Sep couldn't understand what had happened. Something must have gone wrong. After he had left his dad to return to his home dimension, he had found himself in a small, dark room which was cramped with broken toys. The only thing recognizable was a school trunk at the foot of the bed he was sitting on. Where was he? It wasn't Hogwarts as it had been when he had left his dad. Speaking of his dad, where was his father?

The flapping of wings alerted Sep to an owl in the corner of the room. It was a beautiful creature, snowy white, the only color being that of her beak and claws. The owl was the only bright spot of the room, quite a contrast to the bedroom he had left behind.

Suddenly, the door bell rang. Non pulsed, Septimus walked slowly to the door of the room, wondering whether or not to answer it. The doorbell rang again, this time three times in succession. In the room next to his, a roar of anger sounded which was echoed by loud footsteps which seemed to shake the whole house.

Suddenly the door to the room he was in flew open, and a great whale of a man stood there in the doorway glaring at its occupant.

"Boy! What is the meaning of this? What do you mean by waking everyone in the house?"

"It wasn't me." Was all Septimus could think to say.

"Don't be insolent with me boy! You are not in any position to . . ."

"Leave the boy in peace, Mr. Dursley. The boy will no longer be staying here." Sep looked up to see a tall thin man come into the room.

"What do you mean he is leaving?"

"I mean, that you will no longer have the dubious pleasure of entertaining Mr. Potter in your home." The man sneered.

"Well, good riddance!" The man spluttered. "Where is he going?"

"With me." Sep looked down at the two trunks, (his own and the one that had been there before) and the owl. The thin man followed his gaze, a look of contempt in his eyes.

"Well, Potter. Grab one trunk and I will grab the other." Taking out his wand, he placed a levitating charm on his trunk while the man did the same with the other.

They had just started out the door to the house, when an owl fluttered over head, dropping a letter on Sep's head. The letter was addressed to one Harry Potter.

"Sir, who is Harry Potter?" Sep asked. The man seemed quite surprised.

"Is there no Harry Potter in your dimension?"

"No Sir. The Potters were killed in a freak accident just after I was born."

"Oh." Severus Snape had no earthly idea how to respond, so he sneered. "Harry Potter was the alias of your counterpart, just as it will now be yours."

"But, father! I am not a prankster or a bully, as dad would always tell me James Potter had been. I do not want to be known as a Potter! Plus, the name Harry doesn't fit me at all!" Snape fought to hide his smile as he apparated them to Hogsmeade.

"Septimus, welcome to Hogwarts." Before Sep, a tall, thin old man sat in the headmaster's office, his blue eyes assessing him merrily. He seemed pretty eccentric to Sep, with a long white beard, hair, which was tucked into his belt, and half-moon glasses.

"Thank you Sir. May I ask where Headmaster Riddle is?"

"Riddle?" The man gasped as Severus sneered at the name.

"Yes, or are you the Headmaster in this world, Sir?"

"Tom Riddle of this dimension is an evil dark Lord bent on the destruction of our world. My name is Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts."

Septimus nodded thoughtfully. "I figured it would be something like that. I mean, why else would my father not have been able to take care of me?"

"What are you insinuating?" Snape growled.

"Well, dad use to tell me about you. He said that you were quite noble and always opposed against someone named Tom. I figured that Septimus (my counterpart) was in that filthy room because it was otherwise too dangerous for him. Am I correct?"

"You are very perceptive." Professor Dumbledore said after a moment's pause.

"So, I assume that I will be staying in Hogwarts, seeing as it is too dangerous to stay with my father."

"You are correct. You will be able to stay in the Slytherin common room and get to know your father a little more." Sep wrinkled his nose.

"Slytherin? Is there any place else?"

Once again, the ever-present sneer came to the fore." Not another Gryffindor!"

"No, Sir. I am a Ravenclaw." The look on Severus' face could almost be described as one of relief.

Sep laughed. "I think we will get along just fine, you and I?" Albus smiled, eyes twinkling, while Severus rolled his eyes and Sep took up his trunks and headed toward the Ravenclaw tower.