Title: Opposite Poles
Author: InferiorBeing
Main Pairing: Harry/Draco
Side Paring(s): Ron/Hermione, AUHarry/Cho
Rating: PG-13 or T
Warnings: homosexuality, heterosexuality, mean Gryffindors (except Neville), accepting Slytherins (In the grand scheme of things I'm not exactly sure who's truly "evil" – you decide.) started pre-HBP and incorporates only SOME the sixth book
Disclaimer: One would think that the fact that this story is being put on a fanfiction internet site would imply that I don't own it...
Summary: Choices are what shapes the future. On that fated night of All Hallows Eve, there were many choices that were made, and many timelines that split off from those choices, never to merge again. But what if two were to merge? A very different Harry is catapulted into the world where he has no parents and Voldemort is not truly dead. With no way back to his own time-line, he begins to make himself at home in this new world, and sets out to completely destroy the other Harry's life in the process.
Dedication: For Elle, who requested it so very long ago. Thank you for waiting so very patiently for me to post this.
Chapter One: The Other Harry
Hogwarts in its entirety glowed with the arrival of students, both new and old, to another school year. Their voices filled the Great Hall with light and sound, so tangible that one could almost see the words and smiles of friends and housemates. Even as far up as Gryffindor tower or as far down as the Slytherin dungeons, the energy and the life of the new year seemed to echo off the walls. Yet there was one student who did not share in such joy. He was not in the Great Hall eating the feast or talking with his housemates. No, he was in Dumbledore's office, waiting for the Headmaster to return, and staring at the boy sitting next to him… a boy who looked like… himself.
It was an accident, Harry had been told when he was brought up to Dumbledore's office by Professor McGonagall. It was a freak accident of nature, something that had not happened since Merlin's time or before, and yet it had happened now… and it had happened to him.
Dumbledore had tried to make it easy, had taken the logical approach at first. He'd explained to Harry about timelines before actually showing Harry the result. Timelines were difficult to understand, and even more difficult to manipulate, which was why a Time Turner was such a dangerous object. Timelines were what held the universe together, and they flowed in and around each other without ever touching one another. Originally, back in the beginning of time there was only one timeline, which moved forward in a straight line. But then the first man had been given a decision to make, with two choices. He could have chosen either, and so the timeline split, one going of to the left and one going of to the right. In each timeline the man had made a different choice, and a different result had occurred. Dumbledore explained that once in a very obscure while, these timelines would touch and merge at one point, on one person's life. The timeline which was stronger for that person would continue moving, and the person who was stronger would continue living.
This was where all the ideas of time travel began. It wasn't going back in time, it was making a jump to another, stronger, timeline.
The timeline that this other Harry had come from had split long before Harry's birth, Dumbledore had explained. The split had occurred in Voldemort's past, and he had chosen a different route to his immortality than he had in Harry's timeline. And it was a false immortality, such that when, on Halloween night, he had turned his wand on Harry, the rebounding Avada Kedavra had killed him. Completely. Utterly. And he had not returned in Harry's fourth year. There had been nothing of him to bring back to life.
And in a miracle of nature, the timeline that this other Harry came from had touched his own a week before school had begun. Harry's timeline had been stronger, and so the timeline from the other Harry's life had disappeared completely. But both Harrys had been of equal strength, so they both had survived the linking of the timelines.
And this was why Harry was sitting, staring at a warped version of himself, waiting for Dumbledore to finish whatever bloody speech he was making to the rest of the school about this predicament and to come back here to explain to Harry what was going to happen to his other self.
Their eyes were the same, Harry noticed, but that was where the similarities truly ended. This Harry had no scar, but he had a lightning bolt tattoo on his right temple, that zigzagged down to his jaw. This Harry had perfectly tamed hair, jelled to perfection. This Harry was much taller than Harry was, with a healthy looking body that made Harry's look all the more scrawny than it really was. This Harry had a crooked smile, and an impish gleam in his eyes. And this Harry had grown up with his parents, with Sirius Black and Remus Lupin as godparents. This Harry had been given all Harry had ever wished for in the depths of his heart and yet never been able to have.
"The rest of the school now knows about your arrival, Harry." Harry jumped slightly when Dumbledore addressed his other self. He hadn't heard the Headmaster enter the room. "We'll just wait for them to absorb the information a bit before sending you both up to the Gryffindor Common Room."
Harry looked at the other's robes to see that there was one more similarity between them: they both wore Gryffindor robes.
The Gryffindor common room was all abuzz when both Harrys entered.
"Wow! They really do look different!" Harry cringed when the two Creevy brothers began taking pictures.
"Bloody brilliant, Harry, two of you!" Ron grinned at Harry before holding his hand out to the other. "Ron Weasley."
Other Harry grinned back. "I know who you are, Ron. Back in my timeline you're my best friend."
"Well I can be that in this timeline too, mate!"
Other Harry looked over Ron's shoulder to nod and smile at Hermione standing behind him. "And you look just as beautiful as you did in my timeline, Hermione."
Harry watched in amazement as Hermione actually blushed. He was sure she wouldn't do that if he complemented her.
Harry could only continue to watch as his other self continued working his way through the crowd of Gryffindors that he remembered from his own timeline. Harry sighed inwardly and sat down next to Neville on the far end of a sofa to watch the gaggle.
"Everyone really seems to like him, Harry," Neville spoke softly.
"Yeah, they do."
"And they seem to have forgotten about you."
"It's just something new and exciting." Harry waved off Neville's observation with a carefree gesture that he didn't actually feel like making. "Once they realize we're the same person, it won't be so different."
"I don't think you are the same person, Harry."
"What do you mean?"
"Dumbledore explained about the timeline differences and I don't think you two are the same. Your choices are what make you who you are, and he's made different choices than you have."
"You have a point, Neville." Harry yawned and stretched, "But I think that no matter what timeline we're from, we're both still Harry." Harry wondered if he actually believed what he was saying. "Well, I'm going to get some sleep. You coming?"
"I'll be up later. I want to watch some more."
Harry nodded and got up, beginning to work his way around the circle of Gryffindors to the stairs to the dorms.
"Hey, Harry!" Ron called, seeing his friend move. "Come sit next to Harry!" Everyone laughed at how funny it sounded. "We're going to have to get you some nicknames!" Ron decided.
"Oh, you can just call me Prongs. Everyone in my timeline did." The other Harry grinned at Harry with a taunting light in his eyes. "Except my father and godfathers, who called me Little Prongs."
Harry plastered on a smile that he didn't truly wish to make as everyone agreed to call the other Harry "Prongs" and began asking what it meant, to which he replied that it was a "family secret".
"Come on, Harry, we'll make some room." Hermione smiled at him from her seat next to Ron.
"Some other time; I'm going to bed. I'll see you all tomorrow."
The other Harry nodded. "I think I should be going as well. After all, we have classes tomorrow." And before the other Gryffindors could react he was up and across the room, heading for Harry. "We'll go together." He smiled a smile that didn't reach his eyes at Harry and began heading up the stairs.
Ignoring Neville's warning look, Harry sighed and followed up after him.
Both Harrys were quiet as they ascended the stairs, and Harry figured that he should at least attempt to be nice to his other self. After all, they were both Harry, right? So they should have a lot in common.
"You seemed to fit right in," he commented, trying out a real smile on his other self.
"Oh, don't start with me. I saw the look you gave me in Dumbledore's office, as if I was just another part of you. Well, I'm not." The other Harry whirled around to glare down at Harry. "I don't care what Dumbledore said about stronger timelines, mine was better. You failed at killing Voldemort where I succeeded, and that makes you a part of me and not the other way around. So I'll have to finish what you couldn't. This is my time now, so just stay out of my way."
And without another word, Prongs turned on his heel and left Harry on the stairwell. Suddenly, Harry wasn't so tired anymore.
Harry broke into a run as he neared the Great Hall the next morning. He had overslept, and there were only fifteen minutes of breakfast left. But Ron normally woke him up if he was sleeping in, so what had-
Harry's thoughts halted as he entered the Great Hall and saw his two friends sitting with the rest of the Gryffindors from his grade around Prongs. Oh. That was why. Neville waved to him from where he was sitting on the edge of the group that was crammed as close together as they could, so that they all could talk to Prongs. Sighing, Harry gave Neville a half-hearted smile and sat down next to him.
"I tried to wake you, but Prongs said to let you sleep," Neville nodded towards the other Harry. "He said you said last night that you were really tired. Of course, after that, no one would let me wake you up."
Harry nodded mutely and began eating. "I think I'm starting to think you were right last night, Neville," he finally said after a few bites.
"I hope I'm not, Harry," was Neville's reply. "I really hope I'm not."
"Draco, what are you looking at?"
Draco turned slightly to look at the girl next to him with a steeled look. "Nothing that you should concern yourself with, Pansy."
The girl pouted and Draco turned his eyes back to the throng at the Gryffindor table.
"Don't let it get to you, Pansy," Blaise commented lightly, waving his fork at Draco as he spoke. "He's been like this since last night."
"He's thinking. Let him think," Goyle growled in-between mouthfuls, glaring at Blaise's flippant expression.
"Ok, ok! Sheesh, just trying to lighten the mood here!"
"When Draco's like this, he's scheming," Crabbe spoke slowly. "So be quiet."
Draco abruptly stood and left. Frowning, Blaise looked over at where Draco was looking for the whole meal just in time to see Harry Potter, the one from this timeline, leave the Great Hall.
"What was that about?" he asked.
Pansy frowned forlornly, looking like a kicked puppy. "I don't know. I just hope whatever it is stops soon. He hasn't spoken more than about ten words to me."
"Maybe if you didn't hang on him like a leech, he wouldn't ignore you." Goyle glared at the two as if to say "see what you've done?".
"I do not!"
"Yes, you do."
Harry walked slowly towards Potions, half amazed that he was actually going to be in the class. Of course, he knew that it was a requirement for becoming an Auror, but he had been almost positive that Snape wouldn't let him in the class. He sighed as he thought, not really seeing the hallway in front of him but trusting his feet knew where to go. Dumbledore must have made Snape let Harry in, something which Snape would not have been happy about. And with Neville gone, he'll probably only pick on me now, Harry thought glumly. What a wonderful way to start the week.
"Hey Potter, where's your other self?" a voice drawled from the corridor in front of him.
Harry looked up at the boy standing there. "Where's your better thirds?" he asked in reply, seeing that Crabe and Goyle weren't there with Malfoy.
"They're not taking NEWT Potions this year." Malfoy looked Harry up and down with distaste. "Surprising you got in though, considering what an abysmal failure you are at the subject. Maybe your other self will have the skill you lack."
Harry glared at the other boy as the words from Prongs the night before flittered through his mind. "He's not my other self," he muttered under his breath.
"What's that, Potter? I didn't hear you."
"I said get out of my way, Malfoy, before you make me late."
Harry pushed past Malfoy, but not fast enough before he heard what Malfoy said softly as he passed.
"Where are your friends now, Potter?"
There were three Gryffindors in Snape's NEWT Potions class: Harry, Hermione, and Prongs. When Harry entered, he saw that Prongs and Hermione were already sitting together, talking about something in whatever book it was they had on the desk in front of them. Biting back a glare, Harry sat down in the back of the room and began to take out his things. He purposefully didn't look up when the door opened and Malfoy sauntered into the room right before the class started but couldn't help the thought that if it had been him who had walked in that close to the start of class he would have lost points for it.
In total, when class started, there were three Gryffindors, two Hufflepuffs, four Ravenclaws, and five Slytherins. Harry did not miss the fact that even though the numbers were small, the Slytherins still held the majority. Thinking about this, he almost missed what Snape was saying.
"Divide yourselves in pairs and begin working. Whoever does not complete the Ater Umbresque (lit. "light and dark") potion in the allotted time will have to do so outside of class as well as write a three foot long essay on why they did not finish in the time required to make the potion."
Harry jumped as a textbook was dropped on the bench next to him. Prongs smirked at him as he sat down next to him. "I hear from Hermione that this isn't your strongest subject. Since it's my best, why don't we work together?"
Harry blinked, surprised. "Um, sure, I guess. How does this get to be your best subject with him around?" He gestured at Snape.
"Oh, he's not the Potions professor from where I came from." Prongs shrugged, "A minor discrepancy between our timelines."
Harry nodded, inwardly adding another line to his list. This Harry had no Snape to bother him. "So how do you want to split up the work?" he asked, looking at the long list of instructions on the board.
"Well, since I already know how to do it, why don't you do the work and I'll give you pointers. That way you can improve."
Harry searched Prong's face for malice as he said those words and, finding none, agreed. He didn't really care who did what as long as the potion was done at the end of class.
Prongs was actually very helpful, Harry had to admit. He watched carefully as Harry did the steps, correcting his grip on his knife or showing an easier way to shred the bee stingers or commenting that it would be easier to stir if the flame was kept just a bit lower. Harry didn't think he'd ever learned so much about potion-making in any other class he'd ever taken. And, as the final product was exactly as it was described in the book, he had to admit that Prongs knew what he was doing.
But Harry wondered why Prongs was being so nice, with what the other boy had said the night before. Then, he thought, maybe it had been the shock of being brought to a new timeline that caused Prongs to lash out at him. After all, if he had been brought to a new timeline where everything was not as perfect as Prong's timeline sounded, he would have been very upset at the Harry in that timeline, too.
He was brought out of his musing as Snape approached their bench and glared down at them.
"It stands to reason that you would need two of you in order to concoct a decent potion, Potter," Snape sneered at them.
"Actually, Professor," Prongs cut in calmly. "Harry here didn't know anything so I had to do it all myself."
What?! Harry gaped at Prongs in anger and surprise.
"Ten points from Gryffindor for not reading up on the assignment, Potter." Snape glanced smugly over at the astonished Harry before turning back to his other self. "And ten points from Gryffindor for you not working with your partner, Potter."
As Snape walked away Prongs visibly seethed at him. Harry couldn't help remarking bitterly, "I would have thought Hermione would have told you Snape hates all Potters," as he began packing his things away.
status: beta'd by Ayeshah Harvey-Lomas