(Author's Thanks: Michelle, Myk, sara, Classical-Storyteller, Lady Phoenix Gryffindor, Ice Lupus, Akurei, JerseyPike, taligator, lil kawaii demon, Cat15, madam-malicia, Akemi-san, and mich 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: Sorry about the delay, but after so many reviews, I had to update! *grins* Harry was being temperamental. *giggles* Two more pairings revealed in this chapter. *pets poor Harry*

~Cinaed)

Nest of the Phoenix

By Cinaed, Born of Fire

Chapter Seven

"You've met Cedric then?" As Harry answered with a glare, Dumbledore settled himself down on the bench and smiled slightly. "I realize that I should have told you sooner, but Cedric wasn't due back from his unexpected trip for another day. I thought that too much information would be overwhelming. I apologize."

"So-so he's alive and happy in this world?" Harry decided he'd ask about Cedric's sudden excursion another time, when he wasn't feeling so nauseous. "Is he with Cho Chang?"

For a moment, Dumbledore looked almost amused before the twinkling light dimmed and a serious expression replaced any mirth. "Harry, I can assure you that he is not with Ms. Cho Chang. She is currently involved with a Mr. Davies, I believe."

"Oh.." Harry absorbed that for a moment before raking a hand through his tousled locks and mussing them even more. "Why are my fat—I mean, James Potter and Lucius Malfoy—at Hogwarts anyway? They can't be professors."

Dumbledore looked quite grim as he resettled his half-moon spectacles upon his nose. Clearing his throat, the headmaster explained, "Well, because of the threat of Ragimara, I built an underground city. James, Lucius, and many others live there." He paused for a moment, and then added with a somewhat lighter tone and a slight sparkle to his gaze, "Molly forced me to transport the Burrow to the Secreted City."

Harry couldn't help but laugh at that. That sounded like the Molly Weasley he remembered. "How about Professor Lupin and Sirius?" he asked, realizing that Dumbledore hadn't mentioned them. For a moment, he was almost terrified that the white-haired wizard would tell him that they'd been killed by Ragimara as well. Sudden fear made his heart pound, and he swallowed back of a lump of terror as he watched the old man intently.

"They both live in the Secreted City, but at the moment they are on special missions for me, as is Hagrid." Dumbledore gave him a thoughtful look. "Remus and Sirius are together in this universe."

The words didn't quite register in his brain for two, three, four seconds, and so Harry stared for a moment, his face one of utter blankness, before he reacted. Emerald eyes widened with utmost shock, and his mouth formed a perfect 'o' before he tried to object to this new piece of information.

"Blimey! What's with this universe? Everywhere I turn, there are relationships that would never be possible in mine!" he cried out in frustration, waving his hands wildly. Remus and Sirius—the very idea of it! Astonishment made his heartbeat quicken, and he buried his head in his hands for a moment, trying to calm down. "Is there something in the bloody water?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Harry, are there no relationships like Remus and Sirius in your reality?" Dumbledore sounded half-curious, half- entertained.

"No!" The denial escaped his lips before Harry actually thought about it. He lifted his head from his hands to look wearily towards the headmaster. He opened his mouth, and the words seemed to tumble out on their own free will, arguing against every relationship in this universe that he knew about. "Well, none that I know of. I think Ron likes Hermione, and Fred was dating Angelina Johnson, last time I checked. As far as I know, Bill and Snape barely know each other. George and Lee are /friends/. Neville likes Ginny, Ginny likes me, I like Cho Chang, she liked Cedric-" He faltered and sighed for a moment. "Professor Lupin and Sirius are just friends. My dad's dead, but he and Malfoy seemed to hate each other. Draco Malfoy would kill himself before being in a relationship with a Gryffindor, especially Seamus. Justin and Dean barely know each other, as far as I know, and Seamus likes Parvati!" He paused, taking a deep breath to steady himself.

"And Percy and Oliver are just friends as well?" Dumbledore finished gently.

"Percy is still dating Penelope, I think-" Harry stopped dead, and simply stared, the blood roaring in his ears. "Percy and-and /Oliver/?" When the headmaster's eyes merely twinkled, the brunet groaned. "Are you sure there isn't something in the water?"

"I believe I would have been informed if there was anything in the water, Harry," commented Dumbledore, rising and shifting his robes. He then arched an eyebrow. "Now, I believe you were supposed to be in the infirmary?"

Harry heaved a sigh, fighting the irritation that welled up at the mention of the witch. Despite his inward struggle, a scowl formed on his chapped lips. "I don't like Pomfrey. She keeps drugging me," he informed the headmaster, knowing that he was whining but not really caring. Maybe he should skip any water and just drink pumpkin juice from now on...

"She's only doing what's best for you," the headmaster reminded him, earning an annoyed scowl.

"Yes, well, I don't care if it's best for me. I don't like being drugged, and I'm not going to stay in the infirmary for the rest of the day if she keeps insisting on doing so!"

"Very well, I'll speak to Poppy about refraining from using sleeping potions on you unless you request them."

"Which I won't," the boy grumbled, scowling a little. He wanted to see his parents, and maybe even Cedric again, and he wouldn't be able to if he was under the influence of a sleeping potion. "Do I /have/ to go back to the infirmary?"

"I'm afraid so." Dumbledore sounded a little apologetic, and his expression was one of understanding. "We can't have you wandering through the school while everyone is in class."

It was only then that Harry remembered something that he'd been worrying about earlier. "Sir, am I going to have to be Sorted all over again tomorrow in front of /everyone/?" He was a little surprised at his anxious tone, but gazed at Dumbledore steadily.

The headmaster smiled a little at that, his blue eyes kind. "Well, we can't just announce you should be in Gryffindor. It would seem a little unusual, and someone might get suspicious."

"Right," sighed the boy, running a hand through his messy locks. Bloody hell, he wished he could just go home! It would be such a /joy/ to have this dimension's Sorting Hat tell him to choose between Slytherin and Gryffindor once more.... The sarcasm was so thick within his thoughts that a dull ache began right between his eyes. "In front of everyone."

"I'm afraid so. Don't worry, Harry; I'm making every effort to get you back to where you belong."

"Well, that's a bright spot in an otherwise horrid day," Harry muttered, and immediately felt guilty after saying so.

Some of the day hadn't been /bad/. He'd had an interesting chat with the spirit of Cedric, a nice discussion with Tom Riddle, and meeting this universe's Bill Weasley, Severus Snape, James Potter and Lucius Malfoy had been interesting, to say the least.

"Would you like me to escort you back to the infirmary?" The brunet blinked and realized that Dumbledore was watching him with an odd gleam in his pale gaze. The gleam nudged at a suspicion that was vaguely being formed in the farthest corner of his mind, and Harry raised a hand to rub at the ache between his eyes before he responded.

"I think I'll stay here for a few more minutes, sir, and then head in myself. I haven't been out in the sun for a while." Well, that was only half-true. This was the first time, except perhaps when he'd arrived at this Hogwarts, in a while that he'd been outdoors without any chores that Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had pressed upon him.

Nodding, the headmaster stood, the unnamed glimmer in those orbs fading with the movement. "Did you have any more questions you were wondering about?" Dumbledore's tone was mild.

"Well, I-" The Potter hesitated. Should he tell the headmaster about speaking to his world's Cedric and tell Dumbledore all about Elysium and the other universes? Somehow, he rather thought the Diggory ghost had only told him so that he wouldn't starve himself to death..

"Yes?"

"I-I was just wondering if anything's happened to Neville's parents here. He just seems so different. Much more confident, at least." It hadn't been what he'd been about to ask, and they both knew it, but Dumbledore ignored the topic change.

"Neville's parents are both respected Aurors and are as sane as anyone else is in the magical world," the white-haired wizard stated, smiling a little before nodding once more. "I'll see you later, Harry."

The brunet watched the headmaster depart, leaving him to his thoughts. Harry reclined for a moment, sighing and trying to get the dull throbbing in his head to stop pounding away at his skull. It hurt, and the nausea that had always come while he had thought of Cedric's death was coming back for another reason entirely. Why did he get the feeling that this universe was going to break him?

Placing a damp hand against his forehead in a vain attempt to fight pressure with pressure, Harry shoved the ominous thoughts away to the farthest reaches of his mind. It seemed lack of sleep made him paranoid. How could anything in this universe break him? Sure, it hurt to see everyone he knew and loved as very different people, but he wouldn't shatter because of that hurt....

He'd be fine. He'd ignore the lump in his throat every time he went near this universe's James Potter. He'd pretend that it didn't make tears prickle in his eyes at the thought that this place's Hermione had never scolded him for not doing his homework or Ron had never thoroughly massacred him at wizard's chess....

Harry sighed. He was being such a whiny brat, wasn't he? Well, he was going to enjoy his time in this universe! After all, he could be a completely different person here. The brunet could be a complete ass and no one would care enough about him to rein him in. He could have fun..

A slight smirk formed on his lips as the migraine gradually eased and the aching faded away. Yes, he would have fun tomorrow at the Sorting. It was going to be quite entertaining to show Hogwarts what Harry Mason was really like.

***

The next morning, Harry idly watched Madam Pomfrey fuss with a blanket and then checked his hair in a mirror. As untamed as always. Ignoring the fact that his face was still ashen and had an aura of withheld weariness, he smirked at his mirror image. "Let's shock the crowd, my good fellow."

Dumbledore had given him a spare set of robes since he was penniless in this universe. The black robe was a little short on him, but he didn't care. After all, Harry Mason didn't care about his clothing. He was more interested in causing trouble. The smirk not fading from his lips, he turned to find Madam Pomfrey staring at him with a suspicious look on her face.

His smirk shifting to a smile of innocence, Harry glanced away from her, grateful to be out of the infirmary at last. Now he could eat with the other students and try to catch up on his studies and not have to worry about being drugged. He only hoped that he wasn't too far behind.

"Harry?" Turning on instinct at the call of his name, the brunet felt a familiar pang of inescapable grief at the sight of those recognizable cerulean depths. "Headmaster Dumbledore said that we could take you to the Great Hall."

"And if we don't hurry up, we're going to be late," Hermione sniffed from behind her best friend, ignoring his light scowl. "Stop that, Ron; you're the one who thought he could finish a game of wizard's chess against Colin before breakfast."

"Come on. Let's go before Professor McGonagall can scold us for being late." It would take Harry a while to get used to hearing that unfamiliar voice speak so candidly to Hermione and Ron. As it was, he offered Tom Riddle a quick smile, knowing that the other boy had tried to cut the argument off at the beginning. How many times had the Potter attempted that?

"She wouldn't have to if Ron hadn't-" Even as the prefect began to object, Tom ushered them all from the room, leaving Madam Pomfrey to her duties.

Harry ignored Hermione's loud scolding and Ron's darkening scowl, although he offered a sympathetic grin towards the Riddle. The other brunet grinned back, looking both sheepish and amused. 'Well, I tried,' his verdure gaze seemed to say.

The quartet entered the Great Hall, and for a moment Harry was unnerved as the room fell silent. He didn't want everyone's eyes upon him, damn it. He wanted to be anonymous. Well, at the very least renowned for something he had actually accomplished, not because of the scar on his forehead. Offering the crowd a bland smile, Harry whispered to Tom, "I take Hogwarts doesn't see many new students a few weeks into the school year?"

"You're the only one, as far as I know," Tom murmured back, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips. "Don't worry though. Everyone will accept you soon enough."

Unable to keep from reacting to the stares, Harry's smile twisted into a smirk, and he offered the students a languid wave of his hand. "Acceptance is the least of my concerns," he commented in a low undertone, earning a startled look from his companions.

Tom, Ron, or Hermione might have commented at the odd remark had Dumbledore not risen at that moment, smiling out at the hushed group. "As most of you probably know, we have a student transferring from Durmstrang. His name is Harry Mason, and I hope you all make him feel welcome." The white-haired wizard turned to McGonagall, and it was only then that Harry noticed the Sorting Hat in her hands.

Less than a minute later, Harry was settled upon a stool in front of the curious students, the Sorting Hat encompassing most of his head. There was a low chuckle in his ear, and then the magical object spoke. 'Well, well, well, this is certainly an interesting case, Potter. Another whole dimension with endless possibilities. I see that you've already made a decision towards the beginning of that potential. I suppose you know what House you'd prefer?'

Harry automatically nodded, feeling a pleased grin form on his lips. That full-out grin probably confused the students sitting closest to the stool, but the brunet didn't care. He was going to have fun in the universe!

'Very well.' The Sorting Hat seemed amused for a second, before its entire demeanor suddenly changed. 'Have your fun while you can, Potter. And remember one thing. Just because someone chooses one path does not mean that another person has to. Now, go and sit at SLYTHERIN.'

While the House was shouted out to the Hogwarts denizens, Harry carefully took the Sorting Hat off and regarded it thoughtfully. What had it meant by that warning? It made that warning ache begin in his forehead once more.

Fighting back an inward sigh, Harry squared his shoulders, handed the Sorting Hat to McGonagall, and sauntered over to the Slytherin table. It was time to make himself at home as Harry Mason, the newest Slytherin of Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry.

(To be continued)