Disclaimer I do not own Harry Potter and everything recognisable belongs to J K Rowling.
Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews!! Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
NOTE: This is the last chapter to be split into two worlds. You'll see why!!
Chapter Thirty Six
AU World
Damien knocked softly on the door and waited for it to be answered. He heard the footsteps approaching the door before it was opened. Harry appeared in the doorway. He silently stepped out of the way, allowing Damien to walk inside.
"Hermione's left." Damien informed him as he walked in. "She had to see Professor Dumbledore, to tell him about the compass. Mum and dad went upstairs with her."
Harry closed the door and joined Damien on the sofa.
"Did she explain everything to mum and dad?" he asked quietly.
Damien nodded.
"Yeah, they were surprised about the compass." He said.
Harry looked away, fidgeting with the sleeves of his robes.
"Were they mad at me?" he asked apprehensively.
Damien frowned at him.
"Why would they be mad?" he asked.
Harry looked up with guilt filled eyes.
"It was my fault. You were right after all, the compass never worked because of me."
It was Damien's turn to look away guiltily.
"I was being a jerk," he admitted. "I already told you that. You never knew you were affecting the compass. It wasn't your fault."
Harry lowered his head. It was true he didn't know that he had been stopping the compass from working. Hermione had explained to him that the compass drew power from all those present at the time of activation. It's a complicated and extremely powerful device and apparently, it's incredibly sensitive too. Each time it was activated to send Harry back to his own dimension, it failed to work because Harry didn't want it to work, he didn't want to go back. The Kayanat could pick up Harry's resistance since, as Hermione explained, it draws its powers from its surrounding and Harry's power was far superior to Damien's or anyone else that happened to be around the compass. So it did what Harry wanted and not anyone else.
All the tests she performed on the compass resulted positive. The compass would take Harry back today if that's what he wanted.
"Did Hermione say when she was bringing the compass over?" Harry asked, trying his best to sound normal.
"She said she would bring it tomorrow." Damien answered, noting Harry's brave attempt to stay emotionless.
"Tomorrow, well, that's…good." Harry said.
The boys lapsed into silence. Both were trying hard to think of what they could say next. Damien kept shooting Harry awkward looks. At last he spoke up, not able to keep quiet any longer.
"I don't want you to go." He blurted out.
Harry looked at him in surprise.
"I don't want to go either, as was demonstrated by the compass failing to work." Harry replied. "But, I have to."
"There must be a way for you to stay." Damien said desperately. "A way for Harry and you both to stay here."
"I think you're forgetting that little factor called, Universal Equilibrium Balance." Harry pointed out.
"Who knows if that even exists!?" Damien replied. "For all we know, a bloke bored out of his mind came up with it."
"Damy," Harry said quietly. "I want to stay here, with mum, dad and you. But no matter how much I want it, it doesn't mean I can have it. I don't belong here, no matter how much I wish I did."
Damien shook his head.
"You don't belong it that world either," Damien said. "How can you? You don't deserve to be away from your parents, from your family. No one is meant to be alone."
"I'm not alone." Harry stated with a small smile. "I have great friends that are my family. I have Hogwarts, a place I'll always be welcome and I have these great memories of what my family would have been like. That's more than enough."
Damien didn't have a response to that. He tried to comprehend what Harry was going through right now, to try and understand what it must feel like to leave behind everything you ever wanted and go back to an empty world. He didn't know if he really believed what Harry had just said or if it was just a brave show he was putting up in front of him.
He knew that if this was him in Harry's place, he would be breaking up inside at the prospect of going back to a world where he had no family. No one except an aunt that didn't care for him.
"I'm sorry," he said suddenly.
Harry's brow furrowed.
"For what?" he asked.
Damien shifted in his seat, eyes lowered to his hands resting in his laps.
"I never understood you," he explained. "Harry kept telling me to get to know you but I never listened to him. Now that I got to know you, you have to leave and go back." he shook his head. "I kept blaming everything on you, wishing you had never made the swap with Harry. I was so caught up with missing my brother that I completely ignored the fact that I had my brother with me the whole time."
Harry was speechless. Damien had never referred to him as his brother before. He thought it felt incredible to have a mum and dad, but having a brother felt, somehow, even better. He tried to think of a suitable response but his words failed him.
He idly thought to himself how ironic life was at times. He finally got his complete family, the night before he had to leave all of them.
xxx
Lily cracked the door open and peeked around it. She could see Harry's form, lying on the bed, fast asleep. She exhaled, annoyed.
"He's asleep! Damn Dumbledore and his long talks!"
James peeked around the door as well to see Lily was right.
"We'll just have to talk to him tomorrow." He said.
"I really wanted to talk to him today. Can you imagine what he must be feeling?" Lily said, her eyes fixed on the sleeping boy. "I don't want him to be upset."
James stared at Harry as well, his heart constricting painfully at the thought of this Harry leaving. He missed his son immensely and a big part of him was ecstatic at finally being able to bring him back. But a part of him was breaking at the idea of this Harry leaving.
He opened the door further and slipped inside the room, Lily following him.
"James, don't wake him!" she warned.
James approached the sleeping teen, noting he had not changed out of his robes. He was lying on his stomach, still fully dressed. He had not even removed his shoes. James moved over towards the foot of the bed, intending on taking off the shoes but his eyes caught sight of something lying next to Harry, half tucked under him. He moved to the other side of the bed and saw that it was a leather covered book. Harry must have been looking through it and fell asleep.
As carefully as he could, James eased the thick book out from under Harry's stomach, almost waking the boy up. Harry fidgeted but was in too much of a deep sleep to wake up. Lily shot glares at James, warning him not to wake Harry.
James held the heavy book in his hands, looking over the leather cover. He hadn't seen it before. He flicked open the book to see what it was. His own face smiled back at him from the pages. James saw numerous pictures of himself and Lily smiling and waving. There were a few photos of their wedding day, one with Sirius laughing along with him and Lily. He remembered that day so well.
Lily had come over to see what James was looking at and stood motionless next to him. Her green eyes darted from the photo album to the sleeping Harry and back again. The last photo was of James, Lily and a baby Harry. Lily felt her heart skip a few paces. That was one of her favourite photographs. They had found this same photo in Harry's pocket last year. She reached out and touched the image of the baby Harry, giggling and laughing in his parents arms.
James and Lily looked at each other, both lost for words. They looked back at the sleeping Harry. This was all he had of his parents, this one book with a handful of photos of them. It was no wonder the compass didn't work in Harry's presence. It must be heartbreaking for him to leave them and return to his world.
Quietly, James closed the book and placed it on the pillow next to Harry. He reached out and gently touched Harry's head, letting his palm rest on it for a moment. He pulled the covers over the sleeping boy, while Lily removed his shoes. James took a hold of Lily's hand and led her out of the room, letting Harry sleep undisturbed.
xxx
Harry tried to keep himself busy, darting to one corner of the room and then the next, picking up various things. He eyed the trunk lying open on his bed with dismay. What was he supposed to pack? He looked down at the items in his hands. He didn't own anything here, nothing but his photo album that he brought with him. That was the only thing lying in his trunk.
He cast a look at the mountain of robes and muggle clothes stacked on his bed. This was the stuff his mum had bought him when his identity was revealed. But was he supposed to take it with him? He didn't know.
He sat down on the edge of the bed, running a hand through his hair. He didn't want to take anything that wasn't technically his, even a sock belonging to the other Harry. It was enough that he had forcefully imposed himself on Harry's family for so long now. The problem was, if he didn't busy himself with packing to return to his world, he didn't have anything else to do but wait. And the wait was slowly driving him crazy.
He got back on his feet again and started looking around the quarters, trying to work out what he could take with him.
A knock on his door made him almost jump. This was it. Hermione was probably here with the compass, it was time for him to leave. He walked over and opened the door to find his dad standing alone.
"Morning," James greeted with a smile. "I brought breakfast." He announced, holding up two plates, filled with pancakes. A bottle of syrup floated next to him.
Harry smiled and stepped back, letting James walk inside.
James stopped at the sight of the trunk and clothes lying on the bed. He didn't say anything and carried on walking towards the coffee table, setting the plates down. The syrup bottle floated down to rest between the plates.
Harry joined his dad and sat down, picking up his fork but not actually touching the food. He cast an uncomfortable look at his dad, trying to judge his mood. He looked pretty relaxed and genuinely happy.
"Finish your breakfast, Harry." James said without looking up from his plate.
Harry broke off a bit of his pancake and forced it into his mouth. His appetite was non-existent.
"Did you talk with Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked swallowing the mouthful.
James looked up at him before returning to his food.
"Yes." He answered.
Harry waited but nothing followed.
"What did he say?" he asked.
"About what?" James asked, pushing away his finished plate.
"About me? I mean when do I have to go back?"
"That depends on you." James answered. "The compass won't work unless you want it to."
Harry studied James' expression but there was no underlying annoyance or anger present.
"You're not angry?" Harry asked.
"About what?" James asked.
"I thought you would be annoyed at me. It's my fault the compass didn't work." Harry admitted, still surprised at the lack of blame being directed at him.
"Why would I be annoyed? Because you don't want to leave your family?" James shook his head. "I don't think I can justify that sort of annoyance." He smiled.
Harry suddenly felt very relieved. His parents weren't going to be mad at him. He picked up another bit of his pancake and pushed it into his mouth.
"So, when am I leaving?" Harry asked after a few minutes. He knew he would be leaving soon, despite what James had said about it being his decision. He glanced up at James.
"As soon as you're finished with your breakfast." James answered.
Harry nodded, keeping his eyes on the plate of food. He wanted to ask where his mum and Damien were and if he was going to have a chance to say goodbye to them, but he couldn't bring himself to ask. He kept his head down and forced more food into his mouth. James got up and moved towards the messy bed. He peeked into the trunk but didn't make any move to pick up the album.
Harry chanced another glance at James to see him take out his wand and point it at the robes and clothes. The garments began folding themselves into neat piles. As Harry watched, James began directing the piles of clothes into Harry's trunk. Soon all the clothes had been packed inside the trunk.
James closed the lid of the now over stuffed trunk and turned to look at him.
"Ready?" he asked.
Harry nodded and stood up. He felt very sick; it wasn't such a good idea to force himself to eat when his stomach was feeling so shaky. He walked over to his dad, trying to steady himself for the trip.
"When did Hermione give you the compass?" he asked, a little surprised she had already handed it over.
"She hasn't yet." James said, pulling the trunk off the bed. "She said she'll be over with it tonight."
"Tonight?" Harry asked, stunned. "But I thought….you said I was leaving as soon as breakfast was over?"
"You are," James confirmed. "You are leaving Hogwarts. I didn't say you were going back just yet." He headed towards the door. "Come on now, Lily is already there waiting for us."
"Where are we going?" Harry asked, completely lost as to what was happening.
"Come on," James smiled. "You'll see."
xxx
Harry wasn't very fond of side along apparation. It did nothing to soothe his trembling stomach and he nearly fell, face first, when he landed. Only James's grip on his arm steadied him.
"Thanks" he muttered, straightening up.
He looked around to see where he was. Straight before him was a small cottage with a red door. A perfectly kept garden adorned it, with pretty flowerbeds and several hedges. The garden reminded him strongly of his aunt's garden in Privet Drive. He himself had worked many long hours in that garden, preening the flowers and watering the plants. The resemblance made him realise where he was and it almost knocked the breath out of him.
"Godric's Hollow." He breathed in astonishment.
He felt James' hand on his back, gently urging him forwards. Harry walked up the driveway, taking in everything he could about the place that was his first home. In his own world, Godric's Hollow was probably left in ruins. Harry had yet to pay that place a visit.
James put down Harry's trunk and pulled out a set of keys. It a matter of seconds, Harry found himself walking past the threshold and into Godric's Hollow.
"Welcome home, Harry." James beamed as he watched the boy walk inside, taking in every detail of the cottage.
James could clearly see how much it meant to Harry to be here in Godric's Hollow. The joy was very visible on his face. The way his eyes were wide and kept darting all over the place, they held an almost childish innocence that made James' heart ache. He could see how much this Harry would have loved growing up here.
The door furthest down the hall opened and Lily walked out, her red hair framing her smiling face.
"Finally, you're here!" she greeted. "I've been waiting for ages."
"Who told you to leave at six in the morning?" James teased as he kissed her on the cheek.
"There was a lot to do." She explained. "You would have thought the weekly visits by our house elves would keep this place in shape." She muttered.
"The garden looks good." James offered.
"That was me," Lily explained. "I've been visiting it from time to time." She turned to Harry, smiling at the look of confusion and amazement on his face. "Harry? Everything okay?" she asked.
Harry cleared his throat, seemingly finding difficulty in speaking.
"What's going on?" he managed. "Why am I here? I thought I was going back today since…since the compass is working. I mean, the compass was always working, it's just that now we know how to…to…work…it." he mentally cursed at himself for waffling so much.
"Well, we just thought it would be nice for you to spend some time here." Lily said, looking back at James and then Harry. "We know that you don't remember this place and it's possible it looks really different in your world but, it was your first home. We thought you may like to see it."
Harry nodded, still taking in the cosy looking cottage.
"Come on, I'll show you around." Lily offered.
Harry followed her as she led him to the living room, leaving James standing in the hallway with Harry's trunk.
xxx
"Well, I'm off to go and pick up Damien." James told Lily, walking into the kitchen where she was busy preparing tea. "I can't believe he behaved and stayed without us." James commented.
Lily brushed her hair behind her as she chopped the carrots. "He didn't have a choice." She said. "You left him there."
"Because you told me to." James returned. "I thought it was okay for him to take one day off and come with us but you insisted he finished classes." He accused.
"It's a Friday! It's a school day and he had important classes to attend." Lily answered.
"We took a day off, he could have as well." James said, mirroring Damien's words from early this morning.
"We're not the ones sitting OWLS soon." Lily returned.
"Yeah, well. He'll have fun tonight at least." James said, mentally preparing his make up speech to Damien. "Both of the boys will, I think." He looked around the kitchen, suddenly realising someone was missing. "Where is Harry?"
"He's sitting outside, he said he wanted some air." Lily said.
"Things get a bit too much?" James asked.
"I guess so," Lily answered. "He seemed a bit overwhelmed after the tour. It's understandable."
James walked over to the back door and opened it. He could see Harry sitting on the grass, staring out in front of him. He walked over to him, sitting down on the cool grass next to him.
"Hey, mind if I join you?" James asked.
Harry shook his head. James sat down. He could see Harry was upset but he didn't ask him what was wrong, guessing the answer he would receive. Instead he started talking about other things.
"Did Lily show you around?" he asked.
"Yeah." Harry answered quietly.
"Did she show you the guest bedroom?"
Harry nodded, his eyes fixed to his own knees.
"Did she show you the far right wall of the guest bedroom, next to that awful looking porcelain statue?"
At this peculiar question, Harry looked up at him with a confused expression.
"What?" he asked.
"If you looked carefully, just behind the statue is a big dent in the wall." James beamed with pride. "I did that, when I was about your age."
Harry blinked at him in surprise.
"You dented the wall?" he asked.
"Yep," James smiled. "I was trying to make the room smaller, you know so I could make my room bigger and somehow I managed to mess up the spell and nearly blew a hole in the wall." He laughed at the memory. "My mum lost it completely when she saw what I did."
"Did you get in trouble?" Harry asked.
"Oh, Harry," James shook his head. "I was a marauder. That's what marauders do."
Harry smiled at him.
"I never knew you grew up in Godric's Hollow." He said.
James nodded, various childhood memories from his distant past came back to him.
"I loved it here," he admitted. "I moved out after I graduated from Hogwarts. When I married Lily, we bought a small two bedroom house. I wanted to make that into my own Godric's Hollow." The smile on his face faded. "But when we found out Voldemort was after Harry, we had to leave our house and go into hiding. We moved back here." James looked over at Harry. "You were only two weeks old when we brought you here. I found that I liked the idea of my son growing up in the same place as I did." He looked down at the ground, a look of pain flashed in his eyes. "But I guess it wasn't to be." He said quietly.
Harry looked away from his dad, opting to look out at the clear sky.
"You know what I kept thinking when mum was showing me around?" Harry asked.
James looked at him.
"What?" he asked.
"I kept wondering what this place looks like in my world." Harry turned his head to look at James. "I don't even know if it's still standing or not. I imagine it's in ruins."
James looked hurt at the thought. He ran a hand through his hair, sighing deeply, not wanting to imagine a burned down, deteriorating Godric's Hollow.
"I honestly don't know which dimension is worse." James said with a sigh. "In one, I die and leave you all alone and in the other, I live but without you for so long that when you do come back, I still don't really have you."
Harry saw the pain in his dad; he could almost hear the agony in his voice.
"Harry is glad to be back with you, dad. You have to believe that." he comforted.
James smiled weakly.
"Yeah, I know." he said quietly.
"He'll be glad to know he gets to leave and return to his world." Harry said, "Have you told him yet?"
James shook his head.
"No, not yet."
Harry was surprised; he thought they would've told Harry right away.
"When are you planning on telling him?" he asked.
"Tomorrow, probably." James answered.
Harry nodded quietly.
"Tomorrow, so that's when I go back." he said.
"Yeah, tomorrow is when you go back." James confirmed.
Harry looked around the garden, his eyes scanning the skies above.
"I was expecting to go back sometime today. I guess I have one more night." he said.
James shocked Harry by gently putting an arm around him, touching his shoulder.
"If I had it my way, you would stay here." James said honestly. "But as it is, it isn't up to me."
"I know, dad. I don't belong here. I understand." Harry smiled back.
James looked taken aback.
"Don't say that. Of course you belong here. Where else do you think you belong?" he asked.
"Back in my dimension where I don't have any family other than my magic hating aunt. And the world's darkest wizard after my blood." Harry said irritably. "At least now I understand now why he's after me. The prophecy says I'm the only one who can destroy him, that's why he wants to kill me. That's why I lost you and mum, why I lost everything."
James studied Harry for a moment before he spoke.
"I don't think you should bother about the prophecy." James started.
"What do you mean? Do you think that maybe there is no prophecy in my world?" Harry asked hopefully. "But then, why would Voldemort target me?"
"Harry, I don't; know if your world has a prophecy and if it does, if it is the same as the one here. But you shouldn't bother about the prophecy because it doesn't matter." James looked Harry straight in the eyes, holding the confused boy's gaze. "I don't care what the prophecy says; you don't have anything to do with the likes of Voldemort. Nothing links you to him, nothing at all, do you understand?"
Harry couldn't figure out what he was supposed to say to that. He shook his head, trying to get it around what his father was telling him.
"But, I don't understand. There is a prophecy and because of it Voldemort is after me."
"He may be after you, but it isn't your job to go after him." James explained. "If the prophecy in your world is similar to the one in this world, then you will be expected to go after Voldemort, to destroy him."
Harry couldn't help the feeling of despair that grew inside him at that thought.
"I want to destroy him," Harry started. "He took everything I had away from me. I want to fight against him, I always will but, I don't know how to fight him, how to…to destroy him."
James tightened his grip on Harry's shoulder.
"Listen to me Harry; it's not your job to defeat Voldemort. You have a life to live just like everyone else. The responsibility is not solely yours."
Harry looked at his dad's face, seeing the underlay of anger in his features.
"Do you not believe in the prophecy?" he asked.
"I did, at one point." He answered. "But even then, I never wanted my son to be carrying the weight of such a responsibility. There are plenty of others that can defeat Voldemort. My son isn't the only one. I want you to live your life, free from ridiculous expectations and pressures of fulfilling a destiny no one knows for sure is even yours."
Harry lowered his gaze, thinking over his dad's words. He nodded at him, making him smile once again.
"Now, I'm going to go and pick up Damien from Hogwarts. I want you to go inside and get washed up and dressed." James said, getting to his feet
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Harry asked, still seated on the grass.
"Your mum will freak out if you attend the party dressed like that." James said, gesturing to his faded jeans and hooded top.
"Party? What party?" Harry asked.
"The party that's happening in less than two hours." James said, walking back to the house. He turned to smile at Harry. "You didn't think you were going to go back to your world without having a leaving bash, did you?"
xxx
After quickly having some of the tea Lily had prepared, Harry was sent upstairs to take a shower and get ready for the party. He was still a bit dazed from the suddenness of it all but he complied with his mother's wishes.
He walked into his room, towel drying his hair, dressed only in a bathrobe. He saw the formal robes his mum had left out for him. Bottle green seemed to be a favourite colour of hers.
He picked up the robes and realised right away that there was something wrong with them. A soft knock on his door made him look towards the door. Lily opened the door and peeked inside.
"Hey" she greeted, walking inside after seeing Harry was decent.
"Hey," Harry answered and then held up the bottle green robes. "These aren't right." He said.
Lily smiled at him as she walked over.
"Why? What's wrong with them?" she asked.
"They're too small." Harry answered.
Lily pulled out her wand.
"Actually, they're just the right size for you." She said.
Harry opened his mouth but didn't get a chance to ask any further questions. Lily had already muttered a spell and Harry felt the odd chill run through him again and felt himself shrinking. He blinked up at her with his blurry eyesight, confused.
"We want to spend your last night with us properly, with the real you." Lily explained softly.
She handed him something small and he realised it was his glasses. He put them on and looked up at his mum, seeing her smile lovingly at him.
"Get dressed, honey." She said, gently touching his cheek.
She turned and left, leaving Harry smiling after her, in his two sized, too big bathrobe.
xxx
Harry stood before the mirror, dressed in his smart formal robes. He brushed his messy bangs, trying all sorts of things to make the stubborn locks sit right but all it did was make them look more ruffled. He gave up just as a knock on his door sounded and Damien walked inside.
"Hey, you're here." Harry greeted, eyeing the dark blue formal robes the boy wore.
"I arrived ages ago. Mum made a big deal about getting ready first and then hanging out with you." Damien said as he sat down on Harry's bed. He made no comment about Harry's changed appearance. "What do you think of Godric's Hollow?" he asked with a smile.
"It's cool," Harry answered.
"I can't believe they left me at Hogwarts." Damien pouted. "Mum and dad got themselves out of teaching for the day but they wouldn't pull me out with them! I was so bored. I couldn't wait for classes to end!"
"How did they manage to get out of teaching?" Harry asked, fixing his robes.
"Professor Dumbledore covered their classes for them." Damien answered. At Harry's shocked expression he explained. "He does that sometimes, he's covered nearly every subject at some point. The only one he hasn't is Divination."
Harry shook his head, fixing his collars. He could just about imagine the Headmaster in that stuffy, over-perfumed room sitting uncomfortably on a beanbag, peering at a crystal ball through his half moon glasses.
"Just as well." He muttered.
"Mum wants us to go down now." Damien said, standing up. He eyed Harry trying frantically to fix his hair. "It's a lost cause." He told him, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him to the door.
As Harry and Damien walked downstairs they could already hear the laughing voices of several people.
"Damy, who exactly is invited to this party?" he asked.
"You'll see." Damien answered, pushing him forward.
Feeling slightly nervous, Harry pushed open the door and walked inside. The sight wasn't one he had been expecting. Instead of a room filled with people, he found only a handful of familiar faces. Remus, Sirius and Arthur were dressed in formal robes as well as James. Lily was standing with Tonks and Molly. Ron, Hermione and Ginny were standing next to the tall figure of Dumbledore.
All of the room's occupants turned to see Harry walk inside with Damien and greeted them with warm smiles. Harry saw the surprised expressions of Tonks and Mrs Weasley and knew instantly it was due to his appearance. This was the first time they had seen him without the glamour charm.
Harry made his way in, smiling back at his friends. He approached his mum, gently taking her arm and pulling her to the side.
"Mum, what's going on?"
"What do you mean?" Lily asked.
"This party? I mean when dad said we were having a party, I thought it would consist of a lot more people, mostly ones I don't know." he added. "Are the guests late?" he asked.
Lily smiled and shook her head.
"Nope, this is it." she gestured to the room. "I guess it's less of a party and more of a gathering of close friends." She explained. "Your dad and I thought it would be best for you to spend tonight with those you know well."
Harry looked back at the small crowd, his eyes glancing over at the Headmaster.
"He sort of invited himself." Lily whispered, seeing Harry's gaze land on the white haired wizard.
Harry smiled as he turned back to look at his mum.
"Thank you." He said quietly.
"You're welcome." Lily whispered back.
Taking his arm, she led him towards the small group of people who were all waiting for him.
xxx
James heard the doorbell ring twice before he managed to answer it. He left his guests in the living room and hurried to answer the front door. He had no idea who was at the door, as everyone he had invited had already arrived.
He opened the door to face the least expected person.
"Draco?" James asked, noting the solemn expression on the pale face.
"Mr Potter," Draco greeted. "Sorry for coming unannounced, but I thought I should see you tonight."
James stepped aside to let the boy in. Draco cast a glance towards the living room at hearing the sounds of laughter and voices.
"We were sort of having a leaving party for Harry." James explained, feeling slightly guilty for not inviting the boy. "The compass is ready, Harry will be returning to his world tomorrow."
Draco's expression brightened a little at that.
"Oh, good." He said, his tone as emotionless as ever.
"I would have invited you but…" James started but Draco held up a hand to stop him.
"It's okay. I don't have any interest in attending his party." Draco said. Reaching into his robes he pulled out a small black box barely as big as his palm. "I only came to give you this." he said as he offered the box.
James took the box from him and lifted the lid to see what was inside. He was surprised to see a single corked vial resting inside, white mist swirling within it. He looked back up at Draco.
"What is this?" he asked.
"It's from my father," Draco said heavily. He looked up to meet James' surprised hazel eyes. "He's awake."
James looked back at the vial and knew what it was now. It was the memories he had asked from the elder Malfoy. The memories that Harry needed to make sense of his past. He placed the lid back on the box and with extra care, he pocketed the box.
"When did your father awake from his coma?" he asked.
"This afternoon," Draco said. "He and mother both woke up within an hour of each other. Father asked for me and when I went to see him, he told me to go to the Manor and find this box in his office. He was adamant that I pass it onto you as soon as possible." Draco shrugged a little. "I can't see what his hurry was but I did as he asked."
James nodded his head in understanding.
"Thank you, Draco." He said. "I will thank Lucius too in person." he said, more to himself.
Draco let out a bitter laugh.
"You'll have to go all the way to Azkaban for that." he said cynically. "He's already been transported to his cell."
James wasn't surprised. He had thought the Ministry was kind enough to allow the Death Eater time to recuperate in hospital. Usually, convicted Death Eaters were not given medical attention, unless otherwise instructed. It was enough that they waited for Lucius to wake from the coma, before he was taken to Azkaban. He felt the weight of the box sitting in his pocket though and a stir of pity washed through him. Not so much for Lucius but for the boy standing before him. It was clear to see how upset he was at losing his father again.
"Do you want to come in and have a drink?" he asked, gesturing to the living room.
Draco glanced over at the room and looked set to decline the offer.
"You can share one with Harry when he comes back tomorrow but how about one tonight with me?" James said.
Draco looked back over at the room and then started towards it.
"Sure, why not." He muttered.
James touched the box in his pocket for a moment before silently walking in after him.
xxx
When Harry woke up the next morning, he spent a good twenty minutes lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. He didn't even move to put on his glasses but continued to gaze at the blurry image of his bedroom ceiling. He would never wake up and see this ceiling again. Somehow that thought upset him more than he would have imagined.
It was only when the sound of footsteps coming up and down the stairs reached him that Harry pulled himself out of bed. He took his time going through his morning routine. When he was finally dressed, he stood before the mirror, staring at his own reflection. With a deep sigh he pulled his gaze away from himself and shook his head.
"Get a grip, Harry." he admonished. He should be prepared for this. He had to go back sometime.
Turning away, he moved towards the door and opened it and made his way downstairs, ready to leave this world and go back to his own.
When Harry walked into the kitchen, he was greeted by the sight of Lily yelling at Damien, who was pouting and arguing back.
"What's wrong with these?" Damien asked, gesturing to his robes.
"They are a disgrace!" Lily said, busy scrubbing the dishes in the sink. "Look at the hem, it's tattered and no son of mine is going to be seen in tattered clothes! Get upstairs and get changed, now."
"Mum, these are the third ones I've tried this morning. They're fine, really." Damien tried. "You're just getting too picky."
"Damy, upstairs, change, now!" Lily said, pointing a soapy finger at the door.
Damien grumbled something under his breath and moved to face the door. He spotted Harry and waved at him.
"Morning, eat breakfast quickly and let the changing of outfits begin." He mocked.
Before Harry could say anything, James came running behind him.
"Lily, where is my lucky snitch?" he asked, rather breathlessly.
"Why?" Lily asked, drying her hands and untying the apron around her waist.
"I need it." James answered.
"No you don't." Lily argued. "Stop collecting things to show off and get ready. We're leaving soon."
"But Lily honey, it's my lucky snitch, the one I nick…I mean borrowed after our big win against Ravenclaw in my fifth year! The boys would love to see it, again."
Lily sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"James, I say this with love, stop wasting time and get ready, now!"
James' argument was cut off by the sound of a loud pop and Ginny suddenly appeared in the middle of the kitchen.
"Morning!" she greeted cheerfully.
"Morning, dear," Lily answered and gave her outfit a quick glance over. "Yes, you look fine." She said happily.
Ginny smiled and ran a hand over her hair, flicking it over her shoulder. She looked over at the three men by the door.
"Why aren't you ready? We're leaving in ten minutes." She asked.
"Eight minutes." Lilly corrected, tidying up her kitchen as fast as she could. "Damy, go." She instructed. "Harry, honey, come and have your breakfast," she said, uncovering a plate of breakfast. Then looking at his robes she added. "Then go upstairs and change."
"Honestly, mum. There is no such outfit made exclusively when travelling to another dimension. The ones I'm wearing are fine." Damien argued.
At Lily's glare and pointed finger, Damien huffed and left, running up the stairs to get changed.
"Lily, my snitch?" James asked again.
"Wait, wait," Harry said, making Lily pause in her annoyed retort. "What is going on?" he looked at his mum carefully before he asked, "Are you…are all of you coming with me?"
Lily laughed and walked over to him.
"Of course we are." she said cupping his face lovingly in her hands.
"Did you think we were going to let you travel back by yourself?" James asked incredulously.
"Besides, we have to come with you. There's a certain sister I need to have a…talk with." Lily said, smirking.
"Lily, honey, I thought we had worked past your homicidal urges." James joked.
Lily raised an eyebrow at him but didn't say anything. She led Harry to the table and made him sit down.
"Eat." She ordered and then left the kitchen, with James trailing behind her, begging her for the whereabouts of his golden snitch.
Ginny joined Harry at the table, taking some bits of bacon from his plate.
"You're coming too?" Harry asked, still blind sighted at the fact he had his family with him for the trip.
"Yep," Ginny grinned. "I can't wait!" she said excitedly.
"And Mrs Weasley doesn't mind you taking a trip to another dimension?" Harry asked.
Ginny gave him a look.
"Harry, I'm seventeen. I can do what I want." After a pause she added. "And by that I mean, my mum doesn't know and thinks I'm spending the next two days with Hermione." She smiled at Harry's smirk. "Mum's neurotically over protective."
"Yeah, I know." Harry answered.
They heard footsteps approaching and Damien walked inside, wearing blue coloured robes.
"Alright, are these better?" he asked, walking inside. He glanced around the kitchen and then frowned. "Where did she go now?"
"They're looking for the golden snitch." Ginny replied.
"I hope she lets him take it with him," Damien said, walking over to share Harry's breakfast. "She's already confiscated the twenty things he had collected to take with him."
xxx
Sirius and Remus arrived shortly afterward Harry's breakfast, apparently coming to see them off.
"It's not fair!" Sirius pouted. "I wanted to come too."
"It's not safe for you." Lily said, handing Harry and Damien their outdoor cloaks.
"You're taking her," Sirius said, pointing at Ginny. "How come she gets to go and I don't?"
"Firstly, she's Harry's girlfriend," Damien explained. "And secondly, we're not taking her, she invited herself."
"And we're not going to un-invite her," James said. "Have you seen her Bat-Bogey Hex?" he gave a playful shiver.
"Excuse me, but like Damien said, I'm Harry's girlfriend and do you know how long it's been since I saw him? There is no way I'm staying back!" Ginny said.
"Well, I'm Harry's godfather! How come I don't get to go?" Sirius asked.
"You know what state your counterpart is in. He's on the run from the Ministry. You could end up in trouble." Lily said.
"Lils, trouble could be my middle name." Sirius replied proudly. "In fact, it damn well should be. How cool is that; Sirius Trouble! I think it goes pretty well." He smirked.
Harry and Damien chuckled at both Sirius' name and their mother's disapproving expression. Harry was going to miss this Sirius; he was so full of life.
"Have you called Harry yet?" Remus asked James.
"No," James said, quickly reaching into his robes to pull out the phone. "I'll just do it now." he said as he pressed the green call button.
"Loudspeaker, I want to hear what he says." Damien said smiling.
James complied with his youngest son's wishes. The phone clicked and a voice filled the room, but it wasn't Harry's.
"Hello?"
James looked back at Remus and Sirius, recognising the voice at once.
"Moony?" he asked.
"James?" Remus' voice echoed from the phone. "I was just about to call you!" he said excitedly.
"You were?" James asked. "Is everything okay?" he asked worriedly. Harry always had the phone with him, so why did Remus answer?
"Yes, everything is fine." Remus answered. "I'm at Hogwarts and I ran into Harry. I wanted to talk to you so Harry gave me his phone. I was just about to press the button when you called." Remus explained.
James relaxed at that. He took the phone off loudspeaker and turned to walk towards the window, to get some privacy to speak to the alternate form of his friend.
While James was on the phone, Lily approached Remus and whispered something to him. Remus smiled and pulled out a brown envelope from his robes and handed it to her.
"Thanks, Moony." Lily beamed. She looked over at Harry and gestured to him. "Harry, a quick word?"
Harry left with Lily, entering the kitchen again and leaving the rest in the living room. Lily handed the brown envelope to Harry wordlessly. Curious, Harry opened the sealed envelope and pulled out the contents. About two dozen photographs fell out of the envelope into Harry's hands. Stunned Harry looked through the magical moving photos, noting that all of them were from last night's party and he was in every one of them. He looked up to see Lily studying him closely.
"I had Tonks secretly take some pictures last night." she explained. "I figured you could add them to your album."
Harry didn't ask how she knew about his album. He found he didn't really care. He looked back at the photos, studying one that had him laughing with Damien, Ginny in the background having a drink with Ron and Hermione. The one after that one had him with James and Lily, James' hand resting on his shoulder. Harry had never noticed how fatherly that action was until he saw it in the photo.
"Thank you," he said, surprised at how quiet his own voice sounded to him. He looked up at his mum. "Thank you for this."
Lily moved and hugged him tightly.
"We love you, Harry, never forget that." she whispered.
"I won't." Harry promised.
Releasing Harry, Lily moved back to give him a watery smile.
"Come on, it's time." she said.
Harry held onto her hand, the photos envelope in his other. He let her lead him out. They entered the living room to see James had finished with the phone and was now standing with Damien and Ginny. The compass was in Damien's hand. James had Harry's trunk in his hands. Remus and Sirius were standing just behind them.
"Ready?" James asked quietly, looking at Harry.
His question brought everyone's attention to Harry. Harry tightened his grip on the brown envelope of photos. He smiled back at James.
"Yeah," he said. "I really am." He said, realising that it was the truth. He was ready to go back.
Lily and Harry walked over to join the trio and reached out to touch the compass.
"Did you tell Professor Lupin that we're coming?" Harry asked.
"No, I figured a surprise would be the best." James smirked. He turned to look at Damien. "Go for it, Damy." James said, excitement evident in his voice.
With a look at Harry, Damien reached over. Only when Harry smiled and nodded approvingly, did Damien twist the two rings, clicking them to the required settings. Harry watched as the compass came to life, the hands started moving in all directions. A soft golden glow shimmered through the compass, making the five tighten their grips. A golden light grew from the face of the compass and engulfed the five. James cast a look at his two friends, who were watching them with awed expressions. He smiled at them just before a golden flash blinded everyone.
Remus and Sirius rapidly blinked to clear their eyesight to see the empty room.
The compass had worked. The five were now in another dimension.
---
Canon World
Dinner was over and the students were making their way back lazily to their common rooms. Among them were Harry, Ron and Hermione.
"I can't believe the amount of homework we have." Ron grumbled. "It's like they don't want us to have a single moment to ourselves."
"You're in school, Ronald. You're supposed to do nothing but study." Hermione explained.
Ron pulled a face at her.
"Easy for you. You actually like being stuck behind books all day and night."
"Oh and I suppose if you could get all your grades by flying around all day chasing a stupid quaffle around, you wouldn't mind studying either!" Hermione returned.
"Exactly!" Ron said. "That is what school should be about. Am I right Harry?"
Harry gave Ron an apologetic grin.
"Sorry, mate. I'm with her on this one." He said, nodding his head at Hermione.
Ron sighed and shook his head, avoiding looking at Hermione's smug expression.
"I miss Harry," he whispered. "He always sides with me."
"Only on Quidditch related topics." Hermione corrected.
Ron leaned in to Harry, so the passing students couldn't eavesdrop.
"You think I could get the phone? I need to talk to him. It's important." he whispered.
"What's important?" Hermione asked, her eyes narrowed at the red haired boy.
"I need to complain about you!" Ron snapped.
"As suicidal as that is," Harry said, stopping Hermione from retorting, "I can't give you the phone. Remus has it."
"Professor Lupin?" Hermione asked, forgetting about fighting with Ron. "When did you meet him?"
"Just before dinner," Harry replied, climbing the last set of stairs. "He's over to speak to Dumbledore. He wanted to make a quick call."
The three Gryffindors climbed through the hole and entered the common room. Harry headed straight to his dorm room while Ron and Hermione sat down at their usual spots, digging out their textbooks, parchments and quills.
Harry reappeared moments later. He had changed out of his school robes and left his bag in his room. He headed towards the door, waving bye to Ron and Hermione. Once he had left, Hermione turned to face Ron.
"I wonder where he goes?" she whispered.
"You know what he can do," Ron whispered back, referring to the fact that Harry could apparate out of Hogwarts. "He could be going anywhere."
Hermione looked back at the portrait door, her brows furrowed in thought.
"I hope he's not up to something," she said. "You know, something bad."
Ron shrugged, already scribbling at his essay.
"It's Harry, what's the worst he can do?"
Hermione bit her lip as she glanced back at the door. Somehow, she knew if Harry came to his worst, things could end up really, really bad.
xxx
Harry glanced around the dark forest. Usually Neville was already here waiting for him but today Harry had arrived before him. Harry glanced up at the skies. From what little he could see through the thick forest trees, it was fast approaching dusk. He was on time, Neville was late.
After a few minutes, Harry heard the footsteps approaching in his direction. Turning around, he caught sight of the Gryffindor boy, slowly coming towards him.
"Finally! I thought you weren't coming." Harry said.
Neville smiled awkwardly at him and shuffled his way over.
"Sorry, got caught up." He muttered.
Harry narrowed his eyes at him. Something seemed amiss with him. He was usually very cheerful about going to his training.
"You okay?" Harry asked.
Neville glanced up at him and nodded tightly.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He said.
Harry didn't believe him but he decided not to push it. If Neville wanted to tell him what was on his mind, he could do so without having to be pushed.
"Okay, shall we go?" Harry asked.
Neville nodded and walked up to stand before him.
"Before I forget," Neville started. "I wanted to give you this." he pulled out a small bag from his robes, with a few orange and red coloured sweets. "Seamus got them delivered from his mum. I know you like fireballs so I saved these." He said quietly.
Harry took the bag and looked at the sweets. He wasn't very keen of sweets but he didn't want to say that to Neville. For all he knew, this world's Harry could be fond of these fireball sweets.
"Alright, thanks." Harry said, pocketing the bag.
Neville's gaze lingered on the spot Harry had pocketed the sweets. He cast a glance upwards at the skies. Harry followed his gaze, wondering what was wrong.
"Neville?" he said quietly to get his attention.
Neville looked back at Harry, his face twisted in an expression Harry had never witnessed before. Even in the dim light Harry recognised the look in his eyes; remorse.
"I'm sorry," Neville said, stepping backwards away from Harry. "I had no choice." He whispered.
Harry was about to ask what was wrong but he stopped when he saw the changes begin to show. Neville's brown hair seemed to lose its colour, his eyes began changing. He slowly started growing taller, his round face changing to a pale, pointed one.
The transformation had hardly begun when Harry realised what had happened. His hand darted to his inner robes pocket to pull out the small bag of sweets but it was too late. He felt the sharp pull at his navel as the portkey activated and took Harry with it.
Draco stood, dressed in Gryffindor robes, breathing heavily. His grey eyes were fixed on the spot Harry had been standing in only seconds ago. He looked back up at the skies, letting out his breath. He didn't dare let his mind fixate on what he had done. He kept telling himself he hadn't the choice. He had done what was asked of him.
Harry had been tricked and sent to Voldemort.
xxx
Harry fell face first on the ground, his breath knocked out of him. He coughed a few times to get his breath back. He looked around his surroundings to see he was alone in a dark corridor. He pushed himself to his feet, his eyes darting to all corners. He was alone.
Harry reached into his robes pocket and pulled out the portkey disguised as a bag of sweets. He pulled his hand back to throw them into a corner.
Only when he had pulled his hand back to throw the sweets did he see the addition on his wrist. Groaning, he held up his wrist to the limited light provided by the single flickering torch. Wrapped around his wrist was the fiery red band he hated so much. He looked over to his other wrist to find a matching one.
"Great! Just great!" he growled at the two bartra bracelets.
He held up the bag and studied it, noting that the red sweets had disappeared, leaving only the orange ones. He looked back at his red bartra bracelets and cursed, throwing the bag with force at the nearest wall. The bag smacked hard against the wall.
He pulled out his wand and started walking along the corridor. If he couldn't apparate from here because of the bartra bracelets, he was just going to have to find another way out.
xxx
The Portrait door swung open and a tired and disgruntled Neville climbed through. He headed straight towards Ron and Hermione and threw himself onto the nearest armchair.
"What happened to you?" Hermione asked, putting down her book and eyeing the soil stain on his cheek.
"Garbars" Neville groaned.
"I beg your pardon." Hermione said.
Neville sat up a little to look at Hermione.
"The Garbars the seventh years planted, they've all been destroyed." Neville explained.
"How do you know?" Ron asked, putting down his parchment.
"I've just spent the last three hours helping Professor Sprout in Greenhouse three. We tried saving them but it was too late. We only managed to save ten."
"Well, that's not bad." Hermione said, trying to comfort him.
"They had planted a hundred." Neville said morosely.
"Oh" Hermione said quietly.
"I can't believe someone could do such a thing." Neville said, shaking his head. "The Garbars can't survive in too much water. It is essential they aren't given more than five ml of purified water a week. Today, someone sneaked into the Greenhouse and poured buckets of water into each pot. They drowned them." Neville said, clearly upset.
"Oh, Neville, I'm sorry." Hermione said, looking just as upset.
"A prank is a prank, this…this was murder." Neville said.
Ron looked at Neville in surprise.
"Calm down, Neville. It's only a bunch of plants. You can replant them."
Neville turned to stare at Ron.
"You can't just replant them! Garbars are extremely rare. It's going to take months for the seeds to harvest again."
"You seem to know a lot about Garbars, Neville." Hermione said with approval. "You really are concentrating on Herbology. I hadn't even heard of them."
Neville's expression relaxed and a small blush spread down his cheeks.
"Well, I did an extracurricular assignment on Garbars and Professor Sprout said I had a natural understanding of them. That's why she let me help when they were being prepared for the seventh years." His face fell again. "I was there when they first sprouted."
Hermione patted his shoulder.
"It's okay, Neville. These things happen."
Neville shook his head but didn't say anything. After a few moments he looked around the common room, looking for someone.
"Have you seen Harry?" he asked. "I was supposed to meet up with him but I got held back because I was helping Professor Sprout. I tried looking for him but I couldn't find him anywhere."
"He left soon after having dinner," Ron offered. "No idea where he is, sorry."
Neville furrowed his brow.
"That's weird. He wasn't there when I checked." He muttered quietly.
"What was that?" Hermione asked.
"Nothing, nothing." Neville said quickly. "I'll just, um, take a walk, now."
"You might be better off taking a shower." Ron said, scrunching up his nose. "You stink, mate."
"Yeah, I'll do that. I'm just going to go and check, again." Neville mumbled and hurried to the door.
Hermione looked back at Ron as Neville climbed out the door.
"I didn't know Harry made plans with Neville." She said, surprised.
Ron shrugged.
"Me neither." He replied, not seemingly bothered.
Hermione picked up her book again but couldn't focus on it. She kept on thinking about how much Harry seemed to be bothered by Neville and now both boys were meeting up so they could hang out.
She shook her head; Harry was a real mystery at times. She went back to her reading, casting all thoughts of Harry out for the time being.
xxx
It didn't take long for Harry to run into the Death Eaters. As soon as the long darkened corridor came to an end, Harry found a group of ten masked man waiting for him. Very soon, nine of those ten men were found on the ground, either dead or knocked unconscious. The tenth man was fighting Harry's grip to breathe.
"Take these off!" Harry instructed, gesturing to the fiery red bracelets.
"I…I…c-can't!" the man choked out, clawing at Harry's arm which was pressed up against his throat.
"Then tell me who can!" Harry said, applying more pressure against the man's windpipe.
The Death Eater made a strangling noise of pain but couldn't speak.
"Maybe I could help." A silky voice called out.
Harry looked up and saw the blond haired man walk slowly towards him. His wand was held in one gloved hand.
Harry let go of the Death Eater, letting the man fall to the ground. He stepped over the Death Eater who was busy gulping in as much air as he could.
"I'm glad you could join us," Lucius went on. His eyes scanned the floor and took in the bodies of the ten men. "I see you don't approve of our hospitality."
Harry smirked at him.
"It must have something to do with being kidnapped. It really tries my patience."
Lucius smiled back at Harry.
"Well, Mr Potter, you will have to accept my apologies, because your patience will have a lot to handle today."
The spell came at Harry in an instant. Harry blocked it with his shield before sending one of his own. Lucius jumped out of the way, narrowly missing the jet of light. Lucius tried again but his body binding spell bounced off Harry's shield and hit one of the Death Eaters on the ground.
"Come on, Malfoy. You can do more than that!" Harry teased as he sent his own spell at him. "You can't bring me down with a binding spell! You have to do more damage than that to get me."
"On the contrary, Mr Potter. We wish to do you no damage." Lucius said.
"Really? What is it you want then?" Harry said, sending three fireballs at Lucius.
Lucius shielded himself against them before smiling at Harry.
"Why, a simple reunion is all we're after." He said.
Harry scoffed at him.
"You'll have to try better than that!" he growled.
Suddenly a jet of red light came from behind Harry and hit his hand, forcing his wand to fall. Harry gripped at his hand as pain shot through it.
"Actually, Harry, Lucius is telling the truth." A cold voice echoed around him.
Harry turned around to face the speaker, a snarl on his face. His expression changed however when he saw who was standing before him. It was of course Voldemort, Harry could recognise his voice anywhere but it was the appearance of the dark wizard that choked the breath from Harry.
Standing before Harry, dressed in his usual dark robes stood Lord Voldemort. But the face that was smiling at Harry wasn't the one that resembled a snake with slits for nostrils. It was the handsome face Harry had grown up seeing every day. The dark haired man standing before him looked like the Lord Voldemort belonging to Harry's true world, he resembled that man he called father for sixteen years.
Harry took a staggering step backwards. His wide green eyes were fixed on Voldemort who was enjoying every moment of Harry's stunned surprise.
"I was hoping for a little meeting, that's why I asked Lucius and Draco to set all this up." Voldemort continued, walking a few steps towards Harry.
The smirk on his face snapped Harry out of his horrified daze. He glared at the man hatefully.
"What do you think you're doing?!" he spat.
"Now, Harry. You know better than that to speak to your father like that." Voldemort teased, still smirking.
"Stop it!" Harry yelled, his fists curled into tight balls. "You're not him. A glamour charm can make you look like him, not become him." he hissed in anger.
Voldemort laughed his high cold laugh.
"I have no intentions of becoming him." Voldemort stated. "He was a fool; he allowed his own destruction by caring for you." He shook his head. "If he had accepted that he could trust no one but himself, he would never have been deceived by you."
The words stung Harry, especially since the person saying them looked so much like his father. He shook his head, shaking away the hurt.
"Aww, poor baby. You're hurting his feelings, master." A voice cooed with mockery.
Harry looked up to see Bella walk from behind Voldemort. Again, the difference in her appearance took him by surprise. She looked like the Bella that he had lost in his world. The toll Azkaban had taken on her was hidden behind a glamour charm, making her look like the beautiful woman she once was.
Bella cocked her head to the side and studied Harry.
"I think he may cry." she mocked as she walked over to Harry. "I would love to see you cry, maybe at the end, you will give me my wish." She whispered, coming to rest before him.
Harry didn't speak. For a moment he did nothing but stare at the face of the woman he loved just as much as he hated her. In one sudden move, Harry threw out his hand and wrapped his fingers around Bella's throat. His other hand pulled out the second wand he kept hidden in the back of his trousers. He pulled Bella in front of him, using her as a shield, the tip of his wand pressed against her temple.
He moved so his back was facing the wall, so he could see both Voldemort and Lucius.
"Enough of this!" he hissed "Take these off, now!" he said, gesturing to the bartra bracelets.
Bella struggled against Harry's grip but couldn't get free.
Lucius had his wand pointed at Harry and looked worriedly at Bella. Voldemort however hadn't moved from his spot. His red eyes sparkled as a smirk spread on his lips.
"Go ahead," he said to Harry. "Kill her."
Harry pulled at Bella, making her gasp in pain.
"I'll do it!" Harry hissed, pressing the wand harder into her skin.
"I know you will." Voldemort said. "After all, you did it in your world, why not here?"
Harry's grip slackened, just a little bit. Again, Voldemort's taunts hit him where it hurt the most. Harry could see that Voldemort knew he couldn't kill Bella. He knew it and that's why he was using it against him. But even so, Harry couldn't make himself hurt Bella, not even to prove Voldemort wrong.
Without warning, Harry pushed Bella away from himself. He turned his wand to the spot just above Lucius. The jet of light hit the ceiling above him resulting in crumbling plaster raining down.
The blond Death Eater jumped out of the way. Harry darted towards the cleared pathway and disappeared around the corner.
Lucius and Bella both made to go after him but Voldemort stopped them.
"He can't leave the Manor, not while wearing the bracelets." He said. "Let him run, it'll tire him out." He smirked.
xxx
Remus sat before Dumbledore in his office, discussing the latest happenings of the investigation against Dumbledore.
"Are you certain the school board members will support you?" Remus asked worriedly.
"I think they will make their decision based not only on the hellhound incident." Dumbledore answered. "I have another meeting with them to attend tomorrow."
Remus shook his head.
"I can't believe how much trouble this has caused."
Dumbledore sipped at his tea, quiet for a moment.
"How has Harry been with you?" he asked, placing his cup down.
"He's been fine. I haven't had much of a chance to talk to him. I only met him briefly today." Remus said.
"Has he spoken much about himself? About his own world?" Dumbledore asked.
"Not really," Remus answered. "Like I said, we've not had much time to talk." He looked at Dumbledore carefully. "Why?"
Dumbledore picked up his cup and continued to sip at his tea.
"I was merely curious if he has opened up with anyone."
Remus watched the Headmaster closely.
"You think he's hiding something?" he asked.
"I have my suspicions," the headmaster answered. "But then we all do."
Remus' response was cut off by the sound of a loud knock. The door to his office opened and McGonagall walked inside.
"Minerva," Dumbledore greeted. "What can I do for you?"
"You can explain to her that we're not impostors." came a voice from behind her.
Dumbledore and Remus strained to look behind her, even the Transfiguration Professor turned around with an exasperated expression.
"I asked you to wait." She admonished.
James walked from behind her, followed by Lily, Ginny, Damien and a smiling Harry.
"I've always been impatient," James said smiling. He looked over at the shocked looking Remus and Dumbledore. "Isn't that right, Moony?"
Remus couldn't talk. His surprise filled eyes darted from James to Lily, to the seventeen year old Ginny to Damien. It was when he saw Harry that he let out a choked sound. He looked back at James and Lily, his two friends he had lost fourteen years ago.
Before he could say anything, Dumbledore had walked past him and came to rest in front of the new arrivals.
"I have done the necessary checks, Headmaster." McGonagall said from beside him. "The identity spells have all come back positive."
"And yet, she still doesn't believe us." Damien whispered to Harry.
"I'm sure you understand." Dumbledore said as he pulled out his wand.
"Of course we do." Lily said, elbowing James into staying quiet.
Dumbledore ran his wand down James first and then proceeded with the rest of them. He was silent the entire time. He came to Harry last and had barely pointed his wand at Harry when he pulled it back. He smiled warmly at Harry.
"Welcome back, Harry." he greeted.
That was all that was needed for Remus, who went straight for James, embracing his friend fiercely. He turned to hug Lily next, voicing his shock under his breath. James and Lily laughed as they hugged him back. Remus almost forgot Harry in his shock. He hugged the boy with great affection, ruffling his hair. He looked at Damien and extended a hand.
"You must be Damien." he said.
Damien shook Remus' hand, grinning at the bizarreness of the situation.
"I can't believe this, you're here." Remus gushed, turning back to James after meeting Ginny. "I just spoke to you, why didn't you say you were coming?" he asked.
"What? And miss this look of utter bewilderment? No way." James laughed. "I wanted it to be a surprise." He explained.
"I think it would be best if our guests are taken to the Headquarters." Dumbledore said to Remus. "There is much to discuss but I'm afraid here may not be suitable." He said apologetically to James and Lily. He turned to face McGonagall. "Is anyone else aware of our guests' arrival?"
McGonagall shook her head.
"No," she confirmed. "No one else knows."
Dumbledore understood she meant Umbridge.
"Excellent," he said. Turning back to face James and Lily, he smiled warmly at them. "I cannot tell you how good it is to see you both again." He said. "We will talk soon. For now it is best if you go with Remus to the Headquarters."
A slip of paper appeared in his hand which he handed to James.
"Just a minute, Dumbledore." James said, holding onto the paper. "Before we go I wanted to have a quick word with Harry." he looked at Dumbledore with a smile, barely concealing the excitement he was feeling at seeing his son again. "Where is he?" he asked.
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Harry hit the wall with such force it was a miracle he didn't break any bones. He fell to the floor, groaning in pain.
"Aww, come on," Bella sang in a sing-song voice. "Stop fighting back. You'll get tired and cranky and then mummy will get angry."
Harry threw out his hand, sending Bella crashing backwards. She was up on her feet moments later.
"Bad boy!" she teased, sending another crucio at him.
Harry avoided the Unforgivable and clambered back to his feet. He was exhausted. No matter what he did or where he ran to, he couldn't find a way out of the Manor. He was lost in the maze like castle. Bella and Lucius were leisurely trailing him, catching him with curses.
Harry hurled another curse at Bella, forcing her to move out of the way. Harry ran in the opposite way, trying to figure out if he was going deeper into the maze like manor or if he was heading towards the exit.
He still had the two bartra bracelets encircling his wrists and as of yet, Harry had no clue how to get them off. He knew he wouldn't be able to leave until he got rid of them. He figured he would deal with that once he found his way out.
He had just turned the corner when two curses came blasting towards him. Both of them hit him in the chest and Harry was sent smashing straight into the double doors behind him. The door crashed open and Harry fell onto the marble floors.
Breathing heavily, Harry picked himself up, feeling a shooting pain in his leg. He stood up, ready to fight Bella and Lucius. It was then he noticed the man sitting comfortably in the high back chair, an amused expression on his face.
"Really, Harry. Do you have to make this so difficult?" Voldemort asked.
Harry looked behind him to the doors to see Bella and Lucius standing guarding them. He looked back at Voldemort.
"What do you want?" Harry spat at him, his voice breathless.
Voldemort stood up from his seat, walking over to Harry.
"The same thing I wanted from you when you first stepped foot in this Manor." He said. "You made a deal with me and then you went back on it. I don't like it when people do that." he said, his red eyes blazing at Harry. "I want that prophecy and you are going to get it for me."
Harry sneered at him.
"Is that it?" he asked. "The prophecy is why you and Bella are playing dress up?" he asked acidly. "What did you think, you apply glamour to look like the Voldemort of my world and then tell me to do something and I'll do it?" he scoffed. "Not a chance."
Voldemort smiled deeply.
"Ah, Harry. Your skills of deduction are abysmal." He said. "But don't worry, you will learn, if time permits of course." He added to himself.
Harry caught it, the slight flicker of Voldemort's finger but before he could do anything, his two inner circle Death Eaters had acted.
A twisting pain caught Harry, starting at both wrists and travelling up his arms and into his chest. The pain was to such an extent Harry forgot to breathe. His vision blurred and the next thing he knew, he was on the ground. The pain stopped, leaving Harry panting for breath.
Bella and Lucius stood on either side, wands pointed at his wrists; ready to activate the bracelets again if their master commanded it. Harry glared up at him.
"You can do what you like; I'm not doing anything for you!" Harry challenged angrily.
Voldemort leaned down, smirking at Harry.
"That's just the thing, Harry. You will do as I wish and you will do it not because you have to but because you want to."
Voldemort stood up straight, enjoying the look of confusion on Harry. He began his curse, his wand aimed at Harry's head.
Harry's eyes widened with panic as he recognised part of the spell.
"No! No, No!" Harry yelled.
He tried to get to his feet but fell back as Bella and Lucius activated the bracelets again. They kept Harry pinned to the spot by the excruciating pain of the bartra bracelets while Voldemort continued with his curse.
Harry's pain filled cries made no difference to Bella or Lucius. They kept the bracelets activated until Voldemort held up his hand, signalling them to stop. Both Death Eaters stepped back, leaving Harry curled up in the ground. His pain filled yells had stopped the moment they moved away from him.
Voldemort ended his curse and a jet of white light hit Harry, momentarily illuminating his whole form. The light diminished seconds later, leaving the chamber dark once again. Voldemort slowly kneeled next to Harry's unmoving form. Bella and Lucius watched silently, not daring to make the smallest of sounds.
Harry stirred, lifting his head slowly from the ground. He sat up using his trembling arms. He looked up around him and then at Voldemort, his green eyes unfocused. He blinked a few times before lifting a hand to his head.
"Harry," Voldemort started, his voice quiet. "How are you feeling?"
Harry looked back up at him dazedly.
"Disorientated" Harry answered.
Voldemort glanced at his two Death Eaters, who had now concealed their wands behind their backs, waiting to see if their plan had worked.
"Are you in pain?" Voldemort asked.
Harry shook his head.
"I'm fine," he answered, then smiled at Voldemort, "father."
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He's baaaack! Okay, so now the Dark Prince returns for real! Just as James and co have arrived to take him back. What happens next? Review and you'll find out :)