Author's Note: Hi you guys! I'm so excited for this chapter because this time I will have multiple perspectives. Although the chapter will be from Cannon Harry's perspective, I will also include some other perspectives too. I haven't done this in a while because if it isn't done carefully switching perspectives can cause confusion. Who's up for James's perspective?
Also, this chapter just sort of ran away from me. Actually, the whole story got away from me. It was originally supposed to be a one-shot. Here we are, three chapters and no sign of ending. "
From the first chapter (the one from canon Harry's perspective):
"I went to sleep in my bed and woke up in his. We must have switched places."
"What about me?" asked Sirius' counter-part.
"The veil. Maybe it has something to do with the magic of the veil that I lead me here. Eventually we'll leave and he'll come back. So what now?" Sirius asked.
"I don't know. I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Harry hoped that they'd have to wait a while. A world where his parents were alive, Voldemort didn't exist, and he never watched Cedric or his godfather die. Who'd want to leave paradise?"
In Your Dreams Part 3: Dreaming (Canon Harry's Point Of View)
Seven days had passed and still there was no way for him to get back. Sirius pointed out that muggles probably wouldn't have the means to send them back, so they'd just have t trust Dumbledore.
Harry would have been absolutely mortified if anyone knew how much he really wished to stay. He was aware of his duty to defeat the dark lord and that would be forced to return to privet drive until he was seventeen, but who would want to go back to place where he was only wanted because of a destiny that he didn't want? Despite his personal feelings on the subject he knew that he had to go back-Ron and Hermione would be worried and his parents would want their real son back. Every once in while he would overhear a whispered conversation about their Harry, and although they hid it well, they were deeply concerned for their son. Once, in the middle of the night, he heard his mother cry.
He could tell that Sirius felt the same way as Harry. He had never seen Sirius look as happy as he was during the conversation they were currently having with his Dad, Mum, and Remus. The other Sirius had to leave because he had been called into work early. James and Lily had taken the next two weeks in order to help their guests acclimate to their new world, and Remus worked weird hours, so they were both able to keep Harry and Sirius company, something that immensely pleased both of the dimension travelers.
"So you're telling me that your son has never once gotten a detention? That's hard to believe considering your detention record…" Sirius laughed.
James smiled. "Not exactly, he's gotten into trouble once or twice for being disruptive, but all of those incidents were because of arguments he got into defending his friends. His punishments were all pretty mild, even his detentions. There were no lines or anything. He just had to do his homework in silence for an hour or so. Lily and I had to act appropriately angry, but we were proud that he stood up for his friends. He never really cared much for pranking his classmates like we did."
Suddenly Sirius' face fell. "So he's not like you at all then."
For a moment James looked confused, but then he just looked at his wife with pride clearly written across his face. "He's more like his mother, and thank god for that! I don't think that I could handle a miniature replica of me. Being a parent is terrifying enough without having to worry about what kind of trouble your children are getting into! But you know, he does resemble me a little. He's got my charm, good looks, and athleticism. I'm proud of him, we both are!"
Lily's narrowed her eyes and shot Sirius a look so cold it could have belonged on Snape's face. "What was with that look Sirius Black? Were you so disappointed that my son was more like me? You can't just decide that you want your child to be a certain way and then be disappointed when they fail to meet your expectations! Children are their own people; they shouldn't be expected to be carbon copies of their parents! He may resemble me, but Harry had his own talents and is far more clever and well rounded than James and I were at his age!" Lily reproached.
Sirius looked ashamed of himself and couldn't make eye contact with anyone at the table after that.
Remus attempted to tactfully change the topic in order to avoid the conversation becoming more awkward than it already was. It was clear to him that their guests had issues to discuss later and they didn't need an audience. "Tell us more about yourself Harry. We know that you've been in some, erm, difficult situations, but we want to know more about Harry the teenage boy, not Harry the hero, which, by the way, we need to have a conversation about later," he said sternly.
Harry fumbled for words. He was used to avoiding talking about himself, not the other way around. "Well, erm…I play Quiddich."
"Quidditch?" Lily asked, puzzled. "What is Quidditch? Is that some kind of sport?"
"Yeah. It's a wizarding sport played on brooms. Each team has seven people. There are two beaters, three chasers, one keeper, and one seeker. You win points by getting balls past the other team through their hoops and by catching the golden snitch-that's a little golden ball with wings. That's my job." He wasn't sure how to explain it, but he didn't want to mention that the balls attack you. From what he understood about good parents he knew they'd over react.
"Harry's the youngest seeker in a century!" Sirius said with pride. Harry blushed at Sirius' pride in his accomplishments. Nobody had ever shown that kind of pride in him before. Before he got to Hogwarts he was punished for his accomplishments by the Dursleys because he had outshined Dudley. In Hogwarts he really did try to keep his head down, so the only things that got noticed tend to involve life or death experiences.
James didn't know what a seeker or a snitch was, but he was still proud. "Really? That's my boy! But Harry, flying around on brooms…do have any protection? Like seatbelts, or helmets, something to protect you from the impact of falling?"
Harry's Sirius just stared at James.
"What? I'm a dad, I have to ask. I can't just leave the safety to mom can I? I can be responsible and indisputably awesome at the same time!" He examined Sirius for a moment, taking in his appearance and his comments so far. He looked tired. There was no other way to describe it. He looked like he had been to hell and back, because he had. Yet, somehow his actions and comments still reminded him of Sirius in his twenties.
"There are different protective items for each position."
"What do seekers get?"
"Well…seekers rely on speed the most so…"
"What kind of school sport team doesn't give players who fly however many feet in the air with no protective gear!" Lily huffed.
"We're wizards! Potions and spells can mend broken bones. Besides, we're bit more durable than muggles." Sirius pointed out.
"That does not make it okay!"Lily said emphatically.
"So… um…I'm also really okay at defense against the dark arts," Harry said in an attempt to change the subject.
"What does that involve? Hexes? Curses? Excessive amounts of dried garlic?" James joked.
Harry shifted uncomfortably in his chair, suddenly realizing how ridiculous it must have sounded to a room full of muggles. "Yeah, actually, it does. It also talks about dark creatures like werewolves and vampires, defensive spells, counter curses, stuff like that. I'm not really sure why I'm good at it-it just comes naturally to me. I'm absolutely rubbish at divination and potions, and I'm passable at charms and transfiguration, but defense is probably my best subject."
"Our Harry is a good student too and his worst subject was chemistry. I suppose you didn't inherit your mother's talent in that field in either dimension." Harry loved hearing little tidbits about his parents. He never knew that his mother was good at potions. He briefly wondered how she'd do in Snape's class.
"Chemistry is a bit like potions." Harry said for Sirius' sake.
James nodded and laughed. "So I see neither of you inherited your mother's talent. I was pretty mediocre at it. My best class was Gym, naturally, although English was my best subject."
Lily and her Sirius and Remus broke out in howling laughter. "That was because he thought that being able to quote literature would make him more attractive to the girls in our class."
"Hey, it worked didn't it?" He said indignantly.
"If you'll recall it didn't work with me." Lily pointed out.
"But my dear, you always had a weak spot for my charm-you were just too stubborn to admit it."
"What about your Harry?" The moment he said it he regretted it because he saw a brief flicker of pain on their faces, although they tried to hide it. He knew because James' mannerisms weren't that different from his own. Instantly guilt wormed it's way into his stomach. "Sorry," he said, eyes down cast.
"What for? He'll be back I'm sure. We may not be able to do much on our end, but if we're right," James leaned over and put his hand on Harry's shoulder, "he's with people who can help him. Until then we have you! To answer your question, yes he is, but not to impress girls. He's always enjoyed fiction especially, and with Hermione Granger as his best friend it's really no surprise. He's also good at sports, so I guess you could say that he took after me that way, but he's also good at some of the same things your mother is. For instance, our Harry is good at gardening and is much better than staying out of trouble than I ever was."
A picture was slowly beginning to form of what this alternate version of himself was like in a world without magic. "It's weird; we're alike, but so different..." By different, Harry meant normal, although he wasn't going to tell them that.
Remus gave Harry and Sirius a sad smile. "You're from a different world, were raised by different people, go to school to learn magic, and have had to face things that no child should ever have to face. It's hardly surprising that you are two different people. But you know, you're not as different as you think."
"I know, I just never thought that there'd be version of myself living a normal life."
"I never knew you felt that way." Sirius murmered.
"I didn't mean it like that, it's just that, well, after being raised as a muggle waking up one day to find out that you're a wizard normal goes out the window. I'm not even normal for a wizard-I'm okay with that, really I am."
Lily got up and hugged him. "Why on Earth would you think you're not normal?"
"This." Harry lifted up his bangs to reveal his lightning bolt scar. "I'm the boy who lived, the chosen one…I am not normal."
All three of the adults native to this dimension suddenly looked very angry at Sirius. "We need to talk." James and Lily stood up nearly the same time and led Sirius into the kitchen.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
James' Perspective
It was difficult confronting Sirius like this, but he needed to be strong. He had his orphaned son from an alternate dimension sitting in their living room, and he suspected that the boy was more fragile than he appeared. Their alternate versions had put a lot of faith in Sirius to raise their boy right, but circumstances prevented it. Even so, he still seemed to have a dangerous mindset where Harry was concerned and it needed to be fixed before it blew up in their face. So we led him to the kitchen for an extremely awkward but necessary conversation.
Sirius took his seat looking a bit like a boy who been called into the room to be scolded by his parents. Lily glared at him harshly and hissed, "Explain yourself Sirius Black!"
"About what?"
"We need to talk about your relationship with Harry." James managed to speak before Lily. He hoped that it would give her time to think before she said anything she'd regret soon after.
"What about it?
"It needs to be fixed. We've noticed that you tend to compare Harry to us an awful lot, and don't think we haven't noticed the way you seem disappointed when he does something that doesn't remind you of us. You don't seem overly concerned for his safety-it's almost as if you view Harry as an adult instead of a teenager." James reprimanded him.
He sounded shocked and offended. "I never thought I'd hear you say that….He's fifteen now and he's already been targeted by the dark lord. Ignorance-"
James sighed in frustration. Sirus just didn't seem to be getting it."He's fifteen, of course he should be ignorant of the world! Fifteen year olds should be worrying about sports and friends not fighting monsters and Dark Lords! I don't care that your world is different, he's still a kid. He not the adult-you are!" By the time he was finished working James' voice began to rise against his will.
"But James-"
Lily spoke hesitantly, trying not upset him more than necessary. A conversation like the one they were having at the moment would make anyone defensive, especially someone with Sirius' temper. "I wonder if this prison of yours has taken a toll on you. You don't act like our Sirius," Lily said gently. Upon taking a look at him her anger melted away. "Sirius, I'm not saying that you're a bad godfather, but you've had limited life experience. You were locked in prison for however many years, and then you were in hiding while our Sirius was working and forming adult relationships. In a way you still act a bit like a teenager. We've been wondering…" Neither of them wanted to say it. They knew exactly how he'd react, and it really did sound awful. They still had to ask because it was worth angering their friend to protect their son. "We've been wondering…if your grief for your friends affects the way you see Harry. He looks very similar to James, if a bit skinnier…"
Sirius was indignant. "I have never thought that Harry was James! I may have spent twelve years in Azkaban but I'm not mad yet! But…" His eyes glazed over in way that told James that he was lost in his own memories for a moment. "I've tried to be a good godfather, but I'm failed you twice now."
"How?" James was puzzled at this.
"I chased after that-that-bastard Pettigrew instead of taking him and got myself thrown into Azkaban, and then I got myself shoved in the veil, which by the way, nobody has ever returned from. I could only partially be there for him when even I wasn't proclaimed dead because I was a wanted criminal."
Sirius was never a particularly affectionate person, so James resisted his impulse to hug him, forcing him to instead to put a hand on his shoulder and stare him in the eyes.
"Look at me Sirius. Neither of those things were your fault. You were in shock and grieving when they died. You couldn't have been expected to be rational after something like that! The veil wasn't your fault either-from what Harry's told me you were trying to protect him. You did the right thing by coming to protect him.
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPH
Meanwhile in the Living Room…
Harry was left alone with Professor Lupin. "So Harry, tell me about school"
"Erm…what do you want to know?"
"Tell me about your friends, your teachers, how much trouble you get into…I can't begin to imagine how much trouble that school must have when they put large population of adolescents with access to magic in a single building and leave them fairly unsupervised."
"It's school I guess. We get homework and write essays. My least favorite professor is Snape. He doesn't like me because I remind him Dad or something, and I can't blame him."
"Harry, no matter what kind of relationship he had with your father there is no excuse for him to take out his feelings on a student."
The truth was that Harry couldn't blame him. How could he be expected to forgive the people who tormented him at every opportunity. Even Dudley wasn't that bad because he rarely ganged up on Harry and his humiliation was rarely public. "But Professor Lupin-"
"I take it I'm one of your professors then? You've called me that more than once. If I really am one of your professors then listen to me-no adult has a right to treat a child unfairly because of their relationships with other people."
Harry's expression grew dark. He looked Lupin in the eyes almost confrontationally. "Dad and Sirius bullied him. I saw a memory of it and it was awful! They dangled him upside down by his ankles and humiliated him in public. Sirius even tried to feed him to you while you had turned into a werewolf. Dad saved him because he realized that Sirius had gone too. When I talked to you and Sirius about it you brushed it off. You said that everyone does stupid things when they're teenagers..." there was a moments silence before Harry spoke again. "Were you and Dad like that here?"
"As teenagers your Father, Sirius and I did some things that we are not proud of, but we grew up and learned from our mistakes. It sounds like your Sirius never got that chance to grow up. What they did was not okay no matter what dimension it happened in, but neither is the way that Professor Snape has been treating you. Do you understand?"
What the professor said made sense. He had never before considered the possibility that Sirius had never really had a chance to grow up. "Yes Professor, I think I understand."
Harry's parents and Sirius walked back into the room. Sirius walked in with his head hung down low, as if he had been chastised. What exactly had they talked to him about? As soon as he noticed Harry's curious expression Sirius' expression changed. They all sat down as if nothing had happened.
Mum got up and started looking at the pantry. "What would you like for dinner Harry and Sirius? Your father and Sirius tease me about my cooking, but I promise that nearly everything I make is fairly edible. That cottage pie I made last night wasn't too bad, right?"
A smile lit up Harry's face without him realizing it. "I'm sure anything is fine I'm not really a picky eater." Just as long as he got to taste his mother's cooking he'd be fine with whatever. He could have served him mud pie made from actual mud and he'd have eaten it because his Mum made it. Besides, years of the Dursley's leftovers meant that he was just grateful for the food.
"How about stew? I know our Harry's always been partial-" Suddenly a loud POP! Echoed the room.
Harry and Sirius automatically turned around and pointed their wands in the direction of the noise. It sounded like someone had apparated into the room. Instead of a person, it was a letter.
Harry,
I hope that you are well and that your travels have not been too strenuous. I have had the good fortune to make acquaintance with your counterpart. If my suspicions are right, then you are at his home with his parents. If am indeed correct, you have been given a very rare opportunity. Right now the old crowd is busy researching a way to bring back to your rightful homes. This letter is our attempt to experiment. If this letter has reached you, please write a response and send it to us by flicking twice, swishing thrice, and flicking twice again saying using the spell transeant per saecula.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
PS: I desire a pair of thick woolen socks for Christmas
"Why'd he say that he wants a pair of socks?" Lily wondered.
Harry couldn't resist the urge to smile. He hadn't realized how much he had missed his world. Why would he? Things were nearly perfect. It was his childhood fantasy. "He's proving that this really did come from Albus Dumbledore." The first time he had he had been told this he was eleven and was enraptured by the Mirror of ERISED. It was the first time he had been able to see what his parents looked like and he had never wanted the moment to end.
Sirius just laughed. "He's always been a little eccentric."
"I guess I should write back to him. Do you have a pen and some paper?" James fetched a little notebook and a pen from the kitchen counter.
Harry clicked the pen and started writing.
"Where's the Ink?"
"It's inside the pen." Harry explained absent mindedly as he tried to figure out just what to say.
Dear Professor Dumbledore,
Right now I'm with Mum, Dad, and Professor Lupin. Sirius is here too! By Sirius I mean our Sirius. He says that the veil leads to alternate universes. In this world Mum and Dad are muggles, and magic doesn't exist. Although we can do magic, it takes a bit more effort.
So don't worry about us. Voldemort doesn't exist here either, so we're safe.
Sincerely,
Harry Potter
Honestly, Harry didn't think that he'd have the magic to send it without his wand. In class he was never especially gifted at charms-the only subject he showed any promise in was defense against the dark arts. He still had to try. He remembered something that Professor Flitwick once said in class. He said that magic was less about wand movements and more about intent and pointed his wand at the parchment and IIIkskskkkkkkskkjsdkkfjjjjj That's why when wizards want to put more power behind a spell they sometimes shout it. With as much force as he could muster Harry yelled, "Transeant per saecula!"With a POP! The parchment disappeared. Immediately afterward Harry collapsed. He couldn't believe that he did it! He opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly he felt wobbly. felt. Dealing with physical stress was something that Harry was usually good at, but it was obvious that he had pushed himself too far.
"What did that spell do to my son!" James questioned vehemently.
Sirius held up his hands in surrender. "Harry's going to be fine. Magic is a part of a wizard, and it needs to be stretched and exercised like a muscle. If you overexert yourself you'll get an injury. Magic works the same way. Accessing our magic here is challenging, and Harry hasn't completed his magical training, so he must have over exerted himself when he cast the spell."
While Harry was still asleep another letter appeared.
This one was addressed to the Potters.
Dear Mum and Dad,
I'm okay, but everything is strange here. We must be in parallel worlds, only in this one magic is real. Magic is extraordinary, but I take back everything I told you when I was little about wishing I had magic. The counterparts in this world have suffered so much because of magic. Your counterparts are dead. Up until we received the other me's letter they thought Sirius was Dead. Remus goes through a terrible transformation every month that not only causes him extreme pain, but has the potential to cause harm to others. Neville's parents are in the hospital because of dark magic.
Up until now I've been staying with the Weasley family. Apparently Ron Weasley is one of his best friends. They've been really kind to me, although Mr. Weasley is a bit odd. He keeps questioning me about the function of muggle (that's non-magical) objects. The stay shouldn't be much longer now that we know the spell works. I miss you!
-Harry.
Lily turned to Sirius and handed him a sheet of paper and a ballpoint pen. If you can manage without injuring yourself, could you please send a letter for us?" She tried hard to suppress the building desperation.
Dear Harry,
Your Father, Remus, Sirius, and I miss you so much! We love your counterpart too, but he's not you. We think you would like him. He's a good kid, and he's so brave! He's been through so much and is still hanging on.
According to the Sirius from the parallel world, Harry was magically drained and is currently unconscious. Sirius promised to send this instead.
Come back safely!
Love,
Mum
James took over the pen and added PS: Your mum decided to hog the pen so I get the post script. She really misses you, you know, and so do I. Please be safe, use your head, and listen to the Weasleys and Remus. They know more about their world than you do and will now how to keep you safe. Remember, no matter how tempting it may be, do not forget that you are not in one of your fantasy novels.
Love,
Dad.
With a pop! It was gone, and so the message to their child. Sirius looked down right exhausted., but otherwise alright. "I don't know how I managed that without a wand, but I don't think I'll be able to manage that again.
As parents, it was a massive relief to be able to communicate with their son. James knew that they couldn't ask Sirius to send a message again unless it was an emergency. They had been wrong to do it even once.
James turned his attention to the sleeping boy. How were they ever going to be able to send the boys back to their respective homes? It wasn't that they exactly wanted send Harry back. He had been through too much already and he needed his parents. Since his parents were dead, they wanted to stand in. But, in the end he knew that their feelings wouldn't matter. Harry's friends and school were in the other world. That was the only place that could help Harry with his magic. What really worried James was whether or not they could get their Harry back. Harry was safer here anyway, but the idea of his Harry being alone in another world was terrifying. It sending something as light as a letter was so difficult than he could only imagine how difficult it would be to send a live human being to another dimension.
Harry's eyes fluttered open.
"What happened?" He mumbled. Before he could even blink four adults surrounded where he was laying on the couch. Sirius bent down to eye level, "Magical exhaustion Harry. You overexerted yourself when you cast that spell. You'll probably feel a bit sick for a little while. With a bit of rest you should feel better."
"You scared us there kiddo," James ruffled Harry's hair.
"Don't ever do that to us again!" Lily admonished.
"You really did give us a fright. I thought that they were actually going to hurt Sirius."
Harry blinked questioningly. "Why would they hurt Sirius?"
"We had no idea what that spell was going to do to you. They were only displacing their feelings onto him. Your parents love you, so when you collapsed they were worried about you." He wasn't used to that level of concern. Occasionally Mrs. Weasley fretted over him, but generally she treated him exactly like who was-her son's best friend. It was a little flattering and embarrassing.
"So what now Prof-Remus."
"Well, we'll have to-" Pop! Another message appeared. "I was going to say that we'll have to wait to see what they'll say, but if appears that we won't have to wait."
Harry Potter,
Enjoy your time with your mudblood mother and blood traitor father while it lasts.
There was no signature, but it didn't need one. Harry and Sirius stared at the letter in mutual horror.
James put his hand on Harry's shoulder and gravely looked him in the eye. "Tell me the truth, who was that from?"
"Voldemort," Harry and Sirius said at the same time. How could he have found them in an alternate universe? Unless…no…it wasn't possible. Why would Voldemort send him into an alternate universe?
"Sirius, do you think that Voldemort is the one who sent me here?"
Sirius looked up from the letter to answer his godson. After considering the question he replied, "It's possible. Voldemort is one of the most powerful wizards in the world. He's second only to Dumbledore, you know, which means that he might be capable of something like this. Since you didn't fall through the veil I believe that it's the most plausible explanation."
Harry abruptly stood up. "I need to leave. I'm putting everyone in danger! If I stay he'll fine me through my thoughts and he'll hurt you all."
"Harry James Potter, you'll do no such thing!" Lily scolded. "You are a sixteen year old boy and you are going nowhere. We will figure this out together!"
Harry was torn. He didn't want to leave, but he had no desire to see his mother die twice. "No! We can't stay here! I won't let you die for me again! Nobody else is going to die because of me. I grew up as a muggle, so I'll be fine. I'll just get a job and find a cheap hotel room to stay in until I get back home."
It struck James that Harry was more fragile than he looked. There was no denying that he was strong too, but he had suffered so much that it was a miracle that he was able to pull himself together. The boy had already lost one set of parents, so he could not begin to imagine how painful the thought of losing both of them must have been for Harry. "You're staying here. Sirius is a full grown wizard and I am a police officer. I am fully capable of defending myself."
"But you don't understand-"
"I know that this Voldemort person must be very powerful, but we are not alone. Have a little faith, hmm?" James ruffed Harry's already untameable locks and then smiled. "Now, I think it's time that I taught you how to play basketball."
Three hours later both James and Harry were covered in sweat and Remus was watching the two in amusement. Harry was a natural, just like his Harry. It only took him a few moments to learn the basics and then he was good to go. The kid was fast, and his reflexes were impressive. He hadn't seen James that worn out after a game in a very long time.
Sirius patted Harry on the back. "That's my godson-a natural when it comes to sports. I don't know much about this game, but you made it look almost as fun as Quiddich."
Harry was beaming even as he panted." I had forgotten how fun muggle sports can be. I still prefer flying, but it was fun!"
James ruffled Harry's hair, and then made a face as he wiped them in his shorts. "But your mother would not, so if we did have a magic broomstick, your mother would never allow you within twelve feet of it. I wouldn't be too keen on it either."
"You were the one who gave convinced her to let Harry use his first broom. When he was one I bought him a toy broom that flew a few feet from the ground. Harry loved it! Lily was terrified, but you somehow convinced her that it was alright."
He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively. "I can guess how I convinced her…"
Lily smacked her husband's arm. "James Potter, not in front of the child! Go take a cold shower or something. And you," she pointed at the teenager, "You should probably take a shower to. You're both filthy!"
Harry had just finished getting dressed when an enormous Pop! Vibrated throughout the room. Professors Dumbledore, Flitwick, Snape, McGonagall, and Lupin, were all there, so was his other self. It was eery seeing a mirror image of himself staring back at him in the flesh. The other Harry was slightly taller and more muscular, but it was unmistakably him. The way that his parents lit up at the sight of their son was proof of that.
Lily ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him. "Harry! Harry,don't ever do that to us again! You scared us half to death!" She scolded.
Harry pushed away."Mom, I'm fine. It was actually kind of fun. Besides, it's not like I was in real danger with-"
Lily put her hands on hips scolded her son. Harry had never seen her so angry before-the experience was frightening. In a way she reminded him of Molly Weasley when Ron or the twins did something particularly dangerous or stupid. "Not in danger? You were alone in an alternate universe where dangerous wizards are out to kill you! You could have died! You could-"
James put a hand on her shoulder and she stopped. "At lease you're safe now. That's all that matters isn't it?"
James hugged his only son. "I'm glad you're home. You had a worried sick you know." Then he leaned over and whispered in his ear in a low tone that harry couldn't hear.
The other Harry nodded and walked towards Harry and held out a hand. "I, Erm, guess there's no need for introductions."
What exactly are you supposed to say to another version of yourself? Harry wondered. "Erm, yeah. It's nice to meet...you-erm, me?" It was decidedly the most awkward moment of Harry's life.
Dumbledore smiled sadly. "Lily my dear, you look lovely as ever. James, it is good to see that you are well. And Sirius…" Suddenly Dumbledore looked different somehow. He looked old-older than usual. He looked tired. "I am truly sorry for not guessing what had happened to you. It seems that I have failed you twice."
"Who are you?" Remus eyed the old man suspiciously.
"I am Albus Dumbledore, and I desire a pair of thick, woolen socks for Christmas," he said for Harry's benefit.
"I am Minerva McGonagall Mr. Lupin, and I am the transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts. I am also his head of House and your former head of house."
"Filius Flitwick, how splendid it is to meet you, simply splendid. Lily was one of my best students."
It was Lupin's turn to step up but he froze when he saw Sirius. "And I'm Remus, but I guess you already knew that. It's so nice to see all of you again." He sounded tired, but a grin lit up his face. It was not an expression that he had ever seen on Lupin before, but seeing it made Harry smile too. For one brief moment, Lupin had his family back. "I'm glad you're alright." He embraced his best friend since childhood, "And I'm sorry for what I said."
"For what?" Sirius asked, puzzled.
Lupin wouldn't meet Sirius' eyes. "The day before you fell through the veil we got into an argument. You wanted to sneak out headquarters in order to see Harry. You said that you didn't trust Snape and you didn't want to leave him alone at the castle in case he did something. I wouldn't let you. I said that you were being irresponsible and told you that you were setting a bad example for harry. I told you to grow up."
Sirius wouldn't meet his eyes either. "You don't need to be sorry. You were only trying to protect Harry, and as usual, you were right. Don't get too cocky or anything." He warned.
Harry's parents leaned towards Harry and whispered, "What are they talking about?"
Harry shrugged. "I dunno. I know that Sirius believes that Professor Snape isn't really on our side, and that Sirius hated being cooped up in headquarters, but he didn't have a choice. If he left he could've been caught and arrested by the ministry. I wasn't there for the argument, so I don't know the details."
Their discussion was interrupted by Snape."If you are done with the dramatics I believe that we have more important business to attend to than the Potter family reunion."
"You must be Severus Snape." James held out his hand.
Snape sneered disdainfully. "I see your mental faculties are still present even as a muggle. Yes, I am Severus Snape, Potions master and Professor at Hogwarts." Snape did not take his hand, so James lowered it.
Lily tried to smile at the man, but it turned into more of a grimace."It's nice to get a chance to meet another one of Harry's teachers."
Snape didn't seem to know how to react, so he settled for a scoff. It was almost laughable-he had never see Snape look so close to losing his composure. Lily Potter looked insulted, but chose to say nothing. She knew that throwing around harsh words with this man would not help Harry's case.
"Why are you here Snape?"
"I believe you meant to address him as sir or professor." James Potter scolded his son.
"We have reason to believe that the Dark Lord has learned of your location. Although you know how very fond I am of you Mr. Potter, even I cannot simply allow the Dark Lord to destroy two worlds. The spell required to bring your alternate self here and return you is strenuous. Perhaps you feeble brain is incapable of comprehending the complexity of such a spell."
"I'll have you know that I did cast that spell on the letter, and I succeeded."
"Yes, you did indeed succeed if you consider losing consciousness a success."
Sirius was spitting nail by this point. "You listen here Snivelous, Harry managed to achieve what most fully grown wizards will never be able to achieve in their entire lives. How dare you insult my Godson!"
"Boys, will you two please shut up already? You're not twelve years old anymore, so stop acting like it!"
"Now, can you please explain to us exactly why it was necessary to bring so many of you?"
"Mrs. Potter-"
"Remus, it's Lily to you. I've known some version of you for most of my life." She corrected.
He gave a sad smile, "Alright Lily. We are here because we want to be able to defend you if the Dark Lord tries to attack you again."
"Again?" She asked, puzzled.
"He attacked our Potter family. We would like to be able to protect you in case something similar happens to you…and Sirius and I couldn't say no to the chance to see you and James."
"Oh, my poor Remy!" She cried and embraced her friend.
"It's always good to see you mate." James smiled.
"I see you've been holding up well without me Moony."
"I'm a werewolf, I'm good at coping."
"You'd have to be with that sorry mug Remus. You've always had a face that only a mother could love Remus, sorry Remus. You got the brains, I've got the looks, and Sirius got the girls." James teased.
"Actually, he's lying to compensate for the fact that Remus is better dressed than he is." Sirius said as he walked in. "I'm assuming you're Harry's…well you know, his professors."
Remus was speechless when he took a good look at his alternate self and Sirius. He looked at least ten years younger than himself and was well dressed in muggle clothes. Both were fairly well off, even if he wasn't necessarily rich.
"That' right, although I'm not technically a professor anymore."
A loud crack echoed in the room. "What a touching reunion. The Potters and their dear friends are together again!"
The cold voice sent a chill up his spine. He had nightmares about that voice nearly every night. Voldemort was there at last.
Author's Note:
Hi everyone! It's nice to be writing from Canon Harry's perspective again. I like being able to write James, Lily, and Sirius again!
I had no idea how long this chapter was going to be. This is much longer than my usual chapters but I just couldn't stop writing until I hit a satisfactory end for it. The next chapter is going to get pretty intense because Voldemort finally arrives, and he's entirely too pleased with himself. Anyway, I hope you're having as much fun reading this as I am writing this.
Sincerely,
ForeverLily