(Author's Thanks: GayRon for reviewing.
Disclaimers: All characters in the story belong to J.K. Rowling.
Warnings: This story will eventually be slash. If you are against homosexual relationships, please do not read this story. Any furious rant against slash in a review will be mocked. Thank you.
Author's Notes: Well, I'm sorry, folks. I've tried not to be one of those whiny authors who demands reviews and acts like a bitch when she doesn't get one. It's just, well, I work hard on these stories, and when I get /one/ review for a chapter, it's just a bit disheartening. Now, I'm not trying to force anyone to, but if you really do like this story, could you try to fit somewhere in your busy schedules of life outside FF.N to review? Thanks.
~Cinaed)
Nest of the Phoenix
By Cinaed, Born of Fire
Chapter Three
"Roger. This is Houston, Dumbledore. What seems to be the problem?" Harry couldn't believe he'd just cracked a Muggle joke when things were suddenly very serious. Maybe he was delirious?
Dumbledore looked stern. "This is not Muggle Studies. I would appreciate if we stick to the serious matter at hand." He paused. "You are Harry Potter and you say your Dark Lord is Tom Riddle?"
"He's not /my/ Dark Lord, and his name is Tom Riddle."
The headmaster was silent for a long moment before he asked, "What's your House?"
"Gryffindor."
Understanding filled those blue eyes then, and relief swiftly followed as he ordered, "Tell me everything you can about your version of the wizarding world, Mr. Potter."
So Harry did. He told him about the wizarding world, about people like Severus Snape, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black. Occasionally, Dumbledore would interrupt him to ask questions about some of the details. He looked especially grave when Harry told him about Neville Longbottom's parents, but the headmaster didn't comment and instead asked more about his parents and their relationship to Tom Riddle.
The interrogation lasted about an hour, and when Dumbledore at last fell silent, Harry's voice was slightly hoarse from revealing so much information to a man who should have already known all this.
As the teenager's fingers absently rubbed at his throat, Dumbledore gazed upwards for a long moment, as if seeking answers from an unknown presence. At last, he turned those blue eyes upon Harry once more, and said softly, but in a tone that booked no argument, "Mr. Potter, I want you listen carefully, and to do exactly as I say." The headmaster waited until Harry nodded in acquiescence to continue. "It seems that somehow you were transported to an alternate reality. Not a parallel universe, but an alternate reality. There are many, many differences. First off, you do not- " There was a barely discernable pause in the headmaster's words before he kept going. "-exist in this universe. Tom Riddle is the nephew of Lily Potter and therefore James Potter by marriage. Petunia, Vernon, Dudley, Iris (Tom's mother), and Lily were murdered by Ragimara when Tom was three. Tom Riddle is a Gryffindor fifth-year and is the best friend of Ron and Hermione." He paused, trying to gauge the black-haired boy's reaction.
As soon as Dumbledore fell silent, Harry was lost to his own thoughts, which engulfed him. He didn't exist, and if he had, he would have been cousins with Tom Riddle.... Not to mention that nearly everyone in his family had died by Ragimara's hand. Then he realized something.
"What happened to my father—James, I mean?"
"He's still alive." For the first time since the beginning of their conversation, Dumbledore actually smiled. His tone held just a hint of mischief when he kept going. "And he's actually in a relationship now—with Lucius Malfoy."
Harry literally fell out of his chair, his expression one of shock as he gazed at Dumbledore from his position on the floor. "What?!"
Dumbledore's expression remained amused as he repeated, "James has been living with Lucius Malfoy for eleven years. His son, Draco, is in Tom's year and is in Slytherin."
"And how did Narcissa enjoy the news?" inquired Harry dryly as he scrambled to his feet and sat back down in the chair.
The headmaster sobered. "When Lucius fell in love with James, he deserted the Dark Lord, and in retaliation Ragimara killed his wife. He was going to kill young Draco too, but I intervened."
"Oh." Harry attempted to process that information, but his head hurt. This was way too much to take in. "Anything else I should know?"
"Most of us are nothing like your universe has them, Mr. Potter. You'll find the personalities of Lucius, Draco, and even Severus quite different than you remembered them. Severus is a spy for us, but no one has discovered him yet. He's always been a spy." Dumbledore looked serious. "Now, you must follow my directions exactly. You are /not/ to tell anyone about the changes in your universe. In fact, you are not to tell anyone you /came/ from. We shall tell the two Weasley brothers, Ms. Granger, and Madam Pomfrey albeit with your new name, but they will be the only ones to know, and even then they will know only what I tell them. It would not do James any good to know /he/ was brutally murdered in an alternate universe as well as Lily."
Harry nodded, not sure what else to say. Dumbledore seemed to have everything under control.
"Also, you will not give out your last name. You will be called Harry-" The headmaster of Hogwarts paused for a moment, his brow wrinkling for a moment. "-Harry Mason." There was definitely a mischievous glint in his eyes at that point, although it took Harry a moment to get the joke. While a 'potter' worked with clay, a 'mason' worked with stone.
"Harry Mason then," Harry agreed with a slight smile wavering on his visage.
"You will be Sorted and it will be explained that you are from Durmstrang but your parents decided, after being moved in their jobs as architects, one Muggle-born and the other not, from Bulgaria to Wales, that you needed to be close to them and so moved you to Hogwarts." The ancient wizard smiled. "And not to mention you were a 'troublemaker' and they thought a change in schools would be good for you."
Harry couldn't help the quiet chuckle that escaped his lips at the thought of him being a troublemaker. "Well, my universe's Snape certainly thinks I'm a troublemaker, so I'll just work on fulfilling that role. How much of a troublemaker am I?"
"Think of the Weasley twins, add in a touch of scorn for authority, and you'll have it, Harry." Dumbledore's eyes were definitely twinkling now. "While you adjust to life in this universe, I'll try to figure out how you got here and how to get you back home."
Immediately, a wave of relief washed over the boy. "Thank you, sir. I won't tell anyone about my universe." His visage darkened a bit. "I don't think they'd want to hear about it."
Dumbledore sighed. "Unfortunately, you're probably right." The headmaster stood and glanced around the room once before smiling at the teenager. "Why don't we go back to the infirmary and inform our curious friends who you are?"
"If Ron, Hermione, and Charlie are anything like they are in my universe, they'll be waiting outside your office," Harry said, grinning as he did so.
Dumbledore chuckled and nodded. "Then let's let them inside, shall we?" He gestured, and the door opened to reveal the sheepish figures of Ron, Hermione, Charlie, and even Madam Pomfrey. The headmaster looked stern, but his eyes were twinkling as he said, "Come in."
The quartet shuffled in, casting sheepish glances at both Harry and Dumbledore before sitting in various chairs.
"Sorry, Headmaster, we simply-" Charlie's apology was cut off by Dumbledore's laugh.
"Think nothing of it, Charlie. Curiosity can be a good thing at times." The headmaster watched the embarrassed group for a long moment before clearing his throat. "It seems there has been an interesting occurrence that happened a little over an hour ago." He nodded towards Harry, who fought the urge to blush as everyone glanced at him. "This happens to be Harry Mason, an unhappy visitor from an alternate universe."
"An alternate universe?" Ron repeated incredulously, his eyes wide in shock. "How's that possible?"
"We don't know at this time, Ron. We only know that our universes are very different but have the same people in them. In his universe, he's best friends with you and Hermione." This time Harry did flush as Ron and Hermione's shocked gazes landed on him. "I will not tell you much more, but in our universe Harry Mason doesn't exist."
"So he's not allowed to tell us about his universe?"
"Correct, Hermione."
Harry bit back a laugh. This Dumbledore called everyone by their first names? Well, perhaps he did so only in the presence of friends and not in public when he was the headmaster and supposed to be impartial. He managed to keep from laughing when Charlie turned a curious gaze upon him.
"So what are you going to do with Harry Mason, Headmaster?"
Dumbledore explained Harry's new role, much as he had to Harry himself. When he finished his explanation, the group nodded as one.
"We shall have the Sorting as soon as possible," Dumbledore added, his eyes flickering towards Harry. "Think you'll be able to stay in your role, Harry?"
Harry managed a grin. "I've never tried being a troublemaker. Well, okay, I've broken a lot of rules, but only because I /had/ to, but I've never been a troublemaker with attitude." His smile widened in amusement. "Time to see if I've got any acting skills at all."
"Let's hope you do, Harry," replied Dumbledore, rising from his chair. "In the meantime, you look like you need some sleep and some food."
The brunet immediately fought the urge to redden and instead ducked his head. "I'm fine," he assured the headmaster, keeping his eyes trained on the floor. "Really."
Dumbledore didn't reply, but somehow Harry knew he looked disbelieving. After a long, tense silence that made Harry flush in embarrassment, Dumbledore stated, "Still, we'll have you sleep in the infirmary for the night if you don't mind."
"That's fine with me." Harry didn't dare look up as the rest of the group stood. "Could—could I have my wand back now?"
"Of course." The teenager looked up at last when the headmaster pressed the wand into his hand. If he had clung to the glasses like a life preserver, he now clung to his wand like it was a lifeboat. This was the wand that had protected him and kept him from being killed by Voldemort only a few weeks before. This was the wand he was meant to have, and the fact that Charlie and Dumbledore could take it away from him so easily chilled him.
"Poppy, could you escort Harry back to the infirmary? Charlie, I need to speak with you privately. Ron, Hermione, I believe Tom needs some ego- boosting before his Quidditch match."
Ron and Hermione nodded and hurried out of the room, Ron calling over his shoulder to Charlie, "We'll save a seat for you!"
The second oldest Weasley smiled and shook his head as the door closed behind his youngest brother, his look affectionate. He turned Prussian blue eyes upon Harry for a brief moment before he smiled. "It was nice meeting you, Harry, and I hope you can settle in while the headmaster figures out how to get you home."
"Thanks," Harry said, fiddling with the wand and offering the Weasley a genuine smile. "It was nice—meeting—you too." He stumbled over the word, but flashed Charlie a quick smile to show he meant no offense.
"Well, we're going to fatten you up, child," Madam Pomfrey announced briskly, taking Harry's arm and steering him towards the door. "I'll make sure he eats a good meal and gets a full night's sleep, Headmaster."
"Yeah, right," the teenager muttered in disbelief, but to himself as he was marched back to the infirmary by the nurse and quietly enough so that no one could hear him.
Madam Pomfrey forced him into a bed in the empty infirmary, and proceeded to give him a tray of mouth-watering food, setting the warm tray in his lap and ordering him to eat. One glare from the nurse stopped his original protest, and grudgingly the teenager attempted to consume the meal. After only a few mouthfuls, however, the nausea that had been afflicting him ever since he had come home from Hogwarts and been left alone to his thoughts of Cedric. Every morsel of food he swallowed was a taste that Cedric would never be able to savor again because of Harry's stupidity.
He glanced down at the plate and realized that he had only eaten about one- third of the entire plate. Noticing that Madam Pomfrey was watching him, he bit back a sigh and forced himself to eat a few more spoonfuls before the queasiness overwhelmed him and he pushed the food away, taking a deep breath to try and settle his stomach.
"Aren't you going to eat the rest, child?"
"I'll try to finish it later, please." That answer seemed to satisfy her, for Madam Pomfrey nodded and took the plate of food away for the moment. A second later she returned with a glass of water.
"Drink some water. Your color gives away the fact that you're dehydrated."
Numbly, Harry did so, grateful that the water took away the flavors of the food still lingering in his mouth. He didn't deserve these flavors. Cedric, who had been kind and smart and funny and strong and everything that Harry wasn't, was the one who deserved them. Cedric, who had only died because he had grabbed the Cup at the same time Harry had because /Harry/ had suggested it. When he finished the water, the glass was snatched away and replaced by a steaming mug of tea, which Madam Pomfrey informed him would help him gain the minerals he had lost by 'starving himself so.'
Harry had finished most of it before she added, with a mischievous half- smile on her face, "It's also a sleeping draught, so you should fall asleep in—oh, a minute or so?"
The teenager, who had just taken a sip, choked on the tea, and gazed with widened eyes at the woman. It was only then that he felt the sleeping draught begin to take affect, a sluggishness beginning a slow, gradual sweep up and down his frame to loosen out tense muscles. "That wasn't-" he began, but even to his own ears he sounded slurred and sleepy.
Madam Pomfrey chuckled softly and smoothed back his locks in a motherly fashion. As his heavy eyelids began to close on their own free will, he heard her exclaim, "My, what an unusual scar!" before those lids fluttered close and he was asleep.
(To be continued)
Disclaimers: All characters in the story belong to J.K. Rowling.
Warnings: This story will eventually be slash. If you are against homosexual relationships, please do not read this story. Any furious rant against slash in a review will be mocked. Thank you.
Author's Notes: Well, I'm sorry, folks. I've tried not to be one of those whiny authors who demands reviews and acts like a bitch when she doesn't get one. It's just, well, I work hard on these stories, and when I get /one/ review for a chapter, it's just a bit disheartening. Now, I'm not trying to force anyone to, but if you really do like this story, could you try to fit somewhere in your busy schedules of life outside FF.N to review? Thanks.
~Cinaed)
Nest of the Phoenix
By Cinaed, Born of Fire
Chapter Three
"Roger. This is Houston, Dumbledore. What seems to be the problem?" Harry couldn't believe he'd just cracked a Muggle joke when things were suddenly very serious. Maybe he was delirious?
Dumbledore looked stern. "This is not Muggle Studies. I would appreciate if we stick to the serious matter at hand." He paused. "You are Harry Potter and you say your Dark Lord is Tom Riddle?"
"He's not /my/ Dark Lord, and his name is Tom Riddle."
The headmaster was silent for a long moment before he asked, "What's your House?"
"Gryffindor."
Understanding filled those blue eyes then, and relief swiftly followed as he ordered, "Tell me everything you can about your version of the wizarding world, Mr. Potter."
So Harry did. He told him about the wizarding world, about people like Severus Snape, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black. Occasionally, Dumbledore would interrupt him to ask questions about some of the details. He looked especially grave when Harry told him about Neville Longbottom's parents, but the headmaster didn't comment and instead asked more about his parents and their relationship to Tom Riddle.
The interrogation lasted about an hour, and when Dumbledore at last fell silent, Harry's voice was slightly hoarse from revealing so much information to a man who should have already known all this.
As the teenager's fingers absently rubbed at his throat, Dumbledore gazed upwards for a long moment, as if seeking answers from an unknown presence. At last, he turned those blue eyes upon Harry once more, and said softly, but in a tone that booked no argument, "Mr. Potter, I want you listen carefully, and to do exactly as I say." The headmaster waited until Harry nodded in acquiescence to continue. "It seems that somehow you were transported to an alternate reality. Not a parallel universe, but an alternate reality. There are many, many differences. First off, you do not- " There was a barely discernable pause in the headmaster's words before he kept going. "-exist in this universe. Tom Riddle is the nephew of Lily Potter and therefore James Potter by marriage. Petunia, Vernon, Dudley, Iris (Tom's mother), and Lily were murdered by Ragimara when Tom was three. Tom Riddle is a Gryffindor fifth-year and is the best friend of Ron and Hermione." He paused, trying to gauge the black-haired boy's reaction.
As soon as Dumbledore fell silent, Harry was lost to his own thoughts, which engulfed him. He didn't exist, and if he had, he would have been cousins with Tom Riddle.... Not to mention that nearly everyone in his family had died by Ragimara's hand. Then he realized something.
"What happened to my father—James, I mean?"
"He's still alive." For the first time since the beginning of their conversation, Dumbledore actually smiled. His tone held just a hint of mischief when he kept going. "And he's actually in a relationship now—with Lucius Malfoy."
Harry literally fell out of his chair, his expression one of shock as he gazed at Dumbledore from his position on the floor. "What?!"
Dumbledore's expression remained amused as he repeated, "James has been living with Lucius Malfoy for eleven years. His son, Draco, is in Tom's year and is in Slytherin."
"And how did Narcissa enjoy the news?" inquired Harry dryly as he scrambled to his feet and sat back down in the chair.
The headmaster sobered. "When Lucius fell in love with James, he deserted the Dark Lord, and in retaliation Ragimara killed his wife. He was going to kill young Draco too, but I intervened."
"Oh." Harry attempted to process that information, but his head hurt. This was way too much to take in. "Anything else I should know?"
"Most of us are nothing like your universe has them, Mr. Potter. You'll find the personalities of Lucius, Draco, and even Severus quite different than you remembered them. Severus is a spy for us, but no one has discovered him yet. He's always been a spy." Dumbledore looked serious. "Now, you must follow my directions exactly. You are /not/ to tell anyone about the changes in your universe. In fact, you are not to tell anyone you /came/ from. We shall tell the two Weasley brothers, Ms. Granger, and Madam Pomfrey albeit with your new name, but they will be the only ones to know, and even then they will know only what I tell them. It would not do James any good to know /he/ was brutally murdered in an alternate universe as well as Lily."
Harry nodded, not sure what else to say. Dumbledore seemed to have everything under control.
"Also, you will not give out your last name. You will be called Harry-" The headmaster of Hogwarts paused for a moment, his brow wrinkling for a moment. "-Harry Mason." There was definitely a mischievous glint in his eyes at that point, although it took Harry a moment to get the joke. While a 'potter' worked with clay, a 'mason' worked with stone.
"Harry Mason then," Harry agreed with a slight smile wavering on his visage.
"You will be Sorted and it will be explained that you are from Durmstrang but your parents decided, after being moved in their jobs as architects, one Muggle-born and the other not, from Bulgaria to Wales, that you needed to be close to them and so moved you to Hogwarts." The ancient wizard smiled. "And not to mention you were a 'troublemaker' and they thought a change in schools would be good for you."
Harry couldn't help the quiet chuckle that escaped his lips at the thought of him being a troublemaker. "Well, my universe's Snape certainly thinks I'm a troublemaker, so I'll just work on fulfilling that role. How much of a troublemaker am I?"
"Think of the Weasley twins, add in a touch of scorn for authority, and you'll have it, Harry." Dumbledore's eyes were definitely twinkling now. "While you adjust to life in this universe, I'll try to figure out how you got here and how to get you back home."
Immediately, a wave of relief washed over the boy. "Thank you, sir. I won't tell anyone about my universe." His visage darkened a bit. "I don't think they'd want to hear about it."
Dumbledore sighed. "Unfortunately, you're probably right." The headmaster stood and glanced around the room once before smiling at the teenager. "Why don't we go back to the infirmary and inform our curious friends who you are?"
"If Ron, Hermione, and Charlie are anything like they are in my universe, they'll be waiting outside your office," Harry said, grinning as he did so.
Dumbledore chuckled and nodded. "Then let's let them inside, shall we?" He gestured, and the door opened to reveal the sheepish figures of Ron, Hermione, Charlie, and even Madam Pomfrey. The headmaster looked stern, but his eyes were twinkling as he said, "Come in."
The quartet shuffled in, casting sheepish glances at both Harry and Dumbledore before sitting in various chairs.
"Sorry, Headmaster, we simply-" Charlie's apology was cut off by Dumbledore's laugh.
"Think nothing of it, Charlie. Curiosity can be a good thing at times." The headmaster watched the embarrassed group for a long moment before clearing his throat. "It seems there has been an interesting occurrence that happened a little over an hour ago." He nodded towards Harry, who fought the urge to blush as everyone glanced at him. "This happens to be Harry Mason, an unhappy visitor from an alternate universe."
"An alternate universe?" Ron repeated incredulously, his eyes wide in shock. "How's that possible?"
"We don't know at this time, Ron. We only know that our universes are very different but have the same people in them. In his universe, he's best friends with you and Hermione." This time Harry did flush as Ron and Hermione's shocked gazes landed on him. "I will not tell you much more, but in our universe Harry Mason doesn't exist."
"So he's not allowed to tell us about his universe?"
"Correct, Hermione."
Harry bit back a laugh. This Dumbledore called everyone by their first names? Well, perhaps he did so only in the presence of friends and not in public when he was the headmaster and supposed to be impartial. He managed to keep from laughing when Charlie turned a curious gaze upon him.
"So what are you going to do with Harry Mason, Headmaster?"
Dumbledore explained Harry's new role, much as he had to Harry himself. When he finished his explanation, the group nodded as one.
"We shall have the Sorting as soon as possible," Dumbledore added, his eyes flickering towards Harry. "Think you'll be able to stay in your role, Harry?"
Harry managed a grin. "I've never tried being a troublemaker. Well, okay, I've broken a lot of rules, but only because I /had/ to, but I've never been a troublemaker with attitude." His smile widened in amusement. "Time to see if I've got any acting skills at all."
"Let's hope you do, Harry," replied Dumbledore, rising from his chair. "In the meantime, you look like you need some sleep and some food."
The brunet immediately fought the urge to redden and instead ducked his head. "I'm fine," he assured the headmaster, keeping his eyes trained on the floor. "Really."
Dumbledore didn't reply, but somehow Harry knew he looked disbelieving. After a long, tense silence that made Harry flush in embarrassment, Dumbledore stated, "Still, we'll have you sleep in the infirmary for the night if you don't mind."
"That's fine with me." Harry didn't dare look up as the rest of the group stood. "Could—could I have my wand back now?"
"Of course." The teenager looked up at last when the headmaster pressed the wand into his hand. If he had clung to the glasses like a life preserver, he now clung to his wand like it was a lifeboat. This was the wand that had protected him and kept him from being killed by Voldemort only a few weeks before. This was the wand he was meant to have, and the fact that Charlie and Dumbledore could take it away from him so easily chilled him.
"Poppy, could you escort Harry back to the infirmary? Charlie, I need to speak with you privately. Ron, Hermione, I believe Tom needs some ego- boosting before his Quidditch match."
Ron and Hermione nodded and hurried out of the room, Ron calling over his shoulder to Charlie, "We'll save a seat for you!"
The second oldest Weasley smiled and shook his head as the door closed behind his youngest brother, his look affectionate. He turned Prussian blue eyes upon Harry for a brief moment before he smiled. "It was nice meeting you, Harry, and I hope you can settle in while the headmaster figures out how to get you home."
"Thanks," Harry said, fiddling with the wand and offering the Weasley a genuine smile. "It was nice—meeting—you too." He stumbled over the word, but flashed Charlie a quick smile to show he meant no offense.
"Well, we're going to fatten you up, child," Madam Pomfrey announced briskly, taking Harry's arm and steering him towards the door. "I'll make sure he eats a good meal and gets a full night's sleep, Headmaster."
"Yeah, right," the teenager muttered in disbelief, but to himself as he was marched back to the infirmary by the nurse and quietly enough so that no one could hear him.
Madam Pomfrey forced him into a bed in the empty infirmary, and proceeded to give him a tray of mouth-watering food, setting the warm tray in his lap and ordering him to eat. One glare from the nurse stopped his original protest, and grudgingly the teenager attempted to consume the meal. After only a few mouthfuls, however, the nausea that had been afflicting him ever since he had come home from Hogwarts and been left alone to his thoughts of Cedric. Every morsel of food he swallowed was a taste that Cedric would never be able to savor again because of Harry's stupidity.
He glanced down at the plate and realized that he had only eaten about one- third of the entire plate. Noticing that Madam Pomfrey was watching him, he bit back a sigh and forced himself to eat a few more spoonfuls before the queasiness overwhelmed him and he pushed the food away, taking a deep breath to try and settle his stomach.
"Aren't you going to eat the rest, child?"
"I'll try to finish it later, please." That answer seemed to satisfy her, for Madam Pomfrey nodded and took the plate of food away for the moment. A second later she returned with a glass of water.
"Drink some water. Your color gives away the fact that you're dehydrated."
Numbly, Harry did so, grateful that the water took away the flavors of the food still lingering in his mouth. He didn't deserve these flavors. Cedric, who had been kind and smart and funny and strong and everything that Harry wasn't, was the one who deserved them. Cedric, who had only died because he had grabbed the Cup at the same time Harry had because /Harry/ had suggested it. When he finished the water, the glass was snatched away and replaced by a steaming mug of tea, which Madam Pomfrey informed him would help him gain the minerals he had lost by 'starving himself so.'
Harry had finished most of it before she added, with a mischievous half- smile on her face, "It's also a sleeping draught, so you should fall asleep in—oh, a minute or so?"
The teenager, who had just taken a sip, choked on the tea, and gazed with widened eyes at the woman. It was only then that he felt the sleeping draught begin to take affect, a sluggishness beginning a slow, gradual sweep up and down his frame to loosen out tense muscles. "That wasn't-" he began, but even to his own ears he sounded slurred and sleepy.
Madam Pomfrey chuckled softly and smoothed back his locks in a motherly fashion. As his heavy eyelids began to close on their own free will, he heard her exclaim, "My, what an unusual scar!" before those lids fluttered close and he was asleep.
(To be continued)
