Another Life

Harry curled up in his cupboard, breathing carefully while clutching the small blanket he had to his chest. Something happened. He felt like his heart tried to burst out, that his breathing staggered and almost stopped. He considered telling Aunt Petunia but knew it wouldn't matter. She would insist that he get up in the morning and work in the garden. It was too close to the beginning of school for him to miss a day.

He laid for what seemed hours, trying to calm down. Eventually, he fell asleep.

The morning came early, but he did feel better. A bit weak, but better. That night had come with strange dreams once again. 'I was content with only having one other life in my dreams, I don't need another. And this Tom seems worse. I'd rather be Severus.' Struggling, he sat up and settled into meditation – he'd learnt how to do it from his life as Severus. Sure, in that life he didn't learn how to meditate and calm his mind and body until he was much older – in his twenties – but Harry hadn't let that stop him from using it now.

This time it took him a full twenty minutes to get everything under control. Luckily, he'd started it early enough that he was finished by the time Aunt Petunia unlocked the door.

His morning went as normal. He helped in the kitchen – something his life as Severus taught him how to do when he was five. It appeared as if he learnt how to do so at the same age as Severus. 'That is what the dreams show.' Then he went out to work in the garden. Today was the day to tend the roses and the other flowers that Aunt Petunia had growing. He didn't mind, but part of him wished to see the plants that Severus worked with. 'As Severus, I took seven years of classes on how to grow unique plants, and then studied in depth on how to use them.' Nothing stopped him from using the knowledge gained in those classes with Aunt Petunia's garden. He just had to get creative with the materials as he didn't have access to all the ones used in the Herbology classes.

He went back to the shed to gather the materials and felt his feet dragging. 'It's not going to be a good day. I need to find energy from somewhere. I can't not do this – I need to eat lunch and dinner to recover from what happened.' He leant against the wall, closed his eyes, and reached in. What he saw had him blanching. The pool of light inside of him was low. 'I can't use my magic – that is what Severus said it was. I trust him more than Aunt and Uncle about this. Magic exists – maybe not in the same way in this world, but I have performed accidental magic. I know this. I wish I could go to Hogwarts and learn more about it.' He pushed that old thought away and returned to the issue of the lower amount of energy. 'It must have to do with what happened last night. Okay, so what would I do as Severus? … Brew a potion, but I don't have the ingredients for that. Rest if I can.' He knew there were a lot of times Severus wouldn't be able to do that either. 'Push through is the last choice. I can do this.'

He picked up the gardening tools and headed out to the beds. He needed to finish before it got too hot. The work in the house would be easier later.

The next couple of days were tiring, but Harry made it through. He did it for Severus. On the third morning since the attack, he studied the glowing pool of light inside of him. It was back to normal. A smile flitted across his face. 'I know – magic is not supposed to work in this world, but it does in Severus'. And since Severus can use magic, he needed to use the pool of it in me. I don't know why I am Severus and he is me. We're different ages, and different times, but we are tied. I am him – I swear I am, but this is just a different universe or timeline. In one, I was named Severus and then grew up in a Magical World. In this one, I am named Harry and there isn't any magic. So, the ability I have shouldn't exist … but it does because of Severus. Therefore, he deserves to use it when he needs to. I wish I knew how he was able to access it. Maybe I will dream of it and then be able to go to his world.' Sitting up, he chuckled quietly. Severus got to use the magic in him, but he got to use the knowledge from Severus' years. And that knowledge had come in handy throughout the last several years, especially in school.

It felt like he'd always known Severus, but he didn't truly remember dreaming of him until he was about four. When he started school, he sought the dreams. Severus was older than he was – had already gone to school before. He dug deep into Severus to find what he could. To learn what he could – not only about how to act in school, but the material they were learning too. That was how he learnt his letters and colours, how to read, how to write papers, and as time progressed about science, social studies, and the like. 'It's also how I know we are in different times – the history classes didn't cover everything mine did. Like there are some years missing. And there are some things in science that are new.' He made sure his school bag was ready when Aunt Petunia unlocked the door. After breakfast, he walked to school, using the other things he had learnt from Severus to keep away from the bullies like Dudley. 'Though, Dudley isn't as bad as he could have been. I'm sorry that Severus was bullied, but at least I know how to and how not to deal with them. I got to learn from his mistakes.'

With a smile and a wave, he greeted his English and Maths teachers. It was good to be back.

§§§§§

Harry stared in shock at the thick parchment in his hands. 'Hogwarts? But Severus has Hogwarts. I don't. How? Can I change worlds? Severus knows I exist and wants to bring me over? Does he know that was me that helped last summer with the whatever-it-was attack and figured out how to bring me over?' His hands trembled as he moved to open the seal.

"Get the mail in here, boy!" Uncle Vernon yelled.

Moving quickly, he made it to the dining room and passed Uncle Vernon their mail. He wouldn't have given his letter over, but Dudley called attention to it.

Uncle Vernon's and Aunt Petunia's reaction to the Hogwarts letter surprised him – they knew of Hogwarts.

During the next couple of weeks, Harry's world was shifted out of focus as he attempted to come to terms that magic might work in this world too. He tried everything he could think of short of magic (He remembered the Statute of Secrecy, and was afraid breaking it would stop him from getting into the magical world.) to get one of the letters to confirm that it was what he thought it was.

It was in the wee hours of his birthday on an island in the middle of a storm, that he finally got to see it. By that time, he didn't need to confirm that magic was real in this world; he'd met Hagrid – whom he wanted to call Rubeus because Severus did – and watched him give his cousin a tail. 'It's all real.' He stared at his opened invitation to Hogwarts, half listening to his Aunt and Hagrid. 'And I am going to Hogwarts. Maybe I should focus on Severus' years there and learn what I can during the rest of the summer.' His attention was yanked away from his thoughts when he heard Aunt Petunia mention that his parents were magical.

He clamped his mouth closed on his exclamation, but was screaming it in his mind. 'You kept saying magic wasn't real! Both of you did, and you KNEW it was?! And my parents were magical?! I could have been in that world earlier?!' He almost crushed his letter, but then Albus Dumbledore was mentioned. His Aunt knew of Albus. Hagrid knew of Albus. 'Of course, Hagrid does. Hagrid and Albus work at the same school… the same school that Severus works at. Is Severus in this world as well? Is he real? Alive? Someone who isn't me?' He paused for a moment, wondering if he should actually try to see Severus' memories of his Hogwarts classes again. 'They're in my head – I've seen them before, and I don't know how not to sometimes. So, I guess… but I do need to tell him. I wonder if he's seen mine, and if so, if he knew I was real – if he is real here.' He didn't know what he was going to do if Severus was truly here much less did see his memories and knew he was real. 'I'll at least demand to know why he didn't come to get me. He knows what it's like to live in a house like mine.'

The shouting died down, Hagrid feed him, and sleep came. In it, he dreamt of Severus once again. The place wasn't clear – just a lot of fog and the feeling of rock around him. The glint of threads – silver, green, and gold – shined through the fog and three shadows were manipulating those threads. He could see Severus talking to the shadows.

A foggy voice spoke, "You can't go see Harry Potter."

Harry's eyes widened. Severus accepted that? He studied what he could of the man. His posture showed he didn't. 'He wants to get me!'

"What? … Why not?" Severus said, his words fading as he went on. Harry barely caught him saying, "It's my responsibility to..."

The foggy spoke again, "Severus if you see him, things will be worse for him. You will see him when it is fated to be."

Severus moved towards the threads, his fingers coming close to the green and gold. The voice sounded one last time, "Remember, don't seek out the boy."

Time seemed to change – it felt like years had passed, and Severus was back in the foggy rocky place. The threads were still visible and the ones working with them were still shadows.

Severus walked closer to them, and Harry caught parts of what he asked. "What about … Harry?"

Harry could feel the no coming from the shadows before their words came clearer than anything else spoken in this place.

"You can't see him until the beginning of his first year of Hogwarts, Severus. It will change too much for him."

His dreams then drifted off to Severus' classes during his first year at Hogwarts.