Chapter Two: Arrival

Six vans. Forty-eight men. Heading southeast towards what they believed to be their next best experiment. It had all happened in an hour. An hour that would be remembered for the rest of all of their lives. An energy reading dwarfing the energy output of the Sun had popped up on their equipment, originating in the southeastern part of the forest. Twenty miles out from downtown Hawkins, Indiana. But what seemed even odder about the situation was that - impossibly - the energy emitted by this mysterious phenomenon hadn't affected the planet in any way. There was no sign of radiation. No raging fire or scorched land. Nothing from their satellite footage indicated that anything happened. The forest remained practically untouched. And thus, the attention of Dr. Martin Brenner was immediately caught. Dr. Brenner. The Director of Operations for the Hawkins National Laboratory. He was a busy man, leading dozens of projects that most men in the Lab had no business hearing about. Yet he found the time out of his busy schedule to leave the Lab in search of the mysterious cause of this strange phenomenon. But the question that tickled most of the men in the van's minds was; What will we find when we get there? An alien? A meteorite? Or were our readings wrong, and nothing at all happened in the forest?

They were scared. And rightly so. After all, failure to deliver results ended in harsh punishment. Sometimes it was a week's wage cut from your paycheck. Sometimes it was serving time in the Lab's solitary confinement. And other times it was a letter in your resume, which stated they you were unfit for work. Many were stuck, knowing that if they left the Lab they would be jobless and would be unable to provide for themselves or their families. It was a miserable existence for many, but it was never unexciting. After all, Hawkins Lab worked in many 'supernatural' fields. But even that had been screwed up by Brenner only four hours before when Subject 011 escaped from the facility after opening a very nasty hole in their facility. A facility that led directly into what seemed to be a parallel dimension. But only their probes had entered unharmed. And for the time being, there were no plans to enter the hole without careful planning.

The convoy of vans pulled up beside what appeared to be a knocked down STOP sign, swinging their doors open to reveal eight men a van. Most wore mechanic uniforms to remain undercover from prying eyes, while very few of them wore real suits. Those were worn by the higher-ups, Dr. Brenner included. With everyone out in the open within the forest, everyone got to work at once trying to determine the exact location of the energy sight, which was still being picked up by their state-of-the-art scanners. After an hour of searching through the forest, they found exactly what they were looking for. A crash sight. Black smoke was rising into the trees, evaporating into nothing before they reached the sky. It explained the lack of visuals from their satellite. "What do you see down there?" Dr. Brenner question, gazing down into the wide and deep crater caused by the crash.

One of the men who had jumped down into the crater looked up to meet Brenner's questioning gaze and was frowning. "It's a kid, sir," Everyone stilled at this. A human was emitting from this type of energy? The men on this assignment had thought that the MKUltra experiments and the gooey portal in the Lab were a bit much, but this was very strange. The same man from before held up a small device blinking bright red, showing 4.8E26. Everyone stared at the device in awe. They weren't kidding back at the lab. That was more energy than the Sun emitted. "No signs of radiation or even burning, sir. And I'm picking up strange particles coming off of the boy," So it was a boy. What kind of strange particles? The man down in the crater elaborated. "Sir. I've never seen these particles in anything I've ever studied. The readings shouldn't even be showing up,"

The boy groaned, causing a dozen guns to be aimed down into the pit. They all got a good look at his features. The boy couldn't be older than 11, appearing malnourished and almost dead. He was skinny to the bone and seemed normal. Brown-ish black hair that was unkempt, and the smooth skin of a child. But he had two distinct features. A lightning bolt scar ran along his forehead above his nose and his dazzling emerald eyes. This boy was strange. Almost immediately the boy reacted. But not as they expected. He merely shut his eyes and held out his arms in a motion that indicated 'cuff me'. Did he think they were cops? But they did cuff him and walked them out of the crater and towards their vans. All the while, Dr. Brenner was taking notes, trying to make out just what and who this kid was.


Two Hours Later / November 6th, 1983 / Hawkins National Laboratory, Hawkins, Indiana

After nearly two hours of driving and paperwork, Dr. Martin Brenner entered the examination room with a clipboard and pen in hand. Ready to interrogate his latest subject. He wouldn't stay here long though. After all, he had other matters to attend to in catching 011. But while they searched for new leads on that front, Brenner would remain here with the boy. Questioning him until they found something useful. And they would find something useful. The boy was seated at a white table, his wrists cuffed to the legs of his chair. Brenner took a seat across from him, studying the boy with watchful eyes. The boy never took his eyes off of the table, his breathing was the only source that indicated he was alive. After a moment of silence, Brenner spoke in a soft tone. "What's your name?"

"Harry Potter," Dr. Brenner smiled, writing down the name into the profile he was creating for the boy. Glancing up at the glass, he gave the scientist behind it a small nod, giving them the go-ahead to search for any record of a 'Harry Potter'. Brenner hadn't heard of any Potter family in Hawkins. But perhaps this boy wasn't from Hawkins at all. Perhaps he was from somewhere especially far away. "Good. Good. Now Harry. Can you tell me a bit about yourself? Where you're from. How old you are. That kind of stuff." asked Brenner. The boy gave him a small smile, widening the one already plastered on Brenner's face. But the boy's smile slowly faded, his gaze falling to his lap. The boy was sizing himself up for some reason. "Are...you ok?"

"I...how old am I?" Brenner frowned. The boy didn't know how old he was? "No...I know how old I am, but...I don't know how old this body is," Now that stung like a blow to the chest. How old his body was? Did that mean what Brenner thought it meant?

"So...if you don't know how old you're body is...how old are you?" questioned Brenner.

"I'm eighteen,"

"Eighteen?"

"Yes," Brenner was incredibly confused. This boy was claiming to be eighteen years old trapped in some prepubescent body. If this turned out to be true and the boy wasn't crazy then this was big. Bigger than big. Brenner moved to ask more questions but found himself cut off. "I was born in Godric's Hollow, England on July 31st, 1980. I grew up with my aunt, uncle, and cousin until I was eleven. And then I got a letter from a prestigious school called Hogwarts offering me a position to study there. I accepted and studied in Scottland for five years before falling into a dimensional rift that sent me to a parallel dimension. I lived there for two years before being killed and kidnapped by some guy named The Watcher. He threw me here," The Potter boy explained.

"Threw you here?"

"More like wrestled me here," Potter answered. Brenner took another look at the glass, unsure of what to make of this discovery. He got up to leave, closing Harry Potter's folder before stepping out of the room. He had a lot to think about, and the boy's odd responses didn't make understanding this situation any easier. But for now, Brenner would have to be patient. After all, this was a game of power. And if Brenner were to show any signs of irritation. Of impatience. Then his subjects would fear him. And he couldn't let them fear him. And yet this boy seemed not to be a boy at all. Even despite his claims, the boy displayed the mannerisms of a young man. Speaking calmly. Confidently. Not like the timid child that he appeared to be. He would have to do a lot more research on the boy for more answers and several more interviews. But perhaps this subject was better than 011. Perhaps 011 was unnecessary for his goals. Only time would tell.


Five Days Later / November 11th, 1983 / Hawkins National Laboratory, Hawkins, Indiana

Harry Potter had gained a lot of experience in his eighteen years of life. And had gained even more experience after being hurled through several universes in five seconds. He wasn't exactly sure what had happened after he had crash-landed in this universe, but he had woken up to find a dozen guns pointed at him. He saw a flashback to that night in the Veil Room with Umbrella. Harry had been naive back then. He cast a spell at random and had killed one of Dr. Spencer's men. He had been taken hostage as a prisoner and was then turned into a weapon used for Umbrella's operations. But he knew better now. After he woke up he had immediately closed his eyes to calm himself. To restrain himself from irrational action. Harry had then allowed himself to be captured and answered any questions asked of him willingly. He would keep no secrets because he didn't need to. He would ensure his secrets died with the men in this laboratory. That was certain.

So he kept to himself. Answering questions for a hundred and twenty hours straight without any breaks or sleep. They had given him food and milk during the interview and asked many times if he needed to use the restroom or some rest, but he declined both. After all, he could go almost a week without sleep if need be. And this body was skinny and weak, and they were giving him food filled with protein and nutrients. It was a win-win for him. But after two days of the interviews and questions, Harry requested to use the restroom. They let him, sending an usher along to guide him and ensure he didn't get lost or run away. But the usher didn't last long. In a single strike to the groin, the man was down, letting Harry run free. He followed an invisible force, which guided him down hallways and down staircases.

That was another thing. His magic was gone. The reserve was still there, meaning he could draw on it to perform basic spells. But he would fatigue easily without access to ley lines, which this universe seemingly didn't have. Harry wasn't sure how that was possible, but it was the truth. He couldn't sense them, and thus he decided they weren't there. So he would have to rely on his second and third abilities. His bioweapons and shadowmancy abilities. But seeing as he didn't want to unleash his bioweapons powers to this world any time soon, Harry would have to rely on his shadowmancy. And since he had only possessed the ability for a month, Harry wasn't entirely proficient yet. He would have to practice.

Running to the right, Harry came to a stop. It was here. His exit out of this place. He couldn't just go out through the front door, he would need to get out strategically. Patiently. And the key to that exit was right in this room. With the flick of his wrist, a black mist slammed into the door, sending it flying backward. He entered the room with worry etched over his face, unsure now if this was the right decision. But like any other stupid teenager, Harry dived straight into the gooey-looking portal positioned on the wall. He tore through the slime, falling face-first into black dirt. No...not dirt. Vines. Tendrils. They recoiled at the impact his body made. They drew back completely, letting him fall on the black dirt he had mistaken the vines with. "Ow," Harry groaned. The bones and muscles of this body were weak. It hurt like hell to crash like that.

But after a moment, Harry got to his feet and began to slowly examine his surroundings. He was in a large cave system covered in black vines. And around him were nine paths, all leading into the distance. With another flick of his wrist, a line of black mist fired out towards the fourth path to the left. He followed it, knowing that this path led the furthest away from the Laboratory. He followed it for a few miles, before reaching a dead end. It was time for him to climb up. Yet when he tried to grab hold of a vine for leverage, they would retract in fear. And after a few miserable attempts to try again, he gave up entirely and cast two spells. A cutting curse and a banishing spell. The first cut a wide hole into the roof of the path. The second slammed into the ground, propelling him upwards into the night sky.

He landed not far from the opening in the path, his knees buckling slightly. With a deep breath, he set off through the forest, content with his progress. While he walked, Harry decided to at least be productive in trying to discover his true location. He knew he was in some town named Hawkins in Indiana. But besides that, he had no clue. So he sent out a few shadows in search of information, trying to discover anything he could about this universe and anything that could help his situation. Like where to get fresh food, freshwater. A nice bed that he didn't have to conjure before passing out from exhaustion. Harry discovered quite a few things while he walked along the tree side, including news of the disappearance of a young boy going by the name of Will Byers. No wait...the boy was dead. His body was found in what was known as the Quarry just that morning.

Another shadow told him of the disappearance of a young girl named Barbara Holland who had gone missing two days before after attending a party hosted by Steve Harrington. A high school student. Interesting. It seemed this odd town was filled with kidnappings, disappearances, murders, and experimenting on minors. A good combination for Hell on Earth. But one thing was clear. There were very few places he could go at the moment that would assist him without being cautious. His first thought was to visit the Byers home, but he thought against it. After all, they had just lost a son, and the sight of a young boy asking for refuge would no doubt cut deeper into the fresh wounds possessed by the family. But he knew no one else by name. Except for Steve Harrington. And so...he went there. It wasn't hard to find after placing a few well-hidden shadows.

The Harrington Residence was located a dozen miles out of downtown Hawkins, deep within the suburbs. Harry walked there for two hours, only coming to a stop as he reached their front door. Harry wasn't entirely sure how he was going to handle this situation, but he decided that he had placed himself in the best spot for this. His trek through the forest had left him dirty and muddy. He was still malnourished. And tired. This would have to work. His fist hit the front door of the home a few times, alerting his presence to the Harringtons. It took only a few moments of silence before the door swung open to reveal Mr. Harrington. The older man seemed very tired and was dressed in adult pajamas. It was no doubt late at night or early in the morning, and immediately Harry felt a sting of regret overtake him. He didn't know why. But he needed shelter and rest. And he could get those things here. Harry couldn't waste time feeling childish emotions like guilt while he was trying to survive the night. Hypothermia didn't discriminate.

"Dear god. Are you ok, son?" asked Mr. Harrington, glancing behind him to where Mrs. Harrington no doubt stood. Harry summoned his inner child and gave the older man a timid nod. "Are you hurt at all?" The man questioned. Harry shook his head, his shoulders sagging to demonstrate exhaustion. Which mixed well with the heavy bags under his eyes and the gaunt look on his face. "Come on in. It's cold out here. You might catch a cold," Harry was led into the Harrington residence, where he was met with Mrs. Harrington. She seemed like a nice woman, but she seemed both tired and concerned at the same time.

"Ah, you poor thing. You must be no older than ten," The woman spoke, grabbing him gently by the shoulders. Harry flinched slightly but wasn't focused on that. He was focused on trying to figure out just how old his body was. After looking into a mirror at the Laboratory, Harry decided he looked as he had at the age of thirteen. Only this body hadn't gone to Hogwarts, where there was plenty of food and exercise to let him put muscle on his bones. This body hadn't gotten that treatment. He spoke for the first time that night outside of the Laboratory. "I'm thirteen, ma'am,"

"Thirteen? Oh dear, you certainly don't look thirteen. Where are you're parents?"

"They're dead, ma'am," Harry replied. He answered her other questions before she could even ask them. "And all my other family are gone. My home's gone. I just needed a place to sleep. I can leave in the morning," Harry explained.

"Oh no, don't worry about that. You can stay as long as you need. We only have one boy, so there's no overcrowding here," Mrs. Harrington explained. Harry smiled brightly, doing his best to portray himself as a young boy. With that, Harry was led upstairs to where a bathroom was located. They let him take a long warm shower, letting him sit in the steam before he eventually got out to find a set of clothes waiting for him. They weren't necessarily his style, but they matched the time of this universe, and thus he would wear them. And they were only a bit larger than him at first, but with a small shrinking spell, the clothes fit him perfectly. When he exited the bathroom with a large smile, Mrs. Harrington gently grabbed him by the shoulder and examined him. "I didn't think they would fit you. Steve was never quite your size,"

Harry only answered her with a smile, and he was led into the kitchen, where Mrs. Harrington went to work in preparing a late-night meal for Harry. It consisted of leftover fried stake and stroganoff, alongside a can of Coca-Cola. He ate and drank the meal in under five minutes, ignoring the concerned gazes that fell on him from the two adults. Mr. Harrington had already called the police, who were going to stop by the next morning to speak with Harry before calling Child Services. But he knew this was odd. There was something about the call that made the hair on Harry's neck stand up. But he ignored it, enjoying the food and beverages being provided to him by the Harringtons. And when he was done, he was given a mattress to sleep on in the family living room, where he quickly fell asleep. He slept well.


Morning of November 12th, 1983 / Harrington Residence, Hawkins, Indiana

"Honey. Did Steve come home last night?" Harry's eyes shot open, his spatial awareness kicking in as he immediately regained his bearings. He was lying on his side on the mattress given to him by the Harringtons, facing away from the kitchen where the Harringtons were talking. He could hear them fine enough throughout the house, but he decided he needed to hear this conversation clearly. So, with the flick of his wrist a small black mist wrapped around the mattress before sneaking into the kitchen. Harry placed his end of the mist beside his ear, listening closely to what the shadow heard. Mr. Harrington answered her. "I didn't see him. Do I look like his babysitter? Why don't you just ask Hopper to bring him down? No doubt he's off with his hooligan friends downtown," Harry frowned. Who was Hopper?

"Well, can you go get him?"

"He has a car. Steve can come home whenever he wants,"

"I want him home now, so he doesn't get too surprised tonight. So call Hopper and see if he can bring Steve home," Mrs. Harrington explained. Harry frowned. What was going on tonight? His eyes searched his side of the room, and he saw it. A small calendar was positioned on the couch-side table. It read 'Nov. 12 '83' And beneath the date it read 'Movie Night'. Were they leaving him here alone in their house? Obviously not. So they were having Steve watch him, and Mrs. Harrington didn't want to have to wait until before they left to explain things to their son. Footsteps took Harry's attention back to the kitchen. Mr. Harrington returned. "I tried to call, but Hopper's out on personal business, and the department's busy dealing with Will's body and the Quarry investigation. And of course, we can't forget about that Barbara girl who went missing," Mr. Harrington replied. So this Hopper guy was a cop. And the names Will and Barbara popped up again. This town was odd. Harry sent out another shadow outside of the house, searching for a few people. Steve Harrington. Anyone with the name Byers. And this Hopper guy. He only needed three shadows, something that Harry found odd. Was there only one other member of the Byers family? A sibling? A parent? He retracted the shadow within the house, and chose not to focus on Harrington's conversation, he instead focused on the three other conversations taking place. Three groups that he found. One consisted of Steve Harrington and his friends. The second consisted of two young individuals named Jonathan Byers and Nancy Wheeler. And the third consisted of Police Cheif Jim Hopper and Joyce Byers. So it was Will's brother and mother. Interesting.

Steve Harrington was with his friends Tommy Hagan and Carol Perkins, spray-painting inappropriate messages about Nancy Wheeler and her sexual past. It was fucked up, but that wasn't important to Harry right now. He didn't know the situation, and thus couldn't put himself in a place to judge. And so he moved on to the second group. Jonathan Byers and Nancy Wheeler. They were in the home of Nancy Wheeler, or more accurately in her bedroom. They were discussing the night before. Discussing Nancy's drawings of what she had found in the forest. A dark and mysterious place filled with vines, black snow, and a giant faceless monster that feasted on the body of a dear. It sounded slightly like the place Harry had visited in his travels from Hawkins Lab. Only his travels hadn't brought forth snow and monsters. He would have to investigate more before he made any decisions on the mysterious place.

And the third group consisted of Jim Hopper and Joyce Byers. They were in the home of Terry Ives, trying to investigate the disappearance of Terry Ives' daughter Jane. It seemed that the investigation was leading them to Hawkins Laboratory, which unnerved Harry. That place was dangerous, and he believed that he needed to bring it to the ground. But he once again calmed his thoughts and focused on the task at hand. Until he found a way back to Claire and his friends, this was his home now. And if this was his home, then he would have to do his best to protect the people that lived here. And it seemed that there were several instances in which the people of Hawkins were in danger.

Harry began to slowly 'wake up', getting to his feet as he rubbed his eyes. The movement of the mattress alerted the Harrington's that he was awake, and they moved into the living area to greet him. "Did you sleep well, dear?" Mrs. Harrington asked, bending over to look at Harry as he sat motionlessly on the mattress. His hand was behind his back, quickly retracting his shadows back from their designated places. Once they had returned, Harry smiled brightly and nodded. "That's excellent, dear. Do you feel well enough to take a trip down to the police station? There are some people there who want to talk to you about where you came from,"

"England?" Harry asked, trying his best to sound confused.

"You were born in England?" Mr. Harrington questioned. Harry gave him a nod in response. The man frowned with uncertainty. "I suppose if you listen closely you can hear the accent. But you don't seem to talk much,"

"I don't like talking," Harry replied. It was easier to be silent so that he didn't have to keep acting like a dumb thirteen-year-old. If he talked too much he might give away his more adult tendencies. And that would ruin the cover that his body so stupidly provided. The two Harringtons gave a small nod in understanding, before leading him out of the house and into their car. He didn't hesitate to get in. After all, they had provided him with food, shelter, and a nice warm shower. And they seemed honest and kind enough. He trusted them. Not enough to tell them anything - he didn't trust anyone that much - but he would trust them enough to help him adjust to this new universe. And this universe was odd enough as it was, he didn't need any more surprises.