Chapter 392: Chapter 392: The Day After
Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 392: The Day After
"The house feels busy today…" Victoria observed as she entered the kitchen.
Despite its massive size, the space was bustling with activity. Mipsy and Lily were hard at work preparing breakfast for everyone.
"You didn't hear anything last night?" Harry asked her. With two families arriving late at night, there must have been a lot of noise, yet Victoria seemed completely oblivious.
Victoria shrugged, disinterested, as she calmly ate her breakfast.
Holly, on the other hand, was thrilled by the lively atmosphere in the house. The little girl, however, remained blissfully unaware of the heavy tension in the air.
The previous night had been devastating for both families, but it was undeniably worse for the Weasleys.
Harry even made another trip after talking with the Greengrass family. He went to check on Luna and her father.
He already knew they were okay since he had stopped the attack on the Weasleys, there was no one left to go after the Lovegoods that night.
Still, he wanted to offer them staying at the Potter Manor but neither of them wanted to leave their home.
At that moment, the door opened, and two men entered, James Potter and Arthur Weasley.
"Arthur!" Molly exclaimed, rushing to hug her husband.
"I'm sorry, Molly. I should have been there…" Arthur said, his voice heavy with guilt.
"You would've been in even more danger," James interjected. "It was a terrible situation, but we should be grateful that most of you survived."
Arthur nodded solemnly before scanning the room. His gaze settled on Harry.
"I don't know how to repay you for this…" Arthur began.
"Come on, Arthur...you don't have to say anything else, Molly has already thanked my son enough," Lily interjected. She could tell Harry was growing uncomfortable with all the gratitude. "You should check on Ginny. She's still sl—"
The door swung open again, and Fred appeared, excitement on his face. "She's awake! Ginny is awake!"
The Weasleys immediately rushed out of the kitchen, leaving the others behind.
"What's going on?" a confused Victoria asked.
Daphne, sitting nearby, answered cautiously. "Our families were attacked last night. Ginny was badly hurt, and…" She hesitated.
"By who? Who attacked you?" Victoria asked, surprised. She still didn't know much about the magical world she now found herself in, as the Potters had kept conversations light around her.
Daphne glanced at Harry, seeking his input.
"It won't hurt for her to know," Harry said. He wasn't sure how far along the war had progressed in her world, but withholding information seemed pointless.
Daphne nodded. "We believe it was the Dark Lord who sent them."
Victoria's eyes widened in shock. "Even the Weasleys? But they're so close to the Dark Lord! Why would he attack them? Did they betray him?"
"The Weasleys… close to the Dark Lord?" James repeated, looking baffled.
Harry quickly pieced together the misunderstanding. "Victoria… what Dark Lord are you talking about?"
"Albus Dumbledore!" she declared without hesitation, anger flashing in her eyes as she said his name.
Harry sighed. "As I thought."
"Wait...what?" Mostly everyone was confused by her comment.
"Victoria," Lily began gently, "we've discussed this before. People here are different from the ones you knew. Albus Dumbledore is not an evil man, much less a Dark Lord."
"Hold on… is that the only Dark Lord you know?" Daphne asked.
"Of course not." Victoria huffed, clearly annoyed. "There's Lord Grindelwald. Everyone thought Dumbledore killed him, but it was all a ruse. And now…"
"Does the name Lord Voldemort mean anything to you?" Harry asked.
Victoria thought for a moment. "I don't know any wizard by that name. I'd remember hearing something so strange... and it doesn't even sound like a proper wizarding family."
Her answer left everyone stunned.
"How is that possible?" James muttered.
"Could her world be so different?" Lily wondered aloud.
"Can someone please explain?" Victoria demanded, exasperated.
"Fascinating…" Selene Greengrass mused. She only knew bits about Victoria's origin but found it intriguing.
"Mom, I want more!" Holly interrupted, sliding her plate toward Lily.
Realizing the topic wasn't suitable for the kitchen, Harry stood up. "Victoria, come with me," He said. "We should discuss this in private."
Victoria narrowed her eyes suspiciously but followed. Whoever this Voldemort was, he clearly held great significance.
Harry led her to the library, and they sat down to talk. He gave her a detailed rundown of Voldemort, from his rise to power, his atrocities, and the war.
"A completely different Dark Lord…" Victoria murmured, trying to process the information. "It's hard to believe. How can there be so many differences? I thought parallel worlds only varied slightly."
"Our worlds must've diverged significantly," Harry said. "I mean… just look at us. We're very different."
"Are you pointing at my breasts?" Victoria raised an eyebrow.
Harry flushed slightly but kept his composure. "I'm just stating the obvious. Different gender, different names… our worlds likely had wildly different circumstances."
"Were different," Victoria corrected, her voice tinged with sorrow. Her world was no more.
"Right."
"But to be fair…" Victoria hesitated. "Our names aren't that different."
"How so? Victoria seems very—"
"Harriet," she interrupted, a sad smile forming on her lips. "Harriet Potter was my birth name."
Harry blinked in surprise. "You got angry when I suggested that name when we first met," he recalled.
"My adoptive mother gave me a new identity...one 'he' couldn't take from me. I left my past behind," she explained.
"I see… but if you want to c—"
"No!" Victoria exclaimed, her voice firm. "I won't change the name my mother gave me. I'll carry it with pride until the day I die!"
Harry waited patiently as she calmed herself. Clearly, her name was a sensitive topic.
"Better?" he asked gently.
"Sorry… I shouldn't have lost my composure. It's unbecoming, even if I'm no longer the Lady of the House of Black."
"It's fine." Harry pulled a small box from his pocket dimension. "Let's change the topic. I need your input on something."
Victoria raised an eyebrow as she took the box and opened it. "Jewels?"
"They're designed to store magic in the arkstones and release it in a single burst. Part of the rune work amplifies the effect," Harry explained.
Victoria's face paled. "You're planning to use these? You might as well sign your death warrant! This will kill you!"
Harry chuckled softly. "I already used them last night. The problem is, they're not recharging."
Victoria stared at him, dumbfounded. After a long pause, she looked back at the jewels. "This… this is insane. There are nine of them! If these work the way I think they do, the amplification could kill a dragon."
"That sounds about right. So… can you fix it?" Harry asked, smirking.
"You're serious?" Victoria asked, still in disbelief.
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. I recently also added the main cast of bad guys, that also includes the Dark Lord.
-patreon.com/Kriogenix
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone