Other Worlds

At the same time as the public memorial service for the Potters was getting underway behind the impenetrable wards at Hogwarts, presided over by a solemnly benevolent Dumbledore, James and Lily were being laid to rest in the little cemetery in Godric's Hollow. Under the watchful eye of two Unspeakables teams, the people who were closest to the couple watched as Harry threw a tiger lily for his mother into their shared grave for his mother, followed by a crimson rose for his father, his baby face solemn and his healed scar hidden under a woolen bobble hat. Severus, Sirius and Remus spelled the earth smooth above them, then Severus planted the lily and rose bushes, placing a subtle Permanent Warming Charm at their roots to forever protect them from frost, and while Remus held Harry, Sirius transfigured a loose stone into a graceful headstone, reading simply:

 

James and Lily Potter

Forever Loved.

 

An Unspeakable unobtrusively warded the grave after the family had apparated away.

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The door to Harry's room closed behind Severus and the medical team, and they made their way down to the library, where the others were waiting. Severus looked as if he'd aged 20 years, his skin gray with fatigue and worry. Immediately Remus stood and moved to support his mate, guiding him to a chair between him and Sirius. Mycroft stood and formally greeted the goblin and the two doctors before inviting them to be seated.

 

As protocol required, Gracklewrat spoke first. 

 

"The scar contains a horcrux"' he said bluntly. Sirius blanched, whereas Remus looked confused. Mycroft explained. "A horcrux is the product of the blackest of soul magic. There is an Old Magic ritual, requiring the death of a witch or wizard, that splits the soul of the murderer and imbues it in an object. The purpose is to grant immortality."

 

"How are we going to get it out of him?" Severus asked wearily.

 

Gracklewrat looked uncomfortable. "I don't know", he admitted. "The horcruxes that we have dealt with in the past have been inside inanimate objects; nothing with a soul of it's own. Frankly, the objects I know of were destroyed in the process, although I will return to our libraries and try to trace other methods. The only sure way that I would think possible in a living being would be to induce death in controlled circumstances, and then attempt to resuscitate the boy. However, depending on how strong either soul is, you would not be able to guarantee which soul returned to the body."

 

"Out of the question," snapped Severus. His shoulders slumped. "I apologise, Breaker Gracklewrat. However, I will neither risk my son or the possibility of giving Voldemort a new body. Is there any way to mitigate the soul's presence? What damage will it do left as it is?"

 

Gracklewrat considered the question gravely. "If left untouched then I do not doubt that there would be mental, emotional and magical interactions that would be harmful to the boy. The soul is, for the moment, quiescent, probably due to the separation being so recent, but with object horcruxes, writings speak of their malign aura and ability to warp perceptions. Such a force literally next to a developing mind and soul would cause untold damage. Traditional methods of destroying a Horcrux would be magical venom or spelled silver blades, but again, you are dealing with the Horcrux site being so close to the brain. It is theoretically possible, I imagine, that a Dementor may be able to differentiate between the two souls, and I can certainly require advances to be made to their Clan Chief to ascertain if this can be done, but while there are soul barrier spells listed in our archives, it has been hundreds of years since the last recorded use. It would require the Elder Council to authorise one of our healers to learn the spell."

 

The men in the room were numb with shock. Venom? Dementors? Those words were impossible to imagine in conjunction with the sleeping toddler upstairs. Mycroft cleared his throat. "On behalf of the Department, I would like to request that these two requests be carried back to your Nation, and I pledge that in recompense the Department shall offer the gold and blood determined as fair price."

 

The goblin inclined his head to accept the formal offer. "I recommend that in the meantime the child be treated by gifted Legilimens, who will need to stay in constant mental contact with the child to prevent mental links being created by the parasite soul. If you will excuse me, I will go and begin the bargaining process on your behalf. Rest assured that this matter is covered by the Potter-Snape and Gringotts Fidelius agreement." On that last, the goblin bowed deeply to Mycroft, then Severus, and disapparated. 

 

Dr Bardwell spoke up. "As you are aware, my colleague and  I are not only bound by Healer oath to keep this matter private, we are also under Fidelius to the Department of Mysteries. As such, Mycroft, if you wish to formally state that all consultations and treatment of the child are included under that Fidelius, I think that would be the wisest course."

 

Mycroft nodded, appreciating that it had been raised in such clear terms to the family. "I, Mycroft Holmes, Senior Unspeakable for the Department of Mysteries, state that the medical treatment of and consultations pertaining to Harry Evan James Potter-Snape Prince and that of his parents is covered by the Fidelius Agreement existing between the Department of Mysteries, Jane Cariad Bardwell, and Johannes August McGonagall regarding Medical Care and Research for all Mysteries Staff. As Secret Keeper for this Oath I also include Remus John Black Snape Lupin and Severus Tobius Black Lupin Potter-Snape." The glow of the bond flared briefly over all bar Sirius. Remus looked quizzically at Sirius, who shrugged. "Already covered. Bardwell is the St Mungo's Mind Healer for all Unspeakables.

 

Dr. McGonagall spoke first. "Physically, Harry is a very healthy toddler. He is average for height and weight, above average in dexterity, language and mental processing for his age, up to date with all his vaccinations and above the highest percentile in terms of his magical core, probably because of having three parents. If he hasn't already begun having wild magic outbursts, he will very soon. I recommend teaching him some simple spells, such as colour-changing, but no Lumos, Wingardium Leviosa or similar, unless you particularly enjoy chaos. Possibly due his body needing to rapidly utilise the large magic expansion this young he is now a bearer, which must have been latent as it wasn't on his earlier notes. While rare it won't affect his development at this age and is nothing to worry about, just requiring the usual precautions as he develops. There may be possible complications there with his future animagus ability, which is definitely present, although obviously we won't know in what form until he matures. I would definitely suggest teaching him the transformation significantly earlier than normal, say around age 7 or 8, in order to have an outlet for the amount of magical energy he will have to learn to manage."

 

He sipped at some water nervously, and carried on: "My first scan detected the residue of two significant spell affects. He was hit, no doubt about that, by the Killing Curse. It's signature is unmistakable, and the spell was overpowered at that. The wand signature matches that of Thomas Marvello Riddle, otherwise known as Lord Voldemort, and is is confirmed as being the wand I tested this morning with Ollivander's Maker's Mark and attestation of ownership. The curse scar in the shape of a lightning bolt is characteristic of the Avada Kedavra spell and is more usually found on corpses at point of contact. The curse site contains significant Dark magic, and is consistent with the description given by Breaker Gracklewrat."

 

He handed the wand back to Mycroft, clearly glad to be rid of it.

 

"The other spell is very unusual. It appears to be a rarely seen form of Wild Magic, obviously called forward in extremis by Lily Potter at, or rather, immediately prior to, the moment of her death. The sacrificial manner of her death, to wit, that she was endeavouring to protect Harry to her last heartbeat, formed a protective barrier around him that is only dissipating now. Our theory is that the barrier actually reflected back the killing intent of the curse, which would seem to be the force that disembodied Riddle.

 

"How does he have a horcrux then?" demanded Sirius. "Why did the magic let that through?"

 

"Intent", replied Severus. "I would theorise that the spell to create the Horcrux was triggered by the stress of the Killing Curse rebounding, and was probably wild magic repeating a combination of spells commonly used. Which means there are probably at least one or two more horcruxes out there, if that was the backlash response. The intent of that spell was purely reactive to the disembodiment and fracturing of Voldemort's magical core, and not intended to affect Harry. The spell just reached out for the nearest vessel that could support a soul."

 

McGonagall eyed Severus with respect. "That fits our theory", he agreed. "The scar is the hallmark of the Killing Curse, and while it is odd that it marked Harry through his mother's barrier it isn't unheard of for Wild Blood Magic to require a sacrifice from the benefiting party as well as the caster. The most unusual feature, other than that Harry lives, is that the backlash caused the complete physical breakdown of Riddle's body. The scans taken by Unspeakables at the scene reveal no particles that can be attributed to Riddle's physical form, not even hair or skin flakes. Even when Apparating, hair or skin traces can be found by a detailed enough sweep."

 

Doctor Bardwell took over, and handed Severus a silvery phial. "Harry's memory of the evening is here, but preliminary Pensieve testing shows clearly Riddle's body collapsing in on itself immediately prior to the implosion which destroyed the roof and wall immediately above and behind Harry. If not for the sacrificial protection his mother had conferred, Harry should have been killed in this incident too, but he was completely untouched. I must point out though that at this moment he is almost as physically vulnerable as any other child of his age."

 

Sirius nodded to Mycroft. "We were speaking of this last night. The destruction of the room was incredible, but Harry was just standing there, completely untouched by the rubble, with just the blood on his forehead. Lily too; she just seemed asleep, without even any dust on her."

 

Severus squeezed his hand gratefully while Remus increased the pressure of his hug for a moment. "How is his mind?" he managed to ask.

 

"Currently, completely fine. The bond work I did has spread out like a lattice over his mind, and is shielding him from the traumatic events very effectively. The dampening of the memory after it's retrieval will assist in his recovery, of course, as will his really being too young to understand what he witnessed. He has strong feelings for all three of you, particularly his father, and as much time as you can spend with him in the coming days will strengthen those feelings and help him resist negative energy coming from the Horcrux initially, we believe. However, leaving it there, even if it is not deliberately triggered, will eventually allow negative energy to affect him."

 

"Effects or symptoms ?" asked Mycroft, briskly.

 

"Harry is a happy child by nature. Prolonged exposure to certain Dark Artifacts can cause mood changes such as withdrawal and depression, appetite loss and the inability to maintain mental shielding; wild magic outbursts tend toward the destructive, both inwardly and outwardly. There can be low self esteem and poor resilience to others' negativity, and an inability to project hope for the future. There would also likely be an inability to develop rounded socialisation skills, so sufferers of such emotional vampirism find it difficult to make or sustain many friendships, one or two at most. Prolonged emotional and mental illness has a knock on effect to the physical and magical health, so think clumsiness and a higher than usual damage from accidents, alongside a reduction in fine motor skills. I'm sorry, it is a bleak prognosis. I understand that Mr Snape is a natural Legilmens and Occlumens, so while we can hope that Harry inherits these abilities from you, your shielding support skills will be vital to preventing damage. However, you cannot do this alone, as until this thing is removed, Harry would ideally have 24 hour shielding."

 

-----

 

Mycroft waited until the doctors had left before beginning to speak. "I can have two shielders from the Department here to provide you cover for with Harry's sleeping hours, but I don't think this is a realistic long term solution. We will need all three of you here for the Trials as witnesses. I'll go over all that with you tomorrow, but for now, obviously Crouch has received eyes-only confirmation of your authorisations as Mysteries Operatives In Place, so there is no concern on that front.

 

"My father was friends with a brilliant man, an Oxford Professor, who was a profoundly gifted Legilmens. St Mungo's at the time were able to detect no limits to his abilities. One of the first things I did on reaching the appropriate career level was, at his request, to disappear him from all Ministry, medical and school records. He has an establishment in America with which we are both keen to develop, as well as involvement in key Muggle projects which have significant impact potential for the Wizarding world. 

 

"My plan was, on extraction from Voldemort's organisation, to send you out there, Severus, and he was expecting the Potters to join him this week. He and others he associates with would be able to help Harry purely on shielding alone, round the clock, without being drained, and I believe that his establishment and links would be vital in extracting the Horcrux. Obviously I would transfer Sirius, and I am certain that he would find Remus an extremely useful addition to his colleagues.

 

"Without being able to confirm Voldemort's death, we have to work on the assumption that he will at some stage return. I think it extremely ill advised that any of you be here until that time. With Bellatrix, Greyback and Pettigrew still at large, Britain is unsafe for each of you. There will be those expecting you to assist in his restoration, there will be those seeking to exploit Harry. Dumbledore is demanding to know who has him, and that he be sent to stay with what he terms 'Lily's close family, her Squib sister.' I am well aware from Severus of the truth of that statement, but removing Harry from the country would lessen those howling for Dumbledore's will to be obeyed. Obviously we will work to find solutions for Harry here, but in terms of asset protection alone we need to try and keep your covers here intact, which will be easier if you have careers that take you away."

 

He looked at them levelly. "Gentlemen, I will give you as much time as you need to make the decision. I will listen and try to fulfil any requests you have, but as assets to this Ministry you are all too valuable to waste, and all probable targets. I cannot impress upon you enough the danger you are in. I trust you will come to my way of thinking."