Chapter 2: A New Boy Who Lived

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Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Harry Potter. Got it?

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"Harry, are you alright? You look a bit peaky," said the boy.

Harry's gaze travelled down from the lightning bolt scar to the boy's face, to see none other than Neville Longbottom.

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Harry blinked a few times to find that he was still seeing Neville Longbottom with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. Was he going insane? Harry unconsciously raised his hand up to his own forehead.

Neville frowned. "Headache, Harry? Great Merlin, you're starting to get like me. I get headaches all the time." Harry glanced around to see what appeared to be a perfectly normalRon and Hermione. Both were looking at him sympathetically. Harry sighed in relief. At least they didn't look different.

"Yeah… j-just a headache. I'll, er, be off to the nurse then. See you guys later," Harry stuttered and rushed off. Hmm, this might be a tad bit more serious than a headache, Sherlock. HALLUCINATIONS? What the hell had Dumbledore done to him? When Harry had entered a Pensieve before, he couldn't be seen. Here, his friends were interacting with him! Harry rushed into the bathrooms and looked in the mirror. Yep, he looked the same, all right. But wait…

Harry gasped. His scar was gone. It just wasn't there!

He pinched himself. He splashed cold water on his face. He even banged his head against the wall a few times.

Now I really do have a headache, Harry thought. Unfortunately, this did nothing for his predicament. I need to see Dumbledore… now.

Harry rushed out of the bathrooms and was practically running to the headmistress' office. Oh, that portrait is so going to be ripped to shreds when I'm done with it.

Harry rounded a corner and almost ran smack into an older boy. "Watch yourself!" the boy exclaimed, annoyed. "Who are you, anyway?"

Harry practically gaped at him. "Harry Potter," he said dully. Duh?

The boy frowned. "Just because you're a prefect, doesn't give you special privileges, Mr. Potter. I happen to be head boy, and you don't see me running around the school."

"Right," Harry said. How come this boy didn't know him? Everyone knew him! But wait, the boy said he was a prefect? What about Ron? Ron was a prefect, not him! But as Harry glanced down at his robes, he was shocked to see the prefect badge displayed prominently on them.

"Ten points from Gryffindor," the boy said sharply, "and don't let this happen again. You should be setting a better example for the students."

Harry was still in shock and hardly noticed as the boy walked away. He finally stumbled his way to the Headmistress' office.

"Pigmy Puff," Harry stated. McGonagall sure did pick random passwords. He frowned as the staircase did not allow him inside. Oh bloody hell, Harry thought. Stupid Dumbledore sent me off into this stupid place where the stupid password isn't the same… and stupid me was stupid enough to stupidly run into –

"Hey… Harry!"

…stupid Neville. Stupid, stupid, stupid… Wait, Neville?

Harry spun around. "Stu- er, Neville? What are you doing here?" He studied the boy before him carefully. To Harry's dismay, he couldn't find the clumsy, innocent boy he knew. On Neville's face lay a strained smile, which appeared as more like a grimace. Where was the goofy grin that Harry knew?

Neville frowned, trying to avert attention from himself. "Well, the question is, what are you doing here, Harry? I thought you were off to the nurse's office for a headache?"

"It… went away," Harry stated lamely.

"Oh… right," Neville said quietly. There was a brief awkward silence until Neville broke it.

"Well, I'm off to see the Headmaster. I'll see you later," Neville said, clearly trying to dismiss him.

Harry noticed Neville's mistake of calling McGonagall the headmaster, but ignored it. Sure, everyone was used to going to see the former headmaster, Dumbledore, not the current headmistress, McGonagall. It really took some getting used to. Just thinking about Dumbledore brought about a familiar ache in Harry that he couldn't recognize or force out. He let anger replace the strange feeling. The unknownfeeling scared him, and only his temper could block it out at times.

"Well, I really have to see the Headmistress alone, do you think you could come back later? It's important," Harry said quickly, not meaning to be rude, but he was getting quite impatient.

Neville frowned. "Headmistress… what…"

Harry felt a pang of that familiar ache again. He gritted his teeth as he felt his anger rise for no reason. "Look, Neville, I really need to talk to the Headmistress as well. Let's both go up there and we can talk to her, okay? Separately? This is important."

Neville seemed unsure. "Alright," he finally said, giving Harry a weird look.

"I don't know the password, though," said Harry.

"Lemon drop," Neville stated loudly, and the staircase allowed them inside.

Harry sighed. In this place, McGonagall was using Dumbledore's passwords? Why?

Finally, Neville and Harry reached the top. Just before Harry could knock, the door flew open to reveal the 'headmistress.'

Harry fainted.

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Harry was having the strangest dream. He dreamed that he had been whisked into a pensieve and that Neville Longbottom had his lightning bolt scar, while his scar was nowhere to be seen. And most shockingly, in his dream, Harry had come face to face with an old, but perfectly alive and well, Albus Dumbledore.

How absurd. Dumbledore was dead, and Harry Potter was definitely the Boy Who Lived.

Then Harry heard voices. Phew, that weird dream is over. He kept his eyes closed and listened.

"Will he be alright?" a boy asked.

"Yes, Mr. Longbottom, Harry will be fine."

Harry's eyes shot open. That voice belonged to Albus Dumbledore! God, I'm still having that peculiar dream… bloody hell Harry, wake up! Oh, when I get my hands on Dumbledore's portrait…

"But sir, why did he faint?" the boy, who Harry now knew was Neville, said.

"I suppose we will ask him later, shall we? Now, Neville, why have you come to see me?"

There was a slight pause before Neville continued.

"Professor, I had another dream."

"Ah, yes. Thank you for coming to see me about this. Do continue."

Neville took a deep breath. "It wasn't a vision this time. It was…I.." Neville swallowed and looked at the ground. "I saw my parents being tortured. A woman was using Crucio over and over again. I couldn't recognize her."

Dumbledore frowned, and Neville was trembling slightly. The old man put his hand on the young boy's shoulder.

"I-I…," Neville stuttered, his eyes were tearing up. "Is that how they died?" he whispered.

Harry could take no more. "WHAT!" he cried.

Neville jumped and Dumbledore just glanced at him.

"Oh, Harry, you're awake! What happened?" Neville asked, full of concern. Harry didn't respond but continued to stare at Dumbledore in shock. His shock quickly turned to anger.

"Harry, why don't you lay down for a little while," Dumbledore suggested.

Harry ignored him. "Why didn't you tell him?" he said, teeth clenched.

Dumbledore looked genuinely puzzled. "Pardon?"

"You heard me. Why did you lie to him?" Harry muttered viciously.

"I assure you I did not lie, Harry," Dumbledore said, giving Harry a look. "I am going to ask you to sit down for a while, please-"

"YOU LIED!" Harry shouted in rage. "How could you tell Neville that his parents are dead when they were tortured into insanity and are at St. Mungo's as we speak!"

Dumbledore stared Harry down until he was forced to look away. "Neville, I think Harry has a concussion… so please do not take offense to anything he might say over the next week or so. Now, Harry, you'd better be off to Madame Pomfrey…"

"No," Harry said quickly.

Dumbledore sighed. "Then if you are to stay here, then I ask you to lie down and relax due to the concussion of yours," Dumbledore said, winking forcefully at him. Harry reluctantly obeyed. Dumbledore was acting quite suspiciously.

"Neville, it is time that I told you some things. I am truly sorry that I did not talk to you earlier, but your grandmother would not allow it. She has realized that she cannot protect you forever, and it is time that I tell you what I should have years ago. I am going to tell you everything.

"Your parents were Aurors who worked against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Frank happened to be one of the best young Aurors we had at the time. Voldemort made it his goal to target all Aurors that were a threat to him and his followers. And once you were next on Voldemort's hit list, it was impossible to get off of it, and very difficult to protect yourself.

"At one time, your parents were just two other strong Aurors that Voldemort planned to eventually eliminate when the time was right. They were in just as much danger as a lot of other Aurors, especially the ones in the Order. Then… things changed."

"One day, as I was in search of a new Divination teacher (a subject I happen to find a complete waste of time, but was, and still is,required), I came across a Prophecy being made…" then Dumbledore began to recite the Prophecy that Harry knew all too well. He whispered along as Dumbledore slowly recited.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"

When Dumbledore finished with the Prophecy, Neville didn't say a word. After what seemed like an hour, Neville spoke.

"What does this mean?" he whispered hoarsely.

Dumbledore smiled sadly. "The only one who can kill Voldemort was born at the end of July, to start…"

"It's me, isn't it?" Neville said softly. "Why else would you be telling me this?"

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "I'm afraid it is you."

Harry shot up. "WHAT?" he cried again.

"Harry I trust you will tell no one this information?" Dumbledore asked rather sternly.

"Yes sir," Harry said, quite confused. Neville was supposed to defeat Voldemort? Neville had to kill or be killed? Neville, the toad-losing, clumsy, sweet boy? No, this couldn't be happening…

Meanwhile, Dumbledore and Neville were discussing the prophecy.

"You must kill Voldemort, or…"

"I will die," Neville whispered.

And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives.

Harry sighed. This has got to be some joke, some… distraction. I'm supposed to kill Voldemort, I know that! Dumbledore's trying to distract Voldemort, that's it. Get him thinking that Neville is a threat to him. All right, that's why Dumbledore was trying to shut me up every time I said something. Wait a minute, Dumbledore isn't even alive! Holy crap, this is really messing with my head… Deep breaths, Harry. That's it. ARGH, what has the crazy old kook done to me?

"As I was saying, this Prophecy changed everything," Dumbledore continued. "When he found out about the Prophecy, he decided to eliminate his so-called equal before he could pose a threat. There were two babies that fit the prophecy… one is yourself. The other is Harry Potter."

Harry hardly even reacted to the news, while Neville's mouth fell open in shock.

"Harry's parents, as well as yours, had faced Voldemort three times and survived. Both of yours and Harry's parents were considerably talented Aurors. Voldemort had no idea as to which of you would be his equal, and he couldn't afford to make a mistake. He consulted his inner circle of Death Eaters in the matter, which I myself find quite surprising. They advised him to kill the pureblood first, and then go for the halfblood.

"I predicted that Voldemort would try to kill the halfblood first, since Voldemort himself was a halfblood (unknown to his Death Eaters). Instead, Voldemort showed up at your house, Neville. He killed both of your parents… but when he tried to kill you, his spell backfired. That's how you got your scar, and what led to Voldemort's downfall for over eleven years…" Neville nodded since he already knew much of this information.

Harry now understood. Wow, he thought, Voldemort asking for advice from his Death Eaters… that doesn't sound like him. But him asking for advice, that's the one thing that made a huge difference in this world. That's the reason Neville is Voldemort's equal, not me. That's the reason Neville has my scar right now.

Amazing how one simple decision can alter the world so immensely.

Amazing how one simple decision…

Gave me a new chance for a new life… in a new kind of world.

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There's the next chapter! Does everything make sense? More stuff will be explained in later chapters… be patient with me! Sorry if this chapter was boring… but the next chapter will not be full of explanations, it might even have a little HP/GW in it!

REVIEW! Remember, the more reviews… the faster update… I usually have nearly finished the next chapter before I post the one before it.

kelsey