"Maybe this world is another planet's Hell?"

- Aldous Huxley

Orphan

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"Are you trying to tell me I'm in some sort of alternate dimension? I could have just traveled back in time! I'm not in some other world! What in Merlin's name makes you say that?" yelled Albus angrily.

Dumbledore answered calmly.

"I say this because on Halloween 1981, Harry Potter was murdered by Lord Voldemort, and Ginny Weasley was murdered right before her second year during a Death Eater raid in Diagon Alley."

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Albus stared at the man his father had so admired. The very same man for who he was so named. No, his parents couldn't be dead. It wasn't possible.

"No, no you're wrong. I just saw my dad last week! He was alive as you are now! I, I -"

Albus sat down hard, staring into the sympathetic faces. He was suddenly angry, angry at their looks of pity, angry at his situation, angry that he couldn't just wake up. His parents were alive!

"Don't stare at me like that! My parents aren't dead! I'm just dreaming! I'm sure I'm just dreaming! I must have hit my head when I fell, or - or I've been cursed! Yeah, I must have been -"

He stopped. Tears were threatening to spill, but he swallowed them back. He was acting ridiculous, letting himself get so upset. It was a dream. I had to be. If it wasn't and he had just lost his parents, he wouldn't know what to do. It was all just a dream, or more likely a nightmare.

McGonnagal seemed a bit teary eyed herself, and she did something that surprised Albus greatly. She stood up from her chair and encompassed Albus into a hug. He didn't return it. He was still too much in shock, but he took comfort in the fact that this McGonnagal reminded him of the woman of his world.

She finally returned to her seat, much to Albus' secret relief, and transfigured a quill into a handkerchief, dabbing her eyes.

"You poor boy. Albus, is there anyway we could send him home to his family? He can't stay here. Not with the war," said McGonnagal.

Dumbledore nodded and held up the small red book. "If there is away, then this book will help. It is the collected findings of Nicholas' and mine's work. I shall see what I can do. But first we must determine what caused him to cross over."

McGonnagal leaned in towards Dumbledore, gesturing toward Albus. "But Albus, look at the boy! He just found out his parents are dead here! Certainly you can question him tomorrow about the events leading up to the crossing. He should go and see Madame Pomfrey!"

"You are right Minerva. Nothing will get done tonight."

Albus barely paid attention to the conversation. He was still reeling with the knowledge that his parents, for now, were essentially dead. Of course his parents were alive in his world, but here they weren't. They didn't exist anymore. He was an orphan, just like his dad was, but at least he still had his - A sudden thought aroused him from his stupor.

"James and Lily!"

Albus looked wildly at the two adults.

"They're dead too, aren't they?! My whole family is dead!"

Dumbledore and McGonnagal exchanged uneasy glances.

"Albus, you may have lost your parents, but James and Lily are still alive," said McGonnagal.

Albus shook his head in denial. She was wrong. Of course they were dead! If his parents had died at such young ages, there was not way in hell he'd still have his siblings.

"That's impossible. My parents, as you say, are dead. If they didn't live long enough to have me, what makes you say my brother and sister are alive?" asked Albus.

Hope flared to life within him. Maybe, by some miracle, his brother and sister had been sent here too. Maybe he wouldn't be alone. Maybe they'd have each other through this hell. Maybe -

But the look on Dumbledore and McGonnagal's face wasn't what he expected.

"James and Lily are your brother and sister?" asked Dumbledore, unsure.

Albus nodded, any hope he once held slipping away. "It's me, James, and Lily. James is the oldest and Lily is the youngest. They were named after my grandparents on my father's side."

An awkward silence followed. Finally, Albus decided to ask a question that was bugging him about what the headmistress, or rather, deputy headmistress had said earlier.

"Professor McGonnagal said James and Lily are still alive, but -"

Dumbledore held up his hand, interrupting him. "I'm afraid I may have misunderstood you earlier. Your brother and sister are not here. However, your grandfather and grandmother are. I apologize for the misunderstanding. I had no intention of letting you believe that your siblings might be here as well. I am sorry to get your hopes up."

Albus' mouth dropped, his brother and sister all but forgotten in his shock. His grandparents were here? They were alive? How? Why?

"They're alive?" asked Albus. His voice was nearly a whisper.

"I take it they are not in your dimension?" replied Dumbledore kindly.

Albus shook his head. "No. They died when my dad was just a baby. He never even knew them, let alone me."

McGonnagal sniffed loudly into her handkerchief.

"I can't believe they are dead in your world. Lily and James. . . you never even knew your own grandparents," she said.

"My grandparents are alive. My parents are dead. None of this is right. Sweet Merlin. I just want to go home," muttered Albus to himself.

"But Albus! What are we going to do with the boy? He can't stay here at Hogwarts! The students aren't even here anymore," exclaimed McGonnagal.

Albus snapped his head up. "What do you mean there aren't any students here? It's a bloody school for Merlin's sakes!"

McGonnagal scowled disapprovingly, her sadness forgotten in the face of rudeness. "Mr. Potter, please be so kind as to watch your language."

Albus had the decency to lightly blush at the reprimand. At least this McGonnagal reminded him of his.

Dumbledore stroked his beard. "This is a curious situation we have. We are in the middle of a war with Lord Voldemort, and although things have been at a standstill these past two months, I fear the reprieve shall not last. The school has been shut down by the Ministry. Our most esteemed Minister Fudge felt this necessary after the events of last year," said Dumbledore. He did not elaborate, but continued.

"It will take time to find a way to send you home, if we even can. Time is a rare commodity nowadays. We must find somewhere other than Hogwarts for you to stay. Your grandparents on both sides of your family are alive, however they do not know of your existence. The Weasleys will welcome you in with open arms, no doubt, but they have so many children there as it is. You may not receive the attention you need in your unique situation.

I think the best choice is to contact the Potters. They have no children, barring your father who is dead in this world. James works as an Auror, but Lily works with experimental charms. She'll be home with you. I think getting to know the grandson they never had the chance to meet will do them some good, as I am sure you would want the chance to know your grandparents. However, I leave it up for you to decide. You might feel more comfortable at the Weasleys."

Albus stared at his hands. It would be so easy to go to the Weasleys. He knew his Grandmum and Granddad. He knew his uncles. He knew the Burrow. It would almost be like being home again. But then Albus realized that going to his Weasley grandparents wasn't an option. He didn't want to be surrounded by people he knew and loved, people who wouldn't even know him. He never existed to the Weasleys. He would much rather stay with people he'd never met. It wouldn't hurt so much.

"I'd love to stay with the Potters, if they want me to that is," he amended.

Albus was tired. All he wanted to do was sleep. His body was sore, his head still ached, and his clothes still gave off a funny burnt smell. Maybe if he found a nice bed to crawl into, he'd wake up in the morning back where he was supposed to be. His exhaustion must have shown on his face.

"Albus," started McGonnagal kindly. It seemed she had a bit of trouble calling him this and not looking towards Dumbledore. "Let's get you to the Infirmary. You need to rest, and Madame Pomfrey still needs to check you over."

"I will try and contact James and Lily tonight. We'll sort everything out in the morning," said Dumbledore.

Albus nodded, standing up. He swayed on his feet a bit, but McGonnagal grasped him firmly under his elbow. He nodded his thanks to her, somewhat embarrassed by his display.

The walk to the Infirmary was a tense and silent affair, much like the walk to the Headmaster's office had been. Albus was limping slightly. He hadn't thought about it, but his ankle was must be sprained. He looked to the professor. She was holding out a candle in front of them, walking slightly ahead. The storm had darkened the sky, otherwise the sun would just be setting and the castle wouldn't be nearly so dark. It had been almost black when Albus had first come in. The torches on the wall were lit few and far between. It wasn't nearly this dark in the hallways when the students were here.

It sure was a long walk from the headmaster's office to the Infirmary. He probably wouldn't have given it a second thought if his ankle hadn't started to throb with such intensity. They had to double back once when the staircase moved while they were on it, making Albus that much more irritated.

When they finally made it to the double doors of the Hospital Wing, Albus was more than grateful to sit on the bed McGonnagal had gestured for him to take.

"Poppy must still be down at dinner. I'll just be a minute fetching her Mr. Potter. Until then, I expect you to stay on that bed and don't move," said McGonnagal sternly.

She disappeared out the door.

He sat alone on the bed, the dimly lit room's torches flickering and creating shadows on the wall. His mind drifted off to his family. Would they even know where he was? Would they think him kidnapped? Dead even?

And what about these grandparents of his? He'd never met them. He'd only heard stories about them, and even those were rare. His own dad didn't even seem to know all that much. Albus wondered if his dad's godfather was alive here too. Maybe even Teddy's dad and mum.

But would his grandparents even want to see him? They had lost their son to Voldemort fifteen years ago. Would they even want to see his face? It was true that he looked an awful lot like his father. He had the same messy black hair, and he'd been the only one of the three children to inherit his father's eye color. His facial structure was more his mother's, but there was no denying that the Potter genes were dominant. How would his grandparents react to a stranger who looked so much like their son?

He jumped when he heard a noise. It was the tapping of boots coming from outside the double doors. It must be the two witches coming back.

But the man who stepped through the door wasn't McGonnagal or Madame Pomfrey by any stretch of the imagination. The man was tall, had a large, hooked nose, with glittering black eyes and equally dark hair that looked stringy and dirty. His black robes billowed around his frame as he stalked, for lack of a better word, into the room. His eyes immediately latched onto Albus'. Albus felt a tiny bit of apprehension wiggle its way into his stomach.

The man pulled out his wand so fast, Albus would have missed it if he'd blinked.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" asked the man. His voice was low and dangerous, hissed between his teeth.

Albus had to forcefully stop himself from gulping. Who the hell was this man? He'd never seen him before. He just stared, wide eyed. What was he supposed to say? Was he even allowed to say his real name?

But before he could come up with something to say, a voice rang out from the door.

"Severus! Why in the world do you have your wand drawn on someone who is in obvious need of medical treatment!"

Albus' attention was drawn to the man at the door. He had shaggy dirty blond hair streaked with gray and amber colored eyes. And with a sudden jolt, Albus knew exactly who that man was. He'd seen him enough in pictures not to recognize him.

Remus Lupin was alive and standing right before him.

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