Harry Potter: Otherworld

Loss of Faith

***No own no sue. ***

*Twitter for updates, Angelslayer135

I will keep a running list of male to female names as characters are introduced at the end of each chapter.

***HP:O ***

Augustina Dumbledore stared out the window and into the night sky, illuminated by the moon and stars alone. Elsewhere in the room there were conversations, demands, and yelling. Egos pushed against egos. Old hatreds reemerged, as if they had ever truly fizzled out and it felt as though they teetered on the edge of disaster.

And yet the oldest of those present couldn't find the will to care. She admired the scenery, finding a peaceful solace in the terrain, in the sky, in the twinkling of light so far away.

She tried to remember what the plan for such a meeting was before everything changed. When had that occurred? Minutes prior, or had it been days? Weeks? Years? She wasn't sure how much time passed between then and now, but it felt like lifetimes.

She was innocent back then, ignorant of how the universe worked, of how things would be. She had been full of hope, pushing aside all doubt and carrying cheerfully on as if everything would turn out just fine, as if sending a group of teenagers into the potential deaths for money and 'glory' could be called as such.

Perhaps this could be used as an excuse to retire. Convince the Potters that yes, Hogwarts was clearly not safe for their children. She could buy them a house in some far away country, volunteer to teach Harry personally while their daughters attended a school which wasn't so clearly dedicated to killing their son.

Perhaps she could even suggest this before Lily cut out her ovaries.

"Dumbledore, something must be done!" someone demanded, finally turning her back around to meet expectant eyes. "Well!?"

"Crouch," she intoned in an emotionless voice, "shut up." The other woman's jaw dropped, along with a large portion of the others in the room. "The Goblet of Fire is a magically binding contract, there is no way to remove Harry from the tournament without killing him in the process."

"Then relight the damn thing and give the rest of us an additional contender!" Karkaroff insisted, earning a rare nod of agreement from the other Headmistress.

Augustina stared at him, through him, and the man shifted slightly in discomfort, "If you wish to kill the rest of the Champions then by all means, however doing so will terminate the contracts and likely result in the death of all four teenagers."

An uncomfortable silence followed earning a sigh from the woman.

"Due to recent complications, I would like to revisit the suggestion to change the tasks."

It was Fleur who snorted in response, "Afraid of your little boy being hurt?"

Augustina returned a cold gaze, earning a slight flinch from the girl. "As someone who entered the tournament themselves, I am surprised you are not aware of its bloody history. There has never been a Tri-Witch Tournament that has not resulted in the deaths of at least one participant, most end with the champion being the only of the contenders left alive, and even then, they are often scarred and crippled for life. Tell me miss Delacour, which state would your parents prefer you in?"

The girl seemed to shrink in on herself, looking away without a word.

"As I said during the summer when it was… decided to continue this tradition, if we want to encourage such activities in the future it would not be a terrible idea to cut back on the body count."

***HP:O ***

"Seems as though you are in the midst of all the excitement… once again."

Harry Potter froze, mind racing before looking up to the woman standing in the doorway. She met his gaze, eyes boring into his own while he returned the look, unflinching. "You think I entered myself." He whispered into the silence. Deep down he had been hoping for something, perhaps a quick shake of a head, perhaps a widening of eyes at guessing wrong… but none of that occurred.

Instead, she stared back without remorse. "I don't know if you did or not, unlike many others I am keeping an open mind."

"After four years of this crap you don't believe me?"

Grace rolled her eyes, pushing away any unease forming in her gut as justifications rang out in her mind, "I believe you may very well have chosen to enter yourself to ensure someone else was not entered, to get ahead of some sort of perceived danger."

He shook his head, "I can't… I didn't choose this!"

The protest was met with the quirking of an eyebrow, a very Slytherin response, and one he hadn't heard when dealing with the woman in private, "But you certainly enjoy it don't you? The thrill of action, the attention and praise you will receive from everyone after you emerge victorious. Deny it all you want but deep down you are a Slytherin at heart and that part of you will always seek to attain the best outcome for your own future."

"And how…" he growled, doing his best to keep his voice from cracking because her words shouldn't be affecting him, shouldn't matter, "would being killed in some tournament for prize money and my name written in a book no one will ever read, ever help me?"

She was angry, he could see it in her eyes, though he wasn't sure the origin of said anger. Maybe she was mad at him being entered and didn't want to admit it, maybe she was mad at the entire situation, maybe she was mad he was talking back. Either way a part of him just didn't have the energy to care. "Considering how much of an advantage you have on the other Champions, how much you have on all the other students, it would be a safe bet to assume you will come out victorious. You have always claimed to be an adult, so deal with your adult problems."

With that the woman turned and left, slamming the door behind her, and leaving the boy to rub wearily at his eyes, dreading the days to follow.

***HP:O ***

Tossing back her head, the woman downed the glass of alcohol in a single gulp, wincing as it burned the entire way down her throat. Still, as unpleasant as the whisky was it did its job in helping to ease the frustration, rage, anxiety, and so much more currently taking up residence in her head.

Another year of dumping problems onto Harry.

Hadn't they learned the first year? Or the second, or even the previous? How many times did they need to put him into danger before they said, 'enough is enough'?

She was sure the boy's parents would be furious, and the very thought of Lily on a warpath was enough to have the potion's expert hiding in her own room.

Lily and James' son was stuck in a magical contract against his will.

Oh yes, there would be hell to pay, and Snape was glad she wasn't facing it herself.

Still, how had it happened? Even with Dumbledore's 'safeguards' she had put her own protections down to try and ensure no one could enter another into the Goblet. But it had still happened, hadn't it?

It felt as if fate itself was conspiring against him.

Her fingers tightened, threatening to leave cracks in the glass she held. There was more risk than ever. Before they had clues as to the threat, might be able to contain the problem or safeguard him at Hogwarts itself, but now the school was filled with potential suspects.

Would this be just another year of waiting around while hoping? Another year of teaching useless dolts the basics of skills they would never truly grasp while pretending terrible things weren't rushing towards them?

No, not this time. It had to be different, even if she had to take matters into her own hands once again.

***HP:O ***

Augustina had just finished writing on the parchment, placing it in the envelope, and sealing it when the door to her office opened and slammed shut moments later. She knew who it was even without looking, knew how the following conversation would go, and knew she deserved every ounce of hatred and anger which would be directed towards her.

She had failed.

"Explain."

It wasn't a request or even a suggestion and without a word the elderly witch presented the object she had just prepared. Lily stared at the object, before looking back up to the woman without so much as a hint of taking it. "A list of private tutors, schools, and options for your children. It has become apparent, should have been apparent after the last three years, that Hogwarts is not a safe or healthy place for them to continue their education. I would suggest removing them as soon as it is safe for you to do so without jeopardizing his life due to the contract."

"Dumbledore…" James whispered, clearly shocked by her words.

But the woman merely shook her head, "I had… such faith this time. I had a plan, wards in place, magical requirements, sentries… and it didn't matter. Clearly, the staff and I cannot protect him."

"Why was the tournament even allowed?"

A huff of disdain was followed by the shaking of a head, "Because after so many disasters the Minister still can't figure out how to be a competent adult who cares more about the safety of others than her own damn pride."

Lily was undeterred in her anger, "And the tasks?"

"I have been pushing for those which require skill without putting anyone in danger. It failed during the summer, but I seem to have made some headway after the selection. There is still time to change things around, at least to prevent any injuries… or worse."

The sole man let out a shuddering exhale, clearly on the border of a panic attack, while the redhead merely wiped tears from her eyes, "We can't keep doing this Headmistress. Coming into this office, demanding answers only to hear 'yes Harry's life is in danger again, sorry'."

Dumbledore knew this, likely knew it long before the year even began, but had made excuses in her own mind, had promised herself things could be different, yet was wrong over and over again. "I know. I can't begin to understand what you are going through, what he is going through. I thought giving him a life, somewhere to fit in, friends, a proper education would be worth it but… it's not. Get him out of here, find private instructors to fill in any blanks in his education. He can probably take his N.E. this summer, especially with a bit of focused studying… when he can find the time. After that I will personally write any recommendations you want."

"Then what?" James bit out, earning glances from both women, "We tell him to find a job at sixteen? He can have all the praise in the world, but no one will hire him, he will be too young, too inexperienced in the public's eye to consider for anything more than internships and even those will be a stretch because he is a boy."

The Headmistress hung her head, knowing everything he said was true, yet another fault in their society. "I'm so sorry. Sorry for all of this, for everything your family has been through, for everything Harry has been through."

***HP:O ***

Amaryllis Potter paced back and forth in the room she shared with a handful of others. Harry had been upset, clearly upset, and yet she couldn't help the doubt creeping into her mind.

Every year Harry had risked himself to protect others, whether directly or indirectly, usually by inserting himself directly into the conflict. But he had been right each time, hadn't he? If her male-self hadn't stepped forward it could have been disastrous their previous year, not just on the train but for their cousin and others.

Then there was their second year and… she didn't want to think about it, her sister paralyzed, brother distant and blaming himself, then injured and… she shook her head.

But still, they were Gryffindors at heart, strove for a challenge, for accomplishments, what if…

"Amy, what are…" The redhead turned to her sister, ready to say something when the raven-haired girl's expression shifted into barely concealed anger, "do you seriously think he entered himself!?"

She flinched backwards at the bookworm's accusation, "No, no of course not but…"

"But you do, I can see it. After everything he has gone through are you going to be angry at him now?"

"No! I wouldn't… I mean yeah part of me wishes I had the opportunity, that people could be cheering for me and…"

Harriet stormed up and grabbed her by the collar, causing the redhead to go wide-eyed, "Like every fucking Quidditch game? Remember those, when Harry helped you to play better, when he would show up at every game, when he chose not to play so he wasn't against you!"

It was a slap to the face, a bright, painful, wakeup to what she had been thinking. "Y-you're right, I'm sorry I shouldn't have… I can't believe I would…"

Her sister noticeably calmed, releasing her before starting a hug. "You didn't mean to, I know. This whole thing has been a shock to everyone but imagine how Harry is feeling. You might know better but others won't, he's going to have a lot of anger towards him this year."

"Right, of course because people are prats and forget things, just like I did. Of course, I'll support him, you know I will. What can we do?"

"Sleep for right now." Another voice, the other bookish girl answered from where she stood at the entrance, clearly having entered the room moments prior. "We can start researching in the morning but right now we just need to rest.

***HP:O ***

He knew it was coming, had a feeling deep in his gut and thus was waiting for them outside of the common room, to minimize anyone else chiming in or eavesdropping. Upon seeing the pair, he followed along silently until they reached an unused room.

"We just want to ask Harry; did you enter yourself into the Tournament?"

The boy knew it was a logical question, especially considering how the previous years, and his actions during them, had gone, but it still hurt. So, he shook his head, forcing himself to remain calm and clear headed, to not show any potential tears, "No I didn't."

Almost immediately both of his parents nodded, "Okay, we believe you Harry we just… we wanted to make sure because you have a bit of a habit of endangering yourself for others."

He did, and if he had somehow thought one of his sisters might have been dragged into such a thing, he would have happily put himself in for them, but it wasn't necessary. "I wanted to stay out of it, I told Dumbledore not to have it at Hogwarts, warned her this would happen, and it did anyway. No matter what I do it just… doesn't seem to matter."

James knelt and pulled him into a hug, strong and protective as if it were the only thing he could do, and perhaps it was.

"We will support you in any and every way we can Harry. Sirius and Sylvie will, your sisters will, you know your friends will. You will get through this, I promise."

Harry did, he knew it would be all right, at least through the tasks themselves. He was the best prepared student at any school, as Riddle had pointed out. No, it was who had entered him that was the most worrying.

"It'll be okay sweetheart, we promise." Even with the slight waver in his mother's voice the boy-who-lived clutched onto her words. It was something he hadn't been promised in his former life, a promise that his parents loved and supported him no matter what, that they would help him, that it wouldn't just be a handful of friends and a bit of support from professors to pull him through.

***HP:O ***

"Can't just stay out of things, can you Potter." Harry sighed before turning towards the older classmates, whose names he couldn't remember. "Always need to be the center of attention, showing how good you think you are. Well, you're not. We don't know how you managed to cheat your way in, but you can't cheat now. Everyone will see how truly average you are… at best, and this little fame you've built up will come crashing down."

The boy stared back without anger or fear, already expecting such reactions to begin all considering, then shrugged before continuing towards his next class.

It wouldn't be the last time he faced such things, however. Some students, particularly those of his own year or younger, seemed a bit reluctant to take sides on which of the Hogwarts students to support. Those older however were almost unanimous in their backing of the Black heiress, despite what House they might have been sorted into.

Accusations would come between every class and during every meal. Everything from, "Glory seeking fraud" to "desperate for attention and praise" and even "trying to impress the foreigners."

Was he trying to find a rich wife? Gaining favor for his family? Looking for possible political favors by catering, once again, to the Minister's plans?

Theories flew about, while Harry himself stayed away from the discussions as much as possible and seldom bothered to answer questions or even demands.

"Harry," his bookworm friend inquired one day after a spiteful encounter with several seventh years, "why do you just… let them say these awful things?"

The boy answered with a smile towards his group of friends, "Because I've been through this before, and this time I understand. The first time around everything was pushed at me, everything was seeking me out, challenging me, coming at me. This time it was always my choice. I could have sat back and let the adults handle things, yes it would have been bad, but from an outsider's point of view I could have done it. So, I get it, they could see me as trying to get attention."

"But it's not true!" Ginny argued, frustration evident in her voice. "You didn't want any of this, you only helped because the adults weren't doing anything!"

His smile was warm, earning confusion from the rest of those sitting at the table. "Thank you for believing me. Honestly, this is all I care about, that those closest to me believe in me. Everyone else can bugger off."

"I think that's a good idea Harry," Luna replied with a smile, "It lets you think about happier things instead of all the negativity."

The others shared a look but said nothing.

***HP:O ***

He wasn't trying to be subtle, of that she was certain, because if he were it would be almost embarrassing. She knew who he was, naturally, from the group of champions but wasn't entirely certain as to why he seemed to hang around her classroom, why he followed her during meals with his eyes, why he was always in the hallways when she was.

After several days she received her answer, "You are Potter's Head of House?" Grace quirked an eyebrow and gave a single nod to the other boy. "Word is you are his mentor as well."

"I am."

Krum made an obvious effort to look around the room, "Yet I do not see him here."

"We had a bit of a… falling out."

His mouth twitched up in a smirk, and despite his overall good looks, Riddle decided it made him rather unbecoming. "A shame he didn't appreciate your time and talents. I have heard you are one of the best duelists alive."

The praise worked, and she felt herself loosening, standing just a bit taller, a bit prouder. She was one of the best duelists alive, why shouldn't she be able to teach more than one individual?

"I am, I've heard rumor you are quite the duelist yourself." There wasn't anything wrong with what she was doing. He had paid her a compliment and she was returning it.

He nodded, face alight with his own pride. "I would be honored to receive instructions from you, if you have time."

She… shouldn't, but if her mentee could receive lessons from others why shouldn't she be able to tutor additional students? "I have time around 6 tonight."

***HP:O ***

He had been expecting some sort of confrontation with Ron since the selection but wasn't entirely sure what kind. Thus far this universe's Ronald Weasley wasn't the same as the one he had known, didn't have a chip on his shoulder, wasn't compared to older siblings and found wanting.

Still, with so many others choosing to side with 'logic' he figured there was a decent chance the redhead would as well. Instead, he found himself approached by both Gryffindor boys in his year, both looking rather anxious.

"Harry, what are you going to do!?"

The boy blinked before shrugging in answer to the more excitable of the Gryffindor's question. "Not much I can do Ron, I'm stuck in it until either Dumbledore can find a way to get me out or the Tournament is over."

"Aren't you worried though?" This was, naturally, from Neville and it had the boy-who-lived pausing to consider it. Was he worried? He should be right, the Tournament routinely killed contestants and while he was far above the level which he had been at the first time around there was still risks involved.

But still, this time it just felt different. There was no homicidal, borderline unkillable sociopath trying to resurrect and murder him. He had faced Lycans, Basilisks, Dementors, a dragon, and crazed stalkers.

What more was there to fear?

"I guess not. Maybe it just hasn't sunk in yet, like having an essay due but just avoiding it." The Longbottom looked like an odd mixture of amazed and horrified. Ron was a more dignified cross between worried and impressed. "I know I should be afraid, even freaking out but considering how the past few years have gone I guess I'm just a bit numb to it by now. I know other kids will hate me, I know the adults will be almost useless, I know I'll probably get hurt, but I mean… this is all what I expect now so what's there to be afraid of?"

Still, neither of the other teens looked convinced, "I don't know mate, I think I would be hiding under my bed for the next week. You know we have your back though, right? If there's anything you need just say the word."

Harry's smile was warm and thankful as he nodded in gratitude.

***HP:O ***

Harry Potter had been worried, at least in terms of the 'civilians' about two things. One, the reaction of his parents, and two the reaction of his friends. Everything else, at least at first, had been a far-off concern which he couldn't be bothered about.

There was Riddle's response, but he hadn't exactly opted to sit down and really think about why his mentor's opinion about his innocence, or lack thereof, meant so much to him. As for the remaining staff, he had put their opinions far down on his 'things to think about, scale.

For one, he remembered how the other professors had been borderline incompetent. Most had simply ignored the situation, the taunts, and threats, and those who were supposed to care provided almost no support.

So, when he had been walking down the hallway and received a flurry of names and insults, he had rolled his eyes and prepared to ignore it, when a voice full of anger had filled the area.

"Detention for the lot of you. Every weekend until I damn well say otherwise!" Turning, he had stared in surprise as McGonagall came marching up towards the group, eyes wrathful and sending the group scattering. Halting with a sigh she turned towards the boy, features softening instantly. "I'm very sorry Harry, I thought Gryffindor would be better, should be better, towards classmates in difficult situations."

But it wasn't just McGonagall, because that could be something Harry might expect due to her closeness to his sisters and parents.

No, it was nearly all the professors.

Flitwick came close to banning all of Ravenclaw's Quidditch players after one encounter and even Snape had threatened several members of her favored house if they didn't stop their harassment.

In fact, the only class in which students seemed to have free reign was Defense, and it was there that Riddle seemed only to intervene when it began to disrupt the class itself.

Because of his status Harry could choose to skip certain classes due to the stress of tasks and preparations needed and he was certainly tempted to do so, if for no other reason than to distance himself from the distrust and hatred from a large portion of the students, especially the older classes.

Still, he didn't want to completely abandon his education, especially when his teachers were making the effort. As for Defense, he had more than once considered skipping, but for the time being, continued attending both it and the Dueling Club, if for no other reason than to give Grace the benefit of the doubt.

***HP:O ***

Harry was having a bad day. It had been day in and day out of the same crap in the Slytherin common areas, in halls, even in some of his class and so he was finally fed up, done with the snide comments both to his face and behind his back, done with watching the majority of students completely ignore what he had done to save their sorry asses the past few years, and especially done with those who had claimed to always support him and now turned their backs.

He shouldn't be in Slytherin, didn't belong there, and this year was the most glaring indication of the truth. It had been bad enough when hearing that Grace had begun tutoring Krum, worse when she had brought him to the dueling club and the other members had practically flocked to him. The final straw was when he had simply begun to casually spend time in the dorm area, talking with students, gloating, making not-so-subtle jokes at his expense.

While Victor Krum had been a decent bloke in his own world, in this new one he had been beyond douchey. Harry knew he wouldn't be able to go through an entire year of it, so he began to seek out other options.

His sisters, and Hermione, had been kind enough to suggest Gryffindor, the problem was he couldn't just go to some other House, even if he could do so without being harassed there as well.

The previously empty classrooms were now occupied by various students from other schools, which left him with few real options. He couldn't stay home, much as he would have liked to, and thus he came to two final choices.

Well, one real choice because he sure as hell wasn't staying in The Chamber of Secrets even if it was accessible after Riddle's warding and protective spells. Still, he was a bit concerned with what he had left.

Because what if it wasn't there? What if it was different? What if it had been locked away by Dumbledore or someone else in years past?

So, he went to the seventh floor, followed the paths he remembered from his own fifth year, and then…

There it was, a door which had not been present a moment prior, and in he walked. It was exactly as he needed with a full bedroom connected to a large space which could be used for spells. There were books nearby, those present in the Hogwarts library, which offered reading material in not just the normal subjects but also dueling.

As he stepped into a larger, mostly empty, room to practice in he let go of the normal restraint he had managed to keep up since the Goblet.

A row of training dummies which had been conjured were destroyed seconds later and the effort helped the boy-who-lived to focus his mind on other things. Because regardless of how the previous years had passed this one couldn't be ignored. Someone was targeting him, there was no other reason to go through all the trouble, risk being caught, finding a way past wards and defenses, all to enter him into a stupid tournament.

More statues appeared, providing further target practice but in random directions this time, at different distances.

But why? No one needed his blood, there was no deceased Dark Lord trying to reincarnate, and he possessed no artifacts or skills worth the effort.

Revenge? It made the most sense, whether it was against his family or just him. Likely it was targeting him though, because there would be easier ways to involve his sisters if it was simply targeting the Potters as a whole.

One of the stone obelisks was annihilated at the thought of someone going after his family, even if it had been more on reflex than intent.

The thief from his first year? She did have the talents for breaking in but for what purpose? Plus, as far as he was aware she was still locked up, surely his parents or Dumbledore would've been told of a breakout.

Even if it was her, it didn't quite feel right. Yes, he stopped her from stealing something but risking being caught, and this was after he had saved her soul from a Dementor, over something so extravagant?

His spells were becoming more damaging, less precise, and with a slight urging he tapered himself back a bit upon realizing it. No reason for sloppiness after all, at least that was what Grace had instilled in him, and speaking of which…

Maybe Nagini, she had targeted him, and Riddle, through extreme methods before, right?

But this wasn't some off situated item. Someone would have noticed a large snake slithering down the hallway or a deranged woman muttering to herself.

Even Remi would be disappointed if he weren't focused, determined to keep his magic in check and eliminating any possible collateral damage. Should he reach out to the woman for aid? Even if he knew where she was there would be nothing which she could do other than offer verbal support.

These thoughts brought up the villains of the previous year. Lycans seemed even less likely, and again were in prison, which left Travers, or an unknown threat.

The woman was certainly deranged enough to do such a thing, and had been politically connected, but with the investigations and spotlight upon herself such a thing would have been more difficult. She couldn't just… go missing for enough time to figure out how to break into Hogwarts and get past everything without someone noticing.

Another option remained; one he was reluctant to consider. Every year had been a threat he hadn't seen coming, at least in terms of who would be responsible. The thief wasn't connected to Quirrel or Voldemort, there was no cursed diary or shade of a sociopath, and no one had escaped Azkaban with the intention of catching a murderer. Thus, maybe this year was different as well.

Could it be, at least this time, someone really was after him? Why else would they have gone through the trouble if not to target him specifically? Maybe he had ruffled too many feathers, shown off too much, been in the headlines a few too many times for someone to ignore.

A sexist who hated men, a member of the upper class who felt threatened by an up-and-coming family, or just youth in general, perhaps even someone mentally unstable along the lines of Nagini who was either obsessed with him or hated him for an irrational reason.

Regardless, the Tournament was dangerous, the other contestants could be, and this shadowy figure, hopefully not more than one, could be lurking in Hogwarts itself. He had to be ready, had to put everything aside and prepare unlike the first time around.

The same tasks as before? Possibly, but if that were true, he could get through them with relative ease. Instead, he needed to prepare for a potential showdown in the future, because there would be no lucky save this time, and he wouldn't allow another contestant to die because of poor luck.

No, he would play it out, pretend to be just as confused and hopeless as someone clearly thought he might be. Then, when he 'managed' to get through they would see just how ready he was for them.

***HP:O ***

Previous Name**************New Name

Tom Riddle*****************Grace Riddle

Albus Dumbledore***********Augustina Dumbledore

Draco Malfoy***************Cleopatra (Cleo) Malfoy

-*************************Harriet Potter

-*************************Amaryllis (Amy) Potter

-*************************Pandora Malfoy

Blaise Zabini****************Bliss Zabini

Theodore Nott**************Theresa Nott

Severus Snape**************Serena Snape

-*************************Marie Rosier

Percy Weasley**************Paisley Weasley

Bill Weasley****************Billie Weasley

Charlie Weasley*************Charlene Weasley

Fred Weasley***************Frankie Weasley

George Weasley*************Georgie Weasley

Remus Lupin***************Remi Lupin

-************************Sylvie Rosier

Gilderoy Lockhart***********Gordana Lockhart

Oliver Wood ***************Olivia Wood

-*************************Carolyn Ricci

Cornelius Fudge*************Cornelia Fudge