I do not own any of the source material for this story. Reviews and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated.
…
Scilly Isles, Great Britain, April of 2001
The Ancient One found herself on a grassy plateau. Night had fallen, so she applied a dark-vision spell to her eyes, and suddenly she could see as well as she could in daylight. To her right the land sloped downward towards a white sand beach and crystalline blue water. To her left rose the remains of what had once been a handsome manor house. In its heyday she guessed that it would have been at least fifty feet tall, with four floors, several small towers, and had no less than half a dozen chimneys. Now however, the mansion was clearly abandoned. Ivy grew over its stone walls, which had cracked in several places, and most of the windows were broken. The roof was a mess of missing tiles that revealed decaying support beams underneath. The front drive was so overgrown it might have been mistaken for part of the lawn at first glance, and a crumbling fountain rose forlornly out of the foliage.
The Ancient One made her way carefully to the decayed front doors and slipped inside. The stone floor of the main atrium was cracked and chipped, and one of the twin staircases on either side of the room had collapsed, spreading rubble over nearly half the room. She could not repair this kind of damage without the Time Stone, and she had a feeling that such an act would not endear her to the Phoenix host in any case. Instead, she cleaned up the mess with a few spells, filled the gaps in the walls and roof with wards against the elements, and conjured up a table and chairs for tea summoned from Kamar-Taj.
As she finished, the Ancient One caught a whiff of smoke. Frowning, she turned and followed her nose through the remains of the front doors, and immediately ended her night vision spell. Twenty feet from the broken fountain, a ring of fire wide enough to encircle an articulated truck had appeared, burning the overgrown grass to a crisp and illuminating the entire facade of the mansion in all its decaying glory. In the center of the wall of flames sat an unassuming, one-person tent. Reaching out with her senses, the Ancient one realized that the host had attempted to hide his tent behind protective spells and, unused to his new powers, had botched them. Fortunately, it seemed that the tent had been rendered fireproof by more reliable magic than that used for the wards, because the flames never touched it.
The Ancient One considered waiting for the host to notice the flames on his own but decided that would be rather cruel. Cloaking herself in a fireproof shield, she stepped through the flames and conjured a gavel and block, which she used to simulate knocking on a door. After a minute or two of waiting she tried again. A vague sound of acknowledgment issued from the tent flap.
The Ancient One stepped back, vanishing her conjured items. A moment later, the tent flap opened. A young man stood in the entrance, glaring at her. He was tall and very fit, with a light complexion, tousled black hair, and shocking green eyes, like glowing emeralds. He wore a casual black shirt and workout pants, which looked so rumpled she was sure he'd slept in them. Judging from the redness around his eyes he'd cried himself to sleep. She could hardly blame him. In her mind's eye he glowed with burning power. "Your lawn is on fire," she informed him. She had to raise her voice to be heard over the crackling flames.
The man gaped at her. It was hard to tell what had surprised him more, the fire, her immunity to it, or her deadpan delivery. He closed his mouth and opened it again like a fish, then said "Thanks for telling me."
"You're welcome. You're probably wondering how I found your tent."
The man blinked and nodded, apparently deciding to forgo anger in favor of rankled curiosity. "Sort of. I mean, the fire made it rather obvious."
"Please, don't play dumb with me. You're not the only one around here who can use magic." Instantly the host's demeanor changed. His eyes narrowed, and he raised his hands, as though in defense. The message was clear. You make one wrong move and I'll make you regret it. The Ancient One's mild-mannered expression didn't change. "I'm not here to harm you," she said.
"Do you honestly expect me to believe that? You broke my wards!"
"Actually, I didn't. When I arrived here, they were working just fine, because I could not see anything of this tent. I went into the house, and when I came back out, I found a fire with a tent at its heart. A tent that wasn't burning."
The host blinked. "You knew I was here, wards or no."
The Ancient One allowed a small smile. "Perhaps. Can I offer you some tea?"
"You came here from who knows where and walked through a wall of fire to offer a complete stranger some tea?"
"Well, in truth I'm here to offer you help in adjusting to this dimension, because you sorely need it. The tea will just make the conversation more pleasant."
The man was gaping again. "How did you-"
"It's my job. You're not the first visitor from an alternate version of Earth I've encountered, and I doubt that you'll be the last. I understand that your trust will be hard earned, especially since you have no reason to believe anything I tell you, but that won't stop me from trying. Until you've acclimated to this dimension, you are effectively my responsibility."
"I can respect that. How about we agree to be honest with each other?"
"Very well. I promise to never lie to you or willfully endanger you or your godson."
The Phoenix host looked shocked but managed to say "I promise to never lie to you, and I will not harm you. Now tell me, how did you know-"
"I saw him in your future."
"My future?"
"How about we take this conversation inside the mansion. If it's any consolation, I don't know everything about you, only the important parts."
Harry reluctantly followed the strange woman outside. As he watched, she used odd hand gestures to summon rings and discs of runes constructed from fiery energy, none of which he recognized from Hermione's books. With a sweep of her arms and a wave of golden light she dispelled the fire. The demonstration of wandless magic was hardly a surprise, but the way she did it was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. As far as he knew, no one could create runic patterns in midair like that, not with his kind of magic.
The woman led him to the ruined mansion. She wore bright yellow robes that shone like gold. She was pale and bald, but her grey eyes shone with the wisdom of great age. The way she'd looked at him was what convinced him to trust her. There was no malice in her gaze, but there was a wariness that reminded him of Moody, as though she'd seen too much to be completely trusting of everyone she met. On the other hand, there was genuine kindness in her eyes, the sort of look that said I know you're suffering, and I want to help, if only you'd allow me. He'd seen that look on Professor McGonagall's face after Dumbledore's death.
The woman in yellow had obviously prepared for this meeting beforehand, because there was a table and chairs in the center of the entrance hall. The rubble and dust had been cleared away, and Harry saw faint shimmers of magic in the various holes in the building, keeping out the elements. The woman gestured for him to sit in one of the chairs, and he did so slowly, still wary. The seat was surprisingly comfortable given that it was made entirely out of wood, and he watched as she poured tea and took the chair opposite him. She drank readily, and after a moment's hesitation, Harry followed suit. "This is good tea!" he exclaimed happily.
The woman smiled. "Thank you. Fresh leaves are the key. And a bit of honey."
"No doubt," Harry replied, taking another sip. "I never got your name."
"And I never had yours. In truth, I have forgotten my name." At Harry's disbelieving expression she smiled and added "I am much older than I look. I answer to 'The Ancient One'."
"The Ancient One?" Harry said, bemused. Well, considering the names that were thrown around in the wizarding world back home, he could hardly judge her (Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, for one). "Well," he continued, "You certainly don't look that old. My name is Harry, Harry Potter."
"Harry Potter," she mused. "That has a nice ring to it."
Harry smiled faintly. "So, you said you wanted to help me. How? And why?"
She nodded. "As I said, it's my job. I am the Sorceress Supreme, the Earth's first line of defense against mystical and extradimensional threats."
Too bad we didn't have someone like her around back home, Harry thought. "Sorceress Supreme, eh? Sounds rather grandiose."
"I suppose it does, but it's no exaggeration. I lead an order of Sorcerers, the Masters of the Mystic Arts. Our magic is quite different from yours."
"I was wondering about that. Perhaps you can teach me. Right now, my own magic is almost useless. You saw what happened to my wards outside."
"In due time. But first you need to understand your new power and the dangers it brings."
"The power of the Phoenix Force."
"Precisely. The Phoenix Force is a fundamental part of the omniverse, and you are now the host for a fragment of its power."
"The omniverse? I don't understand."
The Ancient One took one last sip of her tea and rose. With a gesture of her hands, she conjured a three-dimensional holographic image of the Earth above the tabletop. Alongside it were several near-identical images, though these grew fainter the further they were from the one in the middle until they faded to nothing. "Our universe is just one of an infinite number comprising a vast multiverse," she explained. "In turn there are an infinite number of multiverses that together comprise the omniverse. My kind of magic is rooted in the art of drawing power from alternate dimensions to circumvent the limitations of normal physics. Some of these parallel worlds are nurturing havens for life, while others are dark places where threats older than time lie in waiting, ravenous and evil."
She highlighted the most corporeal image of the Earth with an orange aura. "This is the version of planet Earth found in my dimension, the one you now find yourself in. This one," she highlighted the one adjacent to it in green, "was your home dimension before it was devoured by Dormammu."
At the mention of Dormammu Harry sat up, his eyes narrowed. "You know of him?"
"Dormammu is the greatest threat faced by the Masters of the Mystic Arts, the most powerful extradimensional threat we've ever encountered. A cosmic conqueror with virtually unlimited power and hunger to match. When a new dimension captures his attention, he invades and devours it, subsuming everything into his Dark Dimension. It is a place beyond time and beyond death as we understand it. Those who pledge allegiance to him gain eternal life, and eternal torment along with it. All others are destroyed. His goal is to devour the entire omniverse, and he hungers for Earth most of all."
"Why Earth?" Harry asked, trying not shudder at the horrible idea of Dormammu and the Dark Dimension.
The Ancient One sighed. "Earth is a unique world. It is one of the only planets that exists simultaneously in every dimension of the universe, which makes it a prime source of alternative timelines and an ideal crossroads for interdimensional travel. Every time Dormammu devours a version of this planet, it provides him with easy access to hundreds of other universes. Your universe and its timelines were distinguished by the Phoenix Force's interest in you. By devouring that single version of Earth, Dormammu has also devoured its possibilities. Every timeline, every alternate chain of events, every version of you that interacted with the Phoenix Force without actually bonding with it, belongs to him now."
She highlighted one of the alternate Earth's in green. As Harry watched, a sinister purple aura erupted from its version of the United Kingdom and spread to cover the entire planet. He knew instinctively that this was his own Earth and swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. "So, this Dormammu destroyed my world, and it's your job to stop him from doing the same to this world," he said a bit shakily. "What about the Phoenix Force? Why did it offer me its power, and how did that save me?"
The Ancient One changed the hologram. The alternate Earths became glowing spheres, each composed of hundreds of smaller black spheres filled with stars. "These are multiverses. The balance between them is essential to their continued existence. Think of each individual universe as a bubble. Bubbles are quite fragile, and while they can merge together to form larger bubbles, more often than not they simply pop when they collide. The same principle holds true with the multiverse. If any one alternate universe enters a state that compromises its relationship with its neighbors, the resulting chain reaction would destroy everything. This essential balance is maintained by the cosmic entity known as the Living Tribunal, which is powerful enough to make Dormammu look like a small firecracker by comparison. Within each multiverse, a similar balance must be maintained between universes.
"Responsibility for maintaining that balance and preserving as many universes as possible lies with the Tribunal's only equal, the Phoenix Force, which was born from the same processes that created the omniverse. It has split itself between universes, like an organism that has scattered its cells across the cosmos. Each sliver of the Phoenix Force monitors its own designated area of responsibility. When it detects a threat to the balance of life, the local fragment of the Phoenix Force seeks a sentient life form to serve as its host, a vessel capable of directing its immense power and ending the threat. If the damage can be healed, the Phoenix will heal it. If not, the threat is burned out of existence. You could think of it as a cosmic trauma surgeon or as a guardian; both interpretations are correct. For whatever reason, our local representation of the Phoenix Force decided the time has come for it to directly intervene and has chosen you as its host."
Harry felt a headache coming on and put his head in his hands. Why did everything happen to him? Why did he have to become famous for not dying when his parents did? Why did he have to be the wizarding world's chew toy, going from savior to scapegoat and back again? Why did he have to be the bloody Chosen One? Why did a bloody cosmic entity have to devour his world and strand him and his godson in a new world where they didn't belong? And why did the very thing that allowed them to survive have to be a freaking fundamental force of the omniverse?!
As if in response to his distress, the peeling wood and stone walls rumbled. Cracks appeared on the floor, and beams of broken wood collapsed into dust. Perturbed, Harry robotically took another sip of tea, only to find that it had gone cold. He almost cast a warming charm, but stopped himself, remembering the rather spectacular failure of his wards.
"So, does that make me some kind of Chosen One?" he asked bitterly.
"In a way," the Ancient One said. There was no pity in her voice, but her tone was kind. That made Harry glad. He didn't want her pity, or anyone else's. What he wanted was a normal life (or as normal as a wizard could hope for) where he was free to be himself and to have a family of his own. Was that too much to ask? Hadn't he sacrificed enough for the sake of others?
"I know you didn't ask for this," the Ancient Once continued, "but there is nothing I can do to change it. This is your burden."
"That's hardly fair."
"You of all people should know that life isn't fair. You bear a burden even I would hesitate to accept when all you want is what most people take for granted. I understand. I'd give anything just to remember my own name. But I can't, even with my ability to peer through time."
Harry looked up at her. Her grey eyes reminded him so much of Professor McGonagall it made his heart ache. "Can you help me master this power?" he asked.
"I can help you acclimate to this dimension. I can even help you and your godson integrate into society unnoticed. But in the end, it is you who must find the best way to master the power of the Phoenix. All can I do for you on that front is point you in the right direction. As I said, it's your burden."
Harry looked up at her. She held out a hand, and Harry was reminded of the Phoenix Force appearing to him in Teddy's room as it should have been, offering him the power to achieve his heart's desire. He had trusted the mysterious entity blindly, and look where that got him. But he'd had no other options at the time. Now he found himself in the same situation; desperate and with no other choice. There was a chance the Ancient One was lying to him and that this was all a ruse, but something made him doubt that. He glanced in the direction of the front door to the mansion and his tent, then back at the Ancient One. He studied her deceptively delicate hand for a long moment, then took it.
"I have one more question," he said as she pulled him to his feet.
She raised an eyebrow.
"How can you see into the future?"
She smiled. "I'll show you."
Kamar-Taj Compound, Kathmandu, Nepal, April of 2001
Karl Mordo heard a faint crackling sound and turned to see a sling ring portal open near a parapet of Kamar Taj's darkened main training ground. The Ancient One stepped through, illuminated by the fiery sparks of the portal, followed closely by a tall young man with messy black hair and bright green eyes. The man held a child in his arms, a little boy with electric blue hair that had Mordo doing a double take to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. The child gave a huge yawn, and his hair turned mousy brown. Mordo supposed he'd seen stranger things, so he didn't question it. As he watched, the Ancient One dispelled the portal and led her guest inside.