They each waved goodbye to the others as they went through the portal. Tonks decided to stay and help guard the castle while Remus sat quietly in the corner. Iris waved goodbye to them and Draco. She still felt a bit bad for glaring at him and Ron the other day.
It was several minutes later they were all in the quiet infirmary. Albus had disappeared. Iris, Sirius, Harry and Hermione had their cloaks on. Iris focused on the portal and grinned as it appeared, 'Brilliant,' she whispered. The ring was clearly connected to this world too.
They all eased through to the outskirts of some woods. They took a careful look around.
It appeared they were alone as they took the cloaks off.
'Right,' Sirius said, 'Burton is that way. It's not far. Keep it casual for now. To our knowledge, only Harry and Hermione could exist now in this world.'
Albus did a few flourishes with his wand and gave them both glamours. Harry was now blond with blue eyes. Hermione had auburn hair and green eyes. They really did look quite different, 'That should hold for a few hours,' Albus said to them.
Harry and Hermione were both quite happy to be on this particular mission. It was an information retrieval trip.
'I wonder just how different this place will be to ours? It's incredible. We're actually in a different universe. It's strange, isn't it? I mean, I knew this was really happening but to see it for certain gives one a whole new perspective,' Hermione said out loud as the others nodded as they looked around.
They made their way onto the path. They had dressed down. Casual clothing. Denim and leather jackets and light overcoats. They didn't want to appear conspicuous.
The road was very quiet. They noticed after a while when the absence of engine noise became very noticeable. One tractor had trundled along. The driver had looked at them suspiciously.
'Not good,' Albus had muttered as they approached the outskirts of the village.
It looked picture perfect. An idyllic, quaint village. They spotted a few obvious Wizards and Witches in the distance.
'That's different here,' Sirius said, 'We keep it Muggle style in Burton. We don't draw attention to ourselves.'
Albus had pondered this, 'I suspect the Muggles have been moved along.'
'Of course,' Hermione said, 'Pureblood only school. Pureblood only village.'
Harry was looking around at his home village, 'It's a lot different. No cars. No post office. The pub is the same. The shop is fully magical.'
Their eyes looked around. They all sensed eyes on them.
'I think it may be time to leave,' Sirius said quietly. His Auror training kicked in, 'We've been spotted.'
They carried on walking through the village as discreetly as possible. It was Iris that stopped dead, 'Look,' she pointed to the posters on the opposite side of the road, stuck to a wall.
They looked where she was pointed. Sirius gave a broad grin, 'Wicked.'
They walked across quickly to get a closer look.
'I'm Undesirable number two here!' Hermione said in awe.
'I'm number one,' Harry said in a reverent voice. 'Awesome.'
'Oh, Prongs,' Sirius sniffed, 'In at number four.'
Albus made a mental note of the other faces on the wall. Remus was there. Minerva. A couple of posters had been torn down. He could make out Mad-Eye's swirling eye on one. Randomly, Cedric Diggory was on the wall as well. Albus felt the presence of others moving closer.
'I think it's time to get moving,' he murmured to them. They moved along at a regular pace.
The steps behind them hurried along behind them. Albus made a split-second decision. He stopped dead and spun around.
'Can I help you?' he said in a bored tone as he took it all in. There were at least ten of them. They were wearing clothes that had been going out of fashion when he was a boy.
'You're not from round 'ere,' one of the women said in a confrontational tone, 'What you doing wearing that Muggle filth? Tainting our village.'
'Perhaps we are Muggles?' Albus said in a very normal voice.
They scoffed, 'Muggles can't get in. Those dirty creatures get a very nasty shock if they try to get through our wards,' one of the Wizards said in a tone of enjoyment.
Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes.
One of the witches spotted her, 'Muggle lover,' she spat.
'You presume a great deal,' Hermione responded with obvious disdain to this woman. Iris bit her lip. Hermione had channelled her inner poshness. Her clipped dialect reeked with condescension. Iris checked her wand. It wasn't if, it was when this was going to kick off.
'Who are you? Tell us or we'll call the Auror's. You aren't getting out of this,' one of the men said menacingly, 'Filthy 'alf-bloods and Muggleborns know for a fact breaching the wards of magical areas results in a public hanging. You couldn't possibly be so stupid. So, we'll ask again. Who are you?'
Iris was looking around at this motley collection. She had a certain flashback of Morfin Gaunt. Several of them had eyes that also looked ever so slightly off.
'I'm Iris Black,' Iris said with a sneer, 'This is my father,' she channelled all of her inner Black arrogance as she nodded to Sirius to take the front with her, 'Our surname ringing any bells yet?' she spat with derision.
The looks of confusion at this were obvious. Iris pondered. Morfin Gaunt hadn't been stable either and easily confused. Perhaps it would be easy to convince them.
'We are visiting from elsewhere,' Sirius told them, 'These are our friends. These are simply travelling clothes. How dare you stop us and speak to us as if we were common criminals,' he was turning up the sneer and arrogance too.
'Black? You're from the Ancient and Noble House of Black?' one of them said with uncertainty.
'Take a good look, Madam,' Sirius said as he peered at her. The group now all looked fearful. The Black features were very distinctive.
'We meant no harm. You know how it is. We have to keep our homes safe,' one of the Wizards said as they quickly backtracked.
Iris smirked, 'We're leaving now. Go before we have you hung in public,' she added coldly.
The mob scampered off like rabbits.
'Let's get out of here,' Sirius said quickly.
'Fuck. So much for being discreet,' Harry said angrily.
They reached the outskirts as Iris formed a portal to open near the burrow.
They left as quickly as the mob had. They found themselves in a deserted cornfield.
'Much has been learned,' Albus said in contemplation.
'They are clearly terrified of the Black name. Half-bloods and Muggleborns must be having a terrible time of it here too. Public hangings for going into a village? They didn't even do that in medieval times,' Hermione said with disdain.
'Good news is there is a resistance,' Harry said brightly, 'It's not completely over.'
Sirius smiled.
'We'll need to track them down,' Albus said, 'We need to know the prophecy in this world. Neville was at Hogwarts. It must be Harry still in this world. He had a different scar on his forehead. Did you notice? It was on the other side of his forehead. Gellert must have given him that.'
'Any ideas about how we're going to find them?' Sirius asked.
Albus smiled, 'I have my sources. Give me a little time. Take a break,' he said as he wandered off into the cornfield.
They all took the weight of their feet and lazed down. Sirius relaxed with one eye on Hermione in thought. She looked radiant. He glanced at Iris. She also looked radiant. He watched them share a shy look. Hermione looked at Iris with a strange sort of knowing look as Iris blushed and put her eyes down.
Sirius's mouth gave a tug up. He knew that look very well.
Harry was oblivious as he watched the corn rattle as Albus made his way to the middle. He blinked as a flash blinded him for a moment.
'Fawkes!' Harry exclaimed.
They all made their way over to Dumbledore who appeared to be having a strange sort of communication with his eyes with the Phoenix.
The bird trilled as they all felt the magic ripple over them. The Phoenix looked at them curiously. Nodded his head and then with a final look in Albus's eyes disappeared.
'He'll be back with the others in due time. I just let him access my memories. Saves one a lot of time,' Albus told them cheerily.
They accepted this without question. This sort of thing was so every day now.
'This should be interesting,' Harry said. He was excited to meet his counterpart and his dad in this world.
'I wonder what I'm like here?' Hermione said thoughtfully.
'We shall need to gather as much information as possible,' Albus said, 'We need to know the situation here. It seems like a very prejudiced country now. That comment about Muggles and Half-bloods was so distasteful,' Albus said ruefully.
'At least this planet is still functioning,' Sirius said, 'Those other worlds being either completely uninhabitable or non-existent does not bode well in the slightest for us.'
Albus nodded, 'True. Our planet is becoming more toxic by the day. It may be a case of salvaging what we can and evacuating people to another less damaged planet. If Gellert is still running the show here then I think we can defeat him in battle. It may be a case of back to square one but at least it will be a foundation. There is no Riddle here.'
'The air is clear here,' Hermione said in a hopeful tone.
Iris sat quietly. She wasn't as hopeful as the others. She had recognised a few of those Witches and Wizards in the mob. She had spent time in Burton. They had been friendly and kind in their world. Even if they could defeat Gellert then the whole world had been changed here. Those people were nothing like their counterparts. There would only be more blood spilt if they could escape here.
They sat there in the cornfield for a few hours. Enjoying the peace of the day. Occasionally a plane flew overhead. They discussed the situation about their home planet. Time was running out. The Nazi's were running amok globally. India had fallen. Africa was the victim of many tactical chemical bomb droppings. The Nazis had every modern advantage with the enormous advantage of magically enhanced weapons. They had already infiltrated many countries. It was very strategic. The camps were being built around the world. America was in freefall.
Iris had listened to all of this with a heavy heart. Albus tried not to focus on the things they couldn't change. Even if Iris opened the portal to Hell again there were just too many things that could backfire abroad. Britain had the dome. Once the infiltrators had been dealt with, a trusted military. People power. It was an island. Other countries didn't have these luxuries. The death toll of the innocents would rise into the billions. Hitler had been very clever in his chosen locations and bases. They could only deal with what they could. It was China that had locked down. Nothing in or out. There was silence. Hitler was playing cat and mouse for now. China had nuclear weapons and plenty of them. It had always been an isolated, independent country.
Hitler was clearly waiting for Riddle.
Iris thought of the black behind two of those portals. They had clearly had their own Judgement days.
They felt Fawkes return with a trill. Albus gave a smile. His blue eyes twinkling.
'They are coming. They are very intrigued. There was nothing in the books about Harry. We can't assume anything for now,' he told them.
Fawkes disappeared again. They checked themselves to make sure they were presentable. The sun was high. It was a nice warm day. Albus cleared a little area for them to wait in. With a little look in his pocket, he drew out a miniature table and some chairs and then enlarged them to sit on.
They sat and waited.
They were a little anxious about meeting these people. They had clearly grown up in a very different world to their own. Harry and Hermione wondered at the changes this upbringing would have had on them. Their own glamours had worn off.
'How awesome is it that you two are top of the most wanted list,' Iris said. 'You're officially undesirables!'
Harry beamed proudly as Hermione gave a polite smile.
'I just hope it was for honourable reasons. What if we're criminals here?' Hermione said in contemplation, 'We could be bank robbers!' she said as the thought flashed through her mind.
'I doubt that,' Sirius said with a grin.
'We could be bank robbers,' Hermione said again, 'It wouldn't be impossible, would it?'
Sirius shrugged, 'I would say highly unlikely.'
'Yeah. You panicked about taking an extra library book home, Hermione. Robbing banks is hardly your style in any world,' Iris said diplomatically, 'Blowing up Nazi headquarters on the other hand. That I could definitely see you doing.'
Hermione grimaced. She was getting herself all worked up.
'Relax Hermione. Remus is on their list. I'm sure they aren't doing anything too nefarious,' Sirius told her, 'If they are breaking the laws here it will be for a noble cause. That lot in the village thinks a public hanging for walking through a village is justified. I'm not an expert but I think it's safe to assume your counterpart is one of the good guys here. Anyway, Fawkes wouldn't be in contact with them if they were thugs.'
Hermione breathed out, 'Of course. Fawkes,' she calmed down a little.
They heard the telltale signs of apparition nearby. There were six pops. Fawkes was perched on Albus's shoulder. Nibbling on his ear as Albus smiled.
There were cautious steps as the newcomers arrived in their little clearing.
Iris saw the wands first. They were clearly skittish but it wasn't any wonder. They sat patiently as first the familiar head of Remus made its way through the corn.
This Remus obviously looked much older than his counterpart back home but he didn't have the telltale signs of the wolf. He looked at them with shock. Minerva came through next. She looked older too but she was still very recognisable. She looked worn though. She stared at Albus as though she had seen a ghost. Which she had in a way.
An older version of James Potter came through. He stared at this Harry with a frown. He looked older than his years.
The ones waiting at the table kept still. No sudden movements. This lot looked like they were on the verge of bolting.
Of all people, the very attractive Cedric Diggory came through next. Iris was relieved to see his hair still looked perfect. It was quiffed and glossy. It relaxed her greatly knowing that some things always stayed the same, no matter what universe you were in.
Then a version of Hermione came through. Iris's jaw dropped in astonishment. This Hermione was a lot more street than her Hermione. She looked tough. She was rocking a leather jacket that Iris swore she had an identical one of at home. Her hair was a lot shorter. Iris could make out a few piercings. Her eyes roamed over this Doppelganger. She felt Hermione nudge her as she closed her mouth.
The street version of Hermione stared at both Harry and Hermione in disbelief.
Then their Harry came through. He was the last one of the group. He also stared at Harry and Hermione with a weary expression. His hair was a mess compared to their Harry's. Thankfully the Black hair product was an essential item in his collection. They all still had their wands out. They were all quite shabbily dressed but looked reasonably well fed. A few crows cawed in the distance.
Albus stood slowly with Fawkes on his shoulder, 'Greetings,' he said in his amiable voice, 'I'm Albus Dumbledore. It is an honour to make your acquaintance. Please, take a seat. We have much to discuss and I assume you have many questions, as do we.'
'We'll keep standing,' James said in a flat voice.
'Very well,' Albus said, 'I can imagine trust is difficult to come by in this world.'
James gave a curt nod.
'Fawkes showed me the images of you all. He seems to trust you. He wanted us to meet with you. This could all be a trap, however. Those Devils are clever,' James said with a bitter tone.
'Yes. I can imagine,' Albus said, 'We are new to this world and have already been accosted by a mob in the village of Burton within five minutes of our arrival, simply because of our attire.'
Minerva looked at Albus, 'Who are you? Really?' she asked.
'I am a different version of Albus Dumbledore,' Albus said simply, 'We are from an alternate universe.'
The faces of these new arrivals looked at Albus as if he was insane.
Albus pondered, 'I think I need to start from the beginning. But first, introductions are in order. This is Harry Potter. Hermione Granger. Iris Black and her father Sirius Black.'
They nodded politely to the bewildered group. Their eyes had narrowed at the mention of the surname Black.
'In this world am I correct to assume your names are Remus Lupin, Minerva McGonagall, Cedric Diggory, Hermione Granger and Harry and James Potter.'
'You could have got that off any wanted poster,' Cedric said quickly.
'We recognised your faces on the wanted posters in the village. That's why Dumbledore got in contact with you,' Hermione said to them as the other Hermione opened her eyes wide in astonishment.
'Ucking 'ell! I'm posh!' out came the cockney accent out of this Hermione's mouth.
Hermione's mouth twitched as Iris grinned. This seemed to break a little bit of ice as the group moved a bit closer to take a good look at them.
'You don't have my hair,' this new Harry said as he looked at his Doppelganger.
'Black hair product,' Harry said, 'It's the only thing I've found that does keep it flat.'
This Harry sneered, 'They your friends? The Black's?' he said meanly with his wand pointed.
'Only in my world,' Harry said, 'We don't know what has happened to your world. We know the timeline diverged from ours in 1943. We have only seen a little and already we can see very plainly that your world is very different from ours.'
Remus sat down heavily. His eyes looked at Albus in contemplation.
'Start from the beginning. If you were here to kill us you would have done so by now. Gellert's men don't waste time. And they wouldn't have come up with such an insane idea to trap us with.'