Near the entrance to Knockturn Alley, there was a noise and sudden commotion. A distinct male voice was raised, cursing something or someone. People were hurrying away to the shadows, and their scrambling knocked several large barrels and their goodsover; newt eyes and frog tails spilled into the streets.
Harry, against his own better judgement, let his curiosity urge him forward. Before he knew what was happening, he was nudging through the growing crowd; most were retreating out of the dark alley, though several ducked into alcoves and disappeared with a small 'crack!'
Growing tired of the shoving, Harry quickly climbed up the side of a nearby shop. His feet were nimble, finding grooves in the stone walls and nearby crates against the alley. With the sort of confidence that came from regular climbing, Harry scaled the wall and settled on the roof above.
Looking around, Harry neared the far edge as he inspected the view. Below him was a large group of wizards shoving and disrupting the whole alley. In the scrambling mob of wizards, Harry noticed an identical set of redheads.
Brow furrowed in thought, he quickly launched himself from the roof, letting himself fall face and head down. An instant teleportation before he could collide with the people below and he immersed himself in the crowd near the twins when he reappeared. Several people complained about shoving, seeing as his random appearance displaced several people and scattered them into one another, but Harry paid them no mind. Sliding and walking alongside the crowd, he suddenly snagged each redheads' sleeves and activated his teleportation a second time.
Immediately the crowd stumbled, their tight packing suddenly offering more space. The absence of three people threw off the balance.
The man who screamed the loudest fell onto his backside and began to curse and swear loudly.
"Bastards! I'll get you for this, you little monsters!"
Harry, hiding low behind the buildings chimney, crouched next to a familiar set of redheaded twins. He knew them well, especially when you considered he still teleported to their side once a week.
"Do I wanna know what this is about?" He asked them, taking off his dark sunglasses and lowering the scarf that hid his nose, mouth, chin, and neck.
The twins were used to both his actual appearance and his disguise, so they only shrugged. Somehow, they never seemed surprised to see him, even out of the blue like this. Stealing side glances at each other, the two seemed to be trying to come up with a story on the spot. Harry intervened before the two could come up with a conclusion and begin their harassment.
"Well?" He pressed, crossing his arms.
"Really, lovely to see you again, Harry--"
"That's twice this week!"
"--Must have been desperate for our company!"
"Suppose we'll have to indulge him--"
"--Especially since he got us out of that pinch."
Harry felt his eye twitch, a muscle ticking in frustration as his blood pressure rose. Strangely, that same moment, he felt his lips curl upwards in response to their antics.
"Then why don't you 'indulge' me by telling me what's going on? The truth, if you please."
His voice held amusement in a dry sort of fashion that colored both of the twins as red as their hair.
"Okay, so--"
"You know how much we want to invent our own pranks?"
Harry nodded. Their tandem speech and the way they switched was common with them, and he easily followed their conversation. He could even tell them apart.
"Well, it's like this, Harry--"
"We stole a knock-off Filibuster to learn how they're made."
"But, even though it was illegally made, and clearly a phony--"
"Ol' Mundungus Fletcher didn't like that we nicked it."
Both waited for his response, but Harry only sat quietly. After a moment, the two began to fidget.
'Psychology!' Harry crowed internally.
The twins rushed to explain.
"Honestly, we're right glad you saved us--"
"--And we don't plan to continue our life of crime!"
Harry sighed, shaking his head. Since when was this his problem? He felt like a den mother.
"I'll drop you two off at the Leaky. Exit from there straight to the Alley and catch up with your mum. I'm going to Hogwarts this year, so do try and behave yourselves till I get there."
Both perked up.
"Hogwarts?!"
"With us? Truly?!"
"Oh, Harry, just you wait!"
"Darling, it will be fabulous fun!"
Harry laughed, shoving them both gently.
"You both should know that there's a high chance I won't be a Gryffindor, so we won't be housemates."
Both nodded their heads rapidly.
"Yeah, we know. Even if you become--"
"--A slimy snake,"
"--we'll still be your friend."
"So no worries!"
"We're stuck together--"
"--like conjoined triplets!"
"Fred," Harry interrupted. "You both know that you're twins and that we're not actually related, right?"
Fred's eyes began to water and well-up, and he collapsed back onto George. George wrapped his arms around his twin, brown eyes wide and heartbroken.
"You hear that, Fred?" Fred said.
"Not triplets?!" George continued, looking alarmed, turning his eyes to his twin. "George, why didn't you tell me?!"
"I thought what we had was special!"
Harry rolled his eyes skyward and sighed. But, he was smiling when he answered. "You're Fred, and he's George. And you both know we're not actually brothers, triplets, or related. I am simply a victim of circumstances."
Both their tears magically dried up and disappeared. Their expressions were serious when they spoke next.
"You don't mean that,"
"Not really--"
"Truly--"
"Do you, Harry?"
Harry sighed, still looking upwards for so long that his neck began to ache before he smiled.
"You know I don't," he agreed. "But can we focus on getting out of here now?"
Both twins flashed matching grins and nodded.
Harry grabbed a sleeve in each hand and disappeared, teleporting the three of them to the room he had rented with his Aunt Petunia at the Leaky.
Feet touching the floor, Harry relaxed his grip on the two, stretching out only to flinch and jump backwards. Both twins atill stood in the same position as when they had arrived, completely frozen in place. Their expressions and pose were too stiff, too unnatural that it was obviously not a prank. In fact, the entire Alley, the bar below the floorboards, all around him was still and silent.
Scales prickling and rising on his skin, Harry jerkily looked around him for the source.
<{"Be still!"}> Commanded a ringing voice, and Harry fell to his knees with the sound.
<{"Only days from your eleventh birthday, Harry Potter, Beloved of Fate!"}> The voice continued, the voice feminine and regal. <{"Your interference has changed the balance of light and dark."}>
Harry blinked, prone on the floor. "My... what? How?!"
<{"Because of your interference in the Alley, one man... Mundungus Fletcher!"}> Her voice rose in fury. <{"Mundungus Fletcher shall never rejoin the light, nor the Order of the Phoenix. Forever rejected, he will embrace the dark and much will be lost."}>
Teeth chattering, Harry fought for some semblance of control. His mouth didn't seem to want to move correctly and he tasted blood. Choking it back, he pressed on.
"W-what d-d-did I change?"
The voice was silent, then it seemed to focus on him. Pressure building like immense gravity, it pushed him down.
<{"The Weasley twins were meant to be caught. Released out of good will, the relationship between the Matron Weasley and Mundungus Fletcher did not sour, it blossomed. This small change is but a ripple and Time has informed me that this will notand cannot happen."}>
Drooling a mixture of spittle and blood between his hands and down onto the hard wooden floorboards, Harry struggled to right himself.
"..What... would you... have me do?" He asked, his own voice slightly garbled and slurred.
<{" Two lives irreparably changed. Two punishments to bare,"}> Fate answered decisively. <{"The first atonement is in the form of your past; may you be blessed with the connection to each past self."}>
This made no sense, given what Death had already done,but Harry was in no condition to argue.
<{"Second!"}> Fate continued. <{"You will bare the full weight and Shackles of Fate, to better understand the connection you represent."}>
Tons of pounds, kilos, and weight suddenly dropped over his body. So heavy was it that he coughed, the wind knocked from his lungs, and struggling to fill them once more. What did either comment mean? What sort of punishments were these?!
<{"Beware the ripples, Harry Potter,"}> Fate warned, and suddenly her presence dissipated. The previous pressure on his body gradually lifted, leaving only the smell of flowers. Floral, feminine and sweet, it filled the room like the last of expensive perfume.
Harry coughed. As he did, sound, time, and movement caught up with him.
"Right handy, that."
"Don't know what we'd do without you--"
"Hey, what's the matter?"
"Harry?!"
Both twins rushed forward, dropping to their knees at the sight of their friend. Blood trickling from his nose, a mixture of drool and more blood from his mouth, Harry was a mess. Pale, sweating and exhausted, he looked like hell.
"Aunt Petunia is going to kill me," He grumbled softly, falling forward into the arms of oblivion as he fainted.