Chapter 117: First Contact
The tension was heavy between the groups. But more than that it was awkward. Sitting on one side on conjured seats and couches were the group who was summoned and on the other side facing them the group who summoned them.
“Is it really necessary?” Alt-Remus asked, looking at the sosie of Henry Dodderidge at this side who was tied up and gagged.
Rick’s reply was swift. “I don’t like the way he looks at Bella. Make no mistake. It’s for his own protection. She will turn him into a paste on the wall if he tries again.”
“You have to understand, Harry-”
“I don’t have to do anything, Alt-Hermione, keep that in mind.”
“Rick!” Albus chastised.
“I am willing to talk and listen however.”
“Bellatrix Lestrange killed Sirius.” Kingsley shared.
Bella’s comment nearly made Rick snort. “Wow, what a bitch.” Lily cuffed the back of her head.
Albus decided to play the mediator and peacemaker a bit more. “I assure you, our Bellatrix is on our side. She had been spying for us during the first wizarding war and had been quite the model citizen ever since. In fact she’s teaching DADA at Hogwarts and is the most liked teacher since Voldemort put a jinx on the position in 71.”
“I’m also a seven times Duelling World Champion,” she said while looking at her nails and blowing on it. Once again Lily cuffed her but this time Bella pouted.
“Harry will behave.” Alt Hermione promised while glaring at the Dodderidge look alike. “They’re from an alternative reality, you should not put the labels of our world on them.”
The teenager glared back but surrendered with a sigh. He turned to Rick and nodded. Immediately he was released from his bindings.
“Good. Now if someone could explain what pushed you to summon Rick and why we were all summoned as well?” Albus asked.
“Rick? We summoned you!” Moody grunted.
“No, we summoned someone who defeated You-know-Who.” Kingsley corrected. “We thought it was you Albus when we saw you but apparently we were mistaken.”
““And who’s the guy?”” The Weasley twins chimed in.
“I’m Lord Corvus Potter and married to Lily Potter and you,” He looked at Dodderidge again with narrowed eyes. “Are giving me flashbacks of James from the time he was an asshole with the way you look at my wife.”
“Don’t talk like that about my dad! And she’s my mom! I'll look at her if I want to!”
“Oh God, I married James in this reality?” Lily was suddenly feeling nauseous.
“You did.” Remus confirmed. “A year out of Hogwarts in 79. Although it took years for you to give him the time of the day. He was kind of prat until the end of our sixth-year.”
Rick scratched his chin. “Huh. Our James didn’t man up until 80 and got a son, Henry and was disowned.”
“What?! How come? James was the heir and Fleamont would have never disowned him.” Remus protested.
“I did, for making a pass at Lily when we’ve already been married for a year. In our reality my father, Charlus Potter, was the Lord.”
Moody interrupted. “Yeah, yeah. We don’t care. You’re here to beat You-know-who so let’s get to it.”
“How about no?”
“What do you mean no?!” Everyone looked at Rick in shock, even his own group.
“I need more information first. I’m not walking up to the guy without being prepared. I do admit personal life talk can wait for later. Now I believe Albus asked questions you have yet to answer.”
“Albus died two weeks ago.” Kingsley replied.
“Murdered by Snape!” was said with so much venom, it made Rick curious.
“Harry! This is not the time!” exclaimed Alt-Hermione.
“She’s right. Shut it.” Rick pointed his wand at Harry and muted him. Bella laughed as he kept speaking what were probably insults but no sound came out. “Continue, Shack.”
“One of his contingencies was a ritual. One who would summon someone who was from another reality and who already defeated the Dark Lord. Why did it summon more than one person? I do not know.”
“Maybe because we were simply inside the circle when it appeared?” Albus was now speculating while stroking his beard.
Rick agreed. “Possible.” then turned back to Kingsley. “Did he leave anything else? He did.” He added when he saw Alt-Ron and Alt-Hermione avoid eye contact with him. “The secret to Voldemort's immortality I presume?”
“You know about the hor-”
“RON!” Alt-Hermione and Harry shouted, making him stop. Although no sound came from the latter.
“Okay. So it’s not that different from our world.” Rick talked to himself.
“Yours too made…” Hermione began.
“Six. Would have been more if we didn’t screw him over by putting a fidelius on the concept the moment we knew they existed.” Rick smirked smugly and unmuted Harry.
“That’s brilliant!” Alt-Hermione almost yelled.
“Albus, you take it over from here? I’m going to search the locations where we found them. When I get back we will search for a way to deal with the one in Mini-James.”
“““WHAT?!””””
“I’m not an Horcrux!” Harry yelled in protest.
Albus asked in worry for confirmation. “Rick, are you sure?”
“Yes. I can feel it from here.”
Harry balefully glared at Rick. “What do you mean you can ‘feel it’?! There is nothing to feel!”
“Harry! He may be right. That would explain why you’re a parselmouth and your mental connection with Voldemort.” Alt-Hermione reasoned.
That left Harry speechless. He thought about it and Rick saw the gears in his mind turning until his shoulders sagged in defeat.
“So I’ll have to die then.”
“No?”
Harry’s head rose up in a flash and looked at Rick with hope. “No?”
“No. In our world he used artefacts belonging to the founders. Rose ended up creating an alchemical magic circle to transfer the soul shard in them to something else. No reason it wouldn’t work for you.”
“““Who’s Rose?”””
With a light tone, Rose raised her hand. “That’s me!”
“But you’re our age!” Alt-Hermione exclaimed with a slight bit of incredulity and disdain.
Rose turned to her Hermione. “I’m so glad that you are my version of you.”
Hermione was a bit weirded out but understood her friend’s comment. “Thank you?”
Alt-Hermione however didn’t understand. “What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“It means, other-me… That you are still opinionated, thinking you know better than anyone and thinking you’re the smartest witch around when you’re not by far.” spoke up Hermione.
Alt-Ron snorted but made himself very small when Alt-Hermione looked at him with murder in her eyes.
“I forgot my bossiness too. Don’t worry. You and I will have a talk so you can be the best version we can be.”
“Well, I’m going. By the way… where are we, what’s the date?” Rick interjected.
“It’s the seventh of July 1997. And you’re in my home.” Kingsley replied.
“So we didn’t travel in time, just space. Good to know. Thank you, Shack.”
“Rick, take Bella with you. You never know.” Albus suggested. It was more for Bella to not stay here and diffuse the latent tension her presence still brought.
“Sure.”
“Yes! Romantic gateway to hunt the asshole’s soul!” Bella exclaimed and jumped into Rick’s arms giving a big smooch. Immediately he carried her like a princess and apparated away. Albus stood up and went to an adjacent room to talk with Kingsley, Moody, Arthur and Bill.
“Are you alright with that?” Harry asked Lily.
“With what?” She tilted her head to the side not understanding.
“Their actions! You’re his wife!”
“So is she, so I don’t see the problem.” Lily’s reply was non-chalant and shocked Harry to the core.
“He has two wives?! That’s illegal!” Hermione screeched.
Lily corrected her. “Four actually.”
““Awesome!”” The twins exclaimed in respect.
“Polygamy is legal for the nobles, Hermione.” Alt-Remus pointed out. “It’s rarely done because of the usual conflicts of inheritance between the wives and the children among other things.”
“Give her a book on wizarding laws and one on wizarding customs too. Huh, there is a lot of work to do here.” Hermione spoke to herself. She was heard by everyone and Alt-Hermione looked scandalized.
“I can’t imagine Bellatrix Lestrange not fighting for power or for the title of Lady Potter.” Alt-Ginny Weasley remarked.
“She doesn’t have to since she’s Lady Black.” Lily revealed.
“Wow, wow, wow. Wait a second. She’s Lady Black? How did that happen?” Alt-Nymphadora.
“By marrying Lord Potter, duh.” Alt-Ron rolled his eyes and received a stinging hex from the metamorphmagus.
“Rick’s father was Charlus Potter but his mother is Dorea Black. Arcturus Black little sister.” Lily explained.
Alt-Remus filled everyone in. “That’s Sirius' grandfather.”
“Yes. Arcturus had no proper male heir. Our Sirius would have burnt the whole House of Black down just to spit his awful mother. His brother Regulus was, at the time, just Walburga’s puppet and… well… Rick ended up becoming Lord Black on the condition he married a pureblood.”
“And you didn’t leave him for marrying her?!” Harry looked incredulous.
The redhead gave him a shake of the head. “We were about to be married at the time and the resources of the House of Black would have helped greatly for the war effort. So I pushed him to accept.”
“You pushed him to take a second wife?” Alt-Hermione was bewildered. At her side Harry’s mind had checked out.
“Yes. At first I wanted our friend Amelia Bones but she refused. So it ended up being Bella by strange circumstances. It turned out very well. We’re really happy together.” Lily ended with a happy smile which completely blew away into silence the Alternate people.
Alt-Nymphadora broke it however while looking at her mother, aunt and cousin. “And you? I get why you, mom, but…” She waved at Narcissa and Draco.
“Let me guess.” Narcissa began. “Lucius is still alive, I’m married to him, your version of my son is a bigoted idiot and we’re all on Voldemort’s side?”
“Yeah.” Alt-Ron answered and Alt-Ginny hit him in the ribs. “N-no offense,” he quickly added.
“Non-taken, Ronald.” Narcissa replied with a small kind smile.
The redhead boy was flabbergasted. “You know me?!”
“We’re friends.” Draco revealed.
Alt-Ron felt like he was in a pranked dream created by his brothers. “No way! I’m friends with a Malfoy?!”
““Ronniekins is friends with a Malfoy~”” the goading face of Fred and George didn’t help against the mockery they sang.
“You’re my friends too, you know? I even invested money into your shop so you could start it.”
The twins did a double take. ““No way! We’re friends with a Malfoy?!””
Ginny sighed in exasperation. “Forgive my brothers, they are idiots.”
“Oh, don’t worry, they are in our world too.” Draco joked, making her snort. “I gather Malfoy and Weasley are not getting along here?”
“Not getting along? We have a two centuries long blood feud going on. We’re the blood traitors and you’re the pompous inbreds.” Ginny answered with amusement. “How did that happen? Your friendship, I mean.”
It was Andromeda who answered for her. “Rick annulled my disownment and Cissy found out that Lucius…” She gave a look at her nephew who shrugged his shoulders.
“I’m perfectly aware of everything regarding my father, Auntie.” He looked at his mother briefly. “From what I know, I’m glad he’s gone and to have never met him. Especially after hearing how this world me turned out. As far as I’m concerned Uncle Rick is the closest thing I have to a father and I wouldn’t change it if offered.”
Andromeda nodded and went on. “Lucius married Cissy for the Black Fortune. He intended to kill all the Blacks one by one and use Draco to get the inheritance. Cissy included.”
“Unfortunately for him, he caught an unknown disease at the end of the war and never recovered. He died a decade later.” Narcissa explained further and everyone understood that the sickness in question was not really one. Not from her pleased tone but from the predatory and knowing smile on her lips. “Then Rick brought me back into the House of Black.”
“I grew up with Rose and Susan then all my cousins.” Draco finished.
“You mean Blacks or Potters?” Harry wondered.
“Both.”
“How big is the Potter family?” Hermione asked.
“My husband and I-
“And I!” Rose interjected, cutting her mother off.
“Then the twins, Camelia and Sage, then Veronica. James is still undecided if he wants to take back the name and Henry is not yet seventeen so he can’t make the decision.”
“So dad… I mean…”
“Very happy with Lara and Henry.”
“Are all the Maraudeurs…”
“Alive? No.” Remus replied to his Alternate. “Peter turned out to be a literal rat. He’s dead now.”
“Ours too. Well the rat part, not the dead part. That part is a work in progress.”
“A shame Sirius and James aren’t here. They want another shot at him.”
“Why not bring them here?”
Everyone turned to Rose.
“You can do that?” Remus asked his goddaughter.
“We’re proof it’s possible, so I don’t see why not? I will have to redo the summoning circle with dad, though, because this one sucks.”
“Oh!” Lily suddenly exclaimed. “Tipsy!”
A pop echoed through the room and Tipsy appeared in her Potter uniform.
“Mistress Flowie!!! You’ze alive!” the elf began to sob as she threw herself at Lily. “Mistress Bonesie is all panic! She tried the mirror but no one answered!”
“Mom! You’re a genius!” Rose exclaimed. She conjured a vial and began to pour memories of their time in this alternate universe in it.
“Thank you, honey.” Lily grinned then turned to Tipsy. “Was it difficult to appear when I called you?”
“No, Mistress. Tipsy popped like she usually do.”
“That’s good to hear. You see, we’re in another reality where things are different here. Can you travel back and forth between our world and this one unconditionally?”
The elf blinked. “Tipsy thinks so?”
“Perfect!” Rose exclaimed. She was done with the memories and handed the vial to Tipsy. “Go back home and give this to Auntie Amelia. Tell her we’re all doing fine.”
“Tispy will do!” she said happily and popped away.
“I love that elf.” Rose had a fond smile tugging at her lips.
“How come she’s wearing clothes?” Harry inquired.
“Because she’s free obviously. Harry, sometimes you’re…”
“She’s not.” Rose contradicted Alt-Hermione. “And she’s not wearing clothes, she’s wearing the Potter Uniform.”
“That’s the same thing.” Alt-Ron pointed out.
“Yes, but not to her because you see, officially it’s not her clothes. Those are the clothes of house Potter. She wears them because she’s part of House Potter as I said: a uniform.”
Harry chuckled. “That’s quite a loophole.”
“Thanks. Dad and I have been working on that for years. She has one of each color. We even made her vacation clothes that we named ‘Summer relaxing uniform’.” Rose sounded so proud of herself for her success.
“B-but, she’s still a slave!”
Rose turned to her Hermione. “You do it or I-”
Hermione raised her hand to stop Rose. “No, no, I got this.” She then turned to her Alt. “A free elf is a dying elf. Without a wizard or a witch to bond them and provide magic, house elves lose their sanity, their magic and die.”
“But Dobby is-”
“Completely barmy because he’s not bonded. Granted it’s also from Malfoy’s abuse too.” Alt-Ron cut her off. “We tried to tell you Hermione but you never listened!” That left her imitating a goldfish.
“But that’s…”
“It’s not slavery. It’s servitude. Most families who have a House elf take good care of it. They live to serve and wizard kind need servants. It’s a symbiosis.” Narcissa explained mind boggling Alt-Hermione even more. “Of course. The dark families don’t see it that way and abuse it. The Blacks?”
“A whole wall with heads.” Harry commented.
Narcissa and Andromeda winced. “You visited Grimmauld, I see. Well… You’d be happy to know we don’t do that anymore. Only our father and Walburga did.” the latter revealed.
“I’m proud to say we have laws against their abuse now.” Lily puffed her chest. “A recent addition we were able to push at the Wizengamot, since most of the Dark Block was arrested when we defeated Voldemort.”
“This one and the Law for the werewolf.” Remus added which attracted the attention of his alternate.
“What law?”
Remus gave himself a proud victorious smile. “We’re citizens with the same rights as everyone. To top it off, the wolf-eazy is paid by every employer.”
“What is that?”
“You don’t… Lily didn’t come up with it?”
“I have no idea of what you’re talking about, well except it’s related to our transformation?”
“It’s a pill allowing us to transform without pain and to keep our mind during the whole night.” Remus replied and put a hand in one of the expanded pockets of his jeans. He pulled out a full bottle of white pills, and tossed it to Alt-Remus who began to read the label. The more he read the more his eyebrows rose in shock.
“That must cost a fortune.” Alt-Remus whispered.
“5 Galleons the whole bottle. One pill every day during the week before the full moon.”
Alt-Remus’ jaw dropped to the ground with how cheap that was considering there must have been fifty pills inside the bottle.
Lily clapped her hands in front of her. “That makes me think, Remus. I finished my prototype ring. I wanted to give it to you today.”
“Already? You work fast!”
“Well, without Voldemort to think about I was able to focus my free time better. I-”
Everyone heard a familiar pop and turned in its direction. Tipsy had come back with passengers. Sirius and James.
“So where is Moldy-short and Peter?” James spoke up.
“Yeah, I have some Sirius business with them.”
Before they could react, Alt-Remus had moved in a flash and embraced them in a one arm hug.
James was the first to speak. “Wow, Moony, you saw us half an hour ago.”
“Miss me that much?” Joked Sirius then he noticed that his Remus was in fact a few feet away. “Wait a minute, you’re… Oh man. Sorry.” He hugged Alt-Remus back.
“Come on, get your fill.” Jame did the same.
After a dozen seconds Alt-Remus let them go with tears in his eyes. “Sorry. I just… You did your stupid serious joke and I…”
“No worry, mate, we get it.” Sirius grinned.
“Gosh you two look like two old pompous asses. Although you look better than my Sirius.”
“Non-sense, all Siriuses look the best.”
“Mine spent thirteen years in Azkaban so not really.” Alt-Remus tried to joke.
“Merlin’s balls! What the hell did I do?”
“Peter framed you for the murder of James and Lily.”
““I’m dead?!”” both named people exclaimed.
Lily turned to Harry and now understood the look he was giving her. Her heart went to him. “Okay. I think we all need to have a talk about the history of this world.”
Everyone agreed with her.