For a moment, time stood still. Molly Weasley was frozen in the doorway, Lupin was slumped against the wall, and Harry braced himself against his sister's weight.
Then Lupin spoke. "Good evening, Molly," he said quietly. "Can we come in?"
Maybe that was the last straw. Molly gave a small cry and quickly backed away from the door. "Arthur!" she screamed. "Arthur, come here how!"
Instantly, chaos erupted in the other room. Harry could hear voices shouting and calling. Then he could hear Mr. Weasley's voice over the ruckus. "Stay here! I said, stay here!"
"But Dad…"
"NO!"
A second later, a rumpled man appeared in the hallway. "What is it, Molly?" he began, running toward her, his wand out, but then he too froze in his tracks. "Holy Mother of Merlin," he said softly.
Mrs. Weasley finally woke from her trance. "Harry… Remus…is it you? Good gracious…it can't be. But I see you right there…come in, we can sort things out inside…come in, come in. You look half dead. Who's the girl? What happened to her? Where were you? What happened to you…?"
"Molly," Mr. Weasley said sharply, and she fell silent. He stepped forward, his wand still out. "Remus, what did we talk about on that night two summers ago in early June when we were on guard duty?"
Lupin looked about to faint, but he managed a small smile. "How Muggles got to the moon."
In the background, Harry saw the eldest Weasley appear in the hall, his wand out. One glimpse of the visitors on the doorstep, and Bill's face wore an expression of shock as well.
Arthur turned carefully to Harry. "At the beginning of your third year, I pulled you aside before you boarded the train. What did I make you promise?"
Harry swallowed. "You made me swear that I wouldn't go looking for Sirius Black," he said carefully.
Charlie had joined Bill, looking bewildered and confused. They were both lingering in the background
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley exchanged looks. Then Mrs. Weasley burst into tears. "It's you…it's really you! Where have you been?"
Lupin's knees gave way, and Mrs. Weasley gasped. Mr. Weasley darted forward and was able to catch the werewolf before he hit the ground.
Harry felt as if his grip on Leila was loosening. "Help…" he managed, and a moment later, Bill was there, relieving him of his burden.
"Do you need a hand?" Charlie asked quietly, and Harry shook his head. Without Leila's weight, he could walk by himself. For a little ways, anyway.
The odd procession made their way down the hall. The warmth of the house surrounded Harry like a blanket. Just a few more steps… Just a few more feet until he reached the living room. Then he could rest.
Mr. Weasley and Lupin reached the living room and disappeared through the door. Bill and Leila were next, and Harry and Charlie, last.
He vaguely heard gasps and whispers.
"Oh my god."
"Harry! Merlin's Beard…"
"And Professor Lupin!"
Then Charlie was pushing him into a chair. Harry leaned back, trying to stop the room from spinning, trying to regain his awareness.
Finally his vision focused. Bill had laid Leila onto the couch, and Mrs. Weasley was fretting over her, wand out. Standing across from him were the two people he'd thought he'd never see again.
Ron's face was white as a sheet; every freckle was visible, and for once in his lifetime, he was speechless. Hermione had both hands clasped over her mouth. "Oh my god," she whispered again, meeting Harry's eyes.
Harry looked away, scanning the room for the other person he was concerned about.
Fred and George were hovering in the background, watching the whole scene with wide eyes. Fleur was sitting stiffly on the armchair next to the fireplace, twisting a strand of hair anxiously. Another older girl Harry didn't recognize was standing next to a wall, shifting uneasily from one foot to another.
He finally found the person he was looking for. Ginny was in the farthest corner, frozen still, her mouth slightly open. Her face was even paler than Ron's, and her brown eyes darted back and forth nervously.
Harry couldn't look away. She was more beautiful than he remembered. Reversing the Aperio had been worth it, just to see her here—with her family and in good health—once again. The picture of the dirty, thin, broken Ginny huddled in the cell in Azkaban was forever engraved in his mind.
Ginny met his gaze. She looked confused and shocked, and maybe a little angry. Harry stared back, trying to convey messages. I'm sorry. I didn't leave you all here on purpose. Nothing is what it looks.
"Harry," Mr. Weasley said sharply, and Harry's attention was drawn back to the couch. Mrs. Weasley was still leaning over his sister, murmuring a diagnostic spell. Lupin was collapsed, half unconscious, in the nearby armchair.
"What happened to her?" Mrs. Weasley suddenly said, turning on him. "What could have happened to make her like this? Who is she, Harry? Why is she unconscious? Did you get into a Death Eater fight? Is it a new spell we haven't heard about yet? Did you…is she…" The woman trailed off and suddenly turned red. "Harry, is she pregnant?"
The last question jerked Harry out of his reverie. "No!" he exclaimed, horrified. "No, no, no!"
In the background, Ginny was inching forward, cautiously drawing closer to the little group huddled around Leila.
Mr. Weasley's gaze was steely. "Then who is she, Harry?"
Harry gulped. He looked around the room, but every eye was fixed on him. He glanced helplessly at Lupin, but one look at his former Defense teacher and he realized that Lupin would be of no help now.
Harry looked back at Mr. Weasley. "She's my sister."
There was a long silence that felt much longer than it actually was.
Then the room exploded.
"No!"
"How is that possible?"
"Harry, don't lie! Is…is she really?'
"Wicked!"
Harry was sure the last statement had come from the twins, but there was only one person he really cared about right now. A glance at Ginny, and his fears were relieved. Her shoulders had relaxed, and she was inching toward him now with determination etched on her face.
Two more steps, and she had thrown her arms around him.
"Umph. Ouch."
Ginny released him, her face quickly reddening. "Oh god, Harry did that hurt? I'm so sorry!"
Harry grinned stupidly up at here. "Not a bit."
"You prat!" she said, but he could see tears in her eyes.
Suddenly the ice was broken. A moment later, Hermione was hugging the wind out of him, and Ron was pounding his shoulder.
"Harry Potter, I can't believe you just disappeared like that!" Hermione said reproachfully, but nevertheless, she hugged him again.
"It's so good to see you, mate!" Ron exclaimed.
"How'd you get a sister like that?" Fred demanded.
"Did you trade in someone else for her?" George asked.
"Cause if there's a sibling-trade program around here, we want to know," Fred continued.
"Yeah, we'd trade in Ron for a hot chick like her," George said, eying Harry's sister.
"George!" Hermione said, slapping the offending twin.
Harry pushed them all away. "Mrs. Weasley, is she OK?"
The woman turned around, her face lined with worry. "You have a lot of explaining to do, young man. If this really is your sister, she's quite a lucky young lady. From the condition she'd in, she should be dead, but something is keeping her alive…I don't know what…" She trailed off, confusion etched across her face.
Harry shifted uncomfortably. What if the spell the other Hermione had performed was dark and illegal? Would he and Leila be in trouble when everyone found out that her life source was the Boy-Who-Lived?
"I need to get Madame Pomphery," Mrs. Weasley was saying, looking worriedly at Leila, then over at Lupin.
"No!" Harry said quickly. "I mean, we need to keep it a secret as much as possible that we've returned," he explained. "No one can find out that we're here. Not with the Death Eaters and Aurors both looking for us."
Mrs. Weasley looked skeptical, but she just bit her lip and turned back to her patients. Finally content that Leila wasn't going to die on her, she turned her attention to the barely conscious werewolf.
A simple diagnostic spell, and Mrs. Weasley gasped.
"What happened, Harry? Look at this!"
Harry rose from the chair and joined her.
"Look at the red marks. Those show recent trauma to various parts of the body."
There were red marks all over Lupin's chest, back, and arms. The thin red lines were tinted with purple, and looked rather like a grossly disfigured spider web.
"But that's impossible," Mrs. Weasley said faintly, pushing up one of Lupin's sleeves and examining his arm. "His skin is unbroken. There aren't even faint scars. The brightness of the red shows that these injuries were recent, but I see no signs…Harry, what happened?"
"We were captured by Death Eaters and held for three weeks," Harry said quietly.
Hermione and Mrs. Weasley gasped. Ginny stepped closer and wrapped her hand around his. Ron muttered some words that Harry was sure Mrs. Weasley would have not permitted in her house, had not the situation been so intense.
"But…but our spy told us nothing of your capture," Bill said, scratching his head bewilderedly. "The news was that the Death Eaters were still looking for you and…"
He trailed off.
"And Snape," Mr. Weasley finished, his face paling. "Of course we didn't connect the two disappearances, since we didn't learn of Snape's vanishing for months afterward…"
"But they were connected, weren't they?" Hermione broke in. "You, Snape, Lupin…"
"Voldemort didn't know about Lupin, did he?" Harry asked.
Mr. Weasley shook his head. "We kept that our most guarded secret. For all we knew, Lupin had grabbed you and fled to Australia."
"But that's not what happened," Bill said excitedly. "Three people, vanishing on the same night…"
"At the same time," Hermione put in, her face screwed up in concentration.
"Is Snape back?" Ron interrupted. "Cause if he is, I want to kill him myself!"
Five people hushed him at the same time.
Bill and Hermione met eyes. "Three people," Hermione breathed. "Three people…"
"On the same night," Bill said, still looking at her.
"An Aperio?"
Bill nodded. "An Aperio."
"But one hasn't taken place for hundreds of years. Why now? Why them?"
Mrs. Weasley crossed her arms. "Will you please tell me what you're talking about? Good heavens…"
They ignored her, but Harry was shaking his head as well. "How did you know?" he asked them quietly. "How could you know… It took Lupin several days to figure out why we'd suddenly ended up in a world where…" Harry swallowed. "Where…"
Hermione smiled faintly. "Harry, do you honestly think we sat around like ducks in a pond while you were gone? The Order's been looking for you and Remus, nonstop since June. The Death Eaters have been tearing apart every accessible Light wizarding home in Britain. The Ministry has offered a million Galleon reward for information leading to your capture."
"But I still don't see…"
"Harry, listen to me. As soon as you vanished, I pulled out every book I thought might remotely have a chance of having information about where you'd disappeared to. I've been looking for the answer for six months. I would have known it was an Aperio by now, except that we thought only you and Lupin had vanished. I didn't know that Professor Snape was gone as well… Not until recently did our new spy bring us that piece of information. And of course we thought he'd bailed out and fled the country. Spying for Voldemort for years can really shorten one's lifespan. I had no idea that he'd disappeared the exact same day as you and Professor Lupin… If I'd known…"
"And I studied Aperios in my post-graduate studies in the University of Egypt," Bill said simply. "We had several courses in ancient and rare phenomena of magic."
Mrs. Weasley threw up her hands. "Hang on. Stop just one second. You're trying to make me believe that you three just disappeared and ended up in some other world? What's that supposed to mean? What have you been doing for six months, having picnics?"
Harry suddenly felt very tired. They wouldn't understand…how could they? How would he ever be able to tell them what had happened in the other reality? Would they even believe him? Apparently the scars were still present, though not visible from the outside. At least that would provide some evidence. And then there was Leila.
Had he made a mistake in bringing her back here?
And how was he ever to defeat Voldemort here? He knew where the Horcruxes were, but what if the same scenario was repeated in this world?
What if all his friends and family ended up getting murdered—again?
Suddenly a sharp pain shot again through his forehead, and Harry hissed. Another, much more intense pain came a second later, and Harry stumbled back, blindly feeling for the chair. He found it, and sank into it, just as the third, burning pain filled his head and he fell back into darkness.
He was standing in a room, a long, black wand in his hand. The doors were thrown open, and a man stumbled in. A man with long, greasy hair. A man wearing black, dirty robes, and a humbled look on his sharp face.
"Severus, you have betrayed me. How dare you show your face in my presence again?"
"Forgive me, my lord, it was not my choice to be gone," Snape said, bowing deeply. His hands were trembling, but his face remained impassive.
Harry paused. "How was that so?" he inquired, feeling a strange, unnatural desire to know.
"An Aperio, my lord."
"An Aperio? Do not lie to me, Severus! You know the consequences."
"I swear upon my noble mother's grave, it is true, my lord. Every word I speak is the truth."
"Crucio," Harry said coldly, and the man fell to the floor, writhing in agony, but making not a sound. Harry held the curse for several minutes, then released the Potions Master.
"Thank you, my lord," Snape gasped, rolling over into the kneeling position once again.
"I demand to know everything about the Aperio," Harry commanded.
"And I shall tell you all, my lord. The werewolf, the Potter brat, and I were all pulled into the unfortunate other reality on the first day of summer."
"And what was the deciding wish?"
Snape hung his head. "I am ashamed, my lord. I am weak and should be punished. I am not worthy to be your servant."
Harry waved this aside impatiently. "Just tell me the central binding wish, Severus!"
"I wished that Lily Evans was alive once again," Snape said. "But it was in a moment of weakness. In the other reality, she and her blasted Gryffindor husband Potter were as unbearable as ever, and I wished that I could once again be rid of them. For in the fulfillment of my heart's desire also came the fulfillment of my worst nightmare."
"She and Potter were still married and assumingly in love," Harry finished for him.
"Yes, my lord," Snape said, head bowed. "You may punish me if you choose."
Harry gave him another dose of the Crucio curse, but pulled it off quickly, trying not to seem too curious about the other reality.
"So why did you return?"
Snape was breathing heavily, but he bowed. "My lord, the other reality was…most horrible… Potter…he defeated you with the help of Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel."
Harry felt his face paling at Nicholas Flamel's name. But another part of him—the part of him that was watching the strange scene from high above—was astounded at Snape's lies. Was his former professor trying to get himself killed? Why was he telling Voldemort lies?
"Your most faithful followers fought to the death. It was only by sheer cunning that I was able to convince the Potter brat that I was on his side and that it was in his best interest to return to this world. He is cocky and confident that now that he is back, he can defeat you easily."
A sneer tugged at the edges of Harry's mouth. "You are a sly one, Severus Snape. But are you telling me the truth?"
A quick step forward, and he had yanked the man's chin up and delved into his mind. A stream of pictures and images flashed before Harry, but he could see that they all supported the story Severus had told him. Finally he withdrew his mind and nodded. "You have served me well, Severus."
Snape kept his head down. "I did it for you, my lord. I knew you would never be content unless you could finish off the brat yourself. And I had to leave that horrible world. My only wish is to serve you."
Harry regarded him coldly. "How did that prattling old bastard and the six hundred-year-old codger possibly defeat me?"
Snape glanced anxiously from side to side, making sure there was no one else in the room before he leaned in and said, "You had no Horcruxes in that world."
Harry reeled back. "How did you discover about the Horcruxes?"
Snape bowed again. "My lord, whatever impression I have given you, the fact is that I am not as unintelligent as some as your followers."
"And why did I not make myself Horcruxes?"
"You had the Philosopher's Stone, my lord. But the stone became your downfall, because the bastard Flamel had imbedded in its core enchantments that would bring the owner to the stone in the direst of situations. He bypassed all your protective enchantments and planted a false stone in its place. Then he waited until the effects of the Elixir of Life had worn off and attacked with Dumbledore and Potter."
Harry nodded, his eyes narrowed. Snape was being bold, but Harry liked bold. Bold, and ruthless, and sly, and cunning…
No! That's Voldemort, not me! How do I get out?
"Form a shield in your mind," Snape had said.
"Your secret is safe with me," the Potions Master said now, but Harry wasn't listening to him anymore. The scene was fading in and out as Harry desperately tried to detach himself from Voldemort's mind. It was like trying to make a stubborn horse move, though. Harry was fighting desperately to block out the scene before him.
Snape bowed, and Harry vaguely realized that he—no, Voldemort—had dismissed him.
He was trapped between Voldemort's mind and his own. But suddenly, Harry felt the pain again—the pain in his scar—and he welcomed it. Instead of trying to block the pain, he let him engulf him, let him pull him farther away from Voldemort and back into his own mind.
A shield. A shield in my mind.
Harry gritted his teeth and imagined a brick wall blocking himself from Voldemort. No, not brick. A stone wall. Like the walls at Hogwarts—strong enough to keep almost any foe out.
His wall had to be even stronger. Strong enough to keep the most accomplished Legilimens of all times out—Voldemort himself.
I can do this, Harry thought, and with one final push, he felt a flash of red hot searing in his scar as Voldemort was thrown out of his mind.
Harry slowly opened his eyes, and found that Hermione, Fleur, and all eight Weasleys were gathered around him, all wearing worried expressions.
"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione whispered. Harry was vaguely aware of Ginny's hand in his.
Mrs. Weasley silently handed him a glass of water, which he gulped down. It cooled his throat and refreshed him.
"Did you have another vision?" Hermione said.
Harry nodded. "It was Voldemort," he told them tiredly, pushing himself upright in the chair. "Snape returned to Voldemort, and he welcomed him back into his ranks…" Harry trailed off. Why had Snape told Voldemort all those lies about the other reality? It didn't make sense. The founding wish of the Aperio had been that both Lily and James Potter would be alive again… Maybe Voldemort knew that Snape had liked Lily in his years at Hogwarts. Maybe in Voldemort's mind, wishing that James Potter was alive once again was an unpardonable sin, and that was why Snape had changed the information.
But then why had Snape completely rewritten the account of the Aperio world? Would Voldemort really believe that for Lily Potter to have survived in that world he himself would have had to choose the Philosopher's Stone as his route to immortality instead of Horcruxes? It was quite a stretch.
"Snape?! The slimy, greasy, no good traitor…" Ron began.
"Honestly, Ronald, can't you keep your mouth shut for two seconds?" Hermione snapped.
Ron turned red, but to Harry's surprise, instead of snapping back, he kept quiet.
Hermione blushed. "I'm sorry, Ron," she said softly. "I didn't mean it."
Ron's face immediately relaxed, and they exchanged a meaningful look.
Obviously, a lot has happened since I've been gone. Harry would have loved to ponder the new developments between his best friends, but too much was going on right now.
"Snape?" Mr. Weasley said doubtfully. "Harry, he killed Dumbledore."
"On Dumbledore's orders," Harry insisted. "He told me everything, and it all makes sense. I swear, you can go talk to Dumbledore's portrait in McGonagall's office and he'll tell you himself."
They still looked unconvinced. "Harry…" Mrs. Weasley began, but Bill cut in, a grave expression on his face.
"I think you need to start at the beginning, Harry, and tell us everything."
Author's Note: There you go...nice long chapter. More explanations regarding Snape's lies to Voldemort will be in following chapters. Forgive me for making Hermione so smart again but it's what I can imagine her doing. Harry dissappears, so obviously she has to find out why. And Bill...well, he's into Ancient Runes and curse beaking, right? I can see him knowing that kind of information as well.
I'm not really sure where to end the story and start the sequel. I'll figure it out, though... So don't expect too many more chapters before I bail out and end it.
Review and tell me how you liked the reactions of the Weasleys and Hermione to Harry apearing on their doorstep. I tried to make them realistic but not too overdramatic (Ron took one look at Harry and passed out on the floor-dramatic).
Yes, you'll see some G/H and Hr/R in this story, but I'm not sure if it will be in this story or the sequel. Maybe both.
Oh, and a new chapter of "A Deal with the Devil" is up...check it out on my profile page.
