidly lost colour. He looked back at Harry and shook his head.
"God I…I'm so sorry, Harry. I didn't think…"
"It's okay, Damy. You were in a life threatening situation. No one expects you to have reacted any differently." Lily comforted.
"So, what did the Minister say?" Harry asked, his rapid heartbeat almost deafening him.
"He wanted an explanation." James said with a sigh. "He wanted to know what was going on, why you looked different and about a million other questions."
"Did you tell him?" Harry asked quietly.
"We had to," James answered. "I know that in order to get to the Chamber you both would have passed through the sensors and they would have lifted any charms on you. I couldn't lie to Diggory and say you were charmed to look different. He would know that couldn't be the case."
"So you told him the truth?" Damien asked, hazel eyes wide with shock.
"Yes," James answered. "I told him the truth."
Harry couldn't believe his ears. He sat staring at his father, trying to ascertain if he was joking or not.
"You told the Minister I was from another dimension." Harry asked to be certain.
James nodded.
"I did."
"And he believed you?" Damien asked with a snort.
"Well, I reckon he wouldn't have if his son hadn't mentioned to him about a paper he read on the theoretical probability of dimension travelling." Lily said, a small smile on her face. "Diggory believes anything that his son believes. I always said I liked that boy." She grinned.
"Cedric?" Harry asked.
"Yep, it turns out the girl Cedric is seeing attended a seminar or something that brushed over the theoretical ability of dimensional travelling. She was interested and looked up the subject and told her boyfriend, Cedric about it. He must have mentioned something to his father in passing and that was what allowed Diggory to believe we were telling the truth." Lily said.
"He wasn't…mad?" Damien asked.
"No, on the contrary," James laughed. "He was excited that someone had proved dimension travelling is possible, and safe." He added. His expression changed suddenly to a serious one and he lowered his eyes. "However, he also said that universal equilibriums were not to be tested. You and Harry swapping dimensions could have a detrimental effect on both worlds. He has asked for you to return to your world."
Harry didn't say anything but lowered his gaze to the ground.
"We explained about the compass and Diggory contacted Dumbledore and asked him to join us. Dumbledore arrived and explained all he could about how the compass works and what the current situation is with it." Lily said. "At first, Diggory wanted the Ministry to take control over the compass. He was demanding to know where the compass was but Dumbledore managed to convince him to let the compass be where it is for now. Diggory has agreed to allow the compass to remain under Dumbledore's care but as soon as it is fixed and you and Harry swap places, he wants the compass to be handed into the Ministry."
"They'll have to try and take it away from Harry." Damien said with one eyebrow raised. "He's not going to give the Ministry the compass. It belonged to Voldemort."
The room suddenly quietened down to an eerie silence. Both James and Lily looked uncomfortable with the mention of the Dark Lord's name. Harry looked over at Damien to see him shift uncomfortably in his seat.
"I'm just saying…" he mumbled, embarrassed at causing the awkwardness.
"We'll deal with that when the time comes." Lily spoke, finally. "Harry will just have to…understand."
James looked up at the Harry sitting opposite him but then looked away again, a strange look of longing on his face.
"So, what did the Minister say about Harry in the meantime?" Damien asked.
"He wants him to remain under the glamour charm. The Aurors that witnessed the orb have been instructed to keep quiet about what they saw. Diggory insisted Harry's truth be kept hidden as it may attract unwanted attention. He knows that there are plenty of people who may attack him if they were to learn the truth about his origins." James explained. Looking over at Harry he added in a gentler voice. "Not that I would ever let anyone come near you."
Harry smiled at James and ducked his head again.
"So, Harry is still a secret?" Damien asked in astonishment.
"Yep, he's still a secret." James answered with a smile.
"Yeah, a secret that only you, mum, dad, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Malfoy, Professor Dumbledore, Minister Diggory and God knows how many other Aurors know about." Harry said sarcastically.
"You forgot Blake." Damien added.
xxx
The weeks went by quickly, taking away the dreary cold of February and bringing the warmer, sunnier days of March. Harry happily fell into the routine his parents had set up for him. He attended all the classes with the Fifth year Gryffindors and continued his evening tutoring with James and Lily.
His private lessons with Damien continued and Harry was proud of his growing skill in wandless magic. He found that Adrenaline was the key. In the Repossession Chamber, he was only able to perform wandless magic and summon the broom to himself because of the Adrenaline that was pumping in his veins at the time. He used the memory of Blake and all the other memories he had of near death experiences to feel the rush of Adrenaline power through him and succeeded in completing whatever task Damien set out for him.
"I told you, you were good!" Damien laughed as they walked back from the Room of Requirement one evening.
Harry ran a hand through his messy locks, a grin on his face. They headed towards Harry's quarters. Harry and Damien tried to spend most of their time in the Gryffindor common room. That way Damien got a chance to hang out with his friends and Harry got a chance to act a little like his normal self, a fifteen year old Gryffindor student relaxing in his common room. Of course he had to keep up pretences in front of the rest of Gryffindor but it was worth the trouble to be able to sit in his common room.
But sometimes they needed privacy to be able to talk properly, so at those times, the two Potter boys chose to hang out in Harry's quarters. Both boys walked inside and settled before the dying fire, talking quietly about their on going training.
"I reckon you'll get the non verbal bit down soon." Damien said, stretching his legs before him.
"I would probably have already got it if you could explain it properly." Harry teased.
Damien threw him a playful glare.
"It's not my fault you can't understand simple instructions." He replied.
"Simple?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. "How simple is, it's like whispering but only in your head? How can you tell if you're whispering if it's only mentally?"
Damien huffed at him and closed his eyes, hands tucked behind his head.
"Whatever Harry." He sighed.
A knock on the door drew the boys' attention. Damien had opened his eyes and sat up a little straighter.
"It's open." Harry yelled out.
The door opened and an unexpected guest revealed herself.
"Hermione!" both Harry and Damien greeted, getting to their feet.
Hermione smiled and walked inside, closing the door.
"It's so nice to get a warm welcome." She commented. "Usually when I come into a room I get, oh great, her again!" she grinned.
"Who says that?" Harry asked.
"Probably Ron." Damien joked.
Hermione swatted him on the arm. She turned to look at Harry, a bright smile on her face.
"I've been waiting ages for you two to come back." She said.
"Really? How long have you been here?" Harry asked. He didn't usually get visits from her.
"I came just over an hour ago. I've been sitting with Professor Potter, your mum," she reiterated, "waiting for you two."
"Why? Is everything okay?" Damien asked, looking concerned.
"Oh, everything's fine. Actually, things are better than fine." She smiled again, excitement gleaming in her eyes. "I haven't said anything to Professors' Potter. I wanted you two to be the first to know." she continued.
"Know what?" Harry asked.
Hermione laughed a little, clearly excited now.
"It's done, it's completed," she beamed. "The compass is working."
---
Canon World
It was early in the morning, perhaps just after daybreak, when Harry awoke to a gentle knocking on his door. He got up and out of his bed, walking quickly over to open the door. The sight that greeted him was a tired looking Remus.
"Sorry for waking you up so early, Harry." Remus apologised, looking genuinely regretful.
"It's okay," Harry quickly answered. "What's wrong?"
Remus looked towards the stairs, his gaze going beyond them, to the room downstairs. Harry heard the quiet murmur of several voices coming from that direction. Remus turned his gaze back to Harry.
"We informed Dumbledore this morning. He asked for an urgent meeting." He explained.
Harry didn't say anything but his gaze went back to the ground floor, to the room filled with Order members.
"Could you get dressed and come downstairs?" Remus asked quietly.
Harry looked back at him and then nodded.
"Give me five minutes." He replied and closed the door.
Remus walked down the stairs and into the room, usually reserved for Order meetings.
"He'll be down in five minutes." He told the room at large.
Dumbledore nodded politely and returned his focus back to his intertwined fingers. Some of the other Order members however, were not so courteous.
"Great! Give him time to run away!" Moody grumbled.
"He's not going anywhere." Sirius answered, shooting Moody an annoyed glare. "We've already told you, he's not an enemy. He has no reason to run from us."
"Funny, he was doing just that yesterday!" Moody snapped back.
"We already explained about yesterday!" Sirius yelled back. "He had no other choice! He asked for a chance to explain but no one gave it to him. He had to run!"
Moody banged a fist on the table and stood up.
"And what was he going to explain to us? This…this bogus story about dimension swaps!?" he spat angrily. "Wake up, Black! The boy is an impostor and he's using you and Lupin, playing you both! I say we go upstairs right now and arrest him!"
"It's hard to believe, I admit," Remus sighed. "But it's the truth. He really is an alternate form of Harry Potter." He had repeated this nearly twenty times to Moody. He knew it was only Dumbledore's order to stay put that was stopping the ex Auror from thundering upstairs to apprehend Harry.
"How can you believe such a far fetched story?" Jones asked with raised eyebrows.
"Because they spoke to James Potter." Snape suddenly answered.
The room quietened down, the only sound that could be heard was Sirius' low growls.
Dumbledore had already relayed to all of them what Remus and Sirius had told him, happened last night. The Order meeting was set up urgently so that this news could be shared at once. However, not all of the members fully believed Remus and Sirius, thinking that the two could be easily fooled.
"Don't you dare say his name Snape!" Sirius hissed at him.
The greasy haired Professor merely glanced at Sirius before sneering at him, not offering any verbal return.
"It's sick, what he's doing!" Tonks said, shaking her head. "Using…him…the memory of James Potter, like that!"
"It was James," Remus replied, his tone hardening now with having to repeat himself so many times. "We spoke to James, it wasn't a trick."
"How can you know for certain?" McGonagall asked. "After all, if what the boy said is true, then you would have spoken to James Potter in another universe. Such communication is not possible."
"And certainly not using muggle equipment." Jones added.
"I don't know how it is possible or why he's using a muggle phone to communicate but all I know is that we spoke to James last night." Remus said.
"I can mistake a lot of things," Sirius said, ignoring Snape's sneering expression. "But I wouldn't mistake James' voice. It was him, really him."
"You're playing right into his hands." Moody said, shaking his head. "Can't you see it? He's using you, your weakness to gain your trust. He tricked you somehow, by making you think you spoke to your friend. That boy is lying to you!"
"Alastor," Dumbledore finally spoke, looking up at the man. "That is not necessary." He told him.
"Albus! You don't believe them, do you?" Moody asked, looking appalled that the legendary wizard could believe such a made up story.
"I think it is prudent to speak to this Harry first, before making up our minds as to if he is lying or not. We must speak with him and gain important answers."
"Go ahead," a voice said from the doorway. Everyone turned to see the raven haired boy. "What do you want to know?" Harry asked.
xxx
Harry sat down in the seat Remus offered. He glanced around the room, at the Order members of this universe. He saw Arthur and Molly sitting at the end of the table, both staring at him. Moody was still standing, breathing heavily through his deformed nose. Tonks was sitting just on Moody's right, supporting a rather large bruise on her nose. Harry looked away guiltily.
Several other witches and wizards were sitting around the table, all staring at Harry with a mixture of interest and apprehension. McGonagall and Snape were sitting on either side of Dumbledore. Harry quickly glanced past Snape, the memory of what he had done to him only a day before was fresh on his mind. Dumbledore was looking at Harry with serene calmness. As if he had merely stopped by to visit him.
Harry looked directly at him, his expressionless mask in place.
"So, what did you want to ask me?" he asked.
Moody looked like he was ready to burst. He shook his head, making his grisly hair flail around his face.
"Oh, we'll ask you plenty! First, you take this!" he slammed a small vial onto the table.
Harry smiled at the sight of, the now very familiar, potion vial.
"Do you excrete that stuff?" he asked Moody. "It seems you have a never ending supply of Vertiserum."
Moody's only response was to push the vial closer to Harry. Before Harry could say anymore, Sirius picked up the vial.
"He's not taking this." he said, throwing the vial of truth potion away.
"We can't trust what he has to say without the potion." Moody hissed at him.
"You can't, perhaps but the rest can." Sirius looked around the room at the other members. "If any of you don't believe him, that's too bad. Harry's not going to be interrogated." Sirius said firmly.
"We didn't ask you all to come here so you can treat Harry like a criminal," Remus added.
"But we need proof that he's telling the truth." A wizard with a tall purple hat said.
"He gave us proof. We told you that we spoke to James. If you don't believe Harry's telling the truth then that means you don't believe us either." Sirius growled back.
Harry stayed silent, listening to his dad's best friends fight for him. The members were arguing between themselves, some taking Sirius' side like the Weasleys and others demanding questioning under Vertiserum. Finally Dumbledore raised a hand, quietening the room.
Leaning over the table, Dumbledore addressed the silent boy.
"Harry," everyone looked in surprise at Dumbledore, including Harry. Dumbledore inclined his head slightly. "I know and believe that you are Harry Potter. I have tested your aura numerous times at Hogwarts. I know that you are telling the truth."
Harry was surprised but he hid it well. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back, staring at Dumbledore.
"If you believe me, then why have you called this meeting?" he asked.
"It was important." Dumbledore answered. "I wanted everyone to know the truth about you."
Harry felt his heart miss several beats but he kept a hold of his expressionless mask. He smiled as innocently as he could.
"And what is that?" he asked.
"I was hoping you enlighten us." Dumbledore returned.
Harry let out a mental sigh when he realised Dumbledore didn't know anything about him. He was only asking for Harry to share his life events with them.
The rest of the room was watching the two converse in complete silence. Even Moody had sat down, now that Dumbledore confirmed he believed the boy before them was indeed Harry Potter.
"What do you want to know?" Harry asked, still holding onto his mask of indifference.
"I think if we start from the beginning," Dumbledore said. His eyes fixed to Harry's as he asked, "I am certain you have learned the events that took place in this world, fourteen years ago?"
Harry's mask slipped then and for a moment, his anger was visible.
"Yes," he ground out between clenched teeth. "I did."
Dumbledore nodded, seemingly not noticing Harry's anger.
"As Remus and Sirius said, they spoke to James last night, so it is correct to assume that those events did not take place in your world." his eyes bore into Harry's as he asked the next question. "What happened that Halloween night? What change was it that modified history and saved James and Lily's lives?"
"He never found them," Harry answered. "Voldemort was never given our location."
The occupants of the room bristled as the Dark Lord's name was spoken but that was the only reaction. They kept silent and waited to learn more.
"So Peter never betrayed James?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry's fists were clenched tight under the table. With great effort he spoke, his voice trembling only slightly.
"No," he said looking straight into Dumbledore's eyes. "He didn't."
The words were forced out with such difficulty Harry was certain no one would believe him. But no one seemed to have noticed as they shared smiles and looks of relief with one another. Dumbledore shared a look too, but his was not one of relief. He looked to his right, at Snape and both wizards seemed to communicate without words. Snape looked away, a crease on his forehead.
"Did Voldemort not try to get to you by other means?" Dumbledore asked, his tone changing ever so slightly.
"Why would he?" Harry asked, directing all his anger into his voice. "What could he possibly want from me?"
Harry knew Dumbledore wouldn't mention the Prophecy, not right now anyway. He kept his gaze locked with the Headmaster but the silver haired wizard didn't give in. Instead he asked him another question. One that Harry found difficult to answer.
"Is Voldemort still a threat in your world?"
Harry broke his gaze, looking away as he answered.
"No" he answered simply.
"Could you explain that?" McGonagall asked.
Harry shook his head slowly.
"There's not much to tell; he was killed."
"By whom?" Tonks asked, leaning forward across the table.
"Does it matter?" Harry asked angrily.
"Yes, I believe it does." McGonagall answered curtly.
Harry looked away, fists clenched so hard under the table he was sure his nails had cut into his palms.
Remus was looking at Harry carefully, noting the way his eyes seem to smoulder in anger at the mention of Voldemort's name. It was a different anger to the one his Harry usually showed when talking about his enemy. This Harry seemed more enraged when discussing Voldemort, or was it the mention of the dark wizard's death that caused the spark of rage in him?
"If I have understood you properly, it is correct to assume that in your world, Voldemort never fell." Dumbledore asked. "He never got to Godric's Hollow that Halloween night, he never killed James and Lily and so his killing curse aimed at you never rebounded and hit him." he watched Harry carefully but his expressionless mask was back in place. Dumbledore leaned back with a sigh. "I can only imagine how much his power must have grown. It would have been an exceptional battle to defeat him."
Again Harry gave no visible reaction to Dumbledore's words.
"How did you travel to this dimension?" Kingsley asked, changing the topic.
"I used a compass, the Kayanat." Harry answered.
Dumbledore's eyes brightened suddenly and he looked in surprise at Harry.
"Interesting," he murmured. "And where did you acquire such a rare artefact as the Kayanat?"
Harry smirked at him.
"I found it…lying around." he answered.
"Rubbish!" Moody hissed out, failing once again to reign in his temper.
"The Kayanat is a powerful, extraordinary artefact that you in your wildest daydreams couldn't hope to activate!" he hissed out.
"Oh it wasn't me that activated it." Harry smirked openly. "It was my younger brother."
Moody was fit to burst with anger. His hand was trembling with the effort to not reach for his wand. His eyes, both magical and normal, were fixed on Harry with such scrutiny; it was as if he were trying to pierce a hole in him.
"You have a brother?" Tonks asked, looking more and more relaxed now.
Harry nodded.
"Damien," Sirius stated, a smile on his thin face. "We heard his voice yesterday." He told the room.
"I have one question I would like to ask." McGonagall said, ignoring Sirius. "Why did you come to this dimension?"
"It was never intended. As I said before, my brother activated the Kayanat, and both of us ended up in this dimension. We were transported straight inside Privet Drive where we met the Harry of this universe." Harry explained, much more at ease now. "We shared life stories and after hearing about what happened to him I thought it would be good for him to go to my world and meet his parents."
The occupants of the room were all quiet. Molly looked close to tears. Even Moody was finding it hard to pick a fight at this point.
"It was only supposed to be for a few days but then the compass failed to work so we were stuck in each others worlds." Harry finished.
Snape let out a sound that was very close to a snort. It was the only sound he had made since Harry arrived in the room.
Harry ignored him.
"So is the Kayanat still not working?" Tonks asked.
"It's in the process of being investigated." Harry told her. "I'm told it should be fixed soon."
"You should have come to Professor Dumbledore the moment you realised you were going to be here for longer than expected." McGonagall said in her usual strict voice.
"Why?" Harry asked.
McGonagall looked lost for words. She looked at Harry with wide eyes before turning to look at Dumbledore.
"Why should I tell anyone? I came in this world on my own terms, I'll leave on my own terms." Harry said with a hardly discreet glower in Dumbledore's direction.
If Dumbledore saw Harry's expression, he didn't show it. He carried on asking Harry various questions, all which Harry answered with half truths. Finally, Dumbledore seemed to end his interview.
"I think it would be beneficial for you to return to Hogwarts today. It is best if everyone continues to believe you are the Harry belonging to this universe." He rose from his seat, prompting everyone else, except for Harry, to stand too. "A word of caution," he started, looking at Harry. "Try to keep the focus away from yourself. If the truth about your swap was revealed it would cause problems for you and for the Harry belonging to this universe."
Harry knew that much himself. That was why he had tried so hard to keep Dumbledore from knowing the truth. It would be next to impossible for the other Harry to return to a normal life once he came back to this universe, if the wizarding world knew he had visited another dimension. As far as Harry knew, they were the only ones to swap dimensions and survive for this long.
He nodded his head at Dumbledore. Just as Dumbledore turned from the table, Arthur spoke up behind him.
"Wait, I have a question."
Everyone stopped and watched as Arthur took a few steps nearer Harry. He opened his mouth to ask his question but seemed to lose his words. He clicked his mouth shut before trying again.
"Your Patronus?" he asked, his eyes searching Harry's face. "It was the same. It was the one that led Moody and Kingsley to me that night…at the Ministry. Moody and Kingsley recognised it." Harry didn't answer but felt his heart quicken suddenly. He didn't want this conversation, not here at the least. "It was you," Arthur said, the words more of a statement than a question. "You were the one to send that Patronus to get help, you saved my life."
Harry didn't answer, wishing the read haired man had waited until they were alone to ask his questions.
"How did you get to the Ministry that night?" Moody asked, his suspicions revived by Arthur. "You were in Hogwarts, were you not?"
"How did you know Arthur was attacked?" Jones asked.
Harry glanced at Remus and Sirius, both looked just as curious as the rest of the Order members. He purposefully didn't look at Dumbledore.
"I didn't know about the attack." Harry started. "It was the other Harry that knew about it. He called me and told me he had seen the attack on Mr Weasley."
The curiosity in the room was suddenly replaced by panic. Everyone's expressions betrayed their horror at his words. Dumbledore was giving Harry his full attention again.
"He saw the attack?" Tonks whispered. "But…how?"
"I don't know." Harry shrugged. "He called me and told me he had a vision, he saw a snake attack Mr Weasley. He described the place he saw Mr Weasley fall and I knew it was the Ministry of Magic. I decided to go and check it out."
"How did you manage to get from Hogwarts to London so quickly?" Kingsley asked.
"I used a Thestral." Harry answered simply. "I saw them around Hogwarts and I used one to fly to London." Harry lied.
"You flew to London?" McGonagall asked, in a clearly disbelieving tone.
"Yes." Harry answered as sincerely as he could.
"Why did you do that?" Moody asked. "You could have gone to Dumbledore and told him what happened."
"And how was I supposed to explain it?" Harry asked back. "I didn't see the vision. I only knew what Harry told me. I didn't have sufficient information…"
"So you decided flying to the Ministry of Magic in the middle of the night on a Thestral, was a better idea?" McGonagall asked, her nostrils flaring like they usually did when she got mad.
Harry shrugged.
"I wasn't thinking straight. I just wanted to check if Harry's vision was right."
The room quietened down. Moody and McGonagall were both glaring at Harry. Tonks looked a little uncertain as to how she should act, while Arthur and Molly were smiling at him. Finally, Dumbledore broke the silence.
"It is time we headed back to Hogwarts," he said to the two fellow Professors. He looked to Harry and addressed him. "Mr Potter, I would like to see you back at Hogwarts this morning."
Harry stood up, eyes fixed to Dumbledore's.
"I'll be there." he answered.
Dumbledore looked to Remus next.
"Remus, can I ask you to accompany Mr Potter and bring him to the castle by apparation?"
Remus nodded quickly.
"Of course."
Dumbledore nodded his thanks.
"Well, that is it, ladies and gentleman." His eyes met Harry's once more before he headed for the door. McGonagall and Snape followed him.
Harry felt the need to look away when Snape walked passed him. The man had not said a single word to Harry throughout the meeting and for some reason that bothered Harry more than he thought it would.
He watched them exit the room, followed by the other members of the Order. He turned around to see Molly walking over to him. She stopped before Harry, her eyes already brimming with tears. Before Harry could say a word, she engulfed him in one of her motherly hugs. She hugged him tightly, her tears falling down her cheeks as she sobbed.
"Thank you!" she whispered. She let go of him and looked up into his face. "For what you did for Arthur. I don't know what I would do if you hadn't…" she squeezed her eyes shut, spilling more tears down her cheeks. She sniffed loudly before opening her eyes again. "And thank you for what you did for Harry. For him to be able to meet his parents...it's so wonderful! You did a remarkable thing."
She left the room after that, sniffing loudly and holding onto Arthur's arm.
Harry watched her go, her words ringing inside his head.
xxx
Most of breakfast was over by the time Harry got to Hogwarts. He visited his empty dorm room to see that his things had been returned. His trunk sat at the bottom of his bed, looking like it had never been moved from its spot. Harry quickly dug out a clean set of school robes and changed before heading to the Great Hall.
He stepped through the doors, just as most students were getting up to start making the way to their first classes of the day. The students stopped in their tracks as Harry entered the hall. For the first few seconds, nothing happened. An eerie silence spread throughout the hall, bringing everyone's attention to Harry. The Professors looked up as well to spot the dark haired teen standing at the doors. Most looked surprised but none were more so than Professor Umbridge. Her eyes were wide and glued to Harry, her mousey hair seemed to stand on edge just by looking at him.
Harry's gaze scanned the hall, resting on the two anxious looking faces of Ron and Hermione. He walked towards them, ignoring the way his footsteps echoed horribly loud in the filled hall. He reached the Gryffindor table and sat down at his usual seat, opposite his two friends. It seemed that was all it took for the silence to break and the hall was once again filled with whispers and murmurs, albeit, now they were excited whispers.
"Welcome back." Ron whispered to Harry.
"That was fast," Hermione hushed in low tones. "I thought it would take longer for you to…come back."
Harry glanced around him to see most of his fellow housemates staring at him.
"Long story, I'll explain later."
It was just as well as the next instant Harry found himself surrounded by several Gryffindors.
"Glad to see you're back, Harry!" Dean said with a broad smile.
"Harry! Are you okay?!" Lavender asked.
"I heard you were pretty badly hurt. How did you get discharged so quickly?" a fourth year boy asked.
"I just wanted to say how brave I thought you were, fighting with those hellhounds!" a third year girl, with a long ponytail, said.
Harry responded back with a nod at all of them. It turned out that it wasn't only the Gryffindors that had well wishes for him. As soon as Harry got up to attend his first class, several students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff approached him, congratulating him on beating the monstrous Hellhounds and making a fast recovery in St Mungos. The only students not approaching Harry were the Slytherins. They just walked past Harry, choosing not even to look at him.
Harry however never noticed the Slytherins since he was distracted with the rest of the student body. He didn't know what to say to them and so just settled to give them one worded answers. He hurried to reach the first class, Charms, with Ron and Hermione rushing along with him.
"Harry!"
Harry stopped at the voice and turned around. He smiled at the sight of the red haired girl running to catch up with him. Slightly breathless, Ginny came to stop before Harry.
"How are you?" she asked, her brown eyes narrowed in worry.
"I'm fine," Harry answered still smiling. "nothing's wrong with me."
Ginny tilted her head a little to the side, seemingly examining him.
"Good," she answered simply. "I…we were worried." She changed her words quickly. "Professor Dumbledore said you were hurt and…"
"And rumours started that only exaggerated everything." Harry finished. He smiled at her again. "Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine."
Ginny shifted her book bag on her shoulder and looked away from Harry's eyes, a blush appearing on her cheeks.
"Okay, well. I…I've got to get to class so…I'll catch up with you later."
Harry nodded at her and watched as she turned and started making her way to the other side of the corridor. He turned around to see both Ron and Hermione staring at him.
"What?" he asked with a shrug.
"Why does Ginny get a full conversation when others get only head nods?" Hermione asked.
Harry shrugged and walked past them.
"Maybe it's because I don't mind her asking as much." he answered.
Ron and Hermione shared a surprised look. Hermione turned to look at Harry, a suspicious look filling her eyes.
"How come?" she asked.
Harry didn't answer her and walked into the classroom. Ron and Hermione followed, slightly confused
xxx
It was during the morning break that Harry got a chance to talk to Ron and Hermione. The trio hurried to the Room of Requirement, so they would have privacy to talk.
Harry ran through the events from meeting Remus and Sirius last night to the Order meeting this morning. Ron and Hermione listened intently, not interrupting at all. Harry repeated the details he had given to the Order members, so the two Gryffindors knew exactly what he was hiding.
"You didn't tell them about…about You-Know-Who?" Ron asked.
Harry shook his head.
"I was never planning to tell them…that…part," he shifted uncomfortably. "It would only complicate matters. And besides, they had a hard enough time believing me as it was. If I told them the truth about who brought me up, it would only cause problems." Harry shook his head. "It's better this way."
Hermione nodded her head, deep in thought.
"Yes, you're probably right." She sighed.
"For now, it's best they know as little as possible." Harry said.
"Do you reckon Professor Dumbledore will settle for that?" Ron asked sceptically.
"He'll have to," Harry replied. "Besides, I think he may be distracted for a while." He said with a small smirk.
Hermione and Ron looked confused.
"Distracted? By what?" Hermione asked.
"You'll see." Harry answered, his smirk deepening.
xxx
Hermione and Ron found out soon enough what Harry meant. By the next day, the school was gossiping wildly about the trouble Dumbledore was in with the Ministry. The attack of the Hellhounds on Hogwarts was enough in itself to warrant a meeting between the Headmaster, the Minister and the school board. But it was what happened during the attack that landed Dumbledore in severe trouble.
The revelation of the secret Defence group consisting of twenty plus students that jeopardised their safety and health while fighting against the ferocious Hellhounds, had thrown the school board members and the Minister into an angered frenzy. They demanded the Headmaster claimed responsibility over the incident and explained how such a group was set up in the first place.
Needless to say, the members of the DA were more than upset at learning how their actions were affecting their Headmaster. No one was as upset as Hermione Granger, as she took credit for setting up the DA.
"It's all my fault." she moaned. "I should have just left things as they were."
"We couldn't have," Ron argued. "We needed to do something. Umbridge was crippling us!"
Hermione shook her head.
"I shouldn't have done it, especially after that decree came in, banning all groups. It's only made the situation worse. Minister Fudge is blaming Professor Dumbledore for intentionally allowing the DA to form and continue despite the ban."
"What makes them think Professor Dumbledore knew about the DA?" Ron asked.
Hermione looked on the verge of breaking down.
"Because we were called 'Dumbledore's Army'. The Minister thinks it was all Professor Dumbledore's doing!" Hermione said in a broken voice.
Sitting next to them, face buried behind a book, Harry smiled. Things had worked out better than he could have imagined. He knew when the 'DA' name was suggested it would act like a double sword. Both Dumbledore's reputation and Fudge's pride were injured by the name.
"Can't Professor Dumbledore tell them he had no knowledge about it? I mean, we can testify…" Ron started.
"He's done the opposite." Hermione said miserably. "He's taken full responsibility for the DA, claiming it was his idea."
Harry lowered his book, staring at Hermione in disbelief.
"How do you know that?" both Harry and Ron asked simultaneously.
Hermione and Ron looked up at Harry, surprised he was joining in the conversation.
"I overheard Professor Sprout telling Professor Flitwick. They were shocked Professor Dumbledore could do such a thing. Even the staff is starting to think badly of him for supposedly using the students against the Minister and his Ministry approved coursework."
Harry was quiet. He had not expected that from Dumbledore.
"So, what happens now?" Ron asked quietly.
"There's an investigation on Professor Dumbledore, inspecting his ability to run Hogwarts." Hermione looked at both Harry and Ron. "Because of the DA, Professor Dumbledore might be replaced."
xxx
Dumbledore stood next to the window, watching the sky turn from the pink of sunset to the dark blue of dusk. He stood in complete silence, hands tucked neatly behind him. His eyes were unblinking, expression one of calmness.
"Albus?"
The voice broke his trance. Sighing, the silver haired wizard turned from the window to face the only other person in the room. Snape was standing near the desk, brow furrowed.
"Have you been listening?" the potions master asked irately.
"Yes, Severus," Dumbledore replied. "I have."
"Well?" Snape demanded quietly.
"I'm afraid, I can't." the Headmaster answered.
Snape let out a hiss of anger and frustration.
"Why not? You know who he's been in contact with?!"
"I do, but still, I can't turn him in." Dumbledore answered.
Snape pinched the bridge of his hooked nose, letting his breath hiss from behind his clenched teeth.
"Albus, be reasonable. You know he was lying today…"
"I have to disagree," Dumbledore interrupted. "I don't think he was lying. He was only…withholding information." He corrected.
"And that doesn't worry you?" Snape asked, already knowing that it did.
"There is nothing to be gained by confronting him. I have faith in him, he will come around himself." Dumbledore answered.
"You have faith in him?" Snape asked incredulously. "That boy is not the Harry Potter you know! He is from another dimension, a different world! Albus, we know nothing about him. Talking to him today didn't give us any answers. His explanations didn't clarify why he decided to make a swap; what was he to gain from it? Why is it that even though he had never been struck by the killing curse he has the curse scar on his forehead?" Snape asked with rising anger. "He didn't explain why he came here, why he didn't come clean about his universal swap, why he went to meet the Dark Lord! Why he was addressed as 'son' by the Dark Lord and why he has Nagini as his Patronus!" Snape was breathing hard by the end, his onyx eyes wide and filled with anger. "He didn't provide any answers, Albus and that should be enough of a warning."
Dumbledore bowed his head, his brow furrowed. He walked over to his desk, passing by Snape but not meeting his eyes. He sat down, motioning for Snape to do the same.
"I share your concerns, Severus. I too, want answers but I recognise the need to wait for them. This Harry is unpredictable. Confronting him, or as you suggested, informing the Order of his meeting with Voldemort, is not going to do anything but drive him away. I need him here, at Hogwarts."
"So you can continue to spy on him?" Snape asked.
"Call it what you like, Severus," Dumbledore answered. "But as for now, he stays at Hogwarts, safe and under protection."
Snape didn't look happy but he gave in.
"What about Fudge and the school board? What are you going to do about them?" he asked.
"Nothing, they wish to investigate me so they are welcome to do so. It is best that they focus on me and not Harry." Dumbledore replied.
"What if they decide to remove you?" Snape bit out angrily.
"It is their decision, Severus. But it is my prerogative." Dumbledore answered.
Snape sensed the topic closed. He sighed deeply before looking back at him.
"What do I have to do?" he asked.
"You continue with what we discussed before." Dumbledore said. "The motive is still the same; we have to know as much about him as possible but without driving him away." He looked at the greasy haired Professor, holding his gaze. "When you get the right opportunity, cast Legimens and find out all you can."
Snape nodded his head. When the Headmaster had first told him his plan, months ago, to learn why Harry was acting so strange by performing Legimens, Snape had thought it was worth a try. He doubted the boy had any skill to protect his mind. He planned to catch him off guard during a lesson but so far he had never got the right opportunity. He could never catch Harry looking away from his cauldron during class time. However, now that he knew the boy was an alternate form of his most annoying pupil, he had concerns.
"Do you think a few seconds of Legimens will give us enough answers? It isn't likely that one or two memories will give us sufficient answers. Without knowing anything about his life, how will we understand any of his memories?" Snape asked. He
"All we need is key answers." Dumbledore answered. "If you look for Voldemort when you probe his mind, you will find the most important answers."
Snape looked at Dumbledore, suspicion filled his eyes.
"You already have an idea as to what I'll find in his memories, don't you?" he asked.
"I have a presumption." Dumbledore admitted. "But after watching him for so long, I can confirm that the boy is not an enemy. He saved Sirius' life as well as Arthur's life."
"That's another thing," Snape started, once again irate. "You don't believe his story about riding on a Thestral to get to the Ministry, do you?"
Dumbledore shook his head.
"No, of course not." He said. "You have no idea how slippery those things are. He would have fallen off for sure."
xxx
Neville hurried across the corridor, carefully balancing the books and journals in his arms. He should have known not to take out so many books at the one time. He scolded himself for getting over his head, again. He avoided the other students, muttering 'excuse me' and 'excuse me please' to get a clear pathway to the library.
He passed by a group of sniggering third year Slytherins, who were pointing at him and jeering. Suddenly, he felt a strong push in the small of his back and he fell, face first, onto the corridor. The pile of books and journals flew from his hands and landed around him in a scattered mess. A few of the books were old and couldn't withstand the fall. The pages fell from the weak bindings.
Groaning, Neville sat up, rubbing his painful nose. The sound of the Slytherins laughing rang loudly behind him. Neville didn't look back at them. Face growing rapidly red, Neville began collecting his books, moaning to himself about the damaged books.
A pair of legs stopped before him, halting him in the process of collecting the books. Neville looked up to see Harry staring down at him.
"Oh, hey, Harry!" Neville greeted.
Harry crouched down, eyeing the mess of papers and books.
"Neville," he returned. He looked around him before back at Neville. "Slytherins again?" he asked.
"Yeah," Neville said, sitting back on his knees, stacking the books on the ground. "It's okay though, not much damage this time. They didn't even hex me, just pushed me."
Harry shook his head, eyeing Neville with disappointment.
"Seriously, Neville!" he reprimanded.
Neville shrugged and picked up one of the damaged books.
"I'll have to pay for these." He sighed. "Madame Pince is going to eat me alive." He shuddered.
Harry took the book and various loose pages from his hands.
"Come on," he said standing up.
He waved his hand over at the books, making all of them leap in the air and hover before him, stacked neatly. Neville gaped at the sight.
"Whoa! You can do that?" he asked.
Harry didn't answer, since as far as he was concerned, him performing the magic was answer enough if he could do it or not.
"Come on." he repeated, walking towards an empty classroom. Neville hurried behind him, watching in awe as the stacked books floated behind them.
xxx
"Why do you put up with it?" Harry asked. "All it would take is one powerful hex and the Slytherins would leave you alone."
"That's just the thing, it would take a powerful hex to make them back off. I can't do that." Neville replied. "I can't even do what you're doing right now." he gestured to Harry and the repaired book in his hands.
Harry put the book down and took the last of the damaged ones from Neville. He put his hand over the spine of the book and muttered the spell to stick the pages back in place.
"This isn't really termed as a powerful spell." Harry said, handing him the newly repaired book.
"Exactly, and I can't even manage that." Neville admitted.
Harry watched the red faced boy sitting before him. It was almost impossible to link this boy to the Neville in his world. This one annoyed him so much more but he was able to withstand it.
"What were you doing with all these books anyway?" Harry asked, changing the topic.
"I had taken them out for my Herbology project." Neville explained. "Professor Sprout had said if anyone managed a six foot essay instead of a three foot one, she would offer them a distinction."
Harry glanced around the table, taking in the fifteen or so books.
"All this for a distinction?" he asked.
Neville looked at the ground in embarrassment.
"Pathetic, I know, but I thought I could manage a six foot essay, especially since it's on, The Effective Maturing of Screechsnaps and its Twelve Uses in…" Neville stopped when Harry held up his hand.
"Yeah, I know. I had the same essay, remember?"
"Oh, yeah, right, sorry." Neville replied.
Harry took a minute to observe the boy as both climbed to their feet.
"What are you planning on doing after returning the books?" Harry asked.
"Um, nothing. Why?" Neville asked, gathering the stacked books once again.
"I was thinking we could start on your lessons." Harry replied.
"Lessons?" Neville asked confused.
"The ones I mentioned a few weeks back, remember? Extra DA lessons?" Harry prompted.
Neville shifted from one foot to the other, clearly uncomfortable.
"I figured we weren't going to go ahead with those, seeing as the DA is no longer running." He said.
"That wasn't my decision." Harry said. "I was willing to keep it going."
"It's better that we didn't," Neville answered. "I don't want Professor Dumbledore to get into anymore trouble."
Harry barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. He had no idea the DA students would be so guilt ridden by the trouble Dumbledore was suffering, that they would decide to end the DA.
"Well, do you want the lessons or not?" he asked, letting his irate tone seep out.
Neville shied away from him, looking uncertain.
"I don't know, Harry. Won't that get us into trouble?"
"If you don't want to learn, that's fine." Harry said, dropping the last repaired book onto the stack of books and heading towards the door.
Before Harry could leave, Neville called out to him.
"Harry, wait."
Harry turned to face him, seeing the resolve in his expression.
"I want to learn." Neville said. "But I don't want to cause any more trouble, especially for Professor Dumbledore."
"You won't." Harry replied quietly.
Neville nodded, looking both nervous and determined.
"So, I guess we're back in the Room of Requirement?" he asked, picking up the floating books.
Harry smiled.
"I've got a better idea."
xxx
Neville was out of breath by the time he joined Harry at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He had gone to the library and returned his books and then dropped his bag in his dorm before meeting up with Harry.
Without saying a word, Harry turned and started walking into the woods. Confused, Neville followed casting a look back at the castle. He walked behind Harry, growing increasingly fearful as they seemed to be going deeper into the dark, creepy forest.
"Harry? Where are we going?" Neville asked timidly.
Harry didn't answer but kept leading the way, deeper and deeper into the forest. Neville followed, horribly aware of the growing darkness pressing down on them. Finally, after what seemed like an hour of walking, Harry stopped. Neville caught up with him, peering at his surroundings. He had never been this far into the Forbidden Forest. The trees were so thick here, there was no pathway available to walk in. the place seemed like a dead end.
Harry turned around to face Neville, who looked back at him, unsure of why they had come here. Without saying a word, Harry took a hold of Neville's arm.
"It'll only take a second." He said.
"What will?" Neville asked, growing panicky.
If Harry answered, Neville never heard since the next instant he felt a strange pressure building in his ears, deafening him. He felt the pressure spread down his entire body, making him feel like he was being squeezed down a narrow tube. He closed his eyes in reflex, his cry of surprise not able to leave his body.
The pressure lifted and vanished, just as quickly and suddenly as it came. Neville gasped, blinking his eyes rapidly and taking in deep breaths. He could hear Harry laughing as soon as his ears popped.
"It wasn't that bad." Harry teased.
Neville opened his mouth to respond but stopped when he saw where they were. They were standing in a large clearing; tall trees and bushes encircled the area. It was already dusk but there was still enough light for Neville to see the distant mountains standing proudly before them. He couldn't see any sign of life around him, no houses, no buildings, no roads or pathway.
"Where are we?" Neville asked.
"As far away from Hogwarts as necessary." Harry answered, walking over to admire the sight.
Neville sprung around to stare at Harry, open mouthed in shock.
"You?! You apparated!" he accused.
Harry turned back to smile at him.
"Don't look so shocked, Neville."
"But, but how? You can't apparate, not without a licence and…and you're not of age yet!"
Harry held back his smirk as he walked over to the panicked boy.
"Dumbledore pulled some strings, so I got my licence early."
Neville shook his head, eyes wide and filled with astonishment.
"But you can't! It's not allowed!"
"Dumbledore made it happen." Harry shrugged. "He argued that I was at risk, what with Voldemort back and after me," he saw the way Neville recoiled at the name. "So a test was arranged and I passed it."
Neville still looked a little unsure.
"You probably shouldn't mention this to anyone," Harry continued. "Like you said, I'm not technically allowed to hold an apparating licence. It could cause more problems for the Headmaster."
Neville's eyes widened and he quickly shook his head.
"No, no, I won't say a word to anyone." He promised.
Harry smiled in response.
"Right, shall we start?"
xxx
The weeks went by, the weather progressively getting wetter and colder. February brought with it sleet and non stop rain. Even so Harry continued his one-to-one lessons with Neville.
Four times in the week, Harry arranged to meet Neville deep in the Forbidden Forest. Unknown to Neville, the spot they met at was the edge of the anti-apparation wards. Harry could apparate through the security wards but Neville could not, so Harry had to meet with him at the edge of the wards.
The lessons themselves were intense and nothing like Neville had imagined. For a start, Harry didn't let him use his wand.
"You don't need it for what I'm going to teach you." Harry told him the first day they started. "Put it away."
Reluctantly, Neville obeyed.
"So, what are you going to teach me?" he asked with confusion.
In answer, Harry pulled back his hand and sent a fireball at him. With a yelp, Neville flung himself away, narrowly avoiding the ball of fire.
Harry sighed at the sight, shaking his head.
"Let's try that again, shall we?" he asked rhetorically.
"No, Harry!" Neville yelled, getting quickly to his feet, shielding his face with his arms. "What are you doing?!" he demanded.
Harry sent another fireball, this one grazed Neville's shoulder, making the boy cry out in pain.
"Harry, stop!" he pleaded.
Harry threw another fireball and another and another. Neville could do no more than throw himself out of the way. His hands and knees were scratched and grazed, small lines of blood appearing.
After a particularly nasty fall, Neville stayed on the ground, moaning at the pain of his obviously twisted ankle. Harry pelted another fireball at him. Neville watched as the ball of fire shot his way, straight towards his face. He knew there was no way he could get out of the way.
It all happened so fast, Neville was left a little dazed. He felt something stir inside him, a strange sort of bubbling in his head. He looked up at the fireball and the words just came to him.
"Protego"
The fireball stopped mere inches away and popped, as if it were a bubble and not a fireball.
Stunned, he looked up at Harry to see him smiling at him.
"Finally, I thought you would never get it." said Harry.
He walked over to Neville and pointed his wand at the injured ankle. A whispered spell and the pain was gone. Neville took Harry's offered hand and stood up, still confused as to what had just happened.
"I did that?" he asked, pointing to the spot the fireball had disappeared. "I did wandless magic?"
"You have to start trusting your instincts," Harry explained. "You won't always have your wand with you. The magic is inside of you, not your wand. The protection spell worked wandlessly because your instinct made it happen. That is what I'm going to teach you; instinctual magic."
Harry healed the minor cuts and grazes before continuing the lesson.
"You have too much trust in me," he said, going back to stand a few paces away. "Don't look at me like a friend. I'm not Harry Potter, I'm a threat, see me as one."
Neville smiled shyly.
"That's impossible, Harry. You'll always be my friend."
Harry faltered for a moment before taking up his striking stance again.
"Pretend, okay." He said.
From that day onwards, Harry taught Neville everything he could of how to hone your instinctual magic. The problem was, Neville couldn't grasp onto the basics quick enough.
"No, Neville, stop it!" Harry yelled, the second week of lessons. "You're still spending too much energy in throwing yourself out of the way! Stay where you are, fight me with your magic, don't avoid me!"
"You're too fast!" Neville groaned, wiping his muddy palms down his robes. "I don't like throwing myself onto the ground and getting cuts everywhere. But you don't give me enough time to think."
"That's the point!" Harry spat annoyed. "Your instincts are supposed to kick in without you thinking about them! It's not instinctual otherwise." Taking a deep breath, Harry tried again. "Look, think of yourself like a…a," he looked around and spotted the high mountains. "..Like a mountain. No matter how hard the storm strikes, a mountain will never move from its place."
Neville stared at the mountains and then back at Harry.
"Did you read that from somewhere?" he asked.
"Actually, yeah. It was in one of Hermione's books." He grinned.
Neville tried to heed Harry's instructions, but he still couldn't make himself stay in the pathway of the curses. The problem of course was his lack of confidence. He didn't believe in himself.
"My instincts tell me to run." Neville explained as he and Harry walked back towards the castle one evening. "That's the problem."
Harry sighed.
"You have a lot of problems, Neville."
"Yeah, I know." Neville agreed in a sad quiet voice.
"But I'm not giving up." Harry said. "I'm not going to stop until I get you to start doing this properly."
"I'm trying, I really am." Neville said. "I won't move out of the way tomorrow." He promised.
"Good," Harry said. "Unless of course it's the Unforgivables you're facing because then, all you can do is jump out of the way."
Neville looked at Harry.
"But, you won't send any Unforgivables my way." He said, knowing that there was no way his friend would do such a thing.
Harry smirked at him as they climbed up the stairs to the main doors.
"You'll have to wait and see." He teased.
"Harry! You're joking. You are joking, right?" he called after him.
Both boys disappeared inside the castle. The main door closed again, sealing off the sounds of life inside.
Across the grounds, a cloaked figure stepped out from behind the tall trees. Certain that no one was around, the figure hurried over to the large tree, its branches swaying wildly in the air. Using a stick, the cloaked individual hit a knot near the bottom of the tree. The Whomping Willow came to a standstill, allowing the person to approach it and use the hidden entrance.
The figure arrived at the shrieking shack, walking quickly towards the only room permitting a soft glow of light. The cloaked figure walked inside to stand before the room's only occupant.
"You're late." The silky voice reprimanded.
Draco pulled the hood down of his cloak.
"Sorry father." He apologised.
Lucius turned around to face his son, disapproval etched in every line of his face.
"This is not acceptable, Draco."
Draco lowered his eyes, preferring to stare at the ground than his father's irate expression.
"I'm sorry father but I couldn't leave on time. They came just as I was leaving and I didn't want to be seen."
Lucius' expression softened just a little but he didn't say anything. He moved towards his son, his movements swift and full of grace.
"Is everything in place?" he asked.
Draco looked up from the ground, his grey eyes showing a fraction of the panic he was feeling inside.
"Yes, father." He replied.
Lucius smiled, relief and a hint of pride hidden in the smile.
"Very well, I will give the news to our Lord. He will dictate when you have to act."
Just as he was about to turn he caught Draco opening his mouth to ask a question. The boy changed his mind but the Death Eater saw the hesitance and addressed it.
"You wish to say something?" he asked.
Taking a chance, Draco spoke about the worries clawing at his insides.
"I'm not sure this will work." He started. "What if he realises what I'm about to do? What if Harry catches me out?" he shook his head, a few strands of his sleek blond hair fell out of place. "He'll kill me, for sure." He muttered.
"It is your failure to carry out your initial mission that has landed you in this predicament." Lucius told him icily. "You were instructed, quite simply, to befriend Potter. That was the only reason you were informed of the dimensional swap between the two Potters. You however, failed to impress this Potter."
"It wasn't my fault. I tried but he…."
"But he saw through your charade and he turned your offer of friendship away." Lucius hissed, disappointment evident in his voice. "This is your alternative mission, which you will complete, regardless of how you feel about it."
Draco looked crest fallen. He miserably nodded his head.
"Yes, father."
Lucius took another step closer, so he was towering over the fifteen year old.
"Everything we have rests on you completing this mission. I trust you don't need to be reminded of that?"
Draco shook his head.
"No, father." He replied quietly.
Lucius extended a hand and let it touch the young boy's shoulder, the briefest of touch.
"Stay prepared, the Dark Lord will send his message soon. The moment he gives the orders, you will have to follow them through immediately and without fail."
Draco looked up into his father's eyes, seeing the concealed worry and panic in him too. He gulped down his own fears and nodded at his father.
"I will, father." He promised.
He was going to follow through; he wasn't going to give the Dark Lord a reason to be angry. He was going to give him what he wanted. He just hoped he avoided being killed in the process.
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