I hope you like reading this chapter as much as I liked writing it. This is my favorite part of AU stories. The moment when characters that in the books never got to speak come together for the first time. I apologize for the length in advance.
For the next week Harry actually recognized that there was a set routine to his life, something which hadn't happened for years. It roughly went like this; Check in with Star Gate Command in the morning before heading over to see Albus and hunt Horcruxes.
Despite their dark nature Harry found himself enjoying the task of rounding them up once more. It was much easier to destroying them this time around, and their negative effects were easily negated if one didn't hang on to them for weeks on end.
This Albus was also much more forthcoming. Not being a part of his plans was refreshing, and dare he say Harry enjoyed spending time with the man.
They'd quickly liberated the ring from underneath the Gaunt Shack (with no loss of any hands he was proud to note), but there was no Diary in the Chamber. He left the Basilisk alone. No need to tempt fate a second time. Perhaps he could gain its allegiance somehow? How hilarious would it be if he could sic it on the Goa'uld.
Back to the Diary though. It wasn't a surprise to him that it wasn't at the school. After all, Lucius had no one to give it to back in '92. Harry suspected it still rested in the Magical Safe in Malfoy Manor. That could be an issue. The cup would also be tricky to get to. For now though he'd concentrate on the one he could get.
Slytherin's locket.
"You look nervous Harry." Dumbledore really was a master of stating the obvious, the younger man concluded, wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers as they walked up the stone steps of the Row house.
"You'd be too were you in my place Albus. Sirius was the only real family I ever knew. The fact that he willingly chooses to live in the Black's ancestral home is not a good sign."
He knocked on the heavily lacquered door of Number 12 Grimmauld place.
"Tell me, what's he like?"
Albus stroked his beard. "To be honest it's been a while since I've seen the man outside of the Wizengamot. I take it he was a member of the Order during the second war?"
The young man shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, right until he got his ass stunned by Bellatrix and fell into the Veil of Death."
That single comment caused the Headmasters eyebrow to rise in surprise. Harry liked to cough up random and very strange morsels of information that when properly explained made sense, but on their own sounded bat-shit crazy.
Call it his way of keeping the Headmaster on his toes. They hadn't talked much about Harry's earlier adventures, mainly because Harry kept asking about the people in this reality. His friends were similar to his counterparts back home, though none seemed to have befriended one another.
Harry took solace that he was the glue that kept the clique together. This world's Ron actually married that bimbo Lavender Brown.
'Mione was single, married to her job if anything. He would have gone on, but the door opened and Harry nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Jebus H Christ on a bicycle!" It took every ounce of his considerable willpower not to stun the bitch right where she stood.
Bellatrix looked at the strange young man, slightly put out. One normally didn't address her like this. She looked over at his companion and spoke.
"Professor Dumbledore, to what do I owe the honor?"
The headmaster chuckled. "Miss Black, how do you do? We wish to meet with the Head of the House if he is available."
The pale curly haired witch nodded and let them in, though she kept shooting concerned looks at the younger man. Harry instantly recognized Wallburga's painting and braced his poor eardrums.
Both Dumbledore and Bellatrix now observed the young man's strange behavior, as did the painting.
"Sorry" he said stupidly.
"Who is your companion?" Lestran- Black inquired pleasantly. Harry was very put out by all of this. The Bella he knew was nothing like the cordial lady standing a few feet away. She reminded him a little of Andromeda Tonks actually. Come to think of it, Harry had never heard crazy Bella talk normally.
"Ah yes, allow me to introduce you two. This is Ikarus Wiener."
Harry growled, still not having had a chance to pick up his new documents from Knockturn.
"Charming" Bella held out her hand, which Harry shook instead of kissing.
"Likewise."
They were served tea and made to wait. Harry didn't like this. Normally people waited on him. After all, he did as he pleased, defied powerful enemies almost daily, and laughed at the rules of both Muggles and Wizards alike.
Was he really prepared to give up all the hard won freedom he'd acquired for something as silly as Family? It wasn't like he needed Parents. He was a grown ass man for crying out loud. Damn it O'Neill, get out of my sodding head!
Lost in thought the sole Potter/Black heir didn't notice the arrival of Head of House immediately. Albus cleared his throat, getting his attention. Harry's eyes locked onto his not quite godfather and just stared.
Sirius Black was dressed as if Lucius Malfoy was his personal Tailor. The scraggly hair he remembered was neatly combed and tied back into a Ponytail. Gone were the hollow sunken cheeks and haunted looks. This was the face of an aristocrat. Cold disinterested eyes observed the two 'guests'.
'Was it too late to undo the runes on the mirror and try again?' Harry thought in revulsion.
Probably not. Damn! If he was like this, did Harry even want to meet the others?
"Lord Black, my assistant and I express our utmost Gratitude for allowing us into your lovely Home on such short notice." Has Albus always kissed ass like this or was he just oblivious?
"Headmaster. It is my pleasure to invite you into my humble estate." Dear god, Padfoot sounded like Snape! Harry wanted to gag.
"Now, what can I do for you?"
"Ahh yes, my colleague and I are searching for an interesting set of items. One of which we believe resides here in your home."
"Items?" Sirius asked, feigning interest. He had no need for money and wasn't about to part with anything deemed worthy of being stored in the House of Black.
"And why do you wish to gather these items?" Harry's cheeks were pulsing, something the young man had picked up from Teal'c no doubt.
Albus on the other hand looked conflicted. The man's obsession with keeping secrets was as alive and well in this verse as Harry's.
"To destroy them Lord Black." Harry cut in, effectively making the decision for the older man. Albus didn't look pleased, but Harry honestly couldn't care less.
"Ikarus Wiener, how do you do?" Harry watched Sirius's face closely. A name like that would have gotten a reaction out of the old Sirius he knew. There was a small twitch, but not much else.
Harry took that as a sign that the older man might be rehabilitable. Is that even a word? Perhaps some harmless kidnapping was in order later on. Or maybe he just needed to get laid.
Sirius shook Harry's with distain, going so far as to rub his hand on his robes. Harry proceeded to do the same just out of spite. Albus was already regretting bringing the flamboyant youngster with him. Black took note of this and frowned openly for the first time. Harry just smirked.
"I'm afraid I can't help you. The Black Family has a rich history of collecting all manner of magical artifacts, many which I'm sure are quite dangerous. I won't be parting with any of them."
Albus frowned. Harry had blown it. Harry though knew Black was never even going to consider their request. He'd been involved in enough back door deals to know when his time was being wasted. Unlike then, today he had a bit of leverage the young man was fully willing to take advantage of.
"Kreacher", Harry hollered, choosing to take a more direct approach. His eyes though never left Sirius's. The house elf appeared, confused at being summoned from another master he'd never met before.
"Master?" the creature was confused.
"Kreacher" Harry repeated, ignoring the baffled looks from the others. "Regulus Black entrusted you with a locket yes? I am here to destroy it. Could you fetch it for me?"
Black regained his wits and stepped in. "You will do no such thing." The man hissed at the cowering elf. "As for you, I believe you have overstayed your welcome. Leave or the House wards will remove you by force."
The pompous arse was going to make things difficult it seemed.
"I highly doubt that Padfoot." Harry flashed Sirius the middle finger, on which rested the Black family ring.
"Impossible!" The pureblood attempted to activate the wards, but they didn't respond.
"Kreacher, the locket?" Harry repeated.
The elf popped away before Sirius had the chance to belay the order a second time. "Just who the hell do you think you are? And who told you that name?"
Harry observed as he drew his wand.
"You did, once upon a time."
"I've never met you." Sirius spat.
Phoenix and Holly slid into Harry's waiting palm. "True. I'm shocked to see what's become of you Sirius."
Harry had no clue what had happened in the past to cause such a drastic change.
"I hope for your sake that your forearm doesn't have a Tatoo though. I'd hate to have to kill you." The tension in the room was noticeable now.
"Harry!" Albus bellowed, shocked at what the dimension traveler had done. Kreacher cracked back into existence, a very familiar locket clutched in his bony hand.
The locket itself resisted summoning so Harry targeted the chain. Sirius didn't know this and tried to do the same with no effect. The Horcrux flew across the room and into his waiting hand.
"I'll compensate you for this, though I'm sure you had no idea this was even here." Harry turned to Dumbledore, hand now clutching the vile artifact, still coiled and ready to deflect whatever curse this weird version of Sirius Black would chose to hurl at him.
"Ready Professor?" Albus was at a loss of what to say, and instead just nodded. Boy did he look mad though. Harry grabbed his arm and Side-alonged back to his Condo.
The clean, sleek lines and surfaces were a complete 180 from the Victorian decorations in that awful house. Silence reigned supreme for a several seconds as his old mentor attempted to find the right words.
Not one to get yelled at Harry spoke first.
"I'm sorry it came to this."
Harry doubted it would even dent the fury that was building in the Headmaster. Any second now he'd be torn a new one.
Annnny second. Surprisingly the Headmaster deflated.
"That was most unwise Harry. Lord Black is a very powerful man. You may have just shown our hand to Voldemort himself."
A wicked grin spread over the younger man's face. "You should know that I 'deal' with powerful men all the time. Also, Black seeking out Riddle is sort of a contingency plan. "
For once Dumbledore had absolutely no idea what was going on, and he didn't like it one bit.
"Explain." He demanded in a firm tone.
The space wizard next pulled an oval device from his robes and pulled it apart, revealing a crystalline display. His anger momentarily forgotten Dumbledore asked what he was holding.
"I planted a nanite tracker on Lord Black using a rather ingenious delivery system I designed. If weirdo Sirius is in league with Voldemort he will most likely report what just happened. This lets me see and hear what he does, in real time."
Dumbledore's eyes widened at the insinuation.
"You're spying on a Wizengamot member? Harry, this is getting out of hand." The grainy video feed sharpened as the microscopic machines tapped into the subjects visual cortex and hearing.
Once in the same room the remaining nanites would have jumped to Riddle. That way I could have spied directly on the man and we wouldn't have to break into Gringotts or Malfoy Manor."
If anything Albus looked even more put out by the explanation. "How?"
The screen showed the man looking around in his study, pouring himself a few fingers of amber liquid. Harry frowned. It seemed Lord Black was not a Death Eater after all. He'd have left by now to report if he was.
"I genetically modified jumping spiders that latched onto his robes during our visit. Harry explained, ripping his eyes away from the screen.
"The ones that didn't inject Black would have sought out Voldemort himself and delivered its payload of the spying machines via a small stinger, similar to one found on a Mosquito. We would have had an idea of all his plans and an exact location of the last two Horcruxes once their creator had retrieved them."
Harry could honestly say that he'd never seen the Headmaster look so completely and utterly dumbstruck. For muggle technology to have advanced like this? It was unbelievable.
Had young Harry's plan succeeded the Light would have had the perfect spy with no drawbacks. And from the sounds of it was only a matter of time before that happened. All they had to do was find a Death Eater.
Harry showed Albus the around his base of operations.
"I can monitor dozens of individuals with this tech, but it becomes difficult with no staff. Harry wished that true Artificial Intelligence was a real thing. It would have made this whole operation a breeze.
He sighed. "Well, should Black come in contact with a Death Eater the spider will inject them. It would do for now. At least we'd have an idea of where Voldemort is holed up, and if he has a new body or not." Harry slid the tablet closed and pocketed it once more.
"C'mon. Let's get rid of this thing." The silk bag containing the locket was lightly tossed in the air and caught for emphasis. Harry next handed the Chief Warlock, who was busy admiring the Jaffa suits a piece of paper.
'The Mirror room is located opposite the Serpent Guard Armor.'
A door appeared where previously only a blank wall appeared to be. Albus understood what he'd just been handed.
"Impressive." He muttered.
"Wait until you see the Star Gate."
Harry opened the door, revealing the large blocky Mirror resting within. He removed the remote from a bin attached to the wall and turned the device on, showing an equally plain looking space on the other side.
"This is how you've managed to get here I take it?" The headmaster inquired, studying the device.
Harry nodded, recalling showing Dumbledore the memory of the quantum mirror during their first encounter and explaining what it did.
"I've encountered some truly terrible realities thanks to this thing. But can happily say it can only be used to reach my own now."
They transitioned over and the Headmaster began looking around. "Where are we now?"
The automatic doors slid aside as Harry led Dumbledore to the Gate room. "This is the Bebop, my personal space ship."
Albus was a secret lover of muggle sci-fi novels. The limits of their imagination was remarkable. To think that some of their outlandish ideas were actually possible? They stopped by a large bay window the Asgard had installed at his request. The view was quite stunning, showing off Earth in its entire splendor.
They observed a sizable spinning storm off the Eastern Seaboard.
"Hurricane Jeanne" Harry gestured towards mass of white. "It's supposed to be one of the bigger ones this year."
Harry didn't normally watch the weather network, but Jackson seemed to favor it when working in his lab. Background noise, he called it. Harry just happened to be there long enough to catch the highlights.
They moved on to the Gate room.
The large gray ring dominated the expanded space, complimented by the DHD off to the right. Harry didn't bother with an Iris like the muggles. The wards were plenty enough for any unexpected visitors, and even managed to distinguish if a dangerous foreign object entered the ship, sending it back into the event horizon to dispose of it.
The young Wizard was already busy dialing. Just before activating the gate Harry noticed where Albus's feet had carried him.
"Professor, please step aside." With a final push the vortex formed and shot out, consuming yet another piece of Voldemort's soul as it was tossed if front of the ring.
"This is how you've been destroying Tom's soul fragments?"
He nodded. "It disintegrates anything and everything. As long as it's matter it can be destroyed."
"A very strange device indeed." Dumbledore was gazing at the shimmering blue surface. Harry laughed.
"Actually the Stargate allows nearly instantaneous travel to other planets. In fact if you want we can take a quick trip to the other side. The address I dialed leads to an uninhabited world."
The older Wizard looked unsure.
Harry though was already beside the Headmaster and pulled him along by the sleeve. They stepped into the event horizon with a wet sucking noise.
"Merlin" Dumbledore muttered when they emerged from the ring. Harry had never heard the man utter the legendary Wizards name. If only he knew the truth. The gate had deposited them near a cliff overlooking a turquoise sea.
"You see now why Lord Black's feelings mean very little to me. There are far bigger things out there than a stuffy ancient Lord and his bruised ego."
Albus was only half listening, gazing at a foreign world in another reality. It had taken but a minute to get here. The implications were enough to blow anyone's mind.
oOo
Harry was lounging on the stone steps of the Gate, trying in vain to find a way to occupy himself. They were on some planet, recently dubbed P2W 589. By 'they' he meant SG-1, himself, and Vala. Plotting all of the Worlds visited by the Priors, it was thought that this place was going to be next very soon.
Harry didn't really know what to think of their new Enemy. The Priors sounded like they could wield some sort of magic, using old fashioned staffs instead of wands. SG-1 had been tasked with trying to establish contact with these Religious nut jobs.
Kinda funny considering they all agreed the Ori couldn't be reasoned with. Heck, Harry would have agreed were he privy to how they dealt with Heretics, burned in the middle of a village square like in the dark ages.
Unfortunately for Harry he was quickly roped into this mission. Vala followed just for the hell of it, a decision she was beginning to regret. After nearly sixteen hours of doing nothing everyone was more than ready to go home.
O'Neill was this close to calling it when the chevrons started lighting up. Lo and behold the gray and silver robed form of a Prior stepped through the gate shortly thereafter. The locals had been warned to stay away from the gate until the Tau'ri gave the all clear, so collateral damage wasn't going to be an issue should shit hit the fan. Which it would, of that he had no doubt.
Oh and it did.
O'Neill foolishly began arguing about how they weren't going to let them take over and told the guy off. Now normally that was all fine and dandy IF you could back up a mouth that large, but something told Harry this was no ordinary walking stick. The Prior's staff started glowing ominously.
SG-1 became trigger happy. Muggle guns and Staff fire were ineffective. Harry finally stepped in with a quick Aresto Momentum and caught everyone that the Prior hurled away.
He gently lowered them back onto the ground. By saving his companions (he wasn't going to call them friends) the thing focused solely on him.
The tattooed man cocked his head in mild curiosity.
"You aren't like the others."
Harry began stretching, trying to loosen up after sitting idle for the better part of a day.
"You don't say Captain Obvious." With a loud pop his neck cracked. "So what's it going to be Prior? Fight or flight?"
He answered with his staff, and Harry deftly apparated behind him, wand ready.
Several minutes later…
"Why am I always bailing your sorry arses out of the fire?" Potter hollered, nimbly sidestepping another concentrated banisher form the Prior's staff.
He reciprocated with a series of bone shatterers, cutters and Blasters, all fairly standard stuff. A previously invisible energy shield bounced them all, in some cases deflected the offensive spells back towards his position. Next he tried a Killing Curse. Theoretically nothing but solid objects could stop those. Much to his surprise the green curse was absorbed like it was nothing.
Great. Time to change tactics. He hurled a sickly yellow Peruvian Withering curse that impacted the ground in front of the barrier and spread out. The Prior back pedaled to avoid getting his feet turned to dust.
Two Gorillas meanwhile thundered towards the distracted demi human form the sides but met horrible ends when he realized what was happening.
Nothing worked. Fire Whips fizzled against the bluish defense, banished projectiles bounced off it. That shield took everything Harry could think of. The Prior on the other hand had no issue throwing him around like a rag doll.
It was like a scene out of Skrillex's 'First of the year'. Several times now he'd been blasted into the nearby tree line, only saved by a bunker shield that effectively turned him into a giant low mass cannonball.
Tree limbs, or in some cases whole trunks snapped as the seven foot diameter sphere of defensive magic shot through their midst. A large fir finally caught him, losing half of its canopy in doing so.
Harry cursed, making the quick apparition back to the battlefield. The gunfire had tapered off long ago. Instead SG-1 simply watched as the Wizard and Prior continued to duke it out. O'Neill had even sat down.
"Do you want some fucking Popcorn with your show?" He screamed at the more than useless muggles. Harry was getting fed up. As fun as it was being hurled through a dense grove of trees over and over again his magical reserves would only last so long. His opponent on the other hand seemed to get his power from the Staff he/it wielded.
It was time to take the gloves off.
A small cutter of his own making nicked Harry's wrist, which instantly started spewing blood at an alarming rate. Next the Wizard began chanting in a long lost language. The blood took on a life of its own, boiling and writhing as it splattered to the ground.
This was truly horrible magic, spells he'd never wished to use. But his foe required Harry to break out all the stops, taboo or no. Thankfully the Prior was getting cocky, choosing to observe instead of attacking.
Sweet, because this would be infinitely harder if he had to dodge attacks. The blood pooled at his feet before leaping into action. It advanced, not alarmingly fast but quick enough to be effective. As it covered ground it left behind dead, cursed patches of earth.
The Prior expected his shield to stop its advance. When it didn't he tried to purify the vile substance but even the light of his staff had no noticeable effect on the Dark Magic.
It shied back briefly before resuming its pace. Three earth and stone Golems assembled from the debris created in the last few minutes and moved up as well, hoping to limit the man's freedom of movement.
They were blown apart with enough force to shower the battlefield with dust and pebbles. The Ori Prophet though was now moving quite swiftly trying to stay ahead of Harry's attack.
The Wizard meanwhile paused a moment to knock back a blood replenisher and close the cut on his arm.
He needed to be penned in Harry concluded, watching as the strangely robed Ori messenger continued to evade the slow but unstoppable boiling substance. With a grunt he summoned the bedrock, hidden some twenty feet below.
It heaved and exploded from the surface, forming a rough U shape that boxed in his enemy. Much to Harry's pleasure the Dark magic latched onto his Robes and spread. His dying screams were amplified by the hard, unforgiving rock.
With a sigh he willed the Blood to dissipate. Only then did the team move up, although cautiously. Despite not knowing what exactly Harry had done it simply felt wrong even to them. The whole area around the gate felt like cursed ground.
"Wow Harry. That was some seriously evil looking stuff you just pulled."Vala muttered, not taking her eyes off the smoldering pile of ashes lying next to the glowing blue staff.
The Wizard grunted in disgust, not happy to have been forced into fighting like this. He felt dirty.
"All right kids. Let's get back home." O'Neill picked up the Ori walking stick and marched back to the Star Gate. What the kid had done just now would give Jack nightmares for weeks.
As expected Harry didn't stick around for long after returning to base, choosing instead to hole up on the Bebop. Vala for once used her common sense and stayed away from her partner in crime. He'd come around eventually. He always did.
oOo
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" A very nervous looking Harry Potter asked for the third time in as many minutes. He and Dumbledore were making their way to the Great Hall. It was winter break, and at Albus's request the Potters had travelled from Godrics Hollow to Hogwarts for dinner.
For Lily it meant she didn't have to cook. Sara was a sixth year, but never minded being at the school. JP, their oldest had been dragged here by his father on his way home from work.
At nine-teen, James Potter Junior, or JP for short had recently moved out and liked it. He was employed not in the Alley or the Ministry but with the Muggle Armed Forces. A most odd choice of employment.
Harry of course knew all of this thanks to his not very legal file search well over two weeks ago now. Sara was still a student, so only her OWL's were on file. She seemed to be a talented witch, scoring high on almost all of her subjects.
So Harry knew about them in a way, but nothing could prepare him for when he'd be sitting across from them in a few minutes time.
"Albus, what am I supposed to do? You can't just set this up and expect me to come out of it smelling like a rose." Harry half argued half pleaded.
"Look at what happened at Grimmauld Place!"
He'd come this afternoon prepared to break into the Goblin's bank and retrieve a simple cup. Childs play for someone like him. But this? No, this was infinitely harder. How could he do this? Harry had almost wept when he saw Sirius for the first time.
Before he could object any more though the massive Hall doors parted and the two entered. Harry, not aware that he'd be dining with company was wearing his regular dark red Auror garb. The Potters on the other hand had dressed up.
"I can't believe you." Harry hissed just low enough to remain out of earshot. Albus had tried for weeks now to convince the young man to just take a leap of faith and go for it. This dinner party in his opinion was just the right push he'd need.
"Headmaster!" Lily Potter greeted cheerfully.
"Thank you for the invitation."
Harry's throat constricted. She was everything he'd seen from the precious few pictures in his possession. Wavy Auburn Hair, a slim build, and a radiant smile. His heart beat harder than it did when confronting Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest.
Dumbledore embraced her briefly before moving on to shake James's hand.
"My pleasure. I do hope you are enjoying your Holidays?"
They nodded. Both Sara and JP looked a bit reserved. An invitation from Albus Dumbledore himself was strange. While the Potters knew the Headmaster of course, but they'd never really spent much time with the Legendary Wizard.
Albus briefly greeted both Potter children before the collective attention shifted to the guy standing on the side lines. Harry all of a sudden wouldn't feel so conflicted fighting another Prior instead of being here.
"Urrr…hi." The four headed family just looked at him, each forming their own opinion of him from that one comment.
James spoke up first, recognizing his robes.
"Are you with the DMLE? I've never seen you around Headquarters."
Harry shot Albus a dirty look. "I…" He cleared his throat.
"I used to work there, briefly. The uniform suited me, so I kept it." James took that comment with a grain of salt. As a squad leader of over ten years he of course didn't know everyone, but his was a face he'd never seen before.
Also, one wasn't just allowed to keep the uniform. Albus gestured for him to sit, which Harry did, although reluctantly. James studied the younger Wizard more closely now that they were seated.
There was a pale white scar on his forehead. He looked very much like James Junior, but much less stocky. Quite young too. Perhaps a few years out of school.
Was he a recently graduated recruit? The Robes though didn't look new. In fact they were in worse condition than his own. Scorch marks and sewn up tears dotted the garments. They looked like old Mad Eye's.
The kid looked nervous. Very nervous. The behavior made James's work side come out. The urge to question the man sitting across from him was hard to resist. Why had Dumbledore brought him along?
Seeing how Harry made no move to come out of his shell the bearded Wizard stoked the fire just a little more.
"Harry here approached me about a month ago in regards to a treasure hunt of sorts." Sara and JP's ears perked up at the words 'treasure' and 'hunt'.
"Over the course of a few eventful trips and several conversations I came to the conclusion that he needed to meet you."
"Why would he need to meet with us?" Lily asked, suddenly forgetting her Salad. Damn that old bearded tosser! He'd prank him into next week just as soon as this was over.
Harry was looking at the plate so hard he swore the peas were starting to smoke. What the hell was wrong with him? He'd killed countless men and other unsavory creatures in his brief life. Why was this so hard? Getting himself psyched up, something finally snapped in him. It was like the floodgates opened, just like with Sirius.
The previously nervous and shy man disappeared, replaced by indifferent and slightly rude version of himself he liked to use when dealing with the scum that lurked in all corners of the Galaxy.
Harry tossed the fork he'd clutched onto like a lifeline onto his mostly full plate and leveled a hard stare at the four people sitting across the large round table.
"Because I'm from another reality."
"Another reality…" James looked to the Headmaster. "Albus, is this some sort of joke?"
Lily and Harry meanwhile were having a stare off. He could see the gears turning in the middle aged woman's head. Any second now the pieces would fall into place.
"He called you Harry…" she whispered, just loud enough to shut up James. He too blatantly stared at Harry now, having picked up on what she was saying.
The young man subconsciously crossed his arms. Yup, there it was.
"Mom, what's going on?" Sara looked concerned. Then Harry really threw a wrench into the works.
"I take it you don't know about your other brother?" He briefly looked at the young Witch, his head cocked to the side just a bit. The question hit Lily and James like a freight train.
"Impossible." James whispered.
"You know weirdo Padfoot said the same thing last week." The offhand comment only served to confuse James even more. The final coup de gras was when Harry slipped off the Potter family ring and wordlessly levitated it over to his not quite Parents.
Now it was the Potters who were speechless.
"Albus, I'm going to step outside for a minute to get some fresh air. Also, I think we need to have a friendly spar after tonight. I feel it might be good for both of us."
The scraping of the chair on the stone floor echoed across the large space. The Headmaster swallowed nervously. James was almost as good as him in transfiguration. He shuddered to think what his son could do wielding the most powerful wand in the world.
Harry felt like an idiot walking away, but it was just too much to take in. He wanted to blame Dumbledore, but really it was all on him. The second he chose to squirrel away the Quantum Mirror for exactly this moment was when the blame shifted to him and only him.
The battlements outside the Main entrance were as good a place as any. Harry brushed off the powdery snow from the cold stone and sat down, gazing at the fountain's jets of water frozen in mid fall.
This was supposed to be a happy moment wasn't it?
Then why did it feel like he'd just broken the hearts of two people inside that Hall? The sudden urge to blow something up made itself known, but Harry squashed it. It wouldn't help and probably alienate these people further. And that's exactly what he wanted to avoid.
Besides, he had Dumbledore for that later.
"I don't know who you are but whatever you said back there really threw my folks off their game."
JP was leaning against one of the Pillars of the inner courtyard structure.
"It wasn't my intention to hurt them." Harry clarified. He wondered what house JP had been sorted into. The file didn't go into that much detail.
"That's good. 'cause if you did I'd make you regret it." Harry fought the urge to tell this little piss-ant off.
"Are you done?" He could do without company such as this. JP took the hint and walked off. Great. His not quite Parents were mental wrecks and he'd just told his brother to sod off.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Harry had always wondered what it would be like to have siblings. A brother with which to play, laugh, and get in and out of trouble with. Or a sister to protect from monsters and overbearing boyfriends.
And he'd just kicked over the anthill in there. The wind tonight was particularly strong, and warming charms only went so far. With a sigh Harry got up after another few minutes and slowly made his way back to the Great Hall. May as well get this over with.
Lily and James were having a rather loud conversation with Dumbledore, who probably wondered why he was being yelled at. All of that stopped the moment he walked in.
"Oh don't stop on my behalf." He said with grim satisfaction. "I do enjoy watching Albus get a good verbal thrashing every once in a while."
The normally jovial Headmaster frowned at the jab.
"Why are you here?" James asked quite bluntly.
"Well, I was led here under the impression that we would be robbing Gringotts tonight. Instead I got roped into a very awkward dinner."
That was the wrong thing to say to the Auror it seems.
"Let me rephrase." James said licking his lips, resisting the urge to slap the cuffs on this kid. "Why did you come to our World?"
Damn, straight to the point, eh dad?
Harry scratched his chin.
"A few reasons. One, I wanted to see you obviously. But not like this." Harry hastily added. "This is all Albus's fault!"
"Naturally." James Potter said testily.
"What's the other?" A Feminine voice asked. Lily sounded nothing like her Husband. There was no anger, just curiosity and sadness. Harry felt like a jerk for re-opening old wounds. But often that needed to be done for them to heal properly.
Yeah Potter, 'cause you know so much about mind healing. You use a bloody Sarcophagus when you scrape your knee!
"I'd call it a plan B of sorts. My galaxy is not really all that safe right now."
They looked confused as to why Harry said Galaxy instead of reality, but didn't press the subject.
"You're really my Brother then?" Sara was the spitting image of her mother. Harry smiled faintly.
"Not quite. Never had siblings where I come from."
"Wait, if you came just to see mom and dad that must mean yours are dead right?" Harry was right in his earlier assumption. Sara Potter was sharp.
"How?" oddly enough this came from JP.
"Halloween 1981." The answer didn't mean much to either Sara or JP, but Lily and James understood perfectly.
"He killed them." She whispered. They swallowed hard, remembering just how close a call it had been that night. James almost died, and Lily woke to find her baby dead.
To think it could have been the other way around. That it had been the other way around. Before them stood the answer to all of those what if's they'd been asking themselves for years. No, decades.
Lily couldn't help herself any longer. She ditched James and ran over to Harry, hugging him without hesitation. He on the other hand could have sworn his heart stopped for a few seconds there.
Slowly, with trembling hands he embraced her back. She smelt of lavender. He'd always wondered what she smelt like.
The first tears threatened to spill then. Harry caught a glimpse of his Father before he joined in. Both Sara and JP felt like the odd man out but didn't interrupt.
They'd never known. But then again how could they? Their parents had put up a perfect front for all those years. Their well-known but not well understood dislike of Halloween made sense now.
Albus knew his work for tonight was done. The Headmaster excused himself and headed towards his private chambers. He'd catch up with the Potter brood tomorrow.
oOo
They talked throughout the night. So many stories. So many laughs. Sara and JP learnt that they shared many interests with their new found sibling. Albus had kept the fireplace in the Great hall connected to the flu network for the night and the Potters headed back to Godrics Hollow, Harry in tow.
They all had a good laugh at Harry's ineptness with travelling via Flu. Oddly enough that wasn't something he'd inherited.
"There's just no way!" JP refuse to believe the load of Bull Harry was shoveling. There wasn't a Basilisk under the school. No way!
Harry gasped at the insinuation that he was lying. "Oh yeah, I've got the scars to prove it" he cried, pulling his sleeve up to reveal two coin sized pale marks on his forearm.
"Please, that could be a birthmark for all I know."
"It's not" Lily supplied, clutching a large glass or Red wine. She was curled up on the couch, content with watching her three children half bicker, half try to one up each other with stories.
James's arm was draped around her shoulder, but he looked close to falling asleep. Lily didn't want to, out of fear that this was a dream. If so she'd happily stay asleep for the rest of time.
"Thank you!" Harry responded with satisfaction. JP rolled his eyes. "I'll break out the Pensieve if you keep this up. And you'll be shitting your pants at some of the stuff I've lived through."
Sara yawned, looking ready to pass out. Harry glanced at the clock. He'd been up for almost thirty hours now. Stifling his own yawn he started to rise.
"I should go before I splinch myself trying to get home."
Lily Potter's head shot up.
"Nonsense. You're staying here tonight!" Her commanding voice left no room to say otherwise. Harry grinned, not about to risk incurring her wrath. She extracted herself from James's half asleep arm and left to freshen up the spare room.
Despite being a cottage, the Potter's dinky little house was surprisingly spacious. They even had a permanent spare bedroom for any guests willing to crash for the night. It smelt like wet dog.
Sniffing, Harry asked; "Did Moony sleep here last?"
James, who'd been stumbling to reach his own bed paused. "You know Remus?"
"Of course. He was my Defense teacher in third year."
"Huh" the senior Auror said. Harry decided to pull an Albus on his dad.
"Is he married to Tonks here as well?" Yeah, that did it all right. James almost stumbled.
"What?"
Harry smirked. "That's a no then. Anyway, good night."
Prongs grunted an affirmative and disappeared through the far door. Harry put up the regular detection wards around the door and window, as well as single use incarceration runes stuck to sticky pads.
If anyone was foolish enough to wake him they'd find themselves tied up real quick. With a tired sigh the young man hit the hay, but not before freshening the air. The smell of wet dog always reminded him of Padfoot.
The jostling of the Bed woke James from a light sleep. He'd only meant to rest his eyes for a few moments while Lily got ready in the Ensuite. His wife quickly found his warm skin under the sheets and pressed her cold hands up against him. Normally he'd protest but tonight was different.
"Hey Lils. What do you think of all of this?"
She quickly scooted over all the way and under her husband's waiting arm, her vivid red hair spilling all over his chest.
"It's like a dream." She whispered. "But James, he looked as blindsided by all of this as we were."
James thought back to their very awkward introduction. It certainly had Albus Dumbledore written all over it. He sighed. "In a way yes. But you heard what he said. This Harry sought us out. He's not actually our Harry."
"I know that." She said sadly. "And he does to. But from the looks of it he's willing to look past that. I think he genuinely wants a family. Merlin, I can't imagine how…" she sniffed, and James squeezed her shoulder in a comforting way. "I mean, he grew up all alone. With my sister. James, she's a terrible person. You know that. And her Husband is even worse. That poor boy."
James Potter stroked her hair affectionately, lost in thought. For years he'd wished that You know who should have taken him and spared little Harry. But after tonight he wasn't so sure. A quick and painless killing curse didn't seem so bad when faced with life as an orphan, unwanted and unloved.
James' own parents had been killed when he was fifteen. It was hard, but his friends had helped immensely. He couldn't imagine having none of that support, growing up never knowing love and affection. It was a miracle Harry wasn't more messed up. Sleep eluded them both for several hours after heading in. Tomorrow they'd need to figure out where to go from here.
oOo
"Harrrrry!" The wailing voice ripped him from the strange dream he was having.
"HARRY!" Ah, the sound of desperation. The messy Haired Wizard lifted his head off the pillow and looked at the bound victim on the floor.
"Oh, hey Sara." Harry asked coyly. "What'cha doin' down there?" The redhead flopped around on the floor like a fish.
"I came to get you for breakfast you brat!" She screeched, sounding quite put out. James poked his head into the door and took in what was happening.
He grinned. "Definitely an Auror" were his only words before he made his way down the creaky stairs.
Harry smirked and vanished the ropes. Sara got up and stormed out of the room, looking rather upset.
The table was set and the rest of the gang already seated when he joined them.
"You ward your room?" JP asked, a hint of respect showing for the first time. Harry loaded up his plate as if he'd done so a million times before and briefly made eye contact with the Auburn sixth year. She huffed and looked away.
"Always. Saved my bacon more than a few times actually." He bit off a strip of crispy maple, savoring the taste.
The Potters looked at one another but Lily was the one who asked for them all.
"Umm, what exactly do you do Harry?" she asked.
"Free-lance work mainly. With the Potter and Black fortunes I don't actually need to work. Mostly I explore the Galaxy in the Bebop."
Lily ceased cutting her eggs to ribbons. "Wait, did you say Galaxy?" They also filed away the most interesting tidbit that he was Heir to the Black Family for later discussion.
"Yeah. The Bebop is a spaceship." He stated, chugging half of his OJ.
JP growled. "What did I tell you about lying?"
Harry smirked and fished a Tok'ra holographic display from his pocket. With the push of a few buttons a miniature version of the Al'Kesh appeared, spinning lazily over the Hash browns.
"Trust me; my truth is far crazier than your fiction."
Sara forgot she was mad at him and repeatedly waived her hand through the holo projection. With another push the 3D model came apart, revealing the interior.
"So cool…" she muttered. James and Lily just shot each other disbelieving looks.
After breakfast Harry volunteered to do the dishes. Lily reluctantly let him, but sat nearby sipping on a hot cup of tea.
"Harry, were you serious about the Gringotts comment yesterday?" she asked.
James made eye contact with his not quite son, making Harry chose his response rather carefully.
"In a way…" the Auror sat up straighter, and Harry held out his hands in a calming gesture.
"When Albus meant treasure hunt he was actually referring to a set of very dangerous items. We've collected three and destroyed them. The last one is in the Lestrange Vault in the London Gringotts branch.
"Is there a reason you won't divulge what exactly you two are looking for?" James wasted no time beating around the bush once again.
Harry rinsed the last plate and set it on the drying rack before grabbing the towel to wipe his hands.
"It's better if no one else knows about them. They are very, very dangerous. Please don't ask me anymore." James and Lily didn't look happy, so Harry threw them a bone, abet a small one.
"Look, I'll fess up once they're all gone ok? That's the best I can do."
They reluctantly dropped the subject.
"What are your plans for the weekend Harry?"
Sara asked, done examining the piece of tech he'd left on the table. JP was studying it now. The prospect of having another older brother was exiting to her, though an elder or even younger sister would have been even better.
"Will you stay for Christmas?"
Harry's head shot up. "It's Christmas soon?"
The pagan holiday wasn't all that well known across the galaxy, and quite honestly he'd lost track of time a bit over the last few years.
The idea of leaving a decorated Christmas trees in Anubis's throne room briefly crossed his mind. The illusive new Goa'uld was stirring up a lot of trouble lately, especially with Apophis gone for good this time.
"Yes. The day after tomorrow." Lily confirmed, curious as to what he could be up to in order to lose track of time like this.
"Right! Albus mentioned the hols last night didn't he?" Harry recalled, smacking his forehead.
"Well, I need to check in with the SGC today, but it shouldn't be a problem if I took a few days off."
The unknown acronym spiked JP's interest.
"What is the SGC?" he inquired. James was curious as well.
Harry had signed the waivers, but they were never magically binding. Besides it was fair to assume those only applied to his own verse. Screw it, since when did he care about a silly muggle nondisclosure agreement. He'd only signed it because they pestered him every time he showed up, ironically to save their collective arses.
"It's short for Star Gate Command. The U.S. Air Force runs it under NORAD headquarters in Colorado. Your dimension has one as well. I sometimes work with one of their teams when the stars align."
The corner of his mouth lifted at the unintentional pun.
"It's a military installation then?"
Harry nodded. "Very much so."
"How did you…you know meet them?" The youngest Potter asked.
Harry laughed. "Believe it or not I was at the wrong place at the right time."
The Potters looked confused. "I was eating breakfast at a diner in Colorado when some of their personnel were captured by aliens. I was taken as well. We overwhelmed the crew and after returning to Earth I stuck around for a few days before stealing the Bebop."
"You stole the ship?" James asked in a monotone. Harry shut an eye and moved his head from side to side, trying to justify his actions.
"Well technically I did most of the capturing, so rightfully claiming it would be a more apt description." Harry shrugged.
"Can I see your ship?" Sara asked out of the Blue. Harry meanwhile had finished wiping down the counters and rejoined the others at the table.
"I don't see an issue, but you should probably clear it with your parents."
James shrugged, choosing to give his approval non-verbally. His newfound son was a career criminal. What was the world coming to? Lily on the other hand was a bit more vocal.
"Screw giving permission. I'm coming with you! I finished my Christmas shopping anyway." She looked at her almost son.
"Harry, somehow I doubt you'll want any presents with all the stories you've told me."
Harry smirked. She had a point. Unless they could get him an Anubis Jaffa head ornament to complete his collection there was little he actually wanted nor needed.
Well, maybe there was one thing. "How 'bout a picture book? I only have a couple of pictures of you guys."
Lily teared up and hugged him again, and James patted his shoulder.
"Get used to it. You're a walking, talking soap opera for your mom."
He grunted, patting his proxy mom on the shoulder. The Potters took fifteen minutes to get ready they all flu'ed to his place. Harry had placed a permanent cushioning charm on the floor in front of the Chimney.
"This is where you live?" Sara nearly shouted. The Potter's home looked rather humble compared to his newly acquired penthouse.
"Errr, really it's just a place to house the Quantum Mirror." They arrived at a bare patch of wall and he handed each the same slip of paper Albus had held a few days prior.
"I usually crash on the ship."
"You certainly didn't get your Parents' modesty" James muttered. JP snorted, though was somewhat jealous of his brother's 'storage place'. Harry explained the mirror and before long the Wizarding family was walking through the halls of the Bebop.
What Harry forgot was that Vala was on board. Even worse, the shameless bounty hunter/thief wore her usual outfit and seemed more sexually charged than usual. He admitted that the last few weeks had been busy, and he'd probably waived her off a couple of times for sure.
Harry wasn't all that good at picking up his partners Subtle hints.
"Harry darling!"
She proceeded to give him a long drawn out snog, as she often did when people were around. Previously this hadn't bothered him, but now it was rapidly becoming awkward.
Vala picked up on his discomfort and pulled away. "What, don't tell me you picked up a sense of modesty in the last few days?" She played with his dragon hide robes and he coughed awkwardly.
James cleared his throat, worried she might tear the clothes right off him right then and there. Harry regained his composure.
"Right! Vala, these are my Parents and siblings. Potters, this is Vala Mal Doran. She and I…work together from time to time."
The intergalactic thief smiled mischievously and made for James Potter.
"My, it's certainly no surprise where Harry gets his good looks from." She purred in a husky voice. Vala sure didn't waste time now did she?
"I…" James stuttered. "Urrr, I mean." He desperately tried to lean away from the bold muggle. Lily looked like she was out for blood, and the children howled at how easily their dad was reduced to a stuttering first year with a single sentence.
"You-You scarlet Woman!" James's spouse finally found the words she'd been looking for. Vala just smiled.
"Why thank you!" Harry decided to step in before things got messy. He'd just waxed the floors after all.
"Vala, why don't you head down to the Surface and inform the good General I'll be arriving with some guests."
She winked at James before the Asgard transporter beamed her away. The four magicals stared at where she'd been.
"Sorry about that. She's…" Harry pursed his lips as he tried to describe Vala with words. "Well she's everything you just saw and then some. Just don't believe anything she says about me. It's probably a lie!"
The Potters took that with a whole shaker of salt. Harry corralled them onto the ring platform and activated the controls from his wrist band. The rings swooped down from the ceiling and with a shoosh they were gone.
"Woah! That was so cool." Harry suppressed a grin. Sara was pretty easy to impress. That probably wasn't a good thing for his nerves when she dragged a boy home. It was odd having a sister, but he didn't mind in the least.
"Harry. Care to explain why you brought four civvies into the mountain?" O'Neill was already waiting for them in the makeshift ring room, arms crossed and looking none too thrilled.
"Didn't Vala say?"
The Colonel's frown deepened. "Just answer the question."
"They're my family from another dimension."
…
"Oh. All right then." Jack didn't want to deal with this and walked away. It was too early for Harry's special brand of Insanity.
oOo
"You mean to tell me that thing still exists?" The bald General was livid.
"Surprise?" Harry wasn't helping the man's high blood pressure with revelations like that. The Potters simply kept quiet, looking at everything and anything, including the very large metal ring outside the window.
"Mr. Potter, I have been patient with your nonsense for far too long. Hand over the mirror this instant!"
"Not a chance General." Harry retorted cheerfully, as if defying the man was common practice. Which it was.
"It's perfectly safe though. I've permanently connected this realities' mirror to the one these lovely individuals are visiting from. Both are in very secure locations and absolutely harmless."
Hammond stood up and walked away from the table. It was too early to deal with Harry and his crap. Sam squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to think of the math required to do what Harry had just said. She was close to a psychotic break. She could feel it.
"I see why you chose to consult rather than join." JP finally said. "My CO would rip me a new one if I talked to him like that."
"I don't like being ordered around." Harry shrugged. "My Dumbledork did that quite a bit before he died."
"Your Dumbledore is dead?" James asked, trying desperately to be join the discussion just so he wouldn't have to watch Vala suck on a Lollipop whilst watching him.
Lily was quiet, which scared James as well. Somehow he'd get blamed for his son's terrible choice in Women. He just knew it!
"Who defeated Voldemort then?" SG-1 was listening intently at the conversation. Harry was usually very tight lipped about his past.
"I did of course." Harry puffed out his chest as if what he'd just said was the most obvious thing in the world.
"When he came to Godric's Hollow in '81 the killing curse rebounded off my head and destroyed his body. But a little bit of himself was left in the curse scar." He tapped his noggin. "I basically know everything he does. It's quite handy to have. Knocked it all loose when he hit me with another one in '98."
The Potters leaned back as if Harry was contagious. He was talking about getting hit by the killing curse like it was a Jelly-Leg Jinx or something. Also, having an individual as young as Harry with the knowledge of this generations worst Dark Wizard was a very unsettling thought.
"You should have seen his face when I used his own variation of the Dark mark during the final battle. Gave him a nice Tattoo on his forehead that said 'Riddle me this?' and transfigured half the rubble in the castle into mirrors. It was hilarious!"
James actually smirked a little. Pranking the Dark Lord during a battle was right up the Marauders alley. Not that they'd ever attempt it. They weren't that crazy.
SG-1 meanwhile looked confused. "Who's Voldmort?"
Harry turned, just realizing they weren't alone. "Oh, I forgot you were here. Mind looking at my wand for a second?"
Carter growled. "Potter, that's not funny."
Last week he'd Obliviated Sam's memories of her dad. When Jacob came to visit she didn't know him. The retired General was quite put out until they realized it was Harry's doing. He was forced to undo the charm at gun point. Seriously, these people had no sense of Humor.
Oh the feels! I know this chapter was a bit OOC for the Harry I've built. He's simply showing his soft underside for once. Pretty soon he'll be back to his annoying, pestering, vexing old self.
For those sharp readers who've picked up on the names I gave to the Potter children, yes they are similar to Nonjon's 'A black comedy'. BUT, I did spell Sara's name differently and she is the younger one. Sorry but those names just sounded right, and I'm tired (as a reader) of having to remember what all of the AU potter kids' names are. JP at least is original…sort of. I'm sure somewhere out there someone's used that name before. Alas, I tried.
On the Stargate front Harry continues to lend a hand with the Ori shaped Pandora Box he helped open. Anubis is just now coming into the picture, and will undoubtedly benefit from the disarray the Goa'uld find themselves in. Good times ahead for sure.
