The Provisional Laws of Acquired Behavior or Learning

Authors Note: Welcome to The Provisional Anti-Verse. I mistook Cam the Creepy AF Cat in the UK Sonic comics as a male for the longest time, and there are no dead female death eaters yet I also said no OC's in this fic.. soooooo…

Disclaimer: I don't at this time own any published work of Sega or JK Rowling, if I did I'd gut the current Sonic fandom and only allow literate people to contribute cutting the fandom back by 90% and improving the quality by the same percentage.

?December 25th 1991 / June 25th 1991?

?Hogwarts School / Hogwarts Castle?

?Earth / Terra?

It was a moment frozen in time as both figures simply tried to comprehend what they were seeing, ever so slowly differences started to make themselves clear. While Maurice had spiky blue hair, wore blue jeans and a Ravenclaw blue jumper the other wore a black leather jacket, prescription sunglasses and what was clearly a Hufflepuff yellow neckerchief. Other differences were far more blatant such as the Other Maurice's hair leaning a shade more towards green than blue on the colour wheel.
The other Maurice matched Maurice's step for step as they circled each other slowing to a stop.
"Who are you?"
The Other Maurice smirked darkly "If you are who I think you are then you really aren't from around here"
"Who are you?" Maurice repeated now more warily.
Other Maurice gave a dramatic parody of a bow "Our birth names are Harry James Potter, though here?" Other Maurice grinned unsettlingly never once taking his unblinking eyes off Maurice as he straightened from his bow "Everyone calls me Scourge"
Ice crept went up Maurice's spine, this was familiar yet at the same time, very off-script "Everyone calls me Maurice"
"Misleading name that, Mines better"
It took a fraction of a second for the alarmed Maurice to dodge the instantly formed glowing shiv of magic Scourge tried to decapitate him with.
The now panicked Maurice attempted to force his breathing to remain calm even as Scourge matched his speed and occasionally lunged.
It wasn't so much the homicidal copy's attack that was making him panic but the fact that no matter how hard he thought about it he could not remember why this situation was familiar, as if Maurice had a colossal gap in his memories.
Taking in his surroundings Maurice studied the area where he'd ended up in from his first accidental jaunt across what his memories now rapidly fading, told him was an extra-dimensional superhighway known as the Cosmic Interstate. The evidence was clear by looking around at the nearby superstructure a different Hogwarts from the one he knew, from first glance it was obvious that this one did not serve as a school but purely as a defensive fortress glass windows replaced by murder holes and the barrels of ominous weaponry peeping out, even the lake had traces of this showing in barely visible Czech hedgehog defenses just at the waterline.
With Scourge bearing down on him in the hot summer sun Maurice could not concentrate enough to get back home as the rapid change in temperature had thrown him off and caused him to slowly overheat in the balmy weather, the obvious solution was to lose the homicidal doppelganger on his metaphorical tail. Scourge yelled incoherently in rage, unable to follow as Maurice daringly swerved away and ran full pelt into the Forbidden Forest.
As Maurice had mentioned earlier in the year he made it a point not to run through forests because of the dangers of tripping and injuring himself, so it was with resigned bitterness that after managing an admirable distance of several miles into the forest that Maurice's vision slipped into darkness after skidding on leaf litter and crashing into a tree.

A figure emerged from the forest and examined the unconscious bluenet, nodding to himself and with a flick of a wand levitated the unconscious dimensional traveler behind them and vanishing into the trees before Scourge could follow.

Maurice woke in existential terror gripping the corner of the bed, unceremoniously puking over the edge the now forgotten gap in his memories causing a horrible migraine.
"Easy there child" Maurice didn't have the energy to move but felt his terror slowly fade as the unidentified figure gently rubbed his back holding his hair out of the way. He wasn't completely calm after confronting his murderous uncanny valley doppelganger as demonstrated by the rattling of the surroundings and his own trembling.
The figure spoke again patiently and soothingly "You must remain calm and contain your emotions, child" "Who are you and Where am I?"
"Simply a humble Doctor and Healer who lives in these quiet woods, My name is Gellert" forcing himself to calm down Maurice looked to his rescuer, an old man who looked to be about 80 with white-streaked light blond hair and striking blue eyes.
"That's better" Gellert commented as Maurice lost some of his agitation "That little monster really gave you the runaround, didn't he"
Seeing Maurice's confused expression Gellert sighed "Harry or Scourge as he calls himself wasn't always as mad as you saw him, though admittedly today he set a new record."
"How did he turn out like that?" Maurice really wanted to know why the other him had gone bugnuts, for some reason it felt out of character though Maurice had no way of explaining his feelings on the matter.
Gellert grimaced "It's been coming a long time really ever since the 1916 Magic Revolution that sparked it all."
"What happened?"
Gellert vanished the sick and sat in a chair near the bed clearing his throat "Ready yourself for a history lesson then. On the one year anniversary of Minister of Magic Archer Evermonde's refusal to join the Great War, Henry Potter a seer much like myself, challenged the then Minster to a wizarding duel, won and forcibly seized power. The statue of secrecy was repealed that day and the war ended less than a month later.
Henry Potter declared himself the defender of the peace, a role which since then has been inherited by each passing generation of Potters, In peacetime that role has become more ceremonial than practical until James Potter who in grief after his wife's death began the crusade for beings rights at the expense of his only son, who as far as I can see was emotionally neglected. Naturally, as the child aged he saw his fathers job at fault, at the age of 8 he gained the incredible power through unknown means. At the age of eleven, the boy killed his father and has been terrorizing the world ever since."
Maurice blinked even more confused "He's an eleven-year-old child how did he manage that and not get stopped?"
Gellert sighed "To keep the peace the Potter family devised a charm called the Fidelius to erase mankind's entire knowledgebase of warfare, it was Henry Potters sons who found a way to amplify the spell to godlike levels, alas poor Arcus and Livius, wands and all, were reduced to ash in the aftermath of the casting with only Henry Potter remembering the secret to pass on to his grandchildren and so the entire world simply forgot how to fight."
Maurice took a moment to digest that magic could do something like that on such a scale, suddenly feeling very small.
Gellert continued "Despite his age Scourge is the first and most deadly Dark Lord in hundreds of years simply because he's the only one who knows the secret and therefore knows how to fight." Here Gellert paused thinking of something before adding "well.. him and his chosen lieutenants"
Maurice had heard of the fidelius charm during one of his many history tutoring sessions with Susan, learning of an enchantment that concealed a metaphysical concept gave him a headache, just thinking about it.
Gellert paused gazing sharply into blue eyes "I understand that such a concept must shock you, coming from another world as you did"
Maurice met Gellert's gaze suspiciously "And just how did you know that?"
Gellert pointed towards an odd looking Hookah-Skull object on a table nearby "I have the gift of the sight, and with appropriate amplification tools my visions are the clearest in all the world. I foresaw your coming."
Maurice couldn't help but be skeptical "The how come you didn't see Scourge?"
Gellert's expression betrayed no change "I didn't see because I had no reason to look, this world was at peace. I spent my time looking at other more advanced worlds in an effort to find cures for diseases and illnesses that hadn't been invented here yet"
Maurice tilted his head in though pursing his lips, that was actually quite brilliant "So what now?"
"If you return home without encountering Scourge there is a high likely hood that he will be deposed of in the next two years, The Centaurs and I have prepared a long runway through the forest hidden by the canopy as long as reach the prior speed that allowed you to enter this world you should be able to return seamlessly."
Maurice met Gellert's gaze questioningly "Are you sure you don't want any help?"
Gellert rapidly shook his head in the negative rapidly "No, thank you, If you help then Scourge will certainly follow you to your Earth and things will get worse for the both of our worlds by an unimaginable margin"
Maurice blinked hiding his confusion and showing a little bit of irritation "Okay? Any tips"
Gellert paused thoughtfully "You and your friends are doing well but learning to use all your natural abilities to a greater degree would not go amiss and when the lake's mirror roars yellow, rapid downward duck and the light of the moon forms an array" Gellert shook his head and rapidly blinked as if to clear water from his eyes.
For Maurice, after the day he'd had? There was only one thing to say to that really "Do you write fortune cookies as a side job?"
Gellert rolled his eyes "Yet the sass. I did not foresee"

The long path in the canopied forest was not in a straight line and neither was daylight visible from beneath the trees, that hazard was more than made up for by the glimmering fairy lights illuminating the path, the track itself was a wide looping trail looping through the forest and quite possibly around the mountains to avoid sharp turns and allow for maximum acceleration. Still, for all of Gellert's talk of the effort it took to design such a thing Maurice saw no centaurs in the forest as they walked to the starting point. Taking one glance back at the old man Maurice swallowed his questions, there was shallow grief in the man's eyes and Maurice wondered if the wildlife of the forest had perished here like in his own world. Taking a breath and gathering his nerves Maurice nodded his thanks to the old man and took off, a first lap to become familiar with the route before really pouring on the power. This time keeping his eyes open as he crossed the barrier Maurice yelped as another flash of energy still nearly blinded him and his body was assaulted by a wall of cold air.

December 26th, 1991
05:00 am Earth, Unknown Location
Skidding to a stop and opening his eyes Maurice blinked in confusion 'This isn't Hogwarts? Where the heck am I?'

Another Unknown Location, The Long Corridor
Augustus Rookwood and Operative Bull walked together down the long corridor named so because of its long semi-spiral and confusing layout, the corridor was enchanted to take the user to where they were meant to be doors appearing as required, the runes making it so carved into the walls then hidden by a thin layer of sheet iron preventing any quick alterations to the runic defenses by intruders.
"Rookwood I have some concerns.." Spoke Operative Bull clad in a form-fitting thick grey jumpsuit
Similarly clad were it not for the white lab coat thrown tidily on top with greased back hair Augustus Rookwood strode confidently forward. As they walked Rookwood mentally adjusting the Corridors enchantments lengthening the distance to their destination and thus the privacy to talk to his subordinate who looked a step away from wringing his hands in anxiety "What about, Operative Bull?"
Sure enough, Bull's eyes were darting about nervously though keeping is tone professional and even, and again Rookwood mentally patted himself on the back for inventing a way to see through obscuring charms. After all, people were so much more expressive when they thought no one could see them, they involuntarily gave so much away "The new boss and when it comes to concerns you were always less…"
"-Wrathful than our former leader when anyone questioned him?" Rookwood finished dryly.
Bull nodded shamefaced, Lord Voldemort had started out well but when it got out from a few deserters that he would throw out the pain curses for the slightest infraction a lot of his supporters opted to become silent financial supporters. Much like himself though Cat hadn't been so lucky being marked before the man's fall.
Rookwood laughed an expression of supreme amusement on his pock-marked face "Come now! Those days are behind us. Our new leader appreciates us and encourages us all to do our best without handing out pain curses when we fallible wizard occasionally fail"
"But this operation is so much bigger, the consequences of even a single failure-"
Rookwood rolled his eyes in disgust under his glamour charm designed to show whatever expression he desired truly an invention of necessity, Rookwood wasn't ashamed to admit he had a horrible poker face.
"-I just can't help feel that we're in over our heads"
Rookwood patted the operative encouragingly on the shoulder inwardly sneering at the Operative "Don't be, there may be many cogs in the machine but my master did not get to this stage by being ill-prepared and even if one of the cogs is taken out of the equation there are replacements, redundancies and back up plans in place. Though I must admit magical oaths and no easily identifiable tattoos make me feel a whole lot more secure this time around." Rookwood chuckled at his last sentence personably, Bull nodded in agreement at that, yet…
"You still have something to ask me?"
Bull nodded "Cat and I were talking and we'd like to be re-designated to development, we don't feel that we're being properly utilized in our current roles"
Rookwood nodded ponderingly wondering if they actually had any beyond the traditional foppish pureblood entitlements most purebloods seemed to possess "Okay, reasons?"
"My previous value was in my ministry connections but with Bones in charge that path is barred to me, however, I am at just below mastery level in Runes and if Cat weren't a supposedly dead death eater she'd have taken her Enchanting mastery ten years ago and she's only gotten better since then"
Rookwood nodded actually quite surprised but then again most people couldn't afford the entry to the masters examinations, that may be a thing to look into though the master would be wrought with him if they were using valuable soldiers as disposable fodder "Good reasons I'll see what I can do, How did Jugson's gender reassignment go anyway? I can't imagine changing oneself that drastically to escape a Master Aurors scrying and tracking charms to have been an easy feat, mentally at least."
Bull shrugged "it happened years ago so it was easier than you think actually, I don't think she ever felt right before, she's happier too, her name is Cam now."
"Good on her" acknowledged Rookwood "Ah! Here we are"
"I didn't expect the boss to throw us a party"
"The master knows Morale is important, what better way than good food and great entertainment. So relax, because while tomorrow we get back to work, this night is ours"
"Welcome to our revelry" the doors whispered swinging outward.
"Oh wow" Breathed Bull.
The Mirror room was fully lit up showing its cavernous size for the first time, the mirrors were all aglow no longer showing individual faces but full of starlight. The floor had gained a plush red carpet and Operatives and researchers milled around the many tables packed to the brim with foods of all kinds and nationality their faces obscured by charms.
"Well no time like the present"
That snapped bull out of his awe pretty quickly and squeaked "Wait!? What?! Now!?"
Rookwood gripped Bull by the elbow guiding the terrified Operative to the center of the room and towards his master.
Eyes once a stunning blue now shone a solid pitiless red with blackened sclera, his figure once stooped with age and the neglect of isolation was now once again strong resembling the wizard as he had been back in his prime.
"I am glad you could join us for this celebration Augustus this is an auspicious night indeed" declared the very much free Gellert Grindelwald.