CHAPTER 3:

DUN SCAITH

After a moment, Harry said, "I have…a LOT of questions. I mean, a LOT."

"I'm sure you do," maybe-Lily said, nodding. "I'm guessing the most pertinent one you want to ask is…why haven't I come back before now?"

"The thought did cross my mind, yes," Harry said a little tightly.

"Oi!" snapped Delta. "Boss has been trying to find a way back home for ages! She only got it working a week ago, and she wanted to make sure it was safe!"

"Delta, I can fight my own battles," maybe-Lily said to the wolf-girl.

"What kind of name is Delta, anyway?" Harry asked.

"…It's a codename, for want of a better term," maybe-Lily admitted. "Her real name is Sarah. Alpha was born Esther, and Beta as Elizabeth. I'll explain it later, Harry, but I need to answer your questions first…as best as I can. Delta was right. I got embroiled in events in that world, true, but I never stopped looking for a way home. I did find a potential way home some time ago, but I needed to ensure I got back home. Interdimensional travel is not remotely a trivial matter. I needed to be sure I found our universe, our timeline…not to mention trying to latch back onto somewhere I knew I could come through safely. The Space section here, where I was before the accident, was my main target. I knew that if I went missing, Sirius would bring you into his household as your godfather, and I thought it more of a priority to establish who I was with Croaker before I revealed myself to you. Otherwise, if I had come up to you without having someone to back me up with proof…I reckon you would have reacted badly."

"But you told Padfoot and Nymphadora first?" Harry asked, annoyed, even angrily.

"Only while you were unconscious, Harry," maybe-Lily said.

Harry, after a moment, looked to Sirius, Croaker, and Nymphadora, who all nodded. This doppelganger had won their trust, and that wasn't easy to do, especially with Sirius and Croaker, who had been around during the first war Voldemort sparked off. So he looked to maybe-Lily, and asked, "Okay, so…I'm guessing you were doing a lot more than just looking for a way home, or else you wouldn't have this…organisation, and these three girls with you. So…what were you doing?"

"It's something of a long story, but we've got time to tell it," maybe-Lily said. "Alpha, would you like to do the honours?"

"Thank you," the blonde Elf said, before looking to them. "On our world, there is a disease dubbed 'Demonic Possession' by the Three Heroes Church. Those suffering from it become rotting lumps of flesh, unable to die. The Three Heroes Church claims this to be possession by a demon, and sufferers are either banished, killed, or sent to the Church for 'purification'. All three of us were unlucky enough to suffer from the disease. But Lady Scathach, that is, Lily, found a cure."

Maybe-Lily nodded. "When I came to after, I was in the guest quarters of the Kagenou family's mansion. The Kagenou family is a noble one, a Baron, his wife, and a daughter. I explained my plight as best as I could, and they thankfully gave me the benefit of the doubt. Baron Kagenou asked me to police his lands, as bandits had become a problem of late, admittedly due to his own incompetence. I did so, only to stumble across a group of bandits who had Alpha in their custody. Poor Alpha…she was little more than a blob of flesh with eyes when I found her. I'd used Legilimency on the bandit leader to try and determine what they intended for her. The bandit leader was actually a minor leader for an underground organisation, the Cult of Diablos."

"…Diablos? Seriously?" Harry said flatly.

"Yeah, I'm with Harry here, that sounds like an edgelord's name," Nymphadora said. "It's like with V-Voldemort, you know?"

"True, but Diablos was, centuries ago, a real demon, defeated by the Three Heroes. Propaganda claimed them to be men, but in fact, they were women, women cursed by Diablos with the demon's dying breath. The Demonic Possession is the curse taking hold in their descendants, causing certain foreign cells to warp the body, combined with unnatural surges in magical energy," maybe-Lily said. "But I found a way to cure the Demonic Possession. Esther was the first to be cured, with Elizabeth. Claire Kagenou began suffering from it, and I cured her."

"And the wolf-girl?" Harry asked.

"Wolf Therianthrope, technically," Beta said. "Delta was found by us later."

The wolf-girl in question nodded, turning from where she had been peering at a moving portrait, who had been staring at her warily. "Delta got Demonic Possession, and got kicked out of the clan by my father, the chieftain. He hunted me too. But Delta's the best at hunting, and at hide-and-seek," she proclaimed proudly, her massive, bushy tail wagging, mirroring that pride.

Nymphadora stared at the wolf-girl in horror. "You what? Delta's father…hunted her, all because she had this disease?" The outrage in her voice was matched by Harry's own, even if he kept it hidden. Assuming they were telling the truth, this was horrifying.

"She was one child amongst literally over a thousand, and thus was considered disposable," maybe-Lily said, looking disgusted. "And believe it or not, Sarah is actually quite compassionate compared to others of her kind. While she's savage in battle, she's kind to others outside of it. If a touch…energetic and playful. In any case, more or less by accident, I've formed an…organisation. I didn't want to draw these girls into battle, but…"

"…But we intend to stop the Cult of Diablos," Alpha said. "Countless lives have suffered thanks to their influence, and they intend to use those suffering from Demonic Possession as a means to resurrect the vile demon they worship. I have to admit, Beta and I did drag your mother into our crusade somewhat. I don't know whether that delayed her finding a way home, or expediting it. But when we found a new base of operations, we found a rift in space and time in a chamber, albeit after much searching. Lily felt she could use it to get home, but it needed concerted research between herself and another of our number, Eta."

"And that rift ended up in the Department of Mysteries," Croaker said. "Imagine my surprise when, in the space section, a rift long sealed opened up, and various objects were thrown through on fishing lines, only to be reeled back in, including a clock. Eventually, Lily and a few others emerged. They came with me to the Quidditch World Cup, where…"

"Were you spying on me?" Harry asked. "I thought I was being watched, but I chalked that down to paranoia and a bad mood!"

Maybe-Lily winced. "I…I wanted to see what had become of my son, and the Longbottoms. I'd already been told by Saul what had happened, but I needed to witness it. I did approach the Tonks family while you were out cold, telling them about this, but…I wanted to wait until after the Quidditch World Cup to approach you. I didn't think those so-called former Death Eaters would start attacking."

"You killed them," Harry said. His tone wasn't accusatory, he was glad this woman killed Walden Macnair. He was already a nasty piece of work even before he wanted to kill Harry.

"Dun Scaith exists to protect the innocent and punish evil that hides in the shadows," Beta said. "The Death Eaters did not care about what they did to innocent people. I don't like killing, but people like that, who get away with murder, rape, and all kinds of crimes…why should they be allowed to roam free?"

"Yeah, well, speaking as an Auror, rookie or not, I technically should be bringing you guys in," Nymphadora said. "But I'm sure that, if I tried, you'd break my limbs."

"Delta would," maybe-Lily said, jabbing a thumb at the Therianthrope in question, who nodded eagerly and proudly, her tail wagging. "And that's her being gentle."

"Yeah, well, I like to avoid being made to drink Skele-Gro. That stuff tastes like shit and feels even worse when your bones are regrowing."

"Ugh, tell me about it," Harry said. On maybe-Lily's look, he said, "It's a long story involving a Quidditch match, Gilderoy Lockhart's incompetence with healing spells, and the Malfoys' former House-Elf. I learned what it was like to have an arm shattered by a Bludger, then no bones in said arm, and then have them regrown in rapid succession."

Maybe-Lily glared up at Croaker. "And where is Lockhart? I wish to express my…displeasure," she said, her tone deceptively light and friendly, as was her expression.

Croaker snorted. "Good luck with that. The idiot was using Memory Charms to steal other people's monster-hunting exploits and pass them off as his own. He used the wrong wand, a badly-damaged one, to try and Obliviate Neville, along with Ronald Weasley, and it literally backfired on him. He remembers nothing of his actual life, and so is basically a long-term patient at St Mungo's."

"Does he remember his toilet training?" maybe-Lily asked with a venomous tone. "Because if so, then he hasn't forgotten enough."

"And that's the Lily I knew," Croaker said with a fondly exasperated sigh.

Harry looked at her, trying to consider matters. True, it was unlikely that someone could bamboozle not only Sirius (who, as a Black by birth, paranoia and intrigue was as natural to them as breathing), but Croaker, an Unspeakable, and someone who wouldn't take something as gospel until he had enough proof. It was Croaker who instilled in him a need to question as much as possible, after all. If he believed this was actually Lily, then Harry would give her a chance.

But after so many years, it still felt like a cruel joke might yet be being played on him. That if he accepted, someone would pull the rug out from underneath him, and say it was just a prank. He couldn't help but be paranoid, in case this was some dream, born of concussion, or some mean-spirited prank…

It hurt to be mistrusted by her son, but Lily Potter understood why. Being sent to another world through a magical accident sounded impossible. More than that, some cheap story written by some hack of a writer.

But here she was, sitting across from her son, as well as a man she considered a second father, and a woman she had considered a younger sister. It hurt to see what time and circumstance had done. She may have only been absent for some years, but a lot had clearly happened. She knew it would be difficult coming back, but she didn't know it would be this difficult. In some ways, she expected it to be harder, and in other ways, she expected it to be easier.

The distrust in his eyes, so much like her own used to be, was mixed in with yearning. He wanted this to be true, she knew. But he knew the realities of the world weren't so kind. She faced an uphill battle.

Nymphadora, meanwhile, had begun prodding her bodysuit out of curiosity. "Okay, so, what's with the Emma Peel outfits(1)?"

"Believe it or not, they're derived from a magical creature native to that other world," Lily said, grateful for the distraction. "A Black Slime, to be precise. Prepared in the right way, they can be shaped into clothing, and reshaped at will." Lily triggered the casual modern clothing setting, now dressed in a black shirt and jeans, before changing back. "All you need is control over your innate magic. It can even give you weapons, enhanced and strengthened by your own magic." Holding out her arm well away from Nymphadora, or anyone else, she willed her sword into existence briefly, before allowing it to be reabsorbed. "I actually stumbled across Alpha partly because I wanted to test it under combat conditions, and I decided to go kill off a particularly nasty bandit group. Not only did it work as a disguise and an offensive weapon, slashing attacks with bladed weapons can't penetrate it normally. Any wounds that do happen can be held shut until healing magic can be applied."

"And what is that world like? Are we talking Tolkien-like fantasy? Medieval?" Nymphadora asked.

"Culturally, most of it is medieval or Renaissance. I mean, the feudal system is still in full swing. In some areas, Magical Britain seems progressive by comparison," Lily said. "Oddly enough, though, the technology is close to Victorian. There's steam trains, for example, and basic electricity in places. A lot of technology we have on Earth was emulated with magic there. As a means of covering and funding our operations, we even started constructing a department store, based on the likes of Harrods or Selfridges."

"It sounds most fascinating," Croaker said. "And magic is openly used there, and in many other ways, like enhancing the physical attributes of the body for combat, given what you said."

Lily nodded, but had noticed her son was just sitting there. She'd say sullenly, but she knew him enough to know that his emotions must be in turmoil, more than her own. As he looked at her, his expression bleak and conflicted, she said, "Believe me, I'm still struggling to believe what happened to me. I don't blame you for being sceptical at all Harry. That just shows you to be sane and intelligent. And I'm not really sure if I'm wholly sane anymore."

At this, her son snorted with laughter, and then shot her a look, a wry if damaged smile touching his lips. "Really?"

"Harry, I'm basically living out an old fantasy of being basically Batwoman, after ending up in a fantasy world. I think I've gone a touch peculiar," she confessed.

"Not as peculiar as Luna," Harry pointed out.

"Oh, yes, Xenophilus and Pandora's girl," Lily said with a fond smile. "How's she doing?"

"…Not well," Harry said. "I had to defend her from bullies. But Hermione and I…" His expression fell, and his voice caught in his throat. "She would have loved to have met you…I mean, assuming you really are my mother. She…she was a lot like you, even if she had an authority worship thing. Though Snivellous called her a buck-toothed know it all."

Lily's heart went out to him. Andromeda and Saul had told her about what happened to Hermione, who had been his best friend. And while she thought Amelia Bones was a better head of the DMLE than that bastard Crouch, she wasn't surprised that nobody had found the culprit. Who'd give a fuck about the deaths of a Muggleborn and her parents? Nobody did when her parents died in an 'accident'. And someone blatantly put the Dark Mark over the house. And the timing was just as blatant: Harry's birthday.

As for Severus' insult…he really had fallen far. She began having some dark thoughts about Severus, and she was grateful to Nymphadora for interrupting. "Okay, so, I need to ask," Nymphadora said. "You've got this organisation for hunting this Cult of Diablos. The authorities can't do anything?"

"Imagine what the situation is here. Many Death Eaters are Purebloods with a stranglehold on the politics in this country. Now, imagine it worse," Lily said. "Imagine that the Church of England or the Vatican has been infiltrated by people sympathetic to Voldemort, hell-bent on his resurrection, and elements of the Muggle government are also involved. Not necessarily as high up as the Queen or the Prime Minister, but not far from it. And the police force is barely at the level of the first Peelers. Not truly incompetent, but prone to bias and valuing eyewitness testimony over forensic science, especially if it's from the nobility. Even the Aurors are better than that lot."

"…Bloody hell. So, you're basically like the Order of the Phoenix was, a vigilante group, only, you use lethal force?"

"I suppose that's not a bad comparison, but the Cult of Diablos is more insidious and powerful than Voldemort and his followers ever were, and I do not say that lightly. Voldemort probably had no plans aside from conquering Britain, and then the world. The Cult have been plotting and planning for centuries, and are more used to subtlety and secrecy. We're only able to damage them as much as we can partly because they've grown arrogant without any real opposition, and partly because we use unconventional methods. Though I'm sure many would consider us a terrorist group on a par with the Death Eaters, except we go to great pains to avoid killing the innocent."

Alpha nodded. "We have already gained some small notoriety in the world, especially in the Kingdom of Midgar. But already, our enemies in the Cult seek to discredit us. That being said, Mr Croaker, perhaps we should come to the crux of this meeting?"

Lily winced. Though she wanted to spend more time bonding with her son, mending their bond, Alpha had a point. The older man sighed. "Oh, very well. Now, Harry, after you were expelled, I have been in discreet talks to make you my personal apprentice. An expulsion from Hogwarts is no barrier providing your grades were good prior to that."

Harry's eyes widened, before he said, "Uhh, thanks, Croaker, but…why?"

"Why? Leaving aside the fact that you're Lily's boy, I've been keeping an eye on you. While not quite on the level of a Ravenclaw or the late Miss Granger, you've still got a sharp and inquisitive mind, especially for a Gryffindor. In addition, a Parselmouth with a moral compass is a valuable person to have. And in truth, I don't think Lily would have ever forgiven me if I let you fall by the wayside. Of course, to be actually approached by her before I could approach you with that offer was something of a shock, let me tell you! We had a discussion about that matter, amongst many others. Keep in mind, this is an offer you can refuse, both the apprenticeship under me…and what Lily had in mind for you. The apprenticeship is simply to cover up any problems that people might have should you be absent for a prolonged period."

Harry's tone was an odd combination of resignation, anxiety, and, if Lily wasn't mistaken, an eager anticipation. "What is it, then?"

Croaker and Lily shared a look, before the former said, "Firstly, keep in mind, I'm of two minds whether to allow you to accept this. You are young, and you should be too young to be involved in matters of life and death, even given the incidents you got embroiled in at Hogwarts. And I won't lie…what Lily wants to bring you into is in deadly earnest, and I do mean deadly. It's dangerous and dirty work, work no teenager should be doing." His features softened. "But…I think it'd still be right up your alley. You and your mother are so alike, troublemakers who cause trouble for the right people."

Gathering herself to make her announcement, her request, Lily then said, "Harry…I'd like you to join us in the other world, to join Dun Scaith, to join the fight against the Cult of Diablos…"

CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:

Interesting times lie ahead, it seems…

1. Emma Peel, one of the many protagonists associating with secret agent John Steed in The Avengers (not the Marvel property, but a crime-thriller/spy-fi TV series from the 60s). Peel was famously played by the late, great Diana Rigg, who would also play Tracy in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and, more recently, Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones. Famously, Rigg often wore catsuits as Emma Peel.