Chapter 3

I shouldn't really have to say this again, but I don't own Harry Potter.

There was an uproar. Almost all the members of the Order- which Dumbledore had still not properly explained to her, Sarah noted- were standing and shouting, Snape looked torn between disgust and anger, Sirius and Remus were staring with blank jaws and Dumbledore was looking blankly at Orion. Orion himself had walked across to the kitchen worktop and was leaning against it, a faint smirk on his features. He glanced at Sarah with those eyes, the same colour as her own, and rolled his eyes slightly. Sarah grinned back at him as they patiently waited for the shouting to die down. Eventually Dumbledore had had enough.

"Silence!" bellowed the old man, and blast of sound issuing from his raised wand and bringing silence, causing the members of the Order to slowly sink down into their seats. The Headmaster then looked at Orion.

"Explain this." He said, an undercurrent of anger running through his voice. Orion leaned his cane against his leg and smiled.

"Would you like the believable answer, or the truthful one? Both are equally satisfying, I assure you."

Orion looked younger than Sarah had expected, she thought, about her age, but he carried himself as though he was much older. Curious…but now he was offering the truth? Surely Dumbledore would not be stupid enough to ignore that chance.

"I would like the truth." Dumbledore said with icy politeness, and Orion shrugged.

"If you like-"

"How do we know he's telling the truth?" an Order member butted in. Orion rolled his eyes.

"Should I get my wand back and swear a magical oath?" he said. Sarah caught the sarcasm buried in his tone- it was a tone very similar to one she used herself. Sirius let out a brief bark of laughter.

"You know as well as I do that binding Magical Oaths don't exist. What do you do- say the words, wordlessly cast a flashy charm and cast a Patronus afterward?"

"Can't con a conman…well, listen and then you can confirm what I say with Veritaserum…I dare say the pet Potion Master has some?"

Snape glared, but gave no comment to the contrary.

"Very well then. What do you know of alternate Universes?"

The Order stared in disbelieving silence, until Dumbledore spoke.

"The old theory that there are many realities just like our own, but with certain differences?"

"Oh, indeed. Let us imagine that in one such Universe everything happened as in this Universe…except that the first and only child of James and Lily Potter was not Sarah-"

Guessing the cue, Sarah added her middle name- Rose.

"Rose? The Evans family must have a think for flowers… anyway, rather than being Sarah Rose Potter the child was born Harry James Potter…"

"You?" questioned Sirius, eyes wide. Orion shot him a glance and continued regardless.

"In any case, events in that reality proceeded much like I assume they did here…living in a cupboard for ten years,"- Sarah flinched slightly at that, fortunately no-one noticed- "Killing a Professor to save the Philosophers Stone, slaying a Basilisk, saving my Godfather from a horde of Dementors, and so on. Voldemort rose again, and I barely escaped him with the body of Cedric Diggory…that was probably the point at which I realised that I wasn't going to bring down the Dark Lord with stunning and disarming spells. I spent my fifth year being tortured for speaking out about the return of Voldemort, at the hands of a sadistic Ministry stooge assigned to the DADA position at Hogwarts, until the end of the year when a set-up by Voldemort led to the death of my Godfather."

Sirius went utterly pale at that, and Sarah felt a chill in her bones.

"That was the point at which I started learning what you could call Dark magic…a means to an end…I doubt my Dumbledore ever approved, if he knew. Of course, given how many secrets he kept from me, I think I had a right to keep some from him. He spent my Sixth year drip-feeding me information on Voldemort, very little of it useful, until he died."

There was shock throughout the room, utterly silencing all of them, at the revelations that Orion practiced Dark Magic and that Dumbledore had died.

"Did you kill him?" demanded Snape in a flat tone. Orion gave him a look of disgust.

"No. Much as I wanted to at certain times, if I was going to kill Dumbledore I would have waited until Voldemort was out of the picture. Moving on…I spent my seventh year on the run, while the Ministry bowed to Voldemort, trying to collect and destroy the…trinkets…that kept Voldemort on this mortal plane- I'll tell you all about them, but I'm afraid I don't trust most of the Order. No offence intended. And then came the Final Battle, the Battle of Hogwarts, the Resistance against Death Eaters. I'll admit, it was a disaster in almost every way. Voldemort was killed, yes, and by my hand no less, but pretty much everyone in this room died, including me, and I was the only one who got better…and most of the deaths were gruesome, particularly the ones who Bellatrix and Voldemort themselves got their hands on. I'd tell you, but I don't want you to have nightmares. At the end, there I was, stood above the ashes that were all that was left of Voldemort after I'd killed him and immolated the body, when someone- I never found out who- cast a very nasty Withering curse at Theia. I reacted in time, blocked it with my wand hand, but as you saw, I didn't come out of it whole. Good thing I'd learned that silver hand replacement spell… I responded automatically, with a wide arc cutting spell that killed or maimed quite a few people, and all of a sudden the battle was back on. Theia only just managed to Apparate us out when the spells started flying, and I had to amputate my own forearm to stop the curse from spreading."

Here Orion sighed lightly, and looked down, seemingly oblivious to his enraptured audience.

"I admit, I didn't handle it well. I'd died, recovered, been maimed and lost a lot of important people to me, and the War was still on. I, well, I basically went insane, and went on something of an anti-pureblood crusade. When it was over, once I was captured by the Ministry- the Resistance had actually won against the Death Eaters left over, and other countries sent support- it was several years later, and I was being called a Dark Lord in my own right."

Orion looked back up, meeting Sarah's eyes, and smiled slightly.

"I don't advise being a Dark Lord, Sarah. It's lonely and depressing, especially when you're being hunted and have no minions. I gave myself up to the International Auror team that tracked me down, and was sentenced to the Dementors Kiss. What a bloody joke…bloody Lucius and Draco got off scot free, just because that bitch Narcissa didn't tell Voldemort I was still alive in the Final Battle once his Killing Curse had failed on me again. Even Bellatrix hadn't been sentenced to the Kiss at the end of the First War…nonetheless, I was to have my soul sucked out. Unfortunately for the Ministry, I had one friend left…Theia broke into Azkaban, and freed me. She already had a plan. We broke into the Ministry- security never got above pathetic- made it to the Death Chamber, and jumped through the Veil there. Sure, we had to make a…sacrifice, of three powerful items, but we wound up in Little Whinging, just before the Dementor attack on Sarah, in time to help and almost seven years younger. Or I seem to be, at least. Theia?"

"It was an expected effect of travelling back to this point on the timeline." Theia responded airily. Orion shrugged.

"So, there you have it. My story in a nutshell. Now, time for Veritaserum twenty questions I assume?"

There was a long, pregnant pause, and Sarah felt an overwhelming urge to break it.

"So…you're a Dark Lord?" she said, gaining incredulous looks from Ron, Hermione and most of the Order. Orion smiled, obviously amused.

"Not anymore. Of course, you probably won't believe me but, like I said, Dark Magic is just a means to an end."
'Damn it,' Sarah thought, 'Stop making so much sense. It isn't helping!'

As though reading her mind, Orion's crooked smile widened. It was odd, though, that he'd pretty much admitted to being a Dark Lord at one point yet none of the Order had-

A blur flashed past Sarah and crashed into Orion, throwing him back against the kitchen counter and pulling a curse from most of the Order. It was Lupin, the man had pinned Orion against the counter with his wand to the young man's throat- oh hell, what was the werewolf thinking? Orion had a silver hand, Lupin would have a severe allergic reaction if he was even touched, and even then Theia was still there! Sarah shot a brief look at the girl as the Order gaped, except for a few who had drawn their wands, and Orion seized his chance. His cane smacked into Lupin's knee, causing the werewolf to stagger slightly, and Orion brought his left hand- fortunately gloved- up and forced away Lupin's wand hand, spinning the werewolf around and kicking the back of his knee while also pulling the wand from his hand and pressing it against the head of the now kneeling Lupin. Watching closely, Sarah saw Orion's eyes flash an unholy crimson for a long instant.

"That's why you idiots were losing the last war, and why you'll lose this one." Orion said, his voice low and threatening.

"Half of you are stupidly impulsive, and most of the rest are too slow on the uptake to help them! Look at you! Only Dumbledore, Sirius, Kingsley and Snape have even drawn their wands, and of all of you only Kingsley and Sarah glanced at Theia to check what she's doing! She could blast you all before you reacted, Mad Eye would be ashamed. If I was really a Dark Lord you've just given me a weapon, Remus, and sacrificed yourself…even then, why are the rest of you gaping rather than acting? Surely one life is worth stopping me? You'll need to stop being so naïve if you want to best Voldemort this time, Dumbledore. You might not like it, but it's true…be grateful that I've really got over being a Dark Lord." Orion finished, before shoving Remus away from him and throwing his wand in an arc towards Sirius, who smoothly snatched it out of the air as the rest of the Order finally reacted. Dumbledore, conversely, slowly lowered his wand.

"I think he has rather proven that he does not want to harm us by his actions." The old man said in a low voice. Snape snarled.

"He could be trying to trick us! And why did the werewolf even attack him?"

"Oh, I daresay it had something to do with the perceived betrayal of James Potter that Orion being a Dark Lord would imply." Theia chipped in quietly. Dumbledore nodded.

"Severus, if you could fetch some Veritaserum?" he asked, as Sirius gave Lupin his wand back and put a hand on the werewolf's shoulder. Snape sneered, but obediently left in a swish of robes as Orion leaned back against the counter. Sarah looked closely at Orion, who shot her a brief wink, his eyes back to emerald green.

"Incidentally, Dumbledore, I have something to ask you. You see, I found out just after the Final Battle that I had a certain ability that was blocked…a rather useful one, as it happens."

As Orion spoke, before Sarah's widening eyes, Orion's hair changed colour to a near white blond and lengthened slightly, and his eyes turned to a steel grey colour.

"Limited though my Metamorphagus ability is, it's been quite useful. I can see why you bound it, certainly, the Dursleys were unpleasant enough as it was without my hair changing colour on a regular basis, but why not unbind it once I entered Hogwarts?"

Sarah looked at Dumbledore in shock, seeing the old man frowning.

"I…you have a valid point. However, I haven't taken off the binds because I wanted to ensure that it wasn't a widely known ability Sarah had, and the Hogwarts rumour mill would soon leave it as common knowledge. I assume this is why you changed your name as well?"

Orion nodded.

"The name Harry Potter was well known, as was how I looked. With different coloured hair and eyes I was a lot harder to recognise, and with a different name as well-"

"You said you didn't like the name Arcturus. Why take it as your first name then?" Hermione asked, the first of Sarah's friends to speak up. Orion smiled.

"Two reasons. Firstly, have you met a Purebloods? Draco, Lucius, Rabastan, Ginevra…ridiculous names are the norm. As well, people are a lot less likely to suspect that your name is fake if you insist you don't like it and use a different one. Double-bluff, see? And it's even more effective given that Wizards and Witches very rarely use their logic." He said easily, as Snape re-entered, doing a brief double-take at Orions changed appearance. The young man gave him an amused look, as the Potions Master passed a small vial of some clear fluid to Dumbledore.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Sarah asked. "What if there are questions you don't want to answer?"

Orion smiled and sat down in a chair Dumbledore conjured for him, incongruously soft and squashy.

"I trust Theia to Silence me before I say anything incriminating…although I'd appreciate it if you try to avoid any particularly sensitive questions." He said, tilting back his head and obediently opening his mouth to receive three drops of clear Veritaserum. Immediately his eyes went blank and his posture turned relaxed. Theia shifted slightly, and Sarah caught a brief look at the way she shifted- she almost certainly had a second wand, Sarah reckoned.

"What is your name?" asked Dumbledore.

"Arcturus Orion Argent." Came the toneless reply. Dumbledore frowned a little.

"You have to be more specific. His name is indeed Arcturus Orion Argent, just as much as Harry James Potter is. He'll give the one more relevant to him." Theia volunteered. Dumbledore looked to Snape, who reluctantly nodded his agreement.

"Very well… would you ever join the Dark Lord who calls himself Voldemort?"

"No." came the flat response.

"You have to be quite specific as to what answer you want. Veritaserum answers the question, and only the question." Snape said grudgingly. Dumbledore nodded.

"Why would you not join Voldemort?"

"I bow to no one."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Voldemort recognises none as allies, only slaves and servants. I am neither."

Sarah blinked. That was…unexpected. Obviously Orion was more amoral than she was.

"Do you support the ideals of Lord Voldemort?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"He is a fool to try to destroy muggleborn. The Purebloods are stagnant and will become increasingly so. A society that does not move forward is a society that is dead." Orion said, obviously pushing himself to be more verbose.

"Was the story you told us true?"

"Yes."
"What happened to the Ron and Hermione of your world?" Hermione broke in. Orion didn't react, but replied in the same soft, emotionless tone.

"I do not know what happened to Hermione. She died sometime after I fled the Final Battle with Theia. Ron blamed me for her death and attacked me. I was insane at that point and killed him."

"Why were you insane?" asked Sarah, half wanting to hear and half afraid to hear it.

"The horrible deaths of many people I knew combined with receiving the memories of Lord Voldemort drove me into temporary insanity." Orion said. Theia shifted slightly, but didn't move to silence him.

"How did you receive the memories of Lord Voldemort?" Sarah asked, her throat dry.

"When Lord Voldemort attacked me when I was a baby his soul was fractured by the rebounding Killing Curse and latched onto my soul. During the battle Voldemort hit me with another Killing Curse when I offered myself to him to stem the bloodshed and protect prisoners he was threatening. The soul fragment allowed me to survive the curse but it was shattered and absorbed into my own soul. I began to see the atrocities of Voldemorts life in my dreams and it sent me insane."

Sarah tried to swallow, her throat seeming to close as a look of deep resignation fell upon Dumbledore's face and Sirius' hand fell onto her shoulder.

"Is there another way to remove the soul fragment?" Sirius asked softly.

"I do not know. I hoped to search the Black library for a way in this reality, before most of the Darker books are destroyed."

"What do you seek here?" the Headmaster added. A slight smile crossed the face of Orion, showing that the Veritaserum was wearing off and this would be the last question.

"To help Sarah defeat Voldemort and to allow her and myself to pursue a life that is not overshadowed by Voldemort or the agendas of idiot politicians. It is grossly unfair to place such a burden on the shoulders of a teenager, by any measure." Orion finished, turning grey eyes, now streaked with red, onto Sarah.

"Are those all the questions?" he asked innocently. Dumbledore nodded silently, still looking grim.

"Yes…yes, it is, but I would like to talk with you about something else… Minerva, Severus, Sirius, would you stay? I think we have something to talk about."

"Ah, so the Order does have an Inner Circle. You might as well leave Sarah as well –she needs to hear it."

There were immediate protests, not least Molly Weasley's shouts that Sarah was 'Still a child'- apparently ignoring that Sarah had almost died multiple times, killed a teacher and a giant snake, almost had her soul stolen twice and seen a friend die before her- but Dumbledore silenced them with a single look, his aura rising around him again.

"So be it." The old man acquiesced.

Huh. Three days, three Chapters. I'll have to see how long I can keep this up... anyway, Read, Review and most importantly Enjoy, people!