Chapter 5
Harry wasn't quite sure just how long he held his sobbing mother to his chest. How long he had softly cried into her hair as well. It was the shocked looks and murmuring that brought him out of the moment, however. Everyone seemed shocked to see the mother/son reunion from two sides of the grave. He noticed a few with particularly different reactions.
Mrs. Weasley had lost it entirely at their display, and was sobbing into her husbands shoulder as well who had gone teary eyed with an odd hurt look as well. Professor McGonagall had a pleased look on her face, clearly happy for the two of them. Professor Snape looked like he might actually be smiling. Harry thought that might be the oddest reaction he was seeing.
Sirius led them both to seats next to one another, and his mother scooted closer to place a hand on his on top of the table. Her eyes hadn't left his face, and he was feeling a bit embarrassed by the attention he was receiving, so all he could return was a lop-sided grin that only brought more tears to her eyes. Headmaster Dumbledore used this lull in the moment to finally speak.
"As you can all see, an amazing event in magical history has occurred. While in a skirmish with the Death Eaters of another world, this Harry Potter fell through the infamous Veil of Death in the Department of Mysteries. You may or may not know this, but no one has every survived a travel through that deadly archway in our entire time studying it."
The Headmaster paused at this point to give anyone a chance to interrupt or ask questions, but there was silence at his proclamation. Harry was unsure whether it was due to shock or a desire to see what else the man had to say.
"This Harry comes from a vastly different world. On Halloween 1981, his Lily Potter was killed by Lord Voldemort before the wand turned on him. Her sacrifice there powered an old magic based on love, and protected him from the killing curse. Instead it turned the spell back upon Voldemort, vanquishing him."
Before he could speak further though, Snape stepped forward. "Are you saying the boy lived through the Dark Lord's Avada Kadavra? All because he killed Lily first?"
"Yes Severus. He did not stun her in that world but killed her instead. I believe this one moment split their world from ours in the pattern of what was likely, and what would happen." This news seemed to disturb Snape even further. He settled back into the corner, a haunted look on his features. Harry was surprised to feel his mother's grip on his hand tighten, and when he looked up he saw a look of disgust cross her face at the man. What had happened between the two old friends in this world? Harry's thoughts were interrupted by Dumbeldore speaking again.
"My friends, as you know, we are at war once again with Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. The emergence of Harry, however has brought us back a hope we have not had since his death in 1981. I will be revealing secrets that I have held since then but I require oaths from everyone on your life and magic that nothing will be spoken of to any outside this meeting."
The Order grumbled at this for several long minutes while Dumbledore wrote out a phrase that would protect without endangering anyone beyond the meeting. It took several more minutes to convince everyone that it was in all of their best interest. His mother seemed to struggle with the magic of her wand before it would respond, but each member spoke the words and lit their wand in turn. When Harry went to do it, he was surprised at the strength of the light his wand put out at the response of his oath. He missed the surprised look passing around the table, or the pride his mother's showed. At the end of their oaths Dumbledore gravely spoke.
"In our world in 1981, I was witness to a prophecy. I will not repeat it's full words here but it spoke of a child born as the seventh month dies to parents who had defied Voldemort three times. One who would be able to vanquish him. Voldemort determined this child to be young Harry Potter, and I sent the family into hiding at my old home in Godric's Hollow under the Fidelius Charm. Sadly, the chosen person to contain this secret, Peter Pettigrew, betrayed them to Lord Voldemort, and in both worlds he visited the Potters that Halloween night. I will let young Harry tell his story from there in his world as he knows it."
With every eye now turned to him, Harry took a draw of his now warm butterbeer to wet his drying throat and began to tell his tale.
"I guess it begins with how I grew up. I was raised by my mum's sister Petunia. She didn't like our world or magic much, so I didn't know I was a wizard until I got my letters at eleven."
He was interrupted by Sirius at this point. "Wait why were you raised by her, and not me or your godmother Alice? We're both on your parents wills to be the next to raise you. It should have been us."
"With no one to say otherwise, you were thought to be my parents' secret keeper. You went after Wormtail, and he faked his death. You were thrown into Azkaban until you escaped in my third year of school. Do you mean Alice Longbottom? She and her husband Frank were tortured into insanity by Bellatrix and couldn't raise me either." McGonagall interrupted him to ask her own question.
"What exactly did you mean by letters? Did you not get the first one?"
"Uncle Vernon was dead set on me not getting it so they kept destroying them as they showed up. More and more until the house filled with them. We even ran from the house to an old shack on an island in a storm. Finally, you sent Hagrid to bring me my letter and take me to Diagon Alley. I finally had an answer for all the freaky things that happened around me." His last statement seemed to rouse his mother.
"Did they call it freakishness? They didn't call you a freak did they?"
"Mum, I thought my name was freak until I went to school. I slept in the cupboard underneath their stairs until the letters started coming. They gave me a bedroom when they realized the letters were addressed to my cupboard. They didn't beat me or anything, but I wasn't wanted there, and they let me know it through their words or through the numerous chores I was in charge of."
"That must be another difference. Tuney doesn't like magic, and she calls it freakishness but they don't act that way here. In fact, we're probably closer than ever nowadays."
At this, Harry shrugged and said, "I'm not sure what to tell you there. Anyway I went to Hogwarts and met the Weasleys at the Express. I finally felt like I belonged though I could have done without the stares and all."
"Oh, how did we meet Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked with a smile.
"You showed me how to get past the barrier at the station, and then I became good friends with Ron. He was one of my best mates. You even sent me a sweater that Christmas! It was one of the first real presents I ever received." He felt his mother's grip tighten even as she smiled at the older witch.
That Halloween I met my other best mate Hermione. A troll got in that night, and when I realized she had been left crying in a girls loo on the first floor. Ron and I went to warn her and take her back to the dorms. Only the troll had gotten there and was about to attack her with it's club. I didn't know much magic so I leapt on it's back to distract it away from her. My wand went all the way up it's nose and Ron used the levitation charm on it's club to drop it on it's head. It knocked the troll out and we were able to save Hermione. We hadn't been close to her before, but if taking on a troll for someone doesn't make you their friend, then not much does right?" At this he gave them all another lopsided grin.
His mother seemed to react to that smile again, and squeezed his hand once more.
Professor McGonagall broke the moment by speaking up, "It warms my old Scottish heart to see that smirk again. Like James was back to prank anyone and everyone in his way."
Harry laughed but had to correct her. "I like seeing pranks but I'm not really the pranking sort Professor. It always felt too close to bullying for me. That was always more the twins speed."
"Good. You're father sometimes took things too far with the pranks. You're much better off not finding yourself in trouble as much as he did," his mother said with a slight laugh. He noticed Snape shift at this.
"I didn't say I stayed out of trouble. I just don't like bullying. The Dursleys were bullies enough for my life. That year, I found myself in plenty of trouble. I saved Neville's Rememberall from Draco Malfoy, and ended up as the youngest seeker in a century as a result. I saved Hagrid's baby dragon from being found out, and ended up having to do detention in the Forbidden Forest as a result. I faced down a unicorn killer that night, and was scared out of my wits but met the centaur Firenze as a result. The real danger happened at the end of the year. Dumbledore was hiding the Philosopher's Stone in a trap on the third floor that year, and we thought Snape was going after it."
"You thought that I was attempting to steal it?" Snape asked softly.
"We didn't get along well, and we thought you were trying to curse my broom during the first Quidditch match. We didn't find out until that night that you were trying to save me. Anyway, Ron, Hermione, and I went down the third floor corridor and faced the different challenges there. We put Fluffy to sleep with a flute Hagrid gave me, Hermione cast a fire spell to get rid of the Devil's Snare, I caught a key on a broom, and Ron got us through the giant chess set. Ron was hurt at the chess set so when we got to the potion riddle, I sent Hermione back to get him to safety while I went forward."
"Albus, that was every obstacle we left for the stone as well!" McGonagall said to an amused Dumbledore. "How did three first years do all that?"
"It would seem there is quite a lot to these three first years Minerva," Albus responded with his eyes giving off their trademark twinkle.
"Well when I got through the dark fire, I found a large room with the Mirror of Erised at the center and the one person we didn't expect trying to get at something inside. Professor Quirrel. Only he wasn't alone. He had Voldemort possessing the back of his head under his turban. I was able to get the stone out because I didn't want to use it, and when Voldemort made Quirrel attack me to get it, his hands melted when he touched me because of mum's protection. I fought back by grabbing his face, and when Quirrel died, Voldemort's spirit had to run again. I woke up in the Hospital Wing and my Dumbledore explained what had happened."
At this, one of the Order, Dedalus Diggle felt the need to speak. "I find it hard to believe that you went through all of that in just your first year of school, boy. You knew, what, a dozen and half spells?"
"Oh I admit that I made it through most of that by being reckless, and lucky and having good friends."
Albus interjected to speak, "Most of what he mentioned occurred here as well but differently. Sadly, no one made it save Miss Granger from the troll, and we barely saved her life that night. The unicorns were hunted quite mercilessly here and Quirinus Quirrel was indeed found dead in front of the Mirror of Erised. I suspected Voldemort from the beginning but did not know of the extent of his involvement. He must have abandoned his servant there when he could not access the stone."
"Well that ended that year. That summer a house elf named Dobby visited me, and tried to keep me going to the school, saying that something bad was going to happen. He got me in trouble with the ministry and my family. They locked me in my room, and the twins and Ron flew Mr. Weasley's car at night to pull off the bars to free me from the Dursleys. I spent the rest of the summer there with your family."
"That's nice Harry. I'm glad that my children were there for you. Though I'd hope they wouldn't mess about with that damn car," Mrs. Weasley said with a soft smile as she elbowed Mr. Weasley's side.
"Your family has always been kind of my wizarding family in a way, ma'am. Also that wasn't the last of that car," Harry said with a chuckle and shy grin. "When we all go to the station, the barrier wouldn't let Ron or I through and so we took the car and flew it after the Express. We got lost near Hogwarts and crashed it into the Whomping Willow."
The silence in the room was deafening. Minerva broke it with a quiet, "You flew a car to Scotland and crashed said car into a twenty year old whomping willow? Well there goes any doubt that he takes after James rather than you, Lily."
"I think he may have beaten our trouble record Moony," Sirius murmured quietly while Remus nodded .
"Well it's the duty of the new generation to beat the old one, Padfoot," Harry responded with sarcasm.
"That year was going fine if you don't count a pompous Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher with no ability to teach. Then the curse on my Halloweens continued and the first attack occurred. Because Filch's cat was found by Ron, Hermione and I, everyone suspected one of us had done it. At the dueling tournament, Malfoy summoned a snake at me and I spoke to it, so everyone assumed that I was the Heir of Slytherin after that."
"You're a parselmouth, Harry?" Lupin asked with concern.
"Not anymore. Something about going through the Veil removed it. My Dumbledore said it had something to do with a power I took from Voldemort when he tried to kill me. Anyway, no one believed that I was the heir after Hermione was petrified. I spent most of my free time sitting with her in the Hospital Wing. Ron and I found a note she had in her hand that pointed out it was a Basilisk and that it was using the pipes to get around. That was when Ginny was taken down into the Chamber of Secrets, and it was announced that the school would close."
Mrs. Weasley broke down at this news, and Arthur held her, while silently crying himself. Harry thought that the reaction was a bit severe, but he continued.
"Well I couldn't just let my best mate's little sister down, so we grabbed Lockhart and went to where we suspected the Chamber started. We spoke with Myrtle and realized the second floor girl's loo was the entrance. I opened the way with my parselmouth ability, and we jumped down a tunnel after shoving Lockhart down there. He tried to Obliviate us with Ron's broken and spellotaped wand and ended up obliviated himself. The spell caused a cave in, and we were separated so I went ahead to face the Heir and save Ginny. When I got there I found her and a young boy who was slightly see through, almost like a ghost. He had been using the diary through Ginny to open the chamber, and told me that he was Tom Riddle, the young memory of Lord Voldemort. He summoned the Basilisk. I ran from it, looking for an opportunity to fight back, when Fawkes brought me the sorting hat. I pulled Gryffindor's sword out of it. Fawkes blinded the snake and I shoved the sword through the roof of it's mouth killing it. It's fang went into my arm though."
At this he showed them the scar in his arm still visible from the wound. "But Fawkes cried his phoenix tears into the wound which healed me. I stabbed the diary which killed Riddle. Then Fawkes carried me and Ginny back up and we met with you in the Hospital Wing. Then you and I confronted Lucius Malfoy in your officem and I tricked him into freeing his elf Dobby."
Remus turned to Sirius and whispered, "Little Prongslet definitely beat us by end of second year. What could we have ever done to beat killing Slytherin's Basilisk with Gryffindor's sword?"
Sirius laughed saying, "I don't know, but freeing Malfoy's elf was the perfect way to end it. Prongs' son has brass ones that's for sure."
"I'm just glad we were able to keep Ginny out of trouble. She didn't know what she was doing until it was too late after all," Harry said.
When he said this, Mrs. Weasley finally broke and ran out of the room. Arthur with tears in his eyes spoke softly, "Harry, it sounds like you saved Ginny. Like she made it through that day."
"Well of course Mr. Weasley. She was my best mate's sister. That's why I went down there in the first place after all."
At this, Arthur put his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking. Dumbledore said with grave reverence for the situation as he placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder, "Harry, this world's Ginny was never found. The Basilisk came out of the tunnels at the end of the year. Several students died before we could kill it. The young memory of Riddle must have escaped in the confrontation."
Harry was stricken. In the past year he had gotten much closer to the bright young girl who was finding her own way in the school. He had even begun to see her in a slightly more romantic way.
"Ginny's dead?" He asked. He didn't notice his mother's arms envelope him as everything fell apart again.