Chapter 8: The Journey Home
Friday came rolling around faster than I was prepared for. I was getting extremely nervous for what I was planning on doing, and was starting to get second thoughts on it, and was starting to feel that the Voldermort here, was like the one I knew. I was starting to feel like this was my actual world and that I belonged to it. It was starting to feel like home.
When it was midnight, I quickly grabbed my invisibility cloak and threw it around me, heading for the portrait of the fat lady. I was going to store it in a secret passage before I came to the appointed meeting spot. I deposited it in the passage once I had reached it and proceeded to the Great Hall.
Upon arriving, I spotted Draco and quickly went over to him.
"Got it?" he asked quickly and quietly.
I showed him the book and he nodded.
"Come on then, quietly."
I nodded and Draco led me outside and to a portkey, at least I guessed it was a porkey, seeing as how that's how we returned to Hogwarts before. We both placed a hand on it, and after about a minute, I felt the familiar tug at my stomach as we were sent hurtling into the domain of Lord Voldermort.
I fell onto a heap on the ground of a well lit, but damp room. I slowly pulled myself up and allowed myself to drift into a dream-like state for naught but a second. I looked next to me and saw that Draco had had a successful landing, and was smiling slightly at my not so successful landing. I brushed myself off slightly and glared at him.
"Wipe that smirk off your face, Malfoy," I said emotionless.
He dropped it slightly, but was still smirking nonetheless. I rolled my eyes and looked around. No one else was in the room and I turned back to face Malfoy.
"What now?" I asked raising an eyebrow.
"We wait," was his reply as he went over to one of the few chairs and plopped down in it. "Unless you have a problem with that, Potter," he added once he was settled in the seat.
"Fine."
We remained seated in the same seat, not speaking a word the entire time, for what seemed like days. Finally, I heard the door noisily open in the distance. Draco quickly stood up and I slowly followed suite. I looked over to where the noise had come from and I saw Voldermort and Henry emerge from around the corner.
"Milord," Draco said bowing slightly. I remained silent and still, however, clutching the book against me.
Voldermort's gaze flickered from Draco to me and he smiled slightly as it rested on the book residing in my hands. I made no move to hand it over and just stood there.
"My dear boy," Voldermort said and I was barely able to keep my mouth from dropping open. "I take it you want something in return?"
"What resides in this book?" I questioned accusingly, although I don't know why.
"Information," was all he offered. I hadn't thought to look inside the book, and cursed myself for not doing so.
"Is there something that could send me back?"
"Perhaps, and then again Perhaps not."
"I want to go back. I don't' want to stay here anymore. Whether you help me or not, I will get back, it's only a matter of time."
Voldermort sighed in resignation. "I don't doubt that Potter."
There was silence and I shifted around uncomfortably where I stood. I was getting extremely uncomfortable, and it was way too quiet for my tastes.
"Very well," Voldermort said at last, "This book does indeed contain what is needed to get you back. I'll have the preparations made ready as quickly as possible. Henry, Go see to it that they are ready as son as is humanly possible. Oh and Draco, I'd like you to help out too. It shouldn't take too terribly long with both of you on the job."
"Yes, milord," they both said and busied themselves with the preparations, after I had handed the book back of course.
It seemed like hours of sitting around ding absolutely nothing until they finally finished and sat down in chairs.
"Now," Voldermort said. "This will only take you back. It will not bring our Harry back to us. He must come willingly. He must hold this pendant and say 'back is where I want to go, back home to the world of which I know'," he said handing me a very beautiful pendant.
I nodded in comprehension and pocketed the pendant I had just been handed.
"Are you ready?" Voldermort asked quietly but fiercely.
"As ready as I'll ever be," I answered with a nod.
The whole procedure, or ritual, or whatever you choose to call it, I wasn't really sure myself, proceeded and I was in somewhat of a dreamlike state pretty much the whole time. At the end, I felt darkness trying to overcome me, and after little effort at holding it off, succumbed to it and fell into the world of darkness.
I groaned slightly as I came to. My eyes shot open and I looked around, remaining flat on my back, wherever I was. I saw nobody and nothing really of any importance or anything that would tell me where I was, until I sat up and was able to see the whole room. It was no doubt about it an empty classroom in Hogwarts, one I had been in before, although I couldn't remember when. I got up and felt no pain, just a feeling like something had happened. I couldn't remember anything since about the middle of summer, and had no idea what the date was. I looked around confused for a moment, wondering how I had gotten to Hogwarts. I took a step towards the door, although was starting to regret it instantly, as I didn't want to run into anybody, especially a teacher, thinking that it was still summer. As I reached out and grabbed the doorknob, everything came flooding back, the alternate reality, the pendant I had to give to the "evil" me, and what he had to say. I had to find him, and fast. I couldn't waste any time, there was no telling what he had done here.
I threw the door open and ran out into the hall, turning right, although not quite paying attention to where I was actually going. I turned the corner and ran smack dab into none other than Draco Malfoy.
"Look who it is, it's Potter."
"I'm not in the mood Malfoy," I snapped at him.
He was somewhat surprised by my comment and I was able to get up, seeing as I had lost my balance and fallen to the floor. I reached Gryffindor tower and said the password, hoping it was the same here as the other dimension. Luckily it was and the portrait opened and allowed me in. I went in and spotted Hermione and Ron talking hurriedly in an isolated corner.
I walked up to them, without them noticing me and chimed in with a Hi. They jumped and spun around looking at me.
"Harry, we were just… I mean…" Hermione started, color starting to drain from her face.
"Calm down," I said laughing slightly at her, "it's me. The me from this reality, if that makes any sense."
"Wha…" Ron said but was cut off by Hermione.
"Wait, this reality? What are you talking about Harry?"
I quickly explained what had happened and for the most part they remained silent, adding only a comment or two about what my look-alike double had been doing. The last thing I told them was about the pendant.
"I don't think he's going to leave willingly," Hermione said after a moments thought.
"So you believe me?" I said hopefully. I hadn't thought they would believe me, I just thought that they'd take it out on me, what my other self had done.
"This is crazy," Ron said, "but I guess I believe it. You have been acting to strangely to be you, or your other half, or, whatever he is has."
Hermione and I laughed slightly and I plopped down in a vacant seat across from Ron and Hermione.
"So, what do we do is the question," I said quietly, lost in thought.
"Well, if I'm right, and I think I am about this, Harry is in the great hall, although so are a few teachers and other assorted students. There's somethin goin on down there, but I have no idea what."
"Weren't you paying any attention in class Ron," Hermione said rolling her eyes.
"No," Ron answered.
This caused her to roll her eyes again and smack him playfully. "They're practicing certain things, kinda like the duel club in second year."
I nodded. "Let's get down there then."
We all nodded in agreement and made for the Great Hall, saying hi to the few people we passed.
When we reached the doors to the Great Hall we all hesitated slightly before throwing the door ajar. Everyone turned to look at us as we strolled in. As I walked past many people started staring, considering there were now two Harry's in the room. I spotted my double and we walked right up to him.
"And you would be?" he said.
"You," I said plainly and calmly. I pulled out the pendant, but kept it hidden from view.
He glared at me and I met his gaze. "Wanna try that again?"
"No, I really am you, well, sort of."
"Care to elaborate," he said when I didn't continue.
"You find it different here?" was all I said.
"Yeah," he said with a sigh, despite the obvious struggle to not say anything that would give anything away. "It's really boring here," he said gazing around slightly.
"Want to go back to what you grew to know?"
His gaze faltered slightly and flickered back to me. He drew his wand and pointed it at me, but I made no move to draw mine.
"I can get you back to what you know."
"What are you talking about?"
"You're not meant to be here. You're supposed to be in a different…place. I can send you back, where you're meant to be and can do whatever you please as I found out."
He narrowed his eyes. "What's the catch and what's going on?"
"No catch," I said shrugging, and as for what's going on, maybe you should ask someone from your place, I doubt anyone here would know, and from what I could muster while I was stuck in your world, I doubt anyone from here would be caught dead doing it."
"You mean I'd be feared again," he said, although I was the only one who understood this specific comment.
I nodded and he looked hopeful for a minute.
"How though?"
With that last question, I pulled out the pendant that I had hidden in my grasp and showed it to him. "This will take you back, with the right incantation, or at least that's what I was told."
He considered this for a few moments and then nodded, pocketing his forgotten wand. I held it out to him and he took it willingly and a little happily, although he completely hid this emotion, quite well.
"And the incantation would be?" he asked once he had the trinket.
I thought about not telling him for a split second, and then opened my mouth to reveal the incantation.
"Wait," my other half said.
I raised an eyebrow, "Yes?"
"You have a good life here, don't forget the good in things," he said smiling slightly.
My jaw opened slightly and all I could do was stand there completely puzzled. I couldn't believe my ears. He was supposed to be evil, right? I shook my head slightly and looked back at him. He was smirking now and I laughed slightly.
"Looks like the others world is starting to rub off on the both of us," he said through giggles.
"Yeah, too bad too, I was starting to get used to the other world, it was kind of hard to leave it."
"Not for me, this place is too bloody boring. I'd take my world any day."
I smiled at him and decided that, for being evil and all, he wasn't all that bad.
"So, what did you do to ruin my life while you where here?" I said raising an eyebrow.
"You'll just have to find out as you go along," he replied with a smirk. "What bout mine?"
"Same answer," I said smirking back.
"Guess we're not so different after all," he said. "Now, how do I get back?"
"Supposedly all you have to do is hang onto the pendant and repeat this phrase. 'Back is where I want to go, back home to the world of which I know'."
He smiled slightly, "and who came up with that I wonder?" he said chuckling.
"Do I really need to tell you?" I asked raising an eyebrow slightly.
"No," he said and he proceeded in saying the incantation I had just told him. When he was finished he opened his eyes, he had shut them while he was saying the incantation, I guessed for concentration and visualization, and he looked at me. He smirked slightly. "See ya around, Potter."
I smiled slightly. "Not if I see you first." With that, his eyes shut, and I knew he was accepting the darkness like I had. Within minutes, he had disappeared and was back to his own time and universe. I smiled slightly and looked back to Ron and Hermione, still smiling. I saw slight smiles tugging at their faces, but within the minute they were gone, replaced with confused expressions.
"What's going on?" Ron asked looking around.
'They didn't remember. Is this good or bad?'
"Um…I'm not really sure," I lied. We all laughed and carried on with our normal routine, or so I thought, without them remember anything, and me remembering everything. I'd find myself smile sometimes thinking about it, thinking of a good Voldermort, and evil Dumbledore. It all seemed like a bad dream really, but a funny one at some points. Things had happened though, with Voldermort and the Harry imposter, and I was discovering things that I didn't realize where there, or didn't want to realize where there. I wish I could say that everything went back to normal, but it was the farthest thing from normal. Some things had happened that just couldn't be undone, and some things that I didn't want to deal with.
A/N: Sorry this took so long to update, I'm very good at putting things off. Well anyway, this is my first completed story, and sorry if the ending stinks, I'm not very good with endings, or beginnings sometimes. Please R&R and let me know what you think of this story.