Meeting with the original Potter

Dumbledore tried to prevent me from seizing the Elder Wand! He wanted Snape to become the true master of the wand! But I got there before you, little man... I obtained the wand before you could get your hands on it. I understood the truth before you caught up with me. I killed Snape three hours ago and the Elder Wand, the Wand of Death, the Wand of Destiny, truly belongs to me now! Dumbledore's last plan has failed, Harry Potter!

Indeed, acknowledged Harry. You are right. But before you try to kill me, I would advise you to think about what you have done... Reflect and try to feel a little remorse, Riddle...

What is this, again?

Nothing in everything Harry had told him, neither the revelations nor the taunts, had caused Voldemort such a shock. Harry saw his pupils contract until they were nothing more than slits and the skin whiten around his eyes.

This is your one and only chance, Harry continued. It's all you have left... Otherwise, I've seen what you'll become... Be a man... Try... Try to feel remorse...

You dare..., repeated Voldemort.

Yes, I dare, replied Harry, because it is true that Dumbledore's last plan failed, but I wasn't the one who suffered the consequences, it was you, Riddle...

Voldemort's hand holding the Elder Wand was trembling and Harry tightly gripped Draco's wand between his fingers. The decisive moment, he knew, was going to happen in a few seconds.

This wand continues to not fully work for you because you did not kill the right person. Severus Snape was never the true master of the Elder Wand. He never defeated Dumbledore.

He killed him...

So you're not listening to me? Snape never defeated Dumbledore! Dumbledore's death had been planned by both of them! Dumbledore wanted to die undefeated, he wanted to remain the last true master of the wand! If everything had gone as planned, the power of the Elder Wand would have died with him, because it would never have been conquered!

In that case, Potter, it's as if Dumbledore had given me the wand! Voldemort's voice quivered with cruel delight.

I stole the wand from the grave of its last master! I took it against the will of its last owner! Its power belongs to me!

You still don't understand, Riddle? Possessing the wand is not enough! Holding it in your hands, using it, does not truly give you mastery over it. Didn't you listen to Ollivander? It is the wand that chooses the wizard... Yet, the Elder Wand recognized a new master before Dumbledore died, someone who had never laid a hand on it. This new master took the wand from Dumbledore against his will, without ever really understanding what he had done, without realizing that the most dangerous wand in the world had submitted to him...

Voldemort's breathing had quickened, his chest was rising rapidly and Harry guessed that the curse was near, he could feel it forming in the wand pointed at his face.

The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy.

For a moment, an expression of total astonishment passed over Voldemort's face but disappeared immediately.

What difference does it make? he said softly. Even if you are right, Potter, it makes no difference, neither for you nor for me. You no longer have the phoenix feather wand. Our duel will rely on skill alone... And when I have killed you, I will deal with Draco Malfoy...

But it's too late for you, replied Harry. You missed your chance. I got here first. I defeated Draco a few weeks ago. I took his wand. With a small sharp gesture, Harry showed the hawthorn wand and felt all eyes focus on it.

So it all comes down to this, doesn't it? Harry murmured. Does the wand you hold in your hand know that its last master was disarmed? If so... I am the true master of the Elder Wand.

A red and gold glow suddenly burst above them in the enchanted sky, just as a bright sun outlined its first contours at the nearest window. The light illuminated their faces at the same moment and Voldemort suddenly turned into a blazing spot. Harry heard the high-pitched voice let out a scream just as he himself shouted his hope to the skies, brandishing Draco's wand!

Avada Kedavra!

Expelliarmus!

The detonation sounded like a cannon shot and the golden flames that exploded between them, at the precise center of the circle they had drawn with their steps, marked the point where the two spells collided head-on. Harry saw Voldemort's jet of green light strike his own spell, he saw the Elder Wand fly very high, dark in the rising sun, spinning under the enchanted ceiling like Nagini's head, whirling through the air towards the master it did not want to kill, the one who had finally fully possessed it.

With his free hand, Harry, with the unfailing skill of the Seeker, caught the wand in mid-air, while Voldemort toppled backward, arms outstretched, the slit pupils of his scarlet eyes rolling back. Tom Riddle fell to the ground in a trivial end, his body weak, shriveled, his white hands empty, his snake-like face expressionless, unconscious. Voldemort was dead, killed by his own curse that had rebounded on him. Harry, holding both wands, looked at the remains of his enemy. For a moment of trembling silence, the shock of the moment seemed suspended.

So that's how it happened. Suddenly reasoned a cold, hissing voice like a snake in the silence of what was left of the great hall just as everyone was about to let their joy burst forth.

The faces filled with horror and surprise, everyone turned towards the entrance half-obstructed by the debris of the great hall where stood, with an almost nonchalant expression, two Voldemorts, one brandishing a copy of the Elder Wand while the other, with the features of young Riddle, held the stone and the wand. But before Harry could understand what was happening, hell broke loose before his eyes, and what was left of Hogwarts collapsed in a torrent of dust, filling the space with a dull noise that evoked the agony of an immense beast. Harry only had time to throw himself to the ground and hope to survive once more before a large cloud of smoke and debris fell upon him. When the dust settled enough for him to see around him, he wiped his glasses, thinking his nearsightedness was playing tricks on him. But the screams of terror from the survivors of the order, freeing themselves from the rubble of what had been the great hall, proved to him that all of this was indeed real. As the Deathly Hallows glowed with an intense light under the effect of the magic jointly invoked by the two Voldemorts: Bellatrix Lestrange, Fenrir Greyback, Theodore Nott, and all the other Death Eaters who had been defeated at the cost of countless sacrifices during the battle were coming back to life. The faces of the resurrected Death Eaters all displayed a mix of surprise and adoration for their master.

This should make this fight a little more interesting. My loyal Death Eaters, I offer you a second chance to prove your worth to me. Do not disappoint me this time.

A young Death Eater who must have been just 18 years old launched an attack on the exhausted resisters without coordinating with his colleagues (probably in an attempt to get noticed by Voldemort). Despite their fatigue and the blow to their morale they had just suffered, the defenders immediately regrouped into combat formation and hit him with a volley of spells that sent him back to the cemetery he should never have left.

With a cruel smile, Voldemort then raised his finger adorned with the Elder Ring, and the relics began to glow with a supernatural green light, and a few seconds later, the Death Eater rose again.

Idiot. You're lucky that good blood is so rare. But I warn you, at the next mistake, you will suffer my eternal wrath. Well, where were we. Ah yes. We had to pull out some weeds.

The rest was confused in Harry's memory. Harry vaguely remembered that after this outburst, some of the defenders lost all hope and tried to flee, abandoning the fight and any formation. The rest was just a jumble of disordered images that sometimes appeared in his nightmares. Molly Weasley screaming in pain until she had a heart attack under the spells of a Bellatrix who had decided to take her revenge, while she stayed behind to try to protect the escape of the younger ones. Hermione forcing him to run. The blood, all that blood. So much that the lake at Hogwarts turned red.

Then Ron slapped him. Harry forced himself to focus his attention on the tear-streaked face of his best friend who was shouting unintelligible phrases at him. He regained his senses and realized that they were alone in the middle of the Forbidden Forest. He wondered for a few seconds how many people hadAgain sacrificed so he could escape, but if he really wanted to honor them, he first had to find a solution.

It was then that he became aware of the Elder Wand that was still in his hands since what he had thought was his ultimate victory, and of the Invisibility Cloak that Ron was holding. Somewhere during their escape, his friends must have picked it up and used it to facilitate their retreat. Moreover, it was undoubtedly thanks to it and the incredible protection it offered that he had been able to escape so easily while they were priority targets.

We must find the stone. Our only chance is to have our own relics, declared Harry in a voice he hoped was more confident than he actually felt.

It's just a legend. Hermione retorted in a breathless voice, as she tried to catch her breath after the frantic run she had to make to escape the Death Eaters.

How can you still be skeptical after what we just saw?

Precisely, I don't know what I saw. Hermione replied on the verge of hysteria.

Ron then approached Hermione and hugged her. After a few seconds, she pulled herself together.

First, we need to find a safe place and rest. Declared Hermione

No! We cannot give up. Run away if you want, I'm staying.

Harry! Don't you think we've fought enough? That there haven't already been enough deaths? Ron added in a weak voice.

What do you want us to do without a plan and all alone? If we want to have a chance to defeat him one day, we have to flee. Hermione supported.

The adrenaline was still pulsing through Harry's veins, preventing him from thinking clearly. He had no logical argument to oppose to his friends, and he dreamed of only one thing: lying down in a bed and not waking up for several days. However, he was convinced that if they left now, they would never return.

Abandoning the idea of convincing his friends and deaf to the protests, he plunged into the forbidden forest hoping to find the third and final relic. He was convinced that if he found it, everything would be fine. If Voldemort could resurrect his Death Eaters, then he could... Better not to think about it. The tale of the three brothers clearly warned against such hope.

He stepped over twisted roots and moved forward, attentive to the slightest sounds, ready to fiercely defend his life while trying to recognize the path. It seemed to him that he had left the stone about ten meters south of Aragog's old lair. But how to find a stone among hundreds of others in a dense forest? Why had he abandoned the stone? If only he had made a landmark to retrieve it if needed. But at that moment, he was convinced he was heading towards his death. And now he was walking that same path again, expecting at any moment to see a green flash or the serpentine face of his Nemesis. However, having experienced it, he knew there were worse things than death, and despite his friends' protests, he decided to continue. If he had to die, it would be after having tried everything to save his friends and undo the horrible scenes he had just lived through. Yes, there was something much harder than accepting his death: witnessing the death of his loved ones.

As his thoughts came to mind, he felt like a calling. Immediately, he thought of a trap by Voldemort and strengthened his shields.occlumentiques, but the link between them had been destroyed by the death of the horcrux that had taken refuge in him. And in any case, the call had nothing to do with what Voldemort would have been capable of producing. When Voldemort's mind and his overlapped or his emotions reached him, he felt all the violence of their owner painfully. Here, it was something softer and more neutral. Like being drawn by a magnet, he moved towards the direction from which it came and after about ten minutes of walking, he noticed it immediately: the resurrection stone lay at the foot of the roots of a centuries-old tree. But he did not have time to seize the stone as a magical portal opened. He stopped and drew his wand.

Behind him, he felt with a certain warmth, his friends doing the same. He realized that in the last moments, he had not been a very good friend, rushing as usual towards danger without considering anyone. Despite everything, they still stayed to support him.

The portal suddenly lit up and he had to squint to avoid being blinded. He distinguished 3 figures slightly smaller than him coming out. Harry didn't waste time trying to identify them:

Stupefy! he yelled at the same time as his friends.

Protego! Replied the strangers in a voice that seemed curiously familiar to Harry. That didn't stop him from immediately throwing himself to the ground to dodge a counterattack that never came. But he was surprised to see that his friends hadn't followed him. Instead, they were staring motionless and open-mouthed at the three strangers.

And although she welcomes. You are lucky to have a particularly pleasant face. Okay, let's start over. Hello, Harry, I'm Harry and he's Harry and there, you won't believe it, but he's Bob. No, I'm kidding, his name is Harry.

As exasperating as my colleague may be, I would also appreciate it if you could show less hostility.

How is that infuriating? I am kindness incarnate. And you weren't much more welcoming when we arrived at your place. Replied Harry Dursley

Do you really think it's the time to throw jabs at each other? In case you forgot, we're not here as tourists. And without the Deathly Hallows, our time is limited. Especially yours. Unlike me, you haven't been able to use the cloak for a long time. Almost scolded Dark-Harry.

But he's growing up and becoming a real little teenager. Harry Dursley replied, condescendingly running his hand through Dark-Harry's hair before continuing towards Ron and Hermione, who were slowly recovering from their shock and beginning to lower their wands.

And who are you?

In front of their stunned silence, Lord Harry explained:

She is Hermione Weasley and if she is half as intelligent as mine, we can consider ourselves lucky that fate has placed her in our path. He, on the other hand, is Ron Weasley. Even if he were twice as intelligent as mine, his presence will be of no help to us.

Hey! exclaimed Ron.

You see, it's exactly because of this that we are so poorly received when we arrive somewhere. Excuse me for not recognizing you, Ron, but the last time I saw you, you were only 9 years old. Glad that here, you didn't get crushed by a troll. We've lost two short-haired psychopathic dark wizards, you wouldn't have seen them by any chance? Distinctive feature: a strong propensity to want to conquer the world.

What is wrong with you! Do you have the slightest idea how many deaths your you-know-whos have caused? And you're there joking as if nothing happened. Shouted classic-Harry after getting up.

Hey calm down. It's not our fault if Volde

NOOOOON. Immediately shouted Classic-harry, Hermione, and Ron.

Dead... What? It's just a name.

But it was already too late and the taboo was triggered, and immediately several pops of apparition occurred behind them and a gaunt voice chilling their blood resonated.

A name that I would teach you not to utter with impunity, you little impudent.

Around them, a tide of Death Eaters advanced from all directions and surrounded them while slowly, the two Voldemorts descended from the air, proudly displaying their own copies of the Deathly Hallows.

Several anti-disapparition spells have been placed all around the area. This time, you will not escape. Lord-Potter's Voldemort threatened them.

Today, by the sheer force of his will, Voldemort rewrites his destiny. A destiny where you will have no place. Completed the Voldemort of Dark-Harry.

Why would we escape? If what you explained to us is true, you can't kill us. Harry Dursley bluffed on a sudden inspiration.

Really! Exclaimed at the same time (but surely different from yours), the two Voldemorts.

Classic-Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Lord Harry spontaneously formed a back-to-back formation and prepared to defend their lives dearly. Lord-Harry's Voldemort continued:

Here is an amusing assertion. Unless you want us to put your theory to the test, I advise you to explain yourself quickly.

Let's see, it's obvious though. If it's really the original Harry, then he's the one who brought about the birth of our respective worlds. If you kill him, you cancel your own birth.

I fear that you greatly underestimate the powers of Lord Voldemort. The power of the cloak will protect us from this kind of inconvenience, replied Lord-Harry's Voldemort.

To you how determined I am to stop you. Replied Harry Dursley. Pestis Incendium!

The Voldemorts immediately cast a shield or another spell capable of repelling the demonic flames, but they never came. Instead, they headed towards classic-Harry who felt for the umpteenth time that day that his last hour had arrived.

A gesture from me and there will be nothing left to resurrect. I know you, Tom. I've had a version of you in my head for several months. If you haven't already killed us, it's because you need us. Or one of us. Tell your slaves to go check the North Pole to see if I'm there. Unless you don't feel capable of facing us alone. Declared Harry Durlsey, trying not to turn his gaze towards his allies, whom he had somehow betrayed again.

You dare to threaten me. Know that Lord Voldemort never negotiates. Death Eater, teach respect to this miserable runt. Ordered the Voldemort of Lord Harry.

Idiot! Would you have forgotten that the relics of this world are still subject to him. Death Eater, step back, or you will suffer the consequences. Opposed the Voldemort of Dark-Harry.

But come on, he's bluffing. Dumbledore's lapdogs would never dare to get their hands dirty.

Not that one, he already did it.

Well, we will make do with those we already have. Death Eater, attack immediately. We have already lost far too much time. Replied the Voldemort of Lord-Harry

STOP! Ordered Dark Harry's Voldemort by launching a nonverbal Stunning Spell at a Death Eater a little too eager to fight with the teenagers. If we continue to share the cloak in the long term, we will crumble. We absolutely must convince him to give us his.

You're probably right. Avada Kedavra! Shouted Lord-Harry's Voldemort as he attacked Dark-Harry's Voldemort.

Serpensortia maxima! Idiots, we must stay united. Voldemort from Dark-Harry defended himself by summoning a gigantic serpent that intercepted the deadly spell.

Until you have the means to betray me. I have not missed that it is me whom the cloak and the wand recognize as the sole owner. You only possess that useless stone.

But the other relics are mine. Without them, you will live in perpetual fear of the arrival of a more powerful rival who will not have had the stupidity to renounce the power of the three, replied the Voldemort of Dark-Harry.

When I have killed you, I will have eternity to solve this problem.

I had never realized how much the horcruxes had perverted our judgment. Your pride will be your downfall. It only takes a few minutes of examination to understand that such magic is beyond the reach of any human. You will never be able to recreate it.

Who said that these were the only Deathly Hallows? This veil, kept in the Department of Mysteries, is probably another door to other worlds. I would know how to use it and I would retrieve the Hallows, retorted Lord-Harry's Voldemort.

You are not even an eighth of what I should have been. But I know how to fix that.

The Voldemort of Dark Harry raised his resurrection stone into the air, which immediately lit up with an intense green light. Instantly, an inhuman cry of pain escaped from the lips of Lord Harry's Voldemort and a cruel smile appeared on the fine face of Dark-Harry's Voldemort, who began to taunt his double:

It hurts, doesn't it! The forced reunification of one's soul. All the pains. It seems that the reunification process forces us to relive all the pain we have caused during our life until we feel genuine regret for it. Honestly, I don't know how I managed to survive it. Oh yes, I remember now: I was already dead at that moment.

Lord Harry's Voldemort then crashed to the ground, visibly too weakened to maintain his altitude, and crashed with a sharp sound that resonated in the silence that had engulfed the forest. It was as if every animal, every tree, every blade of grass had grasped the importance of the events and had stopped breathing while awaiting their outcome.

The Voldemort of Dark-Harry, with a satisfied look, landed lightly next to the bloody body of his double who continued to scream in pain. In a final effort, the Voldemort of Lord-Harry clung to his cloak and murmured:

pssss ppssss

How come you say, I can't hear anything?

Mercy. Pleaded Lord-Harry's Voldemort to everyone's great surprise.

You're lucky, this experience taught me that there are things worse than death. Give me full possession of the cloak and maybe I'll show magnanimity, replied Dark-Harry's Voldemort.

With slow movements that visibly required all his willpower, Lord Harry's Voldemort handed the cloak to his counterpart, who in response gave him a disdainful look before almost as slowly taking the cloak and saying:

Experliarmus! Avada kedavra.

Under the desperate gaze of the teenagers, the Elder Wand that Lord Harry's Voldemort had managed to snatch from the hands of his Dumbledore flew in what seemed like a long slow motion towards the surviving Voldemort. He was now the sole owner of the 3 Deathly Hallows of Lord Harry's world.

Good. Where were we? Ah yes, my sweet revenge and the extermination of the last people still opposing my omnipotence. Then he turned to Harry Dursley: It seems to me that once again you want to give your doubles a taste of the flames of hell. That's an excellent idea.

Voldemort raised his Elder Wand and Harry Dursley's Fiendfyre swelled and gained power until it incinerated everything nearby. Before Dark-Harry even realized what had happened, all his companions had burned in the demonic flames of his own spell. But he didn't have time to regret it before he was struck down in turn by a green-colored spell.

In front of the astonished looks of his Death Eaters, who did not yet know whether to shout for joy or horror, Voldemort advanced to the place where his opponents had stood and leaned over the body of Harry Dursley, searching it until he extracted what he was looking for.

Clever little one. I knew you would take advantage of our argument to discreetly retrieve the stone. You probably thought of reuniting them beyond death to get another chance to stop us. Or maybe you ended up taking all this lightly, convinced that no matter the winner, we would both end up dying and then resurrecting to relentlessly lead the same duel of good against evil, devoid of stakes, due to the lack of definitive consequence of one's victory over the other. But this time, the stone of this world is mine. As long as I am alive, you will have to face the ultimate enemy without all the relics. Good luck Harry Potter and consider yourself lucky to have passed the veil before I condemn to nothingness all the other versions of ourselves that your double from this world inadvertently created. From now on, there will be only one universe and from the other side of the veil, you will be able to watch me reign over it as master for eternity. Muhahahahaha! Muhahahahaha!

oOoOoOo

Ah gross! Why are you naked? Dark-Harry's voice exclaimed in outrage.

Oh no. Harry Dursley stammered as he opened his eyes, before covering his private parts with his hands. What happened?

You killed us. Again! I'm getting used to it, but I advise you to prepare your defense for when you see the other two. Replied Dark-Harry

He noticed that Dark-harry had taken on the appearance of a 9-year-old child and was wearing an extremely simple black wizard's robe, which made him resemble the young Tom Riddle he had seen in Voldemort's pensieve.

Where are they? We need to gather and find a way to stop Voldemort. There must be a solution together, we will find it. Asked Harry Dursley after conjuring enough clothing to stop blushing like a lobster.

Throwing up their guts. I told them not to drink anything, but they didn't want to listen to me. Why do adults drink alcohol? It only brings problems.

I don't know. I think we both died before we could find out. And it's because of me.

Dark-Harry shrugged.

You did your best. And I'm not sure I missed much. At least, we'll be together.

It's not over. We must be able to go back. We've always been able to until now.

Dark-Harry withdrew into silence and lowered his eyes. Harry Dursley, who was beginning to know him well, insisted:

Go ahead and say what's on your mind. Whatever it is, I promise not to get angry or judge you. As you said, we're in this mess together, so we might as well be honest.

I'm not sure I want to go back there. He said in a small, almost ashamed voice.

Harry Dursley knelt down and forced him to raise his head and look him in the eyes.

There is no awkwardness, buddy. I would be scared in your place too. In fact, I have been in your place. One day, wizards showed up at my house and dragged me into a strange world where half the people seemed to want me dead and the other half expected me to save the world for them. And that day, I was much less brave than you. I tried to run away from the responsibilities they wanted to impose on me. And that led to the death of my cousin Dudley. I know it must be hard for you to believe, but he and I were like brothers. So, no, I don't blame you for being scared and wanting to run away. If I could, I would do the same as you. It's just that I learned the hard way that it's not a solution. Sooner or later, we are doomed to be caught up by our problems and have to face them.

You talk like the old fool.

I will take that as a compliment. But if I start eating lemon candies, please knock me out.

A smile touched the lips of dark-Harry, who gently extended his hand. Harry Dursley took it and let himself be guided by the younger one.

Does that mean you forgive me for killing you? Twice?

No? It means that I decided to wait until I have something specific to ask you to reproach you for it.

Slytherin.

I will take that as a compliment.

They walked (or rather slid) in silence and after a minute came upon two teenagers aged 14 and 17 who were moaning.

Ah !!! Damn. If this is our last drink, why is it so disgusting?

Youth has no manners anymore. It's a vintage that is 2 billion, 357 million, and 18 years old. In fact, it is the remains of the first plant to have had a glucose level high enough to ferment. You can't imagine all the efforts I had to make to get my hands on such a rare vintage. Protested the skeleton, who was now familiar to Harry-Dursley behind his age-worn bar.

Harry Dursley was about to make his presence known when his gaze was drawn by the screams of several filthy babies coming from the opposite corner of the bar.

What is that? he exclaimed reflexively, pointing at the hideous thing with his finger.

Don't touch, especially not. Dark-Harry alarmed as he interposed himself between him and the odious cradles.

That's what's left of Voldemort. We can't do anything for them. Explained Classic-Harry, finally noticing his presence.

Only a deranged mind could conceive the idea of offering any assistance to the refuse of its Nemesis. Though that is exactly what you are. Tell me that before perishing, your insane plan at least allowed you to seize the original stone. Asked Lord-Harry.

Yes. Harry replied with embarrassment and hesitation, as he expected a more vehement reception from his doubles.

Hope is therefore still allowed. We have the cloak and the wand. We only need your stone. Explained Lord Harry, pointing to the relics held by classic-Harry. Seeing Harry Durlsey's perplexity, he continued: while waiting for your arrival, we agreed that the original relics should be able to defeat their copies. Or at least that it's a hypothesis worth testing.

Alas, I think she didn't follow me. Voldemort used the Avada on me. After my death, he must have seized the original stone.

Immediately the faces of the other two Harrys darkened.

You don't blame me?

Mortally. Lord Harry said with a sardonic air.

What is done is done. I would have preferred that you consult me, but it was a good plan. And besides, it almost worked. When they started to kill each other, I thought we were saved, explained Classic-Harry.

See, you know. That's a true friend. Take a leaf out of his book. Said Harry Dursley to Dark-Harry, who merely rolled his eyes.

He is above all a true Gryffindor. Do not expect the same magnanimity from me. Lord Harry intervened, holding back from vomiting.

You can scold me as much as you want when we're out of here. Retorted Harry Dursley.

Don't tell me you already want to leave. You haven't even tasted the dish of the day. It's a magnificent stew that I've been simmering since I opened the restaurant. It's funny, but after a week, black crusts formed on top. Death protested softly.

The Harrys shivered and by mutual agreement acted as if they hadn't heard anything.

Without wanting to offend you. I believe that no one has managed to make the journey in reverse. In any case, not without the relics. Against Lord-Potter.

Well, we'll be the first, asserted Harry-Dursley.

I already did it. Then remarked classic-Harry.

Pardon!? Exclaimed simultaneously Lord-Potter and Harry-Dursley.

Just before you arrived, I went to meet You-Know-Who and he killed me. I then found myself in limbo where I met Dumbledore who gave me a choice: I could either continue to the afterlife or return to the world of the living. At the time, I instinctively knew where the exit was. It must be the same here. There must be an exit. We just have to find it we've wasted enough time, we need to get to it. By spreading out all four of us, I'm sure we'll make it. Explained classic-Harry.

But you are blind. There is nothing here. Whatever direction we head in, there is only emptiness. We are far beyond the limbo. We are on the other side of the veil, Lord-Potter snapped.

What do you know about it? Asked classic-Harry.

I know it, that's all.

I believe he is right. The Voldemorts mentioned it several times. And I don't think they were lying at that moment, intervened Harry-Dursley.

Then they withdrew in heavy silence. Despite all his resolutions, Harry Dursley saw no way out of their situation and gradually began to resign himself to accepting it and wondering what would happen next, until classic-Harry asked death:

Wait, you said it came from the earth. Does that mean you are not confined here? Can you go out?

Of course. Work is important, but it's not the only thing in life. Replied Death while wiping a glass.

So the legend is true. You have come into our world and... Are you the creator of the relics? Continued classic-Harry with a budding hope.

What relics are you talking about? Asked Death.

But the Deathly Hallows, come on.

Oh no, there is a mistake. I have never met death. Besides, it's not for lack of trying. Eternity, you know, is long.

Especially towards the end, yes, we know. Interrupted Harry Dursley, remembering the shows about old music celebrities that Petunia was fond of.

Exactly not. It's the beginning that's complicated. Do you have any idea what it's like to wander alone and aimlessly for billions of years? But since you humans appeared, I finally have company. At least during the few minutes a soul spends here. That's why I'm trying so hard to develop my business. Given your tab, I probably shouldn't tell you, but in truth, money doesn't interest me much. If I complain about bad payers, it's just for show.

I don't know why I suspected it a little. Commented Harry Dursley. Dark-Harry for his part asked:

If you are not death, then what are you?

This is an excellent question that I have been asking myself for several eternities. I believe the human concept that comes closest to it is entropy.

We don't care about that. The important thing is that you can intervene. You could provide us with another copy of the relics,... I mean the stone, the wand, and the cloak. Or destroy Voldemort's. Exclaimed classic-Potter.

The infinite space surrounding them then echoed with a hearty and warm laugh that nevertheless chilled their blood. It was a visceral fear. LikeYes, this seemingly harmless sound had awakened in them a primal fear inscribed deep within their genes.

Ah ah ah! Interesting. What would you be willing to give up in exchange? Asked entropy.

I don't know. Whatever you want. Declared classic-Harry uneasily.

"What form did your emoluments take the first time?" asked Lord-Potter.

My emoluments. And who would have paid them? No, I did it for free. I just wanted to make things more interesting. You see, at the time, there was only one timeline and your species barely exceeded a million individuals. I had a lot of free time and thought I had seen everything about your species. War, peace, love, and betrayal followed one another like an eternal variation of the same boring story. Those three wizards changed that. They managed to bring a breath of novelty to your story. To reward them so that their work never ceases to entertain me, I offered them the 3 relics. Oh, excuse me. From spending time with your deceased elders, I fear I have acquired the habit of rambling on with old stories that don't interest the young.

If what you want is distraction, then you must help us. If we don't go back, Voldemort will establish a reign of terror for eternity. Nothing will happen anymore.

You're joking. He is the best twist that has occurred in your dull existence since the marriage of convenience between Grindelwald and Hitler. Every second of your new, peaceful, uneventful life is upended by his arrival. Routine existences are elevated into an ethical struggle for survival, sprinkled with drama, painful choices, but also small daily victories that enchant life.

You are vile. Exclaimed classic-Harry, whose mind was still resonating with the screams of his loved ones dying under the blows of the Death Eaters.

In what way? Entropy wondered sincerely.

You delight in the misfortune of humans. Replied Harry Dursley.

And so, what harm is there in that? It's not me committing them. And then I find you quite hypocritical. I don't recall the stories you tell for entertainment depicting events of perfect and happy utopias. You enjoy distracting yourself with the misfortunes of others just as much as I do. It's just that you think you're doing it with beings that don't exist.

But you could stop them. Stated Harry Dursley.

Really? I fear you have mistaken me for another deity. I only know how to add death to the chaos of the universe. Peace and harmony are mysteries beyond my understanding.

You could at least stop Voldemort.

I am not the only one in this situation. There are 6 billion individuals on the other side of the veil who could easily overcome it if they united. Despite all his power, Voldemort is just a lonely and sad man. Why should it be up to me to decide the outcome of this conflict? What reason do I have to believe that one more death, even that of a tyrant, will improve the fate of the survivors?

You're joking, what could be worse than Voldemort?

Dear child, if you had seen as much as I have, you would not ask the question. Humans do not need a lord of darkness to inflict the worst torments on themselves. It might even be that their thirst for eternity will force you to make the necessary sacrifices to ensure the survival of your species. I have seen the future ofMany timelines where he was defeated. In very few of them did humanity survive more than a century or two due to its own greed. No, believe me from my experience, humans are the ones who know best how to choose the existence that suits them best. Your species has decided to turn its back on a life of security and freedom, to live in fear and tyranny. The best I can do is respect this choice.

This is complete nonsense. Humanity hasn't chosen anything at all. It's you who gave it the power, and now one person is using it to impose their path on humanity. If you really want to be neutral, you must at least take it away from them. Argued Harry Dursley.

You did not hold the same discourse when they were in your hands. If I were to follow your logic to the end, I should have taken back my blessings long before the start of this conflict. However, I fear that without them, the camp of light would have collapsed long ago. During the first phase of this conflict, the human you call Dumbledore could only keep the one who calls himself the Dark Lord at bay from supreme power through intensive use of the wand. And you, in the original timeline, would never have been able to defeat him if that same Dumbledore had not schemed for the wand to turn against him during the final battle. Even if I listened to you, your world would eventually be reduced to a single timeline dominated for eternity by this malevolent being. Or maybe not. For humans, eternity is often much shorter than they imagine. One day, your kind might get sufficiently fed up living under his rule to unite and sacrifice their lives for the advent of a world that would not be under his reign. In any case, it will be a fascinating story to follow.

All that is bullshit. It's not entertainment you want. It's company. Said classic-Harry

What!? Exclaimed the other Harrys.

I ask your forgiveness, young human. Asked entropy.

I know what it feels like to be alone forever and suddenly find oneself surrounded. If you can't help but come back to us, it's not because our world amazes you. You asked what we would be willing to pay in exchange for your help. The answer is simple, we only have one thing of value: our soul. Save my friends and send my doubles back to their world and I will stay to keep you company for eternity if necessary.

After a long, anxious moment, entropy released in a breath a simple:

Okay.

No, it's not for you to do that. Lord-Harry declared calmly.

And why not? If I understand correctly, all of this is my fault. It is I who created the existence of all these universes and therefore these Voldemorts.

I do not consider my existence to be a sin that deserves punishment. If you stay here, you will never be able to bring about the creation of our worlds, explained Lord-Harry with embarrassment.

No! exclaimed Dark-Harry, realizing the implications of what he had just brought up.

It's up to me to stay, declared Harry Dursley. I'm the only one whose disappearance won't deprive any timeline of its creator. The only one who isn't expected by anyone. You all have friends or family eagerly awaiting your return. A life disrupted by my arrival that you have left on hold.

I stay here, with you. The only timeline I created is yours. It's okay if I stay here.

Even if one could disregard the billions of people inhabiting my world, you still have a life to live.

I don't care. What's so great about life? pleaded Dark-Harry, starting to cry.

Harry Dursley knelt down and looked him in the eyes.

Plenty of things, you'll see. You've only experienced the bad sides. You still have all the good ones to discover. And it's only for a time. We'll see each other again. But not too soon. If I see you again before 80 years, I warn you that I'll give you the cold shoulder for the next 80,000.

Then, finding nothing else to say to each other, they shared a long embrace, which he reluctantly repeated when portals opened to what Harry recognized as the different worlds he had traversed.

Its portals will take you back to your timeline just before my gifts disrupt the course. Moreover, by passing through them, you will forget everything that just happened. At worst, it will be nothing more than the memory of a distant dream.

I don't want to forget. Protest Dark-Harry

And I don't want him to go back to the Dursleys. I promised he would never go back to them, added Harry Dursley.

Are you aware that this could lead to the cancellation of the creation of your timeline? Asked entropy.

If I understood correctly, my world is his after he intervened to make the Dursleys love me. If you open the necessary portal for me, I will go myself to appease Petunia's hatred.

After a moment, the entropy released:

Okay. But this is the last favor you extract from me.

Entropy snapped its fingers and Dark-Harry's portal, instead of leading to the cupboard under the stairs, moved to a plain in the Forbidden Forest bathed in moonlight, where the traces of the battle they had fought there were still visible.

After this final exchange, they silently bid farewell to their doubles, then he watched them enviously cross the portals corresponding to them.

You know, you haven't sacrificed yourself for eternity. As soon as another intelligent species emerges, I will release you. Declared entropy.

Do you mean we're the only ones in the universe? Asked Harry Dursley, vaguely curious.

Let's say instead that you are the first. But let's get back to serious matters now that you are here, I will be able to build a hotel. Exclaimed entropy joyfully while rubbing its hands.

It was going to be damn long thought Harry Dursley, then through the closing portals, he saw the different versions of himself being welcomed by their loved ones who hugged them. Even Dark-Harry had to endure the hug of a Molly Weasley who had decided to adopt him for good. He consoled himself by thinking that it was worth it and that eternity would pass quickly with two.

oOoOoOoOo

Author's note: And there you go, it's the end. I hope that despite my lack of motivation at the end and the skim over the arc with classic-Harry, you enjoyed this ending (at this point, we can even say we skipped it).

As for me, even though I struggled to finish this fanfic, I am happy to have been able to offer a happy ending to Harry Dursley and his doubles. They deserve it after everything I put them through.

You have probably guessed it, but during the coming months, I will take a break from writing and focus on other projects. First, I would like to polish a program I made during my studies to learn JAVA and make it available on my website: www %%%. %%%serpenfou %%%.%%%.fr. It's a program to manage one's budget and assets that I have been using for years, but it is so messy that it is unpresentable as it stands.

I've been wanting for a long time to find the time to make it a little cleaner and publish it with instructions.

And also to publish its code and a description allowing it to be easily modified to adapt it to other uses.

You will tell me that there are already tons of applications to manage one's budget and assets, and you are probably wondering why I bothered to create my own program. Well, it's because to my knowledge, none of these apps are both: open source, free, respectful of your personal data, working on Linux, and easy to use.

Indeed, the only free, open-source management applications running on Linux that I have found are designed for near-professional (or even professional) accounting and are therefore far too complicated for an individual who just wants to see their various expense categories, aggregate the money they have in different banks into a single figure, and compare the performance of their stock portfolio to that of a world ETF once every 3 months.

I therefore wanted to create an application in Java that meets these criteria (I chose Java so that the program can run on any machine and because professionally, I thought it would be useful for me to learn this language).

I partially succeeded. Indeed, I find that my app perfectly meets my needs however, it is a bit less convenient to use than professional apps, because as a stingy individual, I cannot access the banks' APIs that allow professional apps to automatically retrieve your transactions. There would of course have been workarounds, but I considered them to pose too great a security risk for the user's banking data.

As a result, my app does not automatically retrieve transactions. You need to download them from your bank's website in a CSV file and provide it to the program (which will read it automatically). And it only works for transaction files provided by Fortuneo. If your bank uses a different format, then to use my program, you will either have to manually enter the transactions or modify the program (it's not complicated, but it needs to be done).

Once that's done, I think I'll translate some English fanfic that inspired the worlds of dark-Harry and Lord-Potter. This will improve my English (which really needs it) and give the illusion that I wrote a fanfic explaining what their story would have been without the intervention of Harry Dursley.

And then, who knows. Knowing myself, I'll probably get bored and want to write a sequel to my Animorph fanfic or start a project that has nothing to do with it. We'll see.