Shifting Realities

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them

- "Time In A Bottle," Jim Croce

Pulling out his key, Harry opened the back door of Mrs. Whelton's building and stepped inside. It had been a bumpy ride back - Lupin had flagged down the Knight Bus for him a second time, paid his fare, and sent him off on his merry way - and he'd had a lot of time to think. He'd mostly thought about what Lupin and Dumbledore had said, about souls and alternate worlds. /I'll probably never make it back to where I came from,/ Harry thought sadly. Strangely enough, it was the people that he missed the most, not the power or the excitement of magic that came with being a wizard. /I won't ever have Ron and Hermione to talk to again... And while it's cool that he's alive, I won't have Sirius as a godfather... And-/ Harry quickly cut off that thought before it could go any farther, not wanting to acknowledge it. Turning, he made his way up the stairs to the flat.

"There you are! We were beginning to worry," said Mrs Whelton, as he stepped into the sitting room. Noticing the plural in her speech, he glanced around, and saw that Alice was there as well.

"Oh. Um. Hello. Sorry I didn't call or anything when I was out longer than I expected," apologized Harry, flushing slightly. "I sort of fell asleep..."

"So, did you have a good time?" Alice asked, an intense look in her eyes.

Harry thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, actually." He started for his bedroom.

"I don't know, Harry," Mrs Whelton said a bit uncertainly. "I mean, he seemed like a nice enough man, but isn't he a wee bit old for you? Shouldn't you try dating young people around your own age first? And, I mean, really! You just met him!"

Caught off guard, Harry whirled around to stare at her. "What?!"

"That nice man who came in yesterday. You can't fool me," Mrs Whelton winked, "I saw him go into the back room with you - and I know that he closed the door behind himself. And then you were so eager to leave with him after you two came out. I may not be eighty, Harry, but I sure wasn't born yesterday."

"You thought - Professor Lupin and I - He's one of my old teachers! I mean, he's old enough to be my dad - Hell, he went to school with my dad! The whole idea is just - ick!" Harry started to do a strange sort of hopping dance, at the same time chanting, "Ick ick ick ick."

"Well then, if you weren't on a date," Alice said curiously, "what in the world were you doing that kept you overnight?"

/How to explain this...?/ "I was visiting with some of my old teachers. They live pretty far away, so it took a while to get there."

"Did you have a nice time?" asked Mrs. Whelton.

"Yes, I think visiting with them helped me figure out some stuff about my life - you know, with the amnesia and everything. We stayed up very late just talking, so I'm exhausted. If you'll excuse me, I'd really like to take a nap before dinner..." He gave them an inquiring look, and Mrs Whelton smiled at him and made a sketchy wave goodbye. Harry sighed in relief, and retreated down the hall to his room, where he promptly collapsed on the bed.

/I still can't believe they thought that Lupin and I were... Ick! And besides,/ he reminded himself, /if we were, from the looks of things, Sirius would kill me./ Kicking off his shoes, he lay back, and willed himself to go to sleep.

"Hello, Harry. Is Mrs Whelton in?" The bell jingled as Alice pushed the shop door open and stepped inside.

Looking up from the book he was reading behind the counter, Harry shook his head. "Nope. She's taking a class on 'How to Use the Computer to Improve Your Business'." He closed his book - it was Wyndham's 'The Day of the Triffids' - and set in on the counter.

"That's started already? I thought that it wasn't until next week. Oh well - I was going to ask her if she wanted to go check out the special exhibit on chocolate over at the museum, since it's Tuesday and people don't come to shop very often on Tuesdays." Alice sighed, and came over to lean on the counter.

"Ah. She's been raving about that exhibit for weeks - you could try coming tomorrow. I don't mind running the store by myself." Getting up, Harry came around the counter to stand next to her. It was true, Tuesdays in the store were rather dull. Few people even so much as glanced at the window display as they walked down the street.

"Um, I could, but I don't have tomorrow off. Hey, I know! You could come with me today - it's not like you'll lose any business if you close up the shop for the day," Alice said, smiling brilliantly.

"Oh - I've never been to a museum before," said Harry, almost reverently. The Dursleys had never taken him anywhere of their own free will, and Hogwarts had never had any school trips, not counting the Hogsmeade weekends.

"What? Sacrilege! That's it, grab your keys, I'm taking you along, whether you like it or not." She grabbed his arm, and marched him out the door, only pausing a few moments to allow Harry to switch the sign in the window to "Closed" and turn out the lights.

As he locked the door, Harry laughed at his friend's enthusiasm. "Okay, okay. Just don't tell Mrs Whelton about this later. I think she was truly upset that I wasn't on a date Sunday before last, and she's trying to set me up with anyone she can think of - and I'm pretty sure that you're her next prime target."

"Please," Alice sniffed disdainfully, "you're more like a little brother than a potential boyfriend. I think I prefer you as a friend. Though... Harry aren't you the least bit interested in dating? I'm only a few years older than you, and I'm still a raging pot of hormones." She studied him thoughtfully.

"It's not that I'm not interested," Harry said slowly, "it's more that I don't really want to inflict myself on anyone. I've got a whole bunch of personal issues that I need to work out before I'll be ready to get involved with anyone."

"Ah, the whole amnesia thing, huh?" Nodding to herself contentedly, Alice continued, "That's very responsible of you, Harry. You always surprise me by how grown up you are for your age." They walked on towards the underground in silence for a time, when Alice suddenly said, "Hey, it's halfway through July. Two more weeks and it'll be your birthday, Harry. And a year since I first met you. My, how time flies when you get older... Harry? You okay?"

A bit shocked by the realization, Harry had come to a complete stop. /A whole year... a year since I last talked to Hermione, and even longer since I last saw either her or Ron./ He broke out of his daze and put a foot forward and started walking again. "Yes, I'm fine. I'd just... forgotten that it was so soon, that's all."

"There, now blow out your candles and make a wish." Mrs Whelton pushed the chocolate cake towards Harry, smiling brightly at him. Taking a deep breath, Harry blew out the candles, smirking as they all went out on the first try. Hermione had once told him about trick candles, and he'd been afraid that Mrs Whelton's quirky sense of humor might have caused her to buy some. "What did you wish for, dear?" she asked him eagerly.

"Silly, he's not supposed to tell you," Alice thwapped her friend lightly on top of her head, "if he does, it won't come true. Come on, now we can eat it - mmm... chocolate..."

Pouting, Mrs Whelton rubbed the top of her head where she'd been hit, "I still can't believe that you two went to the chocolate exhibition without me. That was rather underhanded of you."

"Oh, I tried to go with you, but you had that computer class the one day I had off."

"Excuses, excuses."

While the two women bickered, Harry took the opportunity to reach in and cut himself a rather nice sized slice of his birthday cake. He was halfway finished with it when they realized that he'd started without them. Both women being true chocoholics, it did not take them very long to catch up with him.

Afterwards, they sat around and drank coffee and tea, talking. "It's hard to believe it's been an entire year," Harry said in wonderment. "Seems like only yesterday my aunt and uncle were tossing me out of their home."

"You know, I probably shouldn't feel this way, but I'm glad that they kicked you out," Alice said, her eyes bright over the rim of her teacup. "If they hadn't, we never would have met you. And then life would have been a bit more boring."

"It would be awful," Mrs Whelton agreed. "I wouldn't have had anyone to bake for - and then I would eat all those sweets by myself, which I really shouldn't do. They all go straight to my thighs."

Harry laughed, remembering how the girls in Gryffindor used to complain about the exact same thing. "I don't know if I could have stood living with the Dursleys a day longer, myself," he admitted. "I might have gone over the edge and finally attacked them if I had to deal with them every day again." He shuddered at the thought.

"I still can't believe you were a museum virgin, Harry," Alice commented. "Why do they hate you so much, anyway? It's not like you're not a hard worker and lazy or messy or stupid. Overall, you're not a bad kid."

Confronted with this question, Harry had to think for a few minutes. He'd often wondered why the Dursleys of this world so disliked him, considering the fact that Aunt Petunia didn't have the chance to be jealous of her sister being a witch. And since the Dursleys had obviously never known about Harry's connection to the wizarding world through his father, they had no reason to dislike him because of his association with wizards and magic. He'd finally decided that there was only one possible answer. "I think it's because my mum wasn't married when she had me. And I guess they resented having to take care of me to a certain extent."

Clasping her empty coffee mug between in her hands, Mrs Whelton blinked owlishly. Harry suspected that she might have added some alcohol to her mug when she'd last gone back to the kitchen for a refill, but he wasn't going to say anything - he knew if she managed to make a fool of herself, she really wouldn't care in the morning. "Oh... I think... I might be ready for bed..." To the amazement of both Harry and Alice, she slumped forward, her eyes sliding shut. For a moment Harry panicked, but then Mrs Whelton's lips parted to emit a loud snore.

Wincing, Harry turned to Alice. "I think it's time for you to go." He got up off the sofa, and followed Alice down the stairs, waving goodbye to her before locking the back door behind her. Then he went back up the stairs, and woke up Mrs Whelton long enough to trundle her off to bed, before going to bed himself.

Settling under the light blanket he was using during the summer heat, he didn't feel like he was nineteen, but he also no longer felt like the seventh year he had once been. /That's the strange thing about birthdays,/ he thought vaguely as he drifted off to sleep, /you don't feel a year older until next one has come./

Stretching, Mrs Whelton got up from her seat behind the counter. "Mm. Time for my nap, Harry," she announced, stifling a yawn. "That's the problem with these hot summer afternoons - the heat makes my eyes itchy and the rest of me dead tired." She stumbled off to the back room, and, Harry assumed, the flat.

Straightening up from where he was dusting off the lower shelves, Harry moved his head side to side, trying to get rid of the crick in his neck. Then he walked over to the counter, pulling a book out of his back pocket, this week's choice being 'Neverwhere'. Harry found himself identifying with novel's main character - he could completely understand how upsetting it could be to suddenly wake up one morning and find that everyone you'd ever known had forgotten you. He was so immersed in the story that he didn't even notice the jangle of the bell over the door indicating that someone had entered the store.

After a few minutes, Harry's mind finally registered the fact that someone was leaning over him, blocking his light. He grumbled mildly, but did not look up. "Can I help you?"

"Is that any good?"

"Very good, though a bit strange. I'm still trying to understand the whole thing with the rats... it doesn't quiet make sense. I think we may have copy, if you're interested - try the fantasy section, it's on the other side of the store," Harry waved vaguely to the other wall, still not looking up.

"Oh, that's quite all right. I'm not that interested. I'd like to finally buy that werewolf book." At this Harry finally looked up, somewhat startled.

"Professor? What are you doing back here?"

"I was looking through my books when I suddenly realized that I'd been in here twice, and still hadn't bought that book. It may not be accurate in some parts, but it is, as near as I can tell, one of the oldest known written record of werewolves." He smiled slightly at Harry, "You can understand that I have a somewhat personal interest in the subject matter."

Shrugging, Harry set his own book aside and pulled the werewolf book out from the display case, ringing it up. After paying for the book, Lupin picked up his bag and started for the door, then hesitated slightly. "Harry... the book wasn't the only reason for my visit, though I do want it. It seems that Voldemort's spies have noticed the Order's interest in you. They're now positioned around this shop, waiting. Albus has decided that it's not really safe for you to remain here - you have no way of protecting yourself after all."

Shocked, Harry stared at the older man. "But - Voldemort - isn't he dead yet? I mean, hasn't your own hero or whatever he is killed him off by now? I'm pretty sure I did manage that in seventh year..." Harry felt panic racing through his veins. /If I didn't manage to kill Voldemort seventh year in my own world, then that means he's running loose, and Ron and Hermione and everyone are in danger still!/ And then there were his friends in this world... "Am I the only one in danger? Or are Mrs Whelton and Alice in trouble also?"

"As near as we can figure, it's only you. From what our sources have told us, they seem to think that you're a wizard living as a Muggle. Albus wants you moved to a different location."

"But... I don't have anywhere else to go! I'm lucky enough as it is that Mrs Whelton gave me this job and a place to stay, I really doubt I'm going to be as lucky trying in another place. Anyone who might know me I don't know because I'm not exactly the same person, if you know what I mean." Harry knew that he sounded hysterical, but he couldn't really help it. He'd gone for an entire year without having to worry about anything more important than where he was going to put the next load of books that Mrs Whelton bought for the shop. It had been nice not to have to worry about exams, life-threatening situations, or the fate of the world as he knew it. Now he found the last two being thrust upon him once more, much to his horror. "I can't just pick up and leave-"

"Harry, calm down." Reaching across the counter, Lupin placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "We've already got at least part of it figured out; you're going to come live with Sirius and me. All you have to do is tell your Muggle friends that you have to quit and move."

"Oh, right, and how am I supposed to tell them that I've got to go or else I might turn up dead one morning because some dark wizard didn't like my looks?" Harry asked scathingly. "Like they'll really believe that."

"Well, obviously you can't say that," Lupin replied. "Make something up. Say that you're going somewhere to study or something. University. Say that you're going to go to a university somewhere. You need to be ready to go by Thursday morning," Harry gulped, it was Tuesday already, they weren't giving him a lot of time. "I'll be coming by to pick you up then. And Harry? I don't think you really have any choice in the matter." With those friendly parting words, Lupin smiled weakly and left the shop.

Harry stared at the door as it swung shut, the bells attached to the doorframe jingling merrily. /And here I foolishly thought that I wasn't going to be a part of the wizarding world anymore./

In the end, Harry decided to just use the excuse that Lupin had already come up with. "It just seems a bit... sudden, that's all," Mrs Whelton said, her face worried. It was Tuesday evening, and they were sitting in the kitchen with Alice, who had popped by that evening for dinner. They'd just finished eating, and Harry had decided that it was the ideal time to tell them that he was leaving. "I mean, you only just told us about this, and you're leaving on Thursday? Are you sure that this whole thing is legitimate?"

"Yes, Mrs Whelton, I'm sure. The reason I didn't tell you before was because I wasn't sure whether I'd gotten the scholarship or not. If I hadn't gotten it, I wouldn't be able to go, and it would have been pretty pointless to tell you about it at all." Harry sighed, this was the third time he was having to explain the story he had concocted to Mrs Whelton. She didn't seem to want to accept that she was going to loosing her boarder and employee. "And I have to leave on Thursday if I want to move into my dorm room before the quarter starts."

"Well, I for one am proud of you, Harry," said Alice evenly, her eyes steady behind her glasses. She seemed determined to be the solid one while her friend was busy having vapors. "I think you'll have a fine time at the university. What are you majoring in?"

"Er..."

"Most likely mythology or something similar," Mrs Whelton put in, having managed to recover for the time being. "He reads every book that we get in on that subject. It's mythology, isn't it, dear?" She smiled happily at him.

"Um. Actually, I was sort of thinking of being undeclared for now..."

"Can't decided, hm?" Alice grinned mischievously and quirked an eyebrow. "It is rather sudden, though."

"Well then, we'll have to throw a big going-away party tomorrow night, hm? I'll bake a pie, and we can stay up until all hours of the night!" Rubbing her hands together, Mrs Whelton got an strange gleam in her eyes. It reminded Harry of the look Hermione had gotten in her eyes right before she started ranting on about house elf rights. He began to edge away from Mrs Whelton on the bench, deciding it would be a good idea to have a head start if the woman started passing out buttons.

"I'm not going to be gone forever, Mrs Whelton. I'll try and visit you when I have breaks," Harry reassured her, even though he wasn't sure would be able to do such a thing. "And I can't stay up too late tomorrow night, I need to be up early Thursday morning."

All of a sudden Mrs Whelton sat up straight, her mouth forming a little "oh!" of surprise. "I just realized something. Tomorrow will be Harry's last day working in the shop. We'll have to have a special 'Harry's Last Day'."

"You don't have to do anything special..."

"- I was thinking something along the lines of having him alphabetize the nonfiction section. What do you think, Alice?"

"I must admit, the idea does have merit..." The librarian tapped her chin thoughtfully. Both women turned to study Harry, who was making quiet "gah" noises, his mouth opening and closing like a stranded fish.

"I don't know how you expect me to miss you, when you both have vile and evil plans for me," he complained, once he regained control of himself. He stood up and began gathering empty cups. Taking her cue, Alice stood up and grabbed her purse.

"Now, don't forget to write while you're gone, you rascal," she said, giving him a light peck on the cheek. Harry rolled his eyes upwards and grimaced at this instruction. She then added, "I'd ask you to call, but you probably won't have a phone, just like nearly all your friends." She sniffed, "Still in the Dark Ages, if you ask me." Still laughing, she let herself out of the building, Harry a step behind her to lock the door.

Suitcase packed, Harry was dutifully waiting out in front of the shop come Thursday morning. It was not the same case he had had with him over a year before when he'd been put out on the street by the Dursleys. Mrs Whelton had taken one look at that case, and then proceeded to rummage around in her attic for an hour or so before producing a larger, sturdier one. Harry had packed it with the various books and other odds and ends that he'd manage to accumulate over the short period of time he had lived with Mrs Whelton, in addition to his clothing. At the time he'd felt excited, eager to once more be a part of the world he had grown familiar with during his years at Hogwarts.

Now, he just felt nervous and more than slightly foolish. He'd been waiting for over an hour and was beginning to worry that Lupin had been joking a few days before. /This is silly. I immediately hopped to it when he told me that line, and I have no idea whether he really meant it. Hell, if there are really Death Eaters keeping tabs on me, how do I know that one of them didn't just use some Polyjuice potion to look like Lupin? It could have all been a set up. Or some huge joke at my expense./

He was so caught up in letting his thoughts spiral downwards in a swirl of self-pity, that Harry didn't notice a motorbike pull up next to him in the street. "Is that suitcase all you have?" Remus Lupin asked from where he sat atop of the bike.

Harry blinked, then shook his head to clear his head. He then stared at the bike. "That's Sirius' motorbike, isn't it? I didn't know it was still around." He grabbed the helmet that Lupin offered him, fixed his case to the back of the bike, and then clambered up behind Lupin.

"Hagrid had it in storage over at Hogwarts. He pulled it out a couple of years ago and let me use it." He grinned, and started the engine.

"You're not going to make it fly, are you?" Harry shouted as trees and buildings passed by him in a blur. Riding a motorbike on the streets of Surrey was one thing, riding it in the air above was quite another. It was not that Harry was afraid of heights - oh no, he was quite comfortable up in the air when he had a broom clasped between his legs - it was just that he remembered his adventures with the Mr Weasley's flying Ford Anglia and he wasn't exactly eager to try any other flying motor vehicles again any time soon.

"No," Lupin yelled back, "Sirius never bothered to install an Invisibility Booster, so we're going to be stuck on the ground the entire way, unless we want to give a whole bunch of Muggles heart attacks."

Well, that was just fine with Harry. He settled in, wrapping his arms around Lupin's waist, and shut his eyes to the dizzy blur of the passing scenery. Eventually, Lupin came to a stop in front of a one-story house with a rather nice looking garden in front. It reminded Harry of something a little old lady would be expected to live in, and he said as much.

"Well, my mother did live here by herself for several years. She died a few years ago, but I've managed to keep the garden up," Lupin explained, pulling off his helmet and tucking it under his arm. Harry took off his own helmet and passed it to Lupin, then went about getting his suitcase off the bike. "Come on, I want to get inside and clean up. I still don't know how Sirius can stand riding that thing - I always get off feeling like I have bugs stuck in my teeth."

Grabbing his case, Harry nodded and headed for the door, pushing open the gate and walking up the path to the porch. Lupin had begun to unlock the door when it swung open, revealing Sirius Black, doorknob in hand. Catching sight of Harry, his grin widening. "Hi, Harry. Nice to see you again." He turned his head back into the house and yelled, "Hey, he's here! You might as well come and be sociable for once."

Someone inside the house yelled something unintelligble back, and there was the sound of plodding footsteps. Suddenly a young man came into view behind Sirius. Slate grey eyes gazed coolly at Harry from behind long, pale blonde bangs. Sirius, busy making introductions, missed Harry's start of surprise. "Right then. This is Harry Evans. Harry, this is-"

Harry's voice came out in a dry croak, "Malfoy. Can't say I'm overjoyed to see you again."