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Author: Sorting Hat Story: Through a Dark Mirror Rating: Teens Setting: Pre-DH Status: WIP Reviews: 9 Words: 13,544
Author's note: Here we go. Track B takes place in yet another universe. About the time of Derailment, these tracks will begin to make even less sense. Suffice it to say that Track A is the one we just left, with James, Lily, and Sirius alive, and Albus the Chancellor of Medicine. Track B is something altogether different. Track C is our universe, post HBP. That should help you keep these a bit straighter. Until we hit Derailment, each of these tracks should be taken on its own, with no connections between them, except Harry. TRACK B Harry landed on his stomach, which knocked the wind out of him before he could say, "Oof." The sky above him was dark, with no stars and no moon. The wind was blowing, and it was cold. Straining his hearing, Harry thought he could hear the wind itself moaning in pain. A moment later, he realized it wasn't the wind that was moaning, but a man not very far away. Instinct told Harry to stay on his hands and knees as he wormed his way toward the sound. He was completely unprepared for what he saw. A man was tied to a piece of solid rock, which seemed to grow directly from the ground. His face was bloody and Harry could tell that several of his bones were broken. When the man spoke, blood flew from his mouth and sounded as though it bubbled in his throat. "Please, Sirius! I didn't know the Aurors were coming. Oof!" Sirius had punched him in the stomach. "You're going to have to do better than that, Fudge." "PLEASE!" Fudge wailed. "I didn't know! I didn't know!" "Oh, really? I suppose you didn't know that Potter was going to be there either, or Dumbledore, or Moody?" Sirius laughed, a long and dangerous laugh. "No! I swear. I didn't know. They didn't tell me anything!" Fudge pleaded. "Your sniveling almost makes me believe you, Fudge. Almost. Perhaps your wife could be persuaded to give me the information I seek," Sirius said casually. "NO!" Fudge yelled, straining against the ropes pinning him to the stone column. "Crucio!" Sirius snapped. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Fudge wailed, the blood in his throat making it sound as though he were underwater. Just as quickly as it had begun, it stopped. "Perhaps she would like that?" Sirius asked. To Harry it seemed as if Sirius were playing with Fudge. The blood drained from his face. Fudge said nothing, just sobbed wetly. "I've decided that I believe you, Fudge." Sirius said, suddenly. "Y-you do?" Fudge said, raising his head just slightly. "Yes. I do. That's why I'm going to stop torturing you," Sirius said in a voice that was almost kind. "Oh, praise you! Praise the Gods!" Fudge said, weeping anew. "Praise me, indeed. I'm going to make an example of you instead," Sirius told him. "Oh my god!" Fudge screamed, his fear returning immediately, "What do you mean?" "Let this be a lesson to those who oppose us. Acendre!" The pillar Fudge was tied to began to rise. When it had reached about twenty feet in height, Sirius canceled the spell. Fudge whimpered. "I don't like heights," he was muttering to himself with his eyes squinched shut. "Avada Kedavara!" Sirius said. Fudge fell silent, never to speak again. Sirius cast the Dark Mark, and then Apparated away. Harry turned his face away from Fudge's body and began to vomit. When it stopped, he gathered his wits and dried his eyes. Merlin's beard. Whose nightmare have I landed in? He looked up at Fudge for a moment and then checked to see if anyone were around. Seeing no one, he raised his wand. "Decentius." The stone pillar began to sink, until the body was almost level with Harry. He used his wand to dig a grave in seconds, and then to cut Fudge's bonds. "Moblicorpus," he muttered. He lowered Fudge's body into the ground, and covered it over with the dirt he had displaced. A moment later, there were flashes of light, and a group of people arrived. Harry bolted back to his hiding place. "A grave?" someone said, "I've never heard of Death Eaters burying their victims." "They do not," came a voice which unmistakably belonged to Dumbledore. "But this grave is fresh, Albus," the other wizard said. "Yes, Mr. Shacklebolt. I am aware of that," Dumbledore replied. "I don't detect any Apparition signatures, other than the ones Death Eaters always use," Shacklebolt told him. Which means that there is someone who is good enough to cover the body of a victim still here." Find him." Harry held his wand close, ready to spring up and defend himself. He never got the chance. "Petrificus Totalus!" someone else yelled. Harry's body froze up instantly. "Well done, Harry!" Shacklebolt said. Harry fought uselessly to move as Dumbledore's hands reached out for him. Dumbledore looked at Harry, and then back at Harry's attacker. "Polyjuice," Harry's attacker said flatly, "Well done, though." "Agreed. We take him back to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said. The three of them grabbed onto Harry's arms, and Disapparated with him. Harry blacked out. When he came to, he was in Snape's dungeons, chained to the wall. "Welcome back to the land of the living, friend," Harry's attacker said, stepping into the light. Harry's heart nearly stopped. "Who are you?" Harry gasped. Looking at his attacker was like staring into a living mirror. "I'm Harry Potter. The question is, who are you?" "I'm Harry Potter," Harry said. "Unlikely. We'll find out who you really are in about six minutes." "And when I don't change? What then?" Harry wanted to know. "I doubt we'll have to worry about that." Harry sighed. The minutes ticked slowly by. Five minutes to go. Three minutes. One minute. Then... Harry's form didn't change. The other Harry narrowed his eyes. "Maybe we miscalculated the amount of time you'd been asleep." "No, I don't think so," Harry said. His double smirked. "Potter to Dumbledore," he said, speaking into the tip of his wand. "You need to come down here. Immediately." "On my way," Dumbledore replied. In less time than Harry would have thought possible, Dumbledore stood before him and the other Harry. "Not Polyjuice, then," Dumbledore muttered. "Time Turner?" the other Harry wanted to know. Dumbledore shook his head. "I imagine that if this Harry was a time displaced version of you, he'd have given us the password by now." "How are you doing this?" the other Harry demanded, jabbing his wand into Harry's throat. Harry choked a moment, and then glared at his double. "I'm not from another time. I'm from another universe." "Really?" his double snarled, "Another universe? Then where's Captain Kirk and the rest of your landing party?" "I never really was a fan of Star Trek," Harry spat back, "It was a Portkey. Fred and George and I made it. We were hoping the Death Eaters wouldn't be able to trace it. I was supposed to go from the twins' shop to Dumbledore's office, but it didn't work." Harry's double opened his mouth to reply, but Dumbledore beat him to it. "Hold his mouth open." The other Harry and Dumbledore worked to pry Harry's jaw open, then Dumbledore poured a whole vial of Veritaserum down Harry's throat. He coughed and sputtered. "Who are you?" Dumbledore asked. "My name is Harry James Potter." "Why are you here?" Dumbledore continued. "I was involved in a failed experiment involving a new type of Portkey. "What was the purpose of this Portkey?" Dumbledore pressed. "It was supposed to be untraceable by Death Eaters. We hoped that would give us an advantage in the second war." "So you used the key and ended up here?" Dumbledore asked. "No. I used that key and ended up in another universe," Harry answered. "Not this one? Not your own?" Dumbledore questioned. "No. Somewhere else. Here, but not here. I woke up in Godric's Hollow, but that place wad destroyed in my own universe." "Here too," Harry's double cut in. "My parents were still alive, Sirius Black was Headmaster of Hogwarts, and Albus Dumbledore was Chancellor of Medicine." "Sirius Black? Headmaster?" Harry's double scoffed violently. "Yes. Apparently, Dumbledore was the Secret Keeper for my parents in that universe instead of Wormtail. Things turned out differently." "Wormtail remained the Secret Keeper here as well. What I fail to understand is why any version of your parents would choose Black as a secret keeper. Gryffindor usually doesn't associate that closely with Slytherin." Dumbledore sounded surprised. "Sirius was in Gryffindor in my universe. The only good wizard in a family of Dark wizards." "How things might have changed," Dumbledore muttered, trailing off. The Veritaserum began to wear off. Harry shook his head. "Could you teach us how to create this new type of Portkey?" Harry's double asked. "I guess. I don't see what good it would do, though. It's failed twice," Harry replied, "and no way in hell if you don't let me out of these chains." "Where was I in this other universe?" Harry's double asked. "I didn't run into that Harry. Everyone thought I was him. I'm not really sure how the magic all works." Dumbledore said nothing, nor did the other Harry. "When I saved Ginny Weasley from the Chamber of Secrets, your double told me that it is our choices which define us. I think it's more like our choices define us and influence everyone around us." Dumbledore stared at Harry for a moment. The other Harry spoke. "Ginny Weasley? The Weasleys never had a girl. Ron was the last. I mean, they might have, if they'd had time, but..." "What do you mean?" Harry asked, his mood darkening even further. "Molly, uh..." "Died just before Ronald Weasley started here at Hogwarts," Dumbledore finished. Harry stared at them in shock. "It's been a long war," Harry's double said. "You mean the first war--" Harry began. "Never really stopped, here," Harry's double muttered. "What's your Patronus?" Harry's mind refused to wrap around this change in subject matter for several moments. "A stag. My father. My parents died when Voldemort went after my family," Harry replied. "Yes, I figured that was a curse scar," the other Harry replied, glancing at Harry's forehead. "He used the killing curse. It bounced back," Harry replied. "Mine's a wolf. Remus," the other Harry replied. "Can you let me out of these chains, please?" Harry asked Dumbledore, "What's your wand's core made of?" he finished, directing his question at his double. "Unicorn hair. Twelve inches," his double replied. "Mine's phoenix feather. Twelve inches as well," Harry said, dropping his hands downward as his cuffs disappeared. "I'll hang onto it for now," his double replied, "if you don't mind." "Give it back," Dumbledore muttered. "He may need it." Reluctantly, Harry's double gave him back his wand. Harry's mood improved just slightly as he held it. "Tell me more about this place. How young do people start here at this Hogwarts?" Harry asked his double. "Eleven years. Usually we don't get much more than refresher courses for what we already know, maybe a few really advanced charms if we need them," his double replied. "Wow. Our whole magical education starts here. The decree for underaged wizardry--" Harry began, but his double cut him off. "That decree was a joke. It's gone now. Most witches and wizards can defend themselves as very small children. We don't waste time in this universe." "Indeed, we do not," Dumbledore replied, having led them to his office, "Harry, I must ask that you allow this alternate Harry and I a few moments to speak alone." The other Harry nodded, and turned to leave. "If you're going to be here for a while," he said over his shoulder, "The Gryffindor Tower has an open room. Valley Forge." Harry thanked him, and his double left the room, shutting the door behind him. He turned to Dumbledore. "You must not judge your other self too harshly. It must be difficult to meet...yourself," Dumbledore said to Harry. "I suppose that's true," Harry muttered. "We must explore the connections between the three universes. It may help us in preventing the same mistakes you've made," Dumbledore told Harry. "Well, the only connections I can see are myself, and the fact that the three universes are all at war with Voldemort to some degree or another," Harry explained. "I see. Who is Sirius Black in your universe?" Dumbledore wanted to know. "He was my Godfather. He's dead now," Harry replied. "A pity. He seems like he was a good man." "He was, until Lucius Malfoy's cousin killed him," Harry replied. "His brother is a good man. Regalus is Minister of Magic, here. And Lucius is deputy Headmaster." Harry nearly choked up his lungs. "WHAT?" "He isn't on the side of light in your universe?" Dumbledore asked. "No. Not in mine or in the one I just left," Harry replied. "He must make a formidable enemy," Dumbledore mused. Harry nodded. "Yes. His son isn't much better." "Ah. Draco and Narcissa Malfoy were executed by Death Eaters. Perhaps that's why Lucius decided not to join," Dumbledore speculated. "Maybe so. He's a friend here, then?" Harry asked. "Yes. He's been instrumental in the fight against Voldemort. He was key in getting Sirius' brother named Minister of Magic. He said that we needed the best defense we could find against Sirius and who better than his own brother?" "I'm sure his mother loved that," Harry muttered. "She was less than pleased when Regalus was sorted into Gryffindor," Dumbledore recalled aloud. "That's not surprising," Harry deadpanned. "Hardly. For now, I suggest you get some rest Harry. We will worry about enhanced Portkeys tomorrow. "I suppose. Goodnight Professor." Beta's note: Let me reassure everybody that Sorting Hat knows what he's doing and where's he's going with this story. He's been talking to me about it for years (literally). I can't tell you how excited I am that he's finally writing it instead of torturing me with snippets of ideas he's had for the plot.
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