Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing I own.
A/n: Slightly confusing, with different POV's. But stick with it. Also, much thanks to the WONDERFUL Beth and (of course) Anne Walsh for helping me defeat the cursed writer's block. Here's Chapter 5, for your viewing pleasure.
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Deep in his lair, a snake sat tapping his fingers against his chair.
"You have served me well. Is Potter gone?"
"Yes, my master." The kneeling figure answered, his head bowed and his face hidden by a curtain of pale-blonde hair.
"Excellent." Voldemort hissed. "With Potter and his wretched family of animals gone our plans will run much smoother indeed."
Lucius Malfoy stood with a small, grim smile. "And my reward, Master?"
The smirk on Voldemort's face disappeared. "You are too presumptuous, Lucius." He said, dangerously quiet. A muscle twitched in Malfoy's throat as he struggled not to swallow nervously. Lucius tensed his muscles unconsciously; when the yellow light hit the pain was worse than ever.
"My master, I am sorry." He gasped when the spell was lifted.
"Yes, you are." Voldemort answered with the smallest hint of morbid amusement. "Severus Snape has your potion, Lucius. But you would do well to remember I reward no one unless I so deem them deserving!"
"Yes, my master. Of course, my master." Lucius bowed low and hurried out the door, but the Dark Lord's hissing laughter followed him.
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Ron Weasley, known to his Pride as Redwing, stared at his copy of Quidditch Through the Ages without really seeing it. Eventually he let his eyes drift closed.
Weeks, he thought angrily. It's been weeks since they went missing and still bloody nothing!
The day his life had broken apart had started out so normal. Clear, unclouded skies and a brisk, crisp wind. Perfect flying weather. Apparently the Pack thought so too. The eight of them had left Devon early in the morning, leaving Ron behind to play Quidditch with Ginny. Actually they had offered to take him with, but it had been so long since the Pack had spent time as a family that he had declined.
He had been walking towards the orchard with the remainder of the Pride, his broom slung over his shoulder, when he had felt his pendants go ice-cold. Fear had stilled his feet. He had heard Ginny's cry of anguish as her chilled as well, and could still recall with perfect clarity the looks of terror and horror on Luna and Neville's faces.
Ron shook his head and tried to wash away the memories with good ones. The Pride playing Quidditch, pulling pranks…
His thoughts began to lull him into a sense of calm. Until he was suddenly swamped with the memory of Ginny's white face when Harry had disappeared in the Maze. It was another time their pendants had gone cold and they couldn't fix it.
Sort of like now, he thought a tad drowsily as his pendants went cold. A beat, then What!
He pulled the bits of metal from beneath his shirt to see the lynx carving shining like a small nova.
Ginny!
Ron sprinted from his bed out the door, his feet pounding the steps. He had one thought on his mind: He had to get to Ginny.
He reached her landing just as she screamed. Her door was locked. He kicked it once, twice…It swung in just as a burst of bright red light sent him flying backwards. It was a shade of red not unlike when Harry activated a Gryffindor jewel. The last thing Ron saw before he passed out from hitting the wall was the ethereal form of a wolf standing over his sister.
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Neville Longbottom wasn't awake to feel his pendants go cold. If he had been in a regular sleep then perhaps the change of temperature would have woken him, but not this kind of sleep.
He had fallen asleep and woken up in Hogwarts, next to the lake. Well, not the real Hogwarts, of course. Here the sounds were clearer, the colors brighter, and it was perpetually good weather.
Or maybe this is the real Hogwarts, he pondered as he pulled himself up and waited for the other. And the one in the real world is just a copy of this one. Eventually he shrugged. No matter, that was a philosophical debate for another time.
He shoved all philosophical real-Hogwarts thoughts to the back of his mind to catch the person who always met him here in his arms and kiss her swiftly.
Meghan broke the kiss to lean back trustingly in his arms and smile at him, her gray eyes twinkling.
"You made it!" She said happily.
He kissed her again. "Of course I did." He said when they broke apart. After another few minutes of such greetings they settled down in front of the lake, watching the sun glint off the water and enjoying each others presence.
"How is everyone holding up?" He asked finally.
Meghan sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder. "About as well as can be expected." She answered.
"That bad, huh?" They both laughed.
A throat cleared itself nearby. They turned to see an older man with black hair and green eyes in green robes smiling grimly at them.
"Alex!" Meghan exclaimed in surprise. Normally the Founders and their children left Neville and Meghan alone when they visited each other like this.
"Yes, sorry about this." Alexander Slytherin said apologetically, as if he had read their minds. Which he very well might have. "But you're needed rather urgently."
Both teens got the distinct impression it was a bit more dangerous than just "urgently". They stood up immediately and Salazar Slytherin's good son snapped his fingers, transporting them instantly into the Great Hall.
Around a large pane of opaque air stood nine other people: three in red, four in blue, two in yellow. Alex, in his lone green, made ten.
"What's going on?" Neville asked briskly, moving to stand next to the man in yellow. Adam Hufflepuff, normally smiling, was grim.
"Something we weren't expecting."
"Obviously," Meghan quipped. Brenna Ravenclaw, one of the four women in blue, reached over to flick her ear in chastisement.
"Ginny Weasley is being pulled through the worlds." Sophia Ravenclaw said solemnly, her hand on the patch of air. It showed a wolf and a lynx running across a vast black plain with a red light at one side and a blue one at the other. They were running towards the red.
"That's great!" Meghan said. She looked at the Founder's faces and the smile left hers. "That's not great?" She asked Margaret Ravenclaw.
Margaret waved her hand back to the air, indicating she should take another look. While the wolf was getting stronger as they approached the red light, the lynx was tiring - it's steps faltering - it's breaths coming in raggedly - whimpering with each step -
Meghan gasped and looked up right into the eyes of her many, many times great-grandmother, Rowena Ravenclaw, from whom she was descended and from who she had inherited her natural Healing.
"Your magic kept your family relatively unharmed as you passed between the worlds." The great woman informed her great-granddaughter. "Without it's aid, Ginevra will die."
Meghan went white beneath her dark complexion. "I have to get back!"
She closed her eyes and started to go back to her body when a rough arm grabbed her.
"Wait!"
She re-opened her eyes to see Maura Gryffindor looking at her anxiously. "Wait a moment Meghan."
Meghan opened her mouth to protest and shut it instantly at one look from Godric Gryffindor. His son, Paul Gryffindor, snickered until Maura kicked him. Paul glared at his sister.
Helga Hufflepuff stood and walked over to Neville. She placed a gently glowing hand to his forehead and he felt imbued with solidarity. Rowena Ravenclaw was next, placing her hand to his forehead and he felt his living body shift. Godric's touch imbued him with power. Alex's gave him the knowledge of what he had to say.
"I wish to return with Meghan." He said, ignoring her gasp of equal parts confusion and delight. "So I speak, so I intend."
"And so let it be done." The Founders chorused.
Helga Hufflepuff placed a kiss on her many-times great-grandson's forehead. "Go with strength, Neville."
He opened his eyes to the Gryffindor Common Room and Meghan curled up beside him. Meg regarded him solemnly for a minute with big gray eyes before leaning forward to kiss him once, quickly. "Much easier then what we went through."
They helped each other up just in time to hear a familiar scream. Their eyes locked.
Get up there now! Alex shouted in their minds.
They didn't question him. They dashed up the stairs to the sixth year boys dorm together.
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"Stay right where you are!"
Reynard froze.
"Mr. Potter!" Shrilled Professor Flitwick, "Lower your wand at once!"
Reynard noticed Harry didn't even look at the diminutive professor.
"Professor, I have reason to believe that these two are under Glamours!" Harry told Flitwick.
Mentally, Reynard cursed; at length and in two different languages. He grabbed his twin's hand.
Looks like the cat's out of the bag.
To use a horrible metaphor concerning cats…yes. Neenie answered in kind. Do you have an idea?
Just one. He replied. And I won't like doing it.
Neenie searched his thoughts to see what he meant and winced openly. I know. But considering the options…
I know.
He was still fighting himself about doing it when his pendants went cold, dissolving his choices. Reynard lifted his eyes to lock with Harry's. Before the other boy could look away he thrust a powerful mental attack at Harry's barriers, helped by his twin.
It was powerful enough to make Harry stumble back and drop his wand. In that instant the twins were out the door and racing towards…where? Where was the danger?
Gryffindor Tower! A familiar voice said in their minds. They both stopped running in surprise.
Alex? Ray thought back at his only favorite Slytherin.
Aren't you not allowed to directly interfere? Neenie asked Alex.
This is an exception! GO! Alex's "voice" sounded exasperated.
They picked up the pace again, this time in the direction of Gryffindor Tower.
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Wolf was running. He was running with his mate back to his new den and all was good. He tipped his head back and howled in triumph. The wildcat beside him did not answer. He looked back. Why was his mate walking like her foot was in a trap?
Wolf whined and licked her face, urging her forwards. She followed, her purr rumbling in her throat. It was so close he could practically smell the Pack through the bright light.
His mate hissed and lay down, whimpering. He pressed his nose against her, pushing at her. She licked his snout but did not get up.
Why would she not get up?
New den bad? He thought. Old den better for mate?
He started to go back but another part answered: No, new den good. Pack at new den.
"Come." He said in animal language, which was crude but workable and used mostly body language. "New den, Pack. Come."
She nodded and stood. With much urging and encouragement they pressed forward, into the red light. Wolf howled again and didn't realize her answering yowl was not one of victory.
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Meghan was there the moment Ginny appeared in a burst of red light. The redhead was screaming and twitching, her nose was bleeding…
Meg hurried forward, feeling her Ravenclaw gift surge forward instinctively as she began to glow a steady blue. She place her hands on Ginny's head, cradling it, and began to Heal almost immediately.
Eventually her power began waning and dimming and Ginny still wasn't completely healed. Her glow began to fade. Neville rushed forward and placed a glowing hand on the back of her neck, steadying her even as he offered her his power.
The glow immediately brightened again as he added his own Hufflepuff power and Meghan began the slow but diligent work in convincing Ginny's body that it wasn't as hurt as all that…
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Harry stared in shock at the place the twins had been standing, a hand placed to his forehead as if that could stop the headache within.
"Harry?" Hermione asked worriedly as Professor Flitwick turned his back to them and tried to get his class back into some semblance of order.
Harry ignored her and Ron and Neville, instead stomping over to his bag and ripping out the Marauder's Map.
Those sodding pretending do-gooders! Trying to invade my mind! There are surely mistaken about that! I'll find out exactly where they're going and show them what I'm made of!
He placed his wand to the old parchment.
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good!" He hissed vehemently. The Map began to fill out immediately. His eyes searched for two figures moving faster than norm…There!
The map almost fell out of his hands.
What the…
The dots were labeled "Draco Black" and "Hermione Granger-Lupin". He tracked their progress up to Gryffindor Tower, where they met up with four dots labeled "Gertrude Granger-Lupin", "Remus Lupin", "Aletha Freeman-Black", and "Sirius Black".
The map began trembling. Harry refused to believe it was because his hands were shaking.
All six figures were heading up to the boys sixth year dorm, in which Harry could see four unmoving figures. "Meghan Black", "Neville Longbottom", "Ginny Weasley", and "Harry Potter".
The map fell from his hands entirely.
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Harry Potter, also known as Wolf (and more recently, James) shuddered into wakefulness with a desperate, strangled cry.
He could hear familiar footsteps and smell familiar smells. Remus and Danger, Meghan and Neville, the twins, Letha and…Ginny? But all that barely registered. He hurt more than he had before and something very primal in his mind was telling him to panic and so he struggled harder, crying out louder…
Strong, familiar arms wrapped around him in a comforting embrace.
"Shh, Greeneyes. It's all right." A familiarly deep voice soothed. "It's all right."
Harry relaxed instantly and leaned back trustingly into the embrace to pillow his head against the man's shirt, like he was a small child again, scared from a nightmare.
Harry let his mind relax and he slipped slowly into sanity-restoring rest. The noises around him blurred and stretched like water running down a drain. It was almost like riding a Portkey, except he was holding onto Padfoot and Padfoot wouldn't let him fall.
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When I wake up I'm going to find whoever thought it was a grand idea to send a herd of erumpents to trample me. And then I'm going to slowly and happily break every bone in their body.
And that's before I change forms and maul them.
Ginny Weasley had had better days. This was not one of them.
"Wake up." That voice was familiar. Whose was it?
"Wake up, Ginny." Um, no, thank you.
"I told you to wake up." I'm very aware of what you told me. I'm just not listening.
"Gin, wake up." Not going to happen.
"I won't tell you again." Leave me alone, Meghan.
Someone brushed their hand across her forehead. Considering the pounding headache she had it actually felt pretty good…until it didn't. Meghan's hand (she had finally connected face to voice) touched her temple and
BANG!
She remembered everything. She remembered the panic she and the rest of the Pride had felt when their pendants went cold. She remembered weeks filled with worry and angst. She remembered the pain as her pendants went white-hot against her chest. She remembered hitting the floor.
This is all my fault. I'm so stupid. How could I have done that? What did I do?
The presence filed her mind and her heart. With it came the sense of a fiery red and the warm, enveloping scents of cloves, cinnamon, and ginger. She knew it like she knew her own magic.
That, however, didn't sound like something Harry would say. But it was his voice and…it sounded like something Harry might think. She shot up with a strangled gasp and cracked her head against something hard, immediately laying her flat again.
There was a thump nearby. "OW!" Someone definitely not Meghan yelled. "Sodding hell, Ginny! The next time you're going to sit up dramatically check to make sure someone isn't there first!"
Ginny groaned and cracked an eye open. Sitting on the floor and frowning like a petulant child, his hand to his forehead, was Draco. And she'd never been so happy to see him, scar and witty temper and all.
"I think I just cracked my head open on your thick skull." She informed him bluntly.
"I think…you're right." He answered.
"No witty retort?" She remarked, her voice muffled as she turned and buried her face in the pillow. Wait…
Pillow? The last thing I remember was falling onto the floor at home. And Draco most certainly wasn't there…
"Where am I?"
"Hogwarts." Meghan said. Ginny felt a small, cool hand on her forehead and her aches and pains vanished almost instantly, including that twice-cursed headache.
"Oh. That's good. Why am I at Hogwarts?"
"That's a very good question." Meghan answered as she helped Ginny sit up. The redhead blinked at her surroundings. They were definitely in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing. And she would know.
"What's the last thing you remember, Ginny?" Hermione asked. Ginny blinked again. When had Neenie gotten there?
"My pendants heating up. Pain. Hitting the floor. And a good deal of bright red light."
"So, mostly a normal day?" Mr. Padfoot said and grinned as he swept aside the curtains surrounding her bed.
She nodded. "Mostly. Anybody want to inform me of what's going on or am I going to have to work it out on my own?"
"Would you rather you worked it out on your own?" Hermione asked instead of answering, planting herself on Ginny's bed.
"It's never been my strong suit, no. What does that have to do with my question?"
"I just think it'd be more believable if you worked it out for yourself." Hermione answered.
"Neenie," Draco said slowly, still rubbing his forehead. "This situation is about as believable as someone writing novel-length stories about the Pack."
"Pretty 'un' then."
Draco scowled and threw a pillow at Neenie, which she ducked and stuck out her tongue.
Mrs. Letha poked her head around her husband to see Ginny up. "Good, you're awake. Have they told you what's going on?"
"They were dancing around it." Ginny answered.
"We're in a parallel universe, Lynx. There are copies of us running around here but their lives haven't been the same. Simple translation: Same genetic makeup, but most of us are gits." Draco said. Ginny took a moment to absorb that before nodding.
"Well, you're a git in this universe." Neenie told her twin conversationally. "I rather like my counterpart."
When her back was turned Draco mimed two people raising their hands at the same time and he rolled his eyes. Ginny laughed.
"I saw that!" Hermione said testily, stalking over to smack Draco upside the head before she walked down the ward again.
"You're fine," Mrs. Letha declared a moment later. She had been standing behind Ginny's bed the whole time, doing diagnostic spells. "You can even walk around if you feel like it." She dropped her eyelid quickly in a subtle wink and made a hand gesture towards another bed hidden by curtains. Then she too walked down to the other end of the ward, taking Draco with her.
Oh, we're dead. We're dead. We survived but we're dead!
Ginny's heart leapt to her throat. Quoting American Muggle movies, love?
Ten seconds of full mental silence. You could have heard the metaphorical pin drop. Then, in a mind-voice decidedly small than normal:
Ginny?
No, the other person who can talk in your mind.
Oh, Alex. I knew you'd stop by for a chat. Oh wait, you're just that girl I love. Never mind. Harry's words were flippant; his emotions were anything but. He was practically flooding her with joy and amazement. How is this possible?
A little fox told me I'm in an alternate universe.
A sudden influx of guilt and sadness from his end. I'm sorry. I dragged you into this mess.
Better to be dragged by you than dragged by Lord-He's-Ugly.
By dragging you into this, I practically am Voldemort.
We had a talk about you saying things like that. Do you remember it?
She got the sudden impression of a wry smile. Vividly. It involved quite a bit of yelling and you smacked me with a rolled up paper, repeatedly.
All the better to get my message across. Now where are you?
She pushed the blanket off her legs and swung them around, leaping lightly off the bed. True to Mrs. Letha's word, she felt as close to fine as someone stranded in an alternate universe could be. Which was not very, but it was there. There was a swish of curtains and the bed next to her was revealed.
On it sat her very apologetic mate. His green eyes were pleasantly swirled with the same brown she saw in the mirror. They looked at each other for a very long moment, then he lifted his bandaged right hand and gave a little wave.
She closed the distance in an instant, bringing his face down to hers. They broke apart a little over a full minute later, and only because they had discovered humans needed oxygen to survive. Wrapped up in his arms with her face nuzzled against his shoulder, she honestly didn't care whether she was in an alternate universe or not.
"I suppose this is a case of 'Don't look a gift Hippogriff in the mouth', huh?" He asked softly after a moment.
She nodded, then lifted her head to kiss him again.
I missed you. She said across their new-found link, her mouth being currently occupied.
I kind of got that impression, yes.
They broke apart again and he grinned at her, resting his forehead against hers. "Missed you too, love."
From behind the curtain there was a crash of a breaking bowl, a splash of what sounded like water, and a very annoyed yowl. Harry parted the curtains with one hand to see Neenie in calico-form, dripping wet and Draco laughing hysterically. Madame Pomfrey looked apologetic.
Ginny pillowed her face against his chest and let herself laugh hysterically for a few moments.
"Happy to amuse you." Hermione said acidly when she was human and dry again. "But I think you have a lot of explaining to do."
Ginny looked at the people in front of her. The four adults: Remus, Danger, Sirius, and Letha, had found each other a year after that fateful Halloween. Remus and Danger had fallen in love and gotten married, and together with Sirius' lost love Aletha, they had set Sirius free. Then they had taken the two-year-old Harry and the same-age Hermione and had hidden from the world.
Sirius and Letha had gotten married and had Meghan. Their home had been invaded, they had been captured and brought to the home of Lucius Malfoy. Instead of him separating them Narcissa Malfoy had risen up against her husband and turned both her and him into the Aurors before poisoning herself.
Draco Malfoy had become the Boy-Who-Disappeared. He also became Draco Black, and was raised in a loving family as Harry Potter and Meghan Black's brother and Hermione Granger-Lupin's twin.
Ginny loved hearing that story. But right now was not the time for reminiscing, so she shook herself out of it.
"I suppose you're right. I do I have a lot of explaining to do. But so do you." She said.
"Yes," answered the quiet voice of Albus Dumbledore from the doorway. Everyone turned to look, even Ginny still in Harry's arms. "Unfortunately, you do."
Behind him were the absolutely livid forms of Harry and the rest of his friends.
Dumbledore's eyes weren't twinkling as he looked at them in a silent apology. "Yes, you do."
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A/n: Dun dun DUN! The plot thickens at last...Well, I'm going to post this before I pass out. However, if you're reading this, I assume I've already done so. This chapter goes out to everyone who's visited the chatroom lately, 'cause that place rocks my socks.