A/N: Hi I'm back with a new story and I'm quite pleased with the plot line I've thought of! (Now I've said that I'll probably find that loads of people have done it before!!) As usual I'm open to suggestions and predictions for what you want to see.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Summery: post OotP Harry receives a 'what if' stone for his birthday and gets thrown into an alternate reality where Sirius was the potter's secret keeper imagine a world with an alive Lily, James and Sirius, and a rather confused Harry. (As usual this will not be slash.)

What if

Chapter one (it's actually a prologue but lets just call it chapter 1!)

Wish upon a stone

Harry sat at the breakfast table scowling; no one had bothered to send Harry a birthday card or present. He tried to convince himself that everyone was just a bit late this year. but he had turned 17 over seven hours ago now, and usually he received presents around midnight. He hoped everything was ok, in all the letters he had received he had heard no mention of any major attacks, though it was suggested in one from Ron that things weren't great. He was disappointed when he stopped receiving the daily prophet. He felt like last year he was completely in the dark.

Uncle Vernon walked into the kitchen saw Harry and opened his mouth to say something but closed it again upon seeing the look on his face. The Dursleys had been ok this summer they seemed to absorb the words of Harry's friends at Kings cross station.

After miserably nudging the food on his plate Harry went back up to his room to see if anything had arrived yet. As Harry opened his bedroom door a large black eagle owl flew out of his open window. He looked around and found that there was a parcel on his bed, delighted Harry leapt forwards seized the present and ripped the wrapping off it.

Inside was a wooden box carved into the top was odd lettering, whatever it was it seemed very old. He opened the lid and inside was an odd looking stone surrounded by red velvet. The stone was about the size of a tennis ball it was black with a little pinprick of light right in the middle pulsing. Harry was mesmerized by it. He was unsure how long he stared at it before Hedwig's gentle hooting stirred him from the mystical object.

Who's it from? Harry wondered aloud, he picked up the wrapping and looked around. A label fell to the floor Harry picked it up and read 'What if' stone.

"Oh I see, I think what you have to do is make some sort of a wish and this would tell you what it would be like…"Harry said.

"Wow Hedwig, could you imagine what I could do with this?" Harry suddenly thought. "I could, I could wish for…you know…um, Sirius to be back," a cold, empty feeling returned with thought of his Godfather.

Harry thought of some other ideas to keep his mind off Sirius. He could wish for no Malfoy's to ever have been born, ohh he would like to know what a Malfoy-free world would be like…if only! He thought of a world where Arthur Weasley was Minister of Magic! Where Hagrid is scared of dragons! Where Snape is nice, and has clean hair…eww he shuddered 'no lets not go too far!'

Then he thought of a world where his parent's were alive, and then he wasn't even sure if he wanted to, the thought made his chest tighten slightly.

Then he thought of a world without Voldemort, a peaceful world with no horrible deaths, where his parents and Sirius were alive and happy. What would that be like? He couldn't imagine. Harry's mind had came over the years to accept his situation, what would he have turned out like if he had never had these influences? Would he be like Dudley? Spoilt, rude and arrogant? Or would he be a mindless worshipper of the dark arts like Draco Malfoy? He didn't like either of those thoughts much; perhaps he would just be the same as he is now.

After this Harry looked around for any clue to who had sent him this odd gift, but it must have fallen off, as he couldn't find it anywhere. He thought about the owl which delivered it he didn't recognise it, perhaps it was from Dumbledore or some member of the order. He decided that he really shouldn't do any thing till he was sure what would happen and who it was from…

But as the day went on and Harry still did not receive anything from his friends he found himself more and more drawn to the thought of trying out the stone, almost to the point of him hallucinating about that pin point of light surrounded by darkness while sitting in the park, at this point he went straight home with the intentions of throwing the stone away.

On the way back he couldn't help thinking about if he would really be the same if Voldemort weren't around. He found it infuriating he couldn't test that stone out just once, he wanted to know what it would be like, to see his life played out differently, even just a glimpse.

Once Harry reached his room though he found himself feeling desperate to hold the stone. He opened the box and tried to stop, but despite himself he reached out to grab it, the second he touched the stone the light in the centre flared a bright yellow.

As Harry held the beautiful object in his hands he was rendered unable to do anything, except open his mouth and utter the words as if in a trance, "What if…Voldemort never existed."

The light in the stone suddenly grew brighter and began to swirl, orange light filled the room momentarily blinding Harry who was stuck to the spot, his spirit forced onwards, out of 4 privet drive, out of Surry, out of this dimension. He crossed through dimensions which were never meant to be crossed through, he then entered a universe which should have never been.

A/N sorry to start off on a cliffy, should have the next one up sometime soon. Please Review!