When an Auror mission goes wrong, Harry winds up missing. The only person who could provide answers is Ron, who was unconscious and wouldn't wake up.
Teddy is 8, James is 2, Albus is 2 months
"Kalopsia"
"One"
Ginny rocked her youngest son in her arms. She couldn't keep the soppy smile off her face as he blinked up at her with his bright green eyes. He was the spitting image of Harry, from his dark locks to his emerald green eyes to even the bow shape of his lips.
Her heart twisted just a tad. Harry hadn't come home the previous night as he was on a no contact mission with Ron for work. Ginny hated the away missions the most, as she couldn't help the fear and anxiety that crept into her bones at not knowing if Harry was alright. He always seemed to come home from those longer missions with a new scar, a concussion, or some spell damage that would land him in a couple day stay at St. Mungo's.
Ginny let out a sigh and looked up at her best friend, Luna Lovegood, who stayed with her the previous night while Harry was away. Albus was still so little and not sleeping through the night. With hyperactive children by the names of Teddy and James, she needed the little extra help. She couldn't turn down Luna's offer to stay.
"Oh, he's adorable. He looks just like Harry." Luna smiled down at Albus. "He has so many Angora Wrackspurts swarming around his head. Did you know that?"
Ginny merely smiled and shook her head as she held Albus out to her. "Here, can you take him for a minute?"
When Luna nodded eagerly, Ginny transferred her baby over with ease. Luna cuddled him to her chest, her eyes wider than normal. She was good with babies and had a way of calming down the fussiest ones. She rocked Albus back and forth, a dreamy smile quirked on her lips.
"You have no idea how much alike Harry and Albus look," Ginny continued. "Here, come to the office and I'll show you a picture of Harry when he was a baby."
"That's nice that he has photos." Luna bent down and pecked Albus on his nose. "I know he didn't have the nicest upbringing."
Ginny didn't comment as she gestured for Luna to follow her to the other room. There was a thump from upstairs and then a string of cackles. She didn't even want to know what kind of mischief Teddy and James were up to. She knew Teddy would grab her before James became too riled up.
She crossed the room to the bookcase and pulled out a brown leather-bound album. She sat it down on the desk and flipped through the pages. Luna stood next to her, swaying and humming. Ginny paused on a picture of a very young Sirius in a leather jacket who cuddled a baby Harry to his chest. He was older than Albus was by a few months since he no longer needed his head supported.
"Look at Harry. He was such a happy baby. That's his godfather." Ginny smiled at the photo.
"Oh, Harry's godfather is Stubby Boardman? How wonderful!" Luna cooed down at Albus.
"No… Sirius Black. That's Sirius Black."
"Yes, that's what I thought from when we went to the Department of Mysteries, but he looks so much like Stubby Boardman. Perhaps, they're related."
"Maybe." Ginny shrugged.
"What time is Harry going to be home? I'd like to see him before I leave, but it is getting late. I have a Portkey to Zambia at eight tomorrow. I'm meeting Rolf Scamander to hunt for a Speckled Mongoo." Luna rubbed her knuckle against Albus' cheek. "He said he saw one and sent me an owl straight away."
"I'm not sure, Luna. He might not even be home tonight. If it's getting too late, I'll give Harry your love when he gets in." Ginny held her arms out for Albus. "Speaking of Rolf, you've been talking about him and traveling with him a lot lately."
Luna passed Albus back to Ginny and then tucked a stringy lock of blonde hair behind her ear. A giant salmon-colored octopus covered her entire ear, tentacles wrapping around her cartilage.
"We've been… getting to know one another." Luna shrugged. "He's nice like Harry. I quite like that about him. It's a very unique sort of niceness. One that's always genuine and makes you feel warm inside."
Ginny glanced up at her friend. She couldn't help but feel happy that Luna could have potentially found a match, someone who was unusually kind and would appreciate her. It would make it easier when Harry met him, as he always seemed to disapprove of whoever Luna was dating. Ginny couldn't really blame him. Luna didn't have the best flying record when it came to boys. They all seemed to take advantage of her and dump her when she became too quirky for their tastes.
"Well, if he's nice like Harry, then I already approve." Ginny's lips curved up. "The real question is, how is the snogging?"
"Scrummy," Luna replied dreamily. "He tastes like mangos."
"Mangos?" Ginny laughed. "That's unique."
Luna shrugged, flicking her blonde hair behind her shoulder. "You always say Harry tastes like treacle."
"That's because he can't pass up eating it whenever he sees it. I swear he's going to have serious health issues with the amount of golden syrup he consumes on a daily basis."
"Did he like the tart I sent him for his birthday?"
Ginny nodded. "It was gone in two days. Between him and James, treacle tart doesn't stand a chance in this household."
"I'm glad. I can't help but think, what do you get the man who has everything or the means to buy whatever he wants? I thought a tart would do nicely. It shows I know him well."
"Can't go wrong with getting Harry a tart," Ginny agreed. "My mum always makes sure there's a fresh one in the house for him. Merlin forbid she doesn't offer him tart whenever she sees him."
"That's because your mother is a lovely woman who wants to make everyone feel special. I remember when my mum died, she always stopped by the house with freshly baked biscuits and would plait my hair and always made it known I could ask her for girl advice. She was always very sweet. My dad appreciated the gesture."
Ginny could remember walking to the Lovegood house with a basket of baked goods. She used to play with Luna in the back garden, chasing after whatever made up creature Luna had invented for the afternoon. She had distinct memories of the three of them plaiting each other's hair and giggling over girl topics.
A knock on the front door drew Ginny out of her memories. Glancing at the clock, she noted it was just past eight at night, which seemed like an awfully late hour to be calling. She glanced at Luna who didn't seem bothered by the lateness.
Albus fussed a bit in her arms, his face scrunched up and fat tears rolled down his chubby cheeks. Ginny adjusted him in her arms so that he lay across her breast with one hand underneath his bum and the other cradling his head to her chest. She made soothing shooshing noises as she made her way to the front door.
She opened the door to see Gawain Robards standing on her front porch. Ginny immediately felt her heart race. He looked worn, the lines on his face more prominent than she could ever remember seeing them before. His curly, dark hair tussled on top of his head and he was grayer than he was at the Ministry holiday party last Christmas.
"Is Harry alright?"
"Mrs. Potter, may I come in?" Robards grimaced and Ginny wanted to hex him.
Her arms shook, Albus suddenly became very heavy. Luna was at her side, gently pulling Albus to her chest and rocking him. Ginny stared at Robards, her entire body tense and shaking.
"Don't," Ginny murmured. "No, he's not…"
Ginny couldn't even finish the sentence. Harry Potter didn't die. He rose from the dead like a phoenix out of its ashes. He was stubbornly hard to kill, a force to be reckoned with. Her chest heaved as Robards shook his head.
"Not yet, at least. He's missing."
"What do you mean missing? Where's Ron? Weren't they doing a stakeout or something together?" Ginny wrapped her arms around her midsection.
"Harry and Ron were supposed to check in this morning. We didn't hear from them. I sent out a team to their last known location." Robards sighed, his fingers rubbing his upper eyelid. "Ron was found unconscious in a field. He's at St. Mungo's, but the Healers can't wake him. They said he's been placed in a magically induced coma. They're trying their best to wake him up. Harry was nowhere to be found."
A shaky hand rose. Ginny covered her mouth as her world crashed around her. She let out a strangled sob as she dropped to the floor, her knees hitting the hardwood floors hard. Harry was missing. Gone. Vanished. The only one who held any answers was her own brother, who was in a magically induced coma.
"Have the rest of the Weasleys been told?" Luna asked.
"I've sent someone to tell Hermione, and I came here personally to tell Ginny," Robards answered.
Ginny couldn't breathe. All of the air had been kicked out of her lungs. She only vaguely registered the thundering of footsteps on the stairs and the tiny arms of Teddy wrapping around her neck. James babbled and planted a wet, sticky kiss on her cheek. Her arms shot out and pulled both of her sons close to her. She buried her face into Teddy's turquoise hair.
Harry Potter groaned as the sun peeked in through the curtains and shone brightly on his face. His head throbbed, so he dug himself deeper into the comfortable mattress and buried his face into his pillow. He didn't even remember getting home, didn't remember going to bed. His mouth felt like a giant cotton ball. He took a deep breath and inhaled… a syrupy vanilla? His body tensed at the unfamiliar smell and he gagged slightly into his pillow.
Quirking an eye open, he noticed he was not at his home in Cornwood. He was not in his bedroom that he shared with Ginny. He shot up in bed, his heart pounding wildly. He looked down to see he was naked. He shivered involuntarily and scanned the floor for his clothes but didn't see them. What had happened?
Panic settled in as he tried to remember what happened the previous night. He... Harry gulped. He couldn't remember what he did the previous night. The last thing he remembered was Friday night dinner at the Burrow, of waking up what seemed like every hour on the hour with Albus crying and Ginny nursing, of feeling like a zombie because Albus was going through a phase. Harry swore the reverse sleep cycle stage occurred earlier with James. He had missed it completely with Teddy.
Harry rubbed his throbbing temples. It was only a mild headache, but he felt disoriented. He tried to focus on what else was going on in his life besides the new baby sleeplessness. Ron and he were heading a big case involving… Harry squinted. Something with potions? The details were fuzzy and distorted, like someone had plucked all the important bits from his mind and left him with only some vague notion that it involved illegal potions.
He grasped a cover and tugged it over to him, wrapping it around his waist before he stumbled out of bed. He noticed glasses resting on the bedside table, but they did not look like his. They were a thick, black square cut and something Harry would never have bought. His fingers brushed along the smooth frames and plopped them on his nose. Everything came into focus for reasons Harry couldn't comprehend.
Turning around in search of his clothes, he froze when he saw the very naked behind of a female with long, black hair sleeping in the bed. What had he done? Was he drunk? He didn't feel hungover. Was he drugged? He didn't feel loopy. He just felt confused, very confused. A lump lodged in his throat as he scanned the floor for his clothes but found it pristine.
He roamed the room and wondered if he should just start opening drawers or go into the wardrobe to see if there was something that would fit him. That's when he saw it. He forced his legs towards the dresser, his eyes glued onto a large picture frame. He saw himself, scarless, with his arm around a familiar, petite woman with flowing black hair and pale skin. She grinned and held out her hand towards the camera. An enormous diamond rested on her finger and the Harry in the picture leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.
Harry's breathing increased. Why was there a picture of him and Cho Chang? Where was his infamous lightning bolt scar? Glancing up, he stepped closer to the dresser to see himself in the mirror. He lifted his messy fringe and his forehead was untouched. A shaky hand ran along his brow, all the hairs were perfectly in place and none were missing.
"Harry, honey, what you are doing? Come back to bed."
Whipping around, Harry stared at the woman in front of him. Cho was obviously comfortable with the situation because she allowed the sheet to not cover her up decently. He looked up at the ceiling so he didn't have to look at her small breasts.
"Where are my clothes?" He licked his dry lips and continued to stare at the stark white ceiling.
"In your wardrobe." She laughed. "Love, what has gotten into you?"
Harry snapped his head to look at her. He hadn't seen her in years. Hell, he didn't even know where she was living or what she was doing. She wasn't even a blimp on his radar until this morning. She had the audacity to sit there with her breasts out and tell him he had a wardrobe at her house?
"Merlin, can you cover up?" he snapped. "I don't know what happened, but this isn't…"
Harry gestured wildly between them. He just wanted his clothes. He wanted to go home to Ginny and the kids. He wanted to forget this ever happened. He needed to talk to Ron, needed to figure out what sort of case they were on and if this had anything to do with it. The only thing he could think about was trying to explain this to Ginny and hope to Merlin she would understand he didn't want any of this. The thought of losing her over something he couldn't even remember terrified him. Would she believe him?
Cho tugged a cover up, her eyes blazing dangerously. Her chest heaved, her lips thinning. Honestly, Harry didn't really care if he had upset her. He didn't want to be here. Part of him couldn't help but think she drugged him. It was the only explanation because he would never even dream of cheating on Ginny. She was his life, his rock, his everything. He needed her like he needed air. He loved her more than anything. The only thing that came close to his love for her was the love he had for their children – for their godson they were raising, for Jamie, and for little Albus.
"Your clothes are right through that door," she huffed. "Merlin fuck, Harry. Maybe lay off the firewhiskey, yeah? Are you still drunk?"
"I'm not drunk!" Harry's body shook. "I don't know what the fuck you did to me to get me to your bed but-"
"You're a fucking arse! Get dressed and splash some cold water on your face before your parents get here. Try to sober up."
His parents? Did she just really say that his parents would be arriving? He wanted to scream, throw something, shove his fist into a wall. His chest heaved, his entire body tingling with a newfound rage.
"What are you playing at?"
Something was seriously wrong. He must be dreaming. He had no scar, he was sharing a bed with Cho, his parents were coming over? None of it made sense. Maybe he was dead. His heart clenched at the very thought. It was a pretty crappy afterlife, if that's what this was. He wouldn't want to spend eternity with Cho. He'd want to spend it with Ginny.
"What am I playing at? What are you playing at, Harry? Your drinking is getting out of control. You're a bloody nightmare when you drink, you know that? I swear, I'll tell your mother about your drinking. She'll force you to quit before the wedding."
She tossed the covers aside and strolled towards a door. Harry marched towards the wardrobe that she had pointed to and saw a bunch of men's clothes hanging. He grabbed a Puddlemere United shirt and shoved it over his head. He grabbed a pair of jeans and looked at the tag, realizing it was exactly his size. His heart pounded in his chest as he opened a drawer to find a bunch of underwear. He grimaced at the thought of wearing someone else's underwear when he saw a pack that wasn't opened. He tore it open and finished getting dressed. He borrowed a pair of white socks and a pair of trainers that were in his size as well.
He heard the shower running when he entered the bedroom. The room she went through must have been a bathroom. He didn't wait around to say goodbye or get an explanation. He stormed out of the bedroom and took the stairs two at a time.
The only thought in his mind was wrapping his arms around Ginny, burying his head in her shimmering hair, smelling her flowery scent he loved so much, and apologizing profusely to her. He wretched open the front door and froze.
He was definitely dead.
A woman with long, auburn hair stood there with her arm up and poised to knock. Next to her looked like an older carbon copy of himself who leaned heavily on a cane. Harry stumbled back. None of this was making sense. He looked towards the stairs before looking back at his… parents?
"Harry, darling, are you alright?" His mother smiled warmly at him.
"Mum?" he croaked. "Dad?"
"No, it's Sirius." His father reached out and gently punched him on the bicep. "Oh, by the way, he said he's going to be late. Apparently, he took someone home last night and needs a bit of time to get rid of her."
"James! Do you really need to tell Harry that kind of stuff?" his mother hissed.
"You know Sirius would just tell him that when he got here." His father grinned. "Plus, brain injury, remember? I've got spell damage, Evans, so you should be a little nicer to me."
"Spell damage?" Harry croaked.
They both turned towards him, the smiles on their lips fading. James shifted uncomfortably, his right eye twitching. Lily wrapped an arm around his shoulders, her hand rubbing up his arm.
"Yes, Harry, from when we were attacked all those years ago." Lily frowned. "Have you been drinking?"
"Why is everyone asking me that?" Harry glanced between them.
"Where is Cho?" Lily forced a smile on her lips. "Is she still getting ready?"
"Cho… Chang. Ye-yeah, the girl upstairs."
"Yes, Harry, your fiancé." Lily stepped forward, her arms opened as though she were about to hug him, but Harry stepped back. "What is the matter with you?"
"That's not my fiancé. Cho, I mean. She's not my… I'm already married."
"I swear, Harry Potter, if you eloped, I will explode!" Lily looked wildly at James.
"No, I'm married to Ginny." His chest heaved, and he suddenly wondered why he was even talking to these people.
They were not Lily and James Potter. His parents were dead. Cho was not his fiancé. He had married Ginny Weasley. His kids were Teddy and James and Albus. He had to get out of the house. He needed to find Ginny. She would know what to do and how to explain the strange series of events he had found himself apart of. She could tell him if he was dead or dreaming or in a coma or… Harry blinked. He just wanted to go home.
There was another knock at the door, and James called for them to enter. A mixture of relief and horror washed over him. Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks entered the house. Between them was little Teddy. His heart crumbled at the sight of his godson with his wild turquoise hair and bright smile.
"Ted?" Harry gasped.
"Hey, Harry." Teddy waved briefly before he turned his attention to James. "Uncle James!"
Harry's heart sank to the pit of his stomach. Teddy always ran up to him and flung his arms around his neck in greeting. Teddy rarely called him Harry… he was always Dad. Harry heaved, everything spinning.
"Careful, Teddy," Remus warned.
"Hello, handsome godson of mine!" James ruffled his hair. "I dig the messy look. You trying to emulate your amazing godfather?"
"Always, Uncle James!" Teddy laughed.
Harry stumbled back. He was dreaming. It was the only explanation he could fathom being true. His parents were dead. Remus was dead. Tonks was dead. Teddy was his son and godson. He was married to Ginny and not engaged to Cho. He reached down and pinched his arm as hard as he could, air hissing from his teeth and his eyes watering. He wanted to wake up. He needed to wake up.
"Harry, stop!" Remus rushed forward and pried his hand away from his arm.
His skin was bright red with a tinge of purple, already bruising. Harry stared at the mark. He glanced up to see Remus looking at him with wild eyes. His entire body trembled as he looked at the people around the room… the room filled with ghosts.
"Where's Ginny?" Harry croaked.
"Ginny who?" Remus furrowed his brow.
"Ginny Weasley!"
"Harry, darling, are you sure you're alright? You know what happened to Ginny…" Lily stepped forward, a frown etched deep in her forehead.
"What… what happened?"
"She disappeared when she was eleven… into the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts. She's dead, Harry."
Harry blinked rapidly, his knees wobbly. His legs gave out under his weight and Remus wrapped his arms around him to keep him steady.
Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.
Harry felt a sob claw at his throat. It wasn't right. He saved her. He saved her and he married her and they had children together. They had a life together. He felt like he was losing his mind, slipping into a pit of insanity. He had clear memories of another life, a life that he grew to love more than he could have ever imagined. If Ginny was dead… there would be no James or Albus. It couldn't be true.
"Knock! Knock!" a new, familiar voice called.
Snapping his attention to the front door, Harry felt like he might pass out. Sirius stood there, smiling and unscathed from Azkaban. He looked so young, so vibrant, so handsome. Harry stumbled forward and locked his arms around his godfather's neck. Sirius would tell him the truth. Sirius would help him figure out what was going on.
"Whoa, I missed you too, Harry." Sirius wrapped his arms around him. "You alright?"
Harry screwed his eyes shut as Sirius returned the embrace. He smelled of leather and oddly of wet dog. Harry felt comforted for the first time since he woke up.
"They said Ginny was dead," Harry whispered. "Where is she?"
"Ginny?"
Sirius pulled back, his hands wrapped tight around Harry's shoulders. Harry's eyes slid shut. He tried to regulate his breathing but failed miserably. He had the sudden urge to just run, run away from his family that had long been dead and find his family he had made with Ginny.
"I think he's still drunk from the post-game celebrations last night," Lily commented in a disapproving tone.
"I'm not drunk!" Harry yelled, the stairs creaking behind him.
He turned his head to see Cho descending the stairs. Annoyance rose in Harry. He didn't want to see her, wanted nothing to do with her.
"Let's go get a cup of tea in the kitchen, yeah?" Sirius smiled tightly. "Just some good godson and godfather time. How does that sound, oh favorite godson of mine?"
"Daddy, what's wrong with Harry?" Teddy whispered.
Harry snapped his attention to his godson, who looked mildly scared of him. A lump formed in his throat as Sirius steered him out of the entryway and towards the back of the house. They entered a kitchen, and he forced himself to sit down at the island while Sirius waved his wand. Tea supplies flew across the room and in a matter of minutes, a cup of black tea sat in front of Harry.
"If you don't tell your mother, I'll pour a little firewhiskey in there for you," Sirius offered as he leaned over the island across from Harry, his elbows propped up on the quartz countertop.
"I'm not a drunk." Harry's jaw clenched.
"Look, I get it, Harry, I do. There's nothing wrong with having a bit of alcohol to ease the fucking noise in your head. I know better than anyone what it's like to slip into the pits of despair. You were too young to remember me the way I was after what happened to your dad. I blamed myself, really. I drank to numb the pain."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Harry sighed and looked up at Sirius.
"If you're having memory loss because of your consumption of alcohol, I will quietly take you to St. Mungo's and Lily needn't know about it." Sirius drummed his fingers on the countertop. "It'd be our little secret."
"I don't have memory loss," Harry growled. "I have memories of another life. A life where my parents died when I was a baby, a life where Ginny Weasley didn't die in the Chamber of Secrets and we married, a life where you died when I was fifteen, a life where I was Teddy's godfather and raised him as my own when Remus and Tonks died. This… Cho and my parents and you… it doesn't make any sense."
"I don't know what you want me to say to that, Harry." Sirius sighed. "I'm very much alive, as you can see. The people you think died are very alive and concerned about you in the other room."
Harry shook his head. It was useless to talk to this Sirius. Harry pinched his arm again, willing himself to wake up. It was a pleasant notion, his parents and Sirius and Remus all being alive. If Ginny were by his side with his sons, this would actually be a delightful dream. Except he couldn't get over how wrong everything was, how empty it all felt.
Sirius rounded the island and stopped Harry from pinching himself. He held onto Harry's wrist in a vice grip.
"Tell me how your parents died," Sirius whispered.
"What?" Harry's brow furrowed. "Why?"
"Because I'm trying to figure out if you had a psychotic break or maybe something wonky happened with dimensional travel or maybe I'm just fucking sleeping right now."
Dimensional travel? Was that even possible? Harry frowned.
"I was fifteen months old," Harry began, his mouth suddenly dry. "We were under the Fidelius Charm. Peter Pettigrew was the Secret Keeper. He gave our location away to Voldemort. He killed my dad first, then my mum. When he tried to kill me… he couldn't. I should have a lightning bolt scar on my forehead where the Killing Curse hit me."
"I was your Secret Keeper. I kept you safe. On Christmas Eve, in 1981, Voldemort killed Frank and Alice Longbottom and tried to kill their son Neville. The curse rebounded and left him with a lightning bolt scar. On Boxing Day, when the Fidelius was lifted from your home in Godric's Hollow, my cousin and her merry band of fucked up misfits tortured your parents. Bella had nearly driven James into insanity. I had arrived just in time to save his mind from breaking completely, but he was never quite the same. He needs a cane, his limbs are always twitching, he can barely cast magic, he's a bit gone mentally. He struggles a lot. I shouldn't have agreed to lift the Fidelius. I should have kept them safe until more Death Eaters were apprehended."
Sirius' grip on his wrist loosened, his face pale and features dark. He looked a little more like the Sirius who had suffered twelve years in Azkaban. Letting out a shuddering sigh, Harry buried his face in his hands.
The notion that he was dreaming slowly slipped away. He hadn't woken up. It seemed like he had slipped into another universe, one he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to be a part of.
"So, Neville hunted Horcruxes? With who?" Harry looked up at Sirius. "He accomplished it? He killed Voldemort?"
"No, Neville died at the age of fourteen during the Triwizard Tournament." Sirius frowned. "Voldemort wasn't satisfied with killing just Neville. He worried that after killing the Chosen One, that the other boy in the prophecy would be his downfall. He started to hunt you, just in case he misinterpreted the prophecy. Your parents, you, Remus, Dora, and I went into hiding and hunted Horcruxes. More like Dora, who was pregnant with Teddy at the time, minded your father at the safe houses while you hunted Horcruxes with Lily, Remus, and I. James wasn't particularly happy at being excluded, but he was a liability. You killed Voldemort with the Elder Wand in the end."
Harry's head spun with the information being presented to him. It was all so different, yet so similar at the same time. He looked down at the two deep red pinch marks on his arm.
"What about Ron Weasley? Hermione Granger?"
"After Ginny disappeared in her first year, Molly and Arthur pulled all the Weasley children from Hogwarts. They attended Koldovstoretz in Russia, last I heard. You were devastated when Ron left Hogwarts. Hermione Granger? You two attempted to stay friends. You talk occasionally. It was really Ron who held the three of you together. You and Hermione just drifted apart over the years. No fallout or anything. Just drifted apart."
"I think I need to take a walk," Harry announced as he stood up from the island on shaky legs. "I need to clear my head."
"Do you want me to come with?"
Harry shook his head in the negative. He needed to be alone, to process everything that Sirius had told him. He needed some fresh air. To figure out how to wake up or how to get back home to his own dimension. He still didn't know what to believe was happening to him. The only thing he knew, he wanted to go home to Ginny and the kids, even if that meant leaving behind his parents, Sirius, and Remus.
Harry left the house through the back kitchen door, not wanting to see the ghosts in the foyer on his way out. He walked through the dewy grass to the front of the house. Stepping onto the unfamiliar pavement, Harry vaguely wondered where he even was. He walked aimlessly at first, thinking about how he could get into contact with Ron and Hermione. Would they remember him? Would they want to help him? How would Ron react when he told them he lived a full life with a very much alive Ginny, that they had saved her when they were twelve years old?
The thoughts in his head all became too much. Harry picked up his pace as he ran as fast as his legs would allow him. He did not know where to go, what to do. He wanted Ginny desperately, to feel her hand tangled in his hair and her breath tickling his chin as she laughed about some joke only the two of them were privy to. She couldn't be… Harry couldn't even think the words, let alone say them out loud.
Something flickered from across the lane. A woman in dirty rags for clothes with blood pouring down her neck appeared out of place. Some invisible force held her hands above her head as though tethered by some imaginary rope and hook. Harry looked both ways before crossing the lane, his heart hammering in his chest. She looked familiar. He should know who she was, he was certain of it.
Even odder, people walking down the street passed by her without even glancing at her. They sidestepped her dirty, bruised, and bloody body just standing in the middle of the pavement.
Harry closed the space between them, a shaky hand reaching up to touch her neck. He felt a weak pulse and his fingers ghosted down her neck. There were puncture wounds, bright red and dripping blood.
"Help me," she whispered, her eyes closed. "I want to go home. Please… help me."
Harry gulped, uncertain how to help her. People continued to walk by them as though they were not there. Reaching up, Harry wrapped his fingers around her wrists and tried to tug them down, but they remained stubbornly in place. He fumbled inside his pockets, trying to find his wand and came up empty. He did not know where it had been in Cho's house. He hadn't even thought to look for it after the events of the morning.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. A man with long salt and peppered hair pulled back into a low ponytail stared at him with cold icy eyes. Harry's heart hammered in his chest, his limbs locked in place and he was unable to move. The man smirked at him, his teeth yellowed.
"Now, now, there will be none of this." The man reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out what looked like a Muggle needle.
Harry blinked, willing his limbs to cooperate. He could punch, kick, defend himself even without a wand. The man was older, and Harry knew he was physically stronger. Except… he stood frozen, as though under some sort of spell.
The sky seemed to flicker, growing dark with browning swirls and yellow stains. He blinked, the tree to his right was suddenly replaced with a weathered brick pillar. His vision blurred and became distorted as the sunny morning disappeared to reveal something dark and cold. Harry shivered as the sun disappeared and morphed into a ceiling fan with a blade missing.
The needle pierced Harry's neck. Pain radiated through his body and a guttural noise escaped the back of his throat. Everything swirled with black dots as his limbs quickly turned to jelly. His legs gave out from under him, his palms colliding with the hard ground that kept switching from a concrete pavement to a stained wooden floor. His entire body shook, and darkness overtook him.
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my new story! There's a mystery, a very confused Harry, and some kickass Ginny coming. Don't forget to leave a review. They give me motivation to keep writing and inspiration on current and new stories. Someone asked me to write a story where somehow Ginny meets Lily and James. This story started out as just that... but morphed into something completely different. So here's not what you asked for, but what you are getting instead!
Special thanks to Arnel for editing like always. Special thanks to Bree for bouncing ideas around with and waiting (im)patiently since October for me to start posting this story!