Somewhere Safe Chapter 10

Hagrid waited outside by the corral. His cabin had been replaced by an actual house. Harry smiled seeing Fang lazing in front of the door.

The half-giant, like the others, looked almost completely different than his counterpart. Hagrid's beard was still bushy, but it was expertly woven into thick braids. He wore an outfit that reminded Harry of an old explorer, sans a pith helmet.

"Mister Potter." Hagrid nodded. "Please follow me."

Harry recognized the hippogriff waiting nearby. He stepped up carefully, bowing, and allowing Buckbeak to assess him.

"Well done." Hagrid sounded pleased. "My course relies heavily on practical experience. The school board has marked a list of creatures that are considered dangerous. For those, I will assign reading and provide a lecture before introducing them to the class."

Harry nodded. A small smile crossed his face. Of course, the school board would have to provide the list.

"What sort of creatures have you had contact with?" Hagrid sounded interested but lacked the warmth that usually came with it.

Harry did his best not to look at the half-giant. This Hagrid wasn't his friend. He hadn't given him his first birthday cake or bought Hedwig.

"Sorry professor." Harry realized he had been lost in thought. "Hippogriffs." He nodded to Buckbeak. "I've met a centaur and an acromantula. I've only seen a unicorn. I have more experience than I would have ever wished for with dementors. Boggarts as well." He thought for a moment. "A basilisk. I'm a Parseltongue. A phoenix, anyone who has been to the headmaster's office has been around one of them. I've wrangled some Cornish Pixies." He paused again. "I think that's it. No, wait. A Cerberus and a werewolf too."

"Hm." Hagrid nodded thoughtfully. "I think you'd be fine to join the fourth-year class if you'd like."

"Thank you, professor." Harry tried to smile, but there was too much of an ache in his chest.

"Are you alright there, Mister Potter?" Hagrid knelt down to get eye level.

"How much did the headmaster tell you about my situation?" Harry asked.

"He has informed the staff that you're a traveler from another world." Hagrid replied simply.

"In my world, you were my friend." Harry couldn’t bring himself to look him in the eyes.

"I am sorry to cause you distress, Mister Potter." A solid hand settled gently on his shoulder. "You've met Fluffy then?"

Harry smiled. "And Aragog."

"Ah." Hagrid grunted. "He's in a creature reserve on Borneo. Acromantula are rare these days."

"That's a relief." Harry chuckled. "He lived in the Forbidden Forest in my world."

Hagrid let out a booming laugh. "I tried to convince Albus to let him live there when I was a student. Cried for days when they took him away."

"I need to go." Harry spoke softly. "Do you know where History of Magic is taught?"

"No need for that." Hagrid shook his head. "Dumbledore spoke with the staff this morning. He's setting you up with a private tutor. You have an entire world to learn about."

"Oh." Harry blinked. "Good to know."

"Shouldn't have told you that." Hagrid muttered. "He wanted you to get through the tests first."

Harry laughed. The one good thing about Hagrid having a trimmed beard was that the blush on his cheeks was easier to see.

"Off to Professor Riddle." Hagrid shooed him away. "He's waiting for you in the dueling auditorium. Do you know where that is?"

Harry froze. "Right. Professor Riddle."

He slid his wand into his hand as he walked back to the castle. The dueling auditorium was where the failed class Lockhart had 'taught' in Second Year. In his world it hadn't been used in years. Here, it looked quite active. A raised platform stretched along the middle of the room. The far, curved wall was set up with terraced seating.

Off to one side he saw a distinguished older man speaking with a few students. He had an amused expression on his face while they spoke. The students around him were a mingle of different houses and were talking excitedly.

Harry tightened his grip on his wand when the man looked up at him. Their eyes met.

"Voldermort." Harry growled.

The man flinched.

"How do you know that name?" The man asked.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle." Harry dragged his wand through the air, spelling out the name. "I am Lord Voldermort."

"Who's Lord Voldermort?" One of the students asked.

Harry recognized the boy from the sorting this year. He didn't remember his name though.

"I am." Tom Riddle laughed.

It took every bit of his willpower to keep his wand down. The students were in the way. They would get hurt if spells started to fly. He needed them out of the room before he could attack. Harry gritted his teeth. His catalogue of spells was woefully lacking. He knew a few from hearing Sirius and Remus casting them last year but half-remembered wand motions weren't going to help him right now.

He couldn't count on this Riddle being an unhinged maniac either. The man looked calm and collected. That madness had made Voldermort sloppy.

"When I was a boy." Riddle turned his attention to the students. "Many, many years ago."

The students laughed.

"I am an orphan and grew up in the muggle world." He continued. "It was during World War Two, you'll be covering that in your history course, and muggle London was getting attacked frequently. Lord Voldermort was a powerful wizard I created. He would fight back against the horrors of war. He would conquer death and then the world."

Harry gritted his teeth.

"The Ministry learned its lesson from the recent muggle war." The man chuckled. "Even a blind mouse can find cheese. Hogwarts took in the witches and wizards that lived in the muggle world for the duration of the war." He sighed. "It lasted for years. By the time the war was over, the temporary dormitories had become home to hundreds of families. It was quite an undertaking to move the buildings over to Hogsmeade. Inadvertently, a generation of muggle-born witches and wizards were raised in the magical world, meaning they had a greater understanding for the various traditions. Before then there was a harsh divide between the Pureblood families and the half-bloods. Now, any muggle-born students, and their families, are offered residence in Hogsmeade during school breaks."

"What happened to Voldermort?" One of the students asked.

"He fell to the overpowering drive to impress pretty witches." Tom Riddle chuckled.

"Dad." One of them whined. "You're so embarrassing."

Harry flinched. He zeroed in on the girl who spoke. She had short black, curly hair styled in a grown-out pixie cut. The girl looked to be about his age.

Voldermort had a daughter. Was he married? Who was the mother?

"It is part of my duty as a father." Riddle smiled at the girl. "As such, I take it quite seriously."

The girl groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Now." Riddle clapped his hands. "It's passed time for Mister Potter and I to have a private conversation."

The students filed out of the room. Harry studied the girl as she walked away. She wore Ravenclaw colors. Her eyes flicked over to him. A blush colored her cheeks as she looked away.

"Mister Potter." Riddle had moved to the dueling platform. "Let's start with you showing me how much you know."

Harry hopped up to the platform. He didn't wait for Riddle to prepare. Harry shouted his spells, flinging everything he knew at the man. Much to his frustration, Riddle easily swatted them aside, or blocked them. Harry poured everything he had into the spells. He stopped speaking, his voice came out in a raw roar as he tried to bludgeon Riddle with compressed orbs of magic.

Riddle arced an eyebrow at the change. His shield shuddered with each impact. The assault lacked any sort of finesse or direction, but there was considerable power. Especially for a fourth year.

Harry's arm was shaking. His wand felt hot in his hand. He couldn't see straight. The edges of his vision were going gray. He was exhausted. Riddle hadn't cast anything back at him. A fresh burst of burning rage sparked in his chest.

His body locked up. Riddle had his wand pointed at him. Harry pushed against the spell. He focused on the years of pain, anguish, and sorrow all caused from the night Voldermort killed his parents. Harry could feel the magic holding him shatter.

Riddle rocked back on his feet. The broken spell smacking him solidly in the center of his chest. His shield broke.

Harry snarled, raising his wand again.

"Harry." The cut through to his very being.

He turned to see his parents. They were alive. Voldermort hadn't killed them. He didn't exist in this world.

Harry dropped to his knees. His entire body felt too heavy. Arms circled him. He could hear Lily and James speaking soft words. A hand wiped moisture from his cheeks. He sunk into their arms. They were alive.

"That was an experience." Riddle stood a distance away from them.

"His parents were killed in his world." James explained as he took the wand from his grasp.

"Voldermort." Riddle's voice was full of sorrow.

"Let's get you to Poppy." Lily helped him stand.

Harry took a step away once he was on his feet. He looked over to Riddle. This wasn't Voldermort. Tom Riddle stood nearby; a few strands of his hair stuck out from the side of his head. The look he gave Harry held no malice or anger. It was an expression he had seen on Mister Weasley's face. Worry that a parent shows to a child not their own. Compassion.

"Mister Potter." Professor Riddle gave him a tired smile. "Let me know if you're interested in the dueling club. You've got the power. A bit of focus with more depth to your spells and you'd be quite impressive."

Lily rolled her eyes.

"I'd say." James laughed. "He knocked you on your ass."

"James." Lily snapped.

"What? He did." James shrugged.

Harry smiled.

"I look forward to having you in my class, Mister Potter." The older man sounded genuine. "It would be a good idea if we weren't alone together. Someone that Mister Potter trusts should be there for the time being. All I ask for is a chance to show you I am not the man you think."

Harry nodded, not trusting his voice. James used a quick charm to clean his face before they left. People were already curious about him. Lily and James led him through the halls toward the hospital ward. At some point Rose and Iris joined them. The girls were beside him. Rose held his hand while Iris hooked his arm with one of hers.

"That was awesome." Rose whispered.

"Gryffindors." Iris muttered.