![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Harry awoke, and the sensations were much, much different than the last time he had done so. Whereas before, the sounds had been the crackling of flames, and the scents that of gore and rot, now there was no sound at all, but the scents were the exact opposite. It was the smell of cleaning chemicals, strong and bitter. Unlike that of war and blood, this smell burned Harry's nose, irritated it so badly he wanted to hold his breath. He quickly realized that he needed to leave this place--it was poison.
When he opened his eyes and stood up, he realized he was nowhere. At least, that's what it looked like. Everything was white, as far as the eye could see. There were no barriers, lines, or shadows, and he only knew that there was a floor because he had to have been standing on something. For some reason, the words 'King's Cross' flashed in his mind, but he did not know why. Everything was silent, so much so that he could hear his own breathing. With no wand, no visible enemies, and not sure of what would happen if he took a step forward into the void, he waited.
Looking around, he tried to rationalize where he was. When at last he tired of waiting, he took a step forward, and found that solid ground, invisible though it was, was indeed beneath him. Now he could begin to find the boundaries of this place. Step by step, little by little, he moved forward, arms extended, trying to find a wall in all the white. And then, with a sound like a breath being taken, lines appeared in the void, and Harry jumped back, ready to defend himself.
It was revealed to him that there was indeed a wall here when the lines resolved themselves into the shadows of a panel being slid open, behind which Harry could not see as someone was entering the room through the new portal. It turned out to be...but it couldn't...
"Hello, 'Harry'."
"...Ron Weasley."
It was clearly Ron, albeit a Ron much older than he remembered. His voice alone told him that, absent the cracks and high pitch of puberty, even if the height of him and the facial hair hadn't said it all. Harry was filled with spite and disdain. Whatever had happened to Ron to make him this way, he clearly deserved it or worse. But why was he here? Harry tried to reach out with a mental probe, but his Legilimency did not find any purchase. Ron's mind was simply...not there. Hmmph, he thought, so he's as braindead as I always thought.
"Are you going to explain why I'm here?"
"You're here for your sentencing." Ron answered, in that strangely adult voice.
"Sentencing? I've committed no crime."
"Pretending won't get you anywhere you want to be. It's over, Lionheart."
Unwillingly, that same inhuman snarl came out of his throat at the mention of that name. How dare he? How dare he try to say he wasn't the true Harry Potter? He was no pretender!
"Your allies have all been wiped out," Ron said, "and the absurd and terrible things you inflicted on the world around you undone."
"No!" Harry said, throwing an arm out and attempting to turn Ron to stone, to no avail. "No, that can't be true!"
"Wonderland is gone. The offworld forests, the nuclear wars, the corruption of Hogwarts and its people--they're all better than undone. Wiped away. Your cronies have already been dealt with, but Dumbledore showed you that much. It was decided that you and your spawn, though, you needed something more appropriate. You were the ones who raped, pillaged, tortured, and murdered your way through our lives. Everything was your doing. So you needed a sentencing."
"I fixed this world." Harry hissed, voice undercut by the snarl from before. "I made it better, I made it perfect."
Ron strode on his heel and began walking back towards the wall panel, which opened to admit him again. Harry, however, was not going to take this lying down. He ran forward, drawing back a fist. Even if he couldn't use magic, he could still beat Ron to within an inch of his life and force him to release him from this sterile, pristine place. He was much stronger, much faster, he had the power of faeries and unicorns running through his body--
WHAM!
Harry saw stars and was only vaguely aware of his back and the back of his head hitting the floor, and realized by the tug around his neck from the collar of his shirt that he was sliding backwards. The rest of his focus was on his nose, which was going through agonizing pain--had it just been broken? He screamed in pain and frustration--why did it hurt so much? How did he make it stop?
"That was a stupid idea, mate." Ron said simply, shaking off his hand. "I've got five brothers, do you think I never learned how to throw a fist? Besides, your souped-up powers are gone now. All you are is the pathetic, evil little weakling you really were all this time."
Harry screamed again, and found himself being dragged into a standing position by one of his wrists. He struggled, but Ron chastised him again.
'Quit your whining. Or do you not want to see what your little 'friends' are going through?"
Harry froze. He meant Luna and Hermione, he had to. If he really had them, how would Harry find them?
"Come on."
And with that, Harry was led through the portal in the wall. On the other side was a black void, albeit with an invisible floor the same as was in the previous room. Light seemed to emanate from in the white room, casting shadows in the doorway before it closed and they were sealed in darkness. Then, Harry was assaulted by a bright flash as lights flickered on, and when his eyes adjusted, he found himself in a long hallway, a metallic grey corridor with electric lamps screwed into the ceiling. Harry briefly thought this odd; were they somewhere in the muggle world?
Harry was led down the hallway, which was much shorter than the initial view had made him think. There were three doors visible besides the one they'd come through, one to the left, one to the right, and one at the end of the hallway directly ahead. However, these doors were not of the same harsh metal as composed the rest of the room. The one on the right was rounded, set into the wall, and divided in the middle. It was white and ringed by a blue light, putting Harry more in mind of the white room from before, but with more of a technological look. The one on the left was of simple wood, looking aged and with weeds poking through the corners at the bottom. The one at the end of the hallway...it resembled the door to the Department of Mysteries, blankly simple and black.
Harry was dragged over to the door on the right. Its halves parted, retracting back into the wall on either side, and what he found on the other side made Harry gasp.
When he opened his eyes and stood up, he realized he was nowhere. At least, that's what it looked like. Everything was white, as far as the eye could see. There were no barriers, lines, or shadows, and he only knew that there was a floor because he had to have been standing on something. For some reason, the words 'King's Cross' flashed in his mind, but he did not know why. Everything was silent, so much so that he could hear his own breathing. With no wand, no visible enemies, and not sure of what would happen if he took a step forward into the void, he waited.
Looking around, he tried to rationalize where he was. When at last he tired of waiting, he took a step forward, and found that solid ground, invisible though it was, was indeed beneath him. Now he could begin to find the boundaries of this place. Step by step, little by little, he moved forward, arms extended, trying to find a wall in all the white. And then, with a sound like a breath being taken, lines appeared in the void, and Harry jumped back, ready to defend himself.
It was revealed to him that there was indeed a wall here when the lines resolved themselves into the shadows of a panel being slid open, behind which Harry could not see as someone was entering the room through the new portal. It turned out to be...but it couldn't...
"Hello, 'Harry'."
"...Ron Weasley."
It was clearly Ron, albeit a Ron much older than he remembered. His voice alone told him that, absent the cracks and high pitch of puberty, even if the height of him and the facial hair hadn't said it all. Harry was filled with spite and disdain. Whatever had happened to Ron to make him this way, he clearly deserved it or worse. But why was he here? Harry tried to reach out with a mental probe, but his Legilimency did not find any purchase. Ron's mind was simply...not there. Hmmph, he thought, so he's as braindead as I always thought.
"Are you going to explain why I'm here?"
"You're here for your sentencing." Ron answered, in that strangely adult voice.
"Sentencing? I've committed no crime."
"Pretending won't get you anywhere you want to be. It's over, Lionheart."
Unwillingly, that same inhuman snarl came out of his throat at the mention of that name. How dare he? How dare he try to say he wasn't the true Harry Potter? He was no pretender!
"Your allies have all been wiped out," Ron said, "and the absurd and terrible things you inflicted on the world around you undone."
"No!" Harry said, throwing an arm out and attempting to turn Ron to stone, to no avail. "No, that can't be true!"
"Wonderland is gone. The offworld forests, the nuclear wars, the corruption of Hogwarts and its people--they're all better than undone. Wiped away. Your cronies have already been dealt with, but Dumbledore showed you that much. It was decided that you and your spawn, though, you needed something more appropriate. You were the ones who raped, pillaged, tortured, and murdered your way through our lives. Everything was your doing. So you needed a sentencing."
"I fixed this world." Harry hissed, voice undercut by the snarl from before. "I made it better, I made it perfect."
Ron strode on his heel and began walking back towards the wall panel, which opened to admit him again. Harry, however, was not going to take this lying down. He ran forward, drawing back a fist. Even if he couldn't use magic, he could still beat Ron to within an inch of his life and force him to release him from this sterile, pristine place. He was much stronger, much faster, he had the power of faeries and unicorns running through his body--
WHAM!
Harry saw stars and was only vaguely aware of his back and the back of his head hitting the floor, and realized by the tug around his neck from the collar of his shirt that he was sliding backwards. The rest of his focus was on his nose, which was going through agonizing pain--had it just been broken? He screamed in pain and frustration--why did it hurt so much? How did he make it stop?
"That was a stupid idea, mate." Ron said simply, shaking off his hand. "I've got five brothers, do you think I never learned how to throw a fist? Besides, your souped-up powers are gone now. All you are is the pathetic, evil little weakling you really were all this time."
Harry screamed again, and found himself being dragged into a standing position by one of his wrists. He struggled, but Ron chastised him again.
'Quit your whining. Or do you not want to see what your little 'friends' are going through?"
Harry froze. He meant Luna and Hermione, he had to. If he really had them, how would Harry find them?
"Come on."
And with that, Harry was led through the portal in the wall. On the other side was a black void, albeit with an invisible floor the same as was in the previous room. Light seemed to emanate from in the white room, casting shadows in the doorway before it closed and they were sealed in darkness. Then, Harry was assaulted by a bright flash as lights flickered on, and when his eyes adjusted, he found himself in a long hallway, a metallic grey corridor with electric lamps screwed into the ceiling. Harry briefly thought this odd; were they somewhere in the muggle world?
Harry was led down the hallway, which was much shorter than the initial view had made him think. There were three doors visible besides the one they'd come through, one to the left, one to the right, and one at the end of the hallway directly ahead. However, these doors were not of the same harsh metal as composed the rest of the room. The one on the right was rounded, set into the wall, and divided in the middle. It was white and ringed by a blue light, putting Harry more in mind of the white room from before, but with more of a technological look. The one on the left was of simple wood, looking aged and with weeds poking through the corners at the bottom. The one at the end of the hallway...it resembled the door to the Department of Mysteries, blankly simple and black.
Harry was dragged over to the door on the right. Its halves parted, retracting back into the wall on either side, and what he found on the other side made Harry gasp.
