A/N: I'm BAAAACK! So to answer the question of where this story has been, here's your answer: in a damaged computer. Long story short, the computer Chapter 7 was on got damaged with the chapter about 80 percent of the way done. It took much longer than I wanted, but I have finally recovered the document and I think the chapter has turned out pretty well, given the length of time it took to add the final part.
Good news is I've moved future chapters to my other, more functional computer and things should be running more smoothly from now on. Also, the actual crossover portion of this story begins in Chapter 10, so we're almost there! But chapters 8 and 9 definitely have some cool moments and set the stage, as the last few lines of this chapter hopefully show. Enjoy!
Chapter 7: The Trans-dimensional Travel Potion
Lily Evans Snape was standing just outside a café in London proper, anxiously waiting for her husband to arrive. They had met for lunch many times over the years, but this certainly felt different.
Something had really felt off about the way this situation with Rookwood had gone. If he had been a plant for Lord Voldemort, then his actions may be in some way related to a greater plan from the Death Eaters. If anyone might have knowledge about contingency plans in the ranks of the Death Eaters, it would be her Severus Snape.
She had known for years that her husband had been reliving his life, and that during his first life he had been part of Voldemort's ranks. It wasn't until her (or rather, the Lily Evans of that universe's) life was put into danger that Snape made a move back toward Professor Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix.
It was certainly a sore subject for Severus. She knew that much. But given the way things had gone, it seemed to be an important point to check his knowledge of this situation. After all, his prior knowledge had prevented the deaths of countless members of the Order during the war, and if there was any chance that the Ministry could get a jump on a Death Eater plot, it could save countless more.
Finally, the time had come, and Severus came through the door of a nearby pub. A non-magical relative of a muggleborn ran the pub and received payment to allow wizards to use his office to Floo into town so that they wouldn't draw attention to themselves on arrival. He crossed the street and the two gladly embraced each other.
"Hello, Lily," Severus said after they concluded their greeting with a kiss.
"Hi Sev. Should we head in?"
"Absolutely. I'm sure St. Mungo's will need me back as soon as possible."
"Same for me and the Ministry."
The two were seated and they ordered sandwiches and coffee. As they waited, they began talking, though Lily was sure how to broach her topic. Thankfully, she had a few moments as Severus had things to say.
"So, your sister and her new husband made an appearance today at my work."
"Really?" Lily asked. "Nothing was wrong, right?"
"No, no. They were just making sure they weren't needed for anything more than the desserts for Evan's birthday. And so Sirius could brag about their recent honeymoon."
"Oh that reminds me! I have to call in to Mum and see how Evan is doing. I completely forgot to do so before heading out of the Ministry!"
Snape chuckled. "Honestly, Lily, you don't need to maintain a hawk-like watch on the boy even when at work. I think your mother can handle things. After all, she's babysat him for months."
"I know. It's just that I like to be in the loop."
Severus recognized that his wife seemed a little distracted. Given how perceptive she always was at measuring his mood, he was glad to know he was finally catching up to her intuition.
"Come to think of it, you almost never get distracted when it comes to Evan. Anything going on at work? That you're at liberty to discuss, of course."
Lily sighed. "Not that I'm at liberty to discuss, but nonetheless I think it's important I ask you about it anyway."
"Ask me? About what?"
Before she could answer, their food was brought over. Knowing they were short for time, the two took a few bites before continuing the conversation.
"So before we were interrupted, what were you going to say?" Severus asked just before taking another bite.
"I was going to say," Lily looked both ways, first to ensure no one was listening, and second to swallow the remnants of her most recent bite, "that one of our Unspeakables was uncovered as a member of the Death Eaters."
Snape looked up. "Rookwood, right?"
"I figured you'd know about him."
"I had completely forgotten he'd still be out. He was captured on testimony… the first time I went through the war… so I guess it hadn't occurred to me he wouldn't have been caught just yet. He didn't make any trouble for you, did he?"
"No, he had been completely fine, though he largely kept to his own circle. But the reason I'm bringing this up is because there was a break-in last night that only he could have caused. He used confounding and memory charms to subdue the guards, and then went into… I don't know if you know the room."
"I know of most of them thanks to Dumbledore. Was it the Hall of Prophesies?"
"No. The Death Chamber."
"Where the Veil that separates the living and dead realm is? What was he doing there?"
Lily shrugged. "No one knows. There was no further evidence, so my department assumes he went through. I was wondering if you knew of any contingency plans the Death Eaters might have had in case You-Know-Who ever was defeated. Because no one knows why he went in and it makes no sense for him to charm the guards if he wasn't doing something underhanded."
"There wasn't one. Once they thought the war was over, they tried to assimilate back into normal life and hoped no one would give them away in testimony. What does the Ministry think?"
"The word I'm hearing is that they think Rookwood may have thought he might be able to drag You-Know-Who out of the Veil and bring him back. They figure he knew he would be caught soon and tried it as a last-ditch effort."
Severus mulled this over in his head for a little while. As they were nearly finished eating, he said, "I can see how that idea has merit, but as an Unspeakable, he would have to know that it wouldn't work. And in my old life Rookwood didn't do something reckless like that.
Severus breathed. "I think there's no doubt he was acting on someone's command, but I can't imagine what his idea was. It may have been something the Voldemort of this world came up with, but I don't know what he could have been planning."
Lily looked at him with a weathered look on her face. "I figured you may say something like that, but I had to be sure. The higher-ups are keeping this between each other, though everyone already knows the Aurors' story about Rookwood doing this to avoid getting caught is far-fetched. I'm sure they're farther ahead than we are, but right now everyone is nervous about what might have happened and want answers."
"As do I now, Lily," Severus motioned for the check, "but there isn't much we can do until we're done with work. I'll see if I can come up with anything."
After paying the check, the two went to the fireplace in the pub to Floo back to work.
"I'll see you after work, Sev," Lily said kissing him on the cheek.
"Yes. Hopefully I'll have an idea as to what Rookwood's ideas were."
"Either way, we'll deal with what comes together." And with that, Lily used the Floo powder to return to the Ministry. Severus followed and went back to work himself.
Harry soon found himself being helped up by Ron and Hermione, who were with the first wave of wizards who came across the graveyard.
"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione quickly asked.
"And forgive me if I'm wrong, but was that… You-Know-Who?" Ron tacked on afterward.
"I'm fine," Harry replied, "and as for your question Ron, well…"
"Harry! I'm glad you're safe. When Miss Granger sent a Patronus to me saying to come to the grave site at Godric's Hollow, I wasn't sure what to expect. It's a good thing your group all kept their coins and had them at the ready like I asked," Kingsley said, visibly sweating and clearly trying to not say what everyone in the group was afraid to.
"I know what you want to ask, Kingsley." Harry looked to the wizards who had now all arrived around him. "I know what all of you want to ask, and the answer is… I don't know if that was Voldemort, but it certainly was as strong as him, looked like him and talked exactly like him."
"So then, he is back," Hermione said, the color draining slightly from her face. It was clear that no one wanted another fight with the Dark Lord.
"The thing is, if it was him, there was something very different about him. Something didn't quite feel right when I was fighting him."
"Is there a way to feel right when you're fighting an ultra-powerful dark wizard?" Ron retorted.
"What I mean is, he seemed to be a lot more aggressive, but his plans seemed to be foiled rather easily. He didn't send more than the few Death Eaters we saw even though he should have known I could contact the D.A. And he didn't cause any reaction to my scar."
"Maybe that's because of your last fight with him," Kingsley suggested.
"Besides, it could just be that he didn't see the D.A. as much of a threat," Ginny offered.
"But even then, he'd know if the D.A. knew, that the Ministry would follow soon after. And then… there was the memory…"
"What memory?" Kingsley asked.
"That's the thing. I don't know what it was. It was a memory that could have never happened, and yet when I countered Voldemort's legilimency, it was a major memory on his mind."
"And it couldn't have been a false memory? I've read that some who practice occlumency know how to create false memories that appear quite real," Hermione said.
"No, believe me, it was far too real and I got into his head far to quickly for it to be at the ready. Besides, why would he create a memory clearly too different for me to be fooled by it, and then be angry I saw it?"
After a brief pause, Kingsley said, "I need to hear exactly what was in this memory, but I'd like another perspective on this. Harry, let's meet in 20 minutes at Hogwarts in the Office of the Headmistress. I'd like to see if the portrait of Professor Dumbledore might have any ideas about Voldemort's motives."
"If it's OK, sir, I'd like my friends to listen in as well. That way I don't have to go through this multiple times."
"That's fine, but keep the group small. I don't want to crowd McGonagall's office." And with that Kingsley apparated away.
Harry looked to everyone. "Thank you all for coming when I needed you. I owe you all for saving my life there."
He moved toward Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Neville and Luna. "Would you five come with me? I'd like to hear your thoughts on this as well."
The five agreed, and as everyone dispersed from Godric's Hollow, the six all apparated to Hogsmeade.
A few minutes later, they had gone through Aberforth's secret passage and were inside Hogwarts. Once they met up with Kingsley, who had already called ahead to McGonagall, they all went up past the gargoyles and into the office to speak.
There wasn't much in the way of conversation, as most everyone was still in shock over what they saw. Harry in particular was not in a mood to talk until everyone was present, as he did not want to have to go through this twice.
When everyone was present, Professor McGonagall finally said, "All right now, Kingsley, why did you need to come on such short notice?"
"I was hoping we might be able to seek counsel from Dumbledore. Would you be able to help us?"
Dumbledore's painting stirred and said, "I will do what I can. As you know, I am not able to offer the full spectrum of knowledge my living self would be able to. But I spent decades putting trying to put as much of my memory and mind as I could into this painting."
Harry moved forward and took a deep breath. "Well, sir, the thing is… I think Lord Voldemort may have returned."
The painting's eyebrows furrowed a little, but there wasn't much else of a reaction. By contrast, the other paintings suddenly began stirring. The conversation had taken an interesting turn.
"And what makes you think that, Harry?"
"Well, we all just fought him and his followers at the graveyard in Godric's Hollow." Dumbledore seemed to pull himself back a little like he was about to go into serious thought and his eyes had widened. "But sir, something wasn't right about him. I went into his mind during the fight, and something wasn't right about his memories."
It looked like Dumbledore had something he wanted to say, but he opted against saying anything, instead motioning for Harry to continue. Harry proceeded to tell him what happened when he went into Voldemort's mind.
As he spoke, Dumbledore and the others listened intently. Finally, Harry finished his story of the encounter. "What do you think it means, sir?"
Dumbledore was silent for quite some time before finally responding. "First, I must agree with you, Harry, that there is no way Voldemort would create a memory like that. It simply doesn't make sense with any plans I could think of. But if that memory is real, then what you have told me may indicate that the person you met was not the Voldemort you know."
"With respect, Professor Dumbledore," Hermione began, "but if the person we ran into in the graveyard is not Voldemort, then who could it be?"
"Could it have just been a boggart?" Ron asked. "I mean I think we all still fear him, at least a little, and he was dealing with Harry the whole time…"
"But it wouldn't explain how he had such vivid memories," Neville pointed out.
"Is there any way that it was another Death Eater using Polyjuice Potion?" Ginny asked. "He could have just changed his memories to replace his body with You-Know-Who."
"An interesting idea, Miss Weasley, but two problems arise with it," Dumbledore said. "The facts are that the memory is an attack on Lily Potter that could have never occurred. And, from the memory, it would seem that the person died during that attack. Their survival would depend on the existence of a horcrux, and I doubt any Death Eater was privy to that information.
"I have news both good and bad. The good news is that I think I have an idea as to what happened," Dumbledore paused before continuing. "The bad is that my idea may be more terrifying than Voldemort simply surviving the battle with Harry."
"I don't like the sound of that," Ron's face actually started to drain of color. He wasn't the only one.
"Sadly, it may be the case. In my lifetime of studies, I have read about some of the strangest cases of magic in the history of the world. Some of the most fascinating, however, have been people who have claimed to be… well, for lack of a better way to put it, reliving their lives."
The room had gone so silent a pin dropping would have echoed. Dumbledore continued.
"I hope you understand that such occurrences are rare, and it's even rarer to find them documented in text form. Many cases are only known through rumor and word of mouth. Regardless, I found one book describing such a circumstance."
"I've never come across a book like that," Hermione said.
"As well you wouldn't have. The book was not mine and was originally in a collection of books near Edinburgh that had been purchased by Beauxbatons school in France. Over the years, I maintained relationships with the other wizarding schools of Europe and I asked to see some of their British texts on a visit to their campus, but that's beside the point.
"My reason for telling you the story is to tell you the story of Milton MacDonough."
"Who?" Neville asked almost instinctively.
"I've heard the name before," Luna said. "Daddy had talked a lot about the Tale of the Three Brothers when I was younger, and there was a time when he thought that name may have a connection to proving the story to be true."
"Not much need for that now," Ron retorted.
"Indeed, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said, "but while the guess was not correct, I believe there was good reason for Mr. Lovegood to think so. Mr. Lovegood was an accomplished traveler and the legend of Milton MacDonough is still known by a few families, albeit with vastly different accounts.
"You see, MacDonough was a friend of the original founders of Hogwarts, Salazar Slytherin especially, and was fairly well-to-do, but most considered him to be quite mad. He claimed to a few of his close friends – the Hogwarts founders among them – that he had been a hateful person who had died trying to stop a fight between muggles and a family of wizards whose wands he had stolen. I'm afraid I don't know many of the details, as they were vague, but MacDonough claimed that he had been sent back to re-live his life from the age of 29 onward."
"Professor, if I may, that sounds incredibly far-fetched, even for the wizarding world," Hermione said.
"I have to agree, sir. That seems like something that would come up more often," Harry added.
"It has, but very few have ever laid claim to such a thing, and it comes along so little that most are declared mad. But the few that have had vivid memories of things that had happened in the past," Dumbledore finished.
"So you think that this Voldemort is re-living his life? Here?" Neville became very uncomfortable at saying it out loud.
"I'm afraid I can't say for sure, but that is what I can guess based on the information my living self provided me."
"Then why did Luna's father think he had something to do with the Deathly Hallows?" Harry asked.
"The legend has morphed quite a bit over time. Some now say the legend is that he was killed in a fight and used the Hallows to restore himself."
"Is there any way we can just send him back?" Kingsley, who had been listening intently, asked.
"Not that I know of, but one part of the writings in France did say that MacDonough worked with the founders to try to return him so that he could make proper amends to those he had wronged. Perhaps their personal notes could be of some assistance."
Everyone sat in silence for a moment now that so much information had passed between them. The situation laid out before them seemed impossible, but at the same time, it was the most plausible explanation to what had happened today. Eventually, Harry spoke up.
"Well, if Slytherin was a close friend, I suppose we should try his ancestral home first."
"Harry, if this version of You-Know-Who is from another world, then he may have already cursed the place or commandeered it," Kingsley said.
"Then we'll all go as a group. If it is too dangerous, then we'll try the other founders' homes. If they knew anything, we'll have our answer soon enough."
Lily plopped down on the couch of her living room in an effort to process the many, many things that happened to her today. The threat of whatever was happening at the Ministry of Magic recently had her troubled.
What had happened last night and why did she have the sneaking suspicion that she was about to be part of a Death Eater plot yet again, and soon?
At least the last few minutes had been happily mundane. Despite the unrest that had plagued her office today, she was glad to be able to walk the last few blocks to her house undisturbed and had a pleasant conversation with her mother, who had been watching Evan and was now just making sure Evan was still asleep before leaving.
With Evan resting, she had, oh, four minutes before everything went back to its traditional chaos, so this brief reprieve was nice.
Unfortunately for her, she was a wizard, and people could communicate through her fireplace.
"Severus? Severus are you there?"
Lily jumped a little since she had fallen almost into a meditative state, but calmed when she saw it was only the image of Albus Dumbledore in her fireplace.
"I'm afraid not, sir. He's still got a few minutes left in his shift."
"Ah, Lily! So nice to see you! How go the birthday preparations?"
"They're going well enough. Would you like me to let Sev know you called?" Lily was always amazed by how Dumbledore seemed to go into the most mundane conversations when he clearly had something important to discuss. Must be one of the joys of being in such a powerful position, she mused.
"If you could send him a Patronus telling him to come to Hogwarts at his earliest convenience, it would be of much help. Actually, this may concern you too. Would you mind coming over here for a few minutes?"
Lily didn't need legilimency to know that something was the matter. "My mother can continue to watch Evan, but is there something wrong?"
Dumbledore actually seemed to comtemplate his next words carefully. "Not wrong, I should say, but rather, amiss. It is really something I'd rather you see in person. Please come to the office of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. That's where I am presently."
Lily groaned inwardly at the vagueness. "Okay. Give me a minute to let my mum know and I'll be right there."
"Thank you Lily." And with that, he was gone.
Lily now groaned outwardly. She quickly went to the restroom door and informed her mother that Dumbledore had summoned her. Thanks to recent war, this had become a well-known drill.
She grabbed her Floo powder and prepared to send herself off. She briefly considered sending herself to another room, but knowing Dumbledore it was probably best that he show her whatever he wanted to show her personally.
So with a quick movement of her hand, the powder hit ground and sent her off to Hogwarts yet again.
