Harry Potter and the Magic of the Parallel Universe

Harry opened his tightly closed eyes and let out a frustrated sigh.

Small student groups continuously passed by. If this kept up, he would never manage to sneak past them.

A quick glance confirmed that a few subdued teens were coming around the corner just as the last ones were out of sight.

Shifting his weight Harry cursed silently as he bumped - yet again - into one of the many brooms surrounding him. Only this time the impact caused a distinct thud in the otherwise  completely silent broom closet Harry was hiding in.

The students, who had just been about to round the corner, paused abruptly. Pressing himself against the wall as far in the shadow as possible, Harry stilled.

Holding his breath, he felt sweat trickle down his neck. He was hunched in an awkward position and his legs started trembling from the strain. This was taking too long, he had already been here for hours. If he didn't hurry up, he would be in a tricky position.

Peeking through the little gap between door and wall Harry relaxed instantly as he saw the students finally disappearing. No one else in sight either.

Using the chance while he had it, he took a deep breath and stepped out of the room. Surveying the area, coast clear. Bracing himself, he started running at full speed. Only pausing to peak around corners, before continuing at break-neck speed. 

Corridor after corridor he went. Taking shortcuts and hidden passages whenever possible. Ensuring to use paths with many possible hiding spots. Every time he heard or saw a person, he dashed out of sight. More often than not avoiding being seen thanks to his seeker-reflexes or sheer luck.

When he reached for the doorknob of his destination, he was panting and his clothes clinging to him.

“Finally…” Harry whispered under his breath as he closed the door behind him.

A memory inducing sight greeted him: Myrtle's bathroom. No ghost in sight though. Small mercies. Now he didn't need to worry about keeping her quiet about his presence in Hogwarts. Myrtle might have tattled on him anyway, no matter what he said.

Stepping towards the sink, he fought against resurfacing images. It did not work. Flashes of Tom Riddle smiling, blood, Ginny's prone body-

He clenched his fists. There was no Basilisk down there anymore. No fangs glistering with poison. No-

Hearing footsteps approaching, Harry cursed mentally. Someone must have  alerted a teacher. If a student had done that a few years prior, they would have been ignored. At best  been told to be careful and watch out for any other worrisome developments. 

In the current tense political situation however, especially with the schools direct involvement, well, things were different. Which was most likely why there were now even more rushing feet nearing his location.

“Dang…”

Locking eyes with the decorative snakes on the sink, he hurriedly hissed, "Open." Slowly, oh so slowly, the entryway appeared. 

Low conversations could be heard now, yet the sink had yet to move completely out of the way. 

“This way you say-” A muffled male voice asked. 

Still too little space for Harry to squeeze through.

“Yes, I swear-...-must have been-” Came a timid response, too softly for Harry to fully understand.

Hole was there, steps still missing.

"Really? Just remember that liars are harshly punished.” Suspicion coloured a voice Harry recognised. Amycus Carrow the new DADA teacher. Also a Death Eater.

No time to wait for stairs. Jumping into the hole he hissed, "Close."

Half slithering, half tumbled downwards, Harry landed in a heap on the floor. Hearing the sink regaining its previous position with an audible click. Rolling onto his back, he let the feeling of hard stone beneath his back, ground him.

Slowly stumbling to his feet, he cast a wandless and wordless Lumos. Causing black dots to appear in his vision from the sudden light.

Thank goodness, they had figured out some time ago that wandless magic was untraceable. Or rather, thank Haremione for her quick wit, even on the run. Their next realisation had been unexpected: wandless magic came naturally to Harry. Way more so than spells cast with a wand ever had.

Adjusting his glasses, which were askew on his nose, he cautiously stepped forward.  Each step was harder than the last as he was reminded too much of his last stay in the home of the Basilisk.

Distracting himself he forcefully thought about Hermione's theories behind the discovery. As that had occurred a few weeks after his seventeenth birthday, she suspected the date was connected with his sudden show of magical attunement.

On average a witch or wizard would reach their magical maturity up to or at the very least on their seventeenth birthday. Immense stress, trauma or magical power could delay the process though.

Considering his past Hermione had merely given Harry a look when she told him that. Apparently not deeming it worth even commenting on something so obvious.

Of course Harry could have been a once-in-a-generation talent in that specific field of magic from the start, but ... unlikely. There had been other clues too.

His magic has been off since shortly before his birthday. Fluctuating so much, he might not be able to use a wand, even without the trace. Channelling magic through anything but one's own body required both steadiness and stability. Both would probably remain incredibly hard until his core settled again.

So, for now shaping magic in his mind and giving it purpose before it left his system was his option of choice. Worked more often than not.

Multiple paths came into sight. Focusing, he fed power to his Lumos until his whole hand was engulfed in light instead of only one finger. Systematically he moved in a slow circle, stopping only once the spell illuminated a familiar path Swiftly stepping forward, he made his way towards the main chamber

Grasping the mokeskin pouch hanging from his neck, a new habit, he went inside.

… And immediately regretted it.

Bright light blinded him. Goosebumps rose on his suddenly frigid skin. He choked. Coughs rattling his form.

Clutching the  mokeskin pouch tightly, he lost his control over his magic. The light from his hand vanished, yet the brightness around him increased.

It was as if the light itself was slowly sucking all the warmth from him. His body was shaking in earnest now, every cough harsher than the last. Air. He needed air. He had to make this  stop. STOP.

“...stop…” Harry wheezed. Gathering his magic around him and pushing back against the pressure in the air. It worked. The light receded, it-

An electric shockwave shot through him, sending him flying. Landing with a loud thud, he kept rolling for a few metres. Barely avoided hitting his head on first impact, he missed the unnatural cold slowly receding from his body. At least until it was replaced with waves of agonising heat.

“Argh-!”

It was coming from….

A humming came from within the mokeskin pouch. It was burning against his skin. Already there were blisters forming beneath. The light was growing dimmer as if in response. 

Chancing a peak at the light show, he saw green mist surrounding him. It was emitting from the pouch, most likely the resurrection stone within.  The green mist was pushing back what appeared to be a wall of white that encircled it. A spell? Curse? Area based?

Squeezing his eyes shut again, he groaned in pain.

Magical pressure was building, making him feel dizzy. It was pushing into him. Overloading his already unstable core. A spasm wrecked his body, forcing his back to arch.

Tears streamed from his eyes freely and a silent scream was stuck in his throat. More pressure. More spasms. More-

So much. Way too much. He couldn’t-

Blissful darkness enveloped him. 

Endless stream of nothingness took him in their embrace. Warm and soft like the gentlest hug. Making him feel weightless, unbound by the rules of gravity. Free in a way he had never been before.

Laughing in delight at the unexpected reprieve, he enjoyed the non-existent wind ruffling his hair. Waves of a different shade of black went by. With them his mind calmed, his worries were carried away with them.

Time was meaningless. Another wave passed. More worries disappeared; memories faded.

He drifted, he floated and fully immersed himself in the sensations. For an eternity yet not long enough, he simply was. Existed in his purest form. Less and more than ever before.

Blink. 

Shapes formed out of whisps of magic.

Blink.

His form became more solid, more real. Up and down existed again. 

Blink

His surroundings settled into the form of a familiar area.

“Platform 9 ¾…? I know this place.”

Blink

"I-… But who am I…?” 

“…Harry… I am…just Harry…" He quietly whispered into empty space. "And I was… on an important… errand? Mission? Is… is this an illusion?"

Momentarily pausing, he collected himself. “I was…” Somehow he had the feeling that he had been doing something important.

Walking over to the nearest bench, he sat down.

“Remember…I have to…remember…” 

"My friends… Hermione and Mon-Lon…-” Leaning back, he put the back of his head against the wall. “Bon… ? Bon. What a strange name…”

“Anyway…they sent me to gather… um…" 

“How strange…” He couldn't remember. Focusing harder, he expected the information to come to mind. Then  Harry tried some more. Nothing.

"Send me to gather… something. And to do that I was in…a school? Hogwarts." His voice sounded strangely distorted to his own ears. It helped him focus anyway. Made piecing together fragmented images, impressions and thoughts easier.

"I needed to be careful. I couldn't allow myself to be seen, because… Hermione, Bon and I were in a tent! … Um… no, that's not right. Is it…?”

Flashes of a forest, a freckled teen red-faced with anger, a necklace,…

“No, I needed to be careful, because of the war. Oh, the war!”

Memories faded in and out. Red eyes gleaming with malice. Panicked voices. A horse-faced woman pale and trembling. Hushed conversations.  

“Voldemort! The hunt! The Dursleys! The Horcruxes! … Ah, yes, that is it! I was in the castle to take care of something important related to the war!"

His face glowed with happiness at least recalling some details.  

”Anyway… time was of the essence. Is it still..? How much time did pass? Did time pass? Can time even pass wherever here is?”

Jumping to his feet he started pacing. He needed to go back. Take care of …whatever the task was. Despite everything else feeling far away, Hermione's serious tone still echoed in his mind.

"I see you have regained a few of your memories, Master." A monotone voice commented from directly behind him.

Startled, he swirled around. Instead of an empty bench, he found a hooded figure sitting in the exact spot he had just vacated. No facial features were visible beneath the hood, but he had the sneaking suspicion the other was frowning.

"I have never quite managed to understand human greed. It is a mystery to me how being unable to claim ownership of something can lead to wishing to destroy it and whoever has it. Truly astounding how many souls have been brought to me simply due to greed or jealousy."

Harry's eyes widened as he realised who - or what - exactly was sitting in front of him.

Death.

“Am I…?” Unable to finish the question, he shut his mouth.

“We will come to that.”

“So…maybe…?” Harry whispered under his breath.

"Actions of a man long gone have forced me to bring you here. You are my Master, yet  I am not your servant."

Harry stared at Death unblinkingly. Completely speechless. What did one say in a situation like this? To make matters worse, he was nearly positive Death was smirking at him.

"All the Hollows accepted you. They took some of your magic and gave some of their ancient sentient one in exchange. It is a contract older than time itself. The Hollows have been waiting for a long time for their perfect match."

Finding his voice, confusion laced it as he asked. "Sentient magic? Contract? The Hollows? Perfect match?"

Death turned towards him and spoke in the same emotionless tone as before. "Sentient magic develops in a region or in objects that are filled with great amounts of power for a long period of time. For example, the Hogwarts castle has became sentient after being the home of countless witches and wizards over the years.”

“That means the castle has something akin to a consciousness. Enabling it to make certain decisions for itself. Resulting in whole sections of Hogwarts appearing and disappearing apparently at its whim."

Death paused and waited for Harry to take the information in before continuing.

"The kind of characteristics an object or region develops depends on multiple factors. Including but not limited to spells used on it or in its surroundings and the intent behind the spellusage.”

“Another factor strongly influencing the developed characters is the reason for the objects creation. In the case of a region it's about the history behind it. This is also how horror houses came into existence.” 

“Too many spells used with ill intent or negative history in a building saturated with magic. Sometimes turning into people eating houses. A preferred living area for Poltergeister.”

Harry couldn't suppress the shudder as he thought about all the horror stories he had heard about in his life. Maybe they had more truth in them than he was comfortable with.

"Now, the Hollows - consisting of the elder wand, resurrection stone and invisibility cloak - have been around many witches, wizards and their magic. Nearly from the beginning of time to be exact.” 

“This being so they have long since developed a will of their own. Originally their only ability was to choose a Master of Death by compatibility. However, over the years they gained a  protective strike towards their temporary owners."

“Huh.” Harry commented. “Explains a lot.” He was quite sure the invisibility cloak had a tendency to simply appear from time to time when he needed it.

"These became even more apparent when they chose you. As this was the highest compatibility they have ever found, they slowly but steadily exchanged magic with you. Strengthening your bond with them and theirs with you. Additionally, this served to make me aware of their claim on you.”

That answers that question. He had had the impression that something weird was going on, even if he now could not remember any specific situation anymore.

“You accepted this connection by using each Hallow individually in a potentially life-threatening situation. Honouring them. It is of no consequence whether you used them consciously or not.”

“The cloak was the first to form its bond with you followed by the elder wand. Lastly came the ring when you held onto the pouch containing it before falling unconscious."

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Death was faster. 

"It is of no consequence that you didn't use the ring's power to call ghosts to aid you.”

His mouth shut with an audible click. That would have been possible? Dang.  

“You held on to it with your magic flaring around you and into the ring intending to protect yourself. This caused the sentient magic to react in the only way it knew; a counter offence against the force attacking you.” 

“All the while it used your magic to saturate it and boost its strength. Through that the bond with the last Hollow was sealed and you became  known to me as my Master."

Seriousness practically oozed off the hooded figure now.

"The Hollows choose you as Master, because your personality, ideals, magic and all that makes you, who you are, resonates perfectly with them. Seeing as their original ability - before its surroundings influenced them - came from me that means you also resonate with me. Therefore, you are the best suited to be my Master."

His very being resonated with the personification of Death? Harry paled.

"I won't explain to you what it means to be my Master. Not now at least. There are a few things you need to be aware of before you leave."

“Leave…? Where am I going?” 

Death went on, ignoring the question. "When you entered the chamber with the ring, you triggered a curse that was placed there by Salazar Slytherin when he was in possession of the resurrection stone.”

“While he never connected with it, he was intrigued by the Hallow. The curse you set off was originally meant as a worst-case scenario safety measure to prevent its theft.”

“Yet the curse was not cast with ill intent. Contrary to general belief Salazar Slytherin was a caring man. Wanting to keep the stone from those with less noble intentions away from it. At that time witch hunting was commonplace. Adding a wizard with the resurrection stone and no morals, could have caused wizards to go extinct.”

“So, Salazar placed a charm on the chamber to activate if anyone but him or his close relatives had the stone on their person without his explicit permission.”

“Charm? I thought it was a curse?” Harry wondered aloud.

“Yes to both. Its original purpose was to take the offender to Slytherin himself. Since he was long dead when you triggered the charm to activate, it transformed into a curse due to circumstances. Attempting to take you to someone, who did not exist anymore.”

“Your fluctuating core fought back and the sentient magic of the resurrection ring assisted. Due to the curse having been placed and connected to a place of power for such a long time, it had gained sentience too. Different kinds of sentient magic fighting is problematic.”

For the first time a slight inflection entered Deaths voice as he emphasised the word. 

“Intervention was required. As you are my Master and the involved party, you were used to channel the necessary power. This means that when you wake up you will find yourself to be different. In more and less immediately apparent ways.” 

“There will also be consequences since the magic involved in the process was sentient.  Keep in mind that sentient magic has its own will; purposeful and strong.”

Pushing the thought of any changes to himself to the side for his most urgent question, Harry hurriedly asked. “I am going to wake up again?”

“Yes, you shall. Though in a parallel universe. One akin to your previous one in some aspects, yet differing completely in others.” 

“A parallel universe?”

“Yes, one with magic of its own. Anyway, it is nearly time for you to awaken. Be aware that keeping the balance between worlds requires some changes to your history to be made. As soon as you are come to you shall find out what I mean."

“Wait-”

Before Harry could even attempt to ask any of his countless questions, Platform 9 ¾ faded out of existence. Replaced by blackness.

He tried to fight it, to force his way back to the station. No use. Deaths figure had long since vanished.

Death  had just told him that he was his Master.Then proceeded to inform him, he was transported to a parallel universe.  In-between he had casually thrown in that there had bee some changes to Harry. And yeah, shouldn’t have thought about that.

Panic hit before being carried away by a passing wave. More panic. More waves. 

Even as he was lulled into inner peace, he vowed to get answers from Death. Wanted, no, needed to truly understand what was going on. And he would, he vowed to himself.

With determination burning in his heart, he drifted deeper into the darkness. Enjoying feeling both weightless and being held once more.