Disclaimer: Go left...now bend right. Peer closer to the monitor and exhale deeply.
Did you know that you have just performed a very rare, unknown, difficult and obscure magical ritual? Something which would allow you a gateway to an AU Potterverse, even though neither you nor I own Harry Potter? (J. K. Rowling just doesn't want to share) So, enjoy the story.
Chapter 5: The Transmogrification of Eunice...Err, Luna
Ben tossed and turned in the unfamiliar cot in an unfamiliar part of the Castle. Yeah, he had been captured a few times by the Forever Knights in the past, but they didn't or rather, couldn't make him stay the night in their castles. But now, he couldn't sleep. The exhaustion his body was suffering from suggested that he would fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillows, but it was not to be.
The thoughts and memories he had pushed aside were rushing back to him. What was happening in his home world right now? How was Gwen, Grandpa, Kevin and others? Were they looking for him? Were they as worried as he was? He couldn't help but be afraid for the possibility that Vilgax could make his move on Earth now and without him, there would be no effective resistance. Gwen and Kevin were powerful, but they were just not...him. The Hybrids were gone, but couldn't one of them reappear? What about his mom and dad? The questions were endless, and there was no one present to answer. With these thoughts troubling his brain, he had never noticed when he had left his bed and strolled into the Castle Corridors, and was honestly surprised to hear a voice remark, "Having trouble sleeping, Benjamin?"
His first instinct was that it was Luna again, but the man was definitely not she. Ben found himself smiling as he came face to face with a familiar figure, Professor Paradox-an insane genius who had been thrown into the time stream due to an error in his experiment time travel experiments with quartz crystals. He spent a few millennia trapped there and managed to completely understand the intricacies of time, something which allowed him to escape. Now, he usually spent his time fixing up massive errors in the timeline in all places within the universe and also assisted Ben's team, but only in times of absolute crisis. The reason was pretty simple; every time he fiddled with time, the fabric of reality in the nearby area was stretched thin. Ben had a degree of protection due to the Omnitrix and possession of alien forms who too could manipulate time, but too much 'help' would not really suit him.
"Hello, Professor. Didn't expect to see you here." He exclaimed, pleased.
He smiled, "Circumstances make extra-ordinary events look natural, and vice-versa."
"Um...right. So, why are you here again? And how could you find me? Can you provide me a way back?" Ben asked, excitedly.
"If you truly wished to return home, Ben, I doubt anything could have stopped you."
"Hey, that's not fair! I do wish to return..." Here Ben paused, uncertain. Didn't he miss his normal life? Didn't he yearn for it to return?
In retrospect, it was easy to note how much of his life had changed. He was in a different world, had new acquaintances and did not find the culture or lifestyle really suiting him. Here, he was supposed to risk his life for a cause with which he couldn't relate. Yet, some things were here which bound him to this reality; a brother in Harry and even more, his own hero complex. He had never stood back when he could save someone. He remembered that time when Hex had captured the five Charms of Bezel and he had tried to stop him on an alien hover board. That memory made him smile. Probably, the situation was not as bad as it looked, especially if he could help fix it. If he could do something right and use his powers for good, he would do that for sure! And, now he realised just why the Professor might have come to visit him; to help him sort out his feelings before he did something stupid and drastic.
"I guess you saw twenty-two different realities where I left this world and it was destroyed?" Ben asked in a droll voice.
Professor Paradox chuckled, "Thirty-seven different ones, actually. But, even with you here, things might turn bad very soon. There are powers here which even you can't fight. So, I talked with Azmuth and he agreed to help you out...like this." He quickly put his hand over the Omnitrix as it glowed green and stated, "New genetic sample received and confirmed stable. Use possible in exceptional circumstances."
"Whoa, what did you do? Did I just gain another alien?"
"Yep, I just added something more to your collection." Before Ben could question him further, he explained with a smirk, "Can't tell you more...it would mean spoilers." Ben glared at the time-traveller, but he knew that the other won't budge. He sighed, "Well, give me some clue as to what might happen in the immediate future?"
"Hmm...Well, I believe that you might find something interesting if you travel to the Forest again, right now. Ta-ta." With a cheery wave, he disappeared again.
Ben found himself following the directions, but before he had ventured far into the forest, the sight of a few gruesome creatures made him stop instantly. What the hell were THOSE creatures? It looked like some kind of horse, but with great leathery wings like those of bats and a reptilian face. He knew that he probably ought to recognize them, but his transferred memories were just a bit shaky at times.
"They are called Thestrals, and they can only be viewed by someone who has viewed death." This time, it was definitely Luna, again out of the blue. Ben watched her, a bit worried; why was she not wearing any shoes? Didn't she feel cold?
"Why are you not wearing any shoes?" He asked.
"I like to see that you ask whatever comes to your mind." She nodded appreciatively, "A good trait".
Ben opened his mouth to comment on the oddity of her statement, but snapped it shut. No matter how their previous conversation had turned out, he realised that she was still unsure about her current state; she was still undecided about forming any kind of friendship or to ask for help. If she wanted to talk, she would do so by herself. He just stood back and watched as she fed the Thestrals with pieces of raw meat. The soft, shiny and new light rays of dawn fell on her cascading silver blonde hair, almost gifting her with a soft glow around herself. She was beautiful, there was no doubt about it, and she was...Luna.
His patience paid off as he learned about the people in her house who took away her stuff and bullied her due to her being a social misfit. It made his blood boil; they were easily worse than Cash and J.T., who at least stopped picking on people after the Techadon Gauntlet incident. He resolved to do something about it, possibly with the help of Harry. Then, in all his infinite wisdom, he challenged Luna to a race on Thestrals. He managed to last fifteen seconds before losing his grip on his own, falling down and transforming into Jet Ray to save his...umm, you know what. Then, when they landed, he found Luna looking pretty flustered.
"Hey, are you alright?" He questioned.
"Yes, just feeling a bit warm after the race."
"If you are feeling hot..." he smirked and dialled in his Necrofriggian form, "Big Chill knows just how to cool you down." Pretty soon, there were snowflakes floating down from the sky and Ben had to part with his jacket to protect the glaring witch from the sudden cold. He wasn't being noble, but smart and following his dad's example. In hindsight, that wasn't the best idea to try in Scotland, but he could bet that the same move would have been appreciated in Bellwood by a Kraaho girl or someone like that.
They then took a short stroll through the forest and met up with the resident Centaur Clan. Ben was pleased to find that the 'Universal Translator' feature on his Omnitrix worked on magical creatures as well as aliens. The Centaurs had a laugh riot when it was revealed that his name was Ben, 'cause apparently one of the surliest Centaurs shared his name. He wasn't amused, and challenged Ben to a fight. He shrugged as both of them went to a secluded location and after a moment, the Centaur came back, bedraggled. Let's just say, it's not smart to engage Spider-Monkey in a forest. They departed from the clearing with smiles adorning the faces of people from both sides. Ben couldn't resist trying out this feature on as many species as possible, though, and even had a pleasant conversation with the Mermen present in the lake.
As they tracked their feet towards the Castle, Luna asked in a sultry tone, "Ben, do you know my ambition?"
"Err...No?" That tone was a bit distracting, to say the least.
"To become a naturalist and study as many species of magical creatures as possible. And I must say, your powers are sorely tempting...I might just kidnap and keep you after all." He would have taken offense to that remark, but the small smile she sported let him know that she was joking.
Ben wasn't sure what was happening between him and Luna yet, but he decided that it did feel good...and he had no intention of giving it up. He decided to just see where it goes from there on as he remembered one of Grandpa's favourite sayings: 'Life is just like a water droplet on a Lotus petal, so you must make the most of it while you can'.
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Hermione Granger did not find waking up at 5 a.m. particularly suitable to her tastes. Nor was she too pleased to note that the floor of her dorm room had been strewed over with small flowers, the same ones someone had been pelting her with from quite some time. They looked kinda pretty though, and had a nice, fragrant smell...
She absent-mindedly caught the next flowery missile and turned to look at an unexpected sight. The window was open, and her best friend (and your crush, her inner voice reminded her) Harry Potter was floating outside it with the help of his Firebolt. That was particularly unusual, but the fact that weirded her out more was that he was conjuring-yes, conjuring those flowers he had been pelting at her, but that skill was taught only to the seventh years!
"Harry James Potter", she glared at him, "Would you explain what you are doing?"
"Erm...Waking you up?" He answered, stating the obvious fact.
"In this way?" She asked dryly.
"Uh, I would have climbed a pipe, but they are not present in Hogwarts, and I don't like the idea of scaling the walls." He answered with a sly grin.
"Why, exactly?" She was a tad bit worried. Harry was just not acting like himself today. She had not seen him after he had left the Hospital Wing with that other boy, and she found this change pretty disconcerting.
"Err, never mind. But I do have something to ask of you. Do you trust me?" Asking this, Harry stared straight at her, and suddenly she found herself breathless and staring into those wonderfully expressive green eyes. They were so kind and caring, but had a certain hardness to them, something she hadn't noticed before...as if Harry now understood certain harsh truths of life. He could now take actions, which despite being hard for him, were the right ones. Moreover, they pulsated with an inner power, which seemed to draw her in and captivate her. She found that she somewhat...liked it.
"Of course I trust you Harry", she gave an honest answer.
"Thank You. Please meet me on the fifth floor right now." Saying this, he sped off while muttering something about 'Useless books, worthless advices and stupid movies'.
And, so Hermione found herself on the aforementioned location, beside the Tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, but she was more shocked to see a doorway beside it. Then she found Harry leading her into it and she had to gasp. It was set up just like the great hall on the night of the Yule Ball! He explained that it was known Room of Requirement, a room whose magic modified it to become whatever the user wished it to be. It was a remarkable piece of magic, certainly.
She found herself asking why he was doing this for her, and he replied, "To make up for all my faults over the years." He then gave that adorable lopsided grin and spoke, "I wouldn't have survived this year, and the blasted Tournament without your help. You have always stood by my side, and I feel that I have never reciprocated the same level of friendship." He paused, "Ron spoiled the entire Yule Ball for you, and I didn't even try to stop or correct him. It was my duty as your friend, and I totally failed at it. Today, our Fourth Year ends and I won't see you again for an entire summer, so I do think that it is time I make a proper apology and make it up to you. As a very poor compensation, I would try to recreate that magic for you once more in this room. Hermione Jean Granger, will you honour me by sharing a dance with me?"
And so they danced, with a passion that defied belief. They weren't clumsy, but perfectly in tune with each other. The magic was truly back, more so since both of them were with the partners they truly preferred. And, when the dance ended, they found out that they didn't mind kissing each other, either. Their friendship was forged in the fire of adversity and now it shone with full radiance, while both of them hoped that it could lead to something more in future. For the current moment, they were pretty content to call each other 'Boyfriend' and 'Girlfriend', and kiss some more, of course. Harry was grinning as he realised that his life might not suck so much, after all.
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The most feared Dark Lord in recent history sat in an ornate throne with his loyal servants, the Death Eaters attending him. He was in a thoughtful mood; things weren't as good as he would have liked. Many of his more resourceful and stronger warriors were imprisoned in Azkaban, and to think of these new developments, especially that of the new boy, was troubling. But the most troubling news he had received was not that.
Barty Crouch Jr. had really come through for him. Not only he had managed to send the Potter boy to him, but he had also helped in the capture of another person-someone who could very well have known the reasons for his first downfall. In the rush about searching for Harry Potter, even the great Albus Dumbledore had faltered, and his spy had faced no difficulties in portkeying another person to him and allowing him to have a great advantage in the upcoming war. The Divination Professor of Hogwarts, Sybill Trelawney had been captured and brought before him, and a combined use of Veritaserum and skilful Legilimency had allowed Voldemort to pick the knowledge of the prophecy she had made to Dumbledore years ago, right out of her head-even if she herself had forgotten about it. He now knew the only person who could kill him was not Dumbledore, as he had feared, but the Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter, himself.
"My Lord, the goblins have finished with all the layers of the enchantment and are now waiting for you to cast the final spell." Lucius bowed in front of him as he smiled with pleasure. Dumbledore had almost bested him with the use of the Fidelius Charm many years ago, but now it would come to his own advantage. He had no intention of making anyone else the secret keeper of his hideout, either. It had been difficult to come in possession of that piece of knowledge, but his brief stint in Hogwarts while possessing Quirell did come useful in this occasion.
"Tell them to wait up for a moment." He commanded, and turned to one person he was most conflicted about: his spy in Dumbledore's ranks, Severus Snape. He was very unsure about trusting this man; after all, Dumbledore had saved from prison and kept him under his wing for fourteen years and it was hard to believe that he could hide his true motives for so long. Even if he hated Dumbledore, he had to admit that HE was powerful! Besides, what could Severus possibly gain by joining him? He had a comfortable life and recognition, the craving of which had led Severus to join him in the first place. Was a mere schoolboy grudge good enough to satisfy his return to the ranks of Death Eaters? All things considered, he should not be allowed to live for another second.
Yet, he knew that for all his faults, Snape was a premier Potions Master and his talents would be invaluable to the side which he chose to support. Wasting that talent would be a fool's decision, and he was no fool. Turning to him, he commanded in a silky voice, "I have been considering your request, Severus, and I must say I don't find you very trustworthy at the moment. Still, if you have managed to stay loyal to the cause for so many years, like a true Slytherin, you must be rewarded above all others. Tell me, how far are you willing to go to prove your loyalties?"
Snape stated in a firm voice, "Whatever trial you may conduct to ascertain my loyalty, my Lord, I am ready to undergo."
"Very...well. So, perhaps you won't mind if I ask you to swear an Unbreakable Vow to never betray my secrets to Dumbledore and always remain personally loyal to me?" This was the nexus. Any hesitation, any indecision, and Voldemort would know the side Snape had picked. Surprising him, Snape's lips curled into a cruel smirk, "If that is what my Lord desires, I would gladly swear such an oath."
Lord Voldemort instructed Avery to act as the binder as he spoke, "Severus Tobias Snape, do you hereby take an oath to never betray me or reveal my secrets to Dumbledore?"
"I do." He proclaimed. A thin chain of magic linked the hands of Voldemort and Severus Snape.
"Do you swear to perform any duty bestowed upon you by me to the best of your ability?"
"I do." The chain grew brighter.
"Do you swear that all your prior feelings would be disregarded by you and your loyalty would be solely invested upon me?"
"I do." The magic completed it's work and the glow slowly vanished.
Lord Voldemort nodded, satisfied. That would do for now. He briefly toyed with the idea of keeping Trelawney captive, but the gifts possessed by Seers manifested entirely too randomly, which made them practically unusable during a war. The missing Seer would only make the old fool more agitated, and he knew that the enchantments he had cast to make Dumbledore unaware of her 'Missing' status would not last much longer. So, he decided to send her back with Snape, but not before adding a couple of Loyalty and Subservient Charms; any little prophecy she might utter in future would also be heard by him. Can it be detected by Dumbledore? Possibly, but he was certain that the old wizard won't have that much leisure time when he would start making his moves. Most of the magical world was filled with incompetents anyway, or they would have come up with a way to identify and imprison anyone with a Dark Mark. The symbol can be hidden, but the magic can easily be detected if one knew where to look for it.
Meanwhile, Snape was looking at two little potion vials in his hand and smiling rather maliciously. They contained the 'Draught of Living death', a sleeping potion so potent that it could put the drinker into a heavily enchanted sleep resembling death, kinda like your typical 'Sleeping Beauty'. He would have to wait for his chance, but if his Lord was correct, one day or the other Dumbledore won't be present at the Castle to protect Potter, and then he could make his move easily to capture him. He could only think of the rewards that would be heaped upon him if he succeeded.
The Inner Circle meeting was then set up, prompting Snape to take his leave. That day, quite a few ideas were tossed about and rejected. Voldemort was pleased to realise that his followers were not lacking in the financial department and decided to start controlling the Ministry from the shadows. Few Azkaban guards would be replaced by low ranking Death Eaters, allowing them to map the island prison so that his faithful followers can be liberated later. It can easily be pinned on the blood-traitor Black. Envoys to werewolves, giants and vampires were also sent out. Lucius suggested that it would not be a bad idea to try and control the Muggle government at the same time and Voldemort nodded in approval. The junior Minister, Herbert Choley would be the first person to fall prey to the Imperius Curse during Voldemort's second reign of terror.
A/N: So, I am back with another chapter. Now we have progressed with Harmony, Luen and the Dark side has also started putting plans into motion. Stuff that had started to occur at the end of OoTP is already happening because this Voldemort doesn't believe much in wasting time; and you must consider, Voldemort now already knows about the prophecy which was the focus of OoTP anyways. This Voldemort is more proactive, shielding his base with the Fidelius Charm and much more untrusting, as he really ought to be. As you might have guessed, quite a few scenes were inspired by the episodes "The Transmogrification of Eunice" and "Hot stretch". Sorry about the lack of action, but it would pick up next chapter. Thanks for reading and reviews and suggestions are always appreciated.
Who can guess the unlocked alien? It's up for grabs...