"Temporal Boundary Invasions": Chapter VII - New Realities

[austin316hockey]

Title: Harry Potter and the Temporal Boundary Invasions
Chapter Title: VII: New Realities
Fandoms: Harry Potter/multiple
Story Rating: PG-13
Chapter Word count: ~7,474
Warning(s): Coarse language.
Summary: Harry defeats Tom Riddle once and for all, but with nothing to live for, he leaps through the veil. Being thrown back in time was NOT the plan… Did the universe actually HATE him that much? The recovery of an ancient magical artefact may have the answers, and he just may gain a few powerful allies along the way... Part I: Encounters with an up-and-coming Muggle rock band.
Disclaimer: See first chapter






VII: NEW REALITIES
OR, NEW LIVING ARRANGEMENTS ARE SOUGHT

Whatever else Jiro still had to do with his computers would have to wait, as Kreacher appeared, announcing, "Supper is ready."

Harry took in the six faces that now joined him at the supper table. It was a sure bet four of them would be following him when he returned to his own dimension. By the actions of the other two, they would be as well. He already knew the answer, but would ask just the same.

As people began talking more than eating, Harry cleared his throat. "Time for a little conversation, I think." Most of the plates had by this time disappeared. "I'm just gonna be honest. Matt… what Jiro said is true. If you stay here, the minute you show your face in public, they will find you. You've enraged Riddle beyond anything you could imagine."
"What do we do, then?" questioned Padge.
"You can't show your face in public. V-Tom probably mind-raped him."
"Mind-raped?"
"Legilimency. Except he wouldn't be subtle with it. He tried to break into my mind twice during our duel."
"It felt like my head was going to explode," said Matt, "It was like every memory I had was flying in front of my eyes."
"I'll get you an anti-headache potion if you need it later. But point made, Tom knows about all of you, and he'd make each of you targets."
"What kind of life is that!?" Moose snorted, "We were doing fine, thank you very much!"
"Then you come along and blow everything to hell!" Padge snarled, equally frustrated.
"Guys… it's not Harry's fault," said Matt, "Fuck, if anything, whatever Harry did… part of it's my fault… and that wizard that came before Harry did." He thought for a moment. "Did you look at whatever it was?"
"No. I'm gonna wait until I get back to my own world. I'm gonna let Bill Weasley look at it."
"So you do know him," said Jiro.
"Quite intimately for a while," answered Harry, "I won't get into more detail than that… but you should know, I'm older than I look."
"Considering you fought Riddle to a draw this afternoon, yeah," said Jiro, sounding impressed.
"I've defeated him once already," supplied Harry, "Again, details I'm not gonna get into here right now. Eventually, I'll explain it."
"But no matter what, it sounds like we're going with you," said Matt, "Staying here is death."
"Matt! NO!" Padge growled, "You're gonna throw everything away just because of what HE says?!"
"Do we really have a choice, Padge?! What do you think will happen the first time we do a concert? Huh? I bet the bastard's henchmen would be watching our papers right?" Jiro nodded. "They'd most likely wait until after the concert… they do have some sense of discretion at times. Doing magic in front of a few thousand Muggles wouldn't be smart, even for the Death Eaters. They're not that powerful-yet," he said. Padge snarled something unintelligible again, slammed his fist on the table, and stormed out of the room.
"Worse comes to worse, I'll modify his memory and change his appearance," said Harry.
"NO. He'll be coming with us," said Matt, forcefully, "I'll get through to him." Harry smirked inwardly. It was clear who was the 'whip' in the group. Of course, it was equally clear the others didn't exactly agree with their leader's decision.
"Harry… about us. If you'll let us, we'd like to come along," said Zack.
"I figured that much. What about your home?"
"D'you mind giving us a hand?" questioned Jiro, "Just miniaturizing things."
"What about your family? Like, don't you guys have people that are gonna miss you?"
"No, not really," answered Jiro, "My parents are both gone, I was raised in a foster home."
"Me, I'll be glad if I never see my parents or my crazy brother ever again," said Zachariah, "They doted on him all the time, ignored me most of the time. 'course, it didn't help when they found out I was homo."
"Homo?" questioned Harry, then it clicked. "Right."
"Yeah, my parents didn't take to that very well. Either way, there's nothing keeping us here."
"We have each other, that's all that matters."
"Indeed," Harry agreed, "Tomorrow, then, that's what we'll do. I can probably set up a private flat for you guys if you like."
"You can do that?" questioned Moose.
"That's how this was all created," said Harry, gesturing around him. "It won't be too difficult to make some additions. Anyway. Back to the larger issue. Guys, part of the blame is mine. I promise I'll do whatever I can to help you get back the reputation you have, when we return to my world. It's only fair."
"I'll believe THAT when I see it." Heads turned to see Padge standing in the arch way leading out to the common room, a scowl planted on his face.
"You guys clearly don't know who this is, do you?" questioned Jiro, gesturing to Harry. That was met by a shake of heads. "Potter is a rich guy. The estate… well, before Riddle seized it… it was pushing a worth of about one point two billion galleons. Translated into Canadian currency… well… just think about it this way… the British Pound is worth about five times the Wizarding Galleon. I think you guys can do the math."
"Really?" Harry questioned, "I mean, I just got my inheritance, haven't had a chance to look at it."
"So in other words, he's talking out his ass," Padge snorted, gesturing to Jiro.
"If you're gonna be a part of this conversation, sit your ass down," Matt gestured to his vacated seat. Padge huffed, but returned to it, still glaring at Harry.
"As I was saying… I mean, I know I have a lot of money. At least I did before." That got a questioning look from Jiro. "That's for later… but helping you guys out, it definitely won't hurt my bank account."
"Besides, just imagine, it will be like having a silent sponsor," added Zachariah.
"You make it sound like, 'oh, we can just wave our wand and it'll be all roses'! Well it ain't!" Padge snarled, "You're forgetting we have families, a life HERE! How's that supposed to be made all better, huh? Your magic can't fix everything!"
"Not the first person to say that, and yeah, a lot of others think EXACTLY what you just said, Padge. But no, magic CAN'T fix everything. Merlin knows THAT'S the truth. But it can fix a lot of things."
"We can help you guys say good bye to those who are important and so on," Jiro pointed out. This time it was Moose who got up and stormed out of the room, as the realization hit him. Jay immediately followed.
"Merlin, I know all too well about loss," said Harry, "People who meant a lot to me… and I didn't even have the chance to say good bye. Even now, I have people back where I come from that are probably going half-spare, worried about me. I wish there was some way I could get a message back to them… at least let them know I'm all right."
"So what happened… I mean, what were you doing when you… just before you were slammed into the side of our bus, anyway?" questioned Matt.
"I was talking to Sirius, my godfather," answered Harry, "I was testing something and well… I ended up at his place. I was hit was a bad case of vertigo, and the next thing I know, you guys were standing over me."
"Sounds like you were meant to come here," said Jiro, with a shrug, "I think everything happens for a reason."

Once the others were settled into their own rooms, Harry retreated to his for the evening. The object he had recovered in Montreal peaked his curiosity, and, although he knew he should really wait for Bill, surely a few cursory magical scans and the like wouldn't do any harm, right? He opened the box with a gesture from his hand, then levitated the strange cylinder out onto the floor. Even with the damping charm placed around it, it still radiated a tremendous amount of power. It was almost like the magical equivalent to a battery. Of course, he had handled powerful artefacts before-considering most of Voldemort's Horcruxes were artefacts in their own right. Yet, this was something else. Its power felt 'old'. VERY old. He gestured with an index finger. "Reveal your secrets."

Matt was out in the common room, borrowing Jiro's computer. There were so many things that needed to be taken care of before they actually left, and the computer was a blessing in that regard. Of course, Jiro was more than happy to help out as well, occupying the second machine. The machines were connected to the internet, and with the various magical enhancements, there wasn't a whole lot they weren't able to accomplish.

A loud bang from the corridor broke their attention from the computers.
"What was that?" A sudden icy feeling washed over Matt, from head to toe. "Harry!"
"No, let me… it might be dangerous," said Jiro, but Matt was already off to Harry's room, bursting into the room, and he stopped short, finding the room in disarray. The furniture had been overturned, and it resembled the aftermath of a tornado. Harry was slumped against the wall under the smashed fake window, and he wasn't moving.
"Jesus, what was-Matt? What happened?" questioned Moose, nervously, peering into the room.
"Move!" Jiro snapped, pushing Moose aside, and storming into the room. He too, stopped short, seeing the destruction. "Holy shit!"
"Ditto," said Matt, "What did he do?"
"Idunno, holy fuck," said Jiro, making an intricate pattern with his wand.

Matt had to duck several times, as displaced and damaged items seemed to float around, putting themselves back into their rightful place, putting themselves back together. To him, it was a truly awesome display of magic. The bed was finally making itself, and the glass reassembled itself in the windows, the light fixtures reassembled themselves and reappeared where they belonged. He looked down, feeling something tugging at his foot. A thin journal was trying to escape from under it. He lifted his foot, and the book shot back to a stack on the dresser.(1)
"Both of you, get out," said Jiro, with a tone that left no room for argument. Moose shrugged, and left, but Matt had no intentions of doing so.
"Are you deaf?"
"No, but who the fuck do you think you are, ordering me around?" Matt crackled, his temper rising.
"I, am a wizard. You, are a Muggle. What do YOU think you can POSSIBLY do to help?!"
"B-both of you… quiet…" Harry moaned, at last stirring.
"You all right? What happened?" questioned Matt, kneeling beside him.
"The object… I was examining it… it… didn't take kindly."
"That wasn't all that bright, Harry," said Jiro, shaking his head, "Are you hurt anywhere?"
"I'll probably have a nasty bruise on my back," said Harry, "Impacted the window rather heavily, I think." He gestured at himself with his hand, intending to clean himself up. It barely worked, and he suddenly felt light-headed. "Shit. Help me up, Matt." Matt scrambled to his feet and obliged, helping Harry up, but the boy was in no shape to stand on his own, and collapsed into him. Needless to say, Matt was not exactly comfortable with this, but by no means was he just going to drop him. He easily lifted the boy about the waist, carried him over to his bed, and set him down. "Holy fuck."
"Now get out," said Jiro, icily. Matt only spun around, and clocked the dark-haired wizard across the jaw with a vicious punch, sending him crashing to the floor. "Wizard or not, YOU get out!" 'Where the hell did that come from?' he thought in his head, while Jiro glared back at him, spitting out a mouthful of blood. His hand moved toward his wand, but he thought better of it, scrambling to his feet. He stormed out of the room.
"Kreacher?" The little elf popped into the room. "What can Kreacher do for master Matty?"
"Harry was messing around with… he passed out." Maybe he should have just let Jiro handle it. Too late now.
"Master Harry is hurting his magic," said Kreacher, "Kreacher is taking care of young master now." He waved his thin figures at the prone boy, who was suddenly dressed in his pyjamas. Another wave of the hand, and he was tucked into bed. "Young master is nearly depleting his magic and is needing watching."
"That can happen?" questioned Matt, digging in his jeans for his pack of cigarettes. It probably wasn't polite to smoke in Harry's room, but he was feeling more than stressed at the moment.
"If a wizard over extends himself yes it can," said Kreacher, "Master Harry unleashed powerful magics, he did."
"Will he heal?"
"He will heal, yes, but not quickly. You is helping take care of him now?"
"I… of course. His parents… their portrait… they should know what happened."
"Kreacher is fetching their portrait now," answered the elf, and he was gone with a light POP. He returned a moment later bringing the portrait in question. He was followed by Jay and Moose. "What happened to him?" questioned Moose.
"Master Harry is hurting his magic," answered the elf.
"So that's what the loud bang was earlier," said James, as their portrait was placed on the wall.
"Oh, Harry, what have you done to yourself?" questioned Lily, sounding very concerned.
"Kreacher is returning to the kitchen now." With that, the elf vanished with a light pop.

The rest of the evening was spent barely moving from the room. He was somewhat confused by the emotions he was feeling. The boy was clearly important for their safety-Jiro was just an arrogant ass, that was for sure. Pushing his way into the trunk-magical or not, obviously this was Harry's home. The guy and his partner had just invited themselves in! Had it been Matt's place, they would have been thrown out on their arses! Sure, Jiro was quite helpful with some of the legal processes and whatnot, but his attitude was grating at best.

If anything, Harry was too kind. What was the story anyway? He leaned back in the chair beside the bed, resting his head against the wall. The question was, why did he care? It was almost as if something were commanding him to watch over the boy. To make sure he was safe. Yet, how could he do that? And WHY would he want to do that? It didn't make any sense!

"…you can't save them all, Harry…" the high, cold voice taunted, the sounds of maniacal laughter filling his head. The scene showed a Muggle playground in broad daylight, with every single man, woman, and child laying dead at the hands of Voldemort and a group of his Death Eaters. No Aurors would be coming; Voldemort WAS the Ministry of Magic, after all. The Order of the Phoenix was virtually crippled, and Snape, stuck at the school, was not much use as a spy of late, so the Order was a non-factor.

The dream changed.

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"
"Stand aside, you silly girl… stand aside, now…"
"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead-"
"This is my last warning-"
"Not Harry! Please… have mercy… have mercy… Not Harry! Not Harry Please-I'll do anything-"
"Stand aside-stand aside, girl-"(2)
A brilliant green flash filled the scene, accompanied by a piercing scream.

Harry sat bolt upright in the bed, a scream at the tip of his tongue, while his head throbbed-although not his scar-course not, Voldemort had not come back yet… not at this time-at least not in his own world. Nonetheless, the dreams still hurt, an exact reminder of what his mortal enemy was capable of-equally as much as what had happened the previous afternoon.

A soft snort to the left of him got his attention: Matt had fallen asleep in the chair beside the bed. 'How did I end up here?' he wondered. He had been changed into pyjamas, and tucked into bed. 'Kreacher', he guessed. Matt didn't come across as a cuddly type.

His mind settled back on the current conundrum he faced: how did he end up in a parallel universe? Not only that, but how did his trunk follow? This was definitely beyond a simple time-turner. Very powerful magic was at work, that was his only conclusion. As powerful as the artefact that had blown him across the room. He assumed Jiro had cleaned things up. Harry guessed the guy was in his mid twenties, so was more than capable of an advanced clean-up charm.

Another snort beside him reminded Harry he was not alone. He had six new friends, and his parents' portrait, as well as Kreacher-the old house elf had undergone an amazing transformation in the short few days he had been in the trunk. The thing was, how would he ever honour his promise to him now?

Next time he woke, the light of an overcast morning was streaming through the fake windows of the room. He was alone, but he could hear voices from the other rooms: the others were up and about. His head felt like it was about to explode, and his body felt terribly weak. He knew what had happened: he had somehow overtaxed his core, and made himself sick.
"Kreacher?" Harry whispered. The elf popped in beside the bed.
"Master Harry is staying in bed today, he is," the elf announced, at once adjusting the bedding.
"I'm sorry I haven't been able to get you the present I promised you, Kreacher," said Harry, "But… well… given how things have ended up… I can't just yet."
"Kreacher understands."
"I will do it, somehow. And I know you will like it." The elf nodded, then said, "Master Harry is needing breakfast now, and Kreacher will be bringing it." He popped away. A moment later, he returned, bringing a tray with cereal, toast, and a few slices of fruit.
"Thank you, Kreacher."
"Sleep all right?" Matt stood in the doorway.
"yes and no. Feel like I've been trampled by a herd of hippogriffs, though."
"A herd of what?"
"Oh… err… like horses. I'll show you sometime," said Harry, adjusting his position so he could eat, and moving the tray over his lap.
"You look sick, mate," said Matt, moving to take the seat beside the bed again.
"It's magical exhaustion. I should have known better than mess around with that thing-" he gestured to the box by the dresser-"Now I'm paying for it. Matt… promise me you won't touch that… or anything else in here if you're not sure of it. I don't want you guys hurt."
"Sure," said Matt, and then asked, "How long will it take you to heal?"
"I dunno, a few days, a few hours. I've done it so much, it varies."
"Can you still do magic?"
"Not really a good idea. Even doing small stuff could knock me out again, or worse. I could end up a squib."
"A what?"
"Someone who knows about magic, but can't use it."
"Like me?"
"No, you're a Muggle. Like I said before, you shouldn't even KNOW about magic."

The two of them fell silent for a minute, while Harry had a bit more of his breakfast. Matt was finally able to get a good look at the young wizard as he ate, and for the first time noticed the lightning-shaped scar over his right eye. "What happened there?" he questioned, daring to reach over and trace the mark; the skin was raised along the edges, as if it had been done recently. It felt like a scab.
"I guess now is as good a time as any, to tell you the story of a man named Tom Marvolo Riddle," said Harry, at last pushing the tray off to the side. Kreacher appeared immediately, and took the tray away. 'How was it the elf knew when Harry was done?' Matt wondered, while Harry continued, "Anyway… the story begins in early July of 1980, when the headmaster of my school was interviewing a woman to become the new Divination teacher. She wasn't the brightest woman in the world-and I can tell you that from personal experience… but the headmaster hired her anyway, for her protection. All because she told a prophecy …" Harry paused, and recited the prophecy Dumbledore had wanted to keep guarded and secret for so long.
"So the prophecy is about you?"
"It actually could have meant one of two babies born at the end of July that year. Me, or one of my close friends, Neville Longbottom. Right brilliant wizard he is… So anyway… Riddle, or, Lord V-you-know-who as he has named himself-I'll refer to him from here on out as you-know-who… had a spy listening in the night the woman, Sybill Trelawney, made the prophecy. Of course he only heard part of it, but he tore back to you-know-who and reported what he heard, incorrect information as it was. I think in hindsight, had Riddle known the entire contents of the prophecy, he would have waited. As it was, wanting to eliminate the implied threat, he attacked.

"I'm not going into all the back details, but my parents did go into hiding, and one of their closest friends betrayed them. On Halloween night, 1981, Riddle attacked. He killed my parents, then turned his wand on me…"

Matt once again saw the same vision as he had the previous morning… a woman pleading for Harry's life, a blast of green light that filled his vision, and a horrible wail. "Your mother was killed by a green light?"
"She was… how do you know that?"
"I saw it… like a memory, or a dream."
"When I gave you some of my blood… of course!" Harry guessed, "You need to tell me if you see anything else like that… or if anything, err… well, weird happens around you." Matt only smirked, and gestured around him. "And this ain't?"
"Touché," Harry conceded, then continued, "So he turned his wand on me, and cast the killing curse-that same green magic you saw. Except that it backfired, leaving me with this scar."
"And Riddle died?"
"No… no he didn't. Because, see, Riddle had done some truly horrible things to make sure he COULDN'T die. He's created containers… Horcruxes… that contain pieces of his soul. And far worse… this…" Harry again gestured to his scar, "Is one of them."
"Is it dangerous? Does it hurt?"
"Well… yes, it hurts sometimes, usually if I'm close to him… and well… it's not dangerous, exactly… except that… as long as it's inside of me… so long as Riddle has just one of those things, he can't be destroyed."
"So you have to die?"
"Yes and no. It's kind of like a 'freebee' the best way to put it. I can 'die' once, without actually dying."
"How do you know that though? What if you're wrong?"
"You just have to trust me. There'll be a time when I will have to get rid of it, because until I do, Riddle will continue to survive."
"Right. Neither can live while the other survives."
"So in other words, the monster that attacked yesterday will do it again wherever you're from." Both Harry and Matt looked up to see Padge and Moose standing at the door, Padge was again glaring at Harry.
"Yes. I won't lie to you, quite likely I will confront him again. But as things are now, he's just a shade, with no real power. He tried to get his body back at the end of June, but we stopped him from doing it."
"So what's wrong with you?" questioned Moose, moving to stand beside the dresser.
"The magical artefact I collected in Montreal… it didn't take kindly to my examining it."
"It blew up his bedroom," said Matt, "Holy fuck you're lucky you weren't killed."
"I'll second that. It also means I'm not doing any magic today. Padge or Moose… could one of you fetch Jiro for me?"
"Um… about Jiro," said Matt, messaging his right hand, while Moose left the room. Harry spotted the inflamed knuckles and knew at once what had happened. "I'll get you a pain-relieving potion in a second."
"What'd ya do, punch him out?" Padge smirked.
"It's not funny," said Matt, coldly. The object of discussion appeared in the doorway. He, too, did not look happy. "What?"
"Guys, please," said Harry, "I just need to let you know, I'm not going to be doing much today. I know I promised to help but-"
"It's all good, got it under control," answered Jiro. He was still giving Matt death glares, and the interaction was not lost on Harry.
"Right. Mate, your help is really appreciated. Your attitude, on the other hand…"
"He's an asshole," Matt finished. That got another death glare from Jiro.
"Err… well… no, but still. Look, guys. I'll put this in simple black and white. Next time there's a fight, SOMEONE will be put in a full body bind for a time I feel appropriate. Don't make me treat you like five-year olds."
"Then maybe you should remind Mr. TUCK here, it's a criminal offence for a Muggle to attack a wizard," Jiro huffed.
"Dragging out a pureblood law? That's petty," said Harry, frowning, "Really petty. Just drop it, the both of you."

Harry laid back down as the others left, blowing out a breath. "Worse than a bunch of children," he muttered.
"You handled them well, son," said James.
"Pretty bad when 'I' am supposedly the kid here."
"But Harry, don't you see? Mr. Tuck cares for you," Lily pointed out, "Or he wouldn't act the way he is. You've gained yourself a loyal friend there."
"I guess… Kreacher?"
"Yes, master Harry?" said the elf, after popping in to stand beside the bed.
"Grab a pain-relieving potion and take it to Matt. He's hurt his hand last night."
"Right away, master Harry." The elf went over to the large cabinet in the corner, opened it, and drew out a vial. After closing the cabinet, he popped away.
"We're still very proud of you, son," said James. Harry felt his cheeks get warm at the praise from his father. In another time, he had gotten that often, but it still felt good either way. Even though in a portrait, his parents still proved to be extremely helpful. He closed his eyes, allowing his mind to again rest. How deeply he wished he could let people know he was okay!

Sometime later, Matt returned to Harry's room to make sure he was okay (where was THAT coming from again?!). He was startled to discover a brilliant red bird resting on the headboard, preening its feathers. The bird looked up, seeming to appraise Matt for a moment, then let out a trill, a single, wonderful note filling the air.
"Do you belong to Harry?" The bird seemed to shake its head, its black eyes staring holes in Matt's chest. A sudden rush of memories flashed in front of his eyes, then all ceased, the bird once again letting out a long, musical call.
"How come you're here?" The bird looked down at Harry, who had not moved an inch, even with the noise the bird had made.
"Did he call you somehow?" The bird nodded.
"You're a magical bird, then?" The bird nodded again.
"It's Dumbledore's familiar," said James, "He must've somehow known Harry needed help."
"Even in another dimension?"
"He's a phoenix, a very powerful magical animal," explained Lily, "And Harry has a strong connection with him."
"Like what he shares with… you-know-who?"
"I strongly doubt that. But it's likely got a bit in common, I would assume. It's truly an honour to stand in his presence, phoenixes are one of the most light-oriented creatures in our world," said Lily. Matt only nodded, and approached the bird, daring to reach out and stroke its beautiful feathers. It was truly a magnificent creature, far beyond anything Matt had seen before.
"He likes you," said Lily, "Or he'd never let you near him." Matt only nodded, continuing to stroke the bird's feathers. A single memory was playing over and over in his head. The event that had shaped all that had followed thus far-the powerful wizard and the strange object left near their bus in Montreal.

The next time Harry awoke, it was dark, with the light of the waxing half-moon providing the only light through the fake window. He was starting to feel better, but still wasn't at one hundred percent. He could get away with lesser spells, but nothing major, such as a Patronus. "Tempus," he whispered, directing with his right index finger. '3:22 am' wafted from it. It was quite early, but he had been on his back long enough.

Sitting up, it was then he noticed he was not alone in the room. "Fawkes! How did you get here?" Harry was shocked and excited Dumbledore's familiar had been able to find him. The bird only blinked at him, letting out a happy trill. "Well, I'm glad you're here. Can you get a letter back to… certain people?" the bird nodded. "Great! I know they're worried about me."

That answered the first order of business. He made his way out to the drawing table in the common room. It was dimly lit by several gas lamps, but with a gesture from his hand, they brightened, bathing the room in warm light. Quickly procuring paper and a pen, he scribbled out a letter.

"Okay, Fawkes, this goes to Cedric Diggory," said Harry. He had debated who should be notified first, but it was a fairly easy call in the end. Sirius was his godfather, but Cedric was his love. He would share the note with Sirius no matter what, although Harry did say for him to do exactly that.

As Harry was tying the letter to the phoenix's leg, he heard a door open.
"Feeling better?" questioned Matt, stepping into the common room.
"Getting there. Enough to be up and about. Have you met Fawkes?" Harry gestured to the bird.
"Yeah, earlier."
"Git. You could've woke me," said Harry, in a mock-scolding voice, as he finished securing the letter. "Okay, off you go. If you can, wait for a reply and come back." The bird only nodded, then burst into flames and vanished. Matt shielded his face in shock.
"Holy fuck! What… what happened to him?!"
"He's a phoenix. It's how they travel when they don't fly," Harry explained.
"He will come back?" Matt was still shocked by what had just happened.
"Definitely. Likely with a couple of letters at minimum."
oOo
Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place had been in an uproar since Harry vanished two, now going on three days ago. The majority of the Order of the Phoenix now walked its halls, as clues to the boy's location were ferreted out. Cedric had also been brought to the residence and given the secret so he could come and go as well-it was only fair he be allowed to help out, considering how close he was to Harry.

Ron and Hermione were also there, along with most of the Weasley family. Molly had taken it particularly hard, considering she saw Harry as an eighth child. She was in such a terrible state, she could not help prepare the meals as she usually did; Dobby and Winky were only too happy to take over.

The large group was currently sitting down for lunch, now nearing the third day since Harry vanished. Ron was barely touching his food, in stark contrast to his usual eating habits. In fact, the twins were equally not eating all that much; it affected all the Weasley children in some way.

Just then, with a flash of flame, Fawkes appeared behind Cedric's chair. He hopped down to the table, and held his leg out, around which was secured a letter.
"Maybe Dumbledore found him!" said Ginny, hopefully. They all knew who the bird was, and who he belonged to.
"No, I think he'd just bring 'im here," said Ron, between bites, "I mean, why waste the time?"
"He's right, Ginny."
"It's from Harry!" exclaimed Cedric, as he opened the letter. Everyone's head snapped up at the utterance, including a particular potions master, who stood at his usual dark corner of the room.

Cedric began reading: "Cedric, Do not read this aloud… err, sorry guys, guess it's just meant for me." He then continued reading:

I don't want you to share this with anyone except for Sirius, for now. I don't know what happened, but, I have somehow been sent to a parallel universe. Kreacher is with me to keep me company in the trunk, which seems to have somehow followed me-Merlin only knows how THAT happened. I'm very much in the dark about how I'm going to get back. Maybe share this with Hermione, ask her if she could help… I'm really at a loss and well… I'm sort of involved now, I hope you understand.

Feel free to send back a reply with Fawkes, he seems to know how to find me. Let Padfoot also read this, it's meant for him too.

I miss you so much, Cedric. You're never far from my thoughts. Neither are you, Padfoot.

Love you both,
Harry

Cedric felt a range of emotions as he read the letter. Clearly, Harry was all right, but yet… 'Leave it to Potter,' he thought, passing the letter to Sirius.

"Well? Is it Potter?" questioned Mad-Eye Moody.
"I'm certain," answered Cedric, "Excuse me."
"Well, where is he?" questioned Tonks, sporting very bright pink hair.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," said Sirius, looking up from the letter, "Although it seems trouble does follow him."
oOo
"Where are your friends at… as far as what I've asked?" Harry questioned, taking a seat in front of one of the computers. It hadn't been all that long since he'd touched one after all.
"Still very divided," answered Matt, occupying the other seat, "I mean, even I'm put out by this crazy-assed suggestion… holy fuck."
"I would be if the tables were turned. But it's the only way you guys will have a chance, you know that right?" Harry pointed out. Matt only nodded. "I know. But still, it's difficult. Then the prick has to-"
"Who?"
"Jiro… fucking ass… he's just-I swear to God I almost decked him again earlier. You wizards aren't all that bright sometimes."
"No, not always." Harry had to fight to keep from laughing. This was a serious topic, after all. "Just try and be patient. If this stuff is all the twins' work, I want Jiro to share it with them."
"So you're just keeping them here for that?"
"yes and no," answered Harry, "Having another wand here is a good thing. If we're attacked again, I'll take all the help I can get."
"Padge's about ready to clock him too."
"Just try to keep it together around him. I'll fix it today so they have their own apartment, and we won't see them as much."
"You should see their room now… holy fuck, they moved half the furniture down here already."
"Well of course, Jiro's a wizard. He'll likely get rid of his house pretty quick. What about you? Do you have things you'll want to keep?"
"I have a flat in London."
"I can probably have Kreacher go and collect everything for you, if you'd like."
"What about Moose, Jay, and Padge?"
"If that's what they want, I can do the same thing."
"Your elf… he'll be careful? There's some shit that's a bit-"
"Fragile? Yeah, of course he'll be careful. I won't send him off just yet, he's probably asleep."

Once breakfast had finished, Harry passed the memory of Matt's flat to Kreacher by Legilimency, and the elf popped away-Harry had obtained a memory of it earlier. He had to give a mischievous smirk. Hopefully no one else would be there-they would be in for a rather startling shock!

In the mean time, he helped Jiro and Zachariah finish packing up the contents of their house. The order of business that afternoon would be to create a separate apartment for them, so they wouldn't be constantly butting heads with the members of Bullet for my Valentine.

That train of thought was interrupted, as Fawkes flashed into the common room, to land on the chair at the drawing table. He had several letters in his claws.
"Fawkes. You got back to Sirius and Cedric?" The bird seemed to nod, then hopped down onto the table in front of Harry. The bird had several letters tied to his leg, which Harry relieved him of.
"What… what is that?" questioned Padge, finally finding his voice. He happened to be stepping out of the dining room when the bird arrived. Harry grinned, saying, "This is Fawkes, and he's a phoenix."
"He's… beautiful."
"I haven't met anyone who thought otherwise," said Harry, relieving Fawkes of the letters. He took a seat at the drawing table, and while Matt looked on, he picked up the first letter.
"What's that?" Matt pointed to the wax seal that kept the letter closed.
"The Black family crest. This one's from my godfather," answered the teen, as he broke open said seal.

Harry,

Glad to hear you are okay, Dumbledore was in a right state when you up and disappeared three days ago. I'm sorry to have to tell you, but he was able to read the letter-his magic is somewhat more powerful than mine-needless to say we aren't on speaking terms at the moment due to that little stunt. He's got Minerva and Filius already doing research into what may have caused your disappearance.

Although he is not sending you a letter himself, he did pass on word that you may continue to call on Fawkes to keep us all up to date on what is going on. You should also remember, and I quote, 'should things become too difficult, Fawkes is a remarkable bird, as you may remember from your dealings at the end of your second year'.

Harry stopped reading. Of course! He could go home at any time! Fawkes could just… just flash him home! Just grab his tail feathers, and all of this would be over. He would be back with Cedric, get back to the plans he had started to put into action a few days ago…

Yet, he just needed to look to the man who stood behind him, probably reading over his shoulder. These guys were all in grave danger. He couldn't just leave them here. There were loose ends to deal with first! He continued reading:

I, on the other hand, know how you work, Harry. I know that you will consider Dumbledore's words for all of five seconds before discarding them to the virtual rubbish bin-although I do suggest you keep his point in mind. If it gets too dangerous, do not risk your life. You do have a destiny here, keep in mind.

Do keep in touch, Harry.

Love,
Sirius

That letter lifted his spirits a fair bit. What had his boyfriend wrote? He opened that next.

Harry,

You have no idea how terrified I was when Sirius informed me what happened to you. I am relieved you are okay, I have slept very little over the past three days. Your letter will have to keep me company until you return-Sirius and I had to threaten Dumbledore with bodily harm before he would return it… Git. (Harry snickered when he read that… 'my knight in shining armour…', he thought, and a giggle escaped his lips)

The entire Order has been reassembled, and they've been working overtime trying to figure out what happened to you-at least until your letter arrived. Now, of course-I'm sure you've already read Sirius' letter-Dumbledore's got them all digging into this 'parallel dimension' theory. You're absolutely sure you've gone to a different dimension? I didn't think that sort of thing was even possible.

Do be careful, Harry. Love you always,

Cedric

Hermione and Ron's letters were predictable, with each going through a range of emotions, Hermione raving about him 'contaminating the time stream', while Ron seemed to be impressed at Harry's 'prank'. It wasn't a prank! Sometimes his best friend could be as thick as a brick.

When Harry finally looked up from the last letter, Matt could see the strong effect all the letters had on the boy. He had lost some of the edge he had been carrying since they had met.
"Thanks for your help, Fawkes," said Harry, "Do you need to be getting back anytime soon?" The bird only let out a happy trill, as if to answer, "Nope! I'm yours."
"He's got a beautiful voice," said Matt.
"His song is one of the most beautiful things you will ever hear," answered Harry, "It's a strong symbol of the light side. I've heard it a few times, each when I was about to die." That got a dark look from Matt. "He's saved me at least twice. His tears have powerful healing properties." Harry turned back to the bird. "Can I ask you a favour, then?" The bird blinked at him. "Great. Can you retrieve something from Dumbledore's library?" The bird shifted on his perch as though uncertain. "I just need to borrow it and I know if I asked he would probably say no. I'm not doing anything bad, it's just… the particular book-or journal I need has instructions on how to do some very advanced magic, something I want to do here in the trunk," Harry explained, then added, "Besides, when have you last had a chance to play a prank on him?"

Harry swore he saw a mischievous glint in the bird's eyes as he opened his wings and flashed away. 'Bloody hell, he didn't even wait for me to tell him which book I needed!'
oOo
Yesterday had been a tiring day for Albus Dumbledore. He had been sure that, with the gentle nudge he had included in Sirius' letter, Harry would just return with Fawkes. Alas, this was not the case, and, as he entered his office to start the day, the bird had still not returned-he was startled out of his thoughts as said bird appeared in a burst of flames. He did not have Harry with him, however, as he settled on his perch for a few moments.
"Harry's still not decided to come back, I see." There was disappointment in Dumbledore's voice. Fawkes let out a happy trill, and looked back at the headmaster as if to say, 'He's busy and he'll come back when he's good and ready!' He lit from the perch, flying up to the upper shelf of books, seeming to look for something. Abruptly, a claw shot out, snagged a book; both bird and book vanished in another burst of golden flames.
"Perhaps Fawkes is serving two masters," said the portrait of Armando Dippet.
"Perhaps," Dumbledore spoke, "Although if Harry desired something from my collection, he could have just asked."
"Oh come off it, Dumbledore, you know exactly what your answer would have been!" the portrait of Phineas Black snorted.
"Yes, particularly THAT volume," said Dumbledore, noting the particular book Fawkes had taken. It wasn't a book, exactly, more like a heavy journal, covering some of the rarest and most advanced charms in existence. Alas, Harry most likely had a strong need of it, and it wasn't like he could just force the bird back with it. No, this was definitely a battle lost.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: So… how are people liking Jiro? *smirks* Yes, he is an arrogant ass at times. Harry won't put up with it for long, neither will Ron or Hermione for that matter. That's gonna be fun.

Matt's band-mates, of course, are very much torn at this point, and of course they are all very right: what Harry is asking is pretty steep, if perhaps unreasonable. How will that work out? Wait and see…

(1) This idea is taken from HBP, movie-verse, when Dumbledore helps Slughorn to put the house he was 'borrowing' back to rights.
(2) Taken from p. 281, Deathly Hallows, Canadian soft-cover edition.

(1) velocitatem - L. "swiftness, speed"
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