Title: Another World (5/10)

Chapter Title: Searching for the Truth

Author name: Lilly Potter

Author e-mail: lilly_potter22@yahoo.ca

Category: Drama with tidbits of aghast

Rating: PG-13 for a little bit of violence and mild swearing

Spoilers: All of them I suppose

Summary: A spell by Voldemort sends Harry into an alternate reality where his parents lived, but Harry himself was killed on that fateful Halloween. Now Harry must deal with two grieving parents, a risen Voldemort and the life he was never allowed to have.

Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to Shadow, my most faithful reviewer. Happy Birthday!

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros. Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. I created the Potter Children except for Harry and I also created Keri Weathers and Kally.

A/N: Look, I updates *Lilly ducks as readers throw hard objects at her* I Know, I took forever and I'm sorry for the wait but I had to work on Past Adventure or all my fans would hunt me down and kill me, Juicy included. So thanks for being patient and I hope you enjoy. We're half way through the story now, only five more chapters after this. Isn't that exciting? Thanks to my two Beta's, The Wacky Raspberry and Juicy Communist, who are both going to kill me when they find out I posted without them going over this.

Shameless Plug: Okay, I promise I won't do this often. I have written a side story for ,Another World' called 'Please Don't Cry' and it helps explain some of the background for this story. It's in my profile, so go read it!

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Harry watched the two men argue, neither seemed to want to tell Lily and James about Harry. They both were trying to get the other to do it and it looked like Dumbledore was wining. Thinking back to the woman he had seen earlier in the infirmary, Harry could understand why neither wanted to tell her.

She had been consumed with guilt, the pain she felt almost tangible, floating around her, tainting whatever she said, did or thought. This wasn't that she would get angry. No, once she accepted that Harry was really who he said he was, she would never want to let him go. And Harry knew that eventually he would have to go back to his own world. The world where he had no parents no sisters or brothers, Sirius was on the run and Voldemort was after him, killing his friend one by one.

Sirius sunk into the chair beside him, bringing Harry out of his thoughts. "Well, I'll do it. But I want a promise that I'll live long enough to see my last child graduate from Hogwarts."

Chuckling, Dumbledore agreed. "Well then, on to business. Harry," here Dumbledore shook his head, shock and disbelief written in his eyes, "We need to know how you got here, all that you can remember. You said that you thought Voldemort brought you here, how? What do you remember?"

Harry let out a deep sigh, looking the Headmaster straight in the eye. "I don't remember much. My 4th year just ended about a month ago, so I was at my Aunt and Uncles." Harry ignored the looks he got from Sirius, who obviously knew what the Dursley's were like. "And I was in bed, I was think about- about my parents and then I fell asleep. I often have dreams about Voldemort, he connected my when he gave me this scar," Harry pointed to the lightning scar on his forehead.

"I haven't been told that much about why or anything like that. My Headmaster hasn't seen fit to tell me why a psychotic murderer is after me." Bitterness floated around in his tone as Harry sent Dumbledore a look, not quite accusing but more annoyed that he didn't know why Voldemort was doing all this too him.

"Well, I guess it starts when I was a year old. Halloween. Voldemort came to our house, but they were there, my parents I mean. I don't think Talia existed in my world. Umm... Well, we were under the Fidiulius charm, Peter Pettigrew was our secret keeper. In my world, Peter wasn't good. He was actually a Death Eater and he sold us out to Voldemort." At that statement, Sirius looked enraged.

"Peter would never do that." He practically hissed, giving Harry a cold glare. "Not here maybe, but my world id different." Harry looked around the cheery office. "Very different." Harry sighed, nothing was going to be easy in this world, nobody would believe him, he was going to have to work for everything, every smile, every 'Hello' was going to be hell.

"Devora will understand. She knows the truth."

The words flew through his head, not his own, yet it was his voice. 'Devora? Who was Devora?' Shaking his head to clear the odd voice from his head, Harry continued. "Peter sold us out, Voldemort came and killed my parents." Dumbledore started at these words and for some strange reason, Sirius seemed to grow slightly more cold, more distant.

Harry continued to tell them of his life with the Dursley's, the years of hatred, the years of starvation, hard work and pain. Then, with a far off look in his eyes, Harry recounted meeting Hagrid for the first time, The Weasley's, Hermione. All of it. He went through the first two years, skimming over parts that would only make them trust him less, like his parselmouth ability. That was a sure fire way to get them not to trust him. When Harry came to his third year, his voice caught. He didn't really want to tell them about Sirius, but they would want to know.

Closing hid eyes, Harry began to pick his words very carefully. "In my third year, a prisoner escaped Azkaban. The first one in history. Everyone thought he was coming after me, but he was really after Scabbers. Ron's rat. It was Peter in disguise." Harry cringed as Sirius growled low in his throat, a sound that should be coming from Padfoot, not Sirius. Taking a calming breath Harry continued, knowing he would have to be very careful.

"That year, we had another Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Professor Remus J. Lupin. He was the best teacher we ever had." A smile lit Harry's eyes and Sirius, letting himself go, letting all of his suspicions go for the moment, let out a laugh.

"Moony? A teacher? Now that's something I have to see." Sirius' eyes were lit up with humor and Harry was reminded of the man in his parents wedding pictures. It was wonderful to see Harry healthy and alive, so different from the starved convict her knew in his own world.

Smiling a real smile, Harry relaxed slightly, maybe they wouldn't kill him for the slightest mistake, maybe they were starting to believe him. "Yeah, Professor Lupin was the best professor ever, we all loved him." Sirius gave him a curious look, "Why did he leave?" Harry shifted nervously, how would they take to the fact that he had been fired because of the fact he was a werewolf.

"He was... He resigned from his position." It was true, he had just failed to mention why he had resigned. Sirius and Dumbledore nodded, not trying to gather anymore information on that subject.

"Are you going to tell us who your mysterious escape is? Or do was have to guess?" Dumbledore asked, raising one eyebrow in quite the same way Professor Lupin had done whenever he knew Harry wasn't telling him something. Harry blushed, trying frantically what to tell them. "Well, I-It was..." He trailed off, trying to think of what to tell them. "It was Sirius." Harry braced himself for the reaction and wasn't let down when Sirius exploded.

"What!?! I'm in AZKABAN!?!" Sirius jumped up from his chair and began to pace the room, fear, pain anger and hatred showing in his black eyes.

Harry nodded miserably. It was horrible, having to tell them about his life, just terrible. "Yes. You were sent there for the murder of 12 muggles, Peter Pettigrew and-and Lily and James Potter." Sirius' face had gone white, he sort of stumbled back to the chair and flopped back into it. "I killed Lily and James?"

"No!" Harry rushed to reassure. "Everyone just thinks you did. It was Peter, he sold them out to Voldemort." Harry hung his head, hating himself for putting them through this.

Sirius looked haunted, so much like his counterpart in Harry's own world.

"Wha-what happened next?" Sirius' voice broke, making Harry cringe. He had done this. He had turned the cheerful man into a haunted shell. It was all his fault.

"Everyone thought you were coming after me, no one knew the truth. But that one night in the Shrieking Shack, Professor Lupin, Ron, Hermione and myself. We learned the truth. It wasn't you, is was Scabbers, more commonly known as Wormtail. He had been hiding in Hogwarts all that time as a rat. My best friends pet rat."

Harry had this far away look in his eyes as he recounted that night, the night he had learned the truth of what had happened that night. Then in a pained voice, he tried to abbreviate his fourth year, not really telling them about Cedric or the tournament or anything painful. But Harry was sure they knew he was holding back.

They sat in silence after Harry finished speaking. All felt the sense of loss

Harry watched them. If this was the reaction for Dumbledore and harry, what would his parents feel? It felt as if a cold, icy fist had clenched around his heart. Closing his eyes, Harry breathed deeply, trying to get up enough courage to say what he needed to say. Clearing his throat, Harry opened his eyes and look directly at Dumbledore.

"Uh... Sir. I've been thinking. Do you think it's wise to tell my par-" Harry halted, drawing in a shuddering breath. He had to get used to not calling them that. "Is it wise to tell Lily and James the truth about me. I mean, they might accept it. But-" Harry halted again, not really sure how to put it into words. "But, I will have to leave eventually, I can't stay here forever and I'm not totally sure that it would be the best idea to let Lily get to know me."

Realization shone in Sirius and Dumledore's eyes. "I do believe you're correct Harry." Dumbledore's soft voice rang in the still room. The atmosphere seemed to tense. "They can not know. It would be too difficult for them to let go once they accept it. We can't take any risks of them finding out the truth."

Sirius flinched. He didn't want to keep this kind of secret from Lily and James. "Albus, are you sure that we have to do that. I mean, can't we at least tell James? It would mean so much." There was desperation showing in Sirius' eyes. Harry felt horrible. Sirius had a huge secret to keep from his best friends. He knew what that felt like. It was one of the worst feelings in the world.

"No Sirius, they can not know. It would be to painful, to difficult. You need to understand that." Dumbledore's voice was grave. He looked Sirius straight in the eyes, making the younger man squirm.

Sighing, Sirius relented, but now their was a wariness in Dumbledore's eyes. It made Harry nervous. "You know Sirius, I think it would be best if we went outside for a minute..." Sirius nodded, still in shock.

"Harry, will you excuse us for a moment?" Harry met his eyes and at that moment, Harry knew what Dumbledore was planning. He was going to erase Sirius' memory. In the twinkling blue eyes, Harry could see that Dumbledore knew that Harry knew what was going to happen. Slowing, Harry nodded his head, feeling like he had just signed his own death warrant.

Harry watched Sirius and Dumbledore leave, a deep sense of sadness settling in the pit of his stomach. It wasn't fair.

Harry watched the scene in Dumbledore's office with sad eyes. This Harry had gone through no less then the entire Potter family had, yet he had somehow come through with so much more strength and courage. It was amazing. Shaking his head, he floated out of the office, towards the lake yet again. His comfort spot. The most wonderful place to be. He was in a hallway about half way to the lake when a blinding white light appeared before him.

With a frustrated sigh, Harry glared at the light, trying not to squint. "How many times to I have to tell you people, I'm not leaving till their safe! I don't care what happens to me, they have to be safe!" Anger and annoyance were evident in his voice as he yelled into the blinding light.

"Glad to hear it. But I'm just here to check up on you." A smiling voice came from the light and just as suddenly as it had appeared, the light vanished, leaving

Recognition shone in Harry's eye. "Peter!" And he flung his arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "What are you doing here? You just visited a few months ago, usually they send people once a year to try and change my mind."

Peter laughed, a smile gracing his almost childlike features, at twenty he hadn't looked a day over sixteen. That was one of the major difference between ghosts and spirits. Ghosts look like they did when they died, spirits could take on any age.

"Harry my dear boy." Peter started, taking on stuffy rich English accent, "The council did not send me, although they are planing on sending your grandmother after Christmas, no I am here of my own free will." Harry bust out laughing.

"Okay, that's good to hear." Harry flashed Peter a smile as both floated down the corridor.

"So, what does bring you here?" Harry asked after several minutes of silence.

Peter turned to Harry, looking him dead in the eyes. "You've had a visitor. We could sense him even from the other side. He's powerful and very important. If he is harmed in this world, so many things could be lost. More lives then even you could imagine. I'm here just to make sure you will try your hardest to protect him."

Harry looked at Peter in shock. "Of course, I wouldn't dream of letting them hurt him. I just wonder how they could be so blind to everything. I mean, his power, the emotions he gives off. It's amazing. This is one of the first times I've been ashamed of my parents."

Harry looked down at his feet, shame clearly written on his face. "They aren't being open minded. So many people could get hurt because of this. I just- I wish they would open their eyes. They're causing Harry so much pain by being so closed minded, so hurt. It's been over twelve years, at least some of the pain should have gone away. But no. They are ruining any chance they have of getting to know Harry and I just can't stand it!"

Harry shook his head violently, a single tear slid down his translucent face. Peter lifted his hand and carefully brushed the tear away and pulled him into a hug. Harry stayed there for several seconds before breaking away, whispering a apology.

Peter watched sadly as Harry floated off towards the lake. They were hurting Harry, both of them so much. But the council had forbidden him to interfere. Harry refused to come back to the other side. Instead staying here to protect his family. Very admirable, so many spirits envied him, but it unfortunately meant that he couldn't share the future events with the young boy. Even Peter didn't know everything that was going to happen. Only the Fates did. But Peter did know one thing, it was going to be hard, but everything would right its self soon. Everyone just had to be patient.

Harry sat in the chair, fidgeting slightly. Dumbledore had just gone out with Sirius, gone to erase his memory. It wasn't fair. Sirius was the only person he felt very safe around, able to confide in and now he was gone. Back to the suspicious man he had first met today. Not fair at all.

Harry was brought out of his thoughts when the door opened and in stepped Professor Dumbledore. "Thank you for waiting Harry." The old man moved over to his bookshelf, pulled a book off of it then placed the book on his desk before taking his seat. And almost as if he had been reading Harry's mind, he spoke.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I can imagine what you're feeling and I'm sorry that we had to erase Sirius' memory, but as you said, we can't let Lily and James become attached to you and if Sirius slipped or felt that they should know then we would have an even bigger problem. The more people you have to use the spell on for one event, the less effective it becomes. Do you understand?"

Reluctantly, Harry nodded. He understood, but it didn't mean that he had to like it.

"Now, about the spell we'll be using. It rather complicated, so I won't bore you with the details, but it will disguise you for as long as I want it to, so if anything happens to me, you will unfortunately be stuck that way. Which is one of the drawbacks. Unless, of course, you have a different person to perform the spell on you to make you look like yourself again. But I'm rambling, I'm terribly sorry. I will need your complete trust for this to work. Do you trust me?"

Harry paused, considering this. He trusted his own Dumbledore, did he trust this one?

As he watched the old man before him, Harry realized that he did. Looking him straight in the eyes, Harry spoke in a low voice. "I do believe I do, Headmaster. I'm not quite sure why, but I do. And it will be in my best interest for you to cast this spell."

Smiling, the old man nodded. "Good, good. Well then Harry. I need you to stand in the middle of the room facing me." Harry stood, going to the middle of the room, waiting for more instructions. Standing, Dumbledore raised his wand and pointed it directly at Harry's heart.

"Now, close your eyes and relax." The voice was calming. Harry's eyes slid shut, almost of their own accord. Harry heard Dumbledore mutter the spell, to low for Harry to hear the words.

The spell was cast. Harry felt it working. It wasn't painful exactly, but it felt strange. Almost like he could actually feel his bones moving, reshaping themselves. And just as suddenly as the feeling had started, it stopped, leaving Harry panting on the floor.

Carefully, Harry pushed himself off the ground, legs shaking from the after affects of the spell. Shaking his head, he looked into Dumbledore's clear blue eyes.

"Well, that had quite a kick." Harry commented dryly.

The corners of the Headmaster's mouth quirked and his eyes danced. "So I've been told. Well, Mr. Potter, would you like to see how you look?" And the old man motioned to the far wall where a large mirror was mounted on the wall.

Harry hesitated before moving to stand in front of the mirror, looking into it to see who's face looked back at him.

He was taller, about 5' 7", he had slightly more weight so he didn't look quite so starved. His skin was pale, covered in freckles. His features were more pointed and his face was longer, less round. He had sparkling blue-gray eyes fringed with long dark eyelashes. His hair was about the same cut as Ron's, but more Hermione's colour. He felt odd having this face staring back at him in the mirror. He wasn't Harry Potter anymore. He was William Lestrange.

Lily and James sat down in the seats positioned opposite to Dumbledore's desk. Both waited patiently for the old man to appear, both curious as to what he had found. All Sirius had said when he had come to get them from the room was that Dumbledore wanted to speak to them in his office and that they should hurry. Nothing more. Both were surprised to see Sirius but to James it was logical Sirius always came to protect his friends, not matter where they were.

Both looked up as the old man walked in, closing the door quietly behind him. "Lily. James, it's good to see you again. Now, I'm sure you're both wondering what I asked you here for." Both adults nodded as Dumbledore settled himself in the plush chair behind the giant desk. "Well, I questioned the boy, whom I've heard Lily has met already." Lily blushed, ducking her head slightly under the Headmasters slightly disapproving stare.

"I-I'm sorry Albus. I was just so... So angry! I couldn't help myself. I just felt so hurt. I'm sorry for what I did, but I still believe that he's a danger to us." Lily stated in a firm voice, stubbornness dripping from every word.

Dumbledore nodded, some of the twinkle returning to his eyes. "I understand, but I need you to promise me that you won't do that again. He really didn't have any control over what has happened to him."

James sat up straighter and Lily squeezed his hand harder. "You mean you found out why he's here?" Lily squeaked out, her voice breaking slightly.

Dumbledore nodded, a small smile gracing his face. "Yes, I used a simple truth potion, it's a rather sad tale." The look of disgust that crossed Lily's face showed both men that Lily didn't think anything that was related to a Death Eater was a sad story.

"He isn't a danger in the least Lily. He's been raised his entire life to believe that he was Harry Potter, kidnapped by Death Eaters. His real name is William Lestrange. I've reversed the spell that Voldemort used to make him look like Harry, it was a very interesting dark curse, very painful when placed on the person and taken off." He pretended to wince at the memory.

"I have also asked him not to act like he's Harry Potter, like your son, but I'm not sure if he'll be able to. He's been told he was Harry ever since he can remember, told his history, everything. He was positive he had been kidnapped when he was a bay when I first talked to him."

Dumbledore paused, leaning forward, looking them straight in the eyes. "Lily, James, I want both of you to promise that you won't take this out on him. He doesn't have any control over what he was told and I'm not sure if he believed me when I told him he wasn't really Harry. He has agreed to be called William. Just try not to be overly hostile. Please."

Lily and James exchanged glances. Why had they done this. Why had Voldemort and his followers ruined so many lives just to get to the Potter family. Lily didn't trust Dumbledore at that moment, James saw it in her eyes.

She wasn't going to change her opinion of the child just because he had been a victim of circumstance. Harry had been a victim, but hew had died. Someone was going to pay for this and the only person available was William Lestrange. And Lily was going to make him pay, of this James was sure.

At that moment he promised himself that he would try to protect William as much as he could without any of his family, mainly Lily, becoming angry at him. The boy was a victim and he shouldn't have to pay for it.

Clearing his throat, James looked at Dumbledore. "What else have you learned?" The question was simple. To the point.

Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "Not much I'm afraid, I still haven't found how they sent him here, nor why. But we will get to the bottom of this. I promise you."

And James nodded. He believed Dumbledore, even if Lily didn't.

Harry stood before the doors to the Great Hall. He was supposed to go sit at the Gryffindor table, pretend to be new and somehow fit in. While at the same time, try not to be afraid that the people who were supposed to be his parents didn't try to kill him.

It was all so confusing. Dumbledore had told him that he would talk to Lily and James and make them promise not to attack him. They were told simple lies, nothing to extravagant. But it still felt horrible knowing that his parents thought he was here to kill them.

Harry was nervous. After he had gotten over the spells affects, the story had been laid out for him too, but now he would actually have pretend to be a Death Eaters kid. It was all too much to take in all in one day. He had been dumped here, in this world, with no idea how he got here, no way to get home and absolutely no one to trust or confide in. It was utter hell.

Taking another deep breath, Harry pushed the doors to the Great Hall open. It looked exactly like it did at home. A small voice in the back of his head asked what he had expected. This was Hogwarts, nothing had changed except the fact that he was dead here, not a living legend.

Trying not to attract any stares Harry walk quietly towards the Gryffindor table, sliding into the seat at the very end. The people closest to the end turned to look at him, sending curious looks his way.

So maybe it wouldn't be that different. He would just be watched for different reasons.

At the table, he could see Peter and Maria sitting at the other end, with the other 1st years, Talia was sitting with A girl who couldn't be anyone but Ginny Weasley. Alex was talking with another 4th he didn't recognize.

Harry searched the table until his eyes came to rest on the two people who he wanted to see most. Ron and Hermione. Hermione was sitting in the middle, beside Lavender and Ron was siting on the other side of the table, between Seamus and Dean. Harry sighed. He wanted to go home.

Dumbledore stood, tapping his glass for silence. When the hall had fallen silent, the old man stood. "I have a special announcement. I would like you all to welcome William Lestrange to our fold. He is a transfer student from Salem school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is a fifth year and had been sorted into Gryffindor. William, stand up."

Harry stood, a blush creeping up onto his face. "Please, make him feel welcome." And the hall began to clap, a very wary response, not quite sure what to make of William Lestrange.

Harry sat back into his seat aware of all eyes on him. No, he wasn't going to get away from being watch here. They would just watch him for different reasons. Turning to his food Harry only had one thought in his head. 'I hate Voldemort.'

It had been three days since Harry had arrived in this world. Three days of hell.

Harry wondered the grounds, heading towards the Quidditch pitch. It was one of the only places he felt safe in this new place. It was the same building, but the people were different, the feeling. Before he had been welcomed with open arms, but in this Hogwarts, he was treated with suspicion and distrust. It was so hard. Seeing Ron and Hermione, yet not being able to go up and join their chats were torture.

It had been three days since Harry had arrived in this world. Three days of hell. It was so difficult. Especially since they hated each other. Yes Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger's hatred for each other was legendary. Without the troll incident, they had continued to hate each other with more and more ferocity.

This world was terrible. It was so hard just to get through a day. Look in a mirror and see someone else's face.

His parents hated him.

Sirius had no memory of the truth, so treated him as if he were lower then the dirt under his feet.

Dumbledore still didn't trust him.

Voldemort was after him again.

All in all, Harry was in hell.

Heaving a sigh, Harry flopped onto the ground beside the lake, laying back and staring at the sky, watching as the white clouds floated across the faded blue sky. Closing his eyes, Harry let a solitary tear slid down his face, catching the light of the late afternoon sun. He wasn't sure how long he lay there, but he was aware of the diminishing light, the loss of heat from the mid-autumn sun.

Swallowing the pain the threatened to engulf him, Harry rose to his feet. Rubbing his eyes, Harry stared towards Hogwarts. Half way there, a glitter in the grass caught his eye. The sinking sun was making something in the grass sparkle. Making his way over, Harry bent over and picked up the offending object.

It was a glass five point star. Silver with blue and green swirls shooting through the glass. It was breathtaking. Turning it around in his hands, Harry examined it. Why was it here? Who would just drop such a precious object? It was amazing. Harry a spellbound.

The light glinted off of it again and Harry squinted. He was positive he had seen something moving in the depths of the star. Bringing it closer, to examine it, Harry let out a screech of alarm. There, in the centere, was the Dark Mark. Voldemort. Just as he was about to drop it, he felt a tug at his navel and with a sinking, sick feeling, the portkey took him away from the safe grounds of Hogwarts.

Our Reality

Hogwarts, July 21st, 1995

Sirius Black walked up to the seemingly solid stone wall. It was covered with a slight green slime. Making a face distaste, Sirius put his hand on the round piece of marble, his hand covering the carving of a phoenix, wings spread, flames spurting up around it.

The second his hand touched it, the phoenix began to glow, a bright white light shot out from it and the phoenix song flooded the deserted hallway, making it seem alive. This lasted all of ten seconds until a dull scrapping sound was heard and the wall began to move.

The light disappeared and the song faded. Blinking, Sirius strode through the arch that was now present in the wall. The same phoenix was carved at the top of the arch. The minute Sirius walked in a hush fell on the room.

Dumbledore raised his head from where he had been talking quietly to Professor McGonagall who was seated next to him. Sirius looked around the room. The room was lit by torches that was affixed to the walls, the floor and walls, even the ceiling was the same dull gray stone. A ornate marble fireplace stood in one corner, a cheery fire happily crackling away kept the room warm. Individual portraits of the four founders were on each wall.

A long wooden table stood in the middle of the room, twelve chairs were disbursed around it. Only one was empty. "Sorry I'm late. I got held up." Sirius' cheerful voice filled the room. None of them looked at him, but as Sirius sat down in the last chair, he took a minute to look at all the members of the Order. At the head of the Table sat Professor Dumbledore, beside him on his right was Professor McGonagall, then Remus, then himself.

Beside Sirius was Percy Weasley who was talking to Arabella Figg, Sirius' old girlfriend. They had broken up when he was sent to Azkaban. Her brown hair, which she used to keep long was now cut to lust above her shoulders, slightly tickling the back of her neck. Her hazel eyes, which used to be so full of life, now seemed dull and sad. It pained him to see her like that. Her skin seemed almost waxy, unhealthy.

It was obvious the years had not been kind on any of them. Beside Bella was Keri Weathers. Lily's best friend, she had been neighbors and best friends with Lily until the end. The look in Keri's blue eyes told Sirius one thing. She was carrying on for Harry, he was the only thing that mattered to her now.

Sirius knew that feeling. It had been one of the only things driving him when he first escaped from Azkaban.

At the end of the table was Arthur Weasley, who was looking over some of the papers in front of him on the smooth mahogany table. He looked haggard, his eyes were tired.

Across from Keri was Catalina Prewett who had been in his year at Hogwarts, but she had been a Ravenclaw, one of the smartest people that year.

Next to Catalina was Jenna Bone, she had been three years ahead of them, a prefect for Gryffindor.

Beside Jenna was Hagrid, who was looking slightly out of place in the business like decor. Next to him was Mundungus Fletcher, one of his dorm mates back at Hogwarts. He had always been a book worm, always reading. He had even tried to get all of them to read Hogwarts: A History. What a bore.

Next to Gus, talking heatedly with Remus, who was across the table, sat the real Mad Eye Moody. And next to Moody sat Snape, who looked as unpleasant as ever. Sirius sat back in the high backed, rather uncomfortable, red velvet covered chairs that were seated around the ornate table.

Dumbledore looked up from his discussion and looked around the room. "Well, it looks like we're all here. I officially call this meeting of the Order of the Phoenix to order."

An odd white light flashed out from the small phoenix statue that was situated in the center of the table. All members of the order were used to this by now. It was an odd spell which somehow could tell if a traitor or impostor was in the room. Sirius hadn't been paying attention when Dumbledore had explained it to James, Remus and himself all those years ago when they had first joined.

"Percy, do you have any news from the Ministry? Is Fudge doing anything suspicious?" Percy looked up from his papers.

Pushing his glasses up he again glanced down at bis papers. "He's ordered extra security around his home, but other then that he still won't admit he's back. He's already fired three people who tried to reason with him. I still haven't found any information on where he goes every Tuesday afternoon."

Dumbledore nodded. "Good, keep looking, but don't risk your job, we need you in the ministry. Hagrid, what's the word from the Giants?"

The half giants shifted in his chair. "Well. They've agreed to 'elp us. They decided that it would be better then being with You-Know-Who. Said some 'in about being lied to the last time. I'll be goin' back in 'bout a week."

Dumbledore nodded. "Good, good. Severus, what have you heard from Voldemort. Did he complete the potion he was working on?"

Sirius noted that Snape shifted in his seat, almost looking nervous. "Yes Sir. I discovered he was making a very complicated wish potion. It's formal title is 'Ire ad somnium'(1) but is more commonly known as the Dream Travel Potion, it essentially is administered to the intended victim and then it sits dormant until the person makes a wish. Then it will send that person to an alternate dimension where that wish is a reality. The wish could be anything from 'I wish that I'd have passed that test' to 'I wish I were dead'. It doesn't matter. As long as you say I wish... Then the potion will take effect."

Sirius was starting to get bored. This seemed to have no relevance to anything, but Snape's next words sent Sirius into shock.

"Harry was given this potion two days ago. Voldemort made a connection to Harry, through their blood bond, and administered it to him. And now we have no idea where he was sent."

Sirius was numb. Harry. His Harry. The son of his best friend, had been given a potion and now NO ONE KNEW WHERE HE WAS! This was unacceptable.

"What do you mean 'and now we have no idea where he was sent'" Sirius' voice rang out through the still room, mimicking Snape's speech. "I want to know where my godson is and I want to know NOW!!"

"Calm down Sirius!" Dumbledore's strong voice brought Sirius down from his cloud of rage and panic. "Sit down and let us finish." Sheepishly, Sirius slumped in his chair, glaring at Snape, even though deep inside he knew it wasn't the slimy basterd's fault that Voldemort was after his godson.

Returning Sirius' glare, Snape continued. "As I was saying, we don't know where Voldemort sent him, but there is a spell that can be cast that will show us where he is, although we won't be able to get to him, we can see where he is and what his wish was." With a final poisonous glare in Sirius' direction, Snape sat down, calmly shuffling through the papers that he had placed in front of him.

Calmness swept over Sirius. They might not be able to get to him, but at least he would be able to see Harry, make sure that he was still alive. Arabella spoke the question that was on his mind, speaking his deepest fear. "Will we be able to get him back? Or is he stuck there forever?" The sweet voice took Sirius to times long past, when they had actually talked, been friends, lovers.

Looking up from his papers, Snape cleared his throat. "Albus, if I may-" A simple nod from the Headmaster gave Snape leave to proceed with an explanation. "Well, as far as getting him home, that's completely up to Harry. There is a spell that will send him home, but he has to perform it himself. He is in no way stuck there." Arabella nodded, obviously satisfied.

Sirius' eyes took on a look that so many had come to recognize as no good. Rubbing his hands together, Sirius looked around the table. "So, when do we get to cast the spell. I want to see where the heck he wished himself too."

Alternate Reality

Somewhere in Scotland, October 16th, 1995

Harry fell to the ground with a thud. He stayed on his back, eyes closed, letting the rain fall on his face. Harry didn't want to think of where he was. A Portkey. He was coming to hate those things.

Gingerly rising to his feet Harry looked around clearing. It was a rather large clearing, surrounded by huge trees, leafless, spidery. Looking up, Harry could se the sky was dark gray with storm clouds, rain feel from them in fat dropped, soaking Harry in an instant. Wherever he was, there didn't seem to be people anywhere close. The only sounds to be heard were raindrops hitting the ground and the occasional shrill cry from a raven. It was eerie. The coldness of the air bit into his skin, going down to the bone.

Why, oh why had he picked up the trinket? It had looked so innocent. He really should have known better. Had the tournament taught him nothing?

Dumbledore had pulled him aside yesterday, telling him that one of his spies had discovered that Voldemort knew he was here. They hadn't heard anything about a capture, but by the fact that he had just been kidnapped, he had obviously decided that he wanted to meet Harry for himself. This was so not fair.

The long grass that covered the clearing was wet, muddy and weed-filled. This place almost seemed evil. Harry wasn't quite sure why, but the feeling in the air was sinister, a place filled with danger.

A sudden realization hit Harry. The star was gone. It had been in his hand when he had landed and now it was gone. He must have dropped it when he had stood up. Looking around frantically, Harry's eyes scoured the ground, searching for a glint of silver. But he couldn't find it. The star was gone.

A feeling a dread settled itself in the pit of Harry's stomach. Someone had brought him here and obviously didn't want him to leave. But who? No one knew he was here. The only people who knew about Harry was his parents, siblings, Sirius and Dumbledore, the rest of the people thought he was a transfer named William Lestrange.

This was not good.

Harry looked up, towards the sky once more. It held no clue as to where he was. It was just an endless sea of gray. Pouring rain down on Harry.

The sound of a twig snapping made Harry whirl around to face the forest behind him. But he saw nothing. Warily, Harry turned in a slow circle, eyes raking the foliage. Another shadow flashed at the corner of his eyes. He spun quickly, but saw nothing. He was scared. He had no idea where he was, he didn't have any protection and he was sure something was in the forest. Yes, he had every right to be scared. There was a fine line between bravery and stupidity.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? I see your parents didn't teach you not to pick up things that weren't yours." The voice was cold. Evil.

Harry's insides turned to ice as a dark figure emerged from the shadows. It was Voldemort, there was no question about it. A Voldemort that had all his powers. He was tall, almost six feet. His skin was paper white, his eyes a glowing red. He was wearing black robes that swirled around him in a way that reminded Harry strongly of Professor Snape. A cruel, twisted smile graced the snakelike face. His voice came out as a hiss, cold and evil.

"Hello Harry. Did you enjoy the trip?"

______________________________________________________________________________

To Be Continued in Chapter 6: Friends and Enemies

(1) Which roughly translates to "Towards a dream"

Thank Yous- Nagini, Panko Piskun, Crystalite 104, Shadow (the new story is on it's way and Happy Birthday), Sandrine Black, Sarah, SEEKER-2000, missy-chan, TJ, Kat-(I don't hate you. I just take a very long time to update. I hope you like this chapter), vmr, Lisa, Midnight Owl, Megan McPherson, Sara, Tinabedina, willow, GayRon, Artemis-chan, OBi Obsessed, Angel Of Death, *~Destiny Stone~*, Jax, orla potter, Kay or Kay Potter 13, Maggie_DB, Tiger Lily, Queen Tessandry de Sanyochisei, Von, raeban, Kit Cloudkicker, Bumblebeee Bucy, amy, Berkeley Halperin, Andrea, Meg, Ivy, Su-Su, Katherine aka Star, LanaMariah, Keitaro, A-man, blaubaerin, Roninchica, vinnie, Me Mimi, MegumiFuu, mary, lollipozz, starkitty, Kay, MidnightDragon, Terra Evans, Gen Raid, Alerae, jake, hyper chica, anime girl, Bexpotter, Helen, Margaret, Anonymous, Phoenix- (thank you. It makes me so happy when someone tells me they like my story, gives me hope. And I'm glad I didn't lose a reviewer), Taracollowen, Rose Fencer, Hannah Abby, Aalilyah, Cheetah, Maggie_DB, Tory, Keara Jordan, Mary Smith, Moonlight Wolf, ME!!!!;p, Helen, Shinigami- (I think I answered all your questions. And he wasn't a traitor in this world), Chardonnay-(I'll try to be more speedy, but not too speedy), Relle-(have no fear, Harry won't die), AngelStar88- (That's okay, I like questions. The potion Voldie made was meant to send just Harry back, so no, the others aren't in this world. And your second question was answered at the beginning), jenny, Kitsuneko, EuGIeBeAr, Nicky, J. Lynn- (*blush* why thank you), *branwen*- (Don't whine. Branwen will be in the story later. Just be patient. And what did I tell you? You must always listen to the all knowing Talia, I am brilliant.), ~*Crystal Lily*~, Angela, Lila Mae, hagay cohen, Jing Ping, Embyr Black, Lady Knight of Kennan- (Kel/Cleon!!! My fav!), tsuki tatsu

And to all the people who reviewed 'Please Don't Cry'- Shadow, Tidmag- (Do you have any stories on ff.net? I think I might have read one), Maab- (I really like your stories, have I mentioned that?), Berkeley Halperin-(*Lilly hands Berkeley a Kleenex* Please don't cry, I didn't want to make you cry. Ack! Didn't mean to do that!), Artemis-chan, Juicy Communist- ( Happy Birthday Devora. About the people thing, I don't think it works, imagine that sweet little girl, a grimmel eater. Nope. And yes, we see her more in later chapters), Allocin, Phoenix- (Glad you liked it and look, I did go work on Another World.), rampage786, A-man, EuGIeBeAr, Mar Mar, AngelStar88