There are no such things as Death Eaters, Harry, Ron solemnly said. It s part of your imagination.

Voldemort does not exist! Magic isn t real! There is no Hogwarts, th ere never was! Chapter 1: Where am I? [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] Disclaimer: I disclaim!

Hogwarts Sanitarium by: HollyH Chapter One: Where Am I? Potter! It was Uncle Vernon s roar. Harry stirred from his slumber by the noise. The clock read 5:30 A.M. What in Merlin s name ? Harry gaped at the time. He tapped its screen to make sure tha t it was correct, having been chucked at the wall six years prior. The house was unnaturally quiet, usually he would hear kitchen utensils clanging together or the painful scrape of a fork against a nice plate, but all was still. His room changed, it was white, pure white, for only a split second, before chan ging back. Calm down, Harry, it ll be over soon It was a low voice next to his ear. Harry turned his head in the voice s direction so fast he got whiplashed. If you are good, you may see Hermione today, would you like that? Who ? Harry turned again, seeing his room change into the eerie white room he saw fo r the split second before. He wasn t standing next to his bed, but by a large mat on a metal frame. The walls were white with nothing on them. There weren t many th ings in his room; he turned his head slightly to find a tall man with a white co at with many pockets holding out a tray. Hermione Granger . end ? Ron! Harry gasped. The man said. He had red hair and very familiar freckles. What are you doing here? Your fri

Pardon? Where are we? Harry patted the wall, making sure he wasn t dreaming. We re in Hogwarts Sanitarium, Ron explained. We are where?! Harry yelped.

Hogwarts Sanitarium, Ron repeated. You ve been here for five years, going on your six th. I m Ronald Weasley, and you re Harry James Potter. Really? Who d have guessed? Harry sourly snapped. What s going on, Ron! Why are we here ? Is this a trap by Voldemort? Where s your family and the OrderHarry, there is no Voldemort. There is no chool for witchcraft and there is no ma

gic, nor is there any order,

Ron said calmly, unfazed.

Excuse me! Harry yelled. Do you not remember?! I m Harry Potter, the one who vanquish ed the Dark Lord as a baby and left with a scar? THIS SCAR! He jabbed his finger towards his forehead. There is no scar, it s all in your head, Ron explained.

It s ON my head, not in it, are you mad? Harry glared. Maybe you re a Death Eater in di sguise, trying to trick me. It won t work, Voldemort! He yelled to the air. I ve figur ed it out, I veThere are no such things as Death Eaters, Harry, imagination. Voldemort does not exist! Ron solemnly said. It s part of your

Ah ha! Harry grinned manically. I caught you. You re sneaky! You probably thought I d f all for that! Who are you? Lucius Malfoy? Peter Pettigrew? Lestrange? Well you w on t fool me! Ron would never say Voldemort s name! Harry, listen to me! ere never was! Liar! Harry hissed. Ron impatiently said. Magic isn t real! There is no Hogwarts, th

You re here, and so is Hermione, don t lie!

I m not lying! Ron was really impatient. I m calling Dr. Porter! he took a walkie talkie out of his back pocket and spoke into it. Dr. Porter! I need Dr. Porter in Potte r s room immediately! A few accusations and cursings later another red-head entered with a cup of wate r. Hey, Harry, how are you today? She said in a soothing tone. She too was noticeable , especially her gleaming green eyes Mum? Harry stared in awe. But but you re dead! You died! I I need to sit

You can go now, Dr. Weasley, I ll take it from here, was open, staring with teary eyes. But no something s wrong! Harry stared.

she smiled at Harry. His mouth

Calm, Harry, we don t want to have to sedate you, do we? she was kind, smoothing his hair down. And Hermione s been throwing a fit, wanting to see you. I what s going on! Please, you re you re Mum! No, Harry, . she sadly said. Harry babbled.

I m not your mother; your mother is on vacation to Majorca

Lily Potter? Harry asked. Are we talking about the same person? I think you are con fused. I m Harry Potter, your son! No, no, her voice was pained. she s . it doesn t matterI might be in your fantasy world. Your mother is well Harry asked.

You don t think I m crazy, do you?

I m sorry, Harry. Just look at yourself! You think I m your mother, but your fantasy mother died when you were very young, but you have a mother and she is alive and well!

I m dreaming then!

Harry tugged at his hair.

No, Harry! she was calm, but had a pleading tone in her voice. Your mother is alive , there is no magic, no Hagrid, no scar, no Voldemort or Death Eaters. They are in your imagination. I do have a scar! Harry pointed to his forehead. Right here!

There isn t anything there, she soothed as she took his hand and made him touch his forehead. His scarless forehead. No no, give me a mirror! he batted her hand away. she ordered.

You must calm down then,

Fine, he huffed. Fine, just give me a bloody mirror! She ignored his cursing and too k out a small, compact mirror from a large manila folder with his name on it. He looked at himself, his forehead didn t have a blemish at all. He examined his fac e. It looked pretty much the same, his hair was slightly shorter than he was use d to, and his eyes his eyes were grey! No! What did you do to me! Harry threw the mirror at the windowed door; however, t he glass didn t break, but the mirror did. Harry! That s the third mirror you ve broken this month! I wasn t here this month! I was in Hogwarts! You are at Hogwarts! Dr. Porter explained. This is Hogwarts Sanitarium!

I was at school talking to my friends Hermione and Ron! You mean Dr. Weasley? Yes I mean no! Ron isn t a doctor! He s sixteen bloody years old! Harry pounded the wa ll with his wrist, which didn't do much except for causing a lot of pain. What good is it hitting walls and ignoring everything I say when you could be con centrating on getting better? Dr. Porter said, exasperated. You could move back in with your Aunt Petunia! Why would I want to move back with that woman! Harry snapped. All she has done was attempt to make my life horrible! Why can t I live with my so-called real mother! Your mother, Rita Evans-Potter isn t the best mother in the world, Lily replied bitt erly. Even if she wanted you back, which isn t likely, we wouldn t allow that. She ca n t give you the attention you need. What are you talking about? Harry snapped.

Your mother is a wretched woman. She hasn t visited you since you were fourteen yea rs old! she snapped, angrier at what she was saying than at him. All she cares abo ut is finding a story. The only reason she visited two years ago was because she was doing a story about the life inside a sanitarium. She cares more about her articles than she does for her family. Rita Skeeter? That s her pseudonym, yes.

I d rather spend time with her than with Aunt Petunia,

Harry shivered.

I hate her.

Your aunt loves you; she s been fighting to adopt you since you were three and left on her doorstep by your mother. She visits constantly. Why would Aunt Petunia want me? Harry asked.

Your aunt could never have children and when she took you in, it was an answer to her prayers. She s been paying for you to stay here. Your mother hasn t pitched in a cent. If she s paying to keep me locked up, I don t think she s that great of person. Your twisting my words around. You have to stay, you re ill. She is stuck with the costs. I want to speak to Hermione! Dr. Porter sighed. Harry grumbled. She ll know what s going on.

You re in for quite a shock then.

Chapter 2: Death Eaters, a Princess, and an Evil Sorcerer [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] What s happened before I want to speak to Hermione! Dr. Porter sighed. Harry grumbled. She ll know what s going on.

You re in for quite a shock then.

Chapter 2: Death Eaters, a Princess, and an Evil Sorcerer Dr. Lily Porter led Harry past many other rooms with glass doors, some with peop le staring out at him with dead-looking eyes and frizzled up hair. They begged t o be let out, and Harry felt fear for the first time since he was here that he r eally was crazy. He slowed down as he neared people with wand-looking objects. H e didn t have his wand, he was vulnerable and unprotected. He should have started practicing physical defense rather than just magical in the DA (Dumbledore's Arm y). Come, Harry, Dr. Porter lead him closer. They could be Death Eaters! You re leading me right towards t

You re mad! Harry glared. hem! Let go of me!

Avery, Nott, put those away for a second, please, she ordered, pulling him along. They are! They ll kill me! Stop! Harry pleaded as she got closer. Stop! Stop! No! ragged his feet. He knew very well it was childish, but if he got close, they co uld take him straight to Voldemort and he couldn t do a thing to defend himself. We won t hurt you, come on, Liar! Harry snapped. Avery soothed, his voice kinder than it normally was. He d

You ll kill me!

Harry, knock it off now! she was impatient. They are here to make sure you don t hurt anyone, most likely yourself.

Open the gate, Lily ordered them and Harry darted through, making his way past the m as quickly as possible. He regretted doing so as soon as he did. More people h e knew as Death Eaters were guarding all the other doors. Crabbe Sr., Goyle Sr., Lestrange, Dolohov, Jugson, Macnair Damn! Harry cursed. How did I trick you? There are Death Eaters guarding every door! I m trapped! You had a bad experience with the guards, yes, but you tried to run. In your mind , you interpreted them as Death Eaters, followers of this Voldemort, she explaine d. They had to stun youAh ha! Stunner spell! Harry triumphantly said. You think I'd fall for that? It was a trap! You tricked me! he glared at Dr. Porter.

Stun guns, Harry, she said. They keep you contained until we get you back to your r oom if you try anything stupid. You believed them to attack you, but they weren t there to hurt you. Harry looked around at his surroundings. There were people in white tee-shirts a nd light blue pajama pants, and he soon realized he wore the exact same thing. M ost were sitting in chairs, muttering to one another or to themselves or playing with paints or doing other activities. The atmosphere was intense. Where sHARRY! he was half hugged, half tackled by a frizzy-haired girl with an overly lar ge t-shirt. Oh! I missed you! Hermione! Harry felt relieved when he hugged her back, familiar with her bone-crus hing hugs. Do you know what s going on? You ve been gone for so so so so so so long! she jumped in his arms.

What s gotten into you? Harry asked. Hermione pulled him to a bench by the wall and sat down, expecting him to sit down next to her. She had an overly happy grin on her face. He sat down and she instantly hugged him again and rested her head ag ainst his arm. Er I can t wait until we get out of here and can buy a house and live happily ever aft er for ever and ever! She squealed. Um yeah he felt uncomfortable. Do you know why we are here?

Of course! She grinned and looked up at him. I was captured by this evil sorcerer a nd you came to save me! You were caught, but when you overcome these guards, we can be free again! Evil sorcerer? You mean Voldemort? No, silly! The sorcerer who betrayed my father and wants to marry me! Hermione gig gled. You came against my father s wishes and came to save me so you could free me and we could get married! Oh er right are you feeling okay? Harry asked. Dandy, dandy, dandy.

Dandy!

she played with his short hair.

Hermione

Harry s mouth felt dry and his eyes watered.

Hermione, no What s wrong, my sweet Harry? she looked up with fearful eyes. l you yet, are they? We still have time? They aren t going to kil

Yeah Harry tasted salt in his mouth and he felt his throat clench tight as he tried to hold his emotions in. We ll be okay. Good! her smile was back. But what s wrong? I just

I- he realized he might upset her if he told her what he was really feeling. can t wait to get you out of here.

Oh, you re so sweet! she gave him a peck on the cheek and seemed to fall asleep on h is shoulder as he began to weep. Hermione, what happened to you? How can I get through this without you? How coul d this have happened to me? I know my life was not perfect before but I ll do anyth ing to get it back Harry? his eyes snapped open and saw Dr. Porter sitting in front of him, a face so full of pity, he felt more helpless. Do you want to go back to your room and tal k? His eyes faded out, her image got even more blurry as more tears came. He numbly nodded and wiped his tears with the back of his hand. She held her hand out for him to take and he accepted and began to rise from his seat as a loud wail soun ded. HARRY! NO! Hermione dug her fingers into his upper arm as if holding on for dear l ife. THEY VE COME TO TAKE YOU! FIGHT THEM! Tears formed in Hermione s eyes as she clun g harder. Hermione, calm down I m not here to harm Harry or you Lily soothed and tried to softly pry her from him. Harry held Hermione s hand lightly, which she also clutched. It s okay, Hermione, hoked. help he sniffled. She s not here to harm me. She s only here to

his voic

She always takes you away and I don t get to see you for so long! Please, Harry, do n t give in! she pleaded. Harry, please I have to, I promise I ll return! Harry got up from his seat, Hermione did as well a nd he felt his arm feel cold from lack of blood flow. She jerked his head into h er hands and kissed him forcefully on the lips, her tears mixing with his. Don t go ! He stood in shock that she had kissed him, that he stopped trying to push her aw ay. Hermione, let go! Lily took her hand and tried to pull her away. Hermione! Lily was slapped in the face by Hermione when she succeeded in ripping one hand from him. GUARDS! NO! Hermione screamed. She wailed so loudly he felt his eardrums pound. HARRY!

A guard was quick and pulled one of her arms behind her back and nearly had the other arm in his grasp. Harry felt the pressure of her fingers leave and pain to

ok its place. They held her kicking and screaming without the use of her hands a s Lily ushered Harry to follow her. He felt torn and he fell to his knees and fe lt more tears of angst fill his eyes and he pounded the floor with his fist. The people around him seemed to swirl, and then everything went black.

Harry heard Hermione s screams fade into his aunt s shrieks. BOY! Breakfast! she screeched.

Aunt Petunia? Harry felt hopeful for the first in his life that she was there. He was laying in his bed, his hair stuck to his head with sweat and his cheeks felt sticky with tears. A bad dream that s all it was He welcomed his tiny bedroom, taking in the atmosphere. He welcomed the sights, and even the smell, which had a stench of Hedwig s little presents collected in the corner. He bolted from his room, still in his pajamas down the stairs and sped i nto the kitchen, which had changed. Eat your food, Harry, Aunt Petunia said, almost warmly. Harry felt his stomach cle nch. It wasn t Aunt Petunia s voice. Her eyes had changed too. They were a rich, eme rald green. No it wasn t real! It was a dream! he whispered as he looked at the plate that was sh oved towards him. Instead of eggs, toast and bacon, there were three disgustingl y large pills and a glass of water. His eyes darted around the room. His uncle w asn t there, and neither was his cousin. When he looked back at his aunt, she was no longer there, but Lily was in her place. What are you doing here? Am I still d reaming? No, Harry. You re in the Private Room, where you can let all your emotions out, she sat next to the table and pushed the dish of pills closer to him. Don t put up a fu ss. We re in Aunt Petunia s kitchen, Harry stated, emotionless. And I m hallucinating.

No, we are in the Private Room. You re seeing the kitchen? she said, as if deep in t hought. Hmm We re in a kitchen, yes, Harry Harry said, but he felt dread seeping in. Let's talk about magic Harry stated. Lily looked as if he said som

Lily said, as if testing something.

We re not allowed in Aunt Petunia s house, ething correct.

No wonder you would never talk about how you felt in this room! Understanding flas hed across her face. You think you re not allowed Harry, you need to tell me what yo u can about life at the Dursleys'. Maybe you can help me understand what you re in terpreting this to be, so I can help you see what s really going on around you. I ve already told you, this is the kitchen, what more can you interpret this to be? Harry snapped, realizing he was once again being told he was crazy and he did no t like it one bit. Where is this place to you? The Dursleys' Harry rolled his eyes.

Where do the Dursleys live? Uh

she asked, tapping her pen against her cheek.

Number Four Privet Drive? Harry stated. She grinned.

Now we re getting somewhere! She smiled. Harry, look around you. This is room number four in the Private Room. How could I have not seen it before? Private is interp reted as Privet! Okay, wow, what a breakthrough! thing. Harry snapped sarcastically. That doesn t explain any

I wasn t able to make the connection about why you were so reluctant to talk in the se sessions, you felt you weren t allowed she smiled to herself and scratched her pe n on one of Aunt Petunia s napkins. Harry, I want you to concentrate now Maybe I don t want to! Harry snapped, annoyed. ke it away from me! This is my life, and you re trying to ta

Harry, calm down, her face looked older and worn. Don t make me get Dr. Weasley, you ve really got on his bad side this morning and I don t think he wants to give you an other visit any time soon. Leave my life alone! I have friends! Friends who don t think I m crazy, they stick by me no matter what! They aren t doctors or mental! Harry seethed. Harry NO! Lily tried to sooth him. Harry cried. I m not crazy! I m Harry Potter, the bloody Boy-Who-Lived!

Lily took out a walkie-talkie solemnly and it squawked. Doctor Weasley to room fo ur- she couldn t finish everything she was going to say because Harry smacked it ou t of her hands. JUST LET ME BE! he screamed at her, chucking the two-way radio against the Dursley s' refrigerator, which had opened at that very second, but instead of foods and leftovers, there was Ron Weasley, armed with a little white stick. Calm down, Mr. Potter he said as if this were an everyday occurrence.

Ron, she s trying to make me give up my friends! he screamed at him as the room flic kered into a room with only a table, and instead of a napkin, Lily clutched a cl ipboard with many notes written on it. You have friends in this world too, Harry! Lily held her hand up to stop Ron s advan cing. A few of them, actually. Maybe your aunt would bring them along with her la ter for a visit! I want Ron and Hermione and Ginny and- Harry kicked his chair towards the wall, wh ich caused Ron to lunge at him with the white stick that looked like a wand. They are real people, just different from what you know! ase, Harry, let us prove it to you! Lily pleaded with him. Ple he growled. Lily co

I don t want proof! I want my wand, my friend and my school!

Harry, Ron s either going to sedate you, stun you or you can start behaving, oed. Harry snarled at her, teeth bearing but folded his arms. Are you going to behave? Ron echoed.

Yes!

he spat. Ron ordered.

Pick up the chair,

Why don t you? he took a step away from the turned chair. Don t be such a git, Potter! Don t you threaten me! he poked the stunner towards him threateningly.

Harry snapped.

Pick up the chair! Ron yelled. Lily glared at Ron, but Harry obliged, although not very willingly. He set it upright and pushed it to the table with his foot. I want to see Ginny, you told me she was real, Harry mumbled after a period of sil ence or staring at the wall. I want to see her. I ll tell Petunia to bring her along, Lily made her way to the door, stopping for a second. Should I bring the others? she asked Ron and he thought for a second. Yes, he muttered. Make sure she brings them all. Ron cryptically said.

Chapter 3: Visits with Reality [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] What s happened before I ll tell Petunia to bring her along, Lily made her way to the door, stopping for a second. Should I bring the others? she asked Ron and he thought for a second. Yes, he muttered. Make sure she brings them all. Ron cryptically said.

Chapter 3: Visits with Reality I know we haven t gotten off on the best start, Ron sat next to the table, twisting a stunner in his hand. Well, we never get off on a good start. What do you mean? Harry didn t take his eyes from the wall, but his voice was half i nterested. This ll be the fourth time you ve woken up from your fantasy world, Ron sighed, leanin g back in his seat. I don t know if you remember each time, your mind has probably covered it over with a new memory to sustain itself, but four times you woke up, and four times you were put back in dream land when something bad happened to y ou. When were these? Harry said in the same, bored tone.

Well, let s see the first time was in your first or second year I think it was near t he end of your second. Ginny broke up with you and she never showed up for her s cheduled visits, after that you went back to thinking you went to your magic sch ool. She blames herself for your relapse. What do you remember from second year? Tom Riddle and his diary in the Chamber of Secrets, he mumbled. Ginny was taken and I had to rescue her. Ron took Lily s clipboard and began writing on it. Why did she break up with me? Harry asked, strained.

You know the answer to that, Ron sighed. She couldn t stand seeing you like you were. You were still friends after that, but she still loves you. You tried to get ba ck with her during the 4th year you were here, but she had found somebody else. Why did she break up with me when I got better? Harry looked up from the wall.

She didn t know. You had just come out of it, and you still didn t believe you were c razy and you tried to explain that it was real, and she couldn t take it anymore, R on explained. I tried asking her to the Yule ball in 4th year, but she was going with somebody else, Harry looked back down at his fingers. Ron began to scribble away again. What happened the second time? Hm I ll try to remember Ron ack of his file. You were here d when you tried to persuade us a, we couldn t let you until we ay and went into relapse. Oh What happened then? Ron asked. Harry stared eerily at Ron. obviously didn t even try to remember as he flipped in the b for three years. You were almost back to normal an to let you go home to live with your Aunt Petuni knew you were stable, so you took that the wrong w

Sirius asked me to live with him, he mumbled. Of course I couldn t go because all the evidence was taken away from us. The third time? When your friend recovered from the sanitarium and was allowed to leave, When was this? Hmm just a few months ago Ron said.

Who was it? Simon Black, Oh Any other questions? Do you know any of these people? Albus Dumbledore Remus Lupin Chang? Describe them to me. Well Albus Dumbledore is very old with a beard his eyes twinkle Neville Longbottom Cho Ron told him.

Albert Daugherty is a receptionist here, he likes to hand you lemon drops, he has a big sweet tooth, you know, Ron said. Harry snorted. Remus looks old, but he s very young. He s a werewolf er he is smart Nothing seems f

I know Remus, but I have no idea who any of the rest are, Ron said. amiliar. Ron s radio squawked and a cheerful old voice greeted them. Dr. Weasley, Harry s aunt is here to see him

and by golly! She s brought a circus! Wh

at kids wear these days! You would ve thought- it was Albus, his voice hadn t changed a bit, but it was the manner he spoke that caught Harry off guard. -thank you, Albert, s' lounge. Ron cut off his ranting. Tell them we ll meet them in the visitor

Will do, sir! he closed and the conversation ended. Harry snorted at Albus address ing Ron as his superior.

Harry sat in a room decorated in light blue walls and a grey sofa that looked ve ry stylish but it hurt his butt to sit on. Pictures of awards the sanitarium rec eived adorned the walls, and Harry had the suspicion that they were reassurances to family of crazies being sent to this hell hole. The door opened, but Harry felt afraid to look. Harry, man! Long time no see! it was a guy's voice, and his clothes appalled him. He wore pants that went down to practically his knees with his boxer showing. He had a red hat on backwards and his short brown hair stood up on end. It was Seamus? Harry wondered.

Dude, you remembered! he said, and Harry winced. He wasn t sure if it was because he felt guilty of being mental, or if it was how the guy talked. Duh, you git. It s me he always forgets, but don t sweat it, HP, lothes, a plain oversized t-shirt and long tan shorts. I mHey I know who you are, Harry said, unsure. the guy wore casual c

Your Viktor Krum, aren t you?

I prefer Vick, but i'ts good you remembered! he said, and Harry felt strange heari ng him without his thick Bulgarian accent. I ll quit with the introduction then. Hey Harry! It was Ginny, or at least looked a little like her. Her hair was dyed f uchsia, but it was brown at the roots. She wore a large jean-jacket over a tank top and had a long, blue ruffled skirt. She had her nose pierced and many earrin gs in her ears. Ginny? Harry gaped. Since when did you never mind different bloody world

It s good to see you! Ginny smiled softly. Yeah he trailed off as the next person entered. It was a shorter girl with messy bl ond hair. Her clothes were strange to say the least. She had a lime green and bri ght pink striped tank top over a black t-shirt. She had an orange skirt over her black pants and a necklace made of bottle caps. Her eyes were large, giving her a permanently surprised look and she wore earrings that looked like turnips. Luna? Or Yep! at least I think it is it is, right? Harry mumbled, feeling stupid.

she grinned.

Your outfit is blinding, Harry worked up the nerve to say. Seamus, Vick and Ginny sniggered and Luna just grinned. Good to have you back, Harry! she gave him a quick hug and hesitated for a second. What? Harry asked.

Well uh her eyes darted to the door, which just knocked. It was a much younger looki ng Aunt Petunia peeking through the door. The Petunia he knew always had her bro wn hair up in a bun with a horse-looking face, but this Aunt Petunia had her hai r in a ponytail, which was moderately short. She didn t have as many wrinkles as h e remembered and she didn t wear fancy dinner dresses, but a nice spring colored t -shirt and capris. Hey Harry! She smiled at him, and then looked at Ginny. Should we ? Yeah, he ll find out sometime.

Yeah, he too paused.

Find out what? Aunt Petunia opened the door completely to show none other than the person he wanted to forget forever. Draco Malfoy? Harry gapped. What the bloody hell are you doing here? he grumbled irritably.

I told you this was a bad idea

Harry, now calm down, he s your friend! Ginny flung herself in between him and Malfo y. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a guard reach for their stunner, sta ring at him. Harry s eyes darted back to the scene in his room, and he nodded numb ly as he stumbled backwards a few steps. Okay he said faintly. Okay

Are you okay, Harry? Do I look okay?

Ginny laid a hand on his shoulder. Bloody hell!

he was trembling.

Harry, you need to calm down C mon, man!

his Aunt Petunia soothed.

Seamus begged. Chill.

ARGH! Harry kicked the end table over and tore at his hair. You expect me to calm d own! Like bloody hell you have any right to tell me to calm down! When you re lock ed up in this damned place, you can talk but until then, shut up! Just shut up! V ick, Seamus and Luna all sunk in their seats, Ginny looked at him with wide eyes , Petunia looked as though she wanted to cry, but Draco looked at him with pity. Harry took one look at Draco s face filled with pity and began to laugh loudly. He had no more tears to shed, no more anger to be let out. All he could do was lau gh, and the other occupants of the room seemed to recoil at this, which made him laugh harder. When he thought about them thinking his laughing was crazy becaus e of his mirth, the laughter turned to howls. The last thing he saw was two men in white run into the room, and a painful shock before being sedated, and the wo rld went black. Chapter 4: Literally Out of My Wits [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] Thank you so much, Reviewers and readers! You all made me want to cry! Thirty-si x reviews within a DAY!?! I thank you SO MUCH! I am so flabbergasted right now, and so grateful for all of the great reviews! Within LESS than twenty-four HOURS there have been an average of about 150 readers per chapter, and seeing that in my account menu stats made me feel so thrilled and inspired! THANKS AGAIN! This chapter is dedicated to Erin, volition112, Mrs Insane One, Dittany, and ani magus girl for taking the time to review each of my chapters!

What s happened before Harry took one look at Draco s face filled with pity and began to laugh loudly. He had no more tears to shed, no more anger to be let out. All he could do was lau gh, and the other occupants of the room seemed to recoil at this, which made him laugh harder. When he thought about them thinking his laughing was crazy becaus e of his mirth, the laughter turned to howls. The last thing he saw was two men in white run into the room, and a painful shock before being sedated, and the wo rld went black.

Chapter Four: Literally Out of My Wits

It went better than I planned, actually I half expected him to attack Draco remember what happened last time poor boy, doesn t know why Harry hates him so much The room faded into the irritating white room he first woke up in. He then reali zed his hands were locked at his sides, preventing him from moving. Huh? Harry feebly moved his head in hopes to make the room more clear; then, he re alized he didn t have his glasses. That was a great stunt you pulled, was exasperated. What stunt? Harry asked. Lily grumbled. You scared them half out of thei Lily stood over him with a clipboard, her face

Very funny, your horrible laughter, r wits!

I don t think that s funny, Harry said, suddenly remembering what happened the day bef ore. The laughter, the frightened looks, the sedatives. Neither do I! she threw her hands in the air. No, not that part. I m talking about the whole scared them out of their wits thing. W hat a horrible thing to say! Especially with me being the person who is, literal ly, out of my wits, Harry sniggered. I thought you didn t find that funny, she stared at him, reprovingly. Yeah, well, that was coming from a person who s out of their wits! he was cracking h imself up. He didn t find it funny, but he noticed more that since Sirius died or rather, Simon Black recovered, he was making jokes to replace his despair. Knock it off! she groaned. ed for! You scared the hell out of them! That was totally uncall

I m sorry, I wasn t aware there was a law here that says that I can t laugh, I ll try to refrain from such horrendous acts, he rolled his eyes. You know what I mean, she sighed. His shoulders dropped when he remembered Ginny s t errified face. How long have I been sedated? he asked shaking his hand, feebly trying to get his hands free. She turned away to check the time. Around twenty minutes, amazingly short amount of time, Are they still here? he asked. she looked impressed.

Your aunt is, and so is Ginny. We, as in Ron and I, decided that it s best if you s it down and talk to your friend, Draco. He s here as well, but Seamus, Vick and Lu na got a ride home from Luna s father, she said. He s the last person I d like to see right now! Harry snapped. Lily exclaimed.

You ll have to overcome these issues before you can fully recover! And if I don t want to recover? Harry asked gloomily.

There is a woman out there who loves you so much! It pains her to be separated fr om you! Every time you have relapses she has to get used to the idea that you st ill won t be able to come home with her! Lily s face blushed infuriately. Now, you are going to try! You will try to live a real life instead of some silly made-up on e! That struck a nerve. Hey! It may be silly to you, but that s all I know okay? It wasn t all fun and games! I have been dealing with life and death situations for five years now! Harry sna pped. I ve been dealing with that false reality for five years as well ly pointed out. Yeah yeah where s Auntie Tunia? so you can t talk, Li

he said in a bitter, sing-song voice.

Still in the meeting room . And, she stopped him as he tried shaking his pinned-down hand. You will be on your best behavior. Yeah, yeah After he said this, she unlocked his legs and wrists and he held them as if he were wounded. Thanks. Anytime, she smirked.

he alright?... fine . You have . Understand what he s feeling right now Harry rolled his eyes and solemnly knocked on the door. Before he had a chance t o blink, the door had swung straight open, and he was staring in the eyes of Gin ny. The next thing he saw was her hand exploding across his face

You

are such a prat!

she said, pushing him in the stomach with each pause. Harry put a hand to his face to protect his cheek. Ginny glared at his lack of recoil.

I feel as if I ve done this before

Every time you see Draco you act like this!

And you expect me to be thrilled? he replied monotonously. You are his friend! Not that I was aware of this before now! He s always hated me, and I gladly returne d the favor! She looked at him for a moment and her eyes softened. I know, I know. It s just . How could you have remembered him? It was a little bit after you started Being crazy? Quit being so cheerful about it, Nah, Don t, IShh, she tutted. how do I know Malfoy? Harry asked. Ginny reproved.

he grinned, and then his face dropped. I m sorGinny said.

Okay, so .uh

It s Draco, and come on in, sit, Ginny opened the door and Harry had no other choice but to sit in the uncomfortable chairs. Where s Aunt Petunia? Harry asked.

Having some coffee in the lunch room with Draco, they didn t think you would revive this quickly, Ginny said. So, the Draco question. Draco and Luna started dating w ay back in the beginning of your illness when you were still living at your aunt s showing weird signs and stuff. Anyway, Luna introduced you two and at that point you didn t seem to mind him. You would greet him in class, sit with him at lunch, cheat off of each other's work, but then you started muttering about owls while you were in gym with him. He thought you just had an interest in them, but then you started carrying a stick with you around in class and the teachers had comp laints when you started talking to yourself in class saying weird stuff like lumo s and alohomora. You began growing cold towards him, even stooping to poking him in the neck with your twig. Petunia took you to the doctor and well he sent you her e. Harry pondered this for a while when he suddenly said, Draco and Luna, huh? stared for a moment, apparently startled by his lack of response. Yeah, didn t last though, but they are still friends. It s kind of hard to . Take everything in, you know? nd heaved a sigh. How am I going to do it? Harry put his head on the table a Ginny

You re not alone, Harry, Ginny put a hand on his, and Harry looked at her. In her ey es he could tell she was breaking down. He saw deep love, but it was held back b y pain and sorrow.

I heard . Harry started. What? Forget it No, tell me!

Oh, never mind.

I heard we were together once, Oh . Yeah .

he stuttered.

Ginny s eyes clouded. Harry said quickly.

I shouldn t have brought it up No no ll. It s okay

she looked at him, longingly, but then diverted her eyes towards the wa

Ginny . I he moved a little bit closer until their faces were a foot apart. Ginny loo ked into his eyes, longingly. Suddenly, the door opened and Ginny moved away and swiped her hand from his and pretended to look at her nails. He sat back in his seat, distraught by what he had or was about to do. He didn t feel that way about Ginny before, or at least he d never thought about it. All he knew was that he wa s going to kiss his fantasy friend s sister. Harry! Petunia had a strained smile on her face, Harry felt extremely bad when he saw her puffy eyes and wet-looking face. She hurried towards him and gave him a bone-crushing hug. Harry patted her on her back, awkwardly. I m . about before, I Harry mumbled.

It s okay, sweetheart, Petunia cooed and took a seat neatly across from him. Harry h ad never been called sweetheart, not even by Mrs. Weasley, and that was saying s omething. Is Dudley real? Harry blurted out, the question had been buzzing around his mind f or some time now. He crossed his fingers in his hand. Dudley is our cat, been holding. she explained. Harry let out a breath that he didn t know he had he asked.

So . I don t have a cousin? Sorry, no, That s okay, Now, Harry,

she looked sad for a moment. Harry grinned. That s very okay! Aunt Petunia shot him a scolding look. Draco is a nice boy, he isn tHarry finished for her. This definitely felt familiar. She asked.

-as bad as I think?

Yes, he s a nice boy. Why can t you give him a chance?

I ve heard this a lot of times already, and I ll try. I just don t know how to be frien ds with someone who insults the people I love! Or loved, actually. I ve never said anything bad about your friends or anybody, Harry, a voice said from the door. Harry didn't even notice him enter. Harry stiffened and itched the pl ace where his scar was supposed to be out of frustration. What will make you beli eve me?

Probably if I took a time turner and watched myself turn crazy, y. A time . What? Ginny asked.

Harry said honestl

Never mind, magic stuff which, apparently, isn t real and I ll start shutting up now. There was a long silence. Harry began fingering his loose shirt, occasionally st ealing a glance at Ginny, only to find her glance away when their eyes met. Harry, Yes? I I m sure this is not the right way to help you but please ly hard, please? she meekly said. Harry s chest clenched. I like it in that world, ry. elddir 11: Against what others might believe, The ways of my perfection are up my sleeve A silver platter will not do Nor will evidence left for later review Who is the secret in this six lined affair? Address my secrets and to you I'll share. Chapter 5: Inkblots, Goals, and Sarcastic Remarks [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] Someone asked for Remus Lupin, so here he is! I ve had forty-eight new reviews from my last chapter. I am SO THRILLED you all en joyed my story! Feel free to ask questions, leave suggestions or anything else, and I ll try to reply! Thanks again, reviewers! don t let go again Petunia broke the silence.

try rea

he admitted. Petunia visibly sunk in her seat. ...but I ll t

What s gone on before I I m sure this is not the right way to help you but please don t let go again try rea ly hard, please? she meekly said. Harry s chest clenched. I like it in that world, he admitted. Petunia visibly sunk in her seat. -but I ll try . Chapter Five: Inkblots, Goals, and Sarcastic Remarks Pills, Potter, Ron set a variety on a platter, each looking more menacing than the rest. One of them looked the size of a knut, but then again, imaginary things w eren t that good of a comparison. Hey, if I choke on one of these, can my aunt sue you? Harry asked grumpily. Just take the pills, I don t feel like playing your games today, the tray on a cold, steel table. Ron huffed and set

You say that everyday, but you never answer my questions, Harry flushed one of his pills down his throat with the plastic cup of water and coughed on it. Pretending to choke won't work either, take the rest, Ron demanded. orter. Yeah, whatever, Harry stuck them in his mouth and swallowed. So o do today? Insane psycho therapy? Room containment? Ink blots, Ron checked his schedule. Isn t that a psychiatrist thin Or I ll get Dr. P what are we going t

Oh, Harry said. Usually he was right with the therapy. g? For people actually wanting help?

You aren t going to get better if you keep on insisting on making crude comments to avoid things, Ron wrote something on his clipboard. We have to be in Doctor Lupin s room by 9:00. Wait wait wait wait Doctor WHO? Harry asked.

Doctor Remus J. Lupin. You don t remember him? You ve seen him every Friday ever sinc e Doctor Lockhart was transferred. Yeah, of course, Harry snapped. You forget I haven t entirely been here for a while. e pointed to his head and glared at him. Change, we have fifteen minutes, Ron threw a pile of clothing onto his bed and exi ted, waiting by the door for him. Aren t my pajamas and clothes the same bloody thing? Harry claimed loud enough for h im to hear him before changing and tossing his pajamas carelessly behind the doo r for Ron to clean up later. H

Harry!

Remus welcomed him kindly. Harry greeted him. I can t believe you re real!

Professor Lupin!

Just call me Remus or Dr. Lupin, please, oh! And I m not a werewolf either, so that s a good thing. Anyway, you re late, but that s okay. This shouldn t be a long session today. I m glad to see you back. As in back, you mean Harry began.

In the real world. The other sessions we had didn t have a point. Anyway, guess wha t we re doing today! Inkblots? How did you know? Remus looked up from his pile of canvases. I m psychic, Harry grinned.

Dr. Porter has told me you got in another fight with Draco on Tuesday. I laughed. You what?

I laughed, simple as that. Might have been slightly maniacal, but clearly amuseme nt isn t encouraged here, Harry shrugged. Okay. Now Harry, I have some inkblots here that comes to mind when you see them, okay? I need you to tell me the first thing

Yeah. Remus held up a blotchy picture. Harry saw what looked like a large stick wi th four legs. Prongs. Aaand . This one? Owl. This? Ford Anglia. Next one? Grim. Odd, okay, this? The the veil.

The veil? Remus stopped and put the stack down on the table. Harry, I want you tell me about this veil for me, please. I can see it greatly affects you. If it isn t real, why bother? Harry, don t build a wall around yourself. Now, this veil ? Sirius fell through it and he died. It was all my fault. If I hadn t believed Volde mort, he would have still been alive and Harry stopped. Wait, but Sirius Simon, sor ry is alive here. Isn t that all I need to know? You must come to terms with this illness, now, what happened? I believed Voldemort's vision, and it got us trapped. Sirius died trying to help me. Just like my parents. You mean James and Lily Potter. Yeah, but they didn t exist in the first place either so What do you know about your real parents? My mum s a columnist. From what I ve heard, she doesn t like me. She s a very busy woman, but you are fortunate to have an aunt like Petunia, miled kindly. Do you know my dad? I ve never met him, no. I have heard his name was James Faust. Never met him, thoug h. Remus s

Wait that doesn t make sense questioned. They never married. Oh

Why is my mum s name Potter if she s married to James?

Harr

but then shouldn t Petunia be Petunia Potter then?

No, no. She s a widow. It happened when you were six, I think, from what your aunt has told me. It s Dursley, Petunia Dursley. Was her husband s name Vernon? Yes, but I do know from previous ranting sessions that the Vernon you described w as far different than the real Vernon. Anyway, the ink blots? Oh! Yeah, sometimes I get off track. What do you see here? Snitch. And here? Fluffy. What s Fluffy? It s a Dog s name. It had three heads. Okay . Um this? House cup. Harry, I saw a little progress today, you opened up. However, we need you to not depend so much on your imaginary world. Okay Do you have any questions? When can I leave? Er er we have about ten minutes left-

No, I mean leave this place and be normal? Well, Harry, that s hard to say we have to make sure you are stable which could tak e months to determine. You have to realize, you have been in and out of this ill ness because of scenes that happened before you fully recovered. We have to make sure you can deal with news without going into relapse, Remus explained. Well can I leave the hospital for a few hours? Remus said. Harry asked, impatiently.

Not for a while, I m afraid, For only a couple of hours?

A lot can happen in a few hours! Besides, this place has strict orders not to rel ease anyone. You could run!

I won t run! We can t allow it! How will I know I want to stay in this world? There is no other world, Harry! Your world isn t, and never was, real! I liked that world though! You need to try, Harry, you promised your aunt thatHow did you know that I promised her? We have cameras in the rooms... sorry for invading. Anyway, this is a world witho ut Voldermort! It doesn t have all of the evilness that we have, why don t you try t o see? Voldemort. What? It s Voldemort, not Voldermort. Yes, well Can t I get something for good behavior? From what Dr. Weasley s told me, you ve avoided simple tasks given to you. I ll be good, then can I leave? For only hm five hours?

I can t give you that, Harry. I m not your doctor. If you really want this, you ll have to get both of their written permission, Remus concluded. And Ronald is quite fru strated with you already. But if I be a good little mental case, they might allow this? You ll have to ask them, Remus finished. I ll come with you.

NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! But why?

Ron replied to his request.

Harry demanded.

You are in a very fragile state right now; you aren t able to take in sudden change s! Lily stated, pleading with her eyes. Oh, so waking up in this world isn t a sudden change? You can t handle any more than you already have. Harry, I really don t think this is a good idea, Lily confessed. It s settled, then, Ron concluded.

No, please! What if I am really good? I take my pills on time, do stuff without a fight? All that good, jolly stuff? Harry asked. It s too risky!

What s a little risk? Harry moaned. What if we work towards a picnic and see if you ve improved a bit to work towards a nother goal? Remus asked. Dr. Lupin! You don t have any power over this matter! Ron s ears turned red. No, no, Ron, I think What?! Ron hissed. Harry spoke up. I think this is a good idea, Lily interrupted.

I ll agree to that!

No! You need both of our signatures and I will not give permission! But we are working towards a goal! This is a great incentive for Harry! He can sl owly put himself into natural society! Lily exclaimed. He will not leave this hospital until he is ready! How can you decide if he is ready? He may be showing the best signs of recovery a nd the shock of the outside world may put him in relapse! The picnic can be on the grounds- Remus chirped in. Hey! That s not an incentive! I want to get out of this place for a while! What if, she silenced them. What if we make that his first goal? If he does well, h e can work for his next goal to a picnic in a park? I agree! Remus said.

You have no say! I don t want that stupid goal! I can go outside in the fenced in social area and ea t if I wanted to! Fine, the first goal will be a picnic in the social area, Ron gave in. de from there if he s done a good enough job to receive a higher goal. I ll consent to that, Lily said. It s settled then, Fine, Harry sighed. Ron ended. After three days, if I m goodAnd we ll deci

Three days?! No, Potter, no less than a week. One week and we will see from there , Ron argued. A week, Harry, and you can start your good behavior now, Fine, he huffed and rested his head in his hand. Fine. Lily stated.

Chapter 6: A Fragile Mind [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] I am SOOO sorry I didn t get this up as early as I planned. When I sent my documen t to my other computer via email, it saved it to a temporary folder and I comple tely lost EVERYTHING. I had to start over from scratch and I felt completely uni

nspired. I finally got back on track and I hope to have more chapters up soon! A nyway, we got up to 111 reviews and it's only on its fifth chapter! Thank you so much, you all make me feel so inspired! Thank you! This chapter is dedicated to my Mom, who helped me get this chapter up, and voli tion112 who was willing to help me when I needed it. What s gone on before A week, Harry, and you can start your good behavior now, Fine, he huffed and rested his head in his hand. Fine. Lily stated.

Chapter Six: A Fragile Mind Why does he hate me so much? Who? Ron! Oh, Dr. Weasley. You two used to be close in the beginning, and ? That was until you attacked him, behind her ear. What?! Two months ago, you blamed him for releasing Simon and you screamed physically attacking him! Crucial? No, Crucio. It s a curse, Harry explained, But range ! crucial before Lily sighed, tucking some strands of her red hair she paused. Harry asked.

I was attacking Bellatrix Lest

In your mind, of course, but you attacked him nonetheless. I don t think he has ful ly forgiven you. He also ordered the guards to be stricter with you, Lily clarifi ed. Oh which explains the Lily said.

Laughter incident? Yes,

How was I supposed to know that?! Harry exclaimed. I know, Lily cooed. do I need an escort? Lily said and Harry groaned. Harry asked. I want to get

I m going to walk around

I d feel better if you did,

Do you honestly think that I will try something stupid? out of here! I know, Harry, I know, Lily said.

But you keep insisting to do things that you just

can t do because-My mind is fragile?

Harry guessed sarcastically.

Precisely. So, you can either go into the social area, stay in your room, or you can take a walk- Suddenly, her radio cackled. Dr. Porter? Yes, Albert? There is a visitor in room 102 for Mr. Harry Potter, . Albert said. Lily sighed.

-or, you can go to the meeting with Draco that I completely forgot about! she said Thanks, Albert. You would think if I scheduled it, I would write it down! I ll choose my room please! Harry said hopefully.

I can t believe I forgot! I wonder how long the poor boy has been waiting, the dear she tutted to herself. Let s go.

No! Harry said desperately as a guard steered him in the direction of the waiting room. My mind is fragile! My mind is fragile!

Hi, Harry, how are you?

Draco said kindly.

Oh, fine, Harry said sarcastically. The pills are great here, so big that you almos t can t get them down and oh! I just realized I have no privacy whatsoever because they are video-taping me! Yup, all is great here! I m sorry, Draco said, obviously not knowing what else to say.

But you want to know the best thing? I have no freedom around here! Sorry I can t do anything, he said, quietly, seeing where this was going. so ? What? Why don t you laugh? Harry asked. Laugh? At me? Sorry? Laugh, sneer, insult? Why would I want to do that? Because you are Draco Malfoy! That s what you do, so let s hear it! Why is it that your aunt is different and you don t care? Why am I the only one who m you can t see being a good person? Why can t I change too? Because you are Malfoy, he said simply.

I see what s going on here, Care to enlighten me?

Draco sighed.

You are trying to grasp on to at least one thing from your other world, even if i t is the other Draco Malfoy! You ve spent too much time around Ron, Harry sighed.

YES! Draco yelled and Harry slid back in his seat, a little shocked by his outburs t. Yes! Exactly! I have spent a lot of time with Dr. Weasley! You know why? Becau se I care! I am your friend, and that is what friends do! They stick by your sid e no matter what! And that is all I have done! Can t you at least try to see that I am a good person? You re still egotistical, Harry said in a huff. I m leaving, and he slammed the door beh ind him.

Wow,

Lily said. Wow.

What? his voice was muffled because his face was planted against his bed. How could you be so horrible to the boy? Just repaying the favor! That boy has been nothing but kind! Draco has visited you at least twice a week a long with Ginny! His mother baked homemade candies for you little thumb-sized fr ogs made of chocolate, where she came up with that is beyond me, Lily ranted. And then brought jelly beans another time. Yeah, probably all vomit flavored ones! Harry thought to himself. Why d you invite him over here, anyway? he interrupted her ranting.

Isn t it obvious? You need to see the real Draco, not your imaginary one! You need to detach yourself completely from that silly world of yours! It s not silly! Harry said defensively, his head shooting out from the mattress.

You re right, I m sorry, I shouldn t have offended your world, Lily put a hand to her he ad. But I need to see that you are able to spend time with Draco. Why? Does everyone need to get along in this world? he asked, sarcastically.

No, but you need to see the difference between your world and the real world. The re are two Draco s. You are only seeing one of them, therefore not really detachin g yourself from your world. Why can t you just let me be? he huffed, clearly annoyed. That s not my job, What? You are clearly not listening to a word I am saying! I am listening! he argued. she hummed. You know what?

Well you certainly aren t taking anything to heart! I m going to set up another meeti ng no, a picnic with Draco! That s not an incentive! Harry screeched, lashing his head back to face her.

This won't count for your goals, Mr. Potter, she said, giving him the impression t hat she was dead serious. But if you mess this one up, you will have no trips unt il your release! What if he doesn t consent to going? Oh, I know he will consent! she smugly said. He has come back after every single ra nt you ve had with him before, why should this time be any different? Because he began to think.

Tomorrow then, I ll have to ask him and his parents, of course, she added thoughtful ly. Harry stuffed his head deep into the sheets. Can we not and say we did? Harry! Why do you insist like acting like this? Draco is a sweet boy why don t . under stand Lily said, her back to him. Harry, tell me the incantation for the summoning charm. M-me? A confused Harry asked. When she turned around, it hardly looked like Dr. Po rter at all. She had a large nose and wide brown eyes. Her lips were thin and pu rsed and she looked quite old. Yes, do you know or not? she said impatiently.

Sorry, what was the question? Ten points from Gryffindor for not paying attention! you help Mr. Potter out? she snapped. Miss Granger? Can

It s Accio, Hermione said confidently, and she gave Harry a distressed looked from n ext to him. It helps a witch or wizardI only asked for the incantation, she continued and went on teaching. You knew that one! I zoned out Hermione hissed to him. Harry whispered back.

I think I just had the weirdest dream

Pay attention! Twenty points from Gryffindor! the professor yelled in their direction. I would hav e expected more out of you, Miss Granger! Sorry, ProfNow, is anyone willing to demonstrate? she continued, without missing a beat. Herm ione quickly shot her hand in the air. Mr. Potter, care to redeem yourself? Um sure, Harry said.

Well? Get up here! she growled. Hermione pushed him up and he sent her a glare bef ore hurrying to the front. That goblet.

Sorry? That goblet! Over there! Harry looked to where she was pointing. Harry observed he r desk, perfectly neat and in order. He gazed, but there was certainly no goblet to be seen. He did notice a few things out of place though. A wall light was tu rned on, and there was a chair that looked remarkably similar to the chairs in t he visiting room in his dream. Wait a second electricity doesn t work inside Hogwarts! What are you talking about? The goblet, please! Something s not right! Detention for failing to obey, Mr. Potter! Huh? Wake up! I am awake! Mr. Potter, please calm down! a soothing voice said in his left ear and he turned to see Dr. Porter standing in the teacher s place. What s going on? Harry found himself back in his bed, his hands and feet restrained by three guards. Get off me! Deep breaths, Harry! Where d Hermione go? Calm down, deep breaths e. ! Shh! It ll all be over soon! It is over! No! s flutter. Harry felt a cold sharp prick in his upper arm and felt his eyelid Suddenly he noticed Ron holding a rather long, pointy needl Harry tried getting his hands free. Get off she called out. she snapped. Wake up! Harry exclaimed.

Wait! No, don t stick that in me, I m fine!

It s okay, it s okay! Lily s voice said, and he felt his head feel lighter, and the pres sure from his hands and legs became released as the guards stepped away. He let go of a breath he didn t know he was holding and everything went black. Chapter 7: Escape of a Madman [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] Thanks for all of the reviews! 139 of them! All right! Hehehe! Anyway, I know th is chapter seems pointless to you, but I needed to give you some information for later chapters, so I had this new character come in to explain stuff. It s also to humor you all a little bit! Thanks again!

What s gone on before Calm down, deep breaths Suddenly he noticed Ron holding a rather long, pointed need

le. Wait! No, don t stick that in me, I m fine! ! Shh! It ll all be over soon! It is over! No! s flutter. Harry felt a cold sharp prick in his upper arm and felt his eyelid Harry tried getting his hands free. Get off

It s okay, it s okay! Lily s voice said, and his head felt lighter, and the pressure fro m his hands and legs became released as the guards stepped away. He let go of a breath he didn t know he was holding and everything went black. Chapter Seven: Escape of a Madman Uhh Harry groaned. He felt as if he were balancing over a ton of lead on his forehe ad. What ? He noticed he was in his room and it was late at night because there was no sun shining though the tiny window. He was pleased to discover that he wasn t r estrained. He sat up, although with much difficulty and put his foot on the icy cold floor. Hello? Harry rasped out. He had never woken up without Dr. Porter or Dr. Weasley t here, and it just felt a little different. It was the first time he really took in his room. It was white well, gray because of lack of light, and the bed looked like a hospital bed. It had white sheets and cold metal railings and little plas tic protectors around some of the screws to hold it together, which Harry figure d was to prevent him from hurting himself. There was also an end table, which wa s also metal, and a wall light protected by a hard, plastic barrier, right next to a clock. Then he noticed a little blinking red light in the far corner of the room and hi s mood changed to slight annoyance until POTTY WEE POTTER! Harry let out a loud yelp and backed himself into the corner bef ore observing the figure who had just climbed out from under his bed. Peeves?! Harry screeched. Why the bloody hell are you here?

Oooh! The little squirt is feeling cranky! Stuff it! Harry snapped. Oh, most think he's barking, the potty wee lad! ered Peeves singing the song to him last year. Knock it off, Peeves! But some are more kindly and think he's just sad! Get out! But Peevesy knows better and says that he's mad! oking when he sung that, and it kind of hurt. Why are you here? Harry demanded. Been saying it and saying it Harry realized that Peeves wasn t j Peeves sung. Harry suddenly rememb

Are you even real? Peeves sang and Harry sudde

you re a barmy young bloke!

nly regretted saying anything. Why aren t you in your own room? Harry asked. something? Peeves just gave him a toothy grin. You re not supposed to be in here, Wittle snitch, aren t ye? No aces! Shouldn t you be in a straight jacket or

Harry said monotonously. I can call the doctors!

the docties are dolts, they always look in the same pl

There are video cameras all around; don t you think you ll get caught? The video security peeper always leaves his post at exactly 12:00 and enters the lunchroom for a coffee and a bathroom break. But Peevesy is smart! He takes Ickl e Filch s creamer and hides it during social time. ThenWait Filch?

Yup! Anyway, before you were rude I was saying I take his creamer and hide it in the kitchens. He s got to cross the entire building to get more creamer and that g ives me about say fifteen minutes? Oh, but of course! Peevsey knows Filch he alwa ys takes a bathroom break before heading back. I hide the soap as well and he s go t to go AAALLLLLL the way back to the supply closet and that gives me more time! To come bother me? Precisely! Harry asked boringly. You silly little squirt!

Peeves giggled.

How long have you been under there? Oh . bout twenty minutes, Peeves guessed. Harry said.

Then you should be getting back

Nope! Filch doesn t want to get in trouble for leaving us unsupervised. He ll come al l angry and threatening. Then he ll say that next time he ll tell Dr. Weasley, but h e hasn t for the past 8 years! he cackled. Well . I could tell Dr. Weasley! Snitch! Snitch! Snitch! And Harry brainstormed. Harry muttered.

Peeves didn t seem bothered about his blackmail. I ll tell Filch where his creamer and soap s been going! Peeves insisted on yelling.

Potty is a blabbermouth! Nark! Just leave! Can t! Why not? Peeves snickered.

The docties like to lock our doors at night! We re locked in! WHAT?! Harry asked.

You re stuck with me, my little narky friend! I m not your friend! Harry snapped. But how d you get out, then?

Old loopy Lockheart owed me a favor before he left, ys! Was he bloody insane?! Actually, he was, Peeves said. You mean Lockheart s here? Sent to a loony bin!

Peeves shrugged. Gave me his ke

Nah, he goes to a penitentiary for insane people. I think Dr. Lupin said he tried robbing a hair product store... Well can t you use the keys now?

Left them in my room! Why the bloody hell did you do that?! Cant get caught with keys! How did you get in my room then? Without keys, I mean They don t lock them from the outside that often. So the docties can get in the loo nies rooms quickly to sedate and stun and fun stuff like that! Oh yeah, great fun! ou doing?! Harry said and watched as Peeves climbed on his bed. What are y

They took my bouncy mattress away from me, Peeves grinned stupidly and began to ju mp on it, kicking his slippers off and chucking them towards Harry. KNOCK IT OFF! Harry roared. Won't! DR. WEASLEY! DR. PORTER! he bellowed hopelessly.

You re kidding me, right? Peeves stopped jumping. You actually think that they stay h ere overnight? Come on! They have lives! Harry felt stupid. Why would they? This isn t Hogwarts! Well Harry said with a strangled voice. l stay on this side. You just stay on that side of the room, and I l

No! Peeves said, and to demonstrate his point, he let out a loud yelp and ran towa rds his side of the room . and ran straight into the wall. Harry stared at the limp figure lying on the floo r. What was the point of that? Harry said after a long five minutes. Peeves began to crack up. You Harry continued. Are absolutely insane! Harry bounded over to his door w ith the tiny window and began to pound on it. HELLO! Harry roared. GET HIM OUT OF HERE! HELLO?!

Mr. Filch?

Lily shook the shoulder of her coworker. Argus?

Huhwas? Filch shot his head up from his desk and he rubbed his eyes. Dr. Porter, he llo. He began to arrange his desk quickly to make up for his drifting off. You re ea rly. As always, Lily jiggled her keys in the lock to her office. How was it tonight?

Oh uh he flickered his eyes to one of the rooms. An empty room. He cursed under his breath, but Lily heard. What is it? I er she turned to him sharply.

nothing, probably, he s probably under his bed-

WHO? Lily let the keys hang from the door and looked at the monitors over his shou lder. Bernie Peeves, Where d he go? You check the rooms; I ll look on here, Lily took off down the hall. Filch eyed each television screen closely as Filch said in a not-so-happy tone. Lily cursed.

Bernie!

Lily yelled out. Bernie Peeves! Her radio cackled. Filch called. Lily put the radio to her mouth.

Lily, rooms 16 and 17 are cleared,

How would you know? She said accusingly. I rewound the tapes, no commotion, apart from Grave s mild seizures, Filch said. What about Apleen? Ron had her sedated before he left. Why? Lily asked as she opened the door to room 18. Filch said simply. Oh room 19 oh, wait no.

She tried to bite him, What?

Bernie was there, but he left right after taking Gerald s sheet, Argus said. Eighteen s clear, Lily said after she closed the door. Of course it is, I ve checked, Filch muttered. Wait there is movement in room 26!

Potter s room?! Lily grunted and jogged a few doors down the hall. He s not stable yet! She quickly opened the door. Surprise! Peeves scooted out from under the bed. Bernie! What are you doing in here?! Nothin , doctie! Lily snapped while grabbing his wrist.

Peeves said confidently.

Back to your room, no detours! Filch ll know if you do! Lily warned as Bernie skippe d out of the room, a white sheet draped around his waist like a skirt.

Harry? Lily whispered. Harry was sitting up in a ball in a corner, knees against h is chest and his hand covering his ears. Harry? Mmm? Harry feebly said, his voice so raspy it was almost incoherent.

You okay? The guy is nuts! Uhh Over 6:30 six hours! Harry mumbled. I need sleep. He looked up. Can I skip the picnic? Harry blabbered. He doesn t . shut . up! What time is it?

I ll call them and tell them to come later, Please can we reschedule?

Lily helped him up by his elbows.

Harry muttered feebly.

No, no, no Lily murmured as Harry climbed into his bed. Lucien Malfoy had to take of f work to support his son. I m not going! What? Please don t make me go; I don t want to see him! Look what happened yesterday becaus e of him! Harry pleaded. You got sleep last night, didn t you! Lily glared at him disapprovingly. I went to Hogwarts and slept, Harry shrugged. You re depending too much on your world! Not this again! If I had stayed here, he would have driven me nuts! You could have ignored him! Easy for you to say, Lily tutted. Harry suddenly looked awake.

Harry mumbled as Lily left the room.

Chapter 8: A Patient's Woes [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] Wow! Fifty-seven new reviews! And it s only been like two days! Thank you so much reviewers, you ve given me a lot of inspiration! One hundred and ninety-six review s total for seven chapters that s an average of twenty-eight reviews a chapter! Tha nks again! Sorry this chapter sucks, I wrote it quickly. This chapter is dedicated to sumone. Happy Birthday! (Sorry if the chapter isn t t he best, I wanted to get this up A.S.A.P.)

What s gone on before I went to Hogwarts and slept, Harry shrugged. You re depending too much on your world! Not this again! If I had stayed here, he would have driven me nuts! You could have ignored him! Lily tutted. Easy for you to say, Harry mumbled as Lily left the room.

Chapter Eight: A Patient's Woes You re not going to say anything to Ron, are you? Harry asked as Lily escorted him t o breakfast. About? My trickery?

Which, sorry? Nevermind, Harry said quickly. thing? Or the whole ignoring

Oh, you mean the whole I m too tired to go on the picnic me while I was explainingI was listening! Harry argued.

No, Lily sighed. I won t say anything, but you had better behave today or I will! y stayed quiet for a moment as they neared the lunchroom door. Couldn t I just have my lunch in my room? No, Lily said.

Harr

Why not? You let me the whole week! You d just woken up, we hadn t planned on moving you around as much as we did, but yo u were able to handle it. I slipped into fun-world yesterday, though! That happened because of your own attitude, Lily held a warning tone in her voice, causing Harry to drop the subject. Lily was about to open the door when Harry s topped her. Um who do I sit with? Harry peered inside the lunchroom.

Whoever you d likeNormally?

She moved to open the door again.

Well Hermione, usually. Sometimes Neville on his good days, Lily opened the door b efore Harry could say anything else, and he observed the room. Metal tables were everywhere, and bunches of people sat together, hardly touching their food. Har ry was about to move towards the food trays when someone jumped on his back, cau sing him to nearly collapse. HARRY! YOU VE COME BACK TO ME! Hermione squealed. I KNEW YOU WOULD! Why why don t you

I er thanks, Hermione, Harry mumbled, trying to escape her grasp. ind a spot for us to sit? No! You can t leave me! through it for him.

Hermione pleaded as she grabbed the tray from Harry and went

Hermione, you ve passed the bacon, Harry tried unsuccessfully to pull the tray back in front of him, but she slapped his hand away.

It s poisoned!

she hissed and checked to see if the guards were looking.

You re kidding, Harry said, a little harsher than he intended, but Hermione didn t see m to hear. She then piled some scrambled eggs on the serving spoon and waited fo r the guard to turn away before dumping them back in the tub. It s not poisoned! Harry insisted as she passed the pudding, toast, and pancakes. Sh e took a look at the butter packets and grabbed a handful and dropped it on his tray before snatching a water bottle. She then seemed satisfied and began to wal k back to her seat. Butter packets?! Harry said indignantly. Butter packets? That s my breakfast?!

Would you rather die? Hermione set his tray across from a tray that held the same things, only in larger quantities. I think I ll risk it, Harry said irritably before turning around and heading back to the line, but Hermione grabbed the back of his overly large t-shirt before he c ould get there. Don t you love me?! Hermione wailed loudly that it caught a few of the guards attenti ons, but the patients seemed unaware. Shh, HermioneDo you love me or not?! Hermione, listenIt s a simple yes or no question! She wept. Seeing as talking sense into her was fut ile, he gave in. Yes, Hermione, way at all. Yes what, Harry? Harry winced under her glare. Harry liked Hermione, but not in this She gave him a deep gaze. Harry sat down in his spot, heavily an she screeched.

Yes, Hermione I . I love you, okay? Now can Id grimly. Say it like you mean it! I love you, she began to cry.

Harry said, quietly but clearly.

I KNEW IT! Hermione gave him a wide grin and gave him a kiss which Harry tried to avoid on the cheek before sitting back in her spot, opening packets eagerly. Now what s your plan? For? Getting us out of here, of course, silly! Hermione giggled before licking the butt er packet clean, which disgusted Harry immensely. Er I m going to Harry seemed to go into deep thought, Hermione stared at him intently for a moment before going back to her meal. Harry stared for a moment, hoping she wouldn t bring the subject back up, but she suddenly opened her mouth to say somet hing when someone took a spot next to Harry. Where s Neville? the boy said, but Harry could clearly see that this was, indeed, Ne ville Longbottom. Before Harry could say something, however, the boy continued. R

ight here, what happened to Alice? Alice? Harry asked. Neville said in a harsh voice.

I wasn t talking to you! Sorry,

Harry put his hands up. Neville continued. Frank shouldn t have said that.

No, no, I m sorry, Frank?

He s right there! Neville ushered to a napkin dispenser which was centered on the ta ble. Harry gave him a cocky grin. Hiya, Frank! he waved to the metal object.

Neville, what are you doing here? Why aren t you in the other dungeon? I thought th ey split us up! Don t forget about me! I m over here! Neville continued, and Hermione seemed satisfied with his answer and went back to her breakfast. Who? Alice! Yes, Neville glared. Harry snickered. Am I that invisible to you?!

You are sooo mean! Sorry? I m a person, too! Fine, keep ignoring me! I ll go back to my breakfast then! Neville snapped and then chucked his spoon over the table. Good luck with that, Harry watched the plastic object sail over his head and land in somebody else s scrambled eggs. Oh my! Hermione pushed her tray into Harry s causing his to spill on his lap.

What now? They re poisoned! she put a hand to her mouth. It s just disgusting! That s why! Harry said. I feel like I am going to vomit! Now can we please eat normal food?! Hermione snapped, holding her

I m going to die, and that s all you care about? Food?! stomach. Nurse! nk! Neville yelled out.

She s going to die! Help her! Shut up, Alice! Make me, Fra

A guard stepped forward and took Hermione by the shoulders and pushed her toward s a door. No! Get you re hands off of me! Hermione kicked. I want to die with my love!

You re not going to die! the guard said and he half carried her from the room, with the help of four other guards, of course. Harry took his chance to get back in l

ine, but just as he got a new tray, another guard announced that breakfast was o ver. You ve been very good today, Harry, Lily said as she walked him back to his room. haven t complained once about the picnic. You

I didn t get to- Harry felt his stomach rumble, but he took this opportunity to play good patient . Yeah, well, there isn t really a point in fighting if it s not going to help anything. Mmm she nodded to herself, looking at him suspiciously. e for later because I ll be joining you and the Malfoys'. I kind of suspected that, Harry mumbled hungrily. 1:00, Lily said. Four more hours, then, one o clock. Harry sighed and sat in the social area, anxiously awaiting You d better keep that attitud

What time is this picnic?

Which is he, Draco? a tall, blonde man glared at the crowd of people. Harry snorte d; he was just to the right of them, out in the social area. Um he scanned the grounds to the left.

We came here for a nice picnic with your little friend, it s only proper that he be here when we came! Lucien Malfoy said. A mental patient? You should have chosen y our friends better! Sorry for interrupting, Harry said, loud enough for them to hear, causing Draco to jump and Lucien to look slightly disgruntled. Draco looked very solemn. Hi, Harry, he looked up at his father, awaiting him to say anything else.

Shall we go, then? I want to get out of here, it s creepy here, Lucien growled and l ead them back inside, where a slightly plump woman with brown hair greeted him w ith a humungous hug. She balanced three picnic baskets in her hands at the same time, squishing him. Mum, you shouldn t have brought all that food! Draco said. We ll never finish it all. She rustled

Nonsense, he needs fattening up. You too, honey, you re far too skinny! Draco s hair fondly. Stop coddling the boy, Lucien told her sourly.

I m not coddling him, she said back, unfazed by his behavior. Can I take that for you, Mrs. Malfoy? Harry asked kindly, ushering to a generously stuffed basket. Oh, Harry, you re such a dear, rry? she cooed, sweetly. Draco, why can t you be more like Ha

I don t want a mental case for a son! iercely.

Lucien snapped at her, and she looked at him f she slapped him upsid

Lucien Malfoy! You had better change that attitude of yours!

e the head before turning back towards Harry. Sorry about my husband. It s okay, Harry sighed, smelling the deep aroma of turkey and potatoes and chocolat e. He took the basket from her and looked at Draco, who looked deeply depressed at having his father along. Shall we go then? Lucien asked. Wait, Dr. Porter has to supervise, Harry said quickly. Lucien looked deeply angered.

You have two adults supervising, isn t that enough?! Here she comes, f her own.

Draco signaled, seeing Lily walk down the corridor with a basket o you didn t need to bring food along, Lily looked apologetic.

Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy

Nonsense! Mrs. Malfoy smiled. These boys need fattening up and you too, Dr. Porter! Lily looked a little ashamed. You re far too scrawny! Shall we go? Mr. Malfoy said in a monotonous voice. Let s.

Yeah, Lily stared at him darkly.

Chapter 9: Fury of the Father [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] Yay! Forty-seven new reviews! Thank you! Two hundred and forty-three reviews in total! You guys are super! Oh, and sorry this chapter got up as late as it did. I had a tiny case of writers block (nothing serious) and I was reading other fan fictions for a little bit when I planned on writing hehe! Anyway, I have gotten m ore than one review where they suggest I not write out all of my review response s. From now on, I will only write out responses to questions and anything else I find important. Thanks again! Questions: How did I come up with the idea? - I am not entirely sure where... I do like ang sty fics, and I figured the thing that would cause me the most angst in real lif e would be if everyone thought I was crazy, so that s where, I think. Is Mrs. Malfoy supposed to be Mrs. Weasley in Harry's world? - Aye, you ll notice it a lot more in this chapter. She seems the only one to be able to control Luci en. Hehe! Is there a reason Harry made Draco evil in his mind? - I m not sure if I m going to explain that in the near future in a chapter, so I ll write it here. It won t really spoil anything. Harry and Draco were becoming friend s way back then. (Draco had just moved to/close to Surrey). So he didn t know Draco all that well yet. Harry s m ind created the evil Draco in his mind to put all his built up anger because of a certain parental unit abandoning him. You guessed it Rita. Around the time he was falling into his delusions, he realized (when his mum came for a visit) that she held no real love for him and he was mad, you can say. So, he kind of turne d up evil. The reason Harry is so against Draco in real life and won't let go is because he has learned (all over again) that Rita doesn t love him, so he s putting that anger back in Draco. Make sense? Neville thinks he's both Alice and Frank, right? - Yup, kinda ironic that his pa rents are in a mental hospital, too only in his mind which ended up in Hogwarts Sanitarium. (Oh, the people in his mind, Alice and Frank, aren t his parents. Harr y just interprets them to be.) And yes, he does have split personalities, if you hadn t already guessed. Yuck, butter packets? - Okay, so this isn t really a questions, necessarily, but w /e. Yes, butter packets. Just for amusement and a reason to keep Harry more (you l

l see in this chap) polite. Author Question for this chapter: How far do I plan on taking this story? - I actually plan on finishing it. Lol, okay, that wasn t answering the question. I plan on it being far more than twenty more chapters, we ll see how far I get it. Also, you might not get the The End chapt ers until after a longer delay, as I plan two different scenarios / alternate en dings. Although, neither are really what any of you are thinking. What s gone on before Shall we go? Mr. Malfoy said in a monotonous voice. Yeah, Lily stared at him darkly. Let s. Chapter Nine: Fury of the Father I did not take time from my busy schedule to walk around aimlessly! Lucien snapped towards Lily, who heaved her basket on her shoulder as they walked through some woods. Oh, Lucien, Mrs. Malfoy looked at him disapprovingly. You didn t have anything planne d tonight. You were complaining yesterday about it right before we got Dr. Porte r s call. I might have had a sudden engagement! Lucien glowered. But you didn t, Mrs. Malfoy said, unfazed. Harry s forehead was beginning to sweat as they walked up a steadily steep hill under the sun s searing glare. Well, it s not exactly healthy for the boy, either, Lucien continued as if Harry was n t even there. He could escape and murder someone for all we know! Lucien Cornelius Malfoy! Mrs. Malfoy set her basket down and put her hands on her hips. What a horrible thing to say! Apologize immediately! Sorry, boy, Lucien sneered towards him.

His name s Harry, Draco piped up, this being the first time he d spoken in his father' s presence. Harry glanced at him, but Draco was looking at his feet almost deter minedly. Nasty common name, if you ask me, Lucien kept walking forward, so his wife picked up her basket once again and walked after him. I didn t ask you, though, did I? Harry was irritated, and Mrs. Malfoy s eyes shone wit h deep respect. Draco, however, winced and looked up at his father expectantly. What did you just say to me? I m going to have to have a talk with your mother! She didn t do a very good job raising youGood luck finding my mum, then, or something. Harry said. I bet she s all the way across the globe

I would do the same if I were in her position, I suppose, he said thoughtfully. Lucien! Mrs. Malfoy snapped.

Here we are! Lily said almost distastefully, whilst faking a cheery expression. Sh e took out one of the hospital sheets and laid it down neatly on the floor. Mr.

Malfoy sat on a rock that was nearby and stared at Lily s basket with distaste. So, Harry, dear, Mrs. Malfoy laid out plenty of snacks and foods. There was an ass ortment of subs, some turkey slices that were still steaming (It was in a heated storage bag.), a plastic bowl of mashed potatoes, another bowl of candied carro ts, a carton of white milk, and an entire bag of homemade chocolate candies. How have you been doing? I haven t been able to visit you for almost six months! You came and visited me, Mrs. Malfoy? Harry asked, awed. Call me Molly, dear. And I love visiting. You re such a polite boy and a good influ ence on my dear Draco- She darted her eyes towards her husband as if challenging him to say something. "I ve driven him here when I have the chance, but I ve had to work on this new wedding lately and it s been hectic. Wedding? I m a wedding cake designer and I make deserts for their meals, Oh, Harry said, eyeing the foods longingly. she said sweetly.

Draco s going to be a doctor, Lucien bragged. Draco seemed to sink further in his sp ot. Harry would have felt sorry for him if he wasn t so hungry. He s told you this? Mum, Molly asked, eyeing her husband critically.

Draco pleaded with his eyes. Of course he wants to. I mean look at his room

It s a nice, respectable job, Lucien said. ! Mum, Draco repeated, sweating.

I always thought he seemed more of an artist, Molly hummed.

We re all entitled to a hobby, I suppose, he looked at his son. Lily looked very ten se; something that Harry thought was very odd. Why don t we start? she piped up, unpacking some napkins and paper plates and hiding some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chips behind her back, as if embarr assed. Good Idea, Molly opened the bowls. nd Harry, love, the napkins? Draco, darling, would you pass out the plates, a

Sure, they got up, and passed them out, but before Harry sat back down, Draco cut in. We ll be right back, But Draco said. Come here for a second, Harry.

Harry s stomach rumbled and he crossly got to his feet.

Don t go far, Lily warned. It ll only be a second, Draco muttered and Harry followed him behind a couple of tre es a couple of yards behind. Huh? Er Harry asked, stomach rumbling again. I just I just wanted to... My father, he s

A jerk?

Harry offered. Draco asked quietly.

Don t listen to him, okay? What do you mean?

He s going to try to get to you, Okay? Harry said. Yeah You want to be a doctor? No. Thought so, Harry muttered. Is that all?

he continued.

Don t let him.

I want to be an artist, like Mum said. I sent you some pictures once, but you thr ew them away, Draco sighed. Oh, Harry felt slightly ashamed. Sorry. Harry s stomach began

Doesn t matter, he said. Let s go back before Mum starts to worryo rumble. -Or you die of starvation.

Yeah, Harry said, not really knowing what else to say. They walked back and took t heir seats, Harry s mouth watering from the smells. Tuck in! Molly smiled. Harry immediately piled some mashed potatoes on his plate a nd grabbed a sub and munched on it, but nobody seemed to notice it but Lucien. You re a civilized being! Eat like one, boy! Lucien snapped.

He can eat how he likes! Molly pursed her lips at her husband. Harry was a little no, very irritated, now that he had food in his mouth. Mr. Malfoy would never ch ange. So, Draco, when are you planning on getting the mark? Lucien asked Draco, who snee red up at him. As soon as I get the chance, he answered smugly. Harry froze, and then realized wh at was happening and searched desperately for Muggle objects, like he had seen l ast time. He sifted his hands on the ground, to get up, and instead of touching the grass, it was a warm, squishy substance, and he had found his object. Harry! Lily held his arms side by side, locking him in place. He opened his eyes s tupidly. He was beginning to hate these world shifts it was so hard to tell, but he had done it. And he was quite proud as well. He looked around, observing the scene around him. Oh, Merlin, Harry grumbled and shook his arms for Dr. Porter to release him, which she had realized he was back at the picnic and had obliged. S-sorry. Oh, it s okay, love, Molly didn t look that frightened, but her face was concerned. You are all right, aren t you? How many fingers am I holding up? Harry looked at her f or a moment and stole a glance at Lily, who looked moderately amused at her tact ics.

Two,

Harry said. Molly sighed with relief. Harry, however, didn t feel completely back to Lucien roared. Stay away from my son!

You re okay, normal.

You re a mad young delinquent!

Lucien! Molly gasped. Draco s face was almost beet red, which looked oddly like Uncl e Vernon when he was angry, but in this case, Draco was embarrassed. It was a very mild one, father, We re leaving! No, Draco tried to calm him. Now!

Lucien got up wrathfully. Sit.

Molly said firmly.

Now, Molly! Lucien, sit, or you can forget coming home tonight! Molly snapped. Lucien looked r eady to kick her, but he sat back down and Draco looked like he was going to hyp erventilate. Mr. Malfoy, you forget why you are here, ort your son! I came, isn t that enough? he glared. No, Lily hissed. Lily was very peeved. You are here to supp

I m sorry, Harry said, his voice hardly over a whisper. I didn t didn t mean to, really - he stumbled over his words; wiping his hands on his robes wait robes? Under his b reath, so nobody could here, he mumbled. Not real not real Lily, however did hear hi m. Harry, can I talk to you? she didn t hesitate to pull him up and over out of view. S he seemed to know that he was trying to conceal it. D-Dr. Porter! Harry looked around, wildly, not seeing her, but feeling her hands c lutch his elbows. It s not going away! We need to get you back to the hospital, No, please, she held him to keep him from moving.

Harry said. He hadn t even gotten to eat yet and he was very hungry.

Deep breaths, Harry, she said, quietly. The Forbidden Forest was just how he remem bered it. He could even hear familiar thumps of something gaining. Very familiar Oh bloody hell! Harry coughed, his breath becoming rapid. Not real!

Stay with me, you just got out of it, don t go back! she whispered. Harry turned his head slowly, a large, slimy black creature breathing down his back. A large, sl imy black eight-legged creature, to be exact. Aragog! Harry whimpered.

Chapter 10: Terror in the Forest [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] OMG! I am so sorry, guys! What happened was when I tried copying and pasting the whole chapter from Word it must have not copied. Instead, it took the What s gone

on before portion. I m sooo sorry! I didn t realize, I rushed to update because I was being kicked off the computer and I didn t check to see if it was right. (Hence w hy some of the chapters were bold until I checked back later). Once again, sorry ! How in the world do you keep this stuff going? I have a lot of ideas planned for this chapter and it flows pretty smoothly. You don t have to worry about me havin g writer's block. Do you realize that you can't post the same story on two sites? Actually, it is allowed. I ve asked the admins and they told me as long as both are updated and I don t tell them to go to somewhere else for the chapter, I may keep both. Ask them yourself. How is it that Harry can't control going back to the wizarding world? You know h ow it is when you get really angry at someone you want to throw a tantrum, hitti ng people on the way? Well when Harry gets bad news, his emotions make him trigg er another episode. He can t go back just because he wants to, either. Some episod es are stronger than others, so it s harder to recover from those. Is there really no Hogwarts? Well, there s a Hogwarts Sanitarium, but I m sure that s not what you were asking. I won t say if this is some evil trick by Voldemort or w hatever, it s a secret. You ll find out in the end! :P Why is Lucien so mean to Harry? Lucien (or Lucius) doesn t like Harry hanging out with his son. He thinks Harry is trash, just like in the Wizarding world. Author s question: What is my favorite ship? I love H/Hr, but don t tell me it will never happen in J o s books, because I already know that. I never thought she would, but I think the y would be a cute couple. I dislike H/G, but my story seems to be writing itself because it s leaning towards H/G. Yay! Fifty-two more reviews! That brings my total to 295! I m close to 300, now. I had 300 but I deleted those because of my mistake. I am proud to say that this will in no way spoil HBP, because this is the kind of fic that can do whatever. Thanks, reviewers! What's happened before... Deep breaths, Harry, she said quietly. The Forbidden Forest was just how he rememb ered it. He could even hear familiar thumps of something gaining. Very familiar Oh bloody hell! Harry coughed, breath becoming rapid. Not real! Stay with me, you just got out of it, don t go back! she whispered. Harry turned his head slowly, a large, slimy black creature breathing down his back. A large, sl imy black eight-legged creature to be exact. Aragog! Harry whimpered. Chapter Ten: Terror in the Forest D-Dr. P-Porter? Harry whispered, his face only inches from the black, slippery spi der. Hot, sticky breath blew in his face, making him shudder. You re not as brave, Aragog took deap breaths in between words through his gigantic pincers. -as you once were Mr. Potter Bloody hell, Harry fumbled with his arms and his robes, but a pair of unseen hands were restraining him in his place. Not happening not happening Oh, but it is, Mr. Potter and you have no Weasley with you, he continued. Harry le aned backwards and felt himself fall to the ground, Lily s arms still restraining him. He peeked through the trees where the Malfoy s should have been sitting, but

all that was there was a blanket of white fog. My wand where s my wand? Harry fumbled out of Lily s invisible clutches and found his wand s nice, smooth surface. He nearly cried out of joy to, once again, be reunite d with it. He racked his brain for the incantation, but it had been so long sinc e he had paid attention to magic. Don t give in, Harry! Lily s voice whispered. Harry! a voice called from behind him, he, as well as Aragog, snapped their focus to the voice. Right behind him, decked in Slytherin robes, was Draco Malfoy. Malfoy! What the hell are youListen, Harry, he said, walking slowly in the direction on the spider. snap out of it! You re the real Draco Malfoy? You need to

Harry asked, sensing the spider inching forward.

Yes! he insisted, until he was standing next to Aragog, whose wheezing was getting louder. Only a few inches now Stay back, Mr. Malfoy! Lily s loud screech rang in his ears. Something out of place here is there something out of place? I m calling the police! Lucien yelled. w

And do what? Say he s having a seizure or something? He has care already! Harry felt his breathing quicken and his throat close. Hagrid sent me! Harry said randomly, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead.

That what . Your excuse last time Aragog continued. He seemed sickly. The wind seemed t pick up suddenly as a blue car zoomed above him, and Aragog grew stiff, yet sta red at Harry carefully. As the car zoomed over his head, little red plastic cups blew with it. He concentrated. Draco, I need you to talk him through it, Molly, go down to the hospital and get some help, ask for Dr. Ronald Weasley, Lucien just stand back! Lily s voice was stil l loud in his ear. Snap out of it, Harry, snap out of it! Shut up! Harry growled. the Draco to the right of the gigantic spider whimpered.

Who s he talking to?

Little red cup . Little red Muggle cup. Aragog flickered. Harry concentrated. Lucien s expression of shock appeared. He pressed further further and Harry took in a deep breath and blinked his eyes, getting the last threatening t rees of the Forbidden Forest out of his mind. He relaxed suddenly and felt his h ead ache immensely. Okay, Harry wheezed. Who s he talking to now? Draco insisted.

I m fine now, let go, Harry wiggled away from Lily s grasp. I said I m fine!

Harry?

Lily asked.

Can you hear me? Harry muttered a little darkly.

I could hear you the whole time!

Then you should have come to your senses! Lucien roared. It s not that easy, Malfoy! Harry snapped from his crouching position.

Mr. Malfoy, I m going to have to ask you to return to the hospital, you are causing too much trauma for my patient! Come, Draco, Lucien glared at the nurse and Harry felt like vomiting, but tried to hold it. Thoughts buzzed through his mind. Why was Aragog there? I ll come later, father, Draco said, defiantly. Harry felt annoyed. The food was pro bably cold right now no, this was not the right time to be thinking about food. Aragog, why was he there? Do you have anything written down about Aragog? oy stormed back towards the hospital. Harry asked timidly as Lucien Malf

Ask me that later, Harry, Lily said. He felt even more infuriated but didn t press f urther. Just as Harry had gotten to his feet, (which Lily protested greatly to) a loud ranting noise issued from the distance. Idea! I knew . bad idea! This last time I going to allow Never again

Do you get the feeling Ron s angry? Harry grinned slightly, but remembering the situ ation he was in, hid his expression quickly. No, Lily looked exasperated. Draco sniggered, despite the predicament. he said between snickers, It s just you said it all seriously and

S-sorry,

I was serious she trailed off as she saw Ron marching up the hill with a syringe in his hand, followed by a few guards. Okay, so he may be a little upset. It was Har ry s turn to grin. Ron looked just like he did when Hermione went to the Yule Ball with Krum. Wipe that grin off your face! Lily hissed quickly. Did I say I found it funny? You re grinning madly like you did! Sorry, Harry rolled his eyes. It wasn t my fault. Lily sighed. You invited him! That wasn t funny.

You should have braced yourself for Mr. Malfoy, Excuse me?!

Harry s smirked wiped clear off his face.

Well I didn t know he would act like this! she argued. So that makes it my fault, then? No, I m just saying you should try harder to control your emotions!

So we re back to this, then! No!

Sounds like it to me Harry, just So to just be quiet,

Lily doesn t like being blamed for things. I could use that later on if I needed Harry thought. Ron yelled. What s happened here?!

Potter!

Um Harry felt his stomach tighten, holding back some laughter, predicting Dr. Weasl ey s reaction to what he d say next. Nothing really eating and stuff y know, things peopl e normally do on picnicsWhat did I tell you about being sarcastic? I don t remember, Ron s eye twitched.

Harry bit his lip to hold back a laugh. Twitch he began to ignore Harry.

Dr. Porter, another episode? No,

Harry said in the same serious tone Lily had used. She glared. Twitch

It was quite major - he went into fits, as if terrified Nuh uh! Harry insisted. It wasn t major; I came out of it, didn t I?

So you admit it? Nope, He continued with his charade. Twitch almost seizure-like Lily continued as if she weren t interrupted. Harry insisted.

Was not, I couldn t move if I wanted to! You had me in a death grip!

How long did it last? Ron continued, and in one quick motion roughly pulled his ey elids back with his thumb and examined his eyes with a very bright light. He was finished before Harry could retaliate. Harry glared up at him. Approximately ten minutes, he was able to hear us though, she said. Does he have a strategy? Objects, he looks for objects. I wrote it down for you yesterday, Lily looked at h im disapprovingly. What d he see? A cup, Draco aided. I threw a cup. Harry insisted thoughtfully. Wasn t it?

No, it was the wind!

It was Draco, Lily told him and they continued with their doctor garble. Harry sig hed. He doesn t need to be sedated, then? Nah, he seems fine now, Lily said. Harry muttered darkly. Eye twitch twitch Ron said thoughtfully.

I m sure you re quite disappointed,

I was hoping I didn t have to, Ron continued. Lies, Harry said confidently. Shall we head back? I m eating! Lily asked.

Harry got up to head back to his spot, but Lily stopped him. she exclaimed.

Do you honestly think we ll allow you to stay out here after that? Why not?

Come on, Potter, Ron said and the guards immediately took him by the arms and bega n to lead him back. But I didn t get to eat! he protested.

You ll be able to eat dinner, Lily sighed as she walked beside him. But-Harry, just let it go Lily warned.

Harry was back in his room. His cold, dreary little space. His stomach rumbled l oudly and he was reminded of the time he let the snake loose on Dudley. He wasn t able to eat at all that day, but strangely, he felt hungrier now. Maybe he had e aten in the real world that day. His stomach groaned once more. Perhaps he shouldn t think of food. How long until dinner? Three hours no, must keep food off my mind. Before he could think of anot her topic to think about, there was a soft, almost reluctant tap on his metal do or. What? Harry said, expecting Dr. Porter or Dr. Weasley, but it wasn t a redhead. Hey, Draco greeted him softly. Harry observed him. Here. he held o

I thought I wasn t allowed visitors in here

You aren t. I ve snuck in, Draco shrugged and sat on the end of his bed. ut a small white paper bag. Harry took it suspiciously and peered inside.

Yes! Harry chirped gleefully. There were some of Molly s chocolates and in a baggie were some turkey pieces. Thank you, Malfoy sorry, Draco No problem, Draco smiled. It wasn t a common occurrence that Harry saw him smile; it was usually a smirk or a sneer. Sorry about my father. Why do you let him push you around? Harry spoke with his mouth full, and tiny bits of turkey fell on the sheets, which he wiped off with his hand. My dad s a real powerful man, Draco shrugged. I don t see how a nice person like your mum could be with such a jerk, . I ve asked myself the same question, Draco said. Harry munched

So how s the real world? Harry asked, crossing his legs Indian-style. Draco shrugged. How s school? It doesn t start for another two months, Right, right, Harry acknowledged. k, this is delicious. he replied. tell your mum she s a good coo

I m a bit cut off. Wow

Sure, he said. There was a long pause. Sorry, what? Ginny. Why?

Ginny called me last night.

The usual optimistic ranting she always has about you. Meaning? She think s you ll come out of it again. Again? She always says this ll be the time that Harry pulls through y optimistic, he said. Oh, he didn t know what else to say. please try, Draco strained. and such. She s always ver

For her

I have been,

Harry said defensively. he said quickly. But she s very distressed. She s a little shook up, t

I know you have, oo, this time. Why? I don t know.

Oh, he whispered. The non-existent kiss came into his thoughts. Damn to visit again any time soon?

Are they going

In a few days, we all have it planned. Vick might not be able to make it, thDRACO MALFOY! Lily screeched. his bag under the sheet. Er OUT! I was I was um WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?! Harry immediately shoved

Draco began to sweat.

she ordered and he ran out.

Chapter 11: Doctor Dilemma [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] Questions: Why was Aragog there? - What did Harry feel when he was almost eaten when Hagrid sent him into the forest to follow the spiders ? Answering a question with a quest ion, don t you love it?

How long is this story going to be? - I m guessing about thirty more chapters befo re I start the two alternate endings. Remember, the endings may not be exactly w hat you thought they would be. Will we see more of Hermione? - Yes, definitely. Will Snape be in this story? - Probably not. I hadn t planned on him being in here originally, but I really hate him now. I might place him in here just to tortur e him, but the odds aren t likely. Author Question: What did I think of HBP? - I will not spoil hardly anything here, so don t worry. I didn t like it as much as the rest, mostly because I m not into romance, sadly. I don t agree with the pairings, but I never expected Jo to make it H/Hr in the firs t place. I like H/G more than I like R/Hr. Also, I don t take well to being betray ed so I feel horrible because of a certain someone. How could they do that? Ah w ell who can argue with Jo? I m still and will forever be a great fan of hers. Joy! Over three hundred! Making our total so far to 320! Twenty-five more! Happy happy happy! Anyway, what do you all think of HBP? I d like to hear your views. A lso, let me know how I am doing with this grade me like you would on an O.W.L. O E A P D or T? Thanks for all of your reviews! Also please if you have any quest ions, ask me! I would love to answer them! However, I will not give away the end ing. Questions questions questions! What s gone on before DRACO MALFOY! Lily screeched. WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?! Harry immediately shoved his bag under the sheet. Er I was I was um Draco began to sweat. OUT! she ordered and he ran out. Chapter Eleven: Doctor Dilemma The nerve of that boy! Lily raged. How dare he? The rules clearly sayan over exaggerated sigh. I m not mad at you, of course. I know, Harry muttered as he pulled the covers over his head. Harry heaved

I should talk to his parents-NO! he sat up straight. Lily asked stridently. This is a serious incident!

Excuse me?

You ll just cause him trouble,

Harry said timidly.

He should be! Visiting a patient in his condition he could have gotten hurt! Hey! Harry wrathfully exclaimed.

Well you just had another episode, you could have easily slipped backYeah, yeah whatever Harry huffed. d yada yada but telling his parents That was wrong of him yada yada . He should be punishe especially Lucien is just cruel.

It finally dawned on Lily, as her eyes started to sparkle- eyes he missed seeing in mirrors. You want to be friends with him! a shadow of a smile gleamed on her face.

I hate Draco! Do not! Lily s grin expanded. You even dropped the Malfoy name.

That s because there were three Malfoys' to deal with today, I think it would have o ffended them all if I called him just Malfoy. You ve realized what a sweet boy he can be! Oh yeah sweet. Just the word I was looking for Harry rolled his eyes sarcastically. Seriously, I just think telling Lucien wouldn t be the best thing to do. Sure, Harry, sure, He s still a jerk, Mmhmm What? He is! He he He snuck in here! Harry said, hoping for her to continue ranting, even if that was what he hated most about her. Why? she asked. Lily held her smug smile. Harry continued.

I dunno What s that? her eyes darted to a small white paper bag.

What? Harry asked innocently, shielding it from her view. That thing you re hiding I don t seeYou ve got something! Give it here! Lily demanded, all sign of amusement gone as she menacingly tried pulling the bag from him. Unlucky for him, the bag was made of paper and it ripped. The baggie and the chocolate fell unceremoniously onto his bed and he grabbed them as quickly as he could, but his doctor had seen. Chocolate? Lily glared. You aren t allowed to eat in here!

I ate in here the first week! Harry protested, studying the three lone chocolates that were clamped tightly in his hand which Lily hadn t managed to snatch. Well that was different! Lily grumbled as she put the food she had been able to se ize in her large white pockets. You just came out of yourI just came out of one now! Harry added. Why can t I?

Because I will not encourage it! Come on! No! Harry said and added with a sugary smile, For me?

Lily fumed. Where did you get this?

Molly, Harry said simply and plopped one of the chocolates in his mouth, much to L ily s disgust. You took it from the picnic? Well the food was there, she continued to badger him with questions. I figured eating food was a common

Harry said cryptically,

thing to do on a picnic, unless that was part of my imagination as wellI told you to wait until dinner for food! What s a little snack? me me. Harry glared. I can t help but notice that you automatically bla

But you just said you did! I didn t say I did, I didn t say I didn t. So that s why Draco was here? she asked. Maybe Harry said, and just to make her mad for accusing him, he plopped another cho colate in his mouth in slow-motion and chewed it over exaggeratedly. Stop that! Lily boiled.

Stop what? Harry gurgled; his mouth was stuffed with chocolate. She looked at him disgustedly. Then, a small smile was once again planted on her face. Hermione gave you ketchup to eat this morning again, didn t she? Butter packets, actually, Harry glared. kind and return my turkey. she grinned.

I happen to be hungry. Now, would you be so

Answer this one question first, Lily took the turkey out and waved it at a safe di stance from his reach. Why was Draco in here? You know why, Harry rolled his eyes. Harry she warned. he sighed and held out his hand The turkey? Please?

Food, of course, Hmm she smirked,

So was that a nice thing he did?

That was more than one question, Harry said, but when she didn t move to hand him th e bag, he gave in. I guess so, yeah. Now see, isn t he a nice boy? Lily asked. Yeah, sure - the food? Argh, fine, Thank you, Harry ushered towards the meat.

Lily tossed it to him. All guys think about is food. Harry said there was a long pause as Harry munched on his food. um the reason I came in here was Er

Harry there is Sorry?

he looked up. she was cut off by the door opening.

There is something-

There s no way around it, Dr. Porter, I tried talking to her on the phone and she s aid she s coming. Tuesday, Ron s ears were red and he looked angry. Tell her no, she knows what happened last time, Lily argued. Ron explained in a concer

I tried, she said she wants to see him. We can t stop her,

ned fashion.

Albert still has her on the phone, trying to persuade her. Lily sighed.

Can t we get a lawyer or something?

She has all legal rights to see him, we can t do a thing, Ron s ears got redder as he grew increasingly frustrated. Can we delay the visit? I ll go check, she asked.

Ron exited and Lily huffed, looking livid.

Whassamatter? Harry said with a full mouth. I ll just say someone wants to visit a patient and we d prefer not because of their c ondition, Lily was furious. Who? Harry asked. Lily said. Anyway Oh!

I won t say. Besides, we re doing everything we can to prevent it, I almost forgot! It s almost 4:00, isn t it? That s what the clock says, Harry looked up at her.

You have to take your pills, she went to the end table and handed him the couple o f pills and a cup of water which he didn t notice being put there in the first pla ce. Yeah, yeah, Harry examined them. What happens if I chew them?

You can try it, but it s disgusting, Lily said. Harry plopped them in his mouth and swallowed it with a splash of water. The door, once again, opened. She ll settle for Thursday, Ron peeked in.

That s still not good enough! Lily s face matched her hair, making the two of them loo k strangely identical. Harry only just came out of it, we needYou re talking about me! Harry jumped off his bed and discarded the food he had in h is lap. Who wants to see me? Nobody, it won t happen, Lily chewed on her tongue. Harry yelled. He felt strangely li

Tell me! It s my business! You re talking about me! ke he did last year at the Order meetings. Your mind is too-Fragile, I know, just tell me! Yemuther . Sorry? Your mother, Rita Skeeter?! she repeated clearly. Harry yelped. Lily slurred quickly.

Why the bloody hell does she want to see me?

I don t know, but she will not write another article! She went too far last time! What if I talk to her? Harry asked quietly after a long pause. You know, to delay i

t like you want to. I don t think that s such a good idea, Lily said.

We can try just talking to her for a minute or two can t harm him, Ron suggested. Har ry felt greatly ignored because they were talking about him as if he wasn t there. I don t trust her, What else can we do? I don t know! Where is the telephone? Harry asked. Lily folded her arms.

If she gives you any trouble, give me the phone immediately, Lily glared at the ph one. Harry ushered them back as he pressed the phone to his ear. Hello? he voiced into the phone.

Chapter 12: Inconvenient Plans [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] Questions: What was the deal with Aragog? - I know I haven't answered that question yet, bu t you will find out when Lily and Harry get the chance to talk. You all kind of made a big deal about the Aragog thing and I am afraid the explanation will be d isappointing. Seeing him is not important to the story, I do hope you won't be a ngry with me. It was a relapse-filler thing. Will Arthur Weasley be in the story? I didn t plan on having him in here. I might put him in for a small part if I need him, but don t count on it. Will Pansy be in here? - I had this question asked a few times by one of my loya l readers, animagus girl. I know a perfect spot she can fill. You don t mind her b eing an evil little nuisance, do you? Where did Voldemort come from in Harry s mind? - Brilliant question from Elspeth. This is harder to answer, however, because it will differ between the two altern ate endings. I ll make it as neutral as I can. Harry s always been told that he and Voldemort are a lot alike, remember? In Harry s illness Voldemort is Harry. Harry v iews himself like he does Voldemort. He hates how betrayed he feels and, like Vo ldemort, he dislikes depending on someone. Therefore, he doesn t want the doctors to control him. If you were in Harry s condition, would you like what you ve become? Wouldn t you hate it? That s what he feels and that is Voldemort. Thanks again for asking this question. I know this isn t the best answer, but that s what I planned. I had it all answered perfectly in my mind, but when I tried to write it down, i t seemed like rubbish. Ah well any questions on the matter let me know! Author s Question: Why am I not adding any HBP scenes? - I want to keep spoilers out of here. Anywa y, the story doesn t need anything from HBP. Harry woke up before sixth year was a ble to start, so anything that comes after doesn t need to apply. I planned to hav e it spoiler-free from the beginning. Also, I know there are still people out th ere who haven t read HBP yet (Ahem, MOM, ahem), and I don t want to be the one to sp oil it for them. Also, if you would be so kind that if you review something that you refrain from saying major things. Instead, keep it cryptic like the one who was killed instead of the character s name. Little quotes are accepted though! Such as no need to call me Sir , professor! I really liked that part, but anyway spoiler free is the way to be! Hehehe! Yippee! Three hundred and fifty reviews! Thirty more since the last post, you gu

ys are super! I won't be able to update this weekend, I m going on a trip to my au nt and uncle s cottage and I won't be able to write. Well, I will be able to write , I just can't update as soon as I normally would. Sorry! I ll have my trusty note book with me so no worries! Thanks again for all of your comments, they were all awesome! Oh, and please ASK QUESTIONS! Hehe, questions bring to the attention th ings that I may not have thought of, and they will help the story become more ro unded. Thanks again! What s gone on before If she gives you any trouble, give me the phone immediately, Lily glared at the ph one. Harry ushered them back as he pressed the phone to his ear. Hello? he voiced into the phone. Chapter Twelve: Inconvenient Plans Larry, honey, is that you? well up. a coo voiced from the receiver. Harry felt his throat s

My name isn t Larry, Harry muttered. He saw Lily throw her hands up in the air out o f the corner of his eye. He turned slightly to get her angry image out of his ra nge of sight. It s Harry. There was a loud curse. Harry, son, how have you been? Fine Harry trailed off. she asked. her voice was strained.

You want me to come visit, right, darling?

Now is not the best time, Harry said quietly. Not now, Tuesday, she told him. That s not a great time either, Well Harry continued. Thursday.

Harry could practically hear her teeth grinding. What about

I er listen, RitaI am your mother! Call me call me Mum, he seemed hesitant.

Er Mum, listen, I don t know if it is such a good idea we re kind of busy? And I m stil ecovering, you see. My mind is fragile and stuff so it s not the best timeThey are telling you to say that! she hissed. ng to Larry! It s Harry, musing. I m not talking to you, Porter, I m talki

Harry smirked. The first time it was disappointing, now it was getting a Harr

That s what I said! she was yelling, but her mouth didn t seem close to the phone. y please, I really want to see you. I just came out of a fit? Harry looked at Lily, questioning his word choice. She, h owever, wasn t even looking at him. She was having a silent fight with Dr. Weasley .

You need some stability, then!

she argued.

You need your mother!

Can I need my mother at a later date? Harry snickered to himself, Lily looked at h im sharply. Are you being sassy with me?! Rita screeched. Um, no Harry tried to control his laughter. Dr. Weasley made me say it. pped and Lily snatched the phone from his grasp. Ron s mouth dro

Hello, Skeeter? The answer s no we need more time to stabilize him! He s doing fine w ithout you! What? No, Dr. Weasley did not make him - I am not covering up for hi m! Excuse me?! This is a fine institution, thank you very much! We do too care a bout don t you hang up on me! Miss Skeeter? Miss Skeeter! Harry was choking on his laughter. Dr. Weasley didn t seem too shocked about her b eing disrespectful towards him he was more shocked at him being disrespectful to wards his mother. Harry didn t know he was ever polite towards Rita. Apparently, h e was. ARGH! Lily slammed the phone down. Harry grinned innocently up at her as she steam ed out curses. So . He purposefully left a long pause. Thursday, then? No, Lily put on the calmest face she could muster. Monday.

So I bought us three days? No, correction. You lost us three. You re kidding! Ron threw his hands up in the air. Potter!

Oops sorry well I could be sick from Harry stalled, thinking of a reason. That s all . See ya! He turned the door knob, only to find it locked. Oh, how he wished he c ould have made that exit. His scene would have been perfect. You think this is funny, I know you do, I apologized! Harry defended. You re not holding up your part of the deal, What deal? You said you wouldn t be rude and we d allow you treats, he continued. Remember? Ron observed. Lily s eyes were blazing. You don t understand!

I already blew that because I had a relapse or whatever you want to call it. Why work for something I won't be able to get? Think of the long run freely! you d be out of here and you could do whatever you wanted to

Can't you leave me alone? Harry felt a great surge to rant. You can t end this discussion like this! You re doing this to yourself! Every time yo u act like a smart-aleck it sets you back! You think it s funny and it s hurting you in the long run! Don t you ever want to get out of here?

I can t help my condition! You can gain a more positive attitude! What s life without a little amusement? she snapped. Harry argued. Ron cut in.

Doesn t it bother you that you may not recover? I guess you re stuck with me, then,

Harry growled back.

No, actually, we re not. Once you turn eighteen, you go to a different place. They have less doctors there and more patients. You won t get the help you need. Now is the best time to work towards getting out of here! Is this done? Can I think about my actions now? huffed in disappointment. Go, Dr. Weasley, escort him, k. Harry asked, his arms folded. Lily

Lily waved them away and sat down to work on paperwor

Harry was locked in his room. He was quite comfortable, but anger weighed heavil y on him. He wanted to be left alone and he got his wish, but now he wanted to r ant. Rant like he'd never ranted before. He wanted to rant the angriest rant in all ranting history oops he was getting too far ahead of himself. He wanted to kick something destroy something. Right now. He thought better of i t, however, because his room was being recorded and sedatives didn t look to appea ling at the moment. Remus. He wanted to talk to Remus. He was always easy to tal k to. Harry searched around for a buzzer or something to get the doctors attenti on. There were none that he could see. HELLO?! Harry yelled at the top of his lungs. DOCTORS, HELLO! PATIENT NEEDS HELP HE RE! He waited several minutes for a response, but there was none. Okay. Now he re ally wanted to kick something. He eyed the video camera wearily, but before he c ould carry out what he wanted to do, he realized something. Since they weren t paying attention to him now, why not get their attention? Harry rolled his bed towards the camera and when he stood up he was just feet away fr om the lens. He tapped on the lens. He might have ripped it off if wasn t protecte d by a plastic white box that concealed the wires. Harry waited patiently with h is arms crossed. When nobody came, he blew on the lens and it steamed up enough that it would be hard to see anything if the monitors tried. Still nothing? Great Merlin he could be having another relapse and they still wo uldn t come to his aid! What had Peeves said that one time? Something about his ma ttress? Harry did the last thing he would have thought of before he jumped. It was quite bouncy, like Peeves had commented. The doctors didn t like that, did they? After all, he could hurt himself. POTTER! the door slammed open and Harry stopped jumping and let himself fall on th e bed in a sitting position. Thank you, Peeves! It s about bloody time! o talk to Dr. Lupin. He s busy, Harry snapped to Dr. Weasley who looked quite irked. I want t

Ron said with a sneer, but Harry knew how Ron lied. Not very well, that i

s. Liar, Harry growled. How do you know if I am lying or not, Potter? Your eyes blink a lot when you lie, I ll notify him, Harry shrugged. I noticed it a few days ago.

Ron said through clenched teeth. Harry started, but Ron

And can we get a buzzer or something in here, I might need cut him off by slamming the door.

Harry, great to see you, everything is good, I trust? Remus greeted him with a war m smile. No, he heaved a sigh. The other doctors won t leave me alone. he said calmly.

It s not their job to leave you alone, I know, but they yelled at me! ts little red blinking light. Were you being sarcastic? No Harry grinned innocently.

Harry glared at the video tape in the corner with i

You don t see what you are doing? What am I doing? You are pushing people away. You won t let them get passed your cynical wall you ve b uilt around yourself. I had this same exact talk about twenty minutes ago, Why didn t you heed what they had said? Because I Why can t I? Amuse myself, that is. What s a little laughter in our lives? Harry droned.

You think everyone is amused? Remus asked him, not unkindly. Well maybe not everyone, but Don t you think Dr. Weasley and Dr. Porter are frustrated? You re just over a week ou t of your relapse and they are already upset with you. I wasn t trying to upset them! Harry growled.

But you were. You ve acted this way in the past, you ve even admitted to trying to an noy them as much as you possibly can. Well . Okay, a little bit, but I don t want to feel controlled. Mmm you haven t shared that part with us in the past. It s a very good thing that you told me, Harry, Remus said. Why is that? So you can use it against me?

No, how would no, sorry, why would we want to do that? We want you to recover. Be sides, we are not trying to control you, just trying to - Help me? r f Harry asked. I know, I ve heard that once or twice Remus held up a hand. Harry darkly said. Tell them or three times

maybe four

- get the idea, Well tell them

Not to control you? Give me some space. I m sure they would without hesitation if you would cooperate, s wrinkling slightly when he smiled. But I will tell them. Thank you, room. Remus smiled, his eye

Harry said, and he felt very calmed when a guard walked him back to his

Chapter 13: A Mother's Love [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] Questions: Who is Sirius in real life? - Harry s friend that he met in his third year at the sanitarium. His name in this world is Simon. He s recovered and left. I don t think he will be a big character in the story, though. He may join us in one of the al ternate endings. Why wasn t Sirius/Simon sent to the sanitarium for patients over 18? - He wasn t old like in the other world. Like Sirius, Simon is childish and playful, but he was about Harry s age. Seventeen, I suppose. I didn t really think that part out, but t hat s my attempt at an explanation. Thanks, lovely_luna, for pointing that out! ^_ ^ Why did Harry start to get these dreams/fits? - When he turned eleven, he found out Rita had abandoned him at his Aunt s house. Trauma can cause pain, and in this case, illness. Family is, and always was, very important in his life. What happened the last time Rita visited? - She wrote an article about Harry s ill ness and used some of his treatments and stuff in her article. Author Question: WHAT TOOK SO LONG?! - Hehe, I am sorry I haven t updated for a week. I have um two e xcuses yeah they re very good! Heh heh Okay excuse number one I had a very nice relaxi ng time up north okay, lame excuse but I wrote! A little okay! I wrote a paragraph! And the second (much better) excuse is I GOT A NEW PUPPY! He is so cute! You can look at the picture of him when he was younger in my profile thingy. He is a fo ur month old Shih Tzu male by the name of Toby! Yay! Sorry for taking a while to update! For excuses, look at the author question abo ve. Hehe! Anyway, I made it to 400 reviews! Thank you guys! I feel all inspired! I have exactly fifty-two new reviews! The total now is 402! I will add author s r esponses to them all as soon as I upload this chapter. I was too relaxed from th is weekend to add much sarcastic remarks sorry. ^_^ now, onto the story! What s gone on before... Well tell them Harry darkly said. Tell them Not to control you? Give me some space. I m sure they would without hesitation if you would cooperate, s wrinkling slightly when he smiled. But I will tell them.

Remus smiled, his eye

Thank you, m.

Harry said and felt very calmed when a guard walked him back to his roo

Chapter Thirteen: A Mother's Love The next few days were very soothing. Remus was able to talk to the other doctor s and they had tried their best to be patient with him. There were a few times H arry made some remarks, but they didn t say anything. They didn t force him to eat i n the cafeteria or therapy with Remus. However, Sunday was very stressful as the y tried a few calming methods, like breathing techniques, but Ron and Lily both felt strain as they waited for Monday to come. Alas, it came sooner than expecte d. Move! came a loud shrilly voice as the doors swung open in the reception area. Excu se me! A woman with her hair up in a big bun with dark purple lipstick and a fuch sia dress and high-heeled shoes, she held an oversized rose-colored hand bag and her nails were a distinct color of indigo. An impressive-looking man followed h er. Wait! Albert, the receptionist, stood from his seat as the woman hurried past him. You can t go in there! But the woman didn t seem to hear as she rushed past and throu gh the main doors, but the guards realized who she was and swiftly stood in fron t of the next set of security doors. You need to sign in, Ma am, I am here to see my son, the taller of the guards, Avery, firmly declared. I demand entry!

she spat.

If that is so, you ll need doctor s clearance, although if you are a mother as you cl aim to be, you should get immediate consent from them. However, he droned on as i f this was an every day occurrence. If the patient is a threat, you may be denied access. Furthermore, non-immediate family members need the permission of the do ctors, family, and occasionally, the patient. Oh, don t you worry, he sMa am, if you could please return to the reception area and fill out the necessary formsButKindly return to the reception area, Ma am! he ordered in a darker tone.

What is going on in- came an irritated voice. The person swung the doors open, the guards safely out of the door s range, and she stood flabbergasted at the sight o f her. Miss Skeeter. She added with great distaste. Yes? Skeeter glared.

Your visit isn t scheduled until tomorrow! What are you doing here?! Dr. Porter, I presume, Rita drawled with an extraordinarily calm tone. your insufferable yelling. We aren t ready! Lily continued, seeming to not have heard the insult. you are supposed to be! I am here to see my son! I recognize Come back when

I know that, butI demand entry; I have every right to be here. I am his mother! I know, Liar! Well we need I FINE! she stumbled over her words out of anger. annot! she motioned to the man beside her. Miss Rita Skeeter smiled wickedly. You may enter, but he c Lily continued. But you need to be scheduled-

Lily walked the two visitors down the halls, her face pale because of rage s it shock? Skeeter! one Dr. Ron Weasley gasped. You can t-

or wa

She can we Lily forced out the words out as if they were painful to say. ke them to the visitor rooms . Separately, please.

We should ta

Excuse me! Separate? I think not! Rita stared confidently at them; she looked as t hough she was in control. I wish to surprise him! You mean you wish to shock him back into relapse! Ron rudely stated. Harry, appare ntly, seemed to be rubbing off on him. No, ISeperately, Dr. Weasley, Lily sighed, angrily. We ll sort everything out soon.

Right this way, Ron snarled through clenched teeth. The man made a move to follow Rita, but Lily pulled him to a separate room.

You re kidding! pin.

Harry said as he was pulled from his breathing exercises with Dr. Lu

Do I look like I am kidding? No, Harry said quietly. wait I can believe it but... she l

I can t believe she would do something like this! No et out a growl of fury. She said Monday! Wait is it Monday already?

Harry asked curiously.

Sunday, Lily confirmed. They neared the visiting room that he was in when his frie nds came to visit. Okay, Harry, remember your exercises? Yes. Be on your best behaviorYou don t really mean that, Harry stated with a grin, but then realized how rude tha t sounded and added, Do you?

Lily smiled secretly. I ll try to get a hold of your aunt. When Lily walked away, occasionally stomping her feet, Harry stared at the door. When he noticed the two guards on both sides of the door seemed to get impatien t, he walked in. Larry! Hello Ri a busy-looking woman promptly gave him a pat on the back. I mean um Mum, Harry greeted. she gave him a sickly sweet

Have they been treating you well? How are you feeling? smile that would have made Dolores Umbridge proud. Er . Horrible, I imagine, No, she kept on smiling.

The must make you feel worthless.

Harry whispered. That was not something you said to somebody, insane or not. the docto

You want to get away from here, don t you? From the pills the white scenery rs Well I suppose so, but-

Miss Skeeter, what you are saying to him is not going to make things any better f or him! Ron butted in fearfully. I can take you away from here and you can come live with meEXCUSE ME! he yelled. You can not remove him from this hospital! I can have him treated with more reliable doctors at hom

Of course I can, e! You you can t

she said.

he s made so much progress here

I won t go,

Harry said quietly. her irksome grin still planted on her face.

Sorry, what was that, Larry? I won t leave, I can transfer

Harry stated louder. There goes the smile. Thank Merlin.

Why? Right when I was making progress? You call this progress?! They re brainwashing you! Why did you leave in the first place? Harry asked, trying to sound contained. Well I I ve already told you this, quite a few years ago, she stuttered. answer me, Harry ordered.

Quite a few years ago? Well apparently I don t remember

I my job, it was very important! I couldn t be weighed down with a child! I wasn t rea dy! James left me then, I couldn t do it by myself! Hmm tly. personal psychiatric help? You sound very rich to me, Harry s eyes narrowed sligh

That

well that

it entirely misses the point Lily walked in and shut the door noisily.

Your aunt is on her way, What?!

Rita yelled. I don t want her here! Lily snapped.

You sound like a child! Please, Larry!

My name is not bloody Larry! play mother ? I am your mother!

Harry exploded.

See how much you know! And you want to

My aunt has taken more care of me than you have! I told you, I couldn t You couldn t even send your own sister money to help take care of the costs? Well I

And besides, you named me! You should know what my name is! I I brought a friend with me today, You re changing the subject, Rita stuttered.

Ron added.

OKAY! So I haven t been a mother! I ve been horrible, but I want to change that! I wa nt to take you back home with me! I want you to have a family! I have a family, Harry muttered. And it doesn t involve you.

You need to watch your tongue! Who lets you get away with such rudeness? You have no right to criticize how I was raised, Harry snapped. she hissed as though her words

I m sorry! I can t go back and change what I have done, meant nothing. Your right,

Harry said. But you shouldn t have abandoned me in the first place.

How many times do I have to say I m sorry?! None, because you aren t forgiven. You are so stubborn! You are so annoying, Harry smiled calmly. she lividly changed the subject once more

Don t you want to meet your other visitor? . Who would he be? Ron asked.

James, your father. Chapter 14: The Third Guardian

[View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] Questions: What is James like? You ll definitely see him in this chapter, hehe. I had origina lly planed him to be rich and snobby, but I decided to go a little more easily o n Harry. It also opened up more story ideas, see the very last sentence of this chapter to see why! ;) What kind of shock will that put Harry in? Surprisingly he tricked you! You ll see in this chapter. Keep in mind, Harry s the kind of person who doesn t always express his feelings right away. How long do you think this story is going to be? I answered this before, but I a m not really sure anymore. If I keep at it, it may end up longer. ;) Could you read my fic? Name the title and your username and I ll try to make the t ime to read them (and review, of course ;P) I am very busy, but I will try! Why did James leave in the first place? Would any of you like being with a perso n like Rita? Is Peter Pettigrew going to come? I m not sure. We ll see. How come some of the characters are very similar to their book characters and so me are very different? Harry views them all differently. In his mind, some of th eir personality traits are stressed. Not really sure how to explain this one, it s late and I m half out of it. Author Questions: How long have you had your dog for? Going on about seven months maybe. We JUST g ot him groomed today (9.22.05) and he looks cuter than ever! WHAT TOOK SO LONG?!?! Um I uh I was preoccupied? With er things? I give up. I just di dn t write, wasn t in the mood, hehe. After quite a few new reviews (ninety-nine to be exact!) demanding that I update (you know who you are, lol :P) so I have decided to appease you with this brand spankin new chapter! Yay! Five hundred and one reviews total! And OMG! Guess what ? Have you figured it out yet? How about now? Now? Well you don t have to worry ab out me forgetting about this story anymore because I won a little reminder in a certain competition. I got fifth place! Joy! Now I ll have a wristband with the hp ff.com logo thingy on it as a constant reminder! Yippee! Okies, so on to the sto ry! What s gone on before Don t you want to meet your other visitor? . Who would he be? Ron asked. James, your father. Chapter Fourteen: The Third Guardian My father, Harry repeated, his heart pounding loudly.

she lividly changed the subject once more

Yes, Rita seemed to falter from his lack of response. Ron cursed silently next to where Harry sat. Harry tried to make himself more comfy on the uncomfortable sof a, but to no avail. He s in the other room? Yes, he asked.

she quietly whispered. Did you want to see him? Harry continued to question

Why is he here?

He s you re father, he wants to see you!

He wants to see me or did you ask him to see me? We got talking and he said we would like to meet his son! So I ve never met him before? Well no but let s not worry about that, he wants to see you now.

He didn t want to see me before, then? HE DIDN T KNOW ABOUT YOU BEFORE! she burst out, angrier than she intended. Harry wan ted to give her a wicked smile, but he wanted her to feel how he was feeling now . You didn t tell him, ions high. Harry stated calmly. Lily and Ron glanced at each other, suspic

I didn t get a chance to! she defended herself. Why not? He left me, I You couldn t send him an owl or something? Owl? Rita asked.

Letters, sorry. LETTERS! Why didn t you send him letters? Or e-mail? Harry knew a li ttle about computers because of Dudley, but he never used them or, at least, he didn t think he did. I figured he would have come back to me before you were born and I would have tol d him then! Way to go, Mum, you couldn t even try after I was born to call him, Harry grumbled, but he held a smug face. He realized he didn t care at all Rita was no way close t o fulfilling his idea of what his mother would have been. He felt a need for a b etter mother figure, but realized he had one. As if on queue, the door opened an d two guards let a disheveled woman who looked as if she had only taken a few mi nutes to get ready. Petunia! Rita, Petunia darkly acknowledged her. She s trying to take Harry away! Sorry? Ron added helpfully.

Petunia s eyes flashed towards him.

She wants to bring him home with her! How could you?! she screeched in Rita s direction. He is my son, in all ways but one, sister! You can t do this! You know how much he means to me! He is my son! Rita argued. You didn t raise him! You left him on my doorstep with a short note and a few cloth es! I could forgive you for doing that, after all, you did leave him with someon e capable, but this! Taking him back after fifteen years?! Despicable!

I never signed the papers! I m aware; I ve been fighting you for years! Harry was enjoying himself immensely, mostly because Rita was getting what she d eserved and two people were fighting to be his mother. Excuse me? there was a knock at the door. Am I interrupting?

James! Rita opened the door for him, and the guards looked disgruntled. This is you r son, Harry. Her sickly sweet smile was back as soon as it went last time. She s eemed to be clinging to his arm expectantly. I thought you said his name was Larry? James asked. His hair was flat and slicked back with hair gel and he had square glasses on the bridge of his nose. She would, wouldn t she? Harry grumbled, but was looking up at his father with awe. He looked impressive his suit looked very expensive and he looked well groomed. He looked rich. Son, James smiled slightly, but looked uneasy. How s it going?

Dandy, Harry replied but then felt immediately bad for his unnecessary sarcasm. Hi s father had done nothing wrong. Er - I mean everything s fine Dad The word felt very f oreign to him. So So, James rocked on his heels while jingling some coins that were in his pocket. Harry repeated awkwardly.

What kind of things do you like to do? Er chess, I suppose, Harry muttered. What did he like?

Chess? Is that all? It appears I enjoy making things up, Harry, think positive! Harry added, a little annoyed.

Petunia calmly interrupted.

I m sorry, I ve never had a son before today, James laughed quietly. You did, you just didn t know about it before today, I well I ve known for a week ared. Harry corrected.

I m still shocked about it,

he said. I should have been pre

Why? Sixteen years of not knowing you had offspring? C mon, Dad, of course you aren t prepared, Harry pointed out. Who would expect you to be? Well, er I m just surprised you are not mad about it. I mean, she kept it from you all this time! Larry, hush! Rita scolded. James reminded her.

His name is Harry, dear,

Yes, yes, sorry. I keep forgetting.

She chewed on her tongue.

She named you after my middle name. James Harold Potter. She told me yesterday th at she was so close to naming you sorry, dear, what was it? Lawrence, she smiled and then added with sugary emphasis, dear Lawrence?!

Yes, I figure she is mixing the letters up without meaning to. Mmm, Harry hummed as a response because he couldn t think of anything else, but then darkly continued, Why would you want to be with Rita? P-pardon? James stuttered, seemingly amazed by his outburst. HARRY JAMES POTTER! Rita screeched. Stop this rudeness immediately! And you will ad dress me as Mother or Mum and not Rita? added Harry helpfully. Precisely, she sniffed. he sniggered.

What about Mummy? Is that okay, too? If you must, er teeth.

she darted her eyes to the floor and he could tell she was grinding h he grinned.

How about Mama?

You get the idea! she snapped. Touchy, Harry smiled .

-So, Harry, James said, trying to lighten the conversation. How would you feel if y ou moved closer to us for a while? I wouldn t, Harry said without thinking. James blinked, apparently surprised and hur t. I mean, well um I don t think this would be the best time and uh Of course he would, don t be silly, Harry! She glared at him with accusing eyes. ButJames started. she smiled charmingly at him. Harry snappishly said.

He ll love it there! How will you know?

Trust me, she wasn t talking to him, but to James. He ll learn. You make it sound as if it s official, Harry protested.

It is, I ve already signed the transfer forms I was given when he was first admitte d, she shifted through her annoyingly gigantic red handbag and pulled out an offi cial looking folded up paper. Harry noticed that along the edge that there was l ipstick smudges. Rita, darling, really I m his rightful guardian! I won t go! James feebly said. she hushed him.

Harry stood from his seat.

Rita, we talked about this I don t care, James! Rita harshly snapped. He s my son!

You can t do this! came Petunia s strangled cry. He is my son, or as good as one can ge t! You have little right to waltz in here one day and take him away! No, It is n ot going to happen! Maybe it s best if we just James began. Harry began chucklin

James! Rita scolded. He s your son too! You should be on my side! g. His father really needed to be more assertive. You can t do this! Petunia yelled.

I won t let you! I m calling a lawyer!

Chapter 15: Bring in the Clowns [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter]

Questions: What surprises does she have in store for Harry?: Petunia will answer it for you here near the end. :P Why did Harry create the scar?: Very good question. It explained why Lily can ac tually be his mother instead of Rita. It gives him a reason that his parents are really Lily and James. Does that make any sense? Will we be seeing any of McGonagall or Moody?: No Moody, sorry. You may see McGo nagall, though. Hehe. Couldn't someone like Umbridge be the lawyer?: It wouldn t make sense. Besides don t you think Rita is Umbridge-like enough? Weren t the doctors supposed to be there in the room?: They are, but they think Pe tunia is handling it well enough herself to interrupt. Why did it take until Harry's fourth year for Rita to come into his magical worl d?: Rita was introduced in Harry s fourth year, remember? :D Is Hermione ever going to get better?: Don t you like her this way? Hehe. Is there someone in this who's meant to be Umbridge, or was she only in the Hogw arts school world?: No, sorry. :P One hundred and seventy wo reviews in total. If ust a reference for me. esn t take too long for one new reviews! Sweet! I have six hundred and seventy t anyone is wondering why I keep posting the numbers, it s j Anyway, thank you all for being so patient! I hope it do the next one!

What s gone on before You can t do this! came Petunia s strangled cry. He is my son, or as good as one can ge t! You have little right to waltz in here one day and take him away! No, It is n ot going to happen! Maybe it s best if we just James began. Harry began chucklin

James! Rita scolded. He s your son too! You should be on my side! g. His father really needed to be more assertive. You can t do this! Petunia yelled.

I won t let you! I m calling a lawyer!

Chapter Fifteen: Bring in the Clowns When Harry was back in his room, Lily and Remus were congratulating him profusel y but wouldn t say anything when he asked them about the legal stuff or what they thought would happen. I ll have to go to court with them, right? Well I suppose you would Harry asked. This isn t good.

Lily thought about it.

I know! I hate Rita!

Harry agreed.

I meant you going to court, Lily said. You did well today, I m impressed. What I am w orried about is all those people and the lawyers. It can be quite stressful. Oh come on! Everything is always about my condition with you! Harry folded his arm s and let himself fall back in his bed and put his arm over his eyes. She s right, Harry, Remus piped in. This isn t easy for the best of people. You underst and we have to be cautious about these things. Blahty blah blah blah, Harry snapped out. Lily scolded.

Don t start with that attitude of yours,

I can if I want! This is mylife we are talking about! Lily chose to ignore his comment and said, t time? No, you probably don t. What don t I remember? Do you even remember what happened las

Harry peered at her.

You yelled at him last year, but I think you weren t actually talking to him. It wa s funny, though, I m sorry to say. The poor bloke didn t understand what was going o n. Who did I yell at? Cornelius Fudge, Fudgie, Lily simply said. Good lawyer, poor attitude.

Harry perked up with a mad little glint in his eye.

You remember, then? I have a Fudge in la-la land, Harry said. Do you like him? No! But you said I confused him? Don t get any smart ideas, So I did confuse him? Yes, ou. Remus said. Lily was laughing her head off outside the door when he spoke to y he grinned.

Lily reprimanded.

She was, was she? Harry sang. Remus! Lily tried to hide the trace of a smile she now held on her face.

There was a knock at the door, and Ron poked his head through. There s a meeting set up tomorrow at 10:30 with Petunia Dursley and her lawyer he a sks that the food staff send up well, biscuits and tea. Anyway, you ll need Harry s f iles, and I ve sent them to the receptionist. That s about it, I believe. You aren t staying? Lily looked wearisome. Ron looked apologetic. I thought I told Do you have both of his fold

No, I scheduled for a vacation a month ago, you.

Oh, yes. Sorry, you re right, Lily slapped her forehead. ers -Yes, on the counter His medicine records-

Yes, Doctor. I ve set out everything you ll need, Ron has a little smirk on his face. Alright, Lily looked distracted. Well, thank you. Ron waved. Oh, and Harry?

No problem, see you in a few days, Yes? Behave!

He looked at Harry with a dangerous expression. Harry smiled sweetly, but he had already left.

Don t I always?

The next day, Aunt Petunia came in followed by a man who looked so ridiculous th at Harry had to refrain from bursting out laughing. They were in his room, which was odd because he had heard that guests were not allowed in the rooms. He dism issed it, however, when he noticed the extra guards stationed in front of the do or. Petunia s lawyer, Cornelius, was the most horrible dresser he had ever seen. His t ie was a Christmas tie with hollies patterned along the red and green stripes. H is suit was a black plaid, his shirt wasn t tucked in, and his pants were corduroy . There was also a lime green bowler hat on his head, which made him look somewh at like a circus clown. Hello, Harold! he said in a voice that sounded like his nose was plugged. Harry co uldn t help himself and exploded with laughter. Fudge winced. Is he safe? Cornelius Fudge asked with hesitance. Lily quieted him by clutching hi s shoulder roughly. He should be. If not, we can always put him in a straight jacket, she said more to Harry than to Fudge. Harry scowled and tried to hide his newly forming grin. Lets just continue, shall we? Petunia asked. Yes, yes, he said, but his voice had a trace of hesitance. I don t want to go with Rita, Harry said bluntly.

Neither do we and that s why I m here, ith small children.

he talked to him in a tone that one would use w Petunia asked. You

Do you think we will have a chance, Mr. Fudge?

I ve got high hopes! he smiled and Harry got a glimpse of a set of crooked teeth. must be prepared for the worst, though. She has rights over him that you do not . We just have to persuade the jury that the best place for him is with you. Now , I must ask some standard questions. Harold, has your mother ever hurt you? Oh, yes. All the time, Harry smoothly said.

He was left at his aunt's when he was very young. There is no way he would rememb er, Lily answered and cast him another furtive glance. Isn t he the funniest little thing? Fudge chuckled. Harold, this is a very, very seri ous situation, okay? No more lying and I ll bring you something during my next vis it. Let s just continue, Cornelius. Right. Has your mother ever neglected you? She left me at my aunt s house, what do you think? Yes, of course she has neglected me! What a stupid question! No need to get hostile. These are just standard questions I need to ask. Has she neglected you in any other ways? She s written about him in an article for her own personal gain, His aunt didn t try to stop her? Fudge asked. Lily stated.

She had already left by the time his aunt got here. We notified her right away if that is what you are suggesting! Lily s face flushed. Of course not! heir tempers! he chuckled nervously. My mother always warned me of red-heads and t

Lily looked very offended by his statement. Wouldn t it be easier to just give you his file? I have it here, Petunia took it off of Harry s bedside table and held out a manila folder with a hefty amount of pape rs. I need to hear as much as I can from his word. Cornelius, Harry has no memories of anything, remember? We told you that last tim e! Lily said. What happened last time? Your mother wanted you to give her an interview or something of the sort. The cou rt decided that it was your personal medical information. By the time they annou nced their verdict she was already off with a different story. See?! Well, I m glad it didn t go through, but she dropped interest in me just like t hat! Harry huffed. Very good point, Harry.

She ll probably drop her interest in this one as well,

he muttered glumly.

I m not so sure about that. She s much more adamant about it this time. I think she h as some hidden reasons for doing this, Petunia piped up. Like what? Lily asked.

Well she brought James in this time and she s never done that before. I think she s d oing it just to get back together with him. James, despite his appearance, is a family man. He wants a family and she thinks it s the perfect way to keep them tog ether, Petunia solemnly said. I grew up with her. She s a sly and deceiving woman, R ita. Oh, I never thought of that, Lily said thoughtfully. I ma

Well, I think I ll just go over these files like you said, Fudge nervously said. y have enough information.

Are you sure? Lily asked. You can stay for lunch. We have good food here, despite w hat you ve heard about hospital food. No, thank you. I ve got all that I need, Well, if you are sure Yes. I ll call you, Petunia, when I ve set up a court date. You can call Hogwarts the n. What day is best for you? I was hoping it would be sooner, I have another tri al for next month set up already. Next week? Yes, very good. Cheers to you! them out. So, Lily turned to Harry. Fudge tipped his ugly green hat and the guards led he replied.

We have a week. We should get started. Harry suggested

How about we try a nice relaxing week of doing absolutely nothing? hopefully. Nice try, Lily looked at him wearily. Chapter 16: Traumatic Trials [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter]

Is Harry really insane? It wouldn t be fun if I told you, now would it?! ;) Why did Harry's Dream-World parents die out of love for him? VERY good question. I think Harry just wanted to be loved so much after her realized Rita gave him up because she didn t want him that he picked two people to love him, even if they weren t exactly real. Does that make sense? Why is Hermione so smart in Harry s fantasy world? Because she doesn t think he s craz y. To his subconscious, it made her admirable. She just turned out to be smart b ecause of that. In the real world he had never met Lucien. How would he know what Lucien or Luci us for that matter was like? Who says he s never met him before? He has, Lucius ju st never acknowledges it. How'd Harry come up with "Wizards chess" then? Did he like it in real life? I su ppose you could say that, yes. :D Is Lily supposed to represent anyone in Harry's magic world besides his mother? She represents his ideal mother, someone who loves him enough to die for him, ra

ther than give him up like he was nothing. Does this take place after the sixth or fifth book? After the fifth! ^_^ Are alternate realities at play here? Mayyyybe, maybe not! ~_^ Will Harry go into another relapse that explains the sixth book with *Character Name* dying? Sorry, I censored it so I don t spoil the book for the few who haven t read it yet. No, this story isn t HBP compatible. :P Fudge just said Hogwarts and Harry didn't even take any notice of it. Why is tha t? Fudge has taken on one of Harry's cases before, so he knows the situation. Will Harry and Draco end up together? Hehe, sorry but I laughed at this question . No no, this it s a slash fic. I don t write slash fics, but I m in no way against th em. Sorry, but this is a no. :P Is Harry s father signifying the photographer who always follows Rita around? Nope , He s James. Just James. Author s Question: Is Holly you re real name? Yes, yes it is! I KNOW YOU PROBABLY HAVE A LOT MORE QUESTIONS (sorry, I wanted to catch your atte ntion) but there are just so many reviews I cant go through them all and get thi s chapter up tonight if I do both. So if this chapter doesn t answer it, please re send you re questions if you really want to know! Nine hundred and sixty-five reviews! You guys seriously have no idea how much th is means to me. I am so honored that you are all enjoying this. Seven hundred an d ninety-four new reviews from the last chapter. It s been like two months since I last updated (and I am SOO sorry for the wait) but that amount of reviews it ju st overwhelming! You guys are the best! If you read my responses to your reviews (Yes, I reply to all of them) you ll notice that I say thank you a lot, and I seem very unoriginal with some of my reviews, but I really mean it when I say thank y ou. So, thank you guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter! What s gone on before So, Lily turned to Harry. We have a week. We should get started. How about we try a nice relaxing week of doing absolutely nothing? Harry suggested hopefully. Nice try, Lily looked at him wearily. _-_-____-_-____-_-_ A week went by quicker than Dr. Porter had hoped. Harry kind of let things pass by, not really paying attention. He was now in the cafeteria for breakfast befor e the trial began. Hermione wasn t helping his mood at all. He got all of his brea kfast alright; Hermione let him today, but just as long as she got to feed him. It was embarrassing, but thankfully everyone else was crazy and didn t notice. She had given him a little gift, too. Ketchup. Thoughtful, he supposed, but he wish ed that it was in packets. Lily had been scolding him and fretting. She really wanted everything perfect fo r the trial but her attitude wasn t helping his own. They d gone through seven outfi ts that his aunt had brought over but she wasn t happy with any of them. It had been a while since he d been outside, he couldn t remember how long ago the p icnic was. With Lily at his side (and no guards, amazingly) they waited for the sanitarium vehicle to come. When he saw the big old automobile, he groaned. So m uch for not being noticed! It was a huge, box-like white van with unnecessarily big letters that had, Hogwar ts Sanitarium, and a sign on the back of the two doors that read, Stay back 20 fee t, patient being transported. He ll just blend in.

Where s aunt Petunia? Harry asked, glumly at the prospect of having to even go throu gh with this, let alone risking being sent to Rita s. She ll be meeting us there, Lily checked her watch for the third time in the past mi nute as she helped Harry up into the arduous white, padded seats and sat down ac ross from him. Now, I don t want you to be nervous, Harry, she checked her watch again and crossed her legs, then uncrossed them and seemed to be biting the inside of her cheek. Of course not, Harry rested his forehead against the window, looking out through t he driver s windshield because there wasn t any in his compartment, anywhere to avoi d his doctor s nervous habits. You re not nervous, are you? He was being sarcastic, bu t she didn t notice. Me? No but she checked the clock again. Harry snorted loudly, but didn t look away fr om the passing trees. What? You re a nervous wreck! he cackled, and glanced in her direction for a response, but seeing he wasn t going to get one, turned back. A few minutes went by slowly, bef ore any of them said anything. Am I really? Yup, Oh. And that was all that was said for the rest of the trip. ~*~ No, no, no! Don t make me go! was what Harry was thinking rapidly when the van pulle d up to a pillared courtroom. His heart was racing. He thought he was prepared f or this! We re here, Huh? Harry rasped out, his voice cracking from nervousness. he said. Lily asked him, calmly.

Lily looked up. Clearly, she was daydreaming the whole time.

We re but the doors swinging open answered her for him. He noticed that there were indeed guards, despite there not being any when he got on the van. One reached a nd grabbed his arm, but Harry knocked it away. Did they actually think he couldn t even get out of the van by himself? This way, Harry, one of the much kinder guards, Kingsley Shacklebolt, said. (He wa s the one who had been keeping an eye on him and Hermione during lunch and socia l time so he doesn t get hurt.) Harry felt extremely dizzy as he jumped down. He didn t feel like he was going to fall or anything, the guards made sure to hold him up. They kept Harry in place so he couldn t run away and they were lead into a back room in the courthouse. Harry stayed in the room alone (the guards were guarding the doors and Lily was talki ng to his lawyer for assurance) and left to his thoughts. He knew they had been running behind getting here, so it shouldn t be long until he s taken to the actual court room. Before he knew it, Lily came in looking quite unnerved.

Remember what I told you, alright Harry? gs on the cuffs of her sleeves.

she was plucking nervously at loose strin

Yes, his heart was sinking by the second as he realized he only had a few minutes until they were in session. ~*~ Please rise for the honorable Judge, Percy Weatherby, a man dressed in impressive clothing announced, standing in front of a big desk. The crowd whispered and mur mured a bit as they all rose, and Harry was helped up by Kingsley. Petunia stood on his right, looking determined, but she tried her best not to let Harry see h er weakness. The door slammed impressively open and the judge pranced in with an emotionless look on his face. He sat down, and with that, do did everyone else in the room. We are here on the Third of November, for a custody hearing for minor Harry James Potter, patient at Hogwarts Sanitarium, being treated for let me see He looked dow n at his paper to read. Severe Undifferentiated Schizophrenia. This case is going to be between this boy s mother and his aunt. Would the one who currently holds g uardianship for this young boy please come up? Petunia promptly stood up and shot Rita a disappointed look and sat in the book next to Judge Percy s. Mr. Fudge, he nodded and Cornelius rose and stood in front of Petunia as she sat. Fudge asked.

How long has your nephew been under your care?

Nearly fifteen years, Petunia held her head up high. How old is he now? Sixteen, he was a little over a year old when my sister left him at my house. In you re opinion, do you think he s happy with you? It s hard to answer How so? He doesn t live with me anymore and doesn t completely remember the years before his illness. I see now. Do you think Rita Potter has ever mistreated Harry in any way when he was a baby? No, I never saw any marks or bruises He was a little on the small side, but I woul dn t think he was neglected. He probably had a nanny for that year. How many times a year on average do you visit Harry? Oh, I usually go about four times a week, but the doctors wish for me to give him some space for a while so that they can treat him without interference. Is Rita paying for his hospitalization? No, Petunia said, but she didn t seem bothered. The people sitting behind them began to whisper. Petunia fidgeted. Fudge asked.

No? Has she ever sent money to help you raise her son? Never. All Harry s ever got from her is what she left him with at my house. When about James, his father? Has he helped with the finances? He didn t know about Harry since about a week ago. Rita never told him! When did Harry begin showing symptoms of schizophrenia? Eleven. Do you want to adopt him? Yes, of course. Have you ever tried adopting him in the past? Yes, but she never signed any of the papers. Did you and your sister get along when you were children? Not really. We were your typical siblings, what with sibling rivalry and all. We never got in too many fights though. No further questions at the moment, your honor. Harry couldn t believe how long this was taking. It felt like hours, but Harry kne w it was just nerves. He wished that this was all over with and he would be able to go back to his nice, safe, overly white room at the hospital. The jury began to whisper to one another, but the judge hit his gavel on the ben ch. I m calling a 15 minute recess! Judge Weatherby exclaimed. Everyone rose from their seats and exited through the back, but Harry was lead by the guards through a se parate door. Apparently they didn t want him mixing with society. So, they dragged him to the small room from before and Petunia joined him and Lily. Did I do okay? Yes, very good! What is it? Petunia fidgeted. Lily exclaimed, but she was looking forlorn.

Harry asked. Lily looked at him straight in the eyes.

Harry, you re up next, W-What?

Harry blurted out.

Cornelius is going to call you up next. Harry, do you remember the techniques I s howed you? But Harry wasn t paying attention. He knew he wasn t ready. In just a second, all th e techniques she had shown him throughout the week were gone. I can t do it! Harry rasped. I can t! I can t!

Chapter 17: Interrogations [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] Has harry been to the court before? - Yes, when Rita tried to publish that artic le. Is Lupin going to make another appearance? - Definately. Will Rita get custady? - Yes, she has custody. Will she keep it? Not telling you just yet! Does Percy Weatherby actually look like Percy from Harry's fantasy world? - Inde edly! Will we see Hagrid in the story? - You might, he was quite influencial in the bo oks, wasn't he? Did you get your idea from Buffy or Charmed? - No, and I've been ask this a lot. I haven't watched either when I began this story, but I did see the Charmed on not too long ago for the first time. And I agree, they are similar, but I got th is idea by a long mental list of the "what-if" game. :P What are the pairings in here? - You wont find too much romantic-likw parts in h ere, but there are HP/GW, past references to DM/LL, and a one-sided HP/HG. Meani ng, Hermione loves Harry but Harry thinks of her as a sister. Will any other Weasleys' show up in here? - Hmm, well we have Molly, Ron, Ginny, and Percy. Maybe one - or two. ;) Why would you make Ronald Weasley the antagonist towards Harry? - Ron's just a h ot-headed guy, I just exaggerated him. Trust me, they are still, er, friends in a way, you just can't see it. Will McGonagall or Flitwick be in here? - McGonagall might, but Flitwick is nega tive, sorry. Where did Aragog come from in Harry's imgagination? - They were near trees in a forest and it reminded him of the forbidden forest so he automatically saw Arago g. :P Where did the TriWizard Tournament come from in Harry's imagination? - Um... tri als... in his... er... life. Lol, I don't know. I'll have to get back to you on that. *Is innocent* Did the idea of "Azkaban" come from "Alcatraz" in San Fransisco? Or is it just a random name that he came up with to represent the prison that Sirius/Simon was in? - The first one. Thanks for letting me steal - um, I mean... yes, it was Alc atraz. 0:) Any Fred or George? - Look six questions above you. ;) Author Question: What do you think about the *censoredmagicalobjects* in HBP? What do you think i s going to happen with them? - I think I know what you are talking about - it st arts with 'H' right? Well I think Harry'll spend most of his time on a mission d ealing with them in "Harry Potter and the Seventh Installment at Last." :D Note: Hey, everybody! Thanks for checking back, I know I haven t updated in a while. I h ad originally planned to add 2 chapters up for a Christmas/New Years present, bu t when the submissions closed, I just kind of gave up on the idea. So, sorry abou t that and I want to thank you for all your reviews! That s one thousand one hundr ed and seventy eight in all! That s two hundred and thirteen new ones! Thank you s o much! What s gone on before Harry, you re up next, Lily looked at him straight in the eyes. W-What? Harry blurted out. Cornelius is going to call you up next. Harry, do you remember the techniques I s howed you? But Harry wasn t paying attention. He knew he wasn t ready. In just a second, all th e techniques she had shown him throughout the week were gone. I can t do it! Harry rasped. I can t! I can t!

Harry would you say that you like your doctors? Rita s lawyer questioned. Harry rece ntly learned his name was Randolf Bozo. Y-Yes Harry s hands were clenched together and he was shaking a bit. He bent down slightly so their

You seem hesitant to answer that one, why is that? eyes were at the same level. Hmm? I m I m just a little n-nervous, sir

Don t scare him! He s only a child, Randolf! Percy Weatherby, the judge of the court, warned. Yes, yes, of course, your honor, He stood straight once again. So, you re saying that you do like your doctors? Anger flashed through Harry s eyes for a moment. Yes, He said, his voice growing stronger than it was before.

Have they done their best in your outmost opinion please, Harry to help you throu gh this terrible illness? he asked Harry in a tone that classified him as a mere five-year-old. Do I look like I m having a fit to you, Bozo? Harry grumbled, glaring at him and put ting much emphasis on Bozo. Just answer the question, child, his determination flickered.

Yes, they have been! He hissed. The guards on either side of him moved forward. Ki nglsey put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. And don t talk to me like I m a stupid little infant! I m sixteen bloody years old, for Merlin s sake! Harry, I m going to have to ask you to calm down, Weatherby serenely warned. I am calm! Harry insisted, but folded his arms and sat back in his chair.

Has your mother ever hurt you? Oh, yeah, loads of times. Harry rolled his eyes. Is that the truth? Is that the truth? Of course it s not! She never cared to visit me ever to get the chance. So no, she hasn t. We need straightforward answers here! Bozo snapped and lost his composure. What? She hasn t isn t straightforward enough for you? ncil Bozo held in his hand snapped in two. Harry grinned sweetly when the pe

What kind of things describe your mother in this abstract world you periodically see? And hear. Sorry? I don t just see them, sir, I hear things in it too, Fine! Randolf snapped out, with much constraint. Harry s grin widened.

How would you describe your mother

when you have a fit? Nosey Uncaring Buggy Harry said the last on more to himself. buggy?

I m sorry did you just say Yes.

How would you see her as buggy? She could turn into an animal that could best describe her personality. In her ca se, a nosey little beetle, he grinned evilly. Would you like to delve deeper into my subconscious, or is that good enough for you? It s fine, Harry could tell this guy was itching to yell at him. was your aunt s metaphorical animal in your world? She doesn t Harry stopped, and quickly lied, Next question. What

A sheep. A nice, fluffy sheep.

She doesn t what?

he inquired. Harry mentally cursed. he nervously twitched, hoping the si

Well er she doesn t shift often, is what I meant, tuation wouldn t get worse.

What about Dr. Porter? I hear you re rather close with her? She s kind of er dead, Harry mumbled, blushing. His smirk w

So all in all, you can t really like her if you killed her off, can you? as back. Bloody lawyers.

I DIDN T KILL HER OFF! Harry yelled out, defensively. The guards held him in his sea t, but he hadn t even moved to attack anyone at all. Harry, I didn t mean to provoke you; I know how unstable your illness is, I m sorry. Dr. Lily Porter must have been doing something wrong to invoke her fate, though, and we mustn t let something like this slip by us, now can we? Yes-we-can, Harry said through gritted teeth. that slip by us, now can we?! She died saving my life! We mustn t let

His lip curled to give Harry the impact that he hadn t appreciated that. Enough questions, he shook with built up rage. Harry felt proud of himself as he w as allowed to move back to her seat. Miss Potter? the judge asked once Harry was back in his seat next to his doctor, a s both Rita and Petunia stood from their seats. I m sorry, Rita Potter, I meant. Th ank you, Petunia. He said as more of an apology. Rita confidently rose to the stand, making sure to show up her sister in the con fidence department. She straightened her ruby red skirt in a professional manner and placed herself delicately on the stand, adjusting her jewel encrusted red g lasses. Rita Potter Fudge held his hands firmly behind his back and refused to look at her as he spoke in a very McGonagall-like approach. Skeeter, she said firmly, but then added, Please, to make herself look more kind.

Ms. Skeeter

how long has your only child been under your care?

I d say a year, she said, not faltering, but instead plastering a sickly sweet expre ssion on her face. I was young and foolish. Why did you give up young Mr. Potter? he asked, just as calm. I wasn t married I didn t have enough income then, and I knew my dear sister had enoug h of it to stabilize her and her husband. I also knew she wanted a child of her own, I thought it was the best decision at the time, she stared unwavering at him , but he still wouldn t meet her eyes. So you think it was still the best decision so far? If I had known I would be in court trying to give him his rightful motherly love, then I d have to say no, she said. How do you think you sister is dealing with your decision? Is this question necessary? etween my sister and I. Rita s eyes shot towards Judge Percy. This isn t a matter b

Please just answer the question, Ms. Skeeter, Percy looked at her over the top of his rectangle-shaped spectacles. I feel she s jealous that I have a son and she doesn t, she clearly didn t appreciate th is question being asked and she showed her discontent as she stuck her nose in t he air. Don t you feel any empathy with your sister? You ve allowed her a child she s always wa nted and I m sure she thanks you for it, no matter what your excuse was but you ve a lso decided to, out of the blue, take him back. She s wanted a child for so long, don t you feel bad you are trying to take him away? You ve never cared for him but w ith the exception of a year, you didn t know the slightest thing about him, wherea s she s raised him since he was young. I m sure she can get over it, after all, I got over letting him go, . But you never knew him! I gave birth to him, of course I know him! she snapped. But, of course, I couldn t ge t to know him more for reasons than I have already stated. When did you finally reach a point in your career with which you were happy? What does that have anything to do withJust answer. She huffed, but this time forgot to question this to the judge and replied with haste, Around . Hmm, I would have to say 1982. How old was Harry about that time? Oh, I don t know. Five? What year was he born again? July, 1980. Is there a point to this? she stiffly said

Your son was two years old at that time, it was a year after you had left him wit h your sister, more or less. You clearly had reached a point where you were able to financially care for your son. Why didn t you take him back then and saved you r sister years of emotional attachment to what seemed to her a son? Well I was I was busy, you see. How could I have taken care of him when I was so in volved with my work? What about James Faust? What about him? Where was he when all this took place? he asked.

We had broken up at this point, even before Harold was born. Didn t you tell him about your pregnancy? Why would I? We didn t exactly leave off on the best of terms, how could I just str oll up to him and tell him he s going to be a father? Quite. But you see, he could have helped financially support Harry, he said.

Don t you think I hadn t thought about that?! I was afraid he d reject me! But it doesn t matter now we can be a family! I can have my son no, will have my son, Mr. Fudg e. Because now, I m engaged and once we re married, we can have the perfect future t ogether! Chapter 18: The Gentle Grim [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] Who s Harold? - Harry s real name. I dunno why I made it that way, it just looks more un? :P So, Rita does end up having custody over Harry? Will that last long? You ll find o ut hither. :P But if Rita does happen to get custody, it wouldn t be too long. I m a fraid that if I go with that route, I ll be going crazy. I hate Rita! :P Was there another trial Harry had with Percy Weatherby? - Yep, remember the arti cle Rita was going to post about Harry s illness? Well they went into court about it, so that s where they ve met before. :P Is Harry going to have another fit soon? - Possibly! ;) When will Hagrid come into the picture? - He will, probably, but I m no sure when. Soon enough! Why on earth did Molly have to be married to Mr. Malfoy? - Lol, Love blinds faul ts! They were younger when they got married, but she still clearly cares for him . How did Rita Skeeter end up to be Harry's real mom ? - I tried to think of one of t he most foul characters in the HP world, and Rita just came to me because I like writing her obnoxious behavior! Hehe :P How did Harry and Simon interact? - They got along well until he left. He was pr etty normal for a while when Harry knew him so they got along good. What was Simon's "problem"? - Voices! ;) How many chapters in total will you write? - Right now, I m guessing 40. :) AUTHOR QUESTION: Have you deleted any bad reviews you got? - No, I haven t. There are a couple in t here, but I would never ask for them to be delete them unless if they were attac f

king me instead of the story. If they were criticizing my story, the only way I would have them deleted would have to be if they ranted on and on about how terr ible the story was without backup or constructive criticism. Example: This is so horrible! Why would you ever post this?! This shames hpff.com! . Or something like that, but NEVER for reviews that are bring frank and honest. In fact, the only one I have EVER had deleted was this one: What are you talking about? This is cra p! Until you have an actual book written and published, don't take other's works and ruin them. I wont tell you who said it on here, but it s just one of those rev iews that gets your spirits up for both writing the story AND any future dreams of writing at all. It was attacking me, so thus I asked for deletion. And frankl y, I like it when people criticize and tell me what s wrong with the story. That w ay, I have insight and I know what I can do to get my stories to be more enterta ining.

What's gone on before... Quite. But you see, he could have helped financially support Harry, he said.

Don t you think I hadn t thought about that?! I was afraid he d reject me! But it doesn t matter now we can be a family! I can have my son no, will have my son, Mr. Fudg e. Because now, I m engaged and once we re married, we can have the perfect future t ogether!

You did so well, Harry! m Thanks,

Lily praised after a long silence in the small library roo

Harry mumbled, still tensed.

Do you think we ll win? Petunia said with much strain in her voice. There was an eer ie silence that reminded Harry strongly of Snape s potions class, without the poti ons and Snape, of course. Let s hope so. Miss Skeeter is a very powerful woman with a great deal of money in her pocket. Sadly to say, it could be an advantage for her. But I ve got some money! I ve paid everything on time Petunia looked hysterical, like her life was slowly being ripped through her fingertips. I know, Dr. Porter put a hand on her shoulder in attempt to calm the distressed wo man. You ve helped us so much, we can old hope it s enough. Do you think Buggy s going to have an advantage with the engagement? Harry spoke up.

Well it did come to us as a shock. It could impact the decision slightly, but I t hink we made a good case. Will we hear anything today? We might, they looked rather confident. I think we just might. -=*=Please rise. Harry got to his feet and crossed his arms, not looking at anything particular.

A little tug on his sleeve signaled that he was able to sit once more. We have come to a decision. It was complicated, both sides had strong points, and Mr. Potter needs stability right now. Joint guardianship is not one of the best decisions; however we must look into it. He needs to grasp a higher understandi ng of social life, try new things and get his brain pumping. We do not believe H ogwarts is supplying him with these interactions. Harry s heart rose to his throat and his eyes darted to the speaker, Judge Weather by. He seemed as though he was trying to avoid Harry s eyes. However, Harry heard Lily breath in. I do not believe that James and Rita can prope rly support Harold with enough care that he needs right now. This boy can not ju st change drastically without medical and psychological help. People need to sup ervise him around the clock and give him treatments. It s a huge responsibility, a nd two people can not do this and it seems impossible for you to learn everythin g that is needed to help. However If proper care and nurses are available, we can accept this. There is no way cust ody can go to you without it. If this is appended, I think we could work somethi ng out. However, Rita Skeeter, you re actions shame me. You have not taken the tim e out of your schedule to at least visit your son. This isn t something we can tak e lightly. You avoided your responsibility, and it troubles us thinking about wh at kind of care you will be able to supply. However, James Faust has to be given a chance. We must also take into account our financial states. Miss Potter has upheld steady payment, but her job is not well paying and she has struggled alon g with her other payments. We believe that it is best No. if we grant custody to Rita and James No. for financial and society related reasons. No! Harry felt his throat close before the word came out and he sat in his seat, f eeling quite numb. As such, Harold will be left under the guidance of his doctors and aunt for one w eek, in which time Rita and James must find suitable help. If you are unable to acquire suitable help, custody will be returned to his aunt. She... Petunia wheezed. She can t do this, she Lily mumbled, holding onto Petunia s shoulders

Come on, we need to get out of here, to support her.

Harry said nothing, and he hadn't intended to move either, but the guards were g ently urging him along and they walked through a few halls where fancy dressed p eople all sipped coffee and chatted animatedly. A few shot him disapproving star es as if he had committed a crime. 'Well, this was a court after all.' Harry tho ught cynically. As he walked down the steps, a familiar black dog seemed to be s taring at him intently. Had he been in his other world, Harry was sure that he w ould have run to it, but instead he stared at the scruffy dog with a pained expr ession. "Padfoot," Harry muttered, as he turned away from the dog. A loud whine came fro m behind him as he stepped into the hulky van that he had been in earlier today. He hadn't noticed how long he was in the courthouse until now. The sun was stil

l above the horizon but it was darker than what it was when he first came. Kingsley was about to slam the door shut when the dog leapt inside. Lily screame d in shock and Petunia tried pushing it back out, but the dog wouldn't budge. In stead, his tail wagged and Harry put his hands in front of his face as it tried to lick his face. He could feel the tail whap against his knee repeatedly. "Get - him - OUT!" Lily commanded and Kingsley clung to the front of his neck as he was dragged out the door. There was no collar that Harry could see, and the eyes looked so familiar. "Don t!" Harry tried getting up, but the door shut before he could reach out. "It' s Padfoot! We cant - " "Harry, it's just a dog," Petunia said, warily. "Isn't that the dog who keeps prowling on our campus?" the muffled voice of King sley told his fellow guard, above the sounds of ear-splitting barks. "It's not just a dog, Aunt Petunia!" Harry pounded on the door. "Please, can't w e just - " "No animals," Lily told him, as the van started and pulled away. The dog tried t o follow, but a dark-haired man had restrained him and pulled him back. The scen e in front of him got smaller as the vehicle pulled away. -=*=It hadn't even been a week and everyone had solemn faces. His doses had lightene d slightly and he felt himself feeling more energetic than he had when this whol e mess started. Harry would have been in a good mood if not for the lingering sa dness that he felt whenever he thought of being trapped with Rita. They hadn't r eceived any news on the matter either, so he still had a chance. He had kept a sharp eye on the window, looking for any sign of the big black dog that Kingsley had unknowingly revealed to have been known for wandering the cam pus. There hadn't and it hadn't helped his spirits any. A few times he had slipp ed over the edge and had been talking to Hermione in the library. Her face was c oncerned and she seemed very annoyed with him. He distinctly heard her say, "I d on't know what's been up with you lately, but you have ten late assignments to w ork on - ten! You always hand in your work!" her voice had changed to concern an d sympathetic, "If anything is bothering you, you know you can tell me. I'll tel l you what, I'll help you finish these ten and -" But he had pushed the vision aside, clearing his head. 'Maybe they've been late because I'm not there anymore!' he thought angrily at her. With his unhappy mood , many episodes like that one had taken over him. It wasn't like before, though, and getting rid of them were extremely easy. Not a word was said to his doctors either, but he decided that they had enough on their place with the other patie nts, the issue with Rita, and maintaining the entire building. He had heard word that Ginny and Draco had tried many times to visit him, but the doctors didn't allow it because of everything that had been happening. It was an incredibly dull few days until he got a visitor that his doctors could n t refuse. Actually, visitors. Harold, darling! Rita reached her arms out embracing, and pulled him into a hug. H arry felt the urge to laugh. It seems she was trying her best to play the part a s mother with a large skirt and apron, and it appeared to Harry that her glasses h ad much fewer jewels than he remembered. James had a large grin on his face and

a look that Harry could have sworn was pleased. Two figures, a man and a woman, stood behind them, dressed casually and looking poised. Harry, I d like you to meet Marcela and Jeremy. They ll be your nurses when you come live with us! Rita positively glowed. The woman with dark hair reached her hand o ut in welcome and Harry shook it, politely. Thank you for coming without forewarning us, Lily tried not to sound rude, but the her voice was dripping with spite. I see you ve found Harry s room without trouble. Oh, that who s his name? Robert? Anyway, he pointed us in the right direction. So h ow s my little boy today? Rita ruffled his hair more that it was originally, if at all possible. Harry looked at her irritably. Don t call me a little boy, Harry smacked her hand away and the nurses behind her sh ared a glance. Ah, yes, Harry thought. First impressions. Have you been good for your Doctor Porter? es grow tired of her faade. Impeccably, Ready to go? she asked, and Harry could see even Jam

he muttered in a monotonous tone. Rita asked. Lily shrieked, appalled.

Wait, you re not suggesting he leave today! I am, she smiled sweetly. re sadly mistaken, Doctor.

Did you not think I would be able to find help? Oh, you a Lily argued. At the same time, Ron had jogged in.

But we haven t had enough time!

What s going on here? he asked, glumly when he saw Rita. She just waltzed in and said she s taking him! You can t! Ron s eyes flashed at her. Can t I? she smiled. I ve met all the standards that were set and I ve come to take him.

Chapter 19: Siriusly Surprised [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] Where's Vernon? Was he married to Petunia? - Vernon's no longer with us. He died before this whole problem with Harry. He was married to Petunia, but ironically , he was killed in a car crash. Ironic by how it was him constantly telling Harr y that his own parents had died in a car crash. Is the big black dog Snuffles/Padfoot/Sirius? - Yes, but I wont say if it's just Padfoot/Snuffles or Sirius. Where's the fun in that! And once you read the end of this chapter, I think you should still question whether it is actually him or not. Remember, Harry's not entirely stable yet! Will Snape come in anywhere? - I havent decided. For sure in one of the endings, the one I am working on no will involve Snape minimally, but thats all I can te ll you at this point without lying. Where did the sorting hat come from? - Well in one ending, everything has an exp laination, but in the other, I havent thought everything out yet. I really dont have an answer for that one, sorry. :( Why were Petunia and Vernon so mean to him in his imaginary world if she loved h im so much? - Very good question. One I can answer! He was jealous that the affe ction wasn't coming from his own parents, but to some part of his identity which he doesnt have a full grasp on. Does that make sense?

Do you take psychology classes? - Hehe, no. I probably should have before I star ted writing HS, but I've signed up for it next year, my senior year of high scho ol. It's proabably far from acurate. Since Voldemort was sort of based on Harry, does that mean no character represen ting the Dark Lord will appear? - If I gave that away, I might ruin one ending f or you! I'm not telling if he will appear or not, you'll have to wait and see! ; ) If harry had only met his father James a week or two ago, how did he know what J ames looked like in his magical world? - He'd seen pictures from Petunia. It's l ike his photo album Hagrid gave him, only this time it was Petunia. How old is Harry? - 16, this was started before HBP came out. Will James be a friend to Harry? - your answer can be found at the end of this c hapter! ;) When are Ginny, Krum, Seamus, and Draco going to visit again? - As soon as James can convince Buggy ^_^! Author Questions: Why do you have so many typos lately? - Hehe, I know. I just got a new laptop (w hich I LOVE, by the way. It was refurbished and costed 265.00 USD) and guess wha t? It doesn't have word, which is saddening. Not only will I not be acurate on m y 3-page chapter limit, but there is that little absence of spell checker. I go over it quite a few times to make sure it's right, but it's so boring and some t hings are bound to slip by. I'm sorry for any mistakes, and I thank those immens ely who are able to spot some! Thank you so much for all the reviews! I am honored that you're enjoying the sto ry! My total is no up to 1,475! Which, coincedently, is my access code for somet hing that shall remain unknown, but it's a very lucky number! I havent been keep ing count in the last chapter. Chapter twenty is almost finished itself, I was g oing to wait for the site to open again, but then I decided to give you somethin g to ease your boredom as the site goes through the exciting changes! I've been a trusted author since who-knows-when, so I'm so happy I was able to update! Tha nks again, everybody!

What's gone on before... What s going on here? he asked, glumly when he saw Rita. She just waltzed in and said she s taking him! You can t! Ron s eyes flashed at her. Can t I? she smiled. I ve met all the standards that were set and I ve come to take him.

"This is absurd!" Lily raged. "We were allowed a week with him!" "Oh? A week, you say? Because I've got the impression that I was given a week to find help, which I have, so I'd appreciate it if you could pack up Harry's thin gs straight away," Rita sneered at her. "Or do I have to call the authorities?" "Please, Ri - um... mummy," Harry winced as soon as it came from his mouth. "Can 't I just stay here a few more days?" "No," she didn't even look at him, as she seemed to be staring down Dr. Porter. "Well, what are you waiting for? I haven't got all day!" "Rita - darling - I don't see why we need him here today, a few days can't hurt, and we can finish his room -" James seemed almost afraid of her. "I've got Debby working on it, it should be done by the time I get there," she g

lanced superiorly at her fiance. James sent a pitiful look at Harry as if to say , 'I tried.' -~*~The drive to Rita's House was a long one. They had to go through two different b usy cities until they came to a town with huge houses that were acres apart from each other. The houses passed by and Harry almost didn't notice her house until they pulled into a driveway where a roof could be seen poking over a hill. The roof was a solid rusty red color and the siding was copper like cobbled stones c emented together. The smell of chlorine filled his nostrils and he could see the lighted reflection of rippling water on the side of it. "Welcome home, darling!" Rita was the first to get out of her expensive car. She held her hand out in welcome, as if presenting the house. "I just moved in last month. It's very nice, I think you'll like it here," James looked up at the house fondly as Marcela ushered him out of the car. "Welcome home, Ma'am!" a perky woman ran out of the house. She was a dark haired woman with her hair in a bun. "Oh, I've just finished decorating young master H arry's bedroom - oh, my! Is this him?! He is so tall! And look at him! A spittin g image of his father!" she exclaimed with such enthusiasm, Rita could be seen w incing. "Thank you, Debby," she said in annoyance, "Yes, this is Harold." "I'm so happy to finally meet you!" she smiled. "It's nice to meet you, too," He replied. "He's so polite!" Debby looked at him, fondly. "Thank you, Debby," she repeated, growing aggravated. "Can I get you anything?" she continued. "No, thank you," Harry answered. "I'll give you the tour!" Rita exclaimed before Debby could offer. "Well, if you need anything, just holler!" she giggled and ran back inside. Harr y was pleased that neither of the nurses found it necessary to hold on to his ar ms as he walked. They opened a large, two-doored entrance and Harry found himself in a Victorian styled room with decorated stairs. "To the left is the kitchen. Breakfast is served punctually at 8 o'clock in the morning, lunch at noon, and dinner at 6:00. The maids will be busy in here quite often, so I don't think you should go in there. The bathroom is over here, it's quite large, with a hot tub had you ever wanted to use it, it's yours! Oh, and the dining room. Isn't it lovely? I had one of my friends design it, he's quite a creative, don't you think? I once wrote an article about him - he forgave me, of course, after I complimented his work - well I'm getting off track here, aren 't I? Our meals will be prompt and on time as I said, and I want you to be here at those times. There's a pool you might enjoy out back, but I think we should k eep you inside for a while. The neighbors don't approve entirely - oh, what I me an to say is that they just need to get used to the idea. They're both nice enou gh families, although I think Tom Rodley's got a few marks on his criminal recor

d. This is the living room, feel free to use the television all you like..." Harry mostly droned the rest out, only glancing in the rooms as they walked by t hem. It wasn't until they made it to his room that he perked up. He had to admit , it was nice. The room was a cool shade of blue, the walls painted with a lot o f detail. It was fairly large with his own personal bathroom, although quite sma ll, was a nice change, Harry had to admit. He had a large window overlooking a r ather large pond. Overall, Harry was pleased. "I'll let you settle in," Rita smiled, triumphantly. -~*~Harry surveyed his room, taking in his new sanctuary once again. 'It's not schoo l, but at least it's mine.' Harry thought, amazingly content. His view rested up on a rather feminine mirror and stared at his reflection for the second time sin ce he 'woke up,' as the doctors had always put it. He missed the emerald orbs th at had greeted him every morning when he was getting ready for classes at Hogwar ts. Now, his eyes were a dull hue of grey that held so much sadness that he want ed to look away. His glance went up a few centimeters to his flawless forehead. The scar that mad e him who he was, what he was, was gone. Had he been asked a few months ago what he would have done to be able to get rid of it, he would have replied with, "An ything." But now, he'd do that exact thing to have it back again. In a desperate thought, he reasoned that he could just take a sharp object and carve it back i nto his forehead, but that was just stupid. He wasn't that desperate, he only wa nted to have his old life back. He could go back if he wanted to, that was a giv en, but it would take a lot of shock, disappointment and sadness for it to happe n. Harry also didn't want to upset the new friends he had gained in this world. Absentmindedly, he rubbed his forehead where his scar used to reside. "You ready, mate?" Ron's dull voice echoed in the back of his head. "Snape'll ha ve our heads if we miss another detention." Harry shook his head, clearing all thoughts and flipped the mirror around so it now faced the wall. He really didn't want to see his reflection. For a while, at least. His solemn thoughts were disrupted by a knock at the door, which he resp onded to by twisting around so quickly, he almost lost balance. "Hello, S... er... Harry," James stood in the doorway with his arm crossed, surv eying the room with interest. "You like it?" "Yeah, it's okay," Harry shrugged. "Nice view." "Yup," he agreed. Harry noticed he was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, something th at he wasn't used to. Whenever he saw him he was wearing a business suit. "I got something for you - er... I don't know if... I hope you..." He seemed to be str uggling with words. "I noticed you took a liking to him, so I tracked him down. Debby?" The woman Harry was enthusiastically greeted with earlier was back, struggling t o pull back on a leather leash. On the end was the Padfoot look-a-like. Harry fe lt his eyes twinge as she let go and Padfoot leapt at him and started to lick hi s face. Harry felt his mouth form into a smile as James surveyed the room. "I don't know what to say," Harry smiled with moistening eyes. "It's the best gi ft I've ever been given!" Well, apart from the Invisibility cloak. James gave him the first real smile he had ever seen - not counting photographs,

of course. "What are you going to call him," he proudly asked. "Padfoot," Harry said, automatically. "It fits him, doesn't it?" "Yes," James replied and the dog seemed to wag it's tail rapidly in agreement. " Well I'll leave you two alone, and when I say 'leave you two alone', I actually mean 'I'm going to have to calm your mother down when I tell her there's a dog l iving in her house'." There was a spark in his eyes that Harry hadn't seen befor e. Harry couldn't help but grin wider. James held in his laughter and quietly cl osed the door behind him. "Hey there, boy," Harry scratched behind Padfoot's ears how Sirius had always li ked. Padfoot seemed to like it too as his tail whapped his knee. "How's it going ?" Harry got up from his bed and peered out the window. Not long after, he hard a familiar raspy voice. "I'd have to say it's going really well, Harry." Chapter 20: Race Against Time [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] Hello, my friends! Usually a bunch of chapter questions would go here at the top , but I really don't have the time right now to go through them because of one r eason: It's my seventeenth birthday and I want to give you a gift instead! I rewrote th is whole chapter so I could get it up today and I got my goal of 3 pages! I hope you enjoy and I'll get you those chapter questions in the next chapter likely. Or, if I'm in a good mood, I'll post them here at a later time. Happy Memorial D ay! Harry felt his heart struggle to start up again. The hairs on the back of his ne ck stood on end. It couldn't be... "Sirius?" Harry slowly turned around. There, standing in front of him in the fle sh, was Sirius Black. "How've you been, Prongs Jr?" he had a big grin on his face. Sirius looked sligh tly different than he remembered. His beard had been shaved cleanly and he was w earing clean Wizarding robes. Harry blinked; absorbing the sight, then turned ar ound and tried to look around for anything that looked normal that he could focu s onto to stop this episode. "Not there..." Harry muttered under his breath, closing his eyes tight, feeling his eyes water. "I don't know whether to be insulted or proud," Sirius said, evenly, and he coul d feel him walk to his side. "Shut up, just shut up!" Harry plugged his eyes tighter and viciously turned awa y. "Insulted it is, then," his voice seemed pained, "Harry, look at me!" He swung h im around by his shoulders and Harry looked up at him, startled. "I'm real, I'm here." "You're - no, you can't..." Harry choked, feeling his throat close and tears rel ease from his eyes. "Go away!"

"Harry you need to quiet down!" he whispered. "Someone will hear you!" The room began to fade slightly, and the two of them were in a dark room with many white pillars masked in the shadows, and a billowing curtain whipping in the non-exist ent wind. Tormenting whispers issues from the veil, and Harry stopped fighting a gainst Sirius to stare frozen at it, lip quivering. "What is it? Harry, what...? " There was no Sirius in sight, but the weight of his hand on his shoulder let h im know. "The veil... Sirius, you're real!" Harry looked back at him, eyes wide. "Thank Merlin, I was beginning to doubt myself," he chuckled, but then quieted. "I'm sorry; I don't think I'm one to talk." "But this can't be - how...?" "Are you having one of your vision things these barmy old dokors keep calling th em?" "Yes, I see the veil," he muttered, as the voices grew louder. "Don't you have any techniques? I thought I heard Lily talk about them when I go t word you had revived." "I focus on things - things that are normal in non-magic land." "Focus on me, then," said Sirius, helpfully, "Unless you still have doubts..." But Harry wasn't listening; he was already concentrating solely on the pressure on his shoulder. His haze seemed to disperse slowly and the pillars turned to hi s canopy-styled bead posts, and the veil into his fluttering window curtains. Ev en Sirius's arm became visible in the corner of his eye, but he refused to look right away. This was too good to be true. All of his life, he had grown used to the good things in life, only to have them taken away. If Sirius didn't understa nd that it was hard, then nobody could because he went through almost just as mu ch pain as himself. "Prongslet?" he asked, quietly. "How - I don't understand...?" Harry slowly looked him in the eye, and replays o f that terrible scene in the Department of Mysteries filled his mind. "Not sure my self, to tell you the truth," he said, calmly and he let himself si t on Harry's bed. Harry had to admit, he'd never seen Sirius looking so alive be fore. His hair was neat and held back by a ponytail, but Harry could tell that i t was recently cut by the ends. He wore a casual, yet stylish outfit that made h im look younger than he was, and the torment that used to fill his eyes had comp letely vanished. Even his chin was free of stubble. "I'm guessing you have a few questions." "Understatement of the year - no, sorry, decade," Harry blew breath out his lips and sat next to Sirius, afraid to believe. "Well, if it helps any," Sirius grunted and seemed to pat each of his pockets un til Harry heard a familiar clanged as he pulled out a shiny golf coin and held i t out for him. Harry hesitated, already knowing what it was, but then held out h is palm flat and in it dropped a galleon. He could feel it in his hand, the text ure, the weight - it was all the same. A simple coin made him doubt everything t hat has happened to him. The doctors, the medication - all to keep him thinking he was insane.

"Everything... I'm not insane, am I, Sirius?" Harry whispered, in awe. "Partly, no," Sirius sighed. "Which means it's partly yes," Harry muttered, his shoulders slumping. "You're still getting visions from the other world - our world. That shouldn't b e happening. I doubt you could control your magic here. I doubt you even have ma gic here. I'm sorry, kiddo." Harry was silent for a few moments, and then asked, "Why are you here?" "I have my theories, but one can't be too sure." "What are they?" "Well... there is one I am holding most of my bets on, and I talked to Arabella Figg, who's a renowned genius with this kind of stuff. Oh, sorry, she's a Muggle born witch here, which helps a lot with the theories. We've been working togethe r for a few weeks now. Anyway, we think that this is a world almost completely o pposite of our own. Whoever resides in this world is the opposite in the other w orld. Take Arabella herself for example, in the other world she is a squib. From a pureblooded family with no magic at all. This is reversed here, where she is a Muggleborn with extraordinary magical talents. Then there is Lily, she is a Mu ggleborn witch in ours, but in here, she's an ordinary muggle. Bella also has th eories that there are two more worlds that coincide with this one, but we won't delve into that right now. I think that Voldemort, who, by the way, doesn't exis t in this world, somehow switched the two of you up. It must have been advanced and extraordinarily dark magic. According to our theory, you are not supposed to be here." "Well if Voldemort -" "Voldemort is messing with fate, which can be an extremely detrimental to the Or der." "The Order of the Phoenix is here?" Harry's ears perked up. "Even without Dumble -" "I'm sorry, I'm forgetting with my old age," Sirius told him, "Bella calls the b alance between worlds the Order. Anyway, you're not supposed to be here, which i s why we have to get you back to your world pronto. If not, well, I'm afraid abo ut what will happen." "What will happen, exactly?" "There will be no hope for the Wizarding world, because if we're right, Harold i s in our world. He's inexperienced and without powers, I'm guessing. If Voldemor t gets to him, there will be nobody to switch places with." Harry's breath became rapid. "Sirius, I have to go back!" "I know that! We need to get to the Department of Mysteries and get you through that veil. It's quite risky, and I've been trying to contact you since I found o ut you were here. It was a coincidence, mind, I was actually following Lily, but -" "Go on, Sirius!" Harry ushered. "What do we have to do?" "We need to first get you out of this joint and out of that institution's radar.

They'll come looking for you and murder charges were enough for me and I would rather not have kidnapping on my plate as well. Skeeter's going to cause us a pr oblem as well for a while. She's going to have to go through meetings and check ups with this for a few weeks, which will probably call the attention of the aut horities. Then, make our way to the Wizarding world; somehow get into the Depart ment of Mysteries. It might prove difficult. Yvonne Polkiss, the Mistress of Mag ic, is extremely paranoid and has every place of importance under excruciating s urveillance. Even then, the outcome might be difficult. We have to make sure you get where you have to be and not into any of the other planes." Harry looked at him in mock horror, "So you do have a brain after all!" "I'm not just a pretty face," Sirius let his hand run his hand over his tied bac k hair with a superior attitude. Harry began snickering, which turned to roaring laughter. Pretty soon there were tears in his eyes as he fell of the bed and co ughed. "Harry, what in Merlin's name...?" Sirius looked confused and scared at the same time. "Should I get help -" Harry laughed louder, "-it wasn't that funny... Har ry!" "It's so good to have you back, Sirius," Harry wheezed as his mirth subsided. It turned to horror when the clomping of stairs could be heard and footsteps makin g their way to his room. Sirius was one step ahead of him and was sitting ramrod straight on his bed in his dog form, staring at the door expectantly. The door squeaked open and the torso of James Potter could be seen. "What's going on up here?" he asked, quizzically. "Oh, uh... Sirius was... um.. chasing his tail, and...er..." Harry lied. "Sirius?" James asked. "I thought you named him Padfoot." "Oh... Sirius is his nickname." "Um... alright, then. He doesn't look serious..." James went on with a very conf used voice. The dog suddenly coughed as if he was chocking on something, and Jam es stared at him. "Well, if everything is alright..." Harry nodded enthusiastica lly. "I'll go then. Oh, and your mother expects you down for dinner in ten minut es." "Okay, thanks Dad," Harry smiled and James brightened as he shut the door behind them. Harry and Sirius remained quiet until they were sure he was gone. Sirius' s chocking subsided and as he transformed, said, "Good Ol' James. That was alway s one of our favorite jokes." "What?" "My name and serious the word. Always a classic." "Oh," Harry said with a lopsided grin. "There is a little bit of Prongs in him," Sirius sighed happily. "I'll always mi ss Prongs, but at least I have a part of him back. And Lils. She's a woman that will never change. Just as determined as always." "When do we suggest going?" "A week, at least. It's going to be hard and it would be easier if we had some h elp, but -"

"So why don't we?" "Why don't we what?" "Get help!" "Oh, Harry, I don't know..." he looked worried at the thought. It might be dangero us." "Let s get Dad to help!" Harry grew excited. "You can get to know each other like the old days! He seems like a nice enough bloke, and -" "Arabella won't like this..." "Do you do everything Arabella tells you? Come on, Sirius!" "We need more time to think about this! We can't have any rash decisions! Beside s, he's not likely to take well to being told, at such a perfectly mature age, t hat magic is real." "How do you think Muggleborn parents feel?" Harry glared at him, bringing back b ad memories of the rash decisions that happened in the past. "Harry, that's different!" "No it's not! I'm a wizard!" "You were a wizard," Sirius sadly muttered. "But I know so much about it!" "And they know just as much about psychological things. Harry, they'll think you 're mad!" "They already think I'm mad!" Harry pointed out, exasperated. "That's what I'm saying! They'll drug you up on medication and we'll never get a nywhere!" "But if we recruit my dad, we could get out of here sooner! The increasing of my medication is just a chance we'll have to take!" "It sounds as if you already made your decision," he said, sadly. "I have," Harry said, defiantly. "It'll be dangerous." "I know." "You might get sent back with the dokors." "Doctors, Sirius, doctors." "Right, dokors."' "We'll have to risk it." "You don't want to get to know your dad a little better first?"

"Sirius, don't go there." "What? I'm stating a fact!" he sighed. "It hurts me just as much as it does you, and if I were you I'd want this chance." "We'll bring him with." "He has nobody to switch with, we won't be able to." "You did." "I was a special case. I'll explain later." "Is risking the lives of thousands of people worth a few days of getting to know them and then having to leave them again better?" "No, but-" "That'd be selfish of me!" "Everyone's entitled to be a little selfish at times, especially you." "We don't have the time, Sirius! If I don't get back before Voldemort has a chan ce to have a go at the other Harry, I'll never get back and he'll reign forever! " "You really think that's the best option?" "Yes!" "Then we will. We'll tell him tonight." Chapter 21: Father, Meet My Dogfather [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] How is Sirius alive? - The veil transported Sirius into this world. Harry switch ed bodies with Harold. When he went through the veil, he went through one-way. Sim on (Sirius s counterpart) is still in the Alternate World. Thus, AU 2 Sirius s, Wiza rding World 0. Is Harry crazy in this ending (the first of two)? - In this one? Maybe. You ll see here. In the other one? Well, you ll just have to wait now won t you? Hehe! Is it because Harry likes Quidditch in his 'make-believe' world, that he would l ike soccer in the real world?" I suppose so, yes. :P Is Sirius dead? - Dead men tell no tales. ;) Will James and Lily get together? - Erm. No. James is an entirely different pers on in this world. Rita might attack her and scare her off anyway. She s pretty obs essive, heh. The Bella mentioned is from the Alternate world, right? - Aye, aye. She be a wit chy. (Muggleborn, as opposed to her Wizarding counterpart who is a pureblood wit hout powers.) So the magical world does exist? - In this ending, aye. Sirius is trying to get Harry back into his world, right? - Voldie isn t in this w orld he knows that Harry must get back and defeat him. As much as he prefers to be selfish, he knows what the right thing is. Is Tom Rodley supposed to be like Tom Riddle? - Yep. Voldie never was. (Tom is a muggle). Author Question: Bloody hell. It s been six months! What took you so dang long?! - I was preoccupied . I started another story like last month. What was I doing the other five months

? Sleeping? Actually, I can t answer this. But hopefully this chapter will make up for it? *anxious* Hopefully you ll see some changes (for the good) in my writing style. Oh, and if you want to check out my original fiction story, it s published on FictionPress(dot)com. Look under the title, Her Majesty, the Prince. (As you ca n see, I like to keep having original stories, heh). Thanks guys, for sticking with me so long! 1,943 reviews! I don t know if I ll ever have time to properly thank you all! Please don t hurt me! Now, without further ad o (impatient, yet?) Here is the story!! Chapter Twenty-One - Father, Meet My Dogfather Harry felt his insides twitching with anticipation. In about an hour, he would b e one step closer to freedom. Well, at least a step closer to meeting his (kindof) real father. Every time he saw his father it brought back a pang of sadness. The real James - Harry s father - seemed so much different in pictures. Harry rea lized he would never meet his father. The one in this world was a substitute in image, but not in mind. James was more uptight and like a lost puppy. It was har d to picture how he could have ever fallen in love with Rita - or if he ever did . At dinner, he was perched in between Marcela and James, but Sirius sat under the table between Harry and James. His tail bumped into Harry s leg, but he believed Sirius was reminding him that he was still there with him. It calmed him down so me, but it didn t relieve the stress he felt knowing that he would soon tell James . We re not keeping him, Rita announced, glaring daggers at James. He didn t seem affect ed, instead choosing to pat Sirius head. Of course we are, James told her firmly. I m disappointed in you, James! e! she hissed. You did not ask me first! This is my hous

If you don t like it, kick me out, he shrugged. I only came to live here because you wanted us to be a family. I don t think you re treating us like family. Her lips were white and pressed into a thin line. Harry thought she resembled Um bridge for a moment, but then her face turned into a forcefully perky face. Of course, James, she replied, but her knuckles were pale and her hands shook in r age. Harry grinned, but then the sick feeling came back. Was what he going to ta lk to James about wrong of him to do? Should Sirius and him just run away by the mselves? No, his mind stamped that out immediately. James must be told. Do you plan on swimming out back later, Harold? Not really, he replied. It s a tad chilly out. she asked.

Well it s open whenever you like, just make sure you first ask Marcela or Jeremy to watch you beforehand. Sure, he said dully. He twisted his spaghetti dinner in his fork, trying to weave the noodles in his fork. He wasn t all that hungry. Harry, you re not eating, Rita pointed out.

Not hungry. Would you like me to have Debby whip something else up for you? No, I would like to be excused, he said.

In this house you will follow the proper use of etiquette and will finish the mea l that is in front of you, she pursed her lips, looking almost at the edge of thr owing a fit. You can keep telling me what to do, but that doesn t mean I m going to obey you, Harry retorted. His stomach seemed to be unclenching from the distraction, but at thi s point he didn t want to give in to Rita. Lily would always be his mother and Rit a could never live up to her. If only James knew of his other life, perhaps he w ould be much more outgoing. That s enough, young man! You will eat this food or there will be no breakfast for you in the morning! she hissed. That might be categorized as neglect of a child s natural needs, wouldn t it? Harry as ked. I might just contact a certain doctor... I ve had enough of your behavior! Go to your room immediately! I don t want to see yo u again tonight! she growled, her voice rising. And you will finish your meal in t he morning, I will not have you wasting food! It sounded fair enough, so he pushed his plate forward, clinking the china again st the glasses loudly. Sirius was at his heels as he left the dining room. Rathe r than going to his room as he was told, he made his way outside on the porch sw ing overlooking a small pond. Sirius hopped up next to him and put his head on h is left with a whine. What? Harry asked, perfectly content. Sirius gave him a scolding look, which made his canine features look stupid. Oh, come off it. I know you would have been worse to her had you been in my posit ion, Harry scratched the dog s ears, listening to the screech of the metal chains m ake a tune as it swung back and forth on the swing. How exactly was he going to tell James? Hey dad, guess what? The dog that would probably make him other me is insane. He s in a o back into my world so I can ou when I was a baby? you gave me is actually my long lost godfather? Yeah, run away to find the nurses. No, I m not insane. The different world right now. Perhaps you can help me g save him from the evil Lord Voldemort who killed y

There was no way he could break the news to him without sounding completely barm y. Without proof, he was going to make himself look insane. Not that James didn t think that already, but he was trying to get his help, not have him sedate him. The only proof he had was Sirius. Would James have a heart attack if a dog in fr ont of him suddenly became human in front of him? Would he run for the hills? Wh at was the chance that he would just sit there and not scream? Do you have a wand? Harry questioned. The dog nodded, but kept his head on his leg. I sighed, kicking my legs up to make the swing go higher. You can show him then, that s how I ll explain it, Harry muttered, more to himself. Wa s it really a bad idea? Should he keep quiet and formulate another plan?

But this was his chance to have a father. One he could say anything to. The mere idea of having a heart-to-heart with Uncle Vernon was laughable. Harry wanted t o know James. The pond was beautiful, the sun hitting it as it set. The water wa s completely calm as if it was ice. The sky as well as the water were both a bea utiful red and orange color. He could stare at it for hours, but his eyesight wa sn t good as it is and he couldn t afford new glasses. The Victorian-styled door opened slowly and James came out looking tired. He sur veyed the yard and glanced at Harry with an unreadable expression, before turnin g away and staring at the woods. Harry stopped the swing with his toes and stared at James, but neither said anyt hing to each other for a while. Sirius hopped down and went to James s side, nudgi ng his hand with his nose until James began to pet him. Just as Harry was opening his mouth, James blurted out, You should really go a li ttle easier on her, Harry. There was no reason to ask who he was talking about. Did Harry feel guilty? Not in the slightest. Should he? Probably. So should she, winging him. Harry replied, taping his toe on the ground to keep the wind from s

I just talked to her. She promises to go easier on you if you start going easier on her, he turned towards Harry. His voice was solemn and he looked as though the world s weight was on his shoulders. Much like Harry did when he looked in the mi rrors back at Hogwarts. We already discussed this, Rita and I, Harry sighed. And nothing changed. You just don t see how infuriating she is because you re in love with her. James was silent, and Harry wished he would reply with his feelings. He was curi ous to know if he really did love her or if it was a one time thing. You re mother isn t always the easiest to get along with, She isn t my mother, Harry said loudly. I suppose you are rather attached to your Aunt Petunia. Lily is my mother, Who? he asked. he told him. James raised a questioning eyebrow. he muttered, absentmindedly.

Lily, the doctor with red hair. She s my mother. Really, she is. And you re my father , Harry said, more confidently. Hmm. Well I hope she remembers that night, because I sure don t, kle, and Harry mixed up his face. Ew. Dad, can I talk to you? You can always talk to me, he said, his voice filled with concern. Sirius had stop ped trying to get James s attention and was sitting patiently at his feet, looking at Harry for him to continue. Can we go away from the house? he asked, glancing worriedly at the windows and Jam es agreed and they began walking around the lake with a black dog at their heels . James turned to Harry when they were sure they couldn t be overheard. he gave a weak chuc

What is bothering you?

James asked, worried.

Dad, let me tell you something. These pills I m on they help me keep away the visio ns I have. Visions from the other world I am a part of, he told him. Oh, son, I really don t know anything of your sickness. Bad parenting on my part, I m afraid, James said sadly. But I was told not to let you give in to your delusions and to call for someone as soon as something happened. Please just listen, Harry grumbled. The pills help me keep the visions at bay most of the time. Only in times of stress do they get through. Dad, do I look stresse d to you? James looked at Harry nervously, unsure what to say. Harry could tell he was thi nking that he needed to be given more pills and go back to the nurses. Well? Do I? Harry asked.

Not really, no, but if you re seeing things Dad, just listen, he pleaded. Don t run away, because if you don t believe me after I p rove it to you, then I will gladly go back to the house, take some pills and tel l Manuela and Jeremy, okay? It doesn t involve you getting hurt does it? Because I don t want to explain to your mother howYou have to believe me. Here, let me show you something, d he wagged his tail gleefully. Sirius, roll over. Harry turned to Sirius an

The dog fell over and rolled in the dirt a little bit before rolling over. Harry sighed at the dog s antics, and then looked at James s unsurprised face. Harry want ed to start small and work towards the big things, but he hoped James wouldn t los e interest too quickly. Sirius, jump, Harry commanded. He turned and jumped a little too dramatically, but James s face remained impassive. Harry, what are you trying Sirius, what s two plus two? Harry asked, hoping that his godfather wasn t that stupid . He let out four barks, and then James looked impressed. You taught him that? he asked. Harry shook his head mournfully.

Sirius, sing me a tune, Harry demanded. Sirius began to whine out the tune to Cele stina Warbeck s Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love. Come on, he s not going to know th at one. Sirius glared and began to whine out the Happy Birthday tune. James spluttered. That was that?! Sirius is human, spit second. Harry Sirius, transform into your human form, Harry ignored him and James looked frightf ully at the dog. The furry black hair seemed to push itself towards his head int that was amazing! However did you teach the dog to do

Harry turned to him simply. James s happy face turned worried in a

o his long black hair and his back arched upright so he was standing. Hey, James, Sirius grinned. Long time no see, eh Prongs? W

James tried to make out a coherent sentence, but all he could come up with was, hat he dog . genetic ? Chapter 22: Mental Getaway [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter]

How did Harry get the idea of Dobby? There s a maid named Debby who works for Rita on weekends Is Rita Skeeter's lawyer supposed to be Snape? No. We ll see more of Snape later. Yes, I decided to put him in, after all. How did Harry get the idea of a scar? Harold got the idea because Harry has a sc ar. :P Is this the first ending, or are you adding more? What you are currently reading is ending number one. Number two might be in another story. I m going to recheck the rules before doing that, though. Will Sirius be alive again in Harry s world do you think Sirius would want to beco me a fugitive again? Why is Harold getting images from Harry? Because Halloween night all those years ago shook more than just Harry s world. It caused Harry and Harold to become conn ected mentally. (Well, Harold connected to Harry, anyway). The power of the scar connects them. Will this story have parings? There s a minor one in this chapter. :P How is the non-magical Harry handling the wizarding world? Harold s having the tim e of his life, his dreams are becoming more real to him than before. He can actu ally feel the magic now. Are you going to bring Ginny back before Harry returns to the Wizarding world? O h yes, you ll get a hint why at the end of this chapter. Author question: Why don't you like the ship (H/G)? Because I don t like R/Hr. The y fight too much and give me a headache. That mostly leaves Harry and Ginny toge ther, doesn t it? HG isn t too bad, I guess, but I prefer H/Hr. Sorry it took so long (again). I'm not as motivated as I used to be. I'm more sc ared on whether you guys would like it or not then when I first started. But I b ought a hypnosis CD from Dr. Jim Wand (famous hypnotist who came to my school a while ago) and hopefully his motivation track will help. :P Chapter 22 - Mental Getaway Harry watched James in anxious curiosity. His words made no sense and he looked as though he were about to fall over unconscious. Sirius, on the other hand was grinning, but not without the pain in his eyes. He knew, along with Harry, that James Potter was not the same person as James Faust was. James could never repla ce his childhood friend, but it was still comforting for him to see him once aga in. Harry couldn t imagine exactly how Sirius was feeling at the moment, but he knew t he fact that James was gone was hard on him. Not only that, but he hadn t been loc ked in Azkaban for twelve years for it. While Harry was thinking, James seemed to have composed himself at least only sl ightly. He began to comb his fingers through his hair and stared at the sunset r eflected lake. Explain, James told him rapidly. Now, because I m thinking those pills are looking mi

ghty tempting right now. Well Harry hadn my father. James ong resemblance to from an alternate t exactly planned what he would say after he actually told James. only nodded. It was obvious, of course. Harry always bore a str his father. There was no questioning who his father must be. I m reality along with Sirius here. You re

So what you re saying is magic isn t supposed to exist? he asked. It does, but it works differently. There are two worldsActually, Harry- Sirius cut in, but Harry shushed him because he knew he was going to mention Arabella s other theories of there being more than two. Let s keep it simple for now, Harry admonished. Sirius only snorted. They are opposite each other and I was pushed into this reality by an evil wizard named Lord Voldemort. He has been trying to kill me since I was a baby. He kill ed you, in fact, along with your wife my mother Lily Evans-Potter. He s found a wa y to alter the way our worlds coexist. By doing this, he s sent me into this world and into your son s body and thus, since two of the same can not directly be in t he same world because of Order, your sonIs in your body being hunted by this evil Lord Vollymart.

Er exactly. There is also this prophecy saying that I am the only one who can defe at this man. Harold your son can defend himself because he has my magic, but he is just an ordinary wizard. He can t defeat him. Only I can, and this is why I mus t go back because otherwise your son will die and I will not be able to leave th is world ever again, or my friends, peers and the entire Wizarding World will be under Lord Voldemort s control. How do we get you back? James asked in a small voice.

I came through a portal, Sirius spoke up. If we can get Harry through it, perhaps h e can get Harold through the portal and restore his powers. What if Harold comes back with my powers? The Wizarding World is doomed, Great, Um NO! Harry sighed. Sirius replied, calmly.

Any other ideas?

kill him? Sirius asked. James snapped. You won t be killing anyone!

Relax, Prongs, I was only kidding, he shrugged and picked at his fingernails which were filthy from running around on his dog-form s paws. Harry sighed and sat down next to James. Will you help me get back? ce. Harry asked, looking James in the eye, with a solemn fa

What do I have to do? James asked, suddenly looking confident. We need to get to London, he replied. Do you have a car?

We can t, you re under high security and house arrest, there is no possible way, James said. Everything that has to do with you is under your mother s control. It would

be against the law to let you off of these grounds until you have written consen t from one of your doctors! How long does that take? A few weeks, possiblyA few weeks?! We don t have a few weeks! Your son s life is at stake! m. We have to get there now! It just can t be done! James defended. Then break the bloody rules and drive me out of here! Harry argued. Now you are just being unreasonable. How about we talk about this later? Maybe th ere is something that I can do to speed up the process. I ll talk to RitaNo! HarryDon t you care about your son at all?! es only got as angry as Harry was. Of course I do, but we can tFine, Harry seethed, and turned away. Fine. We ll do it your way. We ll let your son ge t closer and closer to Voldemort and maybe he ll decide that he really is quite a decent chap and will sit down and have tea with him! That s enough! Sirius interrupted, James, Harry is right. We need to get to the other world right away, lives are at stake, and Harry James is right. You are being u nreasonable. Stop acting like a child! Whatever, Harry grumbled and stalked away in the opposite direction. I m going to my room. You guys can think of something on your own then. If I don t get back to my world and regain my powers, I m personally blaming you. Harry! James called after him, pleading, Wait! Harry! Harry yelled. Sirius looked startled, but Jam Harry shot at hi

But He had either gone out of earshot or was just ignoring him. He slammed the d oor shut behind him when he went into the house and Sirius turned and looked at James apologetically. He gets like this sometimes, don t worry. If you would have seen as many people die like Harry has, you ll come to understand the importance of the situation. Give h im time, he ll cool off. Didn t you both say that you didn t have time? James asked, pathetically.

We don t, but we have to keep him focused. Harry and Harold are so closely connecte d that Harry is affected by your son s illness. So much stress could set him in a state that we could not reach him and all would be lost. But he s angry, wouldn t that He s more angry at you, sorry. Seeing you might set him off again. We should come u p with a plan while he s up there. Is there anything you could do to get the paper work faster?

I was only saying that to try to make him settle down so I could think. We have t o make so many arrangements before anything could even be considered- James went on. What s your plan B, then? Sirius asked. I was hoping you would have one ? No, he s not that stupid. --This is stupid, thought Harry, I m the only one who can defeat Voldemort. Are they ex pecting Harold to do it? That kid is bloody insane! Well, I am, but that is besi de the point. He s not going to be able to hold him off long enough to protect peo ple. Of all the people, I figured Sirius to side with me! He knows what is at stake an d he s willing to just take it easy? And James he doesn t care because it doesn t affe ct him! Am I the only one who cares about anything?! Harry threw his shoe at the door and it fell with a thump. It was quiet enough, so he didn t have to worry about being bothered by Buggy and her two friends. He f elt like trashing his entire overly-blue room, but by the looks of things he was going to be living in it for the rest of his life. Well, if they weren t going to do anything, he wasn t going to stand around like a g ood little boy. The Hermione here was definitely not his Hermione; Ron wasn t his Ron, even Ginny. Nothing could ever bring them together here. This wasn t the worl d he was meant to live in. He had to get out of here. Harry snatched a backpack that looked like it was meant for a twelve-year-old, b ut he stuffed some of the necessities inside. After all, London was pretty far a way and he didn t know how long it was going to take. Searching around the room, h e couldn t see anything else of use to him, so he slung his backpack over his shou lder and opened one of his windows. A trellis would have been appreciated, but unfortunately, there was nothing. He was on the second floor, so it would be a long drop. But there was about a six i nch ledge going around, so he put his other hand through the backpack and steppe d out, holding on to the slanted roof for support and began sliding around the h ouse. He passes his mother s room, and he was thankful that she was engrossed in the mir ror and combing her hair that she did not see him just outside her window. He sh ivered; it was getting dark and wasn t getting any warmer. There was nothing he co uld jump onto to break his fall, so he kept going, passing Jeremy s tiny room whic h was dark and vacant. He moved a little further and passed a window with closed curtains, and he found the corner that he had trouble getting around. As he moved on the other side of the house, he found some bushes a ways down. He took off his backpack one-handed and flung it by the bushes so he didn t have to carry it anymore. It rolled underneath, though, concealed from sight. Harry scuttled passed another window, one from the same room, but the curtains w ere once again closed. It was Marcela s room. He moved further and there was anoth er window ahead, a few feet short of the bushes. James sighed, Do you think Harry would try something

This one wasn t curtained, however, and peered in. Marcela was reading on ach on the floor, he moved further, feeling safe. But then he saw someone who must have been in the corner because Harry didn t see them before. It my and he went to sit next to her. When he sat, he put his arm around her e smiled. I m going to head to bed, Jeremy gave her a peck on the cheek.

her stom else, was Jere and sh

Oh, no you don t, Marcela grinned devilishly and pulled his head closer and ran her hands through his hair. Then she got closer Great Merlin! Harry whispered, but in that state of shock, he lost his balance and fell backwards, falling to the ground about fifteen feet below. He hit the ground and felt his arm shoot with pain and the last thing he heard w as Oh my! Did you hear that, Jere? Chapter 23: Deadly Assumptions [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] Who are Marcela and Jeremy? - If you don't remember, they're his nurses. :) Did you get this ideafrom book 6 when Harry and Dumbledore go intothe memory of To m riddle in the orphange? - No, this was started post Order of the Phoenix. Is the ending near? - Not yet, we'll let Harold enjoy his time in the wizarding world, yeah? Maybe around ten chapters left? I dunno, I didn't plan for Harry to go on the roof at all. In fact, my plans were for him to run away and then get caught and put into higher security at the hospital. A little different. Now he gets a present from Ginny at the end of this chapter. Mwaha. Could there be two dimensions and the veil leading to this one? - You've caught on! :) Yes, the veil is a direct portal, opposed to the indirect portal. The dif ference between the two is that you can have two of the same 'clone' or 'person' in the same world through the direct (veil) portal. The indirect portal transfe rs the souls of the people, rather than their bodies. Only one person can be in their own world with an indirect portal. And remember, there are more than two d imensions, but those won't really come in to play in this story. What are all of these 'other' dimensions? - These are, in truth, just different 'what-if' scenarios that play in my mind, filed away into folders that have no p lace to be filed into my stories list. ;P Basically, there is... Harry's (which is paired up with Harold's) to allow each soul their own chance at magical power s. (Roles reversed). There is also a gender reversed world, and I doubt that one needs explaining. Then there is a loaded folder that is pretty much the size of the entire universe. It's called choices. For every choice made by someone, it breaks off into a tree. In scenario one, Bob chose to go out with Sue. In scenar io two, Bob went out with Mary. Each choice completely changes present, past and future. Then there is also Limbo and Heaven. I might draw a picture to better e xplain everything. Author Question Ever thought of becoming a writer? - Yep. I plan on it. Hopefully, anyway, if I ever manage to get one published. For a side job, though, because I can never ge t away from my literature obsession, I want to be a copy-editor. A copy-editor i s a person who goes through someone else's work to check facts and grammar. Basi cally, a professionally paid Beta Reader. Grin. As I am deeply sorry for the long time you all had to wait for chapters twenty-o ne and twenty-two, I gave you this brand spankin', shiney new chapter! Not only was is quickly updated, but it's twice the size of any other chapter I've writte n for this story. It took up six MW pages, rather than the usual three. (Nine, a

ctually, if you count the double-spacing.) Chapter23 - Deadly Assumptions no, he was perfectly happy at my house! ggy brain. A snappish voice was muffled through his fo Another voice join

He jumped off the roof; I think something must have been wrong! ed in. such progress he was having

get rid of anything sharp that could hurt him, he s coming around. Harry s eyes fluttered open for only a second because of the bright lights above h is head. Why did his head hurt so much? Did he get hit by a bus? What happened? Baby, baby, can you hear me? Don t call me baby, A voice yowled.

Harry growled. Get away, you smell like cheap perfume. Rita reprimanded.

Harry, don t be like that,

Do you know where you are, Mr. Potter? Harry struggled to open his eyes, and he sa w the outline of a shorter woman with red hair. Mum? We ll have to move him back to his old ward, the woman s voice was now dull and disapp ointed. Didn t you watch for signs, Miss Skeeter? He was perfectly fine! Harry, open your eyes, she said.

He struggled to do as he was told, but his head stung behind his eyeballs. When he finally did open them again, he found the grey tiled ceiling and barred windo ws. He looked down until he found the speaker of the soothing voice - Dr. Porter . Do you know where you are? she repeated.

Prison, Harry s eyes trailed to the bars again, but then he remembered seeing them b ack at the hospital. Why didn t he listen to his senses before? The room smelled t he same, well, almost, it also smelled of antiseptic. I m back at Hogwarts, right? Very good, Harry, now which Hogwarts do you see? The smelly one, he smirked, The hospital.

Excellent, that s really great, Lily s eyes lit up. Everything isn t lost, after all! then she sent an accusatory glare at Rita who was sitting on a chair in the corn er, picking at her ruby red nails. Do you remember what happened? she asked, her hand weighing heavily on his arm as if he were going to jump up into a frenzy at any moment. Um He didn t. He tried thinking back he remembered the trial

But

going to Rita s . dinner .

How are you feeling now, Harry?

Lily asked.

Like crap, thanks. How about emotionally? Are you angry? Scared? Depressed? e felt like he was back on the stand in the courtroom. No more depressed than usual. Fine, I guess, why? You Harry, you jumped off the roof, ent? No fear ? Lily sighed, a new look in her eye. Disappointm she questioned further. H

I didn t jump off any roof, Harry snapped. He knew he would never do anything like t hat. Right? He felt like there was something else he was doing something importan t. What could it be? Then explain what you were doing on the ground, with the injuries of a jumper? Um. I fell? What were you doing on the roof, then? Rita spoke up.

How should I know? Harry grumbled. He had a headache; couldn t they just leave him a lone? He hadn t realized how much his arm stung until now, did he really fall? Did he jump? No, impossible. You were there! Rita snapped.

Miss Skeeter, if you can t keep quiet, I m going to have to ask you to leave. You re di sturbing my patient. I don t remember, Harry said. My arm hurts.

Your shoulder was dislocated, thank goodness that was all that it was. Well, you hit your head, but there shouldn t be any lasting injuries. We re going to put you o n some anti-depressants that can work with your other medication. I m not depressed, he assured her. I m fine.

Until you can tell me what happened, I m going to have to assume that you tried to kill yourself, the doctor sighed. I didn t. I had something important to do, What was so important? I don t anything! she asked. He told her.

know! Harry snapped.

But I m not insane anymore. I m not depressed! I m not! I

Calm down, you know what happens when you get overexcited! Lily reminded him, push ing harder on his shoulder. He was thankful it wasn t his bad shoulder, yet the st rain was pulling on his other shoulder and he felt it sting. I m over that now, stop that. Really, I m fine. A few bumps and bruises, but otherwis e fine. I know that magic isn t real, okay? Do you think this could have been prevented in any way? Could Rita have kept a cl oser eye on you? She doesn t watch me, the nurses do, Harry remembered the two nurses, meeting outsid e the admittedly pretty house. I think I was talking to my dad when it happened. I don t know, everything is so fuzzy. Something having to do with James

Did he say something that might have upset you?

Lily asked.

Um Harry racked his brain, but he knew the answer. Yes, he had upset him, but he kn ew what conclusions they would come up with. What he didn t know was why he would be upset with him. Did it have to do with the increasing anxiety that he was sup posed to be doing something else at the moment? No. I don t think so. But James was there when this all happened? Lily said.

Yes no. No, he wasn t there he was I left him. We were talking and then I went to my r oom. Maybe I was sleepwalking? I really don t know. Do you know what you were talking about? No well, wait Rita I was talking back to her at dinner and James dad was trying to c ome to an agreement to try to get along. That s all I remember. Can I go back to s leep, now? I ve got a headache. No, you ve got an appointment with Dr. Lupin, and if you still don t feel better, we ll take you back to your room. But I think Hermione would appreciate a visit from you again. Am I going to stay here, now? Harry asked, indifferent. Yes. You don t have to go back to your mother s, Harry felt like he should be happy wi th this piece of information, but something nagged at him. This wasn t a good thin g, for some reason. Well, Lupin is waiting for you, Harry. Shall we? Harry got to his feet and watched as two guards came and stood on each side of him. Boy, this wasn t something he m issed. ---I told you! I didn t try to kill myself! Harry vehemently insisted after he retold w hat he knew for the fourth time, and, of course, Remus was trying to come to his own conclusions, which weren t making Harry feel any better. Okay, I believe you, but something caused you to go on that roof. Now try to reme mber, Harry, what happened when you went to your room? At the question, Harry huf fed, annoyed. The colorful drawings on the wall seemed to be admonishing him for his gloomy attitude. The pictures of what seemed to be cured patients stared hi m down, and he felt like he was being punished. It was not helping his headache at all, and he was getting quite hungry as well. I went to sleep. Did you? Yes, Harry insisted.

Did you dream at all? Remus s voice was soothing. He made Harry angry because he fel t like now was not the time to be calm, but he held that piece of information fr om the doctor because he didn t want to be questioned much longer. I don t know. Maybe, Think. he was bitter.

Harry tried. Usually he was able to recall his dreams better since he woke up fr om his fantasy world, but now it was much harder to do. His mind was racing with s omething else. It felt like he was back in the Ministry of Magic and the doors w ere revolving around and inside one of the doors there was a wind of activity, b ut there was no key to open it. I was Images slipped under the door like private no tes. James, talking and Snuffles was there My dog James was talking to my dog. I thi nk the dog turned into my godfather. This is strange. Should we try to interpret its meaning? Can we do this some other time? Maybe if I sleep on it, everything will come back to me. Fine, I ll set up another meeting on my schedule. Mr. Goyle, could you please escor t Harry back to his room? he asked the bulky man who guarded the door, and the ma n nodded, ushering Harry to come with him. When they were in the hall, Harry stopped him. The guard s fingers twitched for hi s stun gun, but Harry shook his head. How he wanted to hate this man, yet he kne w that this wasn t a death eater. Could I go to the cafeteria? I suppose it couldn t hurt, he grudgingly said. He led Harry loosely by the arm, min dful of his injuries and they came to the cafeteria doors. As soon as he came in , he found the table that he sat at last time, with Neville and Hermione, as wel l as a few other recognizable faces of some first years that he remembered seein g sorted at the beginning of his fifth year. He quickly went through the line an d grabbed some real food before sitting down. Hello, Hermione, Harry winced, as she ripped open one of her ketchup packets.

Hi, she muttered, devoid of her happy nature. She didn t seem as thrilled to see him as he last saw her. It was like she was embarrassed, or scared. What s wrong? He questioned. They found me, Who? I tried to escape, but I was caught. They took me back to that room, Harry. You kn ow how I hate that room, tears had started to drip down her face. Which room? How can you not remember? Have you forgotten me while you were locked away? s miserable, holding herself in a shaky manner. The torture room. she wa she whispered, like a story teller.

No, I remember, I just thought that you hated everything about this place, Harry l ied. What else was he going to say? She nodded in understanding. Did they hurt yo u? Alarms went off in his head. Of course they did, it s the torture room, she mumbled. Now that Harry had a good lo ok at her, there were bruises on her left arm. They threw me at the window. I thi nk they were trying to throw me out of it. They wouldn t do that, Harry assured her. Why not? They live to make my life wretched. Because because you re too important, he quickly said. She gave him a weak smile, whi

ch disappeared as soon as it came. You re too noble, my prince, she whispered, I m beginning to think we re never going to g et out of here. My parents haven t sent anyone else to my aid and you re all I have. I don t even get to see you most of the time. Don t worry, you ll get out of here soon enough. Her face shot up in surprise, almost anger. Harry flinched, cautious. Had he sai d something wrong? Nobody at the table seemed to be paying attention. You never say, you, Harry, it s always we! her voice was dark.

I m sorry; we ll get out of here You re not my prince, she snapped. Imposter. IMPOSTER! Harry jumped in his seat, surpr ised at the volume of her voice. Harry s headache still hadn t gone away and he trut hfully had missed Hermione, any form of her. He wasn t ready to leave her, so he q uickly made up something.

Hermione, shh! You ll alert the guards! Harry spluttered. Thankfully, she quieted do wn, but her malicious face did not disappear. The reason I said you is because becau se um you re freedom is more important than my own and . I was planning on er . Sacrifici g myself for your freedom. Oh, her structure became much slacker. Harry, you know that s not what I want at all. That s not the future I want. I want us to be together to rule my country. There w ould be no better king to suit my kingdom than you. They ate in silence. She was thinking hard, like he had always seen her in the l ibrary. It was comforting for him to see this. At least there was a glimpse of h is Hermione in there. He admired how she always would chew on her quill when som ething troubled her. He wished that none of this had happened. That he had never woken up from his fantasy world that . Wait. His fantasy world. As soon as he thought it, something seemed to have caused the door to open a crack. Something wasn t right. The feeling that he was forgetting something important was coming back full force. Okay, he was outside James was there, and his dog and the dog Sirius! He s alive! And James the dog transformed!

Everything came back to him, the plan, the argument, and the fact that he needed to get out of this world. Hermione everyone existed in the other world. He was on a mission. It wasn t a dream he had, it was real. He had a prophecy to fulfill. He had to kill Voldemort. He had to get out of here ! Hermione hadn t noticed the fact that he was practically jumping in his seat. She had grabbed some of his potatoes in his musings and seemed to be slowly giving u p on her conquest to avoid poisoned food. Where were James and Sirius now? Were they making plans? How long was he here, a nyway? Did they have everything set up? He suddenly understood why being back he re was worse than back at Rita s it had heightened security. There was no way he w as going to get out of here. Maybe he could contact them? He had no doubt that they were using his current st ate against them so that they could find a way to allow him to leave the house,

and wait. That wouldn t be possible now; they think he tried to kill himself. Ther e was no way they were going to get permission for that. He was stuck. He was go ing to have to break out of this place if he had any hope of getting out of here . He shouldn t have overreacted like he did. Maybe then he would be back at Rita s, fo rmulating a plot with them and maybe sneak out together. Couldn t he have just gon e downstairs and walked through the door? No. Debby was cleaning, not to mention the fact that Rita had high security on the doors. Mr. Potter, it s time to go back to your room, rised. What? Lunch is over, he told him, calmly. Harry looked around the whole place was vacant . When had everyone left? He hadn t noticed. He wasn t hungry anymore, but he didn t h ave a choice anyway, Hermione had eaten everything on his tray. Oh, okay, he mumbled. Is everything okay, son? Yeah, zoned out. Do you need to see Dr. Weasley? No, I m fine, really. Just thinking. I m just really tired. --Harry was stuck in his room for days. Well, not really. He was allowed many free doms, but he didn t use them. He was too preoccupied with trying to think of diffe rent ways he could get out. He hadn t had any word from Sirius and James at all. Harry mostly refused to talk during his sessions with Lupin, which only strength ened his belief that Harry was more depressed than he was letting on. He hadn t ha d the chance to see Dr. Weasley either. Apparently he was working with a new pat ient that took up most of his time. That day, however, he was supposed to go to the visiting room at three o clock. He was becoming impatient because he had been sitting in the visiting area for abo ut twenty minutes now. Who knew if it was James and Sirius? Maybe they set up th e appointment? He hoped so, he was driving himself crazy. Again. Did complicatio ns arise? Did someone find them out? is there anything potentially harmful on your persons? Pins, scissors, pocket kniv es, anything? They re not allowed to go in with you. I don t have any, the person said. It didn t sound like it was his dad, and he was qui ckly disappointed. He only wished it wasn t Rita, he didn t want to be near her anym ore. Try not to upset him, dear, It was Lily saying this, he recognized her voice. He s un der a lot of stress. Don t feel bad if he doesn t talk to you either, he hasn t been s peaking to anyone. He ll talk to me. I ll make him. It was Ginny. Only she had that tone when she was confident or stubborn. He was Goyle questioned. Goyle told him. Harry looked up, surp

right, as soon as the door opened; he saw her slightly freckled face poke in. Ha rry was happy to see her; it was just that he was disappointed that it wasn t who he was expecting. Harry, she sighed, as soon as the door clicked behind her. She came closer with he r arms folded across her chest. She had gotten a haircut, it was short now. Real ly short, it only went passed her ears. There were still some fuchsia coloring a t the tips, but SLAP. Harry felt her hand fly across his cheek. Well, he wasn t expecting that to happen . Chapter 24: Opportunities [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] I know people believe that I have abandoned this story, but I haven t. And I do re ad the reviews when I get time. I have been working on my own original fiction. Sometimes. I don t know. But I want to apologize. And thank XRay. I can t stand disa ppointing people. You made sure I knew I was, so thanks. It s what I needed to hea r. And no, I m not being sarcastic either. Thank you! I m typing this note really qu ickly because I really have to get ready for work. I also want to thank everyone , not just XRay, because everybody helped me get a move-on. I made this chapter extra-long too. Hope you all enjoy! I ll update again, don t worry! AND THANK YOU SO MUCH, EVERYONE, FOR THE VOTES IN THE DOBBY S! I m honored to be nominated and thank you to those who have voted! Sorry again! I ll update questions after work! Ginny, what the hell?! Harry stumbled back, clutching his face. What was that for?!

That is for scaring me half to death, Potter! she glared, but tears were running d own her face. Either they were tears of anger or tears of sadness. Harry never w as good at reading all the emotions that girls felt. After all, Hermione used to be prone to these outbursts. I didn t But the wind was knocked out of him. He suspected, for only a moment, that she h ad punched him in the stomach. But when he looked down, he found her arms clampe d around his chest and her chin pressing into the side of his neck. She went fro m slapping to hugging him in one second?! Ginny ! Oh, Harry! I was so scared! You are such and idiot. Such an idiot. What were you thinking?! Do you have any idea how much pain you caused everyone? I barely get to talk to you for so long really talk to you and I keep thinking of what I m going to say when I finally get to visit and then I hear you had tried to commit suic ide? Everything I ever wanted to say, what if I never got to say them? You don t k now that feeling, Potter! Harry suspected that it wasn t a good thing that she was switching between calling him Harry and Potter so he decided that this was the time to calm her down. Ginny, I wasn t trying to kill myself, Harry patted her back, awkwardly. She only he ld tighter and started shaking. It was an accident. I was er sleepwalking. I didn t k now what I was doing. I would never try to kill myself.

Because that would disappoint all the people who wanted to do it themselves, ought bitterly.

he th

I kept trying to aw, shoot. Look what you made me do? Now I m a wreck! she took a step away, and Harry s arms fell by their sides loosely. She looked up at the ceiling l ights as if hoping that the tears would slide back in. It seemed to work, whatev er she did. I thought that too, she breathed hollowly, I kept thinking Harry wouldn t do that. I k new he wouldn t. But I just couldn t ignore the situation. I mean, you re on so much m edication, your life has been turned around, and you were stuck in the house of the person you hated most. What is everyone supposed to think? Everyone jumps to conclusions. And some people just jump. Ginny, I didn t! She heaved. I know.

So why are you acting like this? Don t you try to tell me how I should or should not be acting! Have you ever been i n my situation? No, so just shut it, she sniffled, angrily. Have you ever been in my situation?! Everyone thinks I m nuts! I keep trying to exp lain but nobody believes me, nobody ever believes me! If you re still trying to convince me that you didn t try you off yourself, you re doin g a shoddy job, she snapped. I believe you, okay? Maybe it was a mistake coming he re. She spun around and marched towards the door. Harry quietly muttered: No, it wasn t. Ginny just stood by the door, her forehead resting on it and her hand clenched a round the doorknob. She was still shaking, but nobody said a word. They just sto od there in silence. Draco wanted to come with me, you know, Ginny murmured so quietly, that Harry had almost missed it. He surprised himself by feeling no resentment towards him. Eve rything with Sirius has caused him to understand that the Draco here was not the Draco in his world. Why didn t he? He didn t want you to get more depressed. I m not depressed! You sound like you actually wish he had come. Are you sure you re really Harry? Come off it. But yeah, I suppose I do now that I think of it. I have some apologiz ing to do. I realize that he s not the guy I thought he ouff! Ginny was jumping once again, into his arms, happily. You really mean it? Oh, he s going to be so happy! Maybe he can come by tomorrow. I should see if everyone ca n come! Oh, but Seamus can t make it, he s on vacation,, but oh! I m so happy!

You re freaking me out, Gin, Harry smiled to let her know he was only teasing her. S he slapped his shoulder playfully. They both sat down next to each other in sile nce, mostly only enjoying each other s company. Harry, there s something I have to tell you, Sure. I Harry paused to listen, but after a few seconds he questioned, It s just that yeah? Harry stared at her, waiting for he to continue. Ginny twisted her watch on her wrist, not look What? Ginny suddenly said.

Never mind. Forget I said anything, ing at him.

No, tell me, what s wrong? Is everything okay? Now he was concerned. It looked like something was bothering her. He desperately hoped she wasn t hurt or anything. What? Yes! I mean, nothing s wrong. So, when do you think they ll release you? Soon, I hope? I think they ll have me do tests, but don t change the subject. What is it? Did I do something? No, Harry. Stop thinking about it. It was a mistake. Do you think you would be ou t by Luna s birthday? Er, when s that? The eleventh, she replied, looking hopeful. Two weeks? Hmm . Maybe. You ll have to be the one who asks Lily, she s not going to lis ten to me. I ll be on my best behavior! He crossed his fingers, but that only earne d a poke from Ginny. Only kidding. I ll be good, he grinned.

And you might want to look overly happy and well and jolly, too, she stood up, han ds on her hips like a scolding mother. Harry gave her the widest smile he could without hurting himself, and she snorted, trying to hold back her laughter. Well, I really have to go. Mum s picking me up to go to Charlie s for his promotion party or something. I ll call you er, I mean, I ll contact the doctors tomorrow and see if you can come. Best behavior, remember? And smile wider; I can t see your wisdom t eeth. Bye, Ginny, he grinned and she left, smiling happily at Lily, who had her hands fo lded, leaning against the wall outside of the door. When she saw the girl, the d octor looked amused. Somebody had fun, she pushed herself off of the wall as Harry heard some guards do wn the hall open a few doors for Ginny. Are you willing to stop being so stubborn and start working with Dr. Lupin now? Stubborn? What makes you think I m stubborn? Harry asked, smirking.

That s the Harry I want to see. Well, maybe not. There s a glint in your eye I don t li ke very much, she brushed her hair behind her ear and ushered for him to leave th e room. It s just my charm, Doc, Harry grinned. But yeah, I ll talk to Remus and whatever you w ant. Can I request visitors too? I d like to see my father. That must have been some big talk you had with Ginny. Maybe she should visit more often. Dr. Lupin is in a session right now, but I think he ll be available before his shift is over. And my father? You ll contact him for me? he asked. Yes, yes, that too, she agreed.

They walked him back to his room, which had a few things to keep him entertained they seemed to think he was no longer a hazard to himself. There was a puzzle o n his bedside table and a few books that looked extremely boring. He didn t touch them, though. His mind was working too fast for him to have any pa tience for games. By going to Luna s birthday party, he might just have time to es cape. Two weeks seemed too long in his opinion, but it was the only chance that he seemed to have at the moment. His father would have to be contacted before it happened so that Harry could esc ape with him and they could all concentrate together. How could he have forgotte n everything? He must have bumped his head a little too hard. As much as he love d this world (it was a sarcastic thought) he really needed to get back to his wo rld. People needed him. It was he, after all, who would have to defeat Voldemort . Not only that, but he really missed his friends. And now he had Sirius. Sirius would have to come back with him! He would have hi s godfather back and life would be much better. Now that he had a plan, Harry be came even more restless. It had always been this way, when he was anticipating s omething it always took its toll on his nerves. What would he get Luna, though? He wasn t about to go to Luna s party without a gift . Yet it seemed impossible for him to acquire something in this place. It wasn t l ike they had a gift shop here or anything. Or did they? He wasn t sure. But if the re was, it probably only sold sympathy gifts and he wasn t about to send Luna a Ge t Well Soon card when she s celebrating her fifteenth birthday. It was at that moment that his door opened and Dr. Porter entered with a, Good af ternoon, Harry. Yeah, he replied. Did you call my dad yet?

We re still getting a hold of him, but Dr. Lupin is available. He s agreed to see you now. Hopefully we ll have him on the phone by the time you two have finished, she smiled, And you do know that stuff was put there for a reason, you know. Huh? The puzzle and books. They aren t just there for decoration. You are allowed to use them. Oh, right. Sorry, I guess I just didn t notice, he lied.

Well, Lupin s waiting, we should get to him before he gets bored enough to make his own ink blots, she told him.

Right.

The session went well. Remus seemed much friendlier when Harry wasn t snapping at him. Harry mostly talked about how much he wanted to go to Luna s party and he sup posed the doctor took it as a sign that he was recovering from his depression. He listened and nodded, agreeing that it might help him to go. Unfortunately, he didn t say much about Harry s request about maybe going shopping f or a gift. He hoped Lily would allow him to look for one. It would feel rude if he went to the party without his gift, only to completely disappoint her by runn ing away. Yes, maybe a gift might lighten her disappointment. Maybe. Probably no t. But still, the Luna from his world meant a lot to him now that he really though about it. It was only fair that he get her something, even if it wasn t the same L una. She kept him hoping that things would get better. When the session was over, he almost forgot that he had asked to talk to James. They had gotten a hold of him and his talk with Remus had gone longer than what Lily had expected and James was waiting. Now Harry found himself in a compartment with a phone which was probably being l istened in on. He knew he couldn t say his plan and he really hoped that James did n t bring it up. Hey, kiddo, Hey, James greeted. So A

he replied.

Sorry I didn t visit, I ve had a lot of stuff on my mind. And all the planning about hh, so he wasn t the smartest person in the world. The meeting, I know, Harry said, smoothly.

What are you ? James continued, but Sirius must have been on another line and must h ave punched James because there was a howl on the phone. Bloody dog! Good dog, Harry thought. Oh, yeah. That meeting, the man grunted. So yeah, how are things on your side. I he ard about your er fall. What in the world were you thinking? Sleepwalking, Harry mumbled. With lug ow, you little mutt! Go away! Shoo!

Idiot, James! came another voice over the phone. So Sirius was in human form, afte r all. He had been wondering how a dog could be holding the phone. Snuffles? If the situation wasn t so tense, he would have been laughing. Really, was his fat her that dense? Yeah! Go!

Well things are okay here. My friend Ginny visited. She invited me to my friend L una s party. I still have to get permission from the doctors but I hope I can go. It might be a good opportunity to see Snuffles, too. I miss that little mutt. I m sure he misses you too. He s been eating all my food. Harry sighed. Maybe they wou ldn t realize that he was trying to tell them to adjust their plans to fit the par ty plans. I m glad you didn t get rid of him. Are you still at Rita s? No, my own flat. I couldn t risk being around her so much because of er

The dog, Harry finished. You know, if you tell the dog, Dissapparate he ll leave you al one. Hopefully, Sirius would be able to pick up that he wanted Sirius to dissappa rate him away from the party when it was done. The dog understood, it was Sirius s voice. Harry hoped that if there was somebody li stening in, they wouldn t notice how James s voice had changed. Good. It made Harry feel much better. I think he wants to go outside. I ll call you later, son. Be good for the doctors. I think it would be good for you to see your friends again. I will. Bye. Harry muttered his own good-bye before hanging up. They had the information they needed. Now they could only wish that everything went as planned. Two more week s Chapter 25: Connections [View Online][Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter] Xray, my friend. I m not giving up. Actually, you can probably expect this story t o be finished soon. It s all downhill writing from here. Not in quality, mind, but it pace. Thanks for your persistence. :D Is Harry really going to go to Luna s party, or is he taking a detour? e getting a present for Luna if he was just going to skip out on it. ;) Will Sirius go back with Harry or will he stay? How do you get a story published? the same thing. :D He wouldn t b

What do you think? *Eye wiggle*

I don t know. I m hoping someone else can tell me Of course, that s why they were ta

Wouldn t the phones be monitored in the hospital? lking so vaguely. ;P

Are Harry and Harold two different people? Good question. Both have grown up in the same world and the same experiences. Actually, they are almost exactly the s ame person. Harold or Other as I ve used in this chapter, wants Voldemort gone as eq ually as Harry does and he is in no way a bad person. Delusional, is all. The on ly difference, I think, is that Harold is more desperate to keep himself in Harr y s world than to fight Voldemort. The thing is, he is not the person in the proph ecy even though he thinks he is, so he cannot defeat him. Only Harry can, but th ere is one little problem: Harry has no power. Dun dun dun... How many dimensions are there, then? There are infinite dimensions. I don t know i

f I had Sirius explain Arabella s theory about the Choice Dimension, but there is one for every choice made. So if Harry does not succeed in one dimension, he wil l in others. There are so many Harrys out there, it s amazing. But this is the one we are focusing on. And there is also a separate folder of dimensions for persona lities, so there are two of those with roles reversed in them. Author Question Did you become a copy-editor? No, I m going to college first right now. :) And I hope nobody judges my ability of copyediting on this story. It s ju st that I am too impatient with my own stories to pay much attention to them. :) 2,803! Thankies, everybody! And I hope to have a lot updated over the holidays! Chapter Twenty-Five Connections

I can t give Luna this! Harry complained when Dr. Porter brought in a gift. Rita, su rprisingly, had gone out of her way to send some money to him, but Harry suspect ed it had more to do with James influence than her own good will. Still, he appre ciated the gesture all the same. However, when Lily had gone out to spend it (on Harry s request, of course) she returned with bath salts, fruity perfumes and sho wer gel. Listen, Potter, Lily replied dryly with only a hint of irritation, You asked me to get something sixteen year old girls like, and that s what I got. If it s not a manl y enough gift for you to give, don t give her anything at all and keep the stuff y ourself. Honey Almond? Kiwi Splash? Harry sputtered, I was thinking of you buying something along the lines of gift cards or books or something. Oh, right. I expect you know what books she likes to read? Lily shook her head, And gift cards are so impersonal. Wouldn t you like to give her something that shows you at least gave a little thought into it? Gift cards are perfectly thoughtful, Harry folded his arms.

Well I lost the receipt and I used up my lunch break; you can either give it to h er or not. I really don t care.Here, Petunia sent you some clothes to wear to the p arty.Or is this not good enough for you either? I m sorry, Harry sighed and caught the jeans and t-shirt that she tossed to him, ow you just did what you could to help. I appreciate it. Thanks. I kn

You re welcome, Lily tried not to look like she had forgiven him, but a small smile escaped her lips, Well, I suppose you would rather eat there, so I won t send you d own to the lunchroom today, but Actually, I think I ll go see Hermione, Harry interrupted.

I told you yesterday, she reminded him, Hermione isn t allowed to have company. At le ast not for a while. Maybe next week sometime, hmm?

But what did she do?

he grew frustrated.

That s not your concern. Your father is picking you up in two hours. I ll try to find a bag that doesn t say get well soon downstairs and package this up. As soon as Lily left, Harry fell back on his bed and let the anxiety he was holding in free. Only a few hours from now, it would be all over. Everything would go back to nor mal and he would have Ron and Hermione back once more. He would be able to see h is Ginny although the one he had here was amazingly similar and there would be N eville, Luna, Dumbledore But there wouldn t be Lily, or James. His parents, although they were different pe ople now who held no love for one another. He had lived without them for almost sixteen years now, what s another sixteen? Besides, how many orphans end up meetin g their dead parents anyway? He supposed he should consider himself lucky. Then he thought of other things. In a few hours, he could be dead as well. Harry knew as much as anyone else how close death could get to you. And he seemed to be a target for it. What would happen when I crossed the veil? Would Voldemort b e standing there waiting for him? And goodness, how would the Other Harry react? How can he recover after truly li ving the life he s only dreamt about before? It was going to be hard getting him t hrough the veil. How would he even get him to the Department of Mysteries, anywa y? Perhaps perhaps Voldemort and he had a connection. They could enter the others mind on occasion. Why couldn t Harry and the other Harry do the same? I mean, they are the same pers on. And he could see the Other when things got tough. Maybe, just maybe, he coul d do so again. Harry scrunched his eyes closed, almost as if he was pushing them backwards into his head, trying with all his might to open some kind of a connection a connecti on without showing too much drama on his end as to not alert the doctors. For do ing so would completely ruin the entire plan Harry A burst of light exploded in front of him, though it was only in his imagination . He could see himself tossing and turning in his bed, surrounded by books. Harry! Ron Weasley jumped up from his own bed where he had his own books scattered about and ran to his side, Come on, mate! Wake up! Harry! Leave me alone, Ron! Harry thought, trying not to break the connection that seemed to be growing weaker each time his name was called to rouse him. Ron put his ha nd on the Other s shoulder and shook, trying desperately to reawaken him. Hospital the Other moaned. Ron breathed, then spun around and bellowed out, HERMIONE

Merlin, not another vision ! HERMIONE, COME QUICK!

Harry felt something so strange envelope him. It was like his soul was being rip ped away and shaken about. It was disorienting and painful, yet only seconds aft er that, a rush of water surrounded him and calmed his nerves, and everything fe lt fine HERMIONE!

Ron! Harry called, but then something amazing happened. The Other had spoken exact ly what he had said, as if in a daze. And Harry knew suddenly what was happening . He could feel the similarity to what he had felt in the past in the Department of Mysteries last year Harry possessed himself. Blimey, are you alright, Harry? Ron questioned, loosening his grip on his best fri end s shoulder, but his face remained the same, just as tight, just as frightened, What happened, mate? What did you see? Ron, listen to me, ing, I m Harry. the Other sat up quickly and anxiously, just as Harry was order

I know you are, Ron gaped, his voice squeaking in the way that it always did when he was unnerved and scared, Harry Don t say my name! the Other ordered when Harry felt himself lose strength in the co nnection. It felt so similar to missing a step when walking down the stairs. It was amazing, really, the power of the name had on one s soul. A connection even mo re powerful But Listen, Ron. When the time is right, we have to go to the Department of Mysteries . We must find the veil. It s the only way If this is about Sirius, there s nothing we can do, Har mate. Your godfather s dead, an d I know it s hard for you it s hard for all of us, but you have to let him go. Ther e s no coming back from the veil, Lupin said You don t get it! Just listen to me, I m trying to explain! the Other raged in frustra tion. His anger seemed to strengthen the connection even further. Of course it w ould, Harry thought, possession was dark magic. Harry Potter, the son of light, was using dark magic. If only Dumbledore knew the Other s body stood up and held bo th of Ron s shoulders so he would give him his full attention. Ron looked even mor e intimidated now than he ever had. I can t explain everything because the doctors can t find out I m here Harry RON! he said angrily, and ignored Ron s whimpering sorry. The Other closed his eyes an d shuddered, his daze clearing up in his eyes slightly. Harry could feel the con nection slipping from underneath his grasp, Listen! The Harry you see is not the real Harry. I m the real Harry, but I can t explain it now, there s not enough time. You ll understand soon enough. I have no powers right now, because my body has been switched. I m coming, and I won t have a scar. I m the person you need, trust me. The Harry in this body knows everything I know, but he s not the one who can defeat V oldemort! Ron winced at the name, I don t underst Just go to the Department of Mysteries. I ll mee

You will, the Other forcefully said, t you there.

I m not an idiot; I know that these visions Harry has come from You-Know-Who! I can t trust you! I can t trust anything you say! Harry! Wake up, Harry! Harry! Harry! The metaphorical rope that held Harry to the Other s body was pulled roughly from

his hands and like a dream where you felt like you were falling, Harry jolted aw ake in his hospital bed. He breathed heavily and sat up, trying to catch his breath. How could Voldemort do that long enough? But Harry knew that Voldemort had powers he did not, and th e hate enough to completely take control. Like the time that he jumped bodies to stay alive Finally, only one thing remained in his mind: He had messed up. Big time.

James was having a bad day. Things were not going at all how he wanted. First of all, he had had very little contact with his son.No plan had been properly struc tured. And two weeks was not nearly enough time to work these things out. Sirius had only found Arabella Figg yesterday because she traveled around so often and inconveniently. Their group now consisted of four people. Two of which had no m agical ability and one of which knew nothing at all about what was going on. That person? James himself. Now James didn t ask for much. The company he worked a t was amazingly successful, so he couldn t complain. Although, he would have been happy with a lower position. Maybe he could ask to rekindle what Rita and he had had years ago, but still. The last thing he would ever had wanted was to be for ced into a scheme that included two dimensions, a prophecy, and to find out that he had been dead for a little under sixteen years. Second on his list of things not going well today was how Sirius had made no imp rovements whatsoever in trying to break into a highly protected magical governme nt building. The furthest he had gotten into the building was the front desk, an d that was when James had tagged along. Well, forced along, because he was a mur gle or whatever it was called and needed the necessary papers to be able to walk freely and unaided in the Wizarding World. Third, well, third who else would have needed a ride to Luna Lovegood s party but o ne of Harry s little friends: Ginny. Needless to say, it definitely hindered their plans. I really appreciate you doing this for me, Mr. Faust, Ginny meekly said, It s just my father is busy at work, and I couldn t think of anyone else who lived close enoug h who was going to the same place It s really no problem, Ginny, James sighed and his eyes flickered to the rearview m irror to see her innocent-looking face looking up at him. Lies, James. Lies. But won t Harry be surprised? she brightly said. Yes, James thought darkly, yes he will.

Here s your gift, Harry, Dr. Porter handed him a bag that had flowers galore and spa rkly text that read, Best wishes! on the front, Now I know your father has a cell p hone, but I want to make sure you have the hospital s number if anything happens. Since you re legally released right now, I can t force any nurses to go with you, bu t maybe you would reconsider There s no need, Harry assured her.

Well, give my number to Doctors Marcela and Jeremy when you meet up with them, she pleaded, Goodness, now you ve got me worried like a mother. You said Rita s assistan ts will be meeting you there, right? Yeah. Abuzz rang through Harry s room and Albert s voice announced over the intercom, James Potter is here to pick up Harry Potter at the front desk. Harry Potter to the fr ont desk, Dr. Weasley and Dr. Porter. That is all. His voice disappeared. Harry breathed in. Their plan had now been set into action.