Happily Never After

By: Chocola Emo Shizzle

Summary: Harry was still needed, even after his death. Except, this was somewhere else. It was the Wizarding World, but it was a different than his. It was a world where the Boy-Who-Lived was never there and the Dark Lord Voldemort ruled with an iron fist. DM/HP, SB/RM, LM/SS, LV/OC.

Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling. Eras the Watcher is my character. If you want to use her, please ask me.

Warning: The ages have been altered… a lot.

Chapter 2: Learning The Truth

Recap:

Fear started to creep into him before he pulled the familiar item out from his back pocket. With a sigh, he gave it a small squeeze. It was the only thing he needed at the moment. Harry's wand was made out of holly and phoenix feather, and it was eleven inches. The wand-maker said it was nice and supple. That caused him a small chuckle before he stuck the wand back into his pocket. He needed to figure out where he was and needed to see what he looked like.

What if Eras had changed him somehow? Another small sigh escaped him as he started walking down the hill. He'd just have to wait and see what's in store for him now.

End Recap.

He kept walking down the grassy hill, his mind churning with more and more thoughts. Sighing, Harry wished that his mind wasn't overloading with thoughts. But there was really nothing he could do about it! So, he kept walking down the grassy hill.

His hand strayed to the parchment in his pocket, stroking it softly. "Should I open it… and read it?" He asked himself out-loud, never stopping in his decent down the grassy hill.

He was very curious, extremely really, to what words the rolled up parchment contained. He had put it out of mind for a small time so he could get some of his bearings straight, but now the curiosity had come back. He chewed on his bottom lip, looking down at his pocket. He didn't watch where he was going at the moment, too into his thoughts.

"Should I…?" He repeated quietly.

Before he could register it, he passed through something. It felt like he had walked through a large thing of yolk. Shivering, he looked up. He gasped at what he saw.

He had apparently walked through a barrier to make this large town invisible. It must have taken a lot of magic to do that.

Still amazed, he walked forward a few steps, looking around. He let a few of his guards down and felt the magic with his own. A few more spells than just the barrier one. One to repel Muggles and one that he didn't know of was there as well. He quickly put his own barriers back up as he sensed someone else's magic coming closer.

Dumbledore had put him in a secret training one summer.

His heart gave a painful clench as he remembered his Death.

Harry quickly pushed the memories away, intent on looking around this newly discovered place.

People walked around him, talking to themselves and others. Above him, people flew on their broomsticks or they rode with others or they rode on other things. Are there any places like this in my world? He thought to himself as he started walking with the crowd.

He didn't know because he had never been in one. But, it was possible since they had done something like this with the Quidditch World Cup. He quickly stopped that train of thought as well. No need to bring up memories about certain people. His heart gave another clench as the face of his lover passed through his mind.

No. . . Don't think about him. . .

Soon enough though, Harry was lost. He was so confused! Licking his lips, he looked around, trying to find a face that he recognized. Except, no one knew was here. . .

A hand was placed on his shoulder, causing him to jump and whirl around, wand in his hand and now poised at the newcomer's throat. The man was of average height and had average looks. Brown hair and brown eyes, which were staring at the wand. People in the crowds were now stopped, some wands pointed at Harry.

He knew he wouldn't be able to fight so many witches and wizards and quickly slid his wand back into his pocket. "Sorry." The wands didn't lower. The man smiled and threw his arms around him. "Huh!" His eyes widened, confused.

"Brother!" The boy cried. Quietly he said, "Play along." Louder he cried out, "Its been forever! I'm so sorry that I didn't see you before! How did your training go?" He asked, pulling back with a smile.

Harry immediately played along. Smiling, he nodded. "It was good. I learned a lot." The wands lowered and the people moved along. Training? What kind of training did these people do? Then, the stranger started to lead him away.

"Lets go home, brother." He nodded in reply. "We've got to swap stories!"

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Once they arrived at the man's house, Harry was sat down in a chair by a table. "Now hold on. I've got to check my house for bugs." The wizard thought the stranger was talking about insects, but he got the impression that wasn't so when he pulled out his wand and started to check around things where there were no bugs at all. A few minutes later, the man returned with a satisfied look on his face. "Now, I get the impression you aren't from around here," he stated as he took the opposite seat.

Harry Potter nodded. "I'm from a different place," he said carefully. He didn't want to say anything that might upset the stranger or something. "My name's Harry Potter." He said after a moment of silence. He expected something that would have happened in his world.

Instead, just a smile. "Oh. Nice name. My name is Thomas Woodburn. It's nice to meet you Harry. I'm sorry that I gave you quite the scare in the courtyard." He said with a sheepish grin.

"No, its my fault," he responded with a sigh. "I shouldn't have pulled out my wand. Its instinct for me. I'm used to being attacked.." He said slowly and softly. Memories found their way into his thoughts but were broken when Thomas spoke. "Wha?" He hadn't caught the words.

The brown haired man smiled. "I said it must be weird where you used to live. We live in peace for the most part here. There used to be a War, but our Lord won in the end. Dumbledore died a warrior's death though." He looked sad for a moment before covering it up with a smile. "Now we all live with the Dark Lord as our Lord." Harry's widened eyes confused Thomas. "You don't know about the War?" His answer was a shake of his head. "Would you like me to tell you about it?"

"Please," he croaked out.

"Well, years ago, Lord Voldemort gained followers and held an attack against the people that were against him. It didn't work and he fell back. Apparently everything was okay after that. But, in truth, he was just biding his time. He gained more followers and trained them for the upcoming War. And then, he attacked the Ministry. That fell very quickly. Dumbledore didn't get the news for a while."

Harry was silent as he listened. So many deaths. . .

"Soon after, and now with more followers, Lord Voldemort attacked Hogwarts. It took two days for it to fall. They didn't have many people that could fight since it was a school for children. . ." He trailed off. "So, Hogwarts fell, Dumbledore was killed and many of the people that revolted my Lord's wish were destroyed."

Harry was quiet for a while. "What's your views on this?"

He glanced around nervously. "I wish that it was still back then," he said softly. "Now, do you want to rest here until tomorrow? I'm sure you have places you need to go," he said with a smile.

"Uhmm.. May I use your restroom?" If he were lucky, there'd be a mirror in there. Thomas gave a large smile and nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem! Follow me Harry." He said as they both stood.

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Harry closed the door and spelled a lock on it. Turning back to the sink, he looked into the mirror. What he saw was definitely not what he looked like when he killed himself. Before he had been a skinny boy that looked like a wind could tumble him over! Now he actually had some muscle! He had been seventeen and now definitely was not seventeen. Maybe in his earlier to mid twenties?

His hand touched his jaw, feeling the rough stubble that was on his chin. He wasn't wearing contacts or anything like that either! His eyesight had been perfected! For a moment he thought his heard giggling but dismissed it. His hair was still black and unruly, but it had grown slightly longer so now that it could cover his eyes if he needed it. He was a lot taller now, maybe around six-foot or so.

The clothes from before were slightly the same. Then it had been Dudley's old jeans and shirt. Now it was a fitting pair of blue jeans and a tight white shirt that showed off his torso. He was very surprised to how he looked. Someone had definitely altered his appearance. Strangely though, it was all natural and not a Glamour! He would have been able to feel the magic on him. . .

Now he realized why his voice sounded so foreign to him! He was older so his voice had become deeper with his age.

Smiling slightly, he wondered if Draco would have liked the new look.

Sorrow filled him before he pushed the memories away and turned around. Sighing he decided to use the rest room since he did come in here.

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As he entered the room with Thomas in it, he heard voices. "Oh! Yes. My brother is here. Name? Harry Woodburn." He was sure he could hear the smile on his 'brother's' face. "Age? He's twenty-three. Weight? Now that I don't know!" He laughed out. The other man's voice was muted. "His looks? Well, he has black hair and green eyes and he's tall. That should be enough for ya." He was silent for a moment. "Uh huh. Okay. I'll let him know that. Thanks Theodore."

Harry was silent. Theodore? Was it Theodore Nott's voice that he had heard?

"You can come out now, Harry." Thomas' chuckling voice drifted to him.

Flushing a red color, he came into the room. He saw his supposed brother kneeling in front of the fireplace. Someone had called him through Floo apparently. "Who was that?"

"A friend from school that works for our Lord now. He had heard that someone new was in town and he needed information for the record books," he said with a smile as he stood and dusted himself off. "Now, will you be staying the night or will you leave? The lie will work better if you stay the night or longer."

Harry wasn't sure why he was here, but he knew he had to keep going. "I would like to stay a few nights, but tonight is the only night I'll be staying. I wish I could tell you the entire truth, but I can't. Hell, I don't even know what it is!" He cried out with a sigh.

Chuckling Thomas nodded. "I know Harry. You see I'm a Watcher here. Watchers grow up normal lives, die and then come back as a Watcher." Harry blinked and soon opened his mouth but was cut off. "No you're not. Watchers can identify other Watchers. You still have a Watch. Eras, if I'm correct." A surprised Harry nodded.

"Ah, yes. Eras." He smiled fondly. "Follow me and I'll tell a story." He left the room, an amazed and bewildered Harry Potter following him.

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Now both of the men sat in large comfy chairs. Thomas had led them into a parlor looking room but offered no explanation. "Can you tell me why I'm here?" He pleaded.

He shook his head with a sad but knowing smile. "I'm sorry Harry, but I cannot. I know of your mission, but any Watcher that told you it would destroy the destiny of you and many more. What I can tell you is what Eras told you. Follow your heart. And never doubt it! Your heart will learn things before your mind does so believe in it strongly," he advised.

Harry nodded and Thomas continued. "Now, Watchers are people. Yet, we aren't people. I cannot die no matter what. Simply put, we're Immortal. You could cast the Killing Curse on me and it would have no effect. One would think that it's the case for you since you offed yourself, but its not." Harry's brightened expression darkened with a sigh. "But most curses won't affect you," he added brightly. A chuckle was his response. "Now, Watchers cannot die because we have all ready died.

I killed myself when I was twenty by slitting my wrists. A very Muggle way to die, isn't it?" He held out his hands for the man to expect. Scars ran all over his arms. "I cut too deep on a major artery. Silly me, eh?" He laughed. "Now, I was brought into the Darkness, much like you, but instead of my Watcher being there, a God was there. Now-"

"Wait. Are you saying there's are more then one God?" Harry interrupted, bewildered.

"Yes. One God can't run the whole world by himself!" He laughed out. "We have a major God though. He's the one the Mortal world knows about. He controls the smaller Gods and the smaller Gods control the Watchers."

(A.N: I am sorry if the religion-y stuff offends anybody.)

"Ah."

"Yes. I had two choices now. Either I go into eternal oblivion, because that's where the souls go when they off themselves, or I become a Watcher. And suddenly, I wanted to live a better life. So I chose becoming a Watcher. No time had passed during all that so I just continued on with life." Thomas cleared his throat. "I can still get sick and I have all the emotions Mortals have, I can also get hurt. But no matter how sick or how hurt I am, I cannot die. Unless I say a thing of words, I'm stuck in this form. We stop growing older after the years." He told him with a grin.

"I don't know Eras' story, but I do know she's one of the best. A bit of a ditz at times, but she always comes through for her Watched." Seeing Harry's confused look at the term, he quickly added, "Watched are the people that are Watched."

"So there are only a handful of people that get watched basically?"

"Watchers watch only the people that play big parts in the World."

"Who are you watching then?"

"We can never tell a Watched who a Watcher is Watching, sorry." He grinned, not really sorry looking. Harry shrugged, chuckling at the apology.

"Now, how about some dinner? I'm a fabulous cook!" He declared as he stood up and stretched. The black haired young man nodded and stood as well. "Good! I'll whip something up. I found things taste better if you don't use magic and if you have company. Everything in this house you can touch. Unless you hear the voice of mind telling you not to touch it. All books, though, can be touched. You may want to touch up your skills for this World. Someone may not believe you." Grinning Thomas walked away.

Harry walked slowly to the bookshelves, staring at the books there. One title caught his eyes though. Life After Death: Lord Voldemort's Rise and Fall. He took the book off of the shelf and returned to the chair and proceeded to read it.

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Author's Bottom: The second chapter is now finished! I'm really happy with the reviews I got! -Grins- It really meant a lot to me to hear how people loved it.

And, as long as I get one review for each chapter, I will update. As long as I know that people like it, I'll keep writing.

But it makes me feel better to see more than one review. -Laughs loudly-

I know I sounded mean in the earlier Author's Bottoms and I would like to apologize for that. I was really nervous.

When I'm in a hurry or nervous I tend to be rude, blunt and just plain mean. Sorry all! -Bows-

God, I had to do dishes for my grandfather's birthday party over here. He turned eighty-seven this year… I think. But the problem with doing the dishes that is there were a lot of people and it was a BBQ. 3''

But I had fun! X3

I've been writing this chapter like all day. -Laughs- Five through six pages on Microsoft Works!

Wewt!

Oh! My friend Alphonse said he'll kill the people that send me hate mail! XD! But don't worry about him, I won't let him hurt any of my lovely reviews! -Gives out candy-

Now, I got one answer for the Voldie pairing. I really need some answers for it people! D; I can't choose!

But I did get a suggestion that I loved. I'll most likely put it in here. You know who you are you lovely little thing you.

Oh! I still need a beta! Anyone willing for it? -Wiggles eyebrows-

So, see you all next time!

♥ Chocola Emo Shizzle ♥