A/N: Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter.
Chapter 2: A Whole New World
Lord Silvere
As the scarlet locomotive screeched into the tunnel amid a shower of sparks, the diamond Rubik's cube exploded into bright light and blinded Harry, who had not realized he should shield his eyes. An unseen power grabbed him, and Harry felt the invisible force push him through what felt like a suffocating wall of jelly. When Harry regained his breath, it was pitch black, and he was falling. A few moments later, he landed on a soft surface, making a barely-audible thump. Within milliseconds, Harry heard four other thumps.
"Where are we?" Harry gasped breathlessly, moving his head and trying to search his surroundings for a smallest hint of light or an indication about the nature of his surroundings.
"Shush!" one of the three mysterious witches hissed from somewhere in the dark.
Silently, Harry continued to fumble around as he tried to become familiar with his surroundings. The only sound that he could hear was the breathing of those around him.
Finally, one of the three mysterious witches spoke. "I don't think we are going to be followed. They probably do not even realize that we exited the dimension."
"Yeah, and even if they do realize that we've left, they'll have a difficult time finding the precise coordinates," another one of the witches reasoned.
"Let's get moving," yet another suggested.
"I can't see," Harry complained.
One of the witches muttered an incantation, and an orb of light formed, revealing to Harry that he and the three witches were sitting on a flying carpet. Or rather, the witches were sitting primly on the carpet while Harry was sprawled ungracefully. Ginny was lying prone, facedown, next to Harry.
"Is she going to be all right?" Harry asked, looking at Ginny and shifting to get nearer to her and trying to suppress his memory of finding her unconscious like this in the Chamber of Secrets.
"I don't know," said Violet, the green-eyed witch, her face betraying only a faint amount of concern.
"We've never seen the spell she got hit with before," Ivy, or Holly, said. Harry thought it might be Holly. The harrowing events of the train attack and subsequent plunge into darkness had caused Harry to lose his orientation as to which red-eyed witch was which.
Violet stood and cautiously stepped across the carpet to where Ginny was lying. With the aid of some cutting charms, she ungracefully removed Ginny's top as Harry blushed. "No physical marks," Violet said clinically, looking at Ginny's bare back and even checking under the bra straps gingerly before conjuring a blanket and laying it over Ginny.
"That's good, right?" Harry said.
Violet arched an eyebrow at Harry as she returned to where she had been sitting. "Surely you've been in the magical world long enough to know that's probably very bad, especially when the Dark Lord is involved."
"What are you going to do?" Harry asked, looking at the witches. "She needs help."
Ivy and Holly shrugged. One of them spoke. "Drop her off at St. Mungo's as soon as possible?"
"Don't you know any healing spells?" Harry pleaded, as he alternated glances between the three witches and Ginny.
All three witches shook their heads in the negative.
"Where are we?" Harry demanded, beginning to feel very frustrated.
"We know the answer to that question," one of them said.
"Sort of," another amended.
"Actually, we mostly just know where we aren't," finished the third.
Harry glowered at his saviors and kidnappers.
One of them began explaining. "We are currently floating on a magic carpet in the void between your dimension and our dimension. You see, our dimensions run parallel to each other."
"We're not actually floating, per se," another of the witches corrected. "We are steadily moving toward our own dimension. So, don't make any sudden moves, or you will fall off the carpet and into nothingness."
"If we were comfortable using more light, you would be able to see the boundaries where our dimensions begin and end and then also see the infinite hallway-like void that runs between the dimensions. The boundary, if you will," another of the witches lectured. "We were able to do a little bit of exploring on our journey to your dimension, but there is still much to learn about this space between dimensions and inter-dimensional travel."
"Dimensions?" Harry asked blankly.
"Yes," one of the witches said, looking at Harry with an expression on her face that suggested she thought he might be a little dim. "Like mirror images of reality. Mostly, parallel dimensions seem to have the same people and places. But, events have played out differently."
"So, you're saying that you come from a different form of reality just like mine, except that things are different?" Harry asked.
"Yes."
"So, is there another me in your dimension?" Harry asked.
All of the witches smirked at Harry, and they answered in unison. "Yes."
"Shouldn't there be parallel versions of you in my dimension?" Harry asked.
"We don't exist in your dimension," one of the witches informed Harry. "Nor will we ever exist in your dimension. That is, unless you are a total and complete pervert. In the 1970s, the war against Voldemort started differently in our dimension than it started in yours. Suffice it to say, the sequence of events in your dimension makes it nearly impossible for us to exist in your dimension. You should also know that our dimension is nearly twenty years ahead your dimension. So, we're parallel, but not necessarily aligned. Although, I suppose there is a way to move through this void in such a way as to travel through time."
Harry shook his head in disbelief as he tried to wrap his mind around what the witches had told him.
The witches did not seem to be very interested in helping him understand more. Instead, they lapsed into silence, staring off into the distance, seemingly occupied in thought, likely thinking more about dimension travel and time travel. Harry kept glancing at Ginny. Fretting, he reached out to touch her.
"Careful," the green-eyed witch warned. "You don't want to move her any more than completely necessary. She might have internal injuries."
"Right," Harry, feeling foolish and telling himself that he should have known that about injuries. He kept looking at her, trying to detect signs of breathing or discomfort, but he could see nothing to indicate that Ginny was anything but peacefully asleep.
After about five minutes, one of the witches produced a wooden Rubik's cube. Instead of colored blocks, each square had a small symbol engraved into it. She began fiddling with it, rotating the cubes and pausing to examine each alignment as if solving the puzzle, except that Harry could not decipher what the solution to the puzzle might look like and thus could not gauge whether she was making progress. Finally, she stopped.
"I think that one moor would be the best entry point," she announced before tossing the Rubik's cube to one of her sisters.
The witch who was now holding the Rubik's cube drew a wand and studied the cube for a moment before closing her eyes and pointing her wand at the carpet. Harry could not see or feel anything, but he had a distinct feeling that the carpet was no longer moving through the darkness in the same direction. Abruptly, a dull, silvery wall appeared next to one of the flying carpet's edges.
"This is the boundary to our dimension," Violet informed Harry as she produced the diamond Rubik's cube. "Our Ministry of Magic has wards that detect when people enter our dimension within Britain. When the Aurors arrive, we'll have them take Ginny to St. Mungo's."
"Do not tell anybody your name," one of Violet's sisters told Harry sternly. "In fact . . . ," she said, trailing off.
"We'll disguise you," the other sister announced, drawing her wand and casting glamor charms on Harry and Ginny.
Violet nodded in approval, and suddenly, the diamond Rubik's cube exploded into light yet again. Harry felt himself nearly suffocate as he was pushed through an invisible barrier. When Harry's eyes cleared, he found himself sitting on a rocky moor along with the three sisters and Ginny. The sun was still making its way up to its noontime position. As far as Harry could tell, it was the same time in this dimension as it had been when he had departed his own dimension.
About five seconds after Harry was able to see his surroundings, he began to hear the telltale pops made by wizards and witches apparating to nearby locations. Their crisp uniforms with Ministry logos on the upper arms and rank insignia over their hearts marked them as Aurors. Dragonhide boots, dull battle robes, and well-stocked utility belts marked them as elite Aurors. Faintly impressed, Harry watched them approach the group from every side, their wands drawn, wondering if this was some sort of special unit. Harry's experience with Aurors was limited, but he thought that if this group had been at the World Cup, the rioters would have been dispatched quickly.
"Freeze!" somebody shouted.
"Oh, never mind," said a voice familiar to Harry. "It's just the witches Black."
Harry zeroed in on the voice and found an older and marginally tamer version of Tonks standing behind him. A quick survey of the other Aurors' uniforms revealed to Harry that Tonks was likely the ranking Auror present. Her hair was an unnatural shade of purple, but the color was not so bright as to stand out from a far distance. She stood with her arms crossed, surveying the three witches with an expression that reflected both a measure of amusement and exasperation.
"Take us to your leader, Earthling!" commanded the witch that Harry thought might be Ivy as she and Holly got to their feet and dusted off their clothes.
"Actually," Violet interrupted as she also stood and directed the Aurors' attention to Ginny, "this witch needs immediate medical attention. We also want to keep her in isolation with as few visitors as possible pending instructions from the top."
Tonks signaled two of the Aurors to take charge of Ginny. "Take her to St. Mungo's. Wait there for further direction."
The two Aurors stepped forward, took hold of Ginny gingerly, and used an emergency portkey to disappear, presumably on their way to St. Mungo's.
"Now you can take us to your leader," Violet said, smiling mischievously at Tonks and winking at Harry.
Tonks rolled her eyes and glanced at the other Aurors still there. "It's a false alarm. Head back to HQ. I'll see to it that these miscreants get to where they need to be."
Soon, the three witches, Tonks, and Harry were standing alone on the moor.
"It's September first, isn't it?" one of the witches asked Tonks.
"Yes," Tonks said. "You've been gone the entire summer. Speaking for all Aurors, we've enjoyed not having to arrest you at least once a week all summer long."
"You never have to arrest us," one of the triplets said, correcting Tonks.
"But sometimes I want to arrest you," Tonks replied.
"Is our mother around?" Violet asked.
"No. She went to China to put out a diplomatic fire. Your father went with her," Tonks said.
"Well then, we are going to need to pay a visit to . . . ," Violet said, trailing off as she gave Harry a sidelong glance.
"To the Chief Unspeakable," said one of the other sisters. "Take us thither."
"Yeah, how about you just go on your own," Tonks said dismissively. "I've got better things to do. Maybe I will drop by for dinner tonight. On the other hand, you might be wanting to show your face at Hogwarts for the Welcoming Feast. Passing half of your NEWTs prematurely doesn't mean you are not still students."
"Fine," Ivy grumbled. "Get up off your butt, Harry. We've got to get cracking."
Tonks disapparated as one of the sisters produced yet another Rubik's cube and Harry scrambled to his feet, wondering both about Ginny, but also curious to see where the witches would take him next.
One short portkey ride later, Harry and the witches were wandering through the busy streets of London looking for a telephone booth as the witches discussed amongst themselves the incestuous relationship between the Ministry and the Floo system that had made it nearly impossible for outsiders to easily access the Ministry.
The telephone booth proved to be a sort of elevator into what Holly described as the Ministry Atrium. Harry observed that this was a strange and fascinating way to access a government building. Ivy was incredulous upon hearing that Harry had never paid a visit to the Ministry in his own dimension. Harry wanted to spend more time staring at the Ministry Atrium and the massive statue-mural in the center, but the witches frog-marched him to the front desk.
"We're here to see the Chief Unspeakable," Violet announced to the desk guard.
"I'll need to weigh his wand," the guard said, gesturing to Harry and giving him a suspicious glance.
"That will not be necessary," Violet said. "He is our prisoner and in our custody."
"If he's a prisoner, how is it that he has a wand?" the guard said, rolling his eyes at the witches, but also maintaining his guard against Harry. Apparently, he had some magical device at the desk that could sense the wand Harry had up his sleeve.
"It's not your job to determine whether we should disarm prisoners," Ivy said sternly. From her Muggle-made windbreaker she produced a leather wallet and flipped it open, revealing an Auror badge. "Let us through. We're on Ministry business."
The guard guffawed. "I think that just about everybody in this country knows you are not Aurors."
Ivy was incensed. Or, Harry realized, was pretending to be incensed. He was not sure.
"Look, you daft cow! Our credentials were issued by the Minister of Magic herself. If you want to question them, I suggest you take it up with her," said Ivy loud enough for everybody in the general vicinity to hear. She then struck an outraged pose.
Harry blushed as several passers-by took time to point out the scene to their friends and snicker before continuing on with their business.
"Hand it here," the guard grumbled, holding his hand out for the Auror badge.
Ivy slapped the Auror badge into his hand, and the guard cast a few spells to ascertain that the badge had been issued by the Minister of Magic. He handed the badge back. "Be on your way, then. Get out of my hair."
"Thanks for nothing," Ivy groused as Violet poked Harry on past the guard desk and began leading him toward the bank of lifts down one of the hallways connected to the Atrium.
Soon, they were in one of the lifts heading downward. The lift took them to a hallway of shiny, black brick that seemed abandoned. There were several doorways along the hall, but Harry could not ascertain what might be behind the doors. At the end of the hall, they found a door and a circular room that began spinning and descending as soon as the four had entered. After what seemed an eternity in the circular room, they were wandering down another empty hallway. Despite the emptiness, Harry had the very distinct impression that he was being watched closely, but when he glanced at his escorts to see if they had that feeling, he sensed only diffidence.
At the end of several hallways and around several corners, Harry and the group found themselves looking at an imposing doorway flanked by two guards. Their uniforms were similar to that of the Aurors, but they wore insignia or symbols of rank. Ultimately, it was not the guards or the architecture that intimidated Harry. It was the nameplate on the door: Hermione Granger Weasley, Chief Unspeakable.
"You, wait here," Violet instructed Harry as she knocked on the door. She and her sisters then entered, leaving Harry alone with the guards.
Harry nodded respectfully to them and then did his level best to act casual as his mind spun out of control. What would an older Hermione be like? Was his counterpart in this dimension friendly with her? Was she the one that had ordered the mysterious witches to do the crazy things they had been doing all summer?
~!~!~!~!~!~!
In the canon dimension, hereinafter known as the Para Bellum dimension . . .
The students on the Hogwarts Express were in full panic, demanding answers from any other student that looked like they might know what was going on. Many of them spilled out onto the tracks and the railroad sidings while others barricaded themselves into their compartments and waited for the worst. The older prefects were shouting for order and giving conflicting instructions, adding to the confusion.
Ron and Hermione satisfied themselves with slumping dejectedly on the front edge of the first railcar where the locomotive had been before the mysterious witches had uncoupled it and zoomed off with Harry and Ginny, and presumably, the locomotive.
"Well," Ron said over the noise the other Hogwarts students were making, trying desperately to inflect some hope and optimism into his voice, "maybe it will turn out okay."
"Maybe," Hermione said.
The young couple sat there for about another minute before popping noises announced the arrival of reinforcements that were too late to do anything.
"Are these Aurors?" Hermione asked Ron.
"Yeah," Ron said, pointing to a couple of Aurors that were looking around, presumably securing the area. "See? They usually wear badges somewhere on their robes."
Professor Dumbledore's arrival, seemingly from nowhere, cut short any further speculation about the Aurors. He came right up to Ron and Hermione. "Where is Harry?" he demanded, sounding desperately urgent.
"I think he and Ginny were on the locomotive," Hermione answered.
"They were with the same three witches that staged the Azkaban raid and broke out Bellatrix Lestrange," Ron added helpfully.
"We don't know that for sure, Ron," Hermione said, noting Dumbledore's look of consternation. "It is a long story, Professor. Two witches escorted Harry and Ginny off the train after the Death Eaters attacked. We think those two witches were involved in the Azkaban breakout. The third was likely nearby."
"I will need a full explanation later," Dumbledore said. "Arrangements are being made for the students to be transported to Hogwarts via alternate means. Go with them." He then disappeared as suddenly as he had arrived.
~!~!~!~!~!
In the Delenda Est dimension . . .
Harry stood up straight when the door to the Chief Unspeakable's office opened and an older version of Hermione Granger stepped out. She gave Harry a friendly smile. "Let's have a chat, Harry."
Harry followed her into the office and was surprised to discover that the three witches were not present. As Hermione's hand on his back guided him past a desk heavy with musty tomes and sheets of parchment to a fluffy armchair next to a fireplace, Harry took the opportunity to examine the room. It was thoroughly Hermione. The walls were lined with bookshelves stacked two-deep with all sorts of books, the top of the desk contained equal parts Muggle and magical items, and the décor was reminiscent of the Gryffindor common room at Hogwarts.
"You are acquainted with the Hermione Granger of your own dimension, correct?" Hermione asked as she took a seat in another armchair across from Harry and leaned forward.
"Yes," Harry said slowly, staring at the almost-mirror image of his friend. She was older and possessed an air of maturity and confidence that the other Hermione had not quite yet achieved. Interestingly, this Hermione was wearing a patently Muggle blouse and skirt that would not been out of place in a Muggle business setting instead of adhering to magical dress standards as Harry's friend did while at Hogwarts. "You married Ron, didn't you?" Harry guessed.
"Yes," Hermione answered, her lips quirking into an amused smile. "You could say that we are an unlikely pair. You probably understand that better than some."
"Wow," Harry said, wrapping his mind around the thought and wondering if the Ron and Hermione of his own universe would end up getting married. It seemed to him that they had too many arguments over the smallest things. "Do you have any children?"
Hermione sighed sadly, but gave Harry a tremulous smile. "I'm afraid not. But, Ron and I have not yet given up hope."
This comment caused Harry to feel a little bit awkward as he thought about Ron and Hermione having children. He realized that he probably should not have asked the question.
Hermione was looking at him expectantly, but Harry did not have much more to say. Finally, she was the one to break the silence. "Are you wondering about the Harry Potter of this dimension?"
"I suppose," Harry said slowly, though, strangely, the thought had not even occurred to him until Hermione had suggested it.
Hermione was studying Harry intently. "Did my question make you uncomfortable?"
"Well, yes," Harry admitted.
"Why?"
"Just, it seems weird," said Harry. "Meeting the other me would be like looking into a mirror. Nobody likes looking into a mirror at themselves, right?"
"Do you feel any strange physical sensations when you think about the other Harry?" Hermione inquired.
"No," Harry replied hesitantly.
"Nothing at all? Nothing out of the ordinary?" Hermione pressed.
"No."
"Is it hard to think about the other Harry?"
"No."
"Interesting," Hermione said, allowing herself to lean back in her chair. Somehow, she seemed to be able to sense Harry's discomfort. She studied Harry over steepled fingers for another long moment before moving on.
"Did Gemma, Mira, and Lyra tell you why they were in your dimension?" Hermione inquired.
"Who?" Harry asked. "I thought their names were Violet, Ivy, and Holly."
Hermione nodded. "It sounds like they gave you their middle names when they introduced themselves. They go by either name. But, in all honesty, most people just call them the triplets. It is too hard to tell them apart."
"Kind of like the Weasley twins," Harry analogized.
"Yes," Hermione agreed, "except that even the Weasley twins of this dimension step cautiously when they are around the Black triplets." She grinned mischievously. "Did they tell you that their father is this dimension's Harry Potter? You're basically their father."
Harry's eyes bugged out. It made sense, though. They had hinted, and then Violet had his eyes. But then, another memory surfaced in Harry's mind. At Kings Cross, he had observed that the triplets resembled Bellatrix Black. He gulped and unable to restrain himself, asked the question to which he did not want to know the answer. "Who is the mother?"
"That would be our esteemed Minister of Magic, Bellatrix Black," Hermione said serenely, hiding a smile as she watched the dazed expression on Harry's face transform into abject horror.
Harry gagged, literally beginning to choke on his own spit. "That's disgusting," he said in between coughs.
Hermione shrugged. "I thought you might find that disturbing, given the nature of things in your dimension. I'm sorry to thrust it on you like that, but you will not be able to avoid interacting with Bellatrix in the coming weeks. It is better that you come to terms with it now."
"But, she's a Death Eater! And much older than I am," Harry protested. "What was the other me thinking?"
"Things are quite different in this dimension, Harry. There was time travel involved. And, she never became a Death Eater. In fact, the Harry of this dimension is older than the Bellatrix of this dimension. They're quite happily married."
"It still feels wrong," Harry retorted, trying to imagine the situation, but cringing each time the picture came into his mind.
Hermione shrugged. "It has worked out marvelously in this dimension. Harry and Bellatrix became great war heroes after getting married. The other Harry even became the Minister of Magic for a couple of years. Our Voldemort has been dead for many years and was not able to kill nearly as many as have already perished in your dimension."
"You can't possibly know that much about my dimension," Harry protested.
The expression on Hermione's face became undecipherable. "I think you would be surprised at how much I know about your dimension."
Silence reigned after this impasse. Hermione did not seem to have anything she wanted to say to Harry, and Harry was beginning to feel like this version of Hermione was more adversary than ally. Eventually, an important question arose in Harry's mind. "When can I go back to my dimension?"
"You shall have to ask Bellatrix," Hermione said, standing up and retreating to her desk and sitting down. "She is the one who will make that decision."
Harry's mind began racing as he also stood and followed Hermione halfway to her desk. "But, she's in China, isn't she?"
"Yes," Hermione said as she sorted through some sheets of parchment, seemingly searching for a particular sheet. "I will tell you, though, that I do not anticipate her letting you go home very soon. At least, she will want to maintain the status quo until she knows for sure what she is up against."
"That's not fair," Harry said reflexively.
Hermione found the sheet of parchment for which she had been searching and let out a satisfied smile before setting it down on top of her desk blotter and then turning her attention back to Harry.
"Harry, because you have been kind to my counterpart in your dimension, I will give you a warning. Bellatrix is not interested in what is fair to you or anybody from your dimension. She is interested in what will keep this dimension safe from harm. And, even if she does try to help you or the people in your dimension, you need to understand that she has a tendency to think that she knows what is best for everybody. Safeguard your interests, Harry, and keep yourself informed. Do not blindly do whatever she tells you to do"
Harry blinked as Hermione's words sunk in, and he began to realize the severity of his situation. "Can you tell me more about what is going on?"
Hermione had grabbed a large book and thumbed it open. "I am sorry, Harry, but not today. The triplets have brought grievous news back from your dimension. Things there are worse than you can possibly understand. The plans Bellatrix and I spent the summer making are all but useless. I need to start researching other solutions to the problem, or making ones we already thought of viable. If you go out into the hall, you should find that the triplets have made arrangements to take care of you."
Harry eyed the door to Hermione's office apprehensively.
"You need not fear them, Harry. Without being asked to do so, they invested a significant portion of their summer protecting you from harm and saved your life today," Hermione said, already copying notes from the book onto the parchment she had extracted from the clutter on her desk.
Harry nodded and moved to exit Hermione's office from the door he had entered.
~!~!~!~!~!~!
Harry Ashworth Black, Emeritus Minister of Magic, Order of Merlin First Class, and Quidditch Champion, poked awkwardly at the screen of the mobile phone his daughters had gifted him and his wife, Bellatrix, last Christmas. He still had not mastered its use, and Bellatrix had not even deigned to touch it. The triplets had anticipated Bellatrix's rejection of the technology. Hence, they had bought only one phone for their parents to "share."
After slipping the phone into a pocket, Harry drew his wand and cancelled the anti-eavesdropping wards he had erected around the balcony of the Beijing hotel the Chinese Ministry of Magic was using to host the events surrounding Bellatrix's emergency state visit.
Returning inside, Harry found his pseudo-sister, Sidra Potter Malfoy waiting for him in the hallway. "Who was it?" she asked pointedly.
"Holly was calling to let me know that she and my other daughters have returned safely," Harry said, masking his annoyance with Sidra. She had known that Bellatrix had allowed the triplets to make the potentially dangerous journey to the alternate dimension without telling Harry in advance.
"And?"
"And, what?" Harry said, turning away from Sidra and walking down the hall toward the conference room in which Bellatrix and the Chinese Minister were conversing.
Sidra followed. "What did they say? What is the news?"
"It is not thrilling news," Harry said shortly, not about to deliver news to his wife's secretary before personally informing his wife.
When Harry and Sidra arrived at the conference room, they discovered that the meeting between Bellatrix and the Chinese Minister had concluded. Bellatrix, dressed in expensive black and blue robes, was exchanging handshakes and bows with the Chinese Minister and his officials. The faux smile plastered on Bellatrix's face told Harry that she was seething with anger.
With the formalities concluded, Bellatrix latched onto Harry, and the couple was soon striding silently to the lift with Sidra and part of the detachment of Aurors serving as Bellatrix's bodyguard in tow. Within about two minutes, the party had arrived at the door of the hotel suite Harry and Bellatrix were sharing.
Two of the Aurors took posts by the doors while the rest spread out and concealed themselves at strategic locations. Sidra wanted to follow Harry and Bellatrix into the suite, but Bellatrix dismissed Sidra with a curt nod that Sidra was able to interpret based on her long experience as Bellatrix's secretary. As soon as Harry and Bellatrix were alone behind the special anti-eavesdropping wards the Auror detachment had set up, Bellatrix let loose.
"I am going to strangle Percy Weasley," Bellatrix said, clenching her hands into fists as Harry took a seat on one of the couches and relaxed. Muttering angrily to herself, Bellatrix disappeared into the bathroom. "I do not know why you appointed him to head up International Magical Cooperation after Andrew retired," she called out from the bathroom.
"I felt like I owed it to him after all he did in the Death Eater trials," Harry repeated for probably the twentieth time since making Percy's appointment all those years ago. He stood up, strolled to the mini-kitchenette, and found a bottle of butterbeer. "Besides, how was he supposed to know that you already knew the Chinese ambassador was part of the smuggling organization?"
"People in high political office are just supposed to assume those sorts of things!" Bellatrix said emphatically, returning from the bathroom in a bathrobe. "It puts me in a very awkward position. What I am supposed to say to Minister Liu? I am sorry for the international embarrassment caused by young Mr. Weasley, who should have resolved this quietly instead of going to the press. That was a very naughty thing your ambassador did. But, please appoint somebody who does the same thing because I was really hoping to use the smuggling ring in one of my international political plots."
"Yes, I would have a hard time keeping a straight face while saying that," Harry said, grinning as he tipped back the butterbeer bottle. He had no problem with Bellatrix's overall performance as Minister of Magic, but sometimes he felt that her actions were a little bit sketchy.
Bellatrix reached for a bottle of firewhiskey sitting on a sideboard, but Harry frowned at her. She scowled at him and moved on to the kitchenette to fetch a bottle of butterbeer. The two then sprawled on the couch, leaning against each other as Harry sipped on his bottle, and Bellatrix held hers without opening it.
Harry was enjoying the moment and did not want to spoil it, but the news was urgent enough that Harry knew Bellatrix would be irate at not being told as soon as possible. "The triplets have returned," he said casually.
Harry felt Bellatrix stiffen slightly. When Harry had found out about the triplets' eagerly accepting an assignment from Bellatrix and Hermione to visit an alternate dimension for the purpose of chasing a dark wizard that had strayed into their own dimension, Harry had been angry that his wife would endanger their daughters. Bellatrix had felt that their daughters were capable of taking care of themselves. After all, they would merely be spying, not fighting. Naturally, a row had followed.
"They brought bad news and tourists," Harry said, trying to skirt the issue that had inspired the row.
"What is the bad news?" Bellatrix asked.
"The dimension they visited apparently has two Voldemorts," Harry informed Bellatrix.
Bellatrix mulled this over in her mind. "Is the second one an activated horcrux or a completely different Voldemort from yet another dimension?"
"Holly said that Violet thinks the latter," Harry answered.
Bellatrix cursed. She stood up, popped open the butterbeer, and downed it in two long draws. "Do they think an invasion is imminent?"
"No."
"Good. Who are the tourists?" Bellatrix asked as she hurled the bottle into a rubbish bin.
"Another Harry Potter and a Ginny Weasley," Harry said.
Bellatrix wrinkled her nose at Harry and then subconsciously glanced at the firewhiskey bottle.
"It won't help," Harry said.
"Then I guess it is bedtime," Bellatrix said crossly. "We can rush back home tomorrow morning."
Harry grinned. "Okay." He stood up and followed her into the bedroom.
~!~!~!~!~!~!
Young Harry exited Hermione's office and found another wizard waiting for him just past the guards flanking the doorway. Smiling broadly, the wizard approached Harry and extended his hand. "Hello, Harry. Leo Black, at your service."
"Uh, hello," Harry said, slowly shaking the other wizard's hand as he eyed him and tried to think whether he had met the same person in his own dimension.
"My father is Sirius Black," Leo explained.
"Okay," Harry said as he mentally took note that Leo's physical features were somewhat reminiscent of Sirius Black's physical features. Inwardly, he felt a twinge of sorrow for the Sirius of his own dimension. That Sirius would never have children.
"I have been asked to serve as your tour guide for the duration of your stay," Leo explained, clapping his hand on Harry's shoulder and pointing the way back down the maze of passageways to the elevator before letting go of Harry and energetically striding down the hall without checking to see if Harry was following.
"And prison guard," Harry muttered, slowly following in Leo's wake.
"Sorry, didn't hear that," Leo called back toward Harry.
"Never mind," Harry said, catching up to Leo. "Where are we going?"
"St Mungo's," Leo answered. "We'll need to sort out young Miss Weasley's medical situation."
"Right," Harry said, suddenly remembering her dire state of health. Curiosity also showed its face. "Is there another Ginny Weasley in this dimension?"
Leo nodded. "Yes, there is. The last I heard, she and her husband were traveling abroad on some sort of research project."
They reached the lift, and Leo punched the call button. As they waited, he began to tap his foot to some song that Harry could not hear.
"So, are you an Auror?" Harry asked.
"Nothing so grand," Leo said, stepping into the lift the instant the doors opened. Harry followed, and Leo pushed the button for the main lobby. "I'm the President of Black Magic Corp. I manage all of the Black family's investments in magical companies."
"You work for Bellatrix then," Harry surmised.
Leo grinned. "Aye. But I must say, she pays a good salary, and the fringe benefits are fantastic."
"What does Black Magic sell?" Harry inquired.
"We do more investing than selling," Leo answered. "We hold property, too. But for products, I guess you can say that we're slightly responsible for Weasley Wizard Wheezes. We also have done major underwriting work for Weasley Corp."
Harry frowned at the thought of the Black and Weasley families being entangled like that. "What does Weasley Corp do?"
Leo winked as the elevator doors opened to the Ministry Atrium. "It is a Ministry contractor."
"Do the Weasley twins control Weasley Corp?" Harry asked.
"No. One of the other Weasley brothers does. Arthur Weasley originally founded Weasley Corp. After it started getting Ministry contracts, he stepped down and put one of his sons in charge so that he could maintain his Ministry job," Leo said as he shepherded Harry to one of the fireplaces that served as an exit. "Hang on to me," he directed.
One nasty Floo trip later, Harry and Leo were making their way through the St. Mungo's lobby toward the reception desk. Harry, who had never visited St. Mungo's, tried to take in everything about his surroundings, comparing it to Muggle hospitals with which he was slightly more familiar. The receptionist had just finished directing a mother and her barfing child to a mediwitch's assistant who could help them immediately when Leo and Harry reached her.
"We're here for the young witch the Aurors hauled in a while ago," Leo announced.
"It looks like she might be a ward of the Ministry," the receptionist informed Leo after pulling up Ginny's file and scanning it.
"Arguably, she is more a ward of the Black family than a ward of the Ministry," Leo said casually.
The receptionist took a closer look at Leo, her eyes widening slightly when she recognized him. "Let me speak with my superiors." She left the desk and disappeared down a hall. Absentmindedly, Leo began tapping his fingers on the counter. Harry started staring at the patients in the waiting room, trying to imagine how they had acquired their injuries.
After about five minutes, the receptionist returned. "What precisely were you hoping to do here?"
"Visit the patient, consult with the staff regarding her situation, fill out the admission forms, and everything else," Leo said patiently.
"We can allow that, but everything you do has to be copied to Minister Black for ratification until we receive something more substantial from the Ministry regarding the patient's legal guardians," the receptionist explained.
"No problem," Leo said, holding out his arms in a way to suggest that somebody was going to drop a fifty-pound package on him. "Deposit all the nasty paperwork here."
The receptionist gave Leo the paperwork in the form of several dozen sheets of parchment and directed Harry and Leo to the private ward in which the staff had deposited Ginny. They found one of the Aurors assigned to escort Ginny to the hospital by Tonks standing outside the ward.
"Are we supposed to stay here?" the Auror asked after he recognized Leo.
"I have no clue," Leo said, opening the door and waiting for Harry to step in ahead of him. "Tell your superiors that they should consult with the Chief Unspeakable. She probably will know what should be done."
The other Auror assigned to Ginny had been sitting in the room, but he left as soon as Harry and Leo walked in. Leo took a chair near the window and began filling out the paperwork as Harry went to Ginny's bedside and sat in the chair next to her. Ginny was unconscious.
"Let's see," Leo said, filling out the paperwork aloud. "Name . . . um, how about, Anne Chovee?"
"Yeah, whatever," Harry said, still staring at Ginny. The hospital staff had put her into a hospital robe and tucked her tightly into the bed. Despite Harry knowing that Ginny was injured, it looked to him like she was sleeping peacefully. "Do you think she is very seriously injured?"
"I don't know. Hopefully somebody comes and tells us," Leo said, still making his way through the questionnaire. "How old is she?"
"I think fourteen," Harry said, feeling guilty for not being completely sure about her birthday. "Yeah, fourteen, he confirmed after thinking about it some more."
"Close enough, I'm sure," Leo said, jotting down the number. "It's not as if they really need to know."
For about twenty minutes, only the sound of Leo's quill filled the room as Leo proceeded to fudge Ginny's entire medical history and identification information and as Harry watched Ginny for any signs of improvement. Eventually, the door to the ward opened to admit a young Mediwizard.
The Mediwizard arched an eyebrow at Leo, seeming to know him by sight. "I hear that you've been throwing your weight around here," he said drily, though not without a hint of humor in his voice.
Leo shrugged. "How often do people storm in here and demand to pay somebody's bills?"
"Not too often," the Mediwizard admitted, finally breaking into a smile.
"Who is she and where did she come from?" the Mediwizard asked, peering toward the paperwork Leo had been filling out.
"I think that information is classified," Leo said.
The Mediwizard rolled his eyes. "I thought these accidents would stop happening once the Minister finally got kicked out of the Department of Mysteries."
"I don't think this was quite what you would call an industrial accident," Leo said as he made the quill disappear and handed the stack of paperwork to the Mediwizard. "You can have this. I think this should be enough information for you."
"Thanks awfully," the Mediwizard said as he accepted the stack of parchment. He looked down at it. "Nice name. Really imaginative."
"Thank you," Leo said.
"Has anybody told you about her injuries?"
"Nothing."
"Okay. So, it looks like she got hit by a Dark spell that we haven't seen in use since the last months of the war against Voldemort," the Mediwizard explained. "We were kind of hoping that nobody alive knew the incantation."
"Is it a very destructive spell?" Harry asked.
The Mediwizard looked at Harry suspiciously, perhaps wondering who he was, but answered the question without probing the reasons behind Harry's presence. "Yes. Very bad. It is a long-term, irreversible spell that immediately incapacitates and then continues to attack the victim's internal organs for several months, resulting in a long, painful death. But, it is treatable. So, that's the good news. There is a little bit of bad news, though, in addition to the fact that the spell is a bad one."
"And what is the bad news?" Leo asked.
"The bad news is that we don't have a lot of the potion that treats the spell on hand. I can guarantee that she won't die while she's in our care, but if we have to ration out our supply of the potion to make it last for the duration of the spell, she could be very uncomfortable until the spell wears off because we'd be able to administer only enough potion to prevent death, but not enough to completely ward off the complications." the Mediwizard explained.
"Can't you order up some more potion?" Leo asked. "Money isn't exactly an issue, you know."
"It takes a long time to brew," the Mediwizard said. "Obviously, we've set the brewers to work already, and a new batch will probably be ready soon enough to make the last weeks of the spells duration completely bearable for her."
"I can't believe that you wouldn't have more of this stuff on hand," Leo grumbled.
The Mediwizard shrugged. "I don't control the supply. I wonder, though, if the Ministry might have a strategic supply that perhaps Minister Black could release to us for this situation."
"Your receptionist says that Bellatrix is going to have to approve everything. Have your people send her a note inquiring after the Ministry's supply. Make it a big, shiny, flashy note, too. The stuff you are about to send her is precisely the sort of stuff she signs without even looking at it," Leo said. "You know, one time, she even signed a birthday card some Ministry employees sent to her for her own birthday."
"Right. I'll do that," the Mediwizard agreed, letting out a chuckle.
"When is she going to wake up?" Harry asked.
"Not for at least a day or two," the Mediwizard said. "We've given her potions to keep her under so that she doesn't have to feel the brunt of the pain."
"We'll be back, then," Leo said as he abandoned his chair.
Harry, Leo, and the Mediwizard departed from the ward. As soon as the Mediwizard turned into another room, leaving Harry and Leo to themselves, Harry asked where they were going next.
"I think we'll get you settled in at Ravenbourgh," Leo said, casually gesturing toward the lobby of the hospital.
"What's that?" Harry asked as he began following Leo back toward the front desk.
"It's the House of Black's country manor," Leo said.
"Do you live there, then?" Harry asked.
"Yes, and a lot of other people, too," Leo replied. "Technically, Harry and Bellatrix own Ravenbourgh, but family and friends are free to drop in and spend a night, or two, or a few months if they like. My wife and I have lived there on a permanent basis since it was built, though."
In one way, that sounded like the Burrow to Harry. But in other ways, Harry thought it sounded a little bit too open. "Doesn't that drive the other me and Bellatrix crazy to have people constantly wandering around their house?"
"They aren't usually there enough to care," Leo said as they walked up to a large fireplace for people wishing to leave St. Mungo's. "Harry and Bellatrix have a townhouse in London at which they will often spend the night. My wife and I are technically the only permanent residents. Speaking of my wife . . . ," Leo trailed off. He stopped and gave Harry a grin.
"What?" Harry asked.
"Oh, I won't spoil the surprise," said Leo, gesturing for Harry to follow him into the Floo.
~!~!~!~!~!~!
For Harry and Bellatrix, the "rush back home" involved stops in Hawaii and Las Vegas. The former was a necessary stop on the Portkey route Bellatrix had chosen. While they waited for the connecting Portkey to take them to Las Vegas, Harry ducked into a gift shop and bought several crates of chocolates to hand out to acquaintances during the upcoming Christmas season.
The stop in Las Vegas had a more definite purpose. At some point in the night, Bellatrix had decided it was time to pay a visit to her cousin, Sirius Black, the Ministry's ambassador to the U.S. Department of Magic. Sirius's first action as Ambassador had been to open a branch-embassy in Las Vegas complete with a casino. The casino brought in a handsome profit, hindered only by the tax authorities' refusal to grant Sirius diplomatic immunity from taxation. With few exceptions, Sirius resided at the so-called embassy from day to day.
"Whatever it was, I didn't do it," Sirius protested as Harry and Bellatrix invaded his office on the top floor of a high-rise and shooed out the embassy worker with whom Sirius had been meeting. "Blame Percy!"
"Heard about that, did you?" Harry said, winking at Sirius.
Sirius grinned at Harry. Over the years since the end of the war, Sirius and Harry had become friendly with each other, but they had not quite achieved the bond Harry had felt with his godfather before he had traveled to the past and changed the timeline forever.
"Aside from your chronic lack of diplomatic productiveness, you have done nothing wrong," Bellatrix said as she looked around the office, eyeing the furnishings with suspicion.
"What brings you here, then?" Sirius asked.
"Trouble," Bellatrix said. "I may have a new job for you. Pick your ugliest staffer and tell her that she is now the Acting Ambassador."
Sirius's jaw dropped. "What? First of all, you might have a new job for me? Who is going to replace me? And what makes you think that my ugliest staffer is a female?"
"Relax," Bellatrix said, "you probably will enjoy your new job. If it turns out I do not need you, you can have this job back. As for your staff, if you have a male on it, you are free to appoint him. Now, pack your bags and make arrangements for us to get back to London."
Sirius left his office, muttering angrily under his breath as Bellatrix helped herself to his automatic-massage desk chair.