Chapter 1 : To The Other World

When the sensation of the X-Zone spell washed over Harry, initial panic had swept over him as he thrashed about in the darkness. Mentally he knew that instant death spells such as Death and Doom barely, if ever worked properly. However, that logical rational had been outstripped by panic as he tried to fight off the spell with a flailing of arms.

When the darkness grabbed a hold of his body, Harry's initial panic turned to real fear. X-Zone was taking a hold. Harry tried to anchor himself but it was too late, and the darkness enclosed around him, trapping him in the void.

The shuddering cold embraced his body, and the fear welled up inside him. No one knew what happened to someone who had X-Zone used on them. It was supposed that it sent the person to an endless void, doomed to wander the depths of darkness forever until they died of starvation, or of other things.

As Harry stumbled through the depths of the darkness, a ringing sound came to his ears. It was like a ping of a bell, rang once.

"Hello?" Harry called out. His answer was another bell chime. "Is someone there? Hello? Anyone?"

A third ring. And then a door materialized in front of him. It just stood there, beckoning to him. Tentatively, Harry reached out and grasped the handle. It felt cool under his grasp as he pushed it open. A brilliant light spilled out from behind it, and Harry, stepped through involuntarily as his body was on automatic.

And just as quickly, the door slammed shut behind him and the light became so brilliant and penetrating, that Harry blacked out, slumping to cold hard floor. And there, he lay.

"... has odd robes and so much armour on..."

"... do what you can Poppy..."

"... looks like Potter..."

"... sword of Godric..."

"... can you hear me...?"

Eyelids cracked open as Harry squinted into the brilliant sunlight from the nearby window. Several figures stood around his bed. Squinting into the sunlight, Harry croaked out, "Water please."

A cup of cool water was pressed to his lips as Harry drank. His eyes readjusted to the brightness of the light as soft hands put his glasses on his face. Around the bed, stood four people Harry recognized. "Professor Snape... Professor McGonagall... Professor Dumbledore... Madam Pomfrey... did we win?"

Albus looked at Harry, his blue eyes twinkling underneath his half moon spectacles. "I'm afraid you have us at a disadvantage, young man. It is not every day we find a boy slumped in front of the Transfiguration Room, dressed for battle."

"Headmaster, are you joking? It's me, Harry Potter."

"You cannot be Harry Potter," said Severus Snape dryly. "Harry Potter is residing somewhere else. And Potter, is not as old as you are, and certainly not dressed for combat from out of a muggle storybook."

Harry blinked as he put a puzzled expression. "What is this, a joke? Professor McGonagall, you must know who I am."

"You look like our Mr. Potter, but quite frankly, I cannot say so. Even with your uncanny resemblance, we know exactly were our Mr. Potter is." The stern looking woman folded her hands before her.

"We mean you no ill," said Dumbledore as he rested a hand on Harry's shoulder. "But you must tell us who you are."

Harry sighed, a sigh of annoyance at the whole spectacle. "All right, I'll tell you even though you know whom I am though you do know. I'm Harry James Potter, son of Lily and James Potter. I was born on July 31st 1980 and the Dark Lord Summoner Voldemort attacked my family on Halloween the following year. He tried to kill me, but got cut in half by the Aeon Odin whom I called out to and I've attended Hogwarts for the last seven years, and we were just on our way to the final battle against the Dark Summoner..." Harry paused abruptly in mid rant as he stared wide eyed at Dumbledore's forehead. "Professor Dumbledore, where is your horn?"

The merry twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes turned curious. "Dear me, I am supposed to have a horn? Well, perhaps I can persuade Poppy to grow me one."

"If you don't have a horn, then... who are you?" asked the confused boy. His eyes roamed over everyone and he noticed various differences. All of them wore robes, but not of the same standard he once knew. The Professor McGonagall he knew wore an open robe with muggle pants and a shirt underneath, not a full bodied robe. Professor Snape, while still dark, greasy and gloomy, tended to wear the Blue Robes and Yellow Hat of the Black Mage, his eerily glowing eyes behind it. Only once or twice had anyone seen the face of the Alchemy Professor due to the creed of the Black Mage.

As Harry's eyes turned towards Dumbledore, he noticed that Dumbledore lacked the white half robe and armour of the Paladin. His beard was longer and tucked into his belt and he looked more like a storybook wizard than the tall and strong Paladin of old. His Dumbledore wore his beard shorter, giving one much an idea of St. Nicholas going to war and dressed in the gold and white armour of the Paladin. Stretching out his senses, Harry frowned as he could not detect Dumbledore's presence within his soul. Turning inwardly, he felt a comforting pulse and frowned, confused.

Dumbledore gave Harry a knowing glance as he said, "Perhaps we should start at the beginning. I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This is Professor Minera McGonagall, professor of Transfiguration, Professor Severus Snape, professor of Potions and our resident Medi-Witch, Madam Pomfrey."

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" asked Harry.

"The boy is clearly not a wizard, despite his odd attiring," snorted Severus. "How did you get here then, if you are not a wizard?"

"I remember... Lucius Malfoy, no, two of them, casting an X-Zone spell... the darkness engulfed me, and I remember, a door and light..." said Harry, recalling his fuzzy memory.

"I have not heard of a spell called X-Zone before, Mr. Potter," said Minerva. "Are you sure that is the correct spell?"

"I'm sure of it, Professor McGonagall," said Harry firmly. "X-Zone is favoured by the Black Mages in the employ of Summoner Voldemort." Many flinched at the name, save for Dumbledore.

"What does this X-Zone spell do?" asked Dumbledore.

"It creates an opening to the void, a place of no return. Its said that the darkness eats at your very soul, and you go mad with pain, rage and the horror of being alone. Then, you die." Harry shuddered. "A town was devastated by a group of Black Mages in the year 1945 during the Second World War who were testing the X-Zone spell for Grindelwald. It does have one flaw though. X-Zone rarely works much like all instant death spells as of late. Death, Doom, X-Zone, Vanish, spells that remove a person from existence or kill them immediately do not work quite well. Most Dark Knights tend to enjoy the old fashioned way of ridding themselves of an opponent."

"Avada Kedavra," stated Severus.

Harry looked confused. "Avada whatits? What's this AK thingy?"

There was general staring at the question. "Avada Kedavra, the Killing Curse. Unblockable, and leaves no physical damage but kills a person immediately." said Minerva softly. "It is one of the three Unforgivable Curses."

"An instant Death Spell, Unforgivable? Bah!" Scoffed Harry.

"I am supposing that there is no Avada Kedavra that you know of," said Dumbledore in a quiet voice.

Harry nodded. "Instant Death spells are almost completely unreliable. Only Doom works most of the time, while Death rarely works, rather missing its target completely. I have seen Draco Malfoy cast Death successfully on Hermione, but she was standing stock still from shock."

"Your Miss Granger is dead?" asked Minerva, horrified at the prospect of her favourite student dead.

"Dead? Naw, not dead. Sure the Death spell hit, and she died instantly, but that's what Phoenix Downs are for." At the more confused looks, Harry sighed and continued to explain. "Phoenix Downs and their stronger counterpart Mega Phoenix can revive anyone who has died recently, if the wounds are not very severe and the body has not entered a state of decay. If someone was killed in an Ultima Spell, they can be revived. If they were stabbed through the heart, they can be revived. If you loose your head... we can't save you. As long as it's not a death that has resulted from being burned to a cinder or loosing a vital organ completely, Phoenix Down can still save someone."

"Resurrection Spells," whispered Madam Pomfrey, who had long since sat down, heeding to listen to the carbon copy of Harry Potter speak. "Dark Arts. Darkest of the Darkest."

Harry rolled his eyes. "It seems to me that where ever the X-Zone spell sent me, most of the things I can do on a daily basis are forbidden."

Dumbledore chuckled, the twinkle back into his blue eyes. "Well then, Mr. Potter. Until we can find a way to send you back home, a place can be made for you here, at Hogwarts. If I may ask though, what is the name of your Hogwarts?"

"Hogwarts? This place is called Hogwarts?" Harry snickered and then said, "Well then, I come from Scotland Garden."

After being released by a fussing Madam Pomfrey, Harry walked alongside Professor McGonagall who spoke to him of many odd and unusual things. Though the whole school seemed to be odd in itself, as the paintings moved and the suits of armour rattled in their housings, and ghosts roamed the hallways. But the layout of the school was close to his own, despite the initial misgivings of the moving staircases and the complete lack of technology. The comforting blue lines of energy were not present in the walls and his Hogwarts staircases were stationary, and designed to turn into a slide if there was an invasion force moving upwards.

"This is the Gryffindor Common Room," said McGonagall as she gave a password of Hippogryph to a painting of a Fat Lady in pink. The portrait swung open, allowing the pair into the room. "It is uninhabited right now but term starts in one week. A place has been made for you in the seventh year Gryffindor room. Your roommates are Lee Jordan, and the Weasley Twins."

Harry's expression turned into a wide grin. "I know them. I'm friends with Ron."

"Well, it's good to see that some things never change over the course of two worlds." The Professor clapped her hands and in an instant, a curious little being popped into view. It had long ears and a pencil thin nose, and was dressed in what appeared to be outlandish socks, a muggle t-shirt and had shorts on that were much too big for it. "Dobby, I'd like you to take care of Mr. Potter here. He is a guest at Hogwarts for the remainder of the school year. He is from another world and some things are different than ours."

"Harry Potter? Is it you?" Dobby walked up to Harry and looked him over. Harry looked back at him curiously. "You is all grown up!"

"I know a Moogle named Dobby," said Harry. "You could be his counterpart."

"What is a Moogle, Mr. Potter?" asked McGonagall. "Is it a species of House Elf like Dobby?"

Harry shook his head. "No, a Moogle is a small bear like creature with thin slanted eyes, a big red nose, red bat wings and a red pompom on its head that sticks up on a stiff piece of fur. They are usually coloured white, but some like to dye their fur and such. Moogles lived in the caves below Hogwarts before coming up to help the current Headmaster with the castle work. They like to sing and dance too. Most of the Purebloods however enslaved a few Moogles, though publicly supported Moogle Rights. Dobby was the slave of the Malfoy Family before he rebelled and ran off to Hogwarts."

"They did not free other Dobby?" Dobby asked. "Dobby must be given clothes to be freed. Harry Potter tricked nasty former Master into giving Dobby a sock."

"Moogles are proud and independent, but due to their small nature, can be easily imprisoned and forced to do hard labour. The majority of Moogles live in Scotland Garden and help keep the castle clean and the food cooked. They are paid Gil, quite a sizable amount, and help Hagrid keep the Chocobos from running off. As much as Hagrid loves Chocobos, he tends to bring in more dangerous Fiends from the surrounding area for Trainer classes. And that spooks the Chocobos." Harry shrugged. "If you want me to explain about Chocobos, you might want to wait until Dinner."

"Yes, that is a good idea. If you need anything, clap twice and Dobby will come and assist you. Good Day Mr. Potter."

As McGonagall swept out of the Commons Room, Harry seated himself at a plush if a bit threadbare armchair. It was soft and moulded easily like he had been sitting in it all of his life. Dobby waited expectantly as Harry looked around the room at the various objects and furniture. "Dobby," he said after a minute or so, "what kind of sports are played here in Hogwarts?"

"Oh, Harry Potter sir plays Quidditch of course! Harry Potter sir, is a the youngest seeker in a century as all of the house elves tell Dobby!" exclaimed Dobby.

"Quidditch? What's Quidditch?" asked Harry.

Dobby gasped. "Harry Potter sir does not know about Quidditch? But, Harry Potter sir must be a great Seeker back home!"

"Well I don't know about being a Seeker or anything like that," said Harry as he looked out the window at the Pitch. "Is that where it is played?"

"Yes, Harry Potter sir! Dobby will fetch a book for you. Dobby has never played, and rarely been out of the kitchen."

Harry nodded, unsure of himself. "All right. Lets see this book."

Dobby snapped his fingers and there was a loud cracking noise. From the bookshelf, a book flew towards the pair and landed in Harry's hands. Reading the plain book cover, Quidditch Through The Ages, Harry opened the book and nearly dropped it in shock. "The pictures move here too?"

"Harry Potter is displeased?" Dobby asked, hands going up to his long ears to twist them in punishment.

"No, no Dobby, just surprised, that's all." Harry picked up the book and began reading the first page. "The Game of Quidditch was invented in the third century AD when Wizards began playing a new game in Queerditch Marsh. The game is played with seven players on a team, one Keeper, two Beaters, three Chasers and a Seeker. There are four balls, a Quaffle, two Bludgers," Harry paused at the violent sounding balls name, "and a Golden Snitch. The game is played on broomsticks... BROOMSTICKS!"

"Yes, Harry Potter sir, Broomsticks," said Dobby.

Harry looked puzzled as he looked out the window and goggled at the height of the three hoops on either end of the pitch. "Don't tell me they fly those things like some kind of stereotypical witch!"

Dobby couldn't answer that, as he kept his mouth shut. At the silence, Harry said, "You can tell me. It was an expression."

"Yes Harry Potter sir!" Exclaimed Dobby. "Dobby has seen Harry Potter sir fly very well!"

"But... where's the nets?" Harry asked. "Don't tell me that people can get themselves killed in this game." Harry paused. "Never mind, I think I can figure it out for myself."

"Harry Potter sir does not play Quidditch back home?" Dobby asked, confused. "What does Harry Potter sir play then?"

"Blitzball of course," said Harry. He reached into his personal inventory and pulled out a white and blue ball that was covered in bubbles. Spinning it on his finger, Harry grinned. "Nothing like it, Dobby. I'll show you something that my dad handed down to me. It's original name is the Sublimely Superior Potter Shot Mark Four, but I've refined it into the Potter Shot Five."

Getting some room, Harry kicked the ball upwards into the air, bounced it once, and suddenly jumped into a spinning overhead kick, heel first. His foot hit the ball with tremendous force as it ricocheted around the room with incredible speed.

The door opened to the Common Room and Professor Flitwick squeaked in terror as he ducked out of the way. The Blitzball soared through the small opening and rebounded several more times before bouncing to a stop in the middle of the hallway. "My stars!"

"Sorry Professor," Harry said as he walked out of the room and helped the startled professor to his feet. "I was showing Dobby a special technique."

"Quite all right Mr. Potter," Flitwick said. "I was sent up to tell you that Dinner is served in the Great Hall. It can be a bit disorienting to head there at times."

Harry scooped up his Blitzball and held it under his arm. "All right. I'm coming." Turning to the house elf who had an awed expression on his face, he said, "Dobby, you can go and help your friends now. I'm going to Dinner."

"Of course Harry Potter sir! Dobby will be back when you need Dobby!" With a crack like sound, Dobby vanished.

Harry then turned to Flitwick and said, "Lead the way Professor."

"Ah Harry," greeted Dumbledore as Harry sat down at the long table. "Good of you to come. Dinner is being served and it is quite delicious."

Harry nodded, earning surprised looks from the other professors around the table. Most of them he recognised from his own world. Dumbledore then introduced each one, one by one save for the ones he already met. Professor Sinistra who taught Astrology taught Basic Weapon Fighting in his world as well as Navigation. Professor Vector who taught Arithmancy which was basically fortune telling with numbers, was a Songstress in the other world.

Filius Flitwick, the Professor he startled earlier taught Charms which he supposed were helpful spells. In his world, the little wizard was a Red Mage and taught both Status Spells and Advanced Red Mages.

Others included Severus Snape who taught Potions (Harry still remembered the man who had cost him Albus' life and resolved not to hold a grudge against a man who had his reasons for his actions in another world entirely), Professor McGonagall who taught Transfiguration and the lack of a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor whom Dumbledore said would be arriving at the beginning of term as she was off at the Ministry. When her name was mentioned, Harry got a horrible expression of unholy glee on his face.

"Umbridge you say?" Harry said, cracking his knuckles. "Let her come. I have a Frog spell with her name on it."

When questioned why Harry was maniacally happy to hear that the toad-like Ministry woman was coming to Hogwarts, he replied, "I had Umbridge in my previous fifth year. If I remember correctly, she's still trying to readjust to being a frog."

Laughter rocked the table, and by their tone, the Professors had the same view of the toad-woman as Harry did.

"Tuck in," said Dumbledore as the food arrived. Harry had to admit as he ate, that the food was even better than from home. But then again, Moogles used a lot of Kupo Nuts in their cooking. This food was actually free of Kupo Nuts.

"So Harry," said Dumbledore in between bites. "What kind of magic does your Hogwarts teach?"

"Scotland Garden is a school where muggles and non-muggles can attend." said Harry, earning surprised looks. "Around the seventies when the Voldemort threat was high," winced abounded "the Ministry under the help of Albus Dumbledore contacted the world governments of the impending threats. This began Wizard-Muggle co-operation officially. Non-officially however, we've been co-operating for centuries."

"Amazing," said Professor Sinistra. "A wizarding world and the muggle world interacting?"

"Yes," said Harry. "Are they separate here?" At nods, Harry shrugged. "Many of our new wizarding items came into being after the seventies. Old Transport Circles were replaced by Spheres, devices that can transport someone from place to place and contact others through it. The game of Blitzball was developed through a combination of Wizardry and Muggle Technology."

"Transport Circles sound like Portkeys," said Flitwick. "Can't your Wizards Apparate?"

"There has never been any need to with the Airships and Circles," said Harry. "Circles and Spheres cannot be broken except under a high concentration of magic forced into it. Many Circles have been running since the first century AD."

"Please, continue," said Professor Vector who looked very interested at the developments.

"Muggles who attend Hogwarts learn the skills of the weapons such as the class of Fighter, Samurai, and other things. They learn their special techniques through training, rather than magical in nature. Like a Thief Class would not be able to instantly grab a monsters item in one go. It takes a lot of training and experience. We call the learning experience as Ability Points although the older people call it Experience Points. Madam Pomfrey who by the way, teaches the White Mages of the school, can measure ones Ability Points. The more AP you have, the stronger you can get."

Harry pulled out a flat piece of board that had the name "Potter" at the top. Many of the nodes on the board were lit up with small crystal spheres. "This is my personal Sphere Grid. Sphere Grids were created by the father of Salazar Slytherin who was upset with the original method of learning magic by equipping an item and AP would be drawn into it until you had learned the spell. Most Muggles prefer the Grid as most magical people prefer the original methods of learning magic."

"An amazing piece of magical construction," said Dumbledore as he looked the board over. "And this Grid can bestow even ordinary Muggles with magical powers?"

"Yes, it can," said Harry. "Dean Thomas, one of my classmates is a Muggle. When he came to Hogwarts, he began learning magic through the Grid. He's a Gunner now, that class along with Gun Mage and Alchemist were instigated into the Hogwarts curriculum officially in my seventh year, but unofficially, has been a group on school grounds since my first."

"These names, Gunner and Gun Mage.. what are they?" asked McGonagall.

"There are in total record, eighteen different classes. Each one comes with various abilities and a different learning curve. Paladin, Fighter, Berserker, Black Belt, Black Mage, White Mage, Red Mage, Gambler and Lady Luck, male and female same class, Gun Mage, Alchemist, Gunner, Songstress, Samurai, Blue Mage, Dark Knight, Summoner, Trainer and Thief."

Harry took a sip of his pumpkin juice to wet his throat and continued. "Paladin, Fighter, Samurai and Dark Knight all wield swords of one type of another, and have distinct fighting styles. Paladins are our police, while Dark Knights denote Voldemort's Supporters. There have been some Dark Knights such as Cecil who was a Dark Knight without being a follower of evil."

"Berserker and Black Belt are two halves of hand to hand. Berserkers are different as they use a furious movement to their attacks and Black Belts are ordered martial artists. The mages, Black, Red, Blue and White are Offensive, Offensive and Healing, Enemy Skills and Healing respectively."

"They teach Dark Magic at your school?" asked Vector, surprised at the fact.

"No," said Harry. "There is no Dark Magic. Only Black Magic. Black Magic is the more destructive side of magic thought it can be used for other things too. Black Magic's main four types are Fire, Ice, Lightning and Water. Fire and Ice are opposed as Lightning and Water. Black Mages can also use Status spells which Professor Flitwick of my world teaches."

Flitwick looked very pleased at this fact until Harry continued. "Status creates things such as Bio, Sleep, Stop, Break, even Death and Doom."

The color in the tiny wizards face drained. "I teach some of the magic that this world considers the darkest of the darkest?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Darkest of the Darkest? So anything potentially dangerous is dark here?"

"Harry you must understand that there are many differences. We have not mastered spells of your calibre. We have different spells for different types of things." said Dumbledore. "There are times when spells you consider harmless are very lethal here. In Young Potters second year, a Basilisk was unleashed from the Chamber of Secrets. It petrified many students and Harry had to go fight the Basilisk and a memory of Tom Riddle in a Diary to save Ginny Weasley."

"Something similar occurred in my world," said Harry. "But Ginny had found the chamber and was trying to keep it a secret, hoping that she could get the Basilisks out of the school without any problems. But things kept happening and people were holding onto Softs and wearing Stoneproof Armour and Accessories. She's got a soft spot for any monster. We kept trying to get her to become a Trainer but Ginny doesn't want to hurt anyone. So she became a Songstress."

Harry then realized how hungry he was and his meal quickly resumed. Sensing that the storytelling was over for now, the rest of the Professors continued their meals.