Harry Potter: Otherworld

Explaining a Few Things

***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 ***

"Would you like a lemon drop Harry?" Despite how irritated he was the boy snickered in memory of his former headmaster, before taking one of the offered candies. "I will have the House Elves bring us up some lunch if that is okay. I understand how important this is, but I still stand by my comment about thinking better on a full stomach as opposed to an empty one."

Harry nodded, before taking a seat gestured to by the Witch. "I'm going to assume that it is the Philosopher Stone being kept in the corridor then?"

She sighed heavily, before taking a seat herself. "Unfortunately, yes. My old mentor requested that I take it for safe keeping. I was hesitant to keep it at Hogwarts but after the situation at Gringotts, well it is far too dangerous to be left lying around."

"At least you didn't indirectly tell us about it this time..." he muttered, glancing around the, similarly decorated, office before making his next inquiry. "Is Fawkes not here?"

"Fawkes?"

Something unpleasant rolled down his spine, "Fawkes, your Phoenix familiar."

"I assure you that while I have encountered a few of those splendid creatures in my lifetime, I have never done anything to earn the company of one for more than a few moments."

No Phoenix meant no Phoenix tears, meant no aid against the Basilisk. Harry fought back the shiver of fear before refocusing. One catastrophe at a time. "About the Stone, you said someone is trying to steal it, correct?"

Augustina nodded, "Yes, although we are not sure who is after it, only that they are very talented at what they do."

"It's Riddle." The confidence in his voice gave the headmistress pause before she shook her head in denial. "It's her."

"Harry, I assure you that whatever unpleasantness you may have had with the Riddle in your world it does not condemn this one. I trust Grace Riddle explicitly."

"She's evil."

The woman let out a deep sigh, "No Harry, she is not. If I even thought Grace Riddle had malicious intentions, I would not have allowed her to become a Head of House, much less remain as a professor. Grace Riddle has no reason to try and steal the stone."

She wasn't listening and the bespectacled boy's frustration grew.

"Harry, if Grace Riddle were trying to steal the stone, don't you think she would have done so when I asked her to retrieve it from Gringotts?"

He was about to argue, when her words finally broke through and made connections to his own understanding. Hagrid wasn't a professor in this world, didn't work at Hogwarts because she had never been blamed for the attacks. There had been no attacks and Myrtle was still alive and well. Dumbledore trusted Riddle like his own had trusted the half-giant.

"As I said, Professor Riddle means you no harm, she is not plotting any evil, and is not trying to steal anything."

Harry didn't know what was going on, but he did know that the woman sitting across from him did not see the whole truth.

Or, much like his own headmaster, perhaps she was choosing to ignore it. He stood abruptly, before pulling up his sleeve and presenting the bruises already forming on his arm, "Does this look like someone means me no harm!?"

Dumbledore was up and around the table in an instant, hands gently pulling his own limb in for closer inspection. Her next words were both a whisper, and a gunshot in a silent room. "Who did this to you?"

He had never seen such a reaction from an adult before, certainly not from a staff member at Hogwarts. Long ago he had come to the conclusion that they, generally, didn't care much about the well-being of students.

Why else would they go along with plans that so clearly put children in danger? Why else would they allow bullying from both adult and child to take place in their halls? Why else would they assign detentions in The Forbidden Forest?

"Who do you think?" He snarled, before yanking his arm back. "Your so-called perfect professor. You know what, forget it, I'll just handle it all like I always do. Why don't you just sit back and give your useless explanations after everything is said and done then throw some House Points around as if they make everything better."

With that he stomped from the room, anger still pulsing in his veins.

Seconds later a House Elf popped into the room with several trays of food perfectly balanced in a way only they could achieve. "Flipsy brings lunch for the headmistress and her guest."

Augustina remained staring at the doorway as she answered, "Thank you Flipsy, you can just set it down at my desk."

The Elf nodded happily, before doing a small curtsy, "Does headmistress require anything else?"

Her eyes still stared off into the distance, before refocusing and turning towards the smaller creature, "Actually, yes. Please inform the other Heads of House along with Professor Snape that we will be having a staff meeting in twenty minutes. They are all required to attend."

***HP:O ***

Lily Potter stared down at the letter that had arrived a few days prior. It, along with several others, lay on her desk and consumed her thoughts. She should have been working, should have been concentrating on her job but instead there was this.

She had known it would become a problem, had warned not just Dumbledore but also her husband but they had both opted to 'look on the bright side.' There was none here, nothing to find in that horrible woman, no redemption for someone who treated others in such a manner.

And here was the proof. It wasn't just inappropriate behavior, because if the redhead thought for a second Snape was going after Harry she would have marched into that school and dragged the witch out by her hair. No, now she seemed to be picking on her daughters as well.

Was it petty vengeance? Was it some sort of crazed attempt to push Harry away from them or them from him? Maybe she was just a bitter old bitch who needed a few unpleasant curses put on her.

Regardless, something needed to be done.

***HP:O ***

"What's the emergency Augustina?" McGonagall inquired as she took a seat at the table that was used for staff meetings. "Is it concerning the Stone?" The other professors focused their attention on the eldest woman, who took a moment before responding.

"Yes, and no. There have been no attempts on the stone as of yet and Gringotts is still investigating to try and determine who their own culprit might be."

The Potion mistress took this opportunity to add in her own thoughts. "I imagine then that this concerns Mister Potter."

"Potter? Why, has something happened to the poor boy?" Sprout inquired, earning a sigh from Dumbledore.

"Mister Potter was involved in an incident earlier today in the third-floor corridor."

Serena, once more, interrupted, "An incident involving his Head of House." Her eyes were now firmly fixated on Grace, who chose to focus on the headmistress instead.

"Harry seems to have made his way past the initial Warding Charms that were setup to keep students away. I was escorting him away from the location."

"Through physical means."

Now the Head of Slytherin turned towards Snape, a warning flashing in her eyes. Meanwhile, the other staff looked between the two, that is until Flitwick spoke up. "Dumbledore, I am not sure what exactly transpired between them, but I am more concerned about the boy's own presence. No first year, regardless of how talented, should have been able to ignore the compulsions setup. I would expect it to take at least a sixth or seventh year to do so. I do not wish to make unwarranted accusations, but are we sure Mister Potter himself is not the one after the stone?"

"Filius!" Minerva exclaimed, unwilling to even consider the idea.

But The Charms professor merely raised a hand in interruption, "I simply find it odd. A student showing up claiming to be the long-lost child of a family with no history having him. One that is very talented, claims to have no Magical upbringing, and can push through defensive Wards."

Dumbledore shook her head, "I assure you, Filius, that Mister Potter is not seeking the Philosopher Stone, he told me so himself."

That statement was enough to return Riddle's own attention towards her boss, "He told you so? How was he aware of it in the first place?"

Previous accusations had been forgotten, as all the occupants now focused entirely on the headmistress, who gave a mental groan at the slip up. After all her warnings towards Harry and his family and it was her who made the first true mistake. The situation was more than a little embarrassing.

Still, the truth might make things easier in the long run. "What I am about to say does not leave this room, do I make myself clear?" Upon seeing the nods, she continued her explanation. "Mister Potter is not from here, as many of you have guessed. He is from a different universe and from the future."

Silence fell on the room, an unnerving, disbelieving, incredulous, silence.

"Surely, you are joking."

She shook her head, "I assure you Minerva, I am not. Where he came from, he was in his fifth year, which is why you have all likely seen how natural he is in various subjects. Another rather interesting difference is there appears to be no numerical discrepancies between men and women in his world."

Flitwick looked intrigued, while Snape was more disbelieving. "And you just took his word at it?"

"That a young man who received an invitation matching this information from Hogwarts was found in Diagon Alley all alone. One that looks very similar to both Lily and James Potter, who have both sworn to me that they had no son, is who he claims to be? Yes."

"James could have had a child with another Witch." Sprout pointed out but was quickly turned down.

"I spoke to him about this, he assured me this was not the case. Most importantly I spoke with Harry personally, and I am rather confident in my ability to know when an eleven-year-old child is lying to me."

Riddle abruptly stood from her seat, glaring down at the headmistress. "Why wasn't I told?"

"We," Minerva corrected effortlessly, "we should have been told about his situation."

Dumbledore, however, stared right back without so much as a flinch. "Those who needed to be informed were informed, those being the Potters. As far as I am aware no one else needed to be involved in his personal life to such an extent. We agreed that it would be better to keep attention away from him and his situation to give him a normal life and privacy. I also wanted to avoid anyone harassing him about future knowledge which, until now, seemed irrelevant."

"Until now?" The Potion's professor inquired curiously.

"Harry clearly knows about the Stone, and the defenses set up for it. This can only mean his alternative version went through a similar situation albeit, I suspect, with a different thief."

Flitwick cleared his throat, "Perhaps we could ask the boy who it was? Even if it does not lead us directly to the culprit it may help in doing so. I still do not completely agree with having it, and its protections, so close to students, Augustina."

"I do not believe it to be the same person, which was why I stressed to him not to reveal anything from the future. His world is remarkably different from ours. It would do us no good to spend our time trying to prove one person guilty when they are not."

"If they are not guilty then they have nothing to hide." Snape easily countered, earning a sigh from the older woman.

Augustina rose from her spot, making her way over to a window and gazing out into the, still bright, sky. "Harry has been most insistent that Grace Riddle is the culprit."

Said woman merely stared at the eldest's form, processing the information, and ignoring the comment made by Serena a moment later, "Perhaps he is not as far from the truth as we thought then hm?"

"Regardless," The headmistress spoke once more, interrupting any potential arguments, "that is not entirely why I called you all here. It has come to my attention that a student has received several bruises from a staff member." The mood in the room shifted, as all fell silent at the change in tone. "I believe this goes without saying but Hogwarts is, and always has been, a place for children to receive an education, to learn and grow socially, academically, and culturally. We, as professors and overseers, have been given the wonderful opportunity to guide them through these years. Which is why I will only say this once, if I ever hear of a student being harmed by an adult on these grounds again, termination of employment will be the least of their concerns"

***HP:O ***

"Riddle"

The woman turned from where she had been striding down the hallway, intent on confronting the, far more mysterious, boy with the truth she now knew. "Snape" she called back.

"I can only imagine who would have recently harmed a student. It appears mister Potter has every right to be wary of you hm?"

"Harry has nothing to fear from me." Grace countered easily.

"We will see about that. I will be speaking to him during every potions class from now on to make sure he has no further... marks on him."

The defense professor stared back for a second, before a slight, almost twisted, smile formed on her face. "I can only imagine how Lily Potter will respond to you taking such an interest in her son."

It was a slap to the face, one that drew a full, wrathful, sneer from the other woman.

***HP:O ***

"Harry."

The boy tensed, before turning to glare up at the woman. "I thought these rooms were off limits to women, professor."

His room was otherwise empty, with Crabbe and Goyle eating in the Great Hall. "Professors are allowed to enter rooms if necessary."

"And you think talking to me alone is necessary?"

"Considering what the Headmistress just told us about your previous life, yes."

If he was tense before it was doubly so now, and Riddle was genuinely surprised he wasn't reaching for his wand. "Us?"

"The Heads of House and Snape."

Harry noted the lack of 'professor' in her title but didn't comment. Instead, he was far too focused on one simple fact, "I'm so glad my personal life is private only when others find it convenient."

That comment did earn a bit of a flinch from the woman, knowing her own preferences for privacy as a Slytherin. "Harry..."

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" He shouted, causing the woman to take a step back in shock, "You do not get to use my first name, you do not have the right to use it!"

Moments passed as he took several deep breaths to calm himself, "Because of the other Riddle?"

"Yes" he growled, "because of him. He murdered my parents, started two wars, tried to kill me numerous times, and was a genocidal sociopath."

Without asking permission she slowly moved forward, sitting down on his bed, albeit a few feet away from him. "I don't know what happened to him, Harry but I promise you, we are not the same person. Maybe the issues of his world twisted him, or his mother was cruel enough that he became bitter and angry. I know that my own certainly..."

"Wait," he interrupted, "your mother, as in the one who gave birth to you?"

She blinked before nodding slowly, "Merope Gaunt, she is... a very nasty woman. She used Magic to manipulate Thomas Riddle to become pregnant. It was one of the reasons I took his name and not hers."

"And she's still alive, she raised you?" He persisted, mind still reeling at this type of change.

The professor seemed to realize his surprise and asked her own questions, "Was he not raised by her?"

Shaking his head, Harry went on to explain, "Voldemort was raised in an orphanage after his mom died in childbirth."

"An orphanage..." The woman repeated slowly, eyes staring off into the distance. "I can imagine that might create some resentment towards those he thought abandoned him or the ones who 'raised him'."

Harry agreed but said nothing as the two fell into silence for another few moments. It was Riddle, once again, who started the conversation. "Let... may I see your arm?" She quickly corrected, earning a hesitant look before the boy did as she asked. Slowly pulling up his sleeve her eyes widened at the light bruising she had, indeed, left on him. "I'm so sorry Ha-mister Potter. I did not mean to hurt you. I have been concerned over Dumbledore's decision to keep the object at Hogwarts, and the traps that were set for it. I did not want you, or any other student, anywhere near it. I was too harsh in trying to remove you from that danger and I apologize."

Taking a moment to really think about what she had said, after all this universe's Riddle seemed to be trying to change around him, the Potter found he understood her reasoning. If the traps were even close to what they were in his world, then they would be incredibly dangerous. Any normal professor should have done everything in their power to remove a student from danger, even if she was a bit too rough in the process.

Still, it didn't mean he trusted her, far from it.

"That's okay Professor, it only stung a bit, looks worse than it is."

She nodded, hesitating for a moment before standing and walking towards the exit of his room. "You may not believe me Mister Potter, but I do want what is best for you. If you want to go over the notebook that I suggested earlier, I will be more than happy to."

With that she pulled the object from her cloak before placing it on a dresser near the door. Once more she glanced back at him, gaze lingering for a moment, before leaving the room, and the boy, in silence.

***HP:O ***

Planning was never Harry's strong suit. He was always more of a 'dive headfirst and hope it all works out or that Hermione can come up with a brilliant plan to save my arse' kind of guy. Which was why he now found himself in a conundrum.

What should he do?

Clearly, the headmistress was going to be of no help whatsoever, and if these professors were anything like his own, which seemed to be true, they would be next to useless as well.

He could write a letter to Sirius or Remus, but neither of them even knew who he was, unless his parents had informed them. He could write his 'parents' but something held him back from that as well. If the situation became political, as the Tri-Wizard tournament had for instance, it might end up harming them and their daughters.

The boy certainly didn't want to include any of his friends. Not only was he unsure if they would believe him, or agree with him even if they did, but it was dangerous. If something happened to one of them, he would never forgive himself.

If only he had thought things through during his fourth and fifth year, then maybe his friends would not have been in danger.

Maybe Cedric...

Kill the spare

A soft hoot from nearby drew his attention back from the nightmares plaguing him. He had made the journey all the way up the tower to be alone, not wanting to deal with his housemates or Head of House, and Hedwig always seemed to understand and bring him comfort.

He went back to gently petting the bird, causing her to snuggle back into his hand, preening at the attention. "I don't know what to do girl." Harry whispered softly, "Take the stone? What would I do with it, how would I be able to keep it safe? Leave it for whoever to steal? What if their timing is different? What if I'm late and they manage to get away with it?"

***HP:O ***

"That will be all for today class, remember what is due for next time." Flitwick happily called out, earning a few groans and several excited whispers from his students. "Mister Potter, please wait behind for a moment." Eyes glanced back towards him, but the half-goblin shooed the other students along before closing the door behind them. "I would like to give you a bit of an extra assignment Mister Potter. Nothing too harsh or time consuming, but if you could begin going through this book and seeing what you recognize and what you don't, I would appreciate it. It is a generic course syllabus for my class covering all seven years. I don't expect you to know it all, but I want to see what you do and don't understand to get a better gauge on how to continue your education. I would be a poor professor if I ignored your studies just to ensure you had privacy."

Harry nodded, it was a fair request and he had been worried about becoming bored in school if the next few year were going be to like this one. As he placed the object into his bag, however, a thought occurred to him. "Professor, could you look at a book of mine? To see if there is anything wrong about it, any darker Charms that might have been cast on it."

The man's eyes narrowed, "Of course, do you have it with you?"

"No, I didn't want to touch it. I... had a bad experience with something resembling it from my own time."

"How bad?" the man pressed.

Harry returned the serious look, "Multiple students almost dying bad."

The Professor's postured straightened, his form becoming almost rigid, "Then it would not hurt to get a second opinion. I will let the Headmistress know we have an object that needs investigating. Who gave it to you if I might ask?"

"My Head of House."

***HP:O ***

Despite his concerns neither adult could find anything more than a few 'convenience Charms' used for weatherproofing the object. Dumbledore, once again, assured him that Grace Riddle was not up to anything fiendish, and suggested that he take the woman up on her offer for supplemental aid on the weekends.

She had argued it would help sell the 'prodigy' story. But Harry did not seek her out the first weekend, or the second. In fact, he purposely made himself scarce on those days, often working in empty classrooms on going through the review material provided by the other professors.

It hadn't just been Flitwick, after all, to be informed of his skill level, and the other Heads of House, along with Snape, had given him similar material to read over and find out what his exact level was.

The Potion's Professor had received a bit of a different response from the boy, however, when he had merely grinned and told her that his level would not be fifth year.

"I had a rough time in my Potions class." he had explained, "Professor Snape and I didn't get along."

Instead of belittling or shifting blame the woman had merely quirked an eyebrow, walked to a nearby bookcase, and pulled two additional texts from it. "These," she replied, "are supplementary material that should help. We give them to students not raised in Magical society or who miss extended periods of time and need to be caught up. If you have any questions my door is always open."

Not only had it been the nicest interaction Harry ever had with someone named Snape, but also one of the strangest.

Regardless, school was looking up for the dimensional traveler. Without Quidditch or focusing his concerns on solving the puzzle of the stone he had far less stress and more free time to work with. His grades, and more importantly knowledge, were increasing day by day, and his social circle was probably the largest it had ever truly been.

Sure, Slytherins were still major prats and other than the occasional greeting Crabbe and Goyle ignored him, but he had Hermione, Ron, Neville, Amaryllis, and Harriet to talk to.

More and more he wished he had just been sorted into Gryffindor to begin with.

Still, with all the positives there had to be negatives to balance everything out, and he certainly was dreading one of them.

Halloween

It was right around the corner, and where the other students were excited, he was on guard. If history repeated itself, he would be ready.

What he was not ready for was a fact he had long since put out of his mind.

"Harry," his dark-haired sister began, "you do know that Halloween week is when parents come in to talk with us and the professors, right?"

***HP:O ***

It was one of the times during the school year that Augustina looked forward to most. Not only was Halloween an enjoyable holiday, when the Magical world came together in celebration and decorations were in every window, but it was also when parents would visit Hogwarts, meet with staff, and discuss how their children's education was progressing.

The entire process took a week, with one day dedicated to each year of students, but the loss of time was well worth the individual communication. Normally it would be the Head of House who spoke with the parents whose children they were directly responsible for, but Dumbledore took pride in being as involved as possible.

This year, however, there was one encounter she was not looking forward to, and sure enough one couple made straight for the older woman.

"Headmistress," Lily Potter greeted, "we need to talk."

***HP:O ***

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blaise Zabini****************Bliss Zabini

Theodore Nott**************Theresa Nott

Severus Snape**************Serena Snape

-*************************Marie Rosier