Disclaimers: The characters don't belong to me... *waves off* I know that already, dammit. Only the idea belongs to me, and I can hardly remember when the idea started floating around in my head. And I'm writing this when I should be doing math homework... ^^;;;

Warnings: Angst and angst. This is NOT going to be a happy, feel good story. I might end this with a happy ending, but I doubt it unless people actually convice me. And even though I'll use it as an alternate ending. LOL. A little bit of Draco+Harry/Harry+Draco but it won't come up until later.



Into the Cold Fire
Shamera



Walking back to her quarters was insufferable. She wanted more time to prepare herself, thinking that walking across the castle might give her sufficient time. But arriving at the door of her temporary chambers, she found herself beginning to panic yet again.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Lily straightened her robes and told the outside portrait the password to get in. When the door opened, she was not surprised to see her husband slumped against the wall near the flickering fireplace.

Lily caught her breath. She didn't want to make this harder for him, as she could tell that he was already taking this harder than he had let on. But… she couldn't give up hope. And she wanted… no, needed, him to see that.

"You want me to talk to him."

Lily spared another moment of glancing at James before she shut the door behind her. It was a statement that he made, not a question. And didn't want to be the one to correct him.

"You shouldn't accept this so calmly, Lily…" James replaced his glasses and stared at her. "You're only going to bring heartache to yourself."

"I don't remember when we gave up complete hope, James." Lily responded, calmer than she felt as she moved across the room to also stand before the fireplace. "I don't remember when this war stripped away all our happiness and joys. When we started to doubt miracles."

She tilted her head to stare deeply into the fire, the lighting making her red hair shine brightly. "I remember that we used to believe in everything… back in our school days when everything could be explained with magic and whatnots. But now… it's almost like we don't believe anymore."

"How can we believe when we have to be constantly aware of this war before us? It's not like we've given up in magic… we're not muggles who stop believing in it once they grow up. But caution is also something to learn. We don't know who this boy is…"

"What if this is a miracle, though?" Lily was once again fiddling with her necklace, a habit that she hadn't been able to break. "What if this is our second chance?"

"And what if this is a trick of Voldemort's? What if he could be our deaths?" James shook his head, and grabbed for Lily's hand that had still been tugging at her necklace. He held her hand firmly in his grasp, smoothing his thumb over her wedding ring. "It's much more possible for him to be a spy than for him to be a miracle, my love. And… I know how hard you took Harry's death… I don't want to see you like that again. You can't get too attached. You'll be heartbroken."

Lily gave this a moment of thought, but then took her hand back, determination filling her. "Albus trusts him, James. There's something about this boy… I believe him. And I think I'd rather be heartbroken than know that I passed up something like this. If I don't trust him, then I will forever regret it."

She turned pleading eyes on him. "Please. He says that he's Harry… and I believe him. By the gods, I swear I believe him. Not just because of how he looks like our son… but that look in his eyes… so much pain, so much desperation. A look like that can't be faked, James. And his laugh…" she nearly shuddered at the memory of it. "It was the laughter of someone who was nearly broken. Almost like Sirius had sounded when he thought that we had died. No child should have to feel that way."

James was silent, face turned away from hers.

Lily reached up to touch her husband's face, tracing over the faint worry lines beside his eyes. "Just speak with him but a while. You'll see what I was talking about." She smiled bitterly. "Don't pass up this chance to talk to your son again."

James drew in a shuddering breath and Lily nodded, knowing that she had convinced him.



It came as a surprise to Draco that the usually sunny Hospital Wing was so blasted cold. It was like a freezer, and the blonde boy could almost imagine being able to see his breath before him. He didn't like the Hospital Wing to begin with, but he didn't want to go to class the next day with that stupid cut that Weasley gave him when he was pushed against the suit of armor.

He scowled deeply, bringing a pale hand to touch the tender skin above his brow. It had stopped bleeding a while ago, but it was now starting to sting. That damned Weasel… Malfoys should not have to associate or tolerate behavior from those so much lower than him. They were a disgrace to purebloods, by wanting to much to admire the muggles.

There was a difference between wizards and muggles for a reason. Every time wizards and witches helped muggles, they were always condemned and killed. His family had learned early on never to trust muggles… and those wizards who were muggle-born… they always told someone.

His mood only got darker with the thought. Besides, it wasn't fair that families who worked so hard to keep the pure wizard's blood clean in their kin were sometimes bested in magical power by muggles who just happened to have a stronger gift.

Mudbloods… they didn't understand. Understand the history behind wizarding families. And it was a shame that the Weasleys allowed themselves to admire the muggles so. Muggles who would turn on wizards, given the chance.

A small clicking sound stopped Draco in his brooding. He blinked out of his anger and looked around, not seeing anything out of place.

But then he heard a small sigh off to the backside of the infirmary, and creeped closer. Who would be here at this time? Quidittch games were already over, and he hadn't heard any explosions in potions today (if there was one person who could screw up the simplest potion, it had to be Longbottom). If it were just someone with a headache, they should be out in plain view.

Peering around a curtained off area, he was surprised to see a boy around his age sitting there, adjusting black framed spectacles and muttering something under his breath. Draco wasn't sure what surprised him more, the fact that the boy looked nearly identical to Professor Potter, or that there was a thin layer of glistening liquid floating in the air.

Water, he realized. Water that looked like a glittering and shimmering crystal ball or a plane of wavering glass.

It was a beautiful sight, he had to admit. The floating liquid sparkled brighter than precious jewels in the sunlight.

And the boy, although small, gave off a commanding presence. The magical energy that he gave off while performing the task was enough to send Draco reeling. Here… was a powerful Wizard.

Yet before he could make his presence known, Draco heard oncoming footsteps entering the Hospital Wing and immediately hid himself in the drapes. Glaring with pale eyes to see who had interrupted his watch, he shrunk back when he realized it was his ex-DADA teacher and wife storming in.

The beautiful crystalline water that Draco had observed had disappeared when the footsteps had sounded, and the other boy was now looking towards his visitors calmly. Draco was amazed to see the similarities between the boy and his visitors- almost like he was their son.

But it was impossible. Everyone knew that the Potters' only child had died years ago.

Looking to the boy's nearly glowing green eyes and shock of midnight black hair, though… it was easy to believe that perhaps the Potter child hadn't died after all.

Professor Potter stopped at the boy's bedside, brown eyes filled with obvious contempt and ill conceived sadness. Lily Potter stopped beside him, except she gave the boy an encouraging smile and sat on the chair pulled to the bed.

"My wife has convinced me to talk to you." Professor Potter said strictly, the way he would sometimes talk to misbehaving students. "She said that you were in Albus Dumbledore's good faith, and that you have claimed to be our son."

Oh, Draco thought. This should be interesting…

Someone who looked so much like the Potters, and yet his own parents didn't know him.

Although he did not physically react, the look in the boy's eyes was painful.

"Harry…" Lily Potter smoothed out the bed sheets nervously. "I really do think you should tell him of what you have to say. About what you know, what you remember." She looked torn, as if she wanted to hear Harry and yet at the same time did not want to hear.

"I don't know what to say." Was the calm answer the boy gave, his voice low with thought and steady with confidence. It was a reassuring voice, the kind you would listen to if you wanted advice, or if you just wanted someone to talk to you. It made Draco looked closer at the boy, to see if this was the kind of person who would not judge until he heard all sides.

"Then why don't you answer some of my questions?" the elder Potter nearly sneered as he grabbed Harry's wrist in a non-too-gentle way. For his credit, Harry did not react.

Professor Potter lifted up the limp limb. "Since you do not bear the Death Mark, everyone seems to be trusting you. I do not. You might have convinced my wife that you are her long dead son, but you have yet to convince me." At this, Mrs. Potter looked guilty. "And I will not fail to bring you down unless you convince me of truth behind your words."

"Then I shouldn't have to worry since there's nothing but truth behind my words." Was Harry's indignant reply.

Professor Potter ignored those words. He set a very delicate sneak-o-scope on the bedside table, and glared at the boy that looked so much like him. "First your name. And your relation with You-know-who, then your relation with us."

Harry glared back defiantly. "My name is Harold James Potter, born on July 31, 1980. My relation to Voldemort is as his enemy, and I have no relations with you."

"If you really are Harry, then you would have a relation with us!"

Lily drew her enraged husband's arm, and shook her head at his anger.

"I have no relation with you because I don't know who you are!" Harry countered. His green eyes were dark not with anger, but with pain. "You look like the pictures of my parents, but James and Lily Potter died long ago!"

Draco drew a sharp breath. What in the world? Great Merlin… the kid was either delusional or…

"Died?" Lily's voice was shaky. Her eyes were fixed on Harry as she urged her husband to sit on the chair next to hers. She glanced at the unresponsive sneak-o-scope briefly and then back at the boy. "Why don't you…" she swallowed thickly. "Why don't you tell us what happened, Harry?"

Harry was looking at them strangely, but when James Potter didn't protest or speak up, he started. "I was born to James and Lily Potter during the rising power of Lord Voldemort, at the turn of the war. For some reason, he wanted to make sure that I died, so my parents used the Fidelius Charm to go into hiding. They were originally going to use Sirius Black as their Secret Keeper, but he was too obvious so they used Peter Pettigrew instead." Harry's voice grew bitter.

"That is…" James Potter's voice nearly broke. "Exactly what happened."

"Well, Peter Pettigrew was a spy for Voldemort… not that anyone knew. But he gave out their location and on Halloween of 1981, Voldemort attacked Godric's Hollow and killed my parents."

"Oh Merlin…" Lily breathed. "How did you survive?"

"My mother died… to save me. And with that protection, Voldemort couldn't harm me." Harry grimaced, his eyes flashing. "But… he's been after me since then."

"Remus found out the day before Halloween that Peter had been captured by You-Know-Who… and he warned us and had us move out before the attack. Peter had been given Veritaserum by Death Eaters and tortured for hours… he never meant to give out our location, but luckily saw Severus in time to warn him and made him promise to help us." Lily explained.

Harry shook his head. "Didn't happen. The Secret Keeper was switched because Sirius suspected Remus was the spy, but he was wrong."

"Maybe…" Lily was hesitant. "Maybe this is what could have happened." She looked straight into the identical green eyes. "We found you… under unusual circumstances. Maybe you come from someplace where something changed. What could have been… would have been."

There was another door opening that shocked Draco from the conversation. Taking one last glance at the strange boy whom struck such curiosity in him, Draco turned from the drapes and hurried away to ponder what he had heard.



"Headmaster."

Albus Dumbledore smiled at his former students as they resided against the bed frame of the boy who had brought up so many questions with his appearance. Ah, the worries of youth.

"I have some good news for the all of you. Poppy has just gotten the results back from St. Mungo's… and this young man is, indeed, physically and magically, Harry Potter." Albus pushed up his half moon spectacles. "And as you all know… magic identity cannot be duplicated."

The three were silent as the information was digested.

"Then I was right." Lily grew excited. "It is Harry… possibly from a place where the timeline has been changed."

James looked like the air had been punched from him, as shocked as he was.

"Another place, you say?" Dumbledore looked interested. "That is a possibility that we had not considered yet, although in this case it might be true. Tell me, child," he turned his attention to Harry. "Are things very different here than what you are used to?"

Harry looked a bit bewildered. "Actually…" he spoke quietly. "Yes. Things are very much different. So much that I thought I was either dreaming or dead."

A pained expression crossed both James and Lily's eyes when that was mentioned, but Albus chose to ignore that for the moment.

"Oh?" He was curious. "Can you tell us the differences?"

"First off, my parents are dead." Harry said flatly, as if the information had no effect on him at all. Albus had to raise an inquisitive brow at that. "They've been dead for a long time. And I don't think Hogwarts looks like how I remember it. I haven't seen anything other than that, so I can't really tell the differences. But I know for sure that this place is nothing like I remember. For some reason, I remember something much…"

Fire and screaming. Crying for a place that he had considered home for nearly six years. Anger at the one whom had created this disaster. Fear of what to do next, of the future. Despair for the helplessness in everything. Grief for those who had not gotten out alive.

"…darker."

Harry grew grim as he pondered on the sudden onslaught of memories and voices in his head. He remembered Hogwarts… remembered the joy he had felt while there. Remembered the laughter and friends and love that had surrounded him. Even during the dangerous times, when disaster struck and he had to face the danger that no student should have to face. He still remembered all of that fondly. Yet these memories were different from all that. These memories held more… rage.

Dumbledore decided not to press Harry more about it. "Then perhaps you should be able to see more of this world before making a decision on that." He smiled. "These times by itself is quite dark… although for some reason the Dark Lord had not been able to fully come to power. Tell me, Harry, is Voldemort powerful in your world?"

Harry thought about it. "Yes. He killed a lot of people… destroyed a lot of places. But something stopped him, I think."

"Something stopped him, you say?" The headmaster's interest peaked at this. Although the Dark Lord had never attacked Hogwarts before, and had only sent out small attacks in periods during the last few years, he was still a great danger to the wizarding world. A very great danger.

"I think it was water… and fire. I don't quite remember."

Harry was starting to get a headache from thinking of this too much. He remembered lots of fire… hot, hot fire. And then he remembered being very cold. A sensation like being pulled… like he had been poisoned but had the poison drawn out of him in a extremely painful manner.

And damn it… the headache was getting worse.

Dumbledore made a small noise of thought. The headmaster glanced briefly at the elder Potters, and found them still quite in shock and excitement. Like they finally had something they had longed for, but didn't know what to do with it now that they had it.

"Well then… I'm sure you'll have enough time to organize your thoughts later. I suppose we'll have to start working on a way to send you back home." Albus stole another glance at Lily and James, who didn't react. "A rip between worlds is never a good thing. It has only been a bad omen throughout history. But I suppose that you should attend school while you are here… so that you wouldn't fall behind in your studies. I'm assuming that you are in sixth year and will have to take the NEWTS next year."

Harry didn't respond that he didn't think that would be possible.

"I assume that you are a Gryffindor, Harry?"

Harry nodded, and notice the small smile on his parents' (but not really his parents) lips.

"Then you will be attending classes with the rest of the six year Gryffindors. I'm afraid you won't be able to move into the Gryffindor dorm until a bit later, before you're fully recovered. You'll have to stay in the Hospital Wing until then, of course."

"We can take him in." Lily spoke up. "It shouldn't be a problem."

Albus looked to her with an amused smile. "Well, then… if James agrees to that, perhaps Poppy would approve."

"He agrees." Lily said confidently, gripping her husband's shoulder so tightly that he gave a responding yelp.

"Perhaps there were friends that you related to before, Harry? Friends that you make again here so that you wouldn't feel left out."

Harry gave a slow smile, remembering. He nodded. "Yes. I don't know if it's the same here… but I'd like to see my friends again. Ron and Hermione should still be in Gryffindor, right? And Draco's still in Slytherin?"

"Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore was more than amused. "You are correct in their house sorting, although I have never seen either of the three get along."

"Eh, well…" Harry gave a shy smile. "I guess they don't."

"Well, you won't be able to tell them of your predicament, but I think it was be good for them the share a common friend. Perhaps you would be able to heal the rifts in between those three." Dumbledore smiled at the dark-haired boy. "It would be good to see them together without arguments."



End part 3

Authoress's Rambles: Sorry about taking so much time to put out this chapter but Finals is coming up, and I had to catch up on tons of homework. Most of this was written in Chemistry and History class. ^^;; Good thing, though, is that I had the plot sorted out. Sorry about rushing this, but I'm trying to get to the plot! XD Next chapter, Harry's classes and his meeting with Ron, Hermione, and Draco. James and Lily try and explain the situation to Sirius and Remus.
As always, many thanks to reviewers!! ^_^ To Kanashimi, Saya-Sato, Salted Peanuts, Phoenix353, Chocolate Frog, and Lizeth for reviews! I don't mind not having much reviews. I love writing this story, even though it distracts me from school. ^^;; I hope to be able to finish this fic- although it will take some time. The water will be explained later, and Harry already knows that he's in the wrong universe, but he still doesn't completely remember what happened to him. And I hope for the story to develop equally in all relationships. ^_^ Friends, family, and lovelife. Although things get more complicated later! *winks*

Back
Next
Home