New World, New Me

The timing of death, like the ending of a story, gives a changed meaning to what preceded it.

- Mary Catherine Bateson

" The mirror. "

Those two words stopped all thought within Harry's mind, a shiver racing down his spine as realization slowly began to overcome shock.

"Oh no. The mirror."

At this point he wasn't entirely aware of his surroundings, thoughts and theories racing through his brain and one bright and terrifying statement echoing throughout like a scream in the Great Hall, while staining his inner eyelids in bold print. The mirror.

"What are you going on about?" Harry looked over at the group, a group that was definitely not Death Eaters but everything he had ever dreamed and hoped for and dear god could this be true?

"The mirror. Oh Merlin the mirror. I-oh God. This is-did you-you knew? You knew." Blue eyes twinkled brightly and a smile cracked his old face.

"Yes. I was wondering when you'd realize. I'm assuming we're all dead where you're from?" Harry ran his hands furiously through his hair, feeling as if nervous electricity was running through his veins. He could feel it coming, the excitement, the happiness. But not yet. No, it wasn't quite real yet.

"Yeah. Yeah yeah ...all dead. All dead. Quite a shocker huh? I... do believe I may just pass out again."

He fell to the bed with another pathetic thump, but unlike before his eyes didn't close. They stared unseeingly, unnaturally still. The other occupants looked on in confusion, faces looking to one another for an explanation none of them had. Snape sneered at their actions, and with a small flap of his cloak went to stand by the headmaster.

"What is the meaning of this Albus? Care to share with the class?" The old wizard's eyes managed to twinkle even brighter, making Snape's stomach roll and an ache form behind his eyes. I'm about to have my mind blown apart, aren't I?

"As lucky as we all are, we've managed to come across a dimension traveller. And I said death was the next great adventure!"

" What!?" Sirius bellowed, eyes shooting up to his hairline while his arms flailed aimlessly in the air, hopelessly trying to express his disbelief.

" Seriously? I mean...what a crock load of shit!" Dumbledore looked back at him, smile never leaving his face.

"I'm afraid we merely have a crock load of fascination Mr. Black! I think now would be the perfect time for some lemon drops. I do believe I left a cannister in my left bag's bag…" Sirius looked on at the Headmaster incredulously as he pulled bag after bag out of the rather large one attached to his hip. Suddenly a cough of laughter cut through the silence, Harry's face morphing to a grin.

"Nice ice breaker old man. I don't know how I've gone on without them. Toss me a couple when you finally reach the fifteenth bag. And throw in a pumpkin pastry. I damn well know you have one hidden somewhere." Dumbledore nodded absentmindedly, humming along to a tune no one else could hear. Harry smiled as he did so while the others continued to look on in confusion. Still.

" What!?"

"Are we really just going to repeat the same scene over and over? Frankly, I'm in need of a proper shower and food if I'm going to sit through that again." Harry stood up at that, leaning back and to the side in the attempt to crack his back. He finally reached that perfect angle and with a content sigh made his way to the bathroom.

"Now what do you think you're doing Death Eater!"

As Sirius rushed forward James, Lily, and Lupin simultaneously snapped out of their stunned states, grabbing onto him before he could spout off a stunner or something less...savory, while Snape muttered under his breath, " Not a Death Eater…".

Harry stopped mid step and turned around slowly, his heart pumping erratically. Not mine. Don't forget Potter. Never yours.

"I have a feeling you'll all regain your wits in a few, and perhaps one of you would be so kind…"

All eyes moved to Albus, who continued to look for his can of lemon drops with a frightening amount of determination, "-well, perhaps not. I'll tell you everything you need to know in a few. First though, I need a proper washing."

Without another word Harry entered the restroom, flicked his fingers absentmindedly and cast a Silenco, and proceeded to cry for the first time in almost five years.

"Does anyone understand what's going on?" James and Lily looked at each other, speaking to each other silently in a way only married couples can, while Lupin rubbed his hands across his face. Snape continued to sneer while picking at his yellowed nails, thoughts on the potions he had put on hold for this.

"I-I think so. I mean, it's perfectly clear isn't it?" Sirius raised his eyebrows in a way that suggested that no, it was certainly not, and Lupin sighed in frustration.

"We have a dimension traveller. Meaning, this man... whoever he is, is not from our world. And if his reactions are to be believed, he knew our alternate selves, who are dead." Sirius made no movement in response. They all understood what the headmaster had said, they weren't stupid, but for some it took longer to absorb knowledge like that.

"Yeah. Sure. And how can we trust that? He's been spouting off lies the whole time he's been here! For all we know he's talkn' right out of his arse!" Lupin smiled lightly, a slight upturn of the lips.

"So we can no longer trust Dumbledore's judgement?" They simultaneously looked over at said man, a large pile of various bags at his feet, one looking suspiciously feathery. Sirius raised his eyebrows and pinched his lips, as if that explained everything.

"Don't give me that look; we can. He wouldn't endanger us all if he was unsure. Besides, it explains much of his behavior. He knew all of us, and from how he reacted to you, he must have been close to the... other Sirius." Black's eyes softened at that, sympathy filling his heart. Emotion like that couldn't be faked.

"Yeah. He must've."

At that they went quiet, and then the bathroom door opened.

What am I going to do?

Harry gripped the white sink tightly, the redness of his eyes making him curl his lip in disgust.

Never again Potter.

He abruptly pulled back, a migraine forming behind his brow as he began to pace. What to do...what to do. Boy would it be nice to have Hermione back.

Harry shook his head at that, forcing his mind off that line of thought. You've survived this long without her. You can do this. Harry let out a sigh at that, face relaxing.

"So I'm in a brand new dimension. Where everyone is alive, and unicorns shit ice cream and rainbows." He huffed at that, a grin lighting his face.

This isn't the worst thing that's happened. Maybe Fate or God or whoever has finally decided to give me a break. Harry full out laughed at the thought of that.

"No way. No way in hell I got the long stick for once. There's a catch. I just gotta find it."

And as images of Lily and James flashed in his mind's eye, he decided to make the most of this new world until that catch made itself known.

"So, ladies and gents. Did you finally figure it out on your own or do I need to spell it out for you?" Lily and James looked up from each other, while Lupin's and Sirius's mumbling came to an end. Dumbledore was sitting on the bed comfortably, eyes closed as he nibbled on a lemon drop.

"Yeah. It just...took a bit to accept. Don't see stuff like this every day." Harry smiled at that, understanding completely. If this had happened to him before the war he would have been in an even worse state. Let's make sure they're never used to it.

"Well, I guess that sums it up. I'll be on my way. Did I appear with a wand or any other items?" Harry looked around absentmindedly, rolling his shoulders all the while. I could use a nap. I wonder if that apartment complex down Kingsway is open here.

"What? You-you can't just leave. This is...well, what about getting you home? We...well we need to do...things." James blubbered on...hands making motions as his mouth refused to explain what was perfectly clear in his mind. Lily gripped his arm, a sweet smile lighting her face at the sight of him. Then she turned to the mystery man.

"What James means to say is that there's no way that you can stay here. What if your other self exists? What if your being here disrupts some kind of ancient law that ends the world as we know it? We need to research this, preferably together. Besides, how will you survive in our world? You know nothing of it, and...we're actually in a tough spot at the moment."

Lily ran a few strands of loose hair behind her ear, her eyes beseeching the man in front of her to understand. Of course she didn't mention her burning curiosity, that endless familiarity that she was just dying to figure out. She wouldn't let this man leave without a fight. To be honest she rather doubted anything she said was true. If it was unnatural, Magic wouldn't have allowed it. That was one law Magic seemed to actually follow. Harry raised an eyebrow in her direction while a smirk began to form on his face.

"Sure. But I think we both know - this-" Harry motioned his hands at himself while grinning, "wouldn't have happened in the first place if it would end 'the world as we know it'. Seriously, I'm not that thick. While I'm sure you're all full of questions, I simply must be on my way. I will of course be searching for a way to my old world, but I'm in no rush. If anything, I'm planning on treating this as a... vacation of sorts. Some time away to clear my head. And doing research on my own is simply much easier. You'd only be in the way I'm afraid." Harry made a step forward, fingers twitching as he attempted to summon his wand and bag.

"Young man, you simply cannot just go. This is much too fascinating a phenomena to not study! And I truly doubt we'd be in the way of any kind of research. Some of the brightest minds of this age are within this very room!" Dumbledore smiled cheerfully, a lemon drop stuck in his beard while he chomped down on four or five. Harry smiled, a glimmer in his eye as he looked over the inhabitants of the room. Brightest minds indeed.

"I'm afraid I simply cannot-" Harry's bag appeared, along with his wand, and he grabbed onto both with a grin, "stay any longer. Have a fantastic day." And with that Harry apparated without a second thought.

It had been two weeks. Two blissful weeks.

At the time Harry had second guessed himself, worry over what Mrs. Potter had said, " Besides, how will you survive in our world? You know nothing of it, and...we're actually in a tough spot at the moment." making him fear this world possibly being even worse than his own. But Harry remembered the mirror, and knew it simply wasn't possible. As Harry ate the last bit of vanilla ice cream from his bowl- simple, yet entirely satisfying- he couldn't but smile at how right he was! Everyone he could think of was still alive. Tom the Bartender, Ollivander, Fortescue, even the short, greasy man from Borgin and Burkes!

He hadn't yet seen his best friends, of course, since from the date he knew they were around 16 or 17. They'd be home, eagerly- or not so eagerly in Ron's case- waiting to get back to Hogwarts. Part of him was dying to see Ron, Hermione, maybe even Ginny, but another part, a larger part, was grateful that he hadn't come across them. Just like Sirius and Remus, they wouldn't be his. They'd be completely different, experiences shaping them and changing them into people unrecognizable to him. Besides, Harry had no interest in replacing them. His friends would remain alive within him, and in his opinion no one else, even another version, could ever even hope to compare.

Harry sent a nod at Florean, eyes glittering happily at the grin he got in return. He'd done a few odd jobs, mostly warding, and was now fairly well known to the people in Diagon. With friends came gossip, and with gossip he learned more about this world than the papers could ever inform him. This world wasn't perfect, it having a Voldemort of it's own. However, no war was going on. It was actually extremely baffling to Harry. For some reason this Tom Riddle had decided to gain power the legal way, at least as legal as politics can be. Of course he wasn't playing fair, and Harry was sure that money was exchanging hands in a way the public probably wouldn't approve of. But Harry didn't care. This world, in his eyes, was perfect. What could be better than a war-free wizarding world?

However, Mrs. Potter's words still ate at him. She could have been exaggerating to get him to stay, but that idea just didn't sit well with Harry. Something else was going on, something Harry didn't know.

Harry continued to roll the words around in his mind as he sent his bowl into the ice cream parlor. He watched as a small girl, no older than four, giggled and laughed, hand grasped by who he assumed to be her father. The girl's hair was a deep red, curly and wild. And just then Harry was reminded of his own child, a child born with hair, but no heartbeat. And then Diagon exploded from the inside out.

Harry wanted to smack himself across the face. Blood and gore was splattered everywhere, body parts strewn across Diagon like one of those war films on muggle TV. Harry's well-timed protego saved him and the family beside him, the girl's tears and big blue eyes making his heart swell and then turn ice cold. His eyes narrowed as he looked around, spotting a few survivors, and even fewer actually unharmed. Most of those were Purebloods if he saw correctly, and that fact caused his mind to start thinking under the cool rage that repressed it.

He breathed softly, hand coming to run through his hair. He gave the father of the young girl a look, a look he hoped would wake him from his shock. He nodded in what Harry thought he meant to mean thanks and apparated from Diagon, and part of Harry wanted to smile. I saved at least one. One more than expected.

He was happy and sad to see that many chose to apparate as well, since this meant this wasn't a regular occurrence. Of course, Harry had known that, but he had hoped. Hoped that like the few remaining wizards against Voldemort they would stay and tend to their brethren, stay and fight against whoever had dared attack their safe haven. In his world Diagon had been one of the few places those against Voldemort could call safe. And any who stayed within it were prepared to fight for their own lives, and for those around them. Harry shook his head, hating how he repeatedly confused his world for this one.

However, as he looked around at the gore and pandemonium around him, he realized that this world may not be that different from his own.

"And this will work? Many decades ago such tactics were used by myself and the Death Eaters, but not after... Potter. " Voldemort smiled at his alternate's words. He was so sweet sometimes.

"Of course it will. The Wizarding World here is ripe for the picking. Their minds are soft and their hearts weak. So many years of peace have made them innocent, perfect for our plans. We strike hard, and we strike fast. And you, my...friend-" They both smiled at that, for they were so much more than friends, more than anything anyone had ever seen-"will save them from themselves, and from me. "

Tom Riddle grinned lightly, barely a turn of his lips, red tinting the dark green maliciously, and Voldemort cackled, loud and dark. Tom's face returned to it's usual blank slate at the sight of a black haired wizard, glowing brightly within the picture of Diagon with pure power.

"I do not... recognize this wizard. Is he-"

" Potter. " Voldemort whispered reverently, as he appeared right by the image, bone white fingers tracing the man's cold face adoringly.

The grin on the Dark Lord's face would have been frightening to any other wizard. Not to Tom though. Never to him, for he recognized that look. The look of obsession. Tom walked forward slowly, curiously, eyes eating up the wizard, wondering how his potential downfall would have turned out if he had survived in this world, wondering if he would have had the same look upon his face if his Potter had survived. And for a moment, he wished that he had, if only to understand what this other him, a Dark Lord who had succeeded against all odds, felt. And when Voldemort grinned towards him, speaking of their plans, numerous plans, he realized that soon enough he wouldn't have to wonder.

For he would soon find out for himself.

Hey! Sorry about the chapter not popping up. And I would just like to thank both panther73110 and demonsinger for letting me know! Really appreciate it you guys. :) Let me know what you guys think. I especially hope to hear questions about my final scene. :D Anyway, the next chapter will most likely be slow-coming like usual. This one took me forever! Only got it out in the midst of sudden inspiration. Also, just a friendly reminder. NONE OF MY STORIES ARE ABANDONED. Not saying I'll update soon, but I will eventually. Again, thanks for reading!