When Lightning Strikes

By: Ryu Katanna

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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

READ ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS FIRST!

Chapter One

Harry cursed as the hair on his arms sent tingles across his skin from the feeling of static that surrounded him just before a streak of light flashed in the darkness as he stepped through the archway. More flashes of what looked like lightning spread in the darkness as he felt Draco and then George step through behind him. There was no accompanying sound of thunder in the silence, but Harry felt fear creeping up his spine as the 'lightning' sped up around them and the static in the space around them skittered across every nerve in his body.

'Damn it! What is happening?!' Harry thought worriedly as he wrapped his arm around Teddy protectively.

The three of them pulled each other as close as they could even to cover the baby within the circle they created as their skin itched from the feeling of static and their eyes could see nothing other than the streaks of electricity in the void they had stepped into. They didn't know how long it lasted as they held onto each other and waited for what would happen next. It could have been seconds, minutes, or even hours as they waited in suspense.

Harry could feel how tense George was, and how Draco's body shuddered in worry and fear, from where their bodies were in contact but he couldn't hear anything aside from the blood rushing in his ears. The magical pressure around them felt immense and his magic crackled like a lightning storm under his skin in response to the perceived threat. He could barely see Draco or George through the inky blackness to know if they were feeling the same thing or not. That worried him a bit, but they held each other close, and it was the contact between the four of them that comforted Harry slightly as magic in the form of lightning crackled threateningly around them.

Harry gasped in pain as a bolt of lightning hit him in the chest much too close to Teddy for comfort. A soundless scream left his lips as he felt the current travel through every cell in his body, memories flashing through his mind from his earliest memory until they had stepped through the green-lit archway chosen at random, leaving him feeling like his life and very being was being weighed and evaluated. The pressure of the magic around him weighed heavily, making it hard to breathe, before the foreign lightning magic that had ravaged his body exploded outward from his skin. He gasped for breath as panic set in at feeling Teddy come awake with a jolt as the magic that left Harry was absorbed into Teddy's small body, a soundless wail leaving the babe, only felt through the shudders in the little one where he was held against Harry's torso by the fabric straps of the carrier.

Panic almost overwhelmed Harry at knowing his godson was in pain, but didn't keep him ignorant of the two wizards at his sides. George and Draco were spasming in pain and shock from the magic of the lightning that had struck them as well as it traveled from Harry into them where they were touching. The magic that seemed to keep Harry alive had already started to work in numbing the pain he felt, but he worried for George, Draco, and Teddy as he tried to shake off the vestiges of pain while not losing his grip on George and Draco. He felt helpless to help either of them or to comfort Teddy. He dearly wanted to do something, but he couldn't risk breaking the connection without knowing what was happening.

There was no telling how the magic would react if they let go of each other now.

He didn't know how long it lasted, but he breathed heavily in relief when he felt some of the tension and tremors ease in George and Draco though Teddy's body was still shuddering with heaving cries he could not hear. George's hand loosened from the vice grip it had been locked in on Harry's, Draco trying to shake off the aftershocks as well, but the magic didn't disperse outward from either of them or Teddy as it had from Harry. They were all left shuddering from the feeling of the magic even as the flashing light of electricity around them seemed to slow.

Suddenly, Harry's feet hit solid ground with no warning. There was no feeling of gradual descent. The ground was just absent and then there from one second to the next, and left Draco and George scrambling to help Harry and each other stay upright as gravity took over. A crackling that made him think of electricity pierced the air before the magic around them dispersed with the booming sound of thunder that staggered all three of them once more in a blast of magical power that sent the lightning around them streaking outward into the air.

All three wizards tried to keep their feet under them as they felt the sudden cold of rain soaking into their clothes and sound returned to their ears with the crack of thunder and Teddy's cries. Harry cursed as he tried to comfort and shield Teddy from both the pain he knew he must feel and the cold rain falling around them with his body while still feeling unsteady when he collapsed to his knees. He could hear the cursing coming from George and Draco as well. Harry felt the tugging on his bottomless bag as someone opened it. He felt Draco move away and fumble with one of the bags he carried before the blonde turned back to Harry after a muttered spell.

"Put that over Edward! It'll keep him warm and dry while we figure out where we landed!" Draco's breathless voice was almost unheard over the sound of thunder rolling overhead.

Harry moved quickly to wrap the blanket over the baby and stand straight to look for any sign of danger in their immediate area even as he tried to sooth him. George was already standing poised for a fight as he shielded Harry, Draco, and Teddy while looking around them trying to see if there was any danger close in the dark of the nighttime storm. Draco quickly joined George in his alert stance after handing Harry the blanket from Teddy's bag.

"Lumos." Harry cast with a raised hand and an orb of light formed over his raised palm to help them see the area around them.

He only slightly relaxed at seeing no sign of life anywhere in the immediate area. It appeared to be night with how dark it was, but the flashes of lightning from the storm helped them to assess their surroundings outside of the spell's range. The ground they were standing on appeared to be barren of any plant life. The stone under their feet seemed cracked and felt uneven and rocky which didn't help with their balance on the unfamiliar terrain.

"I don't see any signs that this area is inhabited." George shouted over the storm as he turned in every direction to look around.

"We need to find somewhere out of the storm!" Harry shouted back as he couldn't find anywhere to take cover.

"I can't see anywhere we can take shelter. We'll have to pitch the tent in the open!" George replied before Harry felt tug on his bag as Draco opened it to reach inside to grab Harry's tent which was the largest.

It took them a few minutes and some struggling against the wind and rain before they had the muggle tent, that Hermione had instructed them on how to set up, out and the stakes in the ground with sticking charms to secure them from being moved by the wind. Harry breathed a sigh of relief once the canopy was up and they were able to step under its shelter. The mesh netting on two sides didn't do much to help keep the rain out, but a spell quickly cast on it did, and another dried the tarp floor.

"You guys get inside and dry off. I'll leave Teddy with you and then go back out. We need to get wards up quickly." Harry said as he unzipped one room of the two room tent and motioned George and Draco inside before stepping in himself.

George quickly cast drying charms on all three of them and sat down before holding out his arms to take the crying baby with trembling hands after Harry loosened the fastenings and took him out of the carrier. While George ensured Teddy hadn't gotten too wet or cold before they had managed to cover him, and looked him over for any signs of distress from the foreign magic that had hit all of them, Draco dispelled the sticking charms on all of them and removed the rope from where it connected them. He stored the rope away in his bag in case it could prove useful later as Harry undid the clasps holding the carrier to his torso. He handed Draco his bag so the blond could start setting up for them inside the tent.

Harry cast spells with a few waives of his hand to keep rain water from soaking through the walls of the tent, muffle the sound of the storm outside, and warm the small space. He accepted the cloak Draco handed him to help keep him dry before he moved to leave the tent; making sure the entrance was zipped shut to keep in the warmth. He would have liked to stay and help George get Teddy settled or help Draco set up, but Harry knew they needed the wards set up quickly for all of their safety in this unfamiliar place. Who knew what was out there lurking in the dark.

His first concern was their safety.

Harry could see the light from the lumos George cast and the low murmur of their voices and Teddy's cries of distress after he left the tent as he stepped back into the rain. He moved forty feet away with his own lumos spell following him before casting perimeter wards to notify them of anything moving around their camp before stepping back towards the tent another twenty feet to set the protection wards to keep intruders out. Silently he thanked Hermione and Bill who had spent the last few weeks drilling them on ward casting. They had all known that they would be needed in unfamiliar and potentially dangerous territory.

"Thanks, George. You too, Draco." Harry said softly once he'd cast an additional anti-intruder jinx, a disillusionment charm, and a one way silencing charm over the tent before going inside and drying himself with another charm.

George and Draco had been busy while Harry had been setting up the wards. Teddy had been settled and laid down in the small collapsible cot with a bottle, his baby blanket, and stuffed wolf to one side of the room. He suckled at the bottle while his hair color slowly shifted to his natural tawny brown as his little eyes blinked drowsily over at Harry, and he knew that the babe would soon fall back asleep. He could tell from the blue tinge of color in the bottle of milk that George or Draco had given him a few drops of pain potion. He could see it was taking effect by the way the trembling in Teddy's little body had eased.

Harry's double sleeping bag and two pillows had been spread out next to Teddy's cot with George's between his and Draco's on the far side of the space. It was going to be a tight fit with all of them in the same room instead of Draco or George moving into the other room of the tent, but Harry didn't mind it. They were in an unfamiliar place with no idea about the world they were in. Personally, Harry would feel better having all of them within reach of each other until they were more assured of their safety. Sitting down on his sleeping bag, Harry could feel the cushioning charms on the hard ground underneath.

"No problem. Are you hungry? Mum packed enough shepard's pie and treacle tart under some warming and preservation charms for all three of us." George said as he pulled a covered dish out of Harry's bag to show them.

"Sounds good. We should be fine here until the storm blows over. I don't want to linger too long once it's over though." Harry replied before taking his bag from where Draco had set it with Teddy's at the foot of Harry's sleeping bag to pull out plates and silverware before handing them out between them.

"I think so too. We don't know what kind of people or creatures inhabit this world. If there are magicals then there's no way they wouldn't have sensed that. The storm will shield us for a while but we should leave once it settles enough for us to move rather than wait until it's over." Draco agreed as he served himself before moving to give George and Harry room to get their portions of dinner.

"Teddy alright? What about both of you?" Harry asked as reached into the cot to gently rub Teddy's back to sooth him into sleep as he sat back down on his sleeping bag after getting some of the shepards pie and treacle tart on his plate.

"He's fine. The sleeping charm mum cast had already worn off by the time we were hit by the magic. The charm doesn't last long and only helps him fall asleep. I can feel my core assimilating the magic so I think that Teddy's may be doing the same. The pain has faded, but I can feel my magic buzzing under my skin. What about you two?" George asked with a glance down at his arm where the hair was standing up as if charged with static.

"I feel it too. I can tell it's not my magic, but my core is absorbing it. I've never heard of anything like it happening before." Draco replied as he paused between bites to assess the feel of his magic.

"Good. I don't like the thought of charming a baby to stay asleep anyway. I only allowed it this time so we didn't risk him waking while we snuck into the Ministry. I'm more worried about what happened to us. The foreign lightning magic hit me first and then jumped to all of you. We don't know what it means or why it even happened. We could try researching it in the books we have, but we may not find anything." Harry replied with worry in his voice as he ate, pulling a scroll of clean parchment and pot of black ink out of his bag and setting it aside.

"Hermione could only tell us what was known about the veil from that side. There were no records from the people who went through it before. You're different from other wizards as well because of the Hallows. Who knows if that affected our trip through the veil. It's all guess work, but we all knew there would be risks." George said and Harry bit his lip roughly as Draco added.

"I don't remember anything about it in the books either, but suppose it has to do with where we are. It may have something to do with the world we've found ourselves in rather than being a known phenomena from our world." Draco said and Harry sighed as he rubbed his head.

"It's possible. There were and are still so many unknown variables to the veil. Even so, I couldn't forgive myself if any of you were hurt because of me." Harry replied seriously, and George paused to look back at him and Draco glared balefully at him.

"We're fine, Harry. Whatever happened, we're alive, and we'll figure it out. Don't worry about it. It'll just distract you when we need you to have your head on straight. It's a whole new world, and we have a lot to learn in order to live here." He said seriously, and Harry shifted uncomfortably before nodding his understanding.

Several minutes passed as they ate, and they started to relax in the calm quiet as the spells muffled the noise of the storm and blocked any noise from inside the tent being heard outside. A scourgify charm cleaned the dishes once they were finished, and once the dishes were packed away, Harry rolled out the parchment between them with the ink pot next to it. He held his hand over the parchment and directed his magic down into it as he cast a mapping spell Hermione had found several weeks ago. They watched as the ink in the pot slowly depleted while lines formed shapes onto the parchment to form a very basic map of this new world. Mainly the shapes of all the land masses and bodies of water.

"It seems smaller than our home world. More water than land for sure." George said after the spell had finished to leave them with a basic map that showed them no names or locations of settlements, towns, cities, or what the terrain of the land would be like in any area.

They didn't even know yet where they were on the map as there wasn't an indication for that either.

"Earth was like that, too. We'll need to fill it in as we go. Who knows. Maybe we'll find a town or something and they'll have a map of the area that'll be better. For now, this will work for us until we learn more about this world." Harry muttered as his eyes traced the lines making up the map.

"Right. Any idea on how we'll know where we are on this thing?" George asked and Harry shook his head as Draco grabbed his bag to pull out a set of silk sleep pants.

"No… We'll need to wait until morning when we have more light. I could hear the sound of waves against the shore and smell salt while I was setting up the wards. I think we're close to the ocean, but we won't be able to tell until morning if we're on one of these islands or just close to a shoreline on one of the larger continents." Harry replied with a small sigh as he wished they weren't working blind, but feeling grateful that they wouldn't need to live in hiding as he, Draco, and Teddy had for the last several months.

Sure, they would need to hide their magic, but at least they would be free to live otherwise. Free to explore and learn. For Teddy to grow up without the threat of their government hunting him. Free of the hatred and suspicion of the prejudiced witches and wizards who would judge a baby for being the child of a werewolf.

They were free to make lives for themselves though they had all lost and given up so much.

"Alright. Let's sleep in shifts until morning. If this world is anything like ours that should be in… six hours." George said as he cast a tempus to find that it was just after midnight in this world.

"Sleep for two hours and then switch for the watch?" Harry asked as he stretched and moved to remove his cloak.

"Sure. You two sleep first. I'm going to look through a few things I picked up in case we encounter some trouble. I'll set them aside for the morning before I wake one of you." George said and both Harry and Draco nodded in agreement.

"Wake me for the next watch. Harry should be last so he'll be up when Edward wakes." Draco told George as he shuffled into his sleeping bag.

"Sure thing." George replied only to snort at seeing that Draco was already almost asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

"Thanks. I'll try to get an idea of where we are when the sun comes up." Harry said before unclasping Gryffindor's sword from his hip and laying it down within reach, but out of the way so there was no risk to either George or Teddy who were closest before shuffling off his shoes.

Harry grabbed a pair of cotton sleep pants and a t-shirt from his bag and changed before slipping under the fold of his sleeping bag.

Tired as he was, Harry drifted off into a restless sleep quickly.

123

Harry watched the sun slowly creep up over the horizon several hours later as he fed Teddy his morning bottle. The storm had started to settle though the rain was still falling steadily outside the mesh netting of the 'porch' area of the tent where Harry sat. Draco had woken Harry almost two hours ago before crawling back into his sleeping bag, and Harry was contemplating what their next move should be now that the sun was rising.

First, they would need to discern where they had landed in reference to the basic map they had. That didn't tell them where any people could be. If there were people in this world. They were truly operating blind until they learned more, but they were far from defenseless if it came to a fight.

Harry pulled the hood of his cloak up over his head and draped Teddy's blanket over his shoulder to shield the little one from the rain before unzipping the mesh netting and stepping out into the rain. He made sure to close the opening behind him before moving away from the tent to get a better look at their surroundings. The light of the rising sun was bright enough now to confirm that he had been right. They were on an island.

The ground was barren of life and the terrain cracked and uneven. Toward the middle of the island, not too far from their tent, seemed to be some sort of crystalline spire encircled by nine towering staves that had been driven into the ground. He could feel traces of old magic, but Harry found himself wary of approaching. He could feel echoes of pain, hatred, and madness just from being this close to it. It reminded him of what he had been told about another island where his godfather had been imprisoned and spent over a decade. There was darkness there, and Harry wanted nothing more than to ensure they didn't linger in the area.

Past that, the land seemed to bend uphill to form two peaks that resembled wings with the way they curved toward each other. To the other side of him, the land descended toward the sea. It appeared calmer than it sounded hours ago, but he could see several whirlpools around the island. Remembering what he had learned about whirlpools during primary school, Harry knew that the current around the island would be too dangerous to swim through. He didn't want to risk the current pulling any of them into one of the whirlpools. Even with bubble-head charms, they would risk suffocation if they were pulled into a current strong enough to pop the charm.

'It won't be safe for us to swim. We can't walk along the bottom, or over the surface either. We'll need to fly. Should have bought a broom when I had time…' Harry thought as his eyes observed the turbulent waters and focused on what appeared to be a large landmass in the distance.

Harry went back into the tent and dried them off as his gaze passed over George and Draco's sleeping forms before settling on Teddy in his arms. He smiled at seeing the baby had finished his bottle. His hair shifted from orange to blue as Harry set him down in his cot and took the bottle. Harry chuckled as Teddy reached for his stuffed wolf and Harry cast a scorigify on the bottle before stuffing it back into Teddy's bag.

"Such a good boy, Teddy. You just wait right there while we get our camp packed up so we can start exploring" Harry said softly as he rolled up his sleeping bag with a waive of his hand to make room for him to sit down and pull out a change of clothes from his bag.

"George, Draco, wake up! The sun is rising and we need to get moving. I don't want to linger here longer than we need to." Harry called over to the others who groaned as George rolled over and Draco shuffled in his sleeping bag before one grey eye peeked open to glare at him tiredly.

"I'm up. Gimme a minute…" George replied groggily as he buried his face into his pillows causing Harry to chuckle even as Draco growled crankily and sat up to change into the clothes he had prepared during his time on watch.

"I know how they feel, Teddy. We're all going to be tired today." Harry said softly and received a gummy smile in return from his godson as George pushed himself up and grabbed his shirt from the floor next to him.

"What does it look like outside?" George asked as he pulled on the shirt and shuffled himself out of his sleeping bag while Draco started his morning routine of fixing his hair and clothes.

"Still raining a bit, but the sun's coming up and the worst of the storm seems to have passed. We're on an island, but I'm not too sure which one since there are so many on the map. There's a crystalline formation not too far away surrounded by very large staves. I don't like the feel of it so I'd like for us to get away from this place as soon as we can." Harry informed him as he finished changing.

"I felt it last night too, but didn't know what it was from. Is it safe to cross the water? We could swim with a few bubble-head charms, but we don't know what kind of creatures could live in the water here." George said and Harry shook his head even as he agreed with what he said.

"Whirlpools. Even if the marine life here doesn't turn out to be things that'll try to eat us, I don't trust the tides around this island. We'll need to go over rather than under or through. Did either of you bring your broom? I never replaced mine after my Firebolt was lost." Harry said and started packing up the cot after lifting Teddy out, handing it to George, who put it back into Teddy's bag before rolling up his sleeping bag to be stored and then moving onto helping Draco with his.

"I have mine and Fred's." George said quietly and Harry felt a painful stab in his chest from loss, but he knew it wouldn't be anything compared to what George had been feeling for months.

"I have mine as well. Here, give me Edward. I'll take him today. You're better with defense. It'll be better for me to take him and that way you can fight freely if it's needed." Draco said as he left his spot on his sleeping bag and held his hands out for Teddy so Harry could help George get the rest of their things packed up.

"There's land in the distance to the north of the island. I couldn't see to the south very well because of the way the land peaks, but I figure we can disillusion ourselves and fly over. Get an idea of the area. Maybe listen in if we encounter any people." Harry suggested as he clasped George's shoulder comfortingly before grabbing the baby carrier and helped Draco put it on; snapping the buckles closed to secure it around his torso.

"I just hope this will be a safe place for Teddy to grow up." Harry fretted as he secured him into the carrier against Draco's chest with the blonde's help.

"I hope so too, but even if it isn't, he has all of us to protect him." George replied comfortingly while he paused to look at Harry seriously from where he had been sorting through what looked to be knives and several pouches that he had set aside several hours ago during his watch.

"You're right. At least here he isn't hunted because of idiots. We should be careful with our magic though. We don't know what reaction the inhabitants of this world would have." Harry sighed at how much they didn't know.

"Who knows, maybe magic is normal here and we wouldn't stand out. Even so, that's why I set all this aside. There's no telling if carrying a sword would raise eyebrows either. You should put that in your bag for now." George said as he gestured toward Gryffindor's sword before sliding his belt through the loops on a few of the pouches and threading it through the belt loops of his denim trousers and continuing the process until the pouches surrounded his waist and he secured the buckle after adding a bag to the belt at the side of his hip that clinked with the familiar sound of potion vials.

"We'll see." Harry replied before doing as George suggested and tucking the sword away into his bag and accepting the boot knife from the red-head even as George moved to help Draco put the pouches and bag of vials he'd set aside for him on his belt before leaving the teen to fasten the buckle once done and then moving on to help Harry with the ones he had prepared for him.

"We're good to head out." George said once Draco had Teddy settled against him with a little cap to conceal his hair.

"Let's pack up the tent and get off this island. Remember to grab the brooms. We'll disillusion ourselves before we leave the shore." Harry said before they left the tent to pack it up and dispel the wards.

They didn't notice the boats in the distance making their way to the island as they took flight and left. Nor did they see the boats being denied access by a flash of light.

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Well this is the first chapter to When Lightning Strikes. I'm still unsure of pairings if there will be any or what characters will be making appearances so I'll be adding tags as I go along. I've had ideas for this story gathering in my head since reading Hated You at Hello and Meet Me on the Battlefield by Araceil a while back. Absolutely love several of her works and am sad to see that they have discontinued a few of them. If you haven't read either of those titles or Lion's Pride then you should check them out!

As for what's coming in the future of this fic… I haven't got a clue! I'm writing this as ideas come. The Endings and Beginnings series will mainly be stories telling of the worlds that Harry, Draco, George, and Teddy end up in and how they start living their new lives in these worlds.

I don't believe every story needs a boatload of drama to be considered a good story. In fact, sometimes too much going on can take away from the story. That's not to say that they won't get involved with characters and events, but this is not one of those where they come in and take over to completely subvert the original plot. If that's the story that you're expecting then I've warned you now that it won't be happening.

Anyway, I hope you liked the start and I'll get the next chapter up when I'm able!

~Ryu