Knowledge is Power

Disclaimer/Plot/Author's Note: SEE FIRST CHAPTER

Dedication: I'd like to dedicate this story to my good friends: my recommended reads are Saviour of Magic by Colt01, For Love of Magic by Noodlehammer, Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality by Less Wrong, Partially Kissed Hero by Perfect Lionheart, Harry Potter and the Daft Morons and Angry Harry and the Seven by Sinyk, Harry Potter and the Prince of Slytherin by The Sinister Man, Harry Potter and the Rune Stone Path by Temporal Knight, A Study in Magic and A Study in Magic: The Application by Books of Change, Dark and Light by Pleasedial123 and Harry Potter: My Life Is My Own by Sashian

Pairings: Eventual Harmony; Others TBD

Normal Speech

'Thoughts'

/Parseltongue/

Review Answers:

Old-crow: Oh, trust me, there is still a long way to go and fun to be had for and by all;

WhiteElfElder: You know what I always say, my friend: keep reading to find out;

ALSO: In case anyone's wondering WHY I haven't updated in a long while, it's because, with this being the 25th Chapter, I was waiting.

For what?

To hit ONE THOUSAND reviews, which now, thanks to "Cassandra30" I have, so, to said reviewer, this chapter is dedicated to you…

And to ALL OF YOU who enjoy the fun brought on by this intense adventure…

In the Headmaster's office, however, Harrison could do nothing but scream before, to the surprise of the others – all of whom were protected by a shield Dumbledore had barely managed to get up in time – his shockwave receded, his scream died down and, right there and then, he did the only thing he seemed able to do.

He fell to the floor, narrowly missing the jagged edge of Dumbledore's desk as he fell, his body now as limp as a ragdoll while his eyes rolled into the back of his head as the blackness of unconsciousness came for him.

Chapter 25: Harrison in Wonderland

'Where am I?'

That was the first thought that ran through Harrison's mind as he found his subconscious thoughts and every fibre of his senses sending him spiralling into an unknown place and time. The last thing he remembered was losing his temper with Albus Dumbledore after the truth about his time with the Muggles, including the Millers, had been revealed, origins and all.

He remembered saying how the Dursleys, his former family, had abandoned him and left him in London and then disappeared, seemingly without a trace, but the next thing he knew, his world had been swallowed up by a sea of red tinged with this overwhelming darkness that just reached out and swallowed him whole, like Jonah being eaten by the whale.

Then…well, to be honest, Harrison didn't know how to describe the way he felt following the way the darkness claimed him.

It felt like falling, but he wasn't really going anywhere; at the same time, his body felt like it was there, but, as insane as it sounded, at the same time, it was not there. Everything was calm, yet filled with this air of mystery that chilled Harrison to the very core of his being and, as a result, he was left wondering where he was, though not before the thought was joined by another.

'What is this place?'

He didn't admit it – who he would have admitted it to, mind you, he didn't know – but Harrison felt like he…he knew this strange place.

It felt familiar, but unfamiliar and, as he fell further and further into it, the young sorcerer was aware of a strange, familiar, but, again, unfamiliar warm sensation crawling over his skin. If he had to find a way to describe it, again, as weird as it sounded, he would have compared it to the feeling of a snake coiling itself around him, ready to sink its fangs into him and swallow him whole, or just simply poison him and leave him a twitching mess on death's door.

And, as weird as it was to feel it, even weirder was how, now Harrison felt it, the only thing he wanted to do was fall into it even further.

Feed himself to the serpent, as it were.

'Why am I here?' As he asked himself the third question, Harrison's whole body suddenly jerked reflexively before, to his surprise, what looked like a faint emerald-green flame suddenly ignited right in front of him.

Even in the darkness that enveloped him like the great snake, something about the flame seemed to reassure Harrison that everything was all right.

And yet, at the same time, he felt a strange, all-consuming urge to reach out and claim the flame just like how the darkness had claimed him.

'Oh well,' he thought, a part of him wanting to shrug at his own thought before he just hummed in response. 'What else is there to do here?'

Extending his hands, Harrison felt the warmth of the fire envelop him.

The next thing he knew, the flame exploded, flooding his vision, as well as his other senses, with a bright, oddly-painful green flash.

Knowledge is Power

"Well, Poppy, what's the diagnosis?"

"I…I can't explain it, Headmaster," answered the Hogwarts matron, her voice edged by worry and a note of confusion as she looked to her superior, who stood by the bed of his young student with a troubled expression in his wizened blue eyes.

Next to said bed, Hermione Granger was sitting in a chair, her hand linked with the still, warm hand of Harrison James Potter, who, for all intents and purposes, might as well have been merely sleeping. His eyes were closed, his expression apathetic and his chest rose and fell as though he was sleeping.

Even Poppy suggested this as she explained, "According to my examination and diagnosis charms, Potter is fast asleep…literally, but, at the same time, it's like his mind has become separate from the rest of his body. Then there are the results of my magical diagnosis charms."

"What about them?" asked Dumbledore.

"Well…" replied Poppy, swallowing hard before she looked back to Dumbledore as she explained, "I…I don't know what actually happened to leave Potter like this, but…but whatever it is, my results claim that his magical core's potential has tripled in size and force. In other words, somehow, he has gone through a process equal to the magical maturity of one born with the power levels of…well, you, Headmaster!"

Hearing this, Albus' eyes widened as he looked to the bed before, frowning in curiosity, he asked, "Is…is there no way he can wake up?"

"I've tried the simplest means and considered even greater ones," answered Poppy, running a hand through her greying hair as she cleared her throat before she continued, "But I fear that, if we do try and wake him up, we risk making things worse. As I said, it's like his mind and his very subconscious has become separate from the rest of him. If we were to try and wake him, the results could be catastrophic; even when I tried the simple means, it felt like something was shielding his magic from mine."

"Like…like a magical cocoon?" asked Hermione softly, earning a surprised look from Dumbledore, both at how she'd been listening in and at the simple way that the young girl summed up what was happening.

"Exactly…that…that's one way to describe it, Miss Granger," answered Poppy, letting out a dry laugh as she added, "Whatever happened to put him through such a powerful time in his life, almost six years before anyone else his age would have done such a thing, the same magical force has cocooned him in its embrace and now…"

She trailed off, almost as though she didn't know how to best describe it.

Hermione, on the other hand, cleared her throat before she asked, "What…what will happen to him? You know…when he emerges from it?"

"That, my dear Miss Granger, is a very good question," said Dumbledore, the ominous look in his eyes telling the others what else he wanted to say, but he didn't dare speak the words.

It was a good question, yes, but even Albus Dumbledore didn't know how to answer it.

He also wondered if this might have something to do with the tragic news he'd received shortly after Harry's blacking out about Quirinus.

Again, a question he didn't know how to answer.

Knowledge is Power

After experiencing the strange reactions of the green flash, the next thing Harrison knew when he felt life and light return to him was an unusual, but welcome feeling of warmth and comfort. When he opened his eyes, Harrison's eyes narrowed when he saw he was lying on what looked like clean, white sands of a tropical beach; in front of him, clear-blue water and waves lapped the shore gently while, overhead, the sounds of gulls felt like music to Harrison's ears.

As he looked around, a part of him wondering where he was or how he'd gotten there, the young boy's eyes widened when he saw something both amusing and interesting to behold. A large, black-stone mountain grew into the skies over Harrison's head, though it was what stood at the apex that made him amused: a castle, medieval-looking in nature and seemingly-forged from white stones; other than the craggy mountain, there didn't seem to be a way to get up to the castle, though the fact that there was a castle there at all made Harrison snigger as he looked up at it.

Weirdly, for reasons he couldn't quite understand, there was something familiar about the castle and the mountain, like it was something he'd either read about or had a dream he couldn't quite recall about it.

As he tried considering a thought about the mountain, Harrison gasped suddenly when a flurry of motion sped past him.

Looking in the direction of the thing, his emerald-green eyes narrowed when he noticed a very familiar black cat perched atop a rock on the edge of the beach, his tail drifting lazily over the stone upon which he was seated.

"Loki?" asked Harrison.

In response, the black cat let out a low meow before he turned and skittered away, scaling down the rock and vanishing around the corner from where Harrison was standing.

"Hey…wait up!" called Harrison, a part of him deciding if he was going to get some answers, he might as well follow the feline.

'Just thank Merlin it's not a white rabbit,' thought the young wizard sarcastically, rolling his eyes at the thought even as he smirked. 'Even though this might as well be Wonderland…ah well, let's see where he's gone.'

Chasing after Loki, Harrison was a little surprised to find the turning point where the black cat had disappeared led off the beach and into a thick, dark jungle, which looked as ominous and yet mysterious as Hogwarts' Forbidden Forest.

As Harrison thought about why some weird dream beach would have the clichéd dark jungle, however, his ears pricked up when he heard Loki meow again, the sound echoing from within the jungle like the haunted cry of an age-old phantom.

'Ah well,' thought Harrison, shrugging ruefully while he snorted, 'Once more unto the breach, dear friend…wherever that may be.'

Entering the jungle, Harrison found thick, sticky mounds of mud and slime accompanying him, making each step unusually-difficult, even for a place that might as well be nothing more than a dream. At the same time, the temperature within the jungle seemed to grow to intense, tropical levels until, left with no alternative, Harrison was forced to shed his clothes and proceed in little more than his boxer shorts.

Deeper and deeper into the jungle, Harrison moved, his feet now caked in the grime and sludge of the ground while his head had become red from the heat, sweat now trickling freely down his neck and shoulders while he also felt clammy and sticky at the same time. Every time he blinked, his eyelids seemed to stick together while, every so often, Harrison found himself losing breath, his tongue turning dryer than dry could get, almost like he was walking through a mixture of the Amazon Rainforest, the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans and the Kalahari Desert.

But, despite his discomfort, he felt like he couldn't stop; the meows of his faithful feline pet seemed to get louder, urging Harrison forwards while, at the same time, every inch of discomfort he felt only fuelled his determination; not only to reach the other side of the jungle – if there even was another side – but also to reach the mountain and the castle atop it.

'Wonderland never stopped Alice,' thought Harrison, pushing a large fern aside as he groaned, 'So this Dreamland isn't about to stop me either.'

Suddenly, as he thought on his determination, Harrison gasped as he made a misstep, which sent him falling over the edge of a large, sharp and jagged-edged ravine that seemed to have cropped up out of nowhere. As he fell, however, Harrison barely managed to reach out and grab a loose stone, which cracked ominously with the new weight added to it.

Thankfully, it held firm.

'Paradise beach with mysterious jungle and large mountain and now a ravine…let me guess what's next? Dinosaurs?'

As soon as he thought it, Harrison seriously wished he hadn't done as a loud, earth-shattering roar echoed through the chasm, making his teeth chatter while his blood ran cold as he felt the rocky outcropping he was grasping for dear life cracking again.

'Mental note,' thought Harrison, trying to use what strength he had to pull himself upwards, as though he hoped to use his agility, reflexes and a little ingenuity to get back out of the chasm. 'Keep this in mind for future creation of the Mind Palace…and then seriously cut down on the Verne fictions, even though I haven't read them since I lived with them!'

"Mrrrow?"

Looking up suddenly, Harrison's eyes widened while he couldn't help but let out a laugh when he saw Loki sat at the top of the chasm, his paw toying with the end of a long, thick rope, which slowly slithered its way down to Harrison.

"Oh…good boy," laughed Harrison, grabbing the rope in both hands, though as he did so, he gasped when a sudden jolt of intense pain cut off his appreciation for his strange guide-slash-spiritual friend's aid.

The pain seemed to come from the very depths of his mind and, as Harrison felt it, he felt his hands slipping down the rope, leaving thick, red burns along his palms while, as for the rest of him, there was nothing else it could do…

Except fall.

Knowledge is Power

"Albus, stop!"

As soon as the command was issued by Poppy, Dumbledore lifted his Legilimency probe, a part of him beyond shocked at how Harrison's body had reacted to the magic. Sure, beforehand, the old man had found nothing but an empty stretch of black coupled with a weird instinct that immediately repelled any efforts to invade Harrison's mind.

But now, in a bid to try and find his wayward student's senses, Dumbledore had inadvertently caused Harrison to slip into a seizure, which caused Hermione to scream in fear and Poppy to make her demand.

As soon as Dumbledore lifted his spell, however, Harrison became still and calm once again, his body just as sleep-like as before.

Looking up from his young student, Albus swallowed hard as he whispered, "I…I'm sorry, Poppy; I thought…if, perhaps, I could read his mind and pierce his dreams, we…we might be able to find Harrison's true thought and consciousness…and bring them back."

"Clearly, that didn't work!" argued Poppy, looking to her charge before, heaving a sigh, she returned her attention to the Headmaster as she asked him, "I don't suppose your brief intrusion yielded any results?"

"None," answered Dumbledore sadly, a note of pain and disbelief in his words as he explained, "Harrison's mind was as blank as I have ever known him to be…however, I must confess, in all my years of seeing such minds and exploring the arts and magic of Occlumency and Legilimency, I have never known the use of Legilimency to cause a seizure…let alone one that fades when the spell is lifted."

"What does that mean?" asked Hermione, her eyes red from the tears she'd shed as she watched Harrison's body react like it did.

"I don't know."

"I might."

Suddenly, Hermione's head snapped up while even Dumbledore looked shocked by the sound of the voice that addressed him and his fearful young student. Looking to the door of the Hospital Wing, Albus' eyes widened beyond all comprehension when he saw an elderly gentleman dressed in sky-blue robes walking into the room.

The gentleman had white hair that was standing up on top of his head while his eyes were an eerie, pearlescent shade of milky white, which gave the impression that he was blind, but Dumbledore knew him too well to be fooled by the appearance.

As the man walked towards them, Hermione swallowed hard as she asked, "Who…who are you, sir?"

"Someone whom might be able to help you solve the mystery that is young Master Potter, Miss Granger," replied the old man, his voice tinged with pride and strength that betrayed even his ancient looks.

However, when Hermione learned the man's name, she didn't know whether to be honoured or just shocked by the identity;

"I am Nicolas Flamel and, fortunately for you and our young dreamwalker, I had other business to attend to here at Hogwarts…didn't I, Albus?"

Chapter 25 and, yikes, talk about a big surprise for our heroes: Nicolas Flamel himself has come onto the scene and seems to have answers even Dumbledore does not, but what are they?

Also, what is the truth of Harrison's Wonderland and what awaits him Over the Castle on the Hill?

Keep Reading to Find Out

Next Chapter: Nicolas fills in a blank that nobody considered possible, especially not Harrison as, after weeks of wondering and months of mystery, we finally get the truth about Harrison: who he really is, what he's truly capable of and why he can't remember certain parts of his life…

Please Read and Review

AN: Portrayal

Nicolas Flamel: Malcolm McDowell

(I know he was in the new FB movie, but that guy's not my idea of Flamel…he's good, but not the kind of portrayal I'd have chosen)