Chapter Text
Escape to the Other Side – Chapter 1 (Finding Out)
It wasn’t uncommon for Harry Potter to bring out his Invisibility Cloak, which he pulled out more often. With Voldemort being back and the Ministry of Magic finally accepting it, there were a lot of times he wanted time to himself. Which was much better than his fifth year when the Ministry had tried to paint him as a liar. He hadn’t given up and refused to. Not even when Umbridge had tried to torture him that entire year. And now he was looked at like some hero and he was tired of it. It was constant back and forth. He just wanted to finish his sixth year without dying. Was that too much to ask for? At least in his second year he had only been thought of as the Heir of Slytherin.
It was pressing enough that Professor Dumbledore kept questioning him on getting to know Professor Slughorn, the Potions Master. As he had been there when Dumbledore had recruited him back to Hogwarts. Seems that Voldemort and his Death Eaters were after him. He didn’t understand why Dumbledore had made the request to him at the time. But it was how he managed to eavesdrop on a conversation between Professor Snape and Dumbledore. He might have tried to sneak away if it were for the fact that the conversation was about him. It wouldn’t be the first time that information was kept from him and he wanted to know why. It could by why he was so unprepared for what he heard.
"You are sure that he will do it?" Severus Snape asked. He had taken the position for Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher that year.
"All is according to plan, Severus. The prophecy was set in the moment Voldemort killed James and Lily Potter. Voldemort will not rest until Harry is dead."
"And yet you wish for him to kill himself for this? How do you know Potter will do it?" Professor Snape looked as if he didn’t believe the headmaster’s words.
"Saying 'kill himself' is a little strong." Dumbledore seemed to chastise Snape.
"You told me that the boy must die in order for the Dark Lord to perish, how else should it be phrased?"
Harry felt dizzy, as if he was hearing the conversation through a veil of water. Had… had he heard that correctly? Dumbledore wanted him dead?! Why did he have to die for Voldemort to perish? It made no sense?!
He couldn't remember running, even with his invisibility cloak on. But he couldn't resist on hearing the entire conversation. Was this... was this planned from his first year? How long had this been going on?
He ducked into the secret passageway nearby when he heard them coming his way and tried to calm himself. Maybe he misunderstood? Maybe they didn't mean that he literally had to die?
But as they walked past his hiding place they continued to speak.
"It is of grave importance that he does die." Dumbledore repeated to Snape. "I will not be around near the end to ensure it, so you must in my place. Voldemort was intent on that."
"And how exactly am I going to convince the bloody 'boy who lived' to die?"
"By telling him the truth. He's a Horcrux."
"You're sure of this?" Snape questioned.
"Given how much Dark Magic that Voldemort has immersed himself in. I have no doubt. I am hoping that the truth of it will be revealed once Harry finishes the task that I have assigned him."
"Task?"
"A memory. Voldemort's fear of death is well known of course."
Harry felt as if he was going to have a heart attack. He had remembered when Dumbledore had been delving into the memories of Voldemort. Now it made sense on why Dumbledore had told him to get to know Professor Slughorn. How else could he get a memory if not from a person. Though this was the first he was hearing about this… memory. Was this something that the Headmaster was going to bring up to him in their next meeting? He didn’t know and wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Could the memory be about horcruxes and that is why Dumbledore wanted it in the first place?
He didn’t even know what a Horcrux was. Given by the conversation, it had to be Dark Magic and something that prevented Riddle from dying. Not realizing that it was possible to do so.
There weren’t many professors that Harry felt he could go to ask. And Dumbledore had said something about it being a memory for him to find. He only hoped that getting in Professor Slughorn’s good graces were worth it. As it was the thing that led him to knocking on his door.
The door had opened for him, and he had been asked what was on his mind after the door had closed.
“Sir? Do you know anything about Horcruxes?”
If it was trying to knock his professor off guard, that certainly was the way to do it. The look of surprise was written all over the Potion’s Master. At least until he had realized what Harry had asked of him.
"Harry? How did you hear that name?" Professor Slughorn asked before realizing something. "Dumbledore put you up to this? Didn't he?
"Please, Sir. Dumbledore didn't put me up to anything. Please. I need to know. It's important!"
"Very— very well. Have a seat, my boy."
Harry hadn't been inside the professor's quarters since the last Slug Club party. But the couch was familiar enough.
"Now, understand this. This is very dark stuff. Very dark indeed. How did you learn about it?" The Potions Master asked.
"I— I heard someone talking about it. And my name was mentioned."
Slughorn studied his student for a moment before looking at his scar, wondering.
"It's very rare and complex magic, of course. A wizard or witch could conceal part of their soul into an object. Once your soul is split in half, you lose that half, but they are also protected. That part of your soul would live on, and they cannot die. But one must commit something so cruel and inhuman in order for the ritual to work. By killing another person as it is a violation against nature. Doing so, rips the soul apart," Professor Slughorn explained.
Harry could feel his eyes widening in horror. So that was how Dumbledore figured that Voldemort had horcruxes. He had remembered the day that he was told about his scar. That Voldemort had marked him. That it was doubtful that it had been intentional. His mother and father had died before he tried to kill him. That couldn’t be a coincidence… could it?
Was that why he had to die? It was hard not to shake as thoughts hit him. He was only sixteen, he didn't want to die. Why wasn’t any of this told to him!?
"My scar... is it?" Harry was afraid to ask the question.
Professor Slughorn looked struck by horror. "That I would not know. There aren't many ways on how a Horcrux can be destroyed. The only ways involve Dark Magic itself as the object is rendered indestructible. But... there has not been anything documented about an object being a person. I would imagine that the horcrux might be destroyed when that person dies. As the container for that portion of the soul no longer exists. I am sorry, my boy."
"I—" Harry's hand shook. "Thank you for telling me professor."
"Please don't do anything rash, my boy." Slughorn was alarmed by the pallor of his student's skin.
"I don't want to die." Harry told him truthfully. And he didn't. He barely had the chance to live. From being with the Dursleys, to the trials he's endured in the wizarding world; he hasn't truly lived. There was a lingering thought if all these years at Hogwarts had been on purpose. He wanted to live but Dumbledore and Snape wanted him to die. He needed to plan, he needed to...he had to leave.
He shot to his feet.
Horace's next words made Harry look at his professor once more.
"Of course you don't, Harry. Of course you don't. You are still a student here and my door will be open if you need to talk," Horace told him.
Harry gave a brief nod and then he was gone. His feet carried him more than anything as his mind was everywhere at once.
Merlin... he thought he was going to throw up. Which he did after he made it to Gryffindor Tower. There was nobody in the boys dorm. Most likely taking advantage of the free period.
He didn't know what he was going to do. A tear fell as hands grasped his trunk. The House Elves must have already cleaned his uniforms. Everything was shoved in, including his cloak.
He probably snapped a few quills in the haste but jerky movements. They could... they could be replaced.
A small hiccup, followed by three more. Another letter from Dumbledore would be owled to him soon. He— he couldn't. He needed to be gone before then.
Maybe Hedwig? He was having this crazy idea. Could she find Voldemort without dying? A war was going to start just like the last one. Maybe... just maybe something can be made. He didn't want to be here anymore. To hell with Hogwarts and the Dursleys. At least they never tried to kill him. They just hated him.
Okay, so he had a plan, kind of. He would write to Voldemort, flee Hogwarts and hide somewhere until he heard back from nemesis? Not a great plan, not even a whole plan but it was a start. Which was better than nothing. The less chance to be found the better.
The first part had been to send that letter. No knows when he would ever get a reply back. Providing that he didn’t piss off Voldemort first.
Shrinking his trunk and pocketing it had been the easy part. Sneaking out and avoiding all the teachers was something else entirely.
Yet everything changed the moment he got to Hogsmeade and that was the last he remembered before waking back up. Which made him wonder if he had been hit by a Stunner.
Harry was shoved to his knees at the feet of Voldemort's throne. His wand was gone.
"You got my letter rather quickly." Harry couldn’t help to comment.
"Letter?" At which point Hedwig as if on cue flew through a convenient open window
There was a wand at his back and Harry didn't dare to move. This was not how he was expecting things to go.
"Rowle. Bring me that letter," Voldemort ordered.
Harry had been surrounded by Death Eaters. He couldn't even name them because of their masks. The one in question had dark long hair that pulled into a bun.
"Harry Potter. Finally saw that Dumbledore isn't all he seems, did you? What makes you think I won't kill you now?"
"Because you value Pureblood. Magical blood. I was in your way, and I don't want to fight you." Harry told him. He wasn’t sure if this was exactly true but he had to try.
The next part was tricky because he never was able to just speak Parseltongue, but he started to picture a snake in his mind as he spoke. Hopefully he wouldn't be murdered for this.
"Dumbledore knows your secret. You have Horcruxes."
It might have been funny to see Voldemort looking shocked. There was probably not much that he didn't know.
"You made yourself a human Horcrux which will be destroyed if you kill me," Harry hissed.
"Fuck." Voldemort swore and shocked Harry, he never thought the snake faced bastard would ever swear. It seemed out of character, but Harry didn't have a chance to dwell on the novelty of it as Voldemort swept towards him with his wand out. Was he going to kill Harry anyway?!
"You know the prophecy? As I recall... you destroyed it last year?" Voldemort walked about him, his wand still pointing at him.
Harry never had time to answer before collapsing to the ground. A scream was ripped out as the Dark Lord tore into his mind. To know the entirety of the prophecy that haunted him for over a decade. And any answers that he wanted, he took.
There was a purpose to bringing up the prophecy, knowing it would be one of the first things on Potter’s mind and he found it.
The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies...
But the search through the Gryffindor’s mind didn’t stop there. He wanted to know how Potter found out about Horcruxes. There was no way he would have found out about them himself. It was how he got the conversation between his most hated enemy and… Snape. That one was a surprise, and he would have to deal with him later.
He might even have to reward Potter now. Not only was he giving him the war but a traitor as well. Which he would deal with Severus later which most certainly end in the wizard’s death.
Harry Potter was trembling when he pulled out of the boy’s mind. It was like torturing your victim with Cruciatus Curse and was satisfying to watch.
His Inner Circle watched as Harry Potter had screamed in front of them, but none dared to move. In case you happened to be the unlucky one to suffer his ire.
That was the moment that Harry realized that Snape hadn’t been lying when he said the Dark Lord would have loved to rip through his mind. There was a difference between knowing that and experiencing it all together.
“You could have just asked…” Harry had two hands on the floor as he tried to breathe in and out. It was painful as his head was throbbing.
Voldemort didn’t answer but his smirk looked sinister enough.
“Do not push your luck, Harry Potter. I will agree to your terms in this letter. But in return, you will not return upon face of death. I will not be lenient a second time towards you. This today… will serve as a reminder what could happen to you.”
Harry’s mouth went dry, perhaps he hadn’t quite thought this out as he should have. Maybe that was why he wasn’t expecting to be under the Cruciatus Curse once more. It had only lasted a few seconds but felt like minutes.
Forcing through his mind had nothing on the Unforgivable Curse. Even with a wand, he couldn’t do anything as a scream from forced his lips. His entire body trembled under the curse and he got the warning. It was hard to move anything for a few minutes before his green eyes looked up.
He knew that the book only a feet away hadn’t been there before.
“It will take you to MACUSA. Remember my last words, Harry Potter.”
Those were the last words that Harry would ever hear from Voldemort as a hand grasped what he knew to be a Portkey. Not knowing that it would be an International Portkey, whisking him away to the United States.
He just hoped that maybe they had a Gringotts there.