Ablaze
Harry groaned loudly as his face connected with cobblestone. Wetness spread beneath him and he sighed. His nose was bleeding once more. At this point he ought to look like something out of a horror book.
Not the way he wants to start in this new world.
"Isn't there even one way of magical transportation out there that won't end with me stumbling around?" Grumbling to himself, he grimaced as his stomach clenched violently. "Or make me sick for that matter?"
Wings fluttered above and he glanced up into the amused eyes of his familiar.
‘I am sure there is, my chick. Maybe a flying carpet will do the trick?’
“Will probably only fall off.”
A delighted chirp was the only reply.
Slowly pushing himself up into a kneeling position he rapidly blinked away the dtos dancing in his vision. Blood was still dripping from his nose and he pinched it uselessly.
‘Are you alright?’ Worry was thick in her words and Harry felt his heart warm.
A reassuring smile spread over his lips in response. Though the way Hedwig's eyes stayed locked on his injury made it obvious how ineffective it was.
"Whizz-zard transportations jus' do not agree with me,"
Tilting her head, his familiar narrowed her eyes. 'All joking aside. You do remember broom riding right?' Her gaze fixed on his face. ‘How hard did you hit your head?’
Carefully sitting up, he rolled his eyes. ""I am fi-fine.” Ignoring her disbelieving hoot, he continued. “Brooms are different, they can be controlled. Apparition and Portkeys are sim-ply vile inventions that reg'larly throw people around in an uncontrolled manner."
Speaking while blood still trickling from his nose was probably not helping his case.
Hedwig gave him a look for ignoring her worry, but answered anyway. 'Maybe it's not the means of transportation that is out of control, but the wizard using them.'
Harry's eyes glinted with amusement as she demonstratively posed. Not a single feather was out of place. A sign that he was the only one who had had trouble with the transition.
Even more impressive though was that her feathers were still pristine white, despite her sitting on a dirty trash can. Her proud stance made it clear that she was very aware of it too.
‘You could work on your landing at least.' Smoothly sailing through the air, she emphasised her point by barely moving his pants fabric when she set down on his outstretched legs. Remaining clean despite all the grime that had accumulated on him.
Glancing at him, she paused, horrified. 'You messed up your feathers again!'
Shaking his head he chuckled at her antics. Birds and their priorities.
'Well, at least you choose a good destination, dear one.'
Scanning their surroundings, he grinned. It appeared they had indeed arrived at the intended location; a small dark side street of Diagon Alley.
Beside them there were only trash cans in the small space between the tall buildings on both sides. Nothing of interest could be found here. Which was exactly why he chose it. It gave him time to adjust before he had to face reality.
Grin widening, he remembered how he had been introduced to this particular spot a few years back. Fred and George had shown it to him. Somewhere to see but not be seen. A way out when, not if, his Potter Luck struck in Diagon Alley.
Tilting his head back, he slowly lowered his hand from his nose. Listening to the hustling and bustling from the nearby shopping district. It had been years since he heard it quite as lively.
Feeling a soft wing touch his chin, he blinked. 'You should keep in mind that this isn't the place you are familiar with. Things are different here.'
Staring at the light coming from the end of the alley Harry petted his friend's soft feathers. "Yes, I can hear that."
'I believe Hermoine told you how delicate the concept of time is. Did she point out during your adventures with the time turner, how even small changes could have major consequences?’'
"Yes, she was very adamant about it too. Said it was why time turners are forbidden." Ron and him would have had to be deaf to miss that point. Though not even that would have spared them. Ah, Hermoine. Always up for a lecture or two.
"Not that Ron and I were as careful as we were supposed to be in the end. There was just too much on the line. Too much going on at once. Literally."
‘Indeed’ The owl inclined her beak placatingly. 'However, it is also how parallel universes come to be-'
"Through time turners?"
Snapping her beak, she pecked his cheek. 'No. As I was saying they exist due to differences. Something in the past of each parallel universe caused them to develop in their own unique way.’
‘From small things like a plant not dying out to the original continent never splitting into the ones we know.'
Pacing up and down his legs, she went on. ‘If the change happens earlier than there are usually more consequences. If the altered event or decision is more meaningful then so are the effects.’
‘Therefore while all the parallels started from the same point their paths may differ greatly or be eerily similar.'
"And what is different in this world, Hedwig? What makes it so unique?"
‘I am not privy to that information.’ Pausing on his knees, she picked at her feathers thoughtfully. ‘It deeply impacted magic itself though. That much I can tell. From what I have learned, that is a rare occurrence.’
Flapping her wings she flew back to the trash can. Once perched she eyed him up and down. ‘Now, before you can go see for yourself, there is something more pressing that needs to be done.’
Fixing him with serious eyes she instructed. "Look inwards, dear.'
Face blankly, he repeated her words uncomprehendingly, "Look inwards…?"
'Yes, Death assumed you would notice the changes immediately upon waking. Apparently he forgot to factor in how much of a distraction a new world can be.' Snapping her beak agitated Hedwig added. 'Focus on your magic, dear.'
Ignoring the uneasy knots forming in his gut, he breathed in deeply.
First he blocked out all the noises surrounding him. Muting all the sounds reaching his ears. From the busy street to even the slightest rustle of Hedwig's feathers.
Then he closed his eyes. Facing away from the light for good measure. Encompassing himself entirely in darkness.
Breathing out, he sat down. Relaxing his posture and letting all the tactile signals fade out. The feeling of the cold stone beneath his legs. His torn clothes warming his shivering frame. Nothing remained.
Finally he searched inside himself. Reached for the warm ball he associated with his magic.
There. Mentally grasping it, he waited for the expected waves.
Nothing.
‘Try again.’ Hedwig encouraged him. ‘But be careful.’
Slowly inhaling, he lay down. Focusing intently.
Breathing out, he gave a mighty mental push.
Instead of the expected wave of magic, a spark ignited in him.
Then another and another. Until he his whole body was aglow from inside. They were bright and growing hotter by the second.
In his mental grasp the magic fought his control, wanting out, out, out.
Harry yelped.
It raged, hissed, rattled against his will.
Heart thumping loudly, he desperately held on. Attempted to push it back down. Cool it, but the sparks of magic had already been ignited. There were too many and they were ever burning hotter.
‘Harry!’
Pain surged through him and he gasped. Clutching his cloak tightly, he fought for air. As soon as his focus slipped the magical sparks became flames.
Harry opened his mouth in a silent scream. Fabric ripping where he gripped too tightly.
Heat kept building inside him, tearing at the last remains of his control.
Wings flapped and he thought Hedwig said something, but he could not hear her. Clenching his eyes shut tighter, he pulled his magic firmly around himself. It appeared to work; the fire cooled slightly.
Wary, Harry waited. When nothing happened, he loosened his grip. Slowly, ever so slowly, he relaxed.
A mistake, he realised the second after. Power burst from him: an untameable inferno rushing wild from every pore in his body. Pouring out of him faster and faster.
Trash cans were shattered. Their pieces slammed against walls, bending them inwards, loosening bricks. Cobblestones were loosened and flung high into the air only for them to crash down and break into sharp-edged parts. Over and over again.
Then they were spun around him in a whirlwind twister of debris and dust, swallowing him into a storm of wind and flames and chaos.
Magic saturated the air. Shoving itself down his throat, filling his lungs too full to breathe.
Scorch marks spread from his position as flames burned into the road beneath him. Burying deep into and beyond the stone.
Wind howled in his ears, making him deaf to anything else. A magical equivalent in his mind violently knocked around his thoughts and memories. Preventing any attempts at reining them in.
Body aching in agony, he gasped. Every pore of his skin, of his being, was too hot, too bright, too magical.
Harry's heart thumped away, each beat a throbbing thrust of piercing pain hammering hard against his ribs. Screams echoed. Maybe a mere fragment of his imagination. Or reality. He could not tell.
Seconds felt like hours. Each inhale made the inferno burn brighter. Each exhale spread it.
An eternity or an eye blink passed. Magic hung in the air like mist. Bright and deceptively calm. Suspiciously still.
Blinking, he realised his cheek was pressed to the remains of the floor. Despite its heated state, it felt cool against his own burning body. Allowing himself the small reprief, he relaxed.
'Watch out!'
Snapping his eyes open, Harry stiffened. Walls of fiery magic closed in on him from all sides. A morbid sort of fascination overtook him. It was beautiful; lights of all colours lightening the air.
Clenching his fists, he did his best to prepare for the impact. He failed. Magic hit him and hit him hard, sending his nerves ablaze, freezing his thoughts. Tremors shook him uncontrollable.
Magic saturated his every fibre; changing him from the inside out. Melting, reshaping and reforming his very being with every breath he took; over and over again, a vicious cycle.
When he finally gained control, he was a shivering mess curled up in the foetal position. Every muscle sore and shaken to the core.
Absolute chaos could be heard from the nearby street; screams, crashes and children crying. Growls, roars and all kinds of animalistic sounds filled the air. Smoke drifted in lazily, mixing with the dust particles that were still hovering.
Harry lay there panting and watched with hazy eyes as spells of all colours and shapes flew past the entrance of the alley.
While his magic had caused it, others had obviously escalated the result. Distracting from its origin. Small mercies.
Slowly the pain ebbed out. His muscles unclenched one after another and his eyes closed. The mental and physical pressure finally let up. His magic settled.
If it weren't for the tumult, he could still hear loud and clear, he would have thought the incident a nightmare. Everything was so calm now, power humming happily beneath his skin. As if it had not just burnt as hot and bright as a small sun.
Slumping, he breathed in the dusty air. At least he knew it was no trick this time. No magical fire left to assault him unexpectedly.
'You really need to learn to listen to instructions, dear one. I told you to be careful for a reason.' Hedwig's tone was exasperated. ‘Well, you certainly made an impression now. Destroying public property on your first day here.’
Harry choked out a breathless laugh and scanned the previously orderly street. His eyes trailed over the sad remains of the trashcans and the pieces of the bricks lying everywhere.
Even the buildings on both sides appeared close to collapsing. Most likely only held together by magic and luck at that point.
A shudder went through him as he contemplated what would have happened if the protective spells of the shops had failed.
"Well, it could have been worse, I guess?"
From the alleyway running feet and shouting voices sounded, shock and alarm evident in them.
“Eh...maybe…”
Hedwig sent him an unimpressed glare. Looking down at him from her high perch on top of a pile of loose bricks.
'Tut, tut, tut, and there you used to complain about Snape's dramatic entrances. You are worse.'
Meeting her gaze, he grinned softly. "You wouldn't have me any other way."
Hedwig hooted exasperated. Eying first his torn-up clothes, then the layer of dust covering his skin and his blood-smeared face before settling on his hair.
A soft hoot came from her beak. Her whole body tensed and her chest puffed out before she forcibly returned her focus to his face, deflating instantly.
'How is it, dear one?'
Blinking rapidly at the sudden change of subject, he hummed dazedly. “Hm?”
'Your magic, how does it feel?' Hedwig elaborated.
Hesitating only for a moment, Harry reached inwards. Carefully, warily; taking every caution to prevent the earlier events from repeating. He didn't have to look for long. His magic was thrumming beneath his skin waiting to be used.
Gone was the burning heat of an inferno and in its place was a comfortable flame that warmed his whole body. It was no longer restricted to a specific form like before, no ball or spark, no, it simply was; circulating in him like his blood.
Strange really. It felt as though his magic had finally truly become one with him. It was so easy to feel, to reach for and he knew it would be eager to be used. His intent its command.
Holding up one of his hands, Harry stared at the dust clinging to his torn clothes. Taking a deep breath, he let a small part of his power loose; coaxing it to clean his clothes and skin. The reaction was immediate. A warm burst of colour poured from his body and enveloped him completely.
It tingled, tickled and made him feel truly free for the first time in his life. As though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders; one he hadn't even known was there.
Magic danced happily across his skin making him smile brightly.
"Fantastic," he tone was reverent. "It is as though I am reacquainting myself with an old friend and rediscovering myself simultaneously. It is the first breath of fresh air after a long day inside. Tastes like mint, lightning and freedom.”
“As if I were flying without a broom; exhilarating yet so very dangerous. The potential of falling is high and I do it anyway. At the same time it could be safe too. Sensation of being enveloped in a hug just out of reach."
Spreading his arms, he laughed. “There is so much room for improvement. Many ways it can develop.”
Twirling around, he beamed at his familiar through the slowly receding light. "It makes me giddy and warm and… Hedwig, it is like I have imagined magic as a child."
Harry lowered his arms, coming to a stop in front of the bird. "In the nights when the cupboard felt too small, the blanket too thin and my stomach especially empty I sometimes thought about the possibilities. About how my life would have been if my parents lived. If my family loved me…and… and if magic was real.”
“In these dark, cold and lonely moments I imagined it to be exactly like this. And once or twice when I tried very hard I could trick myself into actually feeling it…"
‘Maybe you did.’ Hedwig commented thoughtfully, but did not elaborate at his questioning glance.
On his sleeve the last spark faded and Harry examined his clothes. They looked new. Even better actually. Small sparks of magic appeared to be woven into the fabric now. It made his clothes fit better and smooth as silk.
“Wow. That went…well. No spell necessary, no wand, I was even distracted.”
‘You should not count on it being always like this.’ Hedwig commented dryly.
‘While the change is complete, you are anything but adjusted to it. I am assuming it will be a hit or miss for a while.’
Harry sighed. “Knowing me it will be in the worst possible situation.”
‘Most likely, little chick.’
Ruffling through his hair, he froze. “My hair …?”
'Ah, yes, about that. Conjure a mirror, would you? We should move on soon.'
“Why?”
'You stirred the magical community up quite a bit. One might even say, you lit a fire beneath their behinds..' Behind her, he could see magical Flames lighting up the street.
“Are these my flames?” Horror coated his voice and he involuntarily took a step towards the spectacle. “Did I really-?!”
Hedwig hooted her amusement. “Not directly, these are not yours. One thing lead to another I assume.’
“Opps?”
Hedwig gave him an unimpressed look. ‘The mirror?”
Dumbstruck at her priorities, he followed her wishes. Taking her earlier warning seriously, he took his time while accessing his magic. Making sure, he was fully conveying his intent.
To be on the safe side, he created a small mirror. It was a simple enough task. Sighing in relief, he watched his magic shape into the wished form. Then he enlarged it, leaning it against the wall in front of him.
Once done, he checked it would not fall over. As he did, he glimpsed himself in the surface and gasped.
'Apparently Death altered your genetic makeup alongside your history. Or maybe it happened as part of that. Interesting.'
In the reflection was a man around 18. He was shorter than Harry, but had longer black wavy hair. Reminding him a bit of Sirius. Instead of all the scar tissue he was used to, there was only smooth alabaster skin.
Clean too, obviously his magic had cleaned more than his clothes. All the blood and dir was gone. The part of him used to being hunted, immediately pointed out, how that would improve his chances of blending in.
Even his injuries were gone. Pure luck that. One he would not question too much. Healing was not his speciality, even if it fascinated him. So it was intentionally repeat that feat as he lacked the necessary knowledge.
On his chest there was a mark in the form of the Hallows. Standing out starkly against his otherwise unblemished skin.
Most noticeable though were the eyes. They were still similar to Lily’s, yet were glowing with an inner light. Magic thrumming through them and giving the man an ethereal and powerful appearance.
Moving slightly, he watched in fascination as the image moved along. “Is that really…me?”
‘Yes, quite magnificent, you are. Though your hair is going to take even longer to preen with this length.’ Looking at him reassuringly, she added. ‘Do not worry, I am going to enjoy the challenge.’
“What…? I-...” Shaking his head, he kept his gaze locked on the mirror. “I am so different now. Even the lightning bolt scar is gone.”
Absently tracing his finger over where it used to be on his forehead, he mumbled quietly. “Odd, I wanted it gone for so long and now that it is…”
‘You are still you, dear one.’ His familiar’s tone was warm and comforting.
“Am I…?” Harry whispered so softly even Hedwig could not hear.
Slowly tearing his eyes away, he turned towards the spells that were trying to extinguish the magical flames.
Following his gaze, she hooted. 'It has been a while since your burst of magic and the authorities are probably making their way here at this very moment. We will have to blend into the masses before that.'
With that she took flight. 'I recommend covering your Hallow symbol. While I have learned much, I am unsure of its meaning here. Only that it has significance. Better to be on the safe side.'
Nodding, he carefully guided his magic to mend any remaining tears in his clothes. Additionally using it to adjust his shirt to better cover any exposed parts of the symbol. Just in case his cloak moved at an unfortunate moment.
'You don't have to worry about the distance between us, dear one. I will stay close enough to allow easy communication. Now is not the time for testing our limits.'
Running a hand through his newly lengthened hair, he agreed. Silently making his way towards the spell fire. Pausing only briefly to pull his cloak tighter.
As he proceeds, a flash or red passes ahead illuminating a sign reading Dragon Alley. One letter was different, yet Harry could not help but gulp. He could distinctly remember hearing growling and roaring earlier.
Had there been a dragon roar among them…?
Why had he not paid more attention to such vital information?!
Shoots and yells sounded from the alleyway. Spells were blazing through the air in front of the entrance in rapid succession.
Strange how it was still so loud.
Why were the people not evacuated yet?
No Auror robes in sight either.
There were Aurors in this world, right?
Taking a deep breath, he straightened and stepped out into the light of the broader street; ducking the wayward curses as he went. Hiding behind a building and out of immediate danger, he dared to take in the sight.
A gasp left his lips and he felt his heartbeat quicken. This was certainly not what he had been expecting.
From somewhere above Harry heard Hedwig's amused hoot.
'Welcome to Dragon Alley, dear one.'