Harry Potter: Otherworld

A Magic Trick

***No own no sue. ***

*Twitter for updates, Angelslayer135

I will keep a running list of male to female names as characters are introduced at the end of each chapter.

***HP:O ***

A mess of raven-black hair flashed in her peripheral, gone a moment later. Just as she moved to the hallway it had darted down a voice called out to her from behind, "Ah Grace, I was hoping to catch up with you and go over the list of necessary school supplies once more."

The professor bit back a response before turning to give the Headmistress a confirming, polite nod. This was the third time in the past week she had caught sight of the mysterious child who was apparently living at the school, and the third time he had just slipped out of her reach.

It was also the third time that said slip had been aided by a certain older Witch. Once was accidental, but more than that and she was suspicious. Even more irritating was Dumbledore's ability to switch topic whenever it veered in his direction.

"I am curious Headmistress, what is the young man's name who has been staying at the school recently?"

"Hm? Oh, it's nothing to concern yourself about, I'm sure you will be introduced soon enough." Again, Grace mentally frowned. It wasn't like Augustina to keep secrets from her staff, especially the Heads of House. She weighed the option of confronting her with what she most certainly knew about the boy but held back.

If Dumbledore was being this avoidant now, even she would have trouble guessing how the Headmistress would react if confronted with someone prying into private information.

***HP:O ***

"Harry, could we speak with you please."

The boy nodded, before following Dumbledore back towards her office. His unspoken question, who 'we' referred to, was answered the moment they entered, and he spotted James and Lily Potter already seated within, both standing almost instantly.

The man's mouth opened to speak, but it seemed that whatever words he had intended were the wrong ones and he merely shook his head. Meanwhile the redhead seemed torn between wanting to walk over to hug him and give him space. She settled for a smile in his direction instead, one that he hesitantly returned.

"Is everything okay?" Harry asked, earning a quick nod from the eldest.

"Yes, yes of course we just need to go over a few things and make some decisions on how to handle the upcoming school year. I'm sure you have figured out that regardless of what we do your name, and heritage, will likely become public knowledge quite quickly. We want to make sure that this happens the way we decide, not the media's."

The boy nodded. He had dealt with enough speculation and rumors during his own few years at Hogwarts, it made sense that this world would be similar. "So, what's the plan?"

While the Headmistress confidently walked around her desk and began shuffling through some papers, he noticed that the postures of the other two adults had changed dramatically. They were upset, maybe even angry, and he only hoped to not be the cause for such negative emotions for once.

"The best course of action is to claim you were given up by your parents at birth due to a lack of Magic and only recently reunited when it was revealed."

Harry blinked, then blinked again as he attempted to process what was being said. Why would that be the best plan? "Wouldn't that sound bad for them?"

Dumbledore shook her head, "All considering it would be almost expected, especially with two sisters."

"Of a Malfoy maybe." James sneered, "Not from us. We would never do this Dumbledore, and it's insulting to even think we would!"

Lily nodded, "He's right, we will just think of something else to tell the press."

The eldest merely quirked an eyebrow, "Such as? Harry's presence has not gone unnoticed, even at Hogwarts and the Sorting Hat cannot be fooled even if no one noticed the physical similarities between you three. This is the best option we have to avoiding unwanted attention towards him."

"But wouldn't it put that attention on… them instead?" Harry still wasn't quite sure how to address his parents from an alternate universe and the discomfort in doing so was obvious.

"To a degree, yes. But James and Lily will be able to deal with that far more effectively than an eleven-year-old boy would. It will also exonerate Harriet and Amaryllis from being involved due to their ages and not being informed of the situation."

Something else weighed on the boy's mind, even as his parents continued arguing with the Headmistress. "You said because I had twin sisters it was expected. Why would that matter though?"

All three looked at him, confused for a moment as their conversation had been interrupted before Dumbledore understood a moment later. "Because you are a male of course. I would imagine it might be towards women instead, to keep them safe?"

Harry frowned, "What do you mean, 'keep them safe'?"

Lily glanced at the other two before deciding to be the one to answer, "If a boy doesn't have Magic, then in certain parts of society they are often given up until later in life, until they've matured. They rarely carry on the family name and it is seen as either dangerous for them to stay in Magical society or a waste of time…" she trailed off, but this only earned more confusion.

"Wait… what's wrong with men?"

The other male in the room was quick to shake his head, "Nothing is wrong with us Harry, it's just that with how our culture is…"

Before he could ask, Augustina chimed in, "We aren't exactly sure why this is, but it has been for as long as our history goes back there have been a larger birth rate of witches than wizards. Some believe it has to do with genetics, that the 'Y' chromosome interacts with Magic negatively. Others swear that it is some ancient curse or punishment from the divine. Then there is the small, but vocal, minority swearing that it is simply proof Magic favors women for no reason other than they are superior. Regardless women outnumber men in our world, by a good margin."

"How much?"

"Four to five times as many." Lily answered, eyes shifting away from her 'son' as if in guilt. "Is this… not true from where you come from?"

Harry thought back, "I… don't think so? The numbers were mostly equal. In the Muggle world, men were 'supposed to be in charge', usually had the better jobs, more involved in politics, crap like that, but the numbers were about even as far as I can tell. It was more of a 'blood purity' thing at Hogwarts."

"Blood purity?"

Harry nodded at the other man's question, "Yeah you know, Pureblood vs Muggleborn?" More confused looks earned one from the boy himself, "You don't have that here? All those aristocrat arseholes gloating about not having any Muggle ancestors?"

This earned a snort from the redhead, "Oh you don't need to worry about things like that. Sure, some of the older families boast about it, but more for wealth and power than their actual bloodline. None of them are ignorant enough to think that their ancestry is completely Muggle free."

"So instead, it's just boys that are looked at as inferior?"

That earned a wince from the two women in the room, "Not inferior per se Harry but there is certainly different treatment given to wizards as opposed to witches."

***HP:O ***

It was after the preteen departed that the conversation continued, "Dumbledore, Harry did point something out, whether he realized it or not. If we are trying to shift attention away from him, what are we going to do about Hogwarts?"

The woman hummed thoughtfully, but not giving an answer, much to the two Potters' dismay.

James spoke up after his wife, "He is going to Hogwarts, correct? It might be easier to keep him home but…"

"I do not believe that would be best for anyone, especially Harry." Augustina interrupted, "He is dealing with quite a lot right now, and I believe having at least some normalcy that he might be able to relate to, a normal schedule with at least faces he knows and can focus his mind on will be healthier in the long run."

Both parents nodded and the redhead chose to continue with her original concern, "But what about his age Headmistress? If we want to convince the staff and press that Harry was raised by Muggles it is going to raise suspicions when he starts breezing through his classes as if he took them years ago."

Dumbledore said nothing. For a few moments until an idea popped into her mind. "A magic trick." She suddenly answered, drawing the curiosity of the two younger individuals. "Have either of you ever been to a Muggle magic show? I was lucky enough to attend one many decades ago and it was quite the experience. You see, Muggles don't have real Magic, not like us, but instead they focus on illusion and misdirection. Perhaps that is what we should do as well."

"Headmistress?"

"If we were to have Harry show outstanding results in one subject it might just draw enough attention away from his others, especially if he makes a conscious effort to lower those results. After all, how many took interest in your Charms scores when your skill in Transfiguration was apparent James?"

The man blushed slightly but nodded in understanding. Prodigies were rare, and if Harry could show outstanding results, it might just be the trick they needed.

***HP:O ***

'Potter family reunites with son'

It wasn't on the front page, in fact if Grace Riddle hadn't taken to the habit of glancing through every page of the Prophet, she might have missed it. Even then she did a double, then triple take.

To give up an infant that had no signs of Magic…

It certainly wasn't an unheard-of action, certainly not among older families and those already with a child, but for the Potters to do it seemed very out-of-character. They, along with most of those closer to Dumbledore, were in the 'Progressive' spectrum of politics.

This was the type of thing she would have expected from a more 'Moderate' family, such as the Malfoy's or the Blacks. A family with two, clearly magical, daughters also having a son with no ability? The choice would have been obvious for most, discard the weak and focus on the other two.

But the Potters didn't inhabit the same circles, at least as far as she knew, as those who would have been more likely to follow that path.

Still, logic warred inside of her head. The boy had been jumpy, clearly nervous, and maybe even a bit depressed, during the one time she had met him. Dumbledore had been naturally protective, and he was clearly related to the Potters. The evidence seemed rather cut and dry.

But the Slytherin in her thought otherwise.

School hadn't started yet, and even if he had received a letter through automated means, it didn't imply anything beyond normal levels of Magical proficiency. Hardly a reason to reunite with someone who they had already exiled.

In such rare cases a boy would have been given private lessons instead of public schooling, to better prepare them for future marriage contracts in terms of etiquette and establish a higher 'value'.

In the article it even mentioned they were taking him school shopping, but why? Had they been offered a marriage contract with another family and thus found a use for him? Was he to be given to a family with a witch already attending Hogwarts? It was the only reasoning she could think of off the top of her head for them to attempt to endear themselves to the boy after so many years, and in such a public way.

Still, it seemed off, a bit too convenient as if it was just an excuse thrown together at the last minute due to extreme circumstances.

Maybe he had been the result of an affair or an elicit breeding and the facts had been concealed until the boy had reentered their lives. Hell, maybe they hadn't even known until Dumbledore had seen the letter and contacted them herself.

But why the lie then? Why not just come out with the truth? What harm would it do now?

Grace frowned, before skimming over the article once more. The boy was a riddle wrapped in a puzzle and surrounded by mystery.

***HP:O ***

"Harry these are your… sisters, Harriet and Amaryllis."

It was… weird, uncomfortable even, to be introduced to what were essentially female versions of him. Well, at least one was. Harriet had black, untamed, hair, glasses, and dark eyes. Amaryllis, who immediately rolled her eyes and interrupted with a "Call me Amy" was a redhead and looked more like a miniature Lily Potter than him.

Apparently, their father hadn't exactly followed Dumbledore's orders and had immediately told both girls of his unique situation. Which meant the awkwardness was both better and worse.

Harriet was clearly shyer and gave him a slight wave while ducking her head and staring at the ground. Amy, on the other hand, had immediately moved forward and hugged him. It wasn't a bad hug, just a weird one, and Harry didn't exactly like giving strangers he just met hugs.

"Alright let your 'brother' go and let's get going. We need to finish your school shopping and get Harry's done as well."

The boy flinched a bit, already feeling like a burden on those he had never met but it was either ignored or went unnoticed. Even worse, in his own opinion, was that he wouldn't have money to pay for anything this time around. There was no vault in his name, no disposable wealth that would cover his expenses, forcing him to rely on them even more.

Regardless, the family of four took him around Diagon Alley, popping in and out of various supply stores for the normal items, quills, paper, and things of that nature, and then to the buy him some clothing. It was here that the group mostly dispersed, the females going to their own section while James took him to those outfits that were designed for males.

Without the others present Harry felt a tad more comfortable voicing his concerns, especially when the older man had added the fourth outfit for him to try on to the pile. "Uhm, James?"

"Hm?"

"I uh, don't exactly have money for any of this and… well it's kind of… expensive…" he trailed off as the older Wizard shifted his attention onto him, puzzlement in his expression at first before it morphed into something warm.

"Harry, we are buying everything for you, it is what parents do after all. You don't need to worry about money or any such nonsense. Did… did we, they…" he seemed to struggle for the correct way of addressing his dead alternative self. "Did the other James and Lily not… make sure you were taken care of?"

The boy looked away, feeling a stinging at his eyes, "Money in a vault isn't the same as love." He muttered and blinked away the tears.

"No… no it isn't." The man sighed heavily, rubbing at his face in such a way that made it seem as though he hadn't slept well in several days. "I need to talk to Lily about updating our wills, not that we plan on going anywhere but… you should have been placed with people who cared for you."

After that awkward moment, and a few more outfits pulled from a rack, Harry was sent to try them on and while doing so became aware of a conversation outside of the small room.

"Mrs. Malfoy, what a pleasant surprise."

The Malfoys were shopping here? Harry cringed at the thought of dealing with that family, especially so soon, and debated whether he should just stay inside the changing room until they left. Certainly no one would blame him for such an act.

Then again, the opportunity to critique Draco Malfoy was something he would be hard pressed to pass up.

So, he walked out adjusting his robes slightly as he did so to act as if he wasn't trying to interrupt. His guess was correct, sort of, his new 'family' were all there and across from them stood the Lucius Malfoy that he remembered oh so well, his wife that he had never met, and…

A blonde girl, perfectly straightened hair, and a look of superiority on her face.

Harry blinked, then blinked again in confusion as those in attendance took notice of him. "Ah, so this must be your… son." The Malfoy matron noted, a sort of disdain in her voice as she did so. "I can understand why you got rid him, though not why you would ever seek to reclaim him back into your family. I haven't heard of any families with an open marriage contract after all."

Lily scowled and took a step forward into the other woman's personal space. "There is no ulterior motive, we were mistaken all those years ago and were recently reunited, that is all. Unlike some families we don't sell our children off as objects."

"For the best I'm sure, I can't imagine you getting much for… that. I know I certainly wouldn't allow Cleopatra to so much as touch someone like him."

It was an insult, a slap to the face in probably a dozen different ways, hence the near growling from the two older Potters and death glares from his 'sisters'. But Harry didn't hear any of that, all he heard was one word.

"Wait… Cleopatra?"

The younger blonde looked towards him with a frown, "Yes, though you are not worthy of using my full name."

"Do you happen to have a brother, about your height, huge arsehole?"

Her frown shifted into a scowl, "A brother, certainly not. Our bloodline would not be tainted by such things."

Ignoring the fact that her father was literally standing right behind her Harry remained silent for another second, before he snorted and broke down into giggles, earning confused stares by everyone.

"O-oh man this is… this is just priceless. What I would give to see his face…" Harry continued trying to hold in his laughter for a few more moments before finally getting control of himself and answering the unspoken question in the Malfoys' eyes. "Don't worry about it, it's an inside Muggle joke. You wouldn't understand."

It had a desired effect, and the youngest blonde took a step forward, almost baring her teeth when another voice entered the area. "Cleo what did mother tell you about acting in such a way, it is unbecoming of…"

A new blonde walked out of a nearby dressing room and promptly froze, eyes glued onto him. She was obviously a student, judging by the robes and her features, but was at least a few years older. Her features had the same 'regal' feel to them as the rest of the Malfoy family, blonde hair straight and ending just past her shoulders, a shining band keeping it back from her face.

It was her eyes though, that filled him with the most uncertainty. They were piercing, with a gleam of almost obsession in them. She was still staring even moments later. It was different than his previous life though. She wasn't staring at a scar but rather at him.

"Uh… can I help yo…"

"Pandora Malfoy, charmed." She practically breathed out, earning wide-eyed almost jaw dropping expressions from both sets of parents and the other children.

The girl had moved towards him, to what purpose he wasn't sure, but was intercepted by an arm from her mother before she came within reach. "We are leaving," Narcissa declared with no small amount of disapproval in her voice.

Even after the command it took a hand firmly placed on the elder girl's arm to pull her away from Harry's family. As they left the complaining of 'Cleo' was audible, but the boy-who-lived was far more concerned with the glances back from her apparent sister.

"Well…" Lily sighed as they were left in relative peace once more, "that certainly was a nice first encounter."

"Was that… does she… there's an older Malfoy daughter!?"

The redhead nodded, "Of course, did she not have a sister where you are from?"

Harry shook his head, still a bit dazed, "No, he did not."

James spoke next, hesitation hidden in his voice, "Harry, I don't know what experiences you have with that family but try and keep in mind that they aren't the same ones you knew. You shouldn't judge them because of it."

"Yeah…" Amy muttered, "you should 'judge them' because they are arseholes."

Her mother shot her a 'behave' look, but otherwise chose not to comment.

***HP:O ***

After buying several outfits and promising they would go shopping again during the school year, the next stop was Ollivanders. If Harry noticed that he was receiving more open stares than when they had first arrived, he didn't mention it, just as he seemed to ignore the fact his sisters were walking closer to him than before.

The Wandmaker was the same as he remembered from his first year and went to work on his sisters first. It was their world, after all, and there was a decent chance one of them might be matched to his Wand before he would.

If that were the case, he would settle for a different one. No reason to deprive them just because he had shown up after all.

Yet it was not to be, both received different Wands, of both material and core, than he had his first year. Dogwood and Unicorn hair for Amy, while Harriet was given English Oak and another Unicorn hair for hers as well.

As for Harry, he went through several before it became obvious, at least to him, what the result would be. "There is one left, an odd one though and I'm not sure if…" the man brought in a box from the back room and Harry knew it was his before he so much as touched it.

"Holly, Phoenix feather with only one sibling in existence…"

***HP:O ***

"Alright one of our last stops, need to get you three owls."

The redheaded girl muttered excitedly while even his 'clone' seemed to perk up at the thought. For Harry thought a thought raced through his mind that felt like a stab to the gut. What if there was no Hedwig? What if she chose one of them instead?

Swallowing back any uncertainty, and unshed tears, the boy followed along with his 'family' into the store. Once more the aisles were lined, primarily with owls but occasionally other creatures. "Well, go on, see if anything catches your eye." James encouraged, watching as the two girls made their way down the paths with excitement, and frowning a bit at Harry's own dispirited steps.

"Do you think he's okay?" Lily inquired softly.

Clearly the boy wasn't okay, and maybe never would be. The man couldn't imagine how much he had lost and now what was being forced onto him. Learn a new culture, accept a new family, understand that the friends you had might not even exist anymore.

***HP:O ***

"Oh, look at this one it's so pretty!"

Harry's heart froze as he glanced over a rack to see what the two girls were talking about. Anxiety filled him as they crowded around one of the cages but alleviated the second the redhead lifted it up revealing a spotted owl inside.

A moment later shame filled him once more, like when he had been envious, almost angry, at them for having parents. Why shouldn't one of them bond with the snowy-white owl that he had from his own world?

He had left her behind.

The thought sent another downpour of depression through his body, and he opted to begin walking the other way, wanting to get some fresh air, when a rather annoyed 'hoot' earned his attention. Turning he saw her, snow white, amber eyes, just as before. This time though it seemed different, she was staring at him, through him, as if demanding his attention.

"Hedwig?" he whispered out, tears forming on his eyes as her wings fluttered and she seemed to bob her head in acknowledgment.

His hands were on the bars before he even realized he had reached out, and she nipped at him affectionately.

Nearby the two Potter daughters had returned to their parents with their own selections before looking down the aisle at the boy. Just as the saleswoman came up to them Lily smiled warmly. "I think we will take these three."

***HP:O ***

Harry stood by the window, gazing out into the distance as though he might be able to spot the Express. He couldn't, of course, but part of him wanted to, longed to. There had been some debate on whether he should be on the train with his 'sisters' or not, but in the end, Dumbledore had cautioned against it.

She hadn't given a reason, but the boy thought it might be to allow the two other Potters to have their own experience independently, not allowing him to push them towards certain individuals in one way or the other.

He was mad about it, even if he understood the reasoning.

The Headmistress had even gone a step further by reminding him of the differences between their worlds.

"Harry" She had said, "I wanted to speak with you about your classmates and your previous life. I understand that there will be some animosity between you and your classmates but try to keep an open mind. These are not the same students that you knew."

He had wanted to argue, even bringing up the fact that there was a war and one of the professors was the catalyst of it.

"There has not been a Magical war in my lifetime Harry." She had gently countered, "There is no Voldemort, no Death Eaters or anything of that nature. There are old hatreds, of course, but this is one of the reasons Hogwarts exists, to try and teach children to let go of these prejudices away from those who taught them."

It made sense and answered a question Harry had always wondered about Hogwarts in his own world, why the students weren't allowed to return home at a more regular basis. But there was still mistrust in his heart, and he knew that no matter what anyone said Voldemort was Voldemort.

So, with a few hours left until the arrival of the other children he went to the library and did his bookworm friend proud, with research. He knew there wouldn't be anything about any wars or conflicts, but he also knew enough about Voldemort's past to know where to start looking for clues.

Looking back through the years he quickly found the years that Riddle was at school, and then looked for the names he remembered from his own world.

Ruby Hagrid graduated in 1947, along with Myrtle Warren. Harry looked further, but there were no unexplained deaths during those years, no risk of the school closing, no potential Basilisk attacks, or groups of evil mask-wearing terrorists.

It was almost as if Grace Riddle wasn't evil.

***HP:O ***

"Hannah Abbott!"

Harry squashed down the tension in his chest. He had done this before, this wasn't new, and there was nothing to worry about.

"Lavender Brown!"

Sit on a stool, put on a hat, wait to be placed into Gryffindor, then meet his friends. Sure, there were more females than he remembered, and looking at the tables, most of the seated students were girls as well, but from what he saw those closest to him were still boys.

Ron and Neville both looked, relatively, the same and even without the Hogwarts Express acting as the initial catalyst it should still be a simple task to befriend them. They would be the only three boys in Gryffindor for their year after all.

"Cleopatra Malfoy!"

Harry did his best not to snicker but failed and earned a bit of attention from those nearby before he was able to stifle himself. It wasn't his fault, but the idea that the great 'My father will hear about this!' Draco Malfoy was now a girl made him giggle just a bit more than it should.

"Amaryllis Potter!"

Whoops, he had missed a chunk of students again in his distraction, not that it really mattered. These next two were the most important to him anyway, save for Hermione and Ron, one of which had already been placed in Gryffindor as before.

"Gryffindor!"

He clapped along with those around him and smiled at the cheers from their table.

"Harriet Potter!"

Seconds later the Hat shouted once more, "Gryffindor!"

More cheers, more polite clapping, and then it happened.

"Harry Potter!"

The chatter seemed to die down as attention focused on him. For once, at least, they weren't staring at his forehead.

He stepped forward, sat down on the stool, and waited for the Hat.

Gryffindor

Gryffindor

Gryffindor

He mentally chanted his house even as it lowered down.

Gryffindor

Gryffindor

Gryffindor

The voice spoke in his mind, same as last time. "Hm now what do we have here, seems you've already been sorted once, very odd."

Yes, he had been, and to Gryffindor, which was why, he mentally argued, he should just go there again.

"Ah but with everything in your life, bravery is not the thing you need most. No, you will need to be cunning and clever to keep the past, present, and future separate. You need to find ambition to give yourself meaning in this world."

No, no he didn't, and he protested almost immediately. His friends were in Gryffindor and they…

"Are not your friends in this world."

The truth hit him like a Bludger to the chest. These weren't his friends, not really. Sure, they looked the same, but they likely had different upbringings, maybe they wouldn't even become friends with him without the life-or-death catalysts from before.

This wasn't his world, he didn't belong here, didn't fit in, and likely never would.

As his shoulder's slumped and he barely overheard the declaration of "Slytherin!" Unlike the others he made no attempt at moving, why bother after all? Moments later the Hat was removed, and a pair of hands guided him from the front of the hall back towards an open seat.

It was only after sitting down, and ignoring the stares from those around him, that he realized the one responsible for his movements was his new Head of House.

***HP:O ***

A/N: Owls don't bob their heads to communicate but whatever. I had debated not including Hedwig, but I think Harry needs something to anchor him right now, and it would have been too heartbreaking for me to not include her.

Previous Name **************New Name

Tom Riddle******************Grace Riddle

Albus Dumbledore************Augustina Dumbledore

Draco Malfoy****************Cleopatra (Cleo) Malfoy

-*************************Harriet Potter

-*************************Amaryllis (Amy) Potter

-*************************Pandora Malfoy