Disclaimer: I own nothing... that is all.
CHAPTER 3
Xavier and Olivia Potter may have been twins but unlike the Weasley twins they had a lot of differences that didn't just come down to their genders. They may have both been sorted into Gryffindor but they rarely shared meals together. For some unknown reason the pair gravitated together this morning though.
As they ate Xavier pointed out that many staff members were absent that morning. In fact the headmaster, all of the heads of houses, and Madam Pomfrey (whom actually ate more often in the hospital wing anyway in case she was needed) were all missing. As was the D.A.D.A. professor but he had been out all week for a political dispute about the rights of the Goblin Nation.
It was not much later that all the heads were spotted looking like a group of teenage girls that just got a new batch of hot gossip. They were inaudibly whispering back and forth before they walked down the isle towards the head table. They all stole a glance at the twins as they passed making the twins slightly uncomfortable.
Their head of house was the only one that stopped to quickly speak with them. "Mr. Potter, Ms. Potter. The two of you are excused from classes for the day. When you are done with breakfast you are expected to go to the hospital wing."
"Is something wrong, Professor?" Xavier quizzed.
"Yeah, we're not sick," Olivia added.
"It is a family matter. Your parents are already there and I believe your uncle's are also going to be making an appearance and Severus will be joining you after he has a bite. He had a long night," Minerva pulled out a sparkling silver blueish potion out of it, "He was making this. Can you please take it with you and give it to Madam Pomfrey?" She handed the potion to Xavier knowing that he was the more responsible of the two. "Tell her it's the one she had discussed earlier with Severus."
She was about to waltz off but suddenly turned to face them again, "And you might find it best to do your parents a favour and get them an outfit of yours they could borrow before you go see them." With those final orders she took her leave to get a quick breakfast before her first lessons.
Xavier quickly put his bacon on a piece of toast and took it in one hand while standing. Olivia forgot about her half eaten breakfast all together and they both ran upstairs to find their parents some clothes and then find their parents.
They weren't exactly sure what they would find in the hospital wing but once they saw their parents watching a small girl with such affection they both knew what happened.
"Is that her?" Olivia asked tactlessly.
Both parents started at the sudden appearance of their other children.
James nodded, "Your sister is back."
Xavier looked ashamed, "I believed that it would never happen..."
Lily looked at him sadly, "It's okay. Sometimes I thought the same thing."
Olivia went for a closer look. "What's with her hair?"
James snorted, "No idea. I think it may have been a fashion statement in the other world."
"And if she likes her hair like this none of you will bother her about it," Lily gave the three other Potters a stern eye.
"Yes, mum."
"Yeah, mum."
"Yes, honey," they all answered in chorus.
"Good."
After a moment Xavier handed the clothes he had to his father. "They may be a little big but they should do for today."
James sighed, "It's a sad day went your son grows taller then you." James sauntered to the lavatory to dress and clean up a bit.
Olivia handed her mother a dress, "This is all I had that I thought would fit alright."
Lily smiled lightly, "It will do just fine dear. You father already sent letters to your uncles. I expect Remus will be here within the hour with a bag of everything we need."
"How long will you be here?" Olivia quizzed.
"A few days at the very least but I feel like it will be a good while. It really all depends on how well Haley's treatments go, how she reacts when she wakes, how well she understands what's happening... Albus has given us an open invitation to stay as long as we need. He also wants to help figure out how this all started to make sure nothing like this happens again."
Xavier had never taken his eye off his babysitter through this conversation, "Why is she so small?"
Lily shrugged, "I don't know. She was very injured. Poppy is still going through all of the in depth injuries in her scans but so far it doesn't seem good."
"Someone really hurt her?" Olivia asked confused having been as sheltered as possible after her sister disappeared.
Lily just nodded, "Badly."
An hour later Poppy had administered the potion to Haley and both James and Lily were dressed in their kids clothes when Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew both rushed in, each carrying a small suitcase and closely followed by Sirius Black and his fiancé Marlene McKinnon. Trailing a little slower behind was Alice and Frank Longbottom. They all slowed as soon as they saw the sleeping girl.
"I can't believe it," Remus breathed.
"Neither can we," Lily replied," But she's here."
Sirius held his fiancé's hand, seeking comfort, as he got closer. When he was beside her he pushed a green hair out of her face and cupped the unconscious teens cheek. "Hi, Pup."
"Where's Severus?" quizzed Alice.
"He'll be here soon. He was up late making Haley potions. He just needed breakfast and a shower. Why?" Lily replied.
Alice shrugged, "Just being her actual godfather..."
"I object!" Sirius noted loud yet somehow still soft and mindful of the sleeping girl, not that he could wake her if he wanted to.
"And just as when I first named Haley's godparents, your objection is noted but disregarded. You can't hog all of my children Sirius. Have some of your own."
"Working on it," he replied to Lily with a wink. "But I still don't believe that a Slytherin makes the best godparent and for Haley you chose not one but two!"
Lily rolled her eyes, "Are you still a second year? It doesn't matter what house they were in."
"Okay well how about this? I have to share Xavier with Alice. Remus and Peter have to share Olivia. Snapey gets all of Haley to himself!"
"Severus is not Haley's only godparent. As you just pointed out she has two Slytherin godparents."
"But that doesn't count! Two people but one household!"
"Stop trying to steal my god child, Black," Severus said sneaking up behind the group making Sirius jump.
"Stop doing that!"
Severus ignored him and leaned over Haley checking her pulse to make sure it hadn't weakened at all.
"Did Poppy give her the potion?"
Lily nodded but then answered out loud when she realized he wasn't paying any attention to her, "Yes, about half an hour ago."
"Good. Her slumber doesn't seem to have deepened... A nice strong pulse..."
Lily just smiled. No matter what James and Sirius said she knows she made the best choice of godfather.
Severus stood erect, "It's a very promising result. Her head wound is almost healed." He inspected the lines on her neck and left arm, "These are peculiar... but they don't appear inflamed and aren't effecting the nerves. Perhaps she'll be able to give us more information when she wakes."
"When will that be?" Xavier asked.
"Hard to tell," Severus almost whispered in though. "Not today. Maybe if we're lucky tomorrow or the day after..."
They weren't lucky.
It had almost been a week since Haley arrived. People had begun coming in shifts to keep from crowding the hospital wing. Right then it was just James, Lily, Poppy, and Severus. The kids were in class, as was Severus' husband. Sirius and Marlene would be back that evening while Remus and Peter had been there earlier in the day. Frank and Alice were spending the afternoon with their son since they nay as well sneak a couple visits in if they're already at Hogwarts.
Severus and Poppy were beginning to worry, though they tried to hide it. James however noticed.
"Why hasn't she woke up yet?"
Poppy started, "I'm unsure exactly. You see usually when in a healing slumber the longest part of it is replenishing the magical core. As you can see her physical wounds are healed but it seems like her core isn't finished."
"But why is it taking so long?" Lily quizzed. "Is something wrong with her core?"
Severus shook his head, "I checked it every way available. There's not cracks releasing magic and the core is still generating more... The main concern is the fact that every time we check the magical core level it is getting larger and larger to the point of being worrying."
"You're worried because she's powerful?" James asked ridiculously.
Severus shook his head, "This kind of power level isn't merely 'powerful'. It's damn near godlike."
James and Lily couldn't keep the surprise off their faces.
"I still don't see how this is so bad," James said internally proud of such a powerful child.
"Because we don't actually know if this is normal for her or not. If this is her regular power level then aside from being scary powerful everything is okay," Poppy stated.
Severus took over the explanation, "But if it's not her regular power level that means the part of her core that is supposed to say when its full and to stop isn't registering. It can fill to the point of bursting..."
"What happens if it bursts?" Lily breathed.
"At this level," Severus contemplated, "I'd say Hogwarts would be flattened."
James pride turned to horror, "Do we need to get her out of here to protect the students?"
Severus shook his head, "Not yet. Before it gets to that point there will be signs such as a fever, accidental magic, seizures... As of right now the core is still accepting the magic comfortably which in it self is a sign to the very powerful scenario."
James and Lily nodded along.
As soon as she was aware of herself Haley's eyes opened widely and she sat up straight. If anyone were watching they would have been astonished by her sudden change.
She had been trying to bury herself further in the blankets upon her bed when images flooded her mind of the last time she was awake.
Suddenly terrified she open her eyes to darkness. There was hardly any light in the room but even with Haley's appalling eyesight she could tell the room was big. She took in a deep breath through her nose to calm herself. The scent... it was familiar. It felt safe.
Was she...? Was she in the hospital wing? It smelled like it. Haley stuck her arm out to the left. Whenever she was in the hospital wing Madam Pomfrey would put her glasses on a table to the beds left. Almost immediately her hand came in contact with the frames. She put them on her face and was pleased when everything came to vision and without any cracks.
Yes, she was in the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey even put her on the bed that she had lovingly proclaimed was reserved for her on her first hospital visit. When Haley had gotten her bones regrown in her second year Madam Pomfrey even joked about getting a plaque that said 'Potter Bed'.
Haley scratched her head. Was that all a dream? No... She had known she was from another world for months! Or did she? No, the tunnel was real. It spin so much... Or did she hit her head at the ministry? Was Voldemort dead? Is this a new world? It looks the same... Madam Pomfrey put me in my bed... A random stranger wouldn't do that. So she has to be my Madam Pomfrey! But then is Voldemort alive? Did she fail? Was it all a dream? No, the battle felt very real.
'CRUCIO!' Voldemort's voice rang in her head.
She shivered. Had she gone mad? Was she even at Hogwarts at all. Neville said his parents seemed to believe they were somewhere else. Was Haley at St. Mungo's dreaming about being in Hogwarts... Or was she actually mad and in alternate world... She could be anywhere doing anything right now...
Her thoughts getting confusing, Haley looked around the room for any differences to the world she knew. It looked correct right up until she checked her right side of the bed. Directly beside her there were two oversized stuffed chairs. Each containing a sleeping figure. The woman was curled up like a kitten while the man was slumped back as deep as he could go.
She immediately knew it was her parents. They looked like an older replica of the photos Hagrid gave her. Her photos!
Haley looked around and found the pouch that Luna gave her and her wand on the bedside table. She snatched them and held them close to her chest. She was in a new world right? Luna had actual given this to her. And she was in a world where her parents were alive. And snore.
Haley stood and crossed the room and looked out a window. It looked similar to her Hogwarts... but for someone that had as many adventures as she did she could spot several differences immediately.
First, the Whomping Willow that she and Ron crashed into and hid the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack was missing. Second, Hagrid's shack was completely different. It looked a lot more like a small house than a grubby shed and there were no exotic creatures in immediate sight. Oddly those two difference made the school seem a little less magical. Then she caught sight of the Quidditch pitch and it made the whole land feel a little more right.
Wherever she was there was a Quidditch pitch and that meant there was flying.
Haley danced gently across the hospital wing suddenly feeling happy with the development. She doesn't dance. What was going on with her?
Haley runs silently to the hospital's lavatory with practiced ease. She makes sure to close the door noiselessly before turning up the lights.
As soon as she looked in the mirror she almost broke her silent streak. She wanted to scream at the stranger in front of her. I was like someone someone stole her face and put it on someone else. Her hair was... green and red? Who did that? She quickly stripped after making sure the door was locked and inspected her body. It was mostly the same, add a few expected scars, but
there was a trail of marks on her left arm and neck... It looked like lightning... What with her and lightning? These marks... Her scar... Whatever the bloody hell that was with Voldemort... The vortex...
Haley shivered. She was starting to really not like the idea of thunder and lightning. The shivering didn't stop and since she was already stripped down have popped into the shower stall. She wanted to see if the marks washed off or if the colour faded from her hair.
