Chapter 358: Finding a New Home

Chapter 358: Finding a New Home

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing but the original characters I make.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 358: Finding a New Home

"This is a lot to take in..." Lily Potter said.

"Yes, take your time, Lily," Dumbledore reassured her.

James glanced at his son. "Looks like we missed quite a bit."

Harry nodded.

After bringing his parents into the Headmaster's office, they had to explain a lot of what was going on to them, including Victoria's situation.

It wasn't too hard for them to accept since they already knew about the existence of alternate realities and were aware that Harry came from one of them.

Even though his circumstances were very different from Victoria's. He had died in his old world and awoke here in a new body, while Victoria just found herself in a different place out of nowhere.

"I cannot imagine what that girl is going through... she lost her entire reality," Lily said.

They did avoid mentioning the fact that, had Victoria not lost her world, it would have been them...the Potters, and everyone else, who would have disappeared instead.

James looked at Daphne with curiosity.

"And how did you get tangled in this mess, Daphne?"

"Oh... well..." She wasn't sure what to answer. Now she realized that it had been a mistake to stay. She only wanted to be of some help to Harry.

"Miss Greengrass has not left Harry's side for a moment. I believe they are quite close," Dumbledore said, giving the Potters a knowing look.

"Are they?" Lily glanced at them with interest.

"Really?" James raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you have anywhere else to be?" Harry asked the Headmaster.

"This is my office..." Dumbledore responded.

"Harry, don't be so rude to the Headmaster," James scolded him.

"Is this true?" Lily was now staring directly at Daphne.

The girl grew embarrassed but eventually nodded.

"I believe we have more pressing matters..." Harry decided to help her out.

"Yes, Harry is right. Should we go talk to this girl? Victoria, was it?" James said.

"Victoria Black. And she also answers to 'Lady Black,'" Dumbledore said.

"Black? Wait, isn't she a Potter?" James felt like they had skipped an important part of the story.

"She is, of course, a Potter. But from what we know, she was adopted by some members of the Black family when she was little and ended up taking their name," Dumbledore explained.

"We can also be sure that all the Potters of her world were already dead since she was sent to the Dursleys," Harry commented.

"To Petunia? You mean like..." Lily started.

"Like me," Harry confirmed.

"I don't remember her mentioning that name," Dumbledore noted.

"She mentioned that you left her with 'those monsters.' That is also how I would have called them at some point in my life," Harry said.

"Oh... were they that bad?" The Headmaster inquired.

"Yes." That's all Harry was willing to say.

Lily frowned. She hadn't spoken to her sister in many years, and after hearing about Harry's past, she was in no hurry to call her again.

"Do we at least know which one of them adopted her? Please tell me it wasn't Walburga..." James said. He had met the woman only twice, and that had been enough for him.

"We don't know. You will have to ask her yourself," Dumbledore said before putting a box on the table. "I will entrust these with you."

He moved it closer so the Potters could see it better. There was a wand, a gun, and several pieces of jewelry.

"Is that a Muggle firearm?!" James was not expecting to see one of those inside Hogwarts.

"Then, I'm going to wake her up." Harry pointed his wand at Victoria. "Finite."

Victoria gasped and opened her eyes, her body contorting violently before she fell back onto the couch, breathing rapidly.

"It's okay, you're not in danger," Lily said gently, trying to calm her. It looked like she'd been having a terrible nightmare.

"Yes, you're safe here," James added.

Victoria's eyes scanned the dimly lit room and stopped on Snape for a moment.

"Professor Snape... what's going on?" She looked confused.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Have you forgotten our conversation at the Headmaster's office?"

Victoria gasped. "That was real?... No... that can't be." She appeared to be in shock.

"It was as real as it could be. I won't claim to understand everything, but..." Snape gave Harry a passing glance. "You're no longer in your own world."

Victoria stared at Harry. "Then, you are..."

"Harry James Potter. I am the 'you' of this world," Harry said, though that wasn't exactly true, but he didn't want to confuse her further.

He then pointed at his parents. "And these two... can you tell who they are? You must have seen some pictures of them in your past."

Victoria looked at Lily and James for a long minute before it clicked.

"You... can't be alive."

"Things went differently here. They were never killed during the war. And they also have two more daughters," Harry explained.

"Really?" Victoria looked at them in shock.

"It's true. Their names are Holly and Lyra," Lily said.

"I'm sorry we couldn't be there for you, in... you know... your world," James said. "I wish we had.

"

"Yes, and I'm sorry that my sister treated you badly," Lily added, pained.

Victoria shook her head. "I never blamed you two for that. I left that place before my seventh birthday. Haven't seen them since."

"We were told you were taken in by the Black family. How did that happen?" James asked. "I mean, my mother was a Black, but they never showed any interest in my family after she left. I don't think our families were on very good terms."

"It was thanks to Sirius," Victoria revealed. A soft smile appeared on her face as she mentioned the name.

"Sirius?!" James was surprised to hear that name but then realized that he must have been alive in other realities, even though he'd died early in theirs. "He took care of you?"

"Oh yes. Him and my adoptive mother, Cassiopeia Black. She got Sirius out of Azkaban, and after he recovered, he started asking questions about you two and then... about me. It took them almost a year to find out where Dumbledore had put me. And when they did, they rescued me without a second thought." Victoria smiled as she recounted this.

"Sirius saved you..." James couldn't help but feel emotional hearing about his old best friend.

Lily placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Well, we did name him your godfather for a reason. He was reckless but also reliable and loyal."

"Sirius showed me a lot of pictures of you two. You do look somewhat different though," Victoria said.

"They are a lot older," Harry pointed out.

"Harry!" Lily frowned. She didn't like being reminded of that.

"Say, Victoria," James began. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions, so... would you like to come stay with us for a while?"

"You mean at your house?" Victoria asked.

"It could also be your home, if you want it to be. But we won't pressure you. You have a lot to process right now. I would love to learn more about you," Lily told her.

Victoria glanced at Snape.

"You can trust them... at least Lily," Snape said.

"Hey!" James protested.

Victoria considered it for a moment. "I do need a quiet place to think about what to do next..." She didn't feel comfortable staying at Hogwarts with the Headmaster, especially without her old protections.

She looked at the Potters, trying to gauge whether she could trust them. It seemed, at least for now, like her best option.

"I'll go with you," Victoria finally said.

A.N: - Remember to comment, vote, and/or leave a review if you have the time. Those things help me a lot and I would really appreciate it.

You can Support me on P@treon if you like and get 15 advanced chapters.

You can also find images of some of the characters from the fic for free. Like Lyra, Holly, among others.