2

2: Similarities and Differences (May 28, 2003 to May 29, 2003)

{alternate dimension}

Not only were things different, the time period was different. While he'd been beginning his 6th year in his home dimension, here in the alternate dimension he found that the school year had just ended. Actually, it was a blessing in disguise as it gave him the perfect chance to research on alternate realities and find his way back. But still the varying timelines made him concern until Dumbledore had confirmed that the year was still the same, thank Merlin.

And it was a very good thing that he had the summer to ponder with the Headmaster the solution to his problem and learn about this stranger of a world. Here Harry Potter had never been the Boy Who Lived in this world, instead he was suddenly a very ordinary and everyday wizard boy. There was the slight problem though that a certain Sebastian Ethan Biggerstaff wasn't recorded in the files at the Ministry of Magic. It was a problem that Dumbledore would have to solve before the school year began.

Papers were needed to prove his identity and since the Americas were the only free lands left, he would have to come from there. Despite the suffocating restrictions Voldemort had placed around Europe, it didn't surprise Harry in the least bit that Dumbledore had quite a network of colleagues that were over in the Americas. Many of the best light wizarding families in Europes had immigrated out to the Americas, yet they still sent their children to Hogwarts to study.

While Voldemort controlled Europe with his iron fist, there was only so much a Dark Lord could do and watching over a mere wizarding school was not worth the time it would take to bend Dumbledore to his will. Besides, if he destroyed the school he would lose some of his best Death Eaters. It was indisputable that the best wizards came from Hogwarts. Indeed the best wizards of light and dark came from the distinguished school of magic.

Harry learned that nearly half the students that attended Hogwarts were expatriates of Great Britiain, including the Weasleys, Longbottoms, Browns, Finch-Fletchleys, Abbots, Bones, Boots, Finnigans, Patils, Diggorys, Spinnets, Johnsons, Woods, and many other prominent families. Most of the British exiles resided in Nova Scotia or New England, truly making it a New England again. It was there that they formed the backbone of the American effort to push Voldemort from power.

And it was because of them that Hogwarts did not become an entirely dark school like Durmstrang had transformed into after Voldemort had taken over, but that particular wizarding school had been heading in that direction for years. All this information took time for Harry to absorb into his system, especially that the Weasleys weren't living in the Burrow anymore. It was an unthinkable thought!

"Are... are muggleborns still allowed at Hogwarts?" Harry had finally asked since that had been plaguing his mind with all the changes that this world had from his world. His main concern was because it was a well known fact that the Dark Lord despised muggleborns probably because his father had been a muggle and he wanted to erase any sign of his inferiority. If muggleborns weren't allowed, then there would be no Hermione Granger- the most brilliant witch Hogwarts had possibly ever seen.

Dumbledore smiled down at worried boy and nodded warmly. "Yes," he answered reassuringly, "we still accept muggleborns here, but only very special cases. Most of the muggleborns receive their letters to schools in America now. It is much safer for them over there, less prejudice. But certain students are still schooled here since their potential warrants them to get the very best instruction like our own Hermione Granger. Did you know her in your world?"

Harry shook his head vehemently in affirmation. "She was one of my best friends," he added softly. "A faithful and courageous friend as well as a bloody brilliant witch." He smiled as he thought of her. "She was the epitome of a Gryffindor, she was McGonagall's favorite."

"A Gryffindor, Ms. Granger?" Dumbledore queried with mild surprise. "Indeed, our worlds are quite different from each other. Here Ms. Granger is a Ravenclaw through and through, intelligent and clever. Though I can see her in Gryffindor since the sorting hat did take a while to figure out her house, but nevertheless she was eventually sorted into Ravenclaw. I wonder what other differences there are?"

"Ron Weasley was my other best friend," Harry added. "Ron, Hermione, and I were known as the 'golden trio' in Gryffindor. I was a Gryffindor myself, though I have qualities from other houses especially Slytherin. Is Ron in Gryffindor? In my world all the Weasleys were Gryffindors."

"And they are Gryffindors here. I don't believe a Weasley that had been a student at Hogwarts hasn't been in the Gryffindor House," Dumbledore mused aloud thoughtfully. "I suppose some things don't change no matter what dimension we're in. I can't imagine a Weasley being in any other house. Oh, Harry I've managed to contact my colleagues in America and they've arranged papers for you to verify your identity. There will be no problem now.

"Also," he added, "they have sent me any and all books that mention alternate dimensions, highlighting parts that mention ways to travel between the worlds. I know that you've been pouring through the Restricted Section of the Library, but I believe that this particular book that I received yesterday will do you more good." Having said that, he slide a very worn tattered book to Harry.

"There are very few copies of this left in existence and nearly all of them are under lock and key. This tome was actually in the possession of the Canadian Ministry of Magic and the Minister there is a good friend of mine and has conveniently arranged for me to borrow it for an undisclosed period of time. This is the only known book of a wizard that has actually traveled between worlds and managed to reach his own again. I think this will be an invaluable tool for you."

The twinkle of optimism in Dumbledore's eyes were hard for Harry to resist smiling with hope. It was a relief to Harry to find that some things never changed, that Dumbledore was still mostly like the Dumbledore he'd known, that Hermione Granger still attended Hogwarts, and the Weasleys were all in Gryffindor. Yet at the same time there were many differences that had unfortunately been caused by the Harry Potter here that had failed to survive the Killing Curse.

Nevertheless there was nothing Harry could do other than to peruse the ancient book that Dumbledore had managed to snag for him and study up all he could on ways to get back home. Unfortunately while the book had a ton of information about alternate dimensions and getting there, the author of the book didn't have an index for what Harry really wanted to find- how to get back to his original dimension.

That and the book was written in Latin hardly made it easy. It certainly didn't help that the man had a tedious way with words that put Harry asleep whenever he tried to read more than a chapter at a time. Whenever he was tempted to skim through a chapter, he was then paralyzed by the fear of missing an important detail. So he read each word on each page and reread if he thought he'd missed anything. By the time he'd nearly reached the end of the book, he knew more about alternate universes more than he'd ever wanted to.

He also knew how to get back home. One thing good about the author's tedious writing style, he was extremely detail oriented. The wizard had made it bloody clear that to get back to the original world, the traveler between dimensions had to have something that linked him to that world and only that world. When Harry had made that discovery to Dumbledore, they had gathered all the personal belongings that Harry had brought from the other world, whatever he'd been wearing at the time.

"It can't be the clothes," Dumbledore stated reflectively at the pile of clothes that sat in the middle of his desk. "Those you can get here at Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Your wand is unique perhaps, but we would really have to go to Ollivander's to confirm that. For Fawkes here," he gestured to his phoenix that was busy preening in front of a mirror after shedding his old feathers, "has donated two feathers."

It seemed hopeless to Harry, there didn't seem to be anything that he'd brought with him that was unique to his world. But then maybe he was unique. He could almost hear a little voice that sounded distinctively like Professor Snape sneering at him that of course he'd believe he was special and one of a kind. Yet he could be it since in this universe he had never lived past his first birthday. "What about me?"

That seemed to be the spark that set the Headmaster's mind churning with ideas. "Well you aren't really unique," Dumbledore finally remarked, "but there is something that is very different. If I'm correct from what you've told me about dimensions sliding is that it's an imprecise science. You did at one time exist in this universe and you did exist in others, that doesn't change just the circumstances of whether or not you survived. If you tried to hop the gateway on that notion you might end back up in this Universe just in a different time period."

Harry nodded that Dumbledore's answer was accurate from all that he'd read from the encyclopedia of alternate reality traveling. "But," Dumbledore began with a much more enthusiastic voice that caught Harry's attention, "your scar from what you've told me of your past history is unique to your world because you are linked through that Lord Voldemort through it, am I not correct?"

Yes, Albus Dumbledore may be crazy like a coot but no one was about to deny that he was possibly the most brilliant light wizard since Merlin himself. Why hadn't he thought of this himself? After all, all the extra tutoring and training he'd been getting from his professors was supposed to have sharpened his mind to catch the smallest details and make them into a larger picture from that. Certainly he was expected to be able to figure out solutions to problems. "Yes!" Harry exclaimed, his exuberance overriding his slight disappointment in himself. "I am only linked to that Lord Voldemort, not the Lord Voldemorts that exist in other worlds!"

Both the Headmaster and the Boy Who Lived were giddy with their success as Harry went to gather his notations that he'd made in the book to make it easier to flip to the spell that would bring him back home. It was as Dumbledore waited patiently for Harry to get to the page that he reflected how different his world would have been if Harry Potter had survived the Avada Kedavra Curse. He was almost sorry that he'd helped the boy to discover the way back home so quickly.

"I've found it!" Harry cried out joyfully. He pointed to the spell and then gave Dumbledore an affectionate hug. "I can't say how thankful that you've helped me even though you had no idea who I am. You really are a lot like the Dumbledore that I knew," he remarked warmly. "You have excellent judge in character, and you intimately understand other people. I wish that I could help you as much as you've helped me."

Dumbledore smiled kindly at him and gestured for him to cast the spell on the lightning bolt scar that scarred his forehead, while the Headmaster started chanting the other spell that would open the portal between the universes. It wasn't opening the gateway to other dimensions that was hard; it was hard to precisely land where you wanted to. While Harry concentrated on his link to his world, his scar. His chanting made the scar his route home that he needed to get home. Meanwhile, Dumbledore began to speak the spell to open the gates.

There was an eerie silence that descended over the private study when Harry was suddenly sucked out of the room with more fanfare than when he'd tumbled into the room in the first place. With a deep sigh, Dumbledore sat down on the chair behind his desk and stared at the spot on the ground where Harry had last been standing. His phoenix stopped admiring himself in the mirror and flew over to his master's shoulder. Rubbing his head against Dumbledore's cheek in comfort, the wizard gave Fawkes a tired smile and murmured, "I'm going to miss the boy."

~

Harry had been ready for the freefalling sensation that he was experiencing this time and was fully ready to enjoy it, it was an exhilarating feeling that even the best broom ever couldn't match. It was wild and uncontrolled and yet he knew that he'd be okay. He'd made this trip once already. And he knew he was heading in the right direction, he was heading back home because he felt the familiarity as he drew closer.

If he tried hard enough he almost thought he heard their voices chattering in Dumbledore's rooms about the current problem of Harry's disappearance. It was then he realized how lucky he was that he wasn't tumbling back to his world in the wrong timeline. With a brief thanks to the other Dumbledore, he wondered if the wizard had done something to make sure of the time period.

Abruptly he felt his body slam into an invisible barrier that jarred his fall and caused pain to explode in his mind. If he thought the Cruciatus Curse was painful, this was ten times worse than that. Everything inside of him was burning and he was barely able to discern anything. Vaguely he heard himself screaming in the background in pain, something the Cruciatus Curse never quite made him do. Some time after he grew use to the pain, he felt his body moving again.

The bare hold of consciousness he was holding onto faded when he tumbled to the ground in front of a very astonished Dumbledore who sat behind his desk stroking Fawkes. "Get Poppy!" he commanded the phoenix, who immediately flew out of the chambers with haste speed. Meanwhile, Dumbledore waved his wand to conjure a stretcher that would carry Harry to the hospital ward.

It was when they were halfway to their destination that they ran into a very anxious Madame Pomprey who was carrying her medical sack and when she saw the condition that the boy was in, she cried out in alarm and set to work instantly. While Dumbledore continued to guide the stretcher, Poppy administered a potion that would halt the pain and started working spells that would ease the bruises he'd acquired when he'd slammed into the invisible barriers, but the burns she would have to wait until he was in a hospital bed.

When they got him situated in the bed, Poppy used a binding spell to keep Harry from moving and went to work stripping him down to his boxers where she worked cautiously to heal his burns. There was only so much she could do, but when she was done most of the minor burns had been erased from sight. Only the major burns still covered his body and while it would take a while for them to fade, the boy was no longer in anymore pain.

When she was done, she turned her face to the Headmaster and said in a voice that broke no argument, "You have some definite explaining to do, Albus Dumbledore! Rumors have been going around like a rampaging hippogriff that there has been an unknown boy wanderings the halls. It's not only those that reside in the castle that are gossiping Dumbledore, the walls are talking too! And it seems all those rumors are true, who in the world is this boy?"

Dumbledore gave her a tired smile and said gently, "I think you should sit down, Poppy before I explain." She studied him carefully before she took his suggestion and sat down on the chair he'd transfigured from another hospital bed. "This boy is not unknown nor is he dangerous to us. There is not much I can tell you, but this boy is very special and I've known about his presence since he arrived here. His name is Sebastian Ethan Biggerstaff and he is from the Americas, and he will be an invaluable aid for us against Voldemort."

That definitely caught Poppy's full attention. While many of the teachers on staff were aware that Dumbledore led a covert operation against Voldemort, really the only resistance left in Britain- not many knew that the Headmaster had ties outside of Britain to other groups that were against the Dark Lord as well. Very few in the school were privy to the knowledge and Poppy was one of them.

"The poor child," Dumbledore began gently, "has been through a lot recently and he has been in my care since his life has turned upside down." As much as he didn't want to lie to Poppy, the less she knew the better that it was for her. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, he was afraid of what would happen if ever the knowledge fell into Voldemort's hand. "He is being transferred to this school since I was well acquainted with his deceased parents and he will need someone familiar."

None of that was a lie, all of it was true just not the full truth. Sometimes telling the truth was simply the best since you didn't get tangled into the web that lies normally generated. Besides, not divulging the full truth was even more of an aid than lying anyway since no one doubted him. After he'd gotten Poppy's confidence that Harry was really on their side, he could focus his attentions on more important matters.

Like why had Harry been flung back to this universe? Indeed, it seemed they both would have to be doing more digging in that tome. Harry had said he hadn't finished reading it, and it'd been a mistake to try the spell without finishing the book. That they'd correct immediately once Harry was well enough to continue. Until then, the only thing that they could do was to prepare to have Harry stay in this world until things could be put right and that mean that Harry needed to get school supplies for the new year.

It was nearly the end of the summer holidays as it was, the start of the new school year was fast approaching. Once Harry was healed up, Poppy said it would take at least a week, it gave him a few days to get down to Diagon Ally and gather the supplies that he would need. There was of course the problem of who would escort him there, if he would even go.

If the boy fell into the hands of Death Eaters, that would not be good since there was much of this world that this Harry didn't know of. Besides, there was no way of knowing how much this Voldemort knew about alternate universes and it was better if he didn't know anything about it. While Dumbledore was sad for the boy that he hadn't found a way back, he wasn't particularly melancholic that the boy was back. It was true, if he'd never seen the boy again he'd miss him. Now he had time to get to know the boy better and from what Harry had told him about his world, they would be fine without the boy. His world wasn't as bad as this one yet.