The Scent of Rain

Chapter One

Harry's head hurt again. It wasn't the aching of his scar that he usually felt when Voldemort was up to no good…no, it was a burning that ran along his temples and allow the back of his head. His stomach lurches frequently and his eyes burned as if molten liquid was being poured into them. It had never been this bad and it was while he was in potions with Professor Snape no less. Clenching his hand against the desk He forces himself up right as the class clears and hisses through his teeth while the world spin desperately trying to pull him down. "Harry…Harry mate are you alright?"

Green eyes sway dizzily to the red blur at his left before Harry closed his eyes and his knees buckle. By sheer strength Harry's arms hold him up right as his stomach feels as if it's in his throat. "Sit down Mr. Potter…" Harry's eyes snap open wider than possible and his finger snap up to smash the glasses away from his face. His eyes seem to become greener and drip their color as he is pushed into a stool and figners clamp down on his temples and a forehead is pressed into his own. Harry's shield flare up pushing back at Snaps probing of his mind until Harry's lips part and a whimper leaves his lips. Harry's metal wards shatter and Snape is pulled into his muddied brain to sort out the disaster there.

In turn Harry is shifted into a safe place in Snaps mind causing a bubble of magic to form around the two so that no one can touch them. In Harry's mind Snape find himself to be in an actually human form oddly different from other times he's been within the minds of others. He was the same height and weight but his eyes were glossier, brighter one might say, and his hair was long and silken tied back in a long braid down his back which ended at his hips. Stumbling through the boy's mind he gently pushes asides small cubes which contain the boy's memories. The walls are white and yet it is oddly warm in the confines of his memories. Severus walks through the pieces picking up random blocks and studying them. As he reaches farther and farther into the boys mind the memories become hotter and they are tinged with more and more magic. Severus bends to pick up an oddly colored once only to hiss as the memory singes his hand. He snarls at the memory before stopping when he notices a bubble before him instead of bleak white walls. Walking cautiously forward he touches it and it shatters from old age. His senses pick up traces of Dumbledore's own magic. Slowly color seeps from around him and the memories that were once hot to the touch shatter and the entire world become colored like a normal person's mind. Small infant memories place a castle with beautiful walls and tapestries as well as dukes and duchesses that oddly resemble Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius Black, Narcissa Malfoy, and another man he can't point that looks oddly like James Potter but isn't him. He also sees a vision of himself as he is now laughing merrily with Sirius Black as they coo over the small child. Another memory is of a small brunette girl with big brown doe eyes and two humans that look oddly like the muggle parents of Hermione Granger. Frank and Alice Longbottom are also in a memory wearing royal robes with an oddly recognizable emblem on it. They are holding a boy. The entire place comes into view in a large pasture that sits along the coast of a mountain side that to this day is no longer built upon. It was beautiful with elegance that put Hogwarts to shame. Against the front was a shield with two Dragons holding up a coat of arms which was gold and had black vines snared around it.

During Snape's perusal Harry find himself in Snape's own mind which is muddies with times and places. Little tabs are hung on a large wall which holds knickknacks and other small things that are of importance to him. Harry walks silently along until he comes across a small hand held mirror with a lily engraved in the handle. Picking it up, Harry gasps when he sees his own reflection for the first time since entering Snape's mind. His hair was shorter and darker with longer strands in the front that stuck up every which way. His face was devoid of his glasses and he looked more mature than he would have normally appeared with them on. His green eyes were brighter nearly reflecting the small light around him. His skin was slightly tanner with a golden hue to it that he could only get from flying around a Quidditch Pitch for hours on end every summer. He wore his school uniform but it was more form fitting and better looking on him. Placing the mirror back down he continued on until he was stopped short when his eyes find a large black box that called out to him. Reaching out to the box he unlatches it and watches in amazement as the walls and room brighten showing a grassy field with a tree on the walls and a darken moonlight sky in the ceiling. Memories are scattered along the ground and the box showed different scenes of growing up with Lily, Harry's mother, and Petunia before going to Hogwarts with them where they meets James, another boy named Thomas, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. All of them looked different somehow and yet James teased Severus for a while until in fifth year when it got out that James was parading around as a normal kid when he was the heir to the wizarding kingdom. No one really talked to him except Sirius, who had known him for many years, Remus, Peter, Lily, Petunia, and eventually Severus. Thomas never stopped talking to him because Thomas was his brother. James really didn't like Dumbledore who didn't like the kingdom his father ruled.

Harry is snapped from Snape's mind and he returns to his own where he feels a gentle shift in his own memories. Small things flow through his mind that he really should know but does anyway. All the memories he thought he had lost because of Tom Riddle came rushing back telling him that Tom Riddle was actually Thomas Ridulo Potter the man that was his uncle and his Father's younger brother. He found that he looked the same in his own mind that he did in Snape's mind plane. When he saw Snape again in his mind he saw a man with Smooth features and long silken black hair without an inch of grease anywhere near it. The long strands were braided down his back and a few fell around his face as he stared down at a small box. "I boxed them away because Albus told me that Tom could find them easier if they were unorganized. I'm afraid it made it easier for him to manipulate my memories." Snape whirls nearly dropping the memory of Petunia cooing over a small green eyed baby with Lily at her side as they shopped for baby clothing.

Harry walks forward to stare at the man for a moment before picking up the memory and turning it over in his hands. Smiling he tosses it against a far wall that was completely clear and watches in amusement as the memory plays out with two magical Evan's girls.

"Tuney, look won't Sev love this outfit for Luca?" The aforementioned Petunia turns holding a pair of baby shirts and a pair of baby boy jeans. Her brown hair which had tints of red in it wasn't as short as what Harry had once remembered it. It fell to her shoulders relatively straightly before curling at the ends with shorter pieces framing her face. Her face was much younger and her eyes were the same green as her sisters. They seemed happier to Harry somehow. She had a small set frame with an average sized bust but she was very obviously pregnant and pretty far along if Harry was correct in his assessment of her size. The scene switches over to a beautiful young Lily holding up a simple pink dress with lace overlay and a white bow around the center.

The scene now shows both women with a small baby boy in a pram. "Oh Lily you're right Sev will love this. Despite his cold and dark exterior he's a sucker for little girls in pink. Luca will be so spoiled when she's born. Imagine what would have happened if you would have ended up with Sev instead of James? Thank-goodness that didn't happen, yeah? I never would have been able to deal with Sirius and all the duties that come with being the Queen you know plus I would trade my Sev for anyone." The two women giggle and then jump when Bellatrix Lestrange pops up folding a small jumper for a baby boy and another for a baby girl. The two women coo at the outfits being held up and hurry over to add them to the carts.

"Bell you have such great tastes no wonder Cissa takes you shopping with her all the time for Dray. I wonder when you and Rodolphus will have one of your own." Lily raises a finely sharpen eyebrow and nudges the curly haired woman who blushes and chuckles quietly. "You're not pregnant are you Bell?"

The dark haired woman gasps and begins laughing softly while shaking her head. "No…no Lily we're not having a baby. Rodolphus and I were thinking on it sicne Albus doesn't seem to be active any longer but he's still a threat and to have most of the women out of the battle wouldn't be wise as we all know the men can go a bit over board. Nymphandora is the only one who has yet to become pregnant aside from myself and she and Remus are too early in their relationship to have anything serious like that." The trio laughs quietly while the push Harry's pram around the store.

After a few moments Petunia speaks up and the two other women look at her in interest. "Speaking of serious when will Sirius get a descent partner? For heaven sakes by now James will take his best mate being with a bloke over anything. The man will be single forever!" The two girls begin giggling and soon Petunia joins in as they enter into the women's section and find Narcissa Malfoy talking quietly to a small blonde baby boy who is aisles once more.

"Come now Tuney don't be so hard on Sirius…he hasn't been the same since Regulus died. We all know how hard it was for them when their parents died and all they had left was one another…nothing on Bell's family or anything." Bell nods softly and a faraway look falls onto her features as she remembers her aunt and uncle.

They enter into the women's section and they see Narcissa Black, now Malfoy, standing cooing over a blonde haired boy in a dark green pram. The boy is giggling and reaching for his mother who looks rather beautiful with her dark colored hair that was the same shade as her sister's just less curly and wavier.

"Cissa what on earth are you doing to the boy?!" The woman jumps up in fright and clutches at her chest while mock glaring at her sister before she begins giggling madly. "You're going to turn poor Dray into a momma's boy and we all know he loves his auntie Trixie the best!" The small blonde boy squeals and reaches for the curly haired woman before blowing a kiss to his mother. Everyone laughs softly before the memory goes blank.

"Tuney always was quite beautiful wasn't she?" Harry turns to Snape to see something along the lines of wonder crossing his features. "You look more like your mother without your glasses on Harry."

Harry offers a soft smile in his direction before catching the falling memory which he had just throws at the wall. Harry silently stares at it for a moment before placing it on a small stone shelf. His memories turn into books that fill the stone shelves and the area they are in turns into a sitting room with arm chairs and a large set of glass doors that formed an arch and lead to a balcony which over looked the sea. Harry settled into the dark grey armchairs and looks around the room. "Snape will we look different when we return to our bodies? Will the world have changed to the way I remember it now or will it all be the same and we'll be the only two to remember? Does Tom remember is that why he is after me so viciously?" The dark haired man, who is his Uncle and second godfather, settles into a chair across from him and sighs softly.

He brushes a stray lock of black hair behind his ear and begins speaking offhandedly. "I always wondered when I cut my hair too short to tie it back from my face and when I started looking so old. In any case I'm afraid that those around us will not know what we do and that we will have to fight to regain what we have lost. If it is true that Voldemort and the others are after you to protect you then they know what happened and are trying to fix things. This also means that it is highly unlikely that Bellatrix actually killed Sirius that night. We must plan this out very directly because if I'm being truthful I'd like to find my daughter as well as Tuney and make sure they remember me. If you wish for people to remember you such as the Granger girl then you will need to learn Legilimency as well as Occlumency." Harry nods simply and sighs softly putting his head in his hands.

"How did this all happen? How will we be able to restore everyone's memories as it is clear that no one remembers my mother and father being king and queen of anything let along Tom being my father's brother?" Tears of anger and frustration well in his eyes and he forces them down trying to push through it. His mind wanders to the elderly man that was the cause of all of this. Unbeknownst to the distraught boy the sea out the doors becomes wild and unruly. To stop his godson's wild fears Severus places a hand on his shoulder and offers him a gentle smile.

Harry looks up and wipes quickly at his eyes. They stare at one another before Severus kneels down in front of him. "Harry James Potter I will stop at nothing until my best friend is avenged. I will stop at nothing until my family is back with me. I promise you that we will find a way to fix everything. I will stand by your side until we fall if I must." Harry nods and stands as Severus does. They shake hands and Harry smiles softly before kicking Snape out of his mind and following the man out. Before he leaves Harry flashes a barrier around his mind that he knows through knowledge passed down due to his royalty. No one not even his own father would be able to break that barrier aside from Harry himself.

Harry blinks softly and stares clearly up at the ceiling of the medical wing. His figners reach up and he threads them through his short hair. Closing his eyes Harry pushes his body forward to sit up and sighs as his mind reaches for the connection to Voldemort that Dumbledore had inadvertently put in him. Feeling that it was still there he smirks and opens his eyes once more to look over to the bed beside him. His godfather, whom he now remembers, was laying on the bed with his cascading hair splayed out around him and his young features staring up at the ceiling. Silently Harry mutters a charm under his breath and reverts their looks back to what they had appeared like before. As he finishes and his magic finishes Snape's eyes flicker open and he sits up to look around and finally catch Harry's eyes.

"So…Bellatrix isn't crazy right?" Severus begins chuckling quietly and shakes his head before his shoulders begin shaking and he folds onto himself his face become younger just by simply laughing. "Severus I've charmed our appearances however I need to contact Tom and meet with him. Can you have them capture me or something….make sure if it's at Malfoy manner that Dray isn't there? He doesn't need to know yet." Severus nods softly signaling to Harry that he would listen to his command.

"That will give me cover to find Tuney and return her memory. I will tell Albus that we are obligated by law to tell your guardians that you have gone missing. We'll take her to Tom and then I can find Luca while you talk with him. As it stands I believe the first act we would take would be finding the castle again and bringing it back. We'll talk more I believe Albus is coming in soon. Go back to sleep and wake up again I'll charm your glasses to be useless." Harry quickly obeys his godfather and feels the man's magic sweep over him after a few moments. Harry hears shuffling and then Severus groans and shifts on the bed as the doors open. He huffs softly in Harry's direction as he looks at the boy acting the part perfectly. Harry groans and rolls onto his side to pat around to his glasses. He pushes them up his nose and looks around acting as if his sight was becoming less blurry. "Only you would knock two people unconscious with because of a migraine Mister Potter!"

The sneer on the man's face would have been believable had Harry not known that he was faking the entire thing to keep his cover. Harry sighs softly and turns away from his to stare questioningly at Dumbledore. "I'm sorry about this Professor Dumbledore. My scar was hurting and Professor Snape was trying to force Voldemort out of my mind and apparently we both were knocked unconscious." Dumbledore's eyes twinkle and he places a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry suppresses the urge to shiver in disgust and merely offers a sad smile in return.

"Don't worry Harry…I'm sure Severus isn't too unhappy with you. You two should return to your quarter as I am sure you would like to get some sleep." Harry nods and stands before hurrying out and toward Gryffindor tower intent on contacting Tom through the mind link.

When Harry reaches the common room he's intercepted by many people and one catches his eyes. It's Ginny Weasely. Harry studies her face closely as she talks to him quietly while asking him if he was alright and if there was anything she could do for him. Her hair seemed darker than Ron's and her face seemed paler with less freckles. Her eyes were dark brown, nearly black, and looked nothing like all the blue eyed Weaselys. Sighing softly Harry pushes everyone away and trudges to his room stating that he was tired. Once in his room he closed the curtains to his bed and slide into it allowing his body to relax and drift into the sheets.

'Tom…Uncle Tom please I need your help answer me!' Harry knew he was pleading and he knew that he would appear weak but Tom was the only piece of his family he had left and he was willing to risk being caught for his family.

'Harry…you know…I'm so sorry that this has happened…please forgive me for everything I've done. We've been getting rid of Dumbledore's followers but it just makes us look evil.' Harry was shocked by how normal and unsnake-like the voice in his head sounded. His mind conjured a picture of a tall man with tan skin and dark hazel eyes that appeared to look like his father just with light dusty brown hair. It was a memory of his father and Tom standing side by side laughing lightly about something while his mother was bouncing him softly. The memory moved like he was but Tom still looked like a human being. 'By you remembering we've been returned to our old selves Harry, those of us who remember that is.'

'Good…I was worried that Severus and I would be the only two to remember and that you thought you were evil. I'm glad I didn't have to force the memories out of you, Uncle Tom. Can we meet…set up a kidnapping of me with Cissa and Bell? Severus is going to try and bring Aunt Tuney back as well as find Luca. I have my ideas on where she is and I'll share them with Severus when I get the chance. Please help me…I've got to go Uncle Tom the others are coming back. Be safe and don't get caught. Goodbye…' Harry would have been shocked by how caring he was being toward his supposed enemy but his memories told him how truthful they were about Tom Riddle being Thomas Ridulo Potter and that the man cared deeply for his nephew.

'Goodbye for now Harry…be safe and be sure not to let Dumbledore do anything to you. I'll pass along some spell knowledge to you through the link be sure to use the detection charms before you eat anything.' True to his word moments later knowledge of spells and charms float into his mind through the link as well as love and happiness.

Harry's bed curtains are gently pushed aside and a body shifts the mattress of his bed. Peaking his eyes open Harry stares lightly at Hermione who reaches forward to brush his long hair from his face with a soft and gentle hand. "I've been so worried about you Harry and I can't fathom the reason why…"

Smiling softly Harry captures her hand in a tight hold and tries to reassure her and himself that everything would be okay. Sitting up he hugs her tightly to him as she begins crying softly. Pressing his forehead to hers he places his hands on her cheeks and closes his eyes trying to comfort her in the only way he's known how for as many years as he's known her. Without his knowing Harry slips into her mind as they stand there and gently calms her down while keeping them both awake this time. Hermione, having felt the gentle probing of her mind, doesn't fight it and simply lets Harry physically and mentally calm her down until she's partially asleep. They both appear in her mind's eyes moments later and are in for a great shock at what they see and find.