Harry Potter is a Slytherin

Harry was sitting silently in the library, researching what ingredients were needed to make a Doginport Potion, when Draco Malfoy strutted importantly into the room and sat down next to him.

"Hey there, Harry, old mate!" he said, as though he and Harry had been great friends all their life. Harry tried his best to pretend that he was still alone.

"I'm worried that you're falling in with the wrong crowd," Malfoy informed him earnestly. "I saw you talking to that Granger Mudblood yesterday. I mean, you know what she is, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," Harry said angrily, desiring nothing more than punching Malfoy in the face.

"I know it isn't really your fault, Harry," said Malfoy, as though Harry had been fearing Malfoy would blame him for something. "It's because you used to hang out with those Weasleys blood traitors, that Granger Mudblood and that Hagrid oaf. Well, I have news for you Harry--there're all gone and you're going to have to get along with me from now on."

Malfoy had probably insulted every person Harry cared about by now and Harry found himself half-wishing that Malfoy would insult him too. However, Malfoy seemed to think of him as some kind of misguided friend. Harry was now convinced that the only thing worse than having Draco Malfoy as an enemy was having him as a friend.

"Now, don't worry," Malfoy said encouragingly, patting Harry on his shoulder. "I understand how you feel." If Malfoy understood how Harry felt, he would be running as fast as possible in the opposite direction.

"I know you had a lot of great times with your old friends," Malfoy continued, sounding strangely sympathetic, "and it must be hard for you accept that they were wrong, but they were. Now, that it's just the two of us, we'll be great friends together."

"I'll never be your friend, Malfoy," Harry said sharply.

"Oh, I don't think so," Malfoy said. "All your old friends hate you. This school is a dangerous place and you're famous. You need someone at your side and, without me, you have no one except Loony Lovegood."

"I trained her in the D.A. to use defensive magic!" Harry retorted. "She's not as helpless as you think!"

"Oh, you're so naïve it's almost sad," Malfoy said, sounding delighted. "That never happened here--nothing you've worked for ever happened her. None of it and there's no Voldemort here and no Death Eaters. Don't you see? You made the world a worse place for everyone but yourself and you call us Slytherins self-centered."

Harry jumped up and lunged at Malfoy, only to realize he had walked off a cliff that had suddenly materialized in the middle of the library. He looked down the miles the cliff stretched and the next second found himself in his bed, gasping for breath.

It took him a few second to realize that it had all been a dream. The whole thing made very little sense anyway. After all, Draco Malfoy wanted to be friends with Harry as little as Harry wanted to be friends with him. How come people often had dreams that made no sense? Why did the most nonsensical dream make sense while you were having it? Why couldn't anyone reason in a dream?

Harry laid back down onto his pillow, closed his eyes and, eventually, went back to sleep...

"You're not exactly making this easy for me," Harry told Malfoy as they headed up to the Great Hall the next morning. He was thinking of the incident with the Imperious Curse the previous night.

"Come again?" Malfoy asked.

"I can never tell whether you're really on my side or not," Harry explained.

"As I've been trying to tell you," Malfoy said, sounding very annoyed, "I'm not anyone's side. We all want everything to go back to normal, right?"

"Right," Harry agreed.

"And you understand I had to use the Imperius Curse to make sure you were telling the truth, right?"

"Yes, but Professor Moody--"

"Professor Moody?!" Malfoy asked incredulously. "So that raving lunatic did make Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?"

"Um, yeah," Harry said rather sheepishly. "Anyway, he said the punishment for using one of the Unforgivable Curses on a human was a life sentence in Azkaban."

"Oh, c'mon," Malfoy said in exasperation, "nobody pays attention to those rules. Besides, this is the same Ministry that sent your Sirius Black to Azkaban without a trial." This reminded Harry how he had freed Sirius Black. Where was Sirius now? Was there any way Harry could meet him?

When they reached the entrance hall, they saw Luna Lovegood sitting on the steps of the marble staircase reading an issue of The Quibbler. Harry, thinking how sad she looked, turned to Malfoy.

"You go on into the Great Hall," Harry told him. "I want to talk to her real quick."

"Make out with her, you mean," Malfoy said darkly.

"No," Harry repeated, "I mean talk to her--as in just talk and nothing else." Malfoy looked incredulously at him for a moment.

"Just make sure no one sees you," he said as he turned to walk into the Great Hall. As soon as he was gone, Harry instantly ran up to Luna.

"Hi, Luna," he told her. "Are you okay?" She looked up at him with eyes that seemed to be much larger than normal.

"Yes," she said, looking like she was staring right through him. "You know, Barnabas the Barmy was actually a woman in disguise."

"I'm sure he was--I mean, she was," Harry replied. "So...why aren't you coming into the Great Hall for breakfast?" he asked her. Luna looked down.

"I'll come," she gloomily told her lap. "I just didn't think you'd want to be seen with me. No ever one does." She looked so sad and lonely...

"Uh, look," Harry said, "I really have to go now. I'll meet you after lunch on the seventh floor near that old scarlet tapestry, okay?"

"Okay," Luna agreed, sounding suddenly delighted.

"Now, uh, you do realize we aren't going to be, you know, 'doing anything,' right?" Harry asked her.

"No, of course not," Luna replied instantly, but she sounded considerably less happy.

"Um, okay, bye," Harry said and with that he turned and ran into the Great Hall. This time he remembered to head for the Slytherin table. It was after eating for several moments, that he started thinking about how the behavior of the Slytherins towards him was a great contrast to how it had been the previous day--nobody was congratulating him for anything or, for that matter, even talking to him.

Out of boredom, Harry turned to look back at the Gryffindor table and saw Hermione was still looking very embittered. Her life must be so miserable now--she had no friends and that ugly scar was all you could look at. Suddenly, he remembered what McGonagall had said and turned to Malfoy.

"I've gotta know," he said. "Did I, um, 'Harry' rape her--um, Hermione Granger?" Malfoy didn't answer, but Harry saw the horrible truth in his eyes.

"I did?!" he asked incredulously. "How could I do that?"

"Keep your voice down," Malfoy pleaded. Harry felt short of breath--the idea of him having consensual sex with Hermione was revolting all by itself, but rape was something else entirely. No wonder everyone hated him so much.

"How did it happen?" Harry asked Malfoy in a whisper.

"Later," Malfoy breathed desperately as a teacher past them. Harry turned around and saw McGonagall walking up to the staff table.

"So, how did it happen?" Harry repeated when she was out of earshot.

"Well, you got on top of her and--"

"That's not what I meant!" Harry whispered menacingly. "I meant what caused it to happen? Why did...'I' decide to do it?"

"'Cause she's a Mudblood," Malfoy said rather timidly. Even though he knew he wasn't technically responsible for this, Harry still felt very guilty. How could anyone do that? Malfoy and the Slytherins had done mean things before, but never anything so unspeakable. Harry went back to eating, trying to not imagine himself on top of Hermione.

Suddenly, the doors to the Great Hall lashed open and a haggard wizard in a soaked traveling cloak stepped into the room. Dumbledore, followed by McGonagall and Snape, walked forward to welcome him.

"Greetings," Dumbledore said politely, bowing slightly to the man. "How can I help you?"

"You can give me 'Harry Potter' immediately," the man said curtly. Dumbledore and McGonagall turned to look at each other in alarm.

"Albus, I suggest we throw this man out of the castle immediately," McGonagall told the headmaster, but Dumbledore shook his head and mutely turned to the man.

"I represent the Department of Mysteries," the new arrival told the two professors. "I would like to see the two of you, Harry Potter and a Professor Severus Snape in the headmaster's office immediately." Dumbledore bowed his head, causing McGonagall to look outraged, and turned back to face the hall.

"Mr. Potter, Severus," he said clearly, "please follow me."

"Boy, you must really be in for it," whispered Malfoy as Harry got up. These words did not make Harry feel any better. As he followed Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape out of the Great Hall silently, Harry felt butterflies form in his stomach. What was going on? Was he in trouble as Malfoy thought? Was it for something he had actually done?

On the other hand, it occurred to him that this would give him the opportunity to tell Dumbledore what had happened. Maybe Dumbledore would believe his crazy story. Harry thought about how Snape had lied about not being a Death Eater and Dumbledore had bought it. As sick as this thought made him feel, it meant Dumbledore would probably believe Harry's story.

Or was his story too far out even for Albus Dumbledore?

Ten minutes later, all four of them were settled in Dumbledore's circular office. Dumbledore seemed to be strangely pleased, but McGonagall looked angry and the expressions of Snape and the man from the Department of Mysteries were impossible to read.

"Professor Dumbledore," the Unspeakable said, "let's get right to it."

"Excuse me," McGonagall said sharply, "I don't believe you've introduced yourself."

"My name is not important," the Unspeakable replied in a perfect monotone, "but what I have to say is. We, at the Department of Mysteries, have reason to believe that Mr. Harry Potter has experienced a transuniverse shift of his consciousness."

"What does that mean?" Harry asked, hoping, that whatever that was, it would somehow help him.

"His consciousness has been transferred from his body into the body of himself in an alternative universe," the Unspeakable explained. "It's a very rare occurrence--the last time it happened it was to girl living in China in the year 1296. Of course, few cases are reported since its often confused with insanity"

"Oh, that's a big relief," Harry said sarcastically, but everyone was silent for a moment.

"Two days ago Mr. Potter did break into Gryffindor Tower, claiming that he was a Gryffindor," McGonagall said eventually, "but I thought it was an act and still do. Given his history, it's far more likely that he's putting us on than that a once-in-a-century occurrence has taken place. The odds must be phenomenal."

"Maybe so," the Unspeakable continued, "but Professor Snape contacted us with evidence to support his position." Every eye turned to Snape instantly.

"The boy knows things," Snape said, sounding like the Snape Harry knew, "thing he could not possibly know. He knew the password to Gryffindor Tower and he knows--knows my past." The office was very silent following this statement.

"He was also the one who presented me with a rat," Dumbledore said calmly, "and told me that it was an Animagius. As you probably know, it turned out to be Peter Pettigrew." All the occupants of the room turned to Harry.

"Mr. Potter, is this true?" Dumbledore asked quietly. It was the kind of voice that made you feel guilty for lying even when you were telling the truth.

"Yeah," Harry said flatly. "Before Sunday, I was in Gryffindor and my best friends were Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Then, one day, I just woke up and found myself in the Slytherin dormitory." Dumbledore was still looking at him with a piecing stare.

"It is possible," Dumbledore said eventually. "Mr. Potter, how did you know that Peter Pettigrew was an Animagius?"

"In my third year, Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban and Professor Lupin came to teach at Hogwarts," Harry began immediately. "At the end of the year, me, Ron and Hermione all found yourselves in the Shrieking Shack with Sirius and Lupin. They told us that Pettigrew was really my parents' Secret-Keeper and that he was Ron's rat. Pettigrew admitted everything eventually, but he escaped and helped bring Lord Voldemort back to power." Dumbledore looked very impressed.

"You knew your parents were protected by the Fidelius Charm?" Dumbledore asked him, sounding interested.

"Well, I didn't remember the exact name of the charm," Harry replied, "but I knew it was that whole 'Secret-Keeper' thing." Dumbledore looked impressed.

"I believe he may be telling the truth," Dumbledore told McGonagall. McGonagall looked surprised and slightly aghast.

"Why hasn't Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban in our universe then?" she asked shrilly. "I don't see how what house Mr. Potter is in could change that?"

"There's no accounting for the difference between the universes," the Unspeakable said, but Harry thought he knew.

"It's because of what happened to the Weasleys!" he said immediately. "In my universe, I rescued Ginny Weasley from the Chamber of Secrets and discovered that she wasn't acting of her free will. Here, you all thought she was guilty and had her expelled."

"Oh, I beg to differ," Dumbledore said pleasantly as though enjoying a casual conversation. "Most of us believed she was innocent, but there was a lot of pressure on the Ministry to find a culprit--she was merely a scapegoat."

"Yeah, well, in my universe none of that happened," Harry explained. "She was found innocent and her father wasn't thrown out of the Ministry. Then, that summer, they won the Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw and appeared on the front page."

"I fail to see where this is going," McGonagall said strictly. She obviously believed him was making this up as he went along.

"But Ron had Scabbers--er, Pettigrew on his shoulder in the picture," Harry explained. "On his inspection of Azkaban, Cornelius Fudge showed Sirius the paper and he recognized Pettigrew and escaped to try and find him. Since here the Weasleys were disowned by the magical community, they wouldn't have won the money or appeared on the front page, so Sirius Black wouldn't know Pettigrew was still alive. Where is Sirius now anyway?"

"That is not your concern," the Unspeakable said bluntly, but McGonagall finally looked like she was starting to believe him.

"All right, let's say Mr. Potter has experience this...occurrence," she said eventually. "Can anything be done about it?" The Unspeakable shook his head.

"No," he said, "it's well beyond our understanding. That is why we want Potter."

"What for?" McGonagall asked sharply.

"We want to study him so that we may better understand this phenomenon," the Unspeakable said simply.

"Potter is a boy, not a lab animal!" McGonagall said harshly. "Albus, you cannot allow this!"

"I'm afraid he'll have to allow this," the Unspeakable said sinisterly. "We've convinced Fudge of the importance of this and he's more than willing to sack Professor Dumbledore if he doesn't cooperate with us."

"Really, what is the matter with you people?" McGonagall asked. "Have you ever tried to get anything legitimately?"

"I'm afraid the Ministry doesn't work that way, Professor," the Unspeakable said, smiling ominously. "To get anything done, you have to pull a few strings to get through al the bureaucracy. I assure you we will not harm the boy and that he will be returned to the school in less than an hour." McGonagall looked sharply at Dumbledore, but he nodded almost immediately.

"It appears I have no choice," he said. "However, if the boy is not returned, you will face serious consequences and don't think I'm bluffing." The Unspeakable bowed and stepped towards Dumbledore's fireplace, which he threw a handful of Floo powder into, causing the flames to turn emerald green. He grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him into the fire with him.

"The Ministry of Magic," he said.

And they landed in the same hallway Harry had visited twice in the fifth year. The fountain with the wizard, witch, goblin, centaur and house-elf was still standing and all the Ministry witches and wizards was going around their business without the slightest look of worry or apprehension of their faces. This was a world where Lord Voldemort had never returned.

The Unspeakable led Harry into the lift that would eventually carry them all the way down to the Department of Mysteries. As they headed downward, Harry once again found himself wondering whether his universe was truly better off. He had done so much to try and help his world--he wouldn't let it all be for nothing--his universe had to be better off. Well, maybe there was no Voldemort here, but he would eventually rise again and, when he did, it would probably be far worse in this universe than it was in his own.

When they reached the Department of Mysteries, Harry was led into the familiar room with the spinning doors. The Unspeakable seemed to know where he was going, but Harry couldn't see how. Of course, on his first day at Hogwarts, he couldn't have imagined how anyone could know their way around the castle by heart.

His first day...

Back when he had been living at the Dursleys believing he was "normal" and that his parents had died in a car crash, Harry could have never imagined that, not only was he wizard, but that he would one day find himself trapped in an alternative universe where he was a horrible git. Why did everything have to happen to him?

Then they entered a dark room and the Unspeakable suddenly turned around, pointed his wand at Harry and shouted "Expelliarmus!" Harry's wand flew out of his wand as about a dozen or so cloaked Unspeakbles flew into the room, all pointing their wands at Harry.

"What're you doing?" he asked in alarm. The Unspeakable that had brought him there, grinned broadly.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter he said. "but it's about time you learned how the real world works. It's a rough world and there's no one out there to look at for miserable little boys like you! Stupefy!"