The three arrived in front of a large house, where the green grass seemed to go on for miles around the home. With his hands still in his pockets, Harry walked by Severus as the girl—named Tina—led the way to the front door.

During the ride, Tina had not once asked Harry what he needed to see Fornacis Althen for, but instead talked about how Althen was well-known in the town for contributing at town events and practically knowing everyone. Everyone that knew Althen was a warlock had usually come to request his help when they had a magical problem.

Harry was going to be another one of those people.

He let out a breath as Tina knocked, and not a second later an older man with greying hair and a face lined with wrinkles opened the door.

“We've been expecting you,” he said to Tina, looking friendly enough. He noticed Severus and Harry behind her. “You've brought guests with you!”

“Not exactly,” Tina answered with a smile. “They need your help.”

“Ah.” Fornacis Althen nodded austerely. “I see. Do come in.”

They did as such, where Althen led them to the lounge, offering drinks, which each politely declined. Tina excused herself to find Althen's neice, leaving Harry and Severus sitting on the couch in front of Althen.

“What seems to be the trouble, gentlemen?”

Althen spoke with a slight Irish accent, staring at the two intently and looking concerned. Without saying anything, Harry brought his hands out to show Althen, who's eyebrows raised in surprise as he studied Harry's hands.

Harry's fingers had now completely disappeared, and half of his knuckles were already gone, as well.

“You're turning invisible,” Althen said, though it almost sounded like a confused question.

“Not exactly,” Harry answered. “More like… disappearing. I—I'm not really from this reality, I read your incantation and it brought me here.”

“Ah.” Althen nodded. “What's your name?”

“Harry. They're the same in both realities.”

“Harry. I don't understand—did the Harry from this reality go into your reality? Are you trying to find a way to do some sort of switch-a-roo?”

Harry stayed quiet, glancing at Severus.

“The Harry from here died,” Severus said softly.

“I'm sorry,” Althen said, sounding exactly that. “I see what must have happened, then. This Harry accidentally came into this reality, where the Harry in this reality had passed. So Harry took over this Harry's body, retaining his own mind and spirit, and now you're disappearing because that body and you do not belong in this reality.”

Harry stared blankly. “If I took over this Harry's body, i—it would be a corpse.” A horrified look crossed his face as he glanced down at the body he was in. “It's… not… so—?”

“That,” Althen said quietly, “I cannot explain.” He reached out and gently touched the flesh on Harry's arm with his fingertip. “I know that the body before me isn't a corpse at all, of course, considering your spirit inhabits it. Blood is flowing through your veins, your heart is beating, your brain is functioning—otherwise how could you be here as you are?”

Althen paused, looking thoughtful.

“What's wrong?” Harry asked, frowning as Althen remained silent.

“Your heart is beating, isn't it?” Althen asked.

Alarmed, Harry pressed his palm against his chest. He felt his heart thump—not too fast, not too slow, but in a normal rhythm.

“It is,” Harry said, quickly lowering his hand. He didn't like being reminded that he was slowly disappearing—although, this entire situation was just one, big reminder.

“What I was trying to say earlier,” Althen continued, “was that body belongs, in other words, dead. You belong in your original reality.”

“I want to stay,” Harry said quietly. “I—”

Althen softened. “I understand.”

Harry smiled weakly. “So what can I do?”

Althen shrugged apologetically. “Go back.”

Beside Harry, Severus stayed quiet. Harry looked at him pleadingly, trying to get him to say something, but he seemed to be off in his own world.

“Why did you even create these incantations anyway?” Harry couldn't help but feel angry. It grew inside of him, bubbling in his stomach, making its way up to his mouth. “Especially if it ends like this.”

“Everyone needs to get away once in a while. Somewhere an incantation should have followed a person into whatever reality they may end up in. The tricky part is the exchanging of realities. One goes in the new reality, the counterpart goes into the other one's old reality. Then this usually happens, and when the person realizes they're disappearing from existence, they read the incantation to bring them back. It'd be almost like a good dream—sometimes even nightmare.”

Harry looked away. “So I'm going back to my other reality.”

“Oh, no.” Althen shook his head, looking more serious than he had ever since Severus and Harry arrived at his home. “You're disappearing from existence. This existence and your original one.”

Harry paled, his mouth falling open. This caused Severus to snap back as he looked at Althen in disbelief.

“Excuse me?”

Althen turned his attention to Severus, saying, “Unless you read the incantation that takes Harry back, of course, then he'll merely return to his own reality.”

“Can't you make an incantation that can make me stay here permanently?” Harry asked, sounding desperate.

Althen shook his head silently.

“Then we'll just get another warlock to try,” Harry said with a frown, unable to think of anything else to say.

“There aren't as many warlocks in the world like there are wizards, Harry. The only other warlock I know lives in the United States, and he is no where near as powerful as I am—only a powerful warlock could create the incantation, such as this, which means only a powerful warlock can create an incantation to make you stay.” Althen paused for a beat. “I don't mean to sound so… you know… but it's true.”

Harry's shoulders sagged in defeat.

“Besides,” Althen said, “No other warlock in a very long time has used his magic through incantations. See, for me, using my magic through incantations is like you using your magic through wands.”

Harry frowned briefly, intrigued.

“Warlocks can use their magic through many different things, like you use it through your wands. For me its incantations. I also use, I suppose you could call them, potions that I give to people who are in need of them,” Althen explained. “If they need one for the flu, to ease the pain of child birth, to heal wounds—that aren't fatal, of course, I can't heal wounds that ultimately kill that person. Just minor wounds.”

“Uncle, are—” A young, brunette woman stopped in midsentence as she saw the three in front of her. “Nevermind, Uncle, I'll ask later.”

Nodding her head at the guests, she quickly left the room.

“Your—your niece,” Harry started uncertainly, “is she a… warlock, too?”

Althen nodded, smiling. “The magic has been passed down to her, as well.” Althen paused, rubbing his short beard, which was almost white. “If you allow me time, gentlemen, I shall… I shall try. I shall try to create an incantation that makes you permanent in this world.”

Harry's eyes lit up, barely having any time to look over to see Severus's reaction as he kept his eyes focused on Althen.

“You will?” Harry breathed.

Althen nodded solemnly. “I don't promise anything, however, as I've never done this before. I'll do my very best. In the meantime, you're welcome to stay as guests here. We have a guest room upstairs.”

Harry looked up at Severus expectantly.

“It'd be no problem at all,” Althen added quickly, as he must have noticed the expression almost beginning to form on Severus's face. Jokingly, he said,“There'd be no need to pay, as well. Free place to rest, free washroom, free food—it's a pretty good deal if you ask me!”

Harry grinned, still waiting for Severus's answer. Finally, with a slow nod, Severus said, “Very well. Thank you, for all you're doing.”

Althen shook his head. “It's not really a problem—I can tell how much staying here means to both of you.” He studied them quietly for a moment. “I have to say, after I created that incantation, I can't remember one person coming to me because they wanted to stay. Although that might be different in other realities, I meant in this one.”

Both Harry and Severus stood, and Althen did as well, sensing that this is where they would start towards the door. Before they left, however, Harry couldn't help but ask, “So, did you really create all of these different realities, for every single person in the world? I mean the possibilities are endless so… how?”

Althen chuckled, revealing a dimple on his right cheek. “No, my humorous boy, I didn't create those realities. They already existed. I merely created a doorway for them, to let people access them when they were in dire need to get away. See?”

“Oh.” Harry nodded. “Does… everyone in the world, though, I mean… can they access them? Wouldn't that be sort of… strange, to them?”

“That's a good question,” Althen said, sounding thoughtful. “I really didn't create much of the rules. I guess if we surveyed the entire world we'd find the answer.”

He smiled, and Harry couldn't help but smile back as Althen led the two to the door. With Severus saying thanks again, Harry couldn't exactly find his voice. He was too overwhelmed with the fact that this might actually work—he might actually stay.

Well… might.

He still was unsure if it would even work. He'd just have to wait…

--

Severus and Harry had, as soon as they arrived back at the Radisson, quickly gathered their belongings—which, conveniently, they hadn't unpacked—and checked out of the hotel; making their way back to Althen's house.

It all hadn't taken very long, which resulted in heading up to the guest rooms that Althen offered to them and actually unpacking almost at three in the afternoon.

“Harry and Severus, is it?” Althen's neice stopped them as they reached the bottom of the staircase that led to their bedrooms upstairs. “My name's Nora, by the way, since you're staying here. My uncle will be, probably, in his study most of the time working on the incantation for Harry.” She paused. “I haven't done much magic since I acquired mine, but I'm going to try putting my magic into the incantation along with Uncle Althen's.”

“Thank you,” Harry said honestly. “Erm… you said acquire. What did you… mean?”

“Oh.” Nora turned a deep shade of red. “We get our magic when we… start, ehm… puberty.”

She seemed awkward and uncomfortable about discussing this, so Harry dropped the subject. He nearly turned his head when he heard Severus, beside him, take in a breath as if he were about to say something when instead, Nora spoke up.

“So, for lunch, are you two hungry? I know my cooking wouldn't be as good as a restaurant, but I'm not half bad,” she admitted. “Sit down, sit down! We have an Irish Coffee Cake for dessert, and I've started on a chicken, it should be ready soon.”

Severus looked impressed. “Thank you.”

“So, uhm, take a seat.” Nora awkwardly used her hands to wave them at the two to sit down. “I haven't really done this much for anyone but my uncle and my best friend. You met her earlier.” She opened the oven, put on ovenmits, and took out the chicken, muttering under her breath, “It's not done…,”while sticking it back into the oven.

She took off her ovenmits and turned to look at Severus and Harry, leaning against the counter; she coughed.

“So, you two are wizards?”

Severus paused before he said, “How did your uncle know that my son and I were wizards?”

“Oh.” Nora nodded. “He knows tons about other magical beings—of course he would know about wizards. Quite a few have visited him, too, but the reason he and I both knew was just because warlocks can sense when they're in the presence of another magical being. We can detect just what type of magical being it is, too.”

“Ah.” Severus gave his head a nod. “Do you consider yourself a warlock, or is there another term?”

“Well, you've heard that warlocks are supposed to be the male equivalent of witches,” Nora said with a laugh. “That's not necessarily true—wizards are kind of like the male equivalent of witches, aren't they? Anyway, in my family the men have always inherited the magic, but I'm the first one to inherit it. Of course, I doubt I'm the first one… women way, way, way back probably had the magic, too, but not in recent years.

“Uhm… I also want to point out, because a lot of people my uncle and I have met that know of us being warlocks have said that warlocks are supposed to be oathbreakers. My uncle and I aren't, at least. You know, warlocks betraying their coven and things like that… I don't know if it's true, but,”—Nora shook her head—“it's not us.”

Nora stopped abruptly as someone came into the kitchen. Harry looked over to see a young man stand in the doorway; immediately as he saw Nora his face lit up.

A wide smile slid onto Nora's face as she walked over and took the man's hand, dragging him forward.

“Severus and Harry, this is my boyfriend, Thomas. He's, uhm…” Nora glanced uncertainly at Thomas. “He's a sorcerer.”

Harry stared blankly. “W—what?”

“He can do magic.” Nora nodded quickly as Thomas looked down at her, a mixture of bewilderment and horror crossing his face. “Not the way wizards can… it's like wandless magic. With my family, the men have always married just normal women, so when they have children they're half-human and half-warlock. Usually the women only have one child, and that child is usually a boy, but when my mother had me I was… well, a girl, and so I was the one to get the magical abilities.”

Thomas cleared his throat, still looking confused as to why Nora was explaining all of this to these two strangers.

“Nora's parents died when she was young, and Nora was left with Fornacis. Usually when a warlock married just a normal woman, the warlock would live much longer than his wife, and also remain much younger, which… would be pretty difficult.” Thomas paused. “With Nora, Fornacis wanted her to marry someone who would age just as slow as she is, and live almost as long.”

“So since you're a sorcerer,” Harry said slowly, “you're going to age slow, too?”

Nora grinned. “How old do I look, Harry?”

Harry studied Nora silently. Of course, she couldn't have been older than thirty. Maybe in her twenties, Harry figured, considering she didn't look like a teenager. Nineteen? No. Twenty-five, maybe.

“Maybe twenty-five,” Harry finally said.

Nora shook her head. “I'm almost forty. Thomas is fifty.”

“Fifty?” Harry blurted. “I—I just mean, he looks like he's in his thirties.”

“See what I mean?” Nora laughed. “I can't believe how lucky I am that I met Thomas who's a sorcerer… I've actually been thinking this may have been thaumaturge's fault.”

“A thaumaturge can work miracles,” Thomas explained quickly. “Nora knows one who lives in Nebraska.”

“Since warlocks age so gradually,” Severus started slowly, “how many of your relatives are living?”

“Usually the majority of warlocks live until the age of two hundred and twenty, maybe even less than that. The only two relatives I stay in contact with are… Uncle David, of course, and my cousin Bernie. There's probably more, though.”

Harry coughed. “N—Nora, is your chicken burning?”

Nora's eyes grew wide, and she spun around, nearly forgetting her ovenmits as she threw the oven open, coughing just as Harry was as she tried to take out the chicken.

She waved her hands over the chicken, trying to get the smell out of the air.

“It's not so bad,” she finally said. “Still edible, I think. At least the smoke detector didn't go off, that would have given Uncle Althen a headache for sure.” She coughed again, looking over her shoulder at Harry and Severus. “Sorry if you get a piece that's a little charred. You can always take that part off.”

--

“Well Nora, that was quite something,” Althen said, giving Nora a proud look. “A little burnt but… still good.”

Nora turned pink as she started to pick up the dishes.

“Sorry, I got a little distracted.”

“It's perfectly all right.” Althen looked at Severus and Harry as he began to speak again. “I'm going to continue working on the incantation as soon as I get some of my energy back. You have no idea how exhausting it is putting so much magic into those words.” He chuckled as a guilty look appeared on Harry's face. “No, no, I don't mind trying to do this for you. Don't look so guilty.”

“I can help with the magic, Uncle,” Nora spoke up. “You just tell me what I need to write. Shall we do this after I put the dishes away? What about Thomas—could he help?”

Althen smiled. “Your help would be much appreciated, Nora, but I'm afraid Thomas's magic wouldn't do much good with this.”

Thomas sighed as he stood. “In that case I suppose I should be heading out now.” He walked over to Nora and kissed the top of her head. “Lunch was beautiful, Nora, thank you. Fornacis, I wish you luck on the incantation. Severus and Harry, I wish you two luck with everything as well. If I don't see you again then goodbye, and again, good luck.”

“I wish I could give you some type of deadline as to when the incantation should be ready,” Althen said as Thomas walked out of the room. “I don't know if it'll even work, but it should, it really should. I'm just going to guess on this and say maybe, if Nora and I work on it all day tomorrow, perhaps the next day after that? Rest is going to be needed… it takes a lot of energy out of you.”

“Especially out of my uncle,” Nora said. “He's not as young as he used to be, so I'll have much more energy than he does. Maybe if we're lucky we can even have it finished and working tomorrow night.”

Nora suddenly froze with a dish in her hand as she ran the last sentence she said over in her mind. Slowly, she put the dish back into the sink full of soapy water and turned around, looking at Harry with her head tilted and an unsure expression on her face.

“Lucky,” she murmured again. Harry stared back in quiet confusion. “Luck… we need luck… a miracle.”

“Er—” Harry stopped, still staring at Nora in confusion as she slowly began to step forward.

“Luck… luck… a miracle…” Nora's eyes moved, thoughtfully staring at different places of the kitchen before saying, in a distant voice, “Will you excuse me? I—I need to make a phone call.”

And, snapping out of her daze, she quickly left the kitchen—almost tripping multiple times—on unsteady feet.