What if the world of Harry Potter was real? What if the wizarding community really did exist without us knowing, just as it does in the books? What would happen if the character Harry Potter were a real person, and one day bumped into his exact double, the actor David Ranfurst, whilst shopping in London…? Destiny reveals itself, secrets are uncovered, family is reunited, and powerful magic discovered…when character meets actor.
Chapter 1Harry Potter, being a wizard of course, never went into the muggle world much. He was either at number 4 Privet Road with his Aunt's family, the Durgles, who hardly let him out, or at his friend Ron Weasley's house, which was in a wizarding area, or at Hogwarts, the school for witchcraft and wizardry that he attended for most of the year. Thus no muggles ever noticed him, and he never noticed the books.
The Durgles; Vernon, Petunia and their son Donald, never read books; the TV was so much more educational and time consuming, and they never even looked at a bookshop or library, let alone enter one, so they never noticed the books, either.
When the films started to come out, the title, 'Harry Potter and the something or other', freaked them out. ('Common name, don't you think?' Vernon muttered uneasily when he first heard it) and because the plot was to do with magic, they stayed well clear of the films and forbade Donald to go and watch them at the cinema. Not that he wanted to watch that 'trash', of course.
Thus the similarities between themselves and the characters Vernon, Petunia and Dudley Dursley, and the life of the character Harry Potter, went unnoticed. Even one of Harry's best friends, Hermione Granger, whose parents were muggles, was too busy with the magic world, set books, homework and going to Ron's house a lot over the holidays, to notice anything similar between the books and films of Harry Potter and her friend Harry's life.
So the similarity between the fictional character Harry Potter and the real Harry Potter went unnoticed to the magical community, the secret of the wizarding world remained unknown to the muggles; they didn't know that the Harry Potter books were based on true fact, that there really was a magical community living along side their busy little world.
It was the summer after the real Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts, and he was stuck at Privet Road as usual, hoovering for Aunt Petunia, and thinking gloomily of his friends together at The Burrow, having a good time without him. He finished his jobs an hour later, and moped around the house with nothing to do.
Petunia watched him from her position in the kitchen with an impatient sigh. Didn't her nephew have anything to do except wander the house gloomily?
He passed the kitchen again. Apparently not. She sighed, thinking of what to give him to do. She didn't really have anything more for him to do around the house…
He had finally settled down in a chair by the window, and was staring out at the summer's day, when he heard his Aunt calling his name.
'Harry?'
What now?
He scowled, and unwillingly went into the kitchen.
His Aunt contemplated him for a moment, as if trying to decide something.
'What?' He asked, quite rudely.
Petunia seemed to make up her mind. 'I want you to go shopping for me,' she announced.
Harry's jaw dropped.
' Go- shopping? You mean you'll let me out?'
Petunia almost smiled at his surprise, but rearranged her face into a frown. He was acting as if they kept him locked in a cage in the zoo!
'Yes, I'll 'let you out' as you put it.' She said briskly. 'I need some food shopping, I'll give you a list and the money, you can go to London on the bus for the afternoon.' She crossed to the table and picked up a notebook, tearing out one of the pages.
Harry was still standing in the middle of the kitchen, staring at her.
'Well here you go.' She said, handing him the list and a twenty-pound note.
Harry took it, but didn't move. His Aunt was beginning to wish she had never suggested he go out; this attitude was beginning to annoy her. 'Go! Quickly, before I change my mind!' she snapped.
Harry jumped slightly. 'Yes Aunt Petunia!' he cried, and left the room for the stairs, grinning widely. He was not going to pass up on an opportunity to go to London without some wizard money. If he went to Diagon Alley, he could exchange it and go shopping for some decent clothes in the muggle shops. He was fed up of Donald hand-me-downs, and most of the wizard shops only sold wizards clothing.
Equipped with his wand, a jacket, wizard money, the list and twenty pound note, he ran down the stairs and outside. The nearest bus stop was at the end of the lane where Privet Road met the main road, but he had no intention of travelling by muggle bus. He knew Petunia was watching him through the window, so he pretended to walk up the road, putting his hood up to disguise him from the neighbours, until he was at a spot empty of occupied houses down a side road. Checking nobody was about; he took out his wand and stuck out his right arm.
BANG!
There was a puff of smoke and a pink bus which looked identical to the night bus (only not purple), appeared by the side of the road, screeching to a halt in front of Harry.
A woman who looked a lot like Stan Shunpike the conductor of the night bus stood in the doorway, beaming. 'Good day to you.' She said cheerily. 'Welcome to the day bus; emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. I am Shelly Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this afternoon.'
Harry stepped on board. 'I'd like to go to Diagon Alley in London, please,' he said, keeping his head low beneath the hood of his jacket so as not to be recognised.
'Rightio. That will be seven sickles.' Shelly replied, holding out a ticket box. 'We'll be there in three stops,' she added as Harry handed her the money.
Harry followed her down the centre of the bus and took a seat in the middle. He had barely grabbed hold of the handrail when the bus raced off dangerously at its usual high speed, unbalancing him slightly. He clutched on tight for the whole journey and was ready the next couple of times when the bus lurched at stops.
To his relief, the journey wasn't long; in ten minutes the bus was screeching to a stop outside The Leaky Cauldron, thirty minutes shorter than the muggle bus journey.
He made to step off the bus, and turned to say thank you to Shelly, but the female bus conductor was staring at him in curiosity. ''Av' I seen you before?' she asked.
'I don't think so,' replied Harry. 'Goodbye.'
'Bye…' she said distractedly as he stepped onto the pavement, taking down his hood. Shelly's eyes widened. 'I knew it! 'Arry Potter!' she exclaimed. But the bus took off at that moment and she fell back into the isle. Harry chuckled, and entered the wizard pub, making his way to the back yard and the entrance to Diagon Alley.
After exchanging his money at Gringotts, he returned to the muggle London and headed to the nearest main shops. He was surprised to find that at the second shop he went into, quite a lot of people were staring at him, and some said hi, rather nervously. Then at the counter, a boy in the queue behind him tapped him on the shoulder.
'Can I have your autograph?' he asked.
Harry stared at him in amazement, then looking puzzled, turned to the counter, as he didn't have a pen. The sales woman grinned at him and handed him a biro.
The boy held out a piece of torn paper. Harry took it and signed, 'Harry Potter,' before handing it back. The boy looked slightly disappointed for some reason, and Harry wondered how a muggle boy knew who he was. The woman at the counter kept smiling, and gave him a discount for no reason. Carrying his bag, which contained new jeans and t-shirts, he headed back out onto the street, only to be stopped by a couple of teenage girls.
'Will you sign our bags?' one of them asked, giggling, and held out a pen to him. Harry felt it would be too rude to refuse. He signed the bags, one after another. The first girl frowned, looking at her bag. 'Harry Potter?' she asked, confused, and her friend stared at Harry and asked, 'what's with the glasses?'
Harry shrugged, uncomfortable. 'Maybe 'cause that's my name, and I happen to wear glasses,' he replied.
Comprehension dawned on their faces. 'Ooooh, you're really in character today!' They cooed.
'Yeah…well nice to have met you, girls.' Harry finished, and left with an awkward smile. Something wasn't right; muggles knew who he was?
He was beginning to attract a small group of gawking, pointing followers, so he put up his hood uneasily, and ducked into an alleyway leading to a smaller street, to get away from the crowd.
David Ranfurst was out shopping for the afternoon. As usual, he was attracting staring fans and people asking for his autograph. He bore it patiently enough, until the crowd got too much for him. He was out for a fun afternoon, not a signing spree! Seeing a gap up ahead in the shops to the left, which he knew led to the main street, he put his hood up to disguise his face, and ducked into the alleyway, not seeing the other hooded boy coming the other way.
He bumped right into the other boy, knocking him to the ground. Recovering from the minor shock, he pulled his hood off, and politely offered a hand to the boy, who took it gratefully and let him pull him to his feet.
'Sorry about that, mate, I didn't mean to crash into you like that. I was escaping from the fans and wasn't watching where I was going,' he explained with a wry smile, and looked the boy in the eyes.
What he saw made him gasp. In the course of the fall, the boy's hood had fallen down, allowing him to see his face for the first time. He had black hair like his own, and exactly the same facial features, from the shape of the mouth and nose, to the almond-shaped eyes. The only difference between himself and this boy was that he had green eyes instead of hazel, and was wearing a pair of large, round glasses.
He stared in shock for a while, but soon became annoyed. This boy was going around London not only dressed like Harry Potter, but also looking a lot like himself. How dare he impersonate him with such ease and likeness!
'Who are you?' he asked him warily.
The boy's answer was not at all what he had expected.
'I- my name's Harry Potter.'
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Harry accepted the boy's hand gratefully. He was feeling annoyed at the way the day was turning out.
'Sorry about that, mate, I didn't mean to crash into you like that. I was escaping from the fans and wasn't watching where I was going,' the boy said kindly.
Harry made to reply, but looked into the boy's face for the first time.
It was like he was looking at a reflection of himself, but with minor differences. The boy had the same face features as himself, and the messy black hair, but he wore no glasses over his almond shaped eyes, which weren't green like Harry's, but a dark hazel.
The boy seemed as surprised as Harry at their similarity, and Harry could understand him being as shocked as himself at the resemblance, but the boy suddenly seemed annoyed, which Harry thought was uncalled for.
'Who are you?' his double asked in a wary voice.
Startled by the sudden mood change, Harry was quick to answer.
'I- my name's Harry Potter,' he stammered, feeling very confused. His puzzlement was only increased as the boy started to laugh.
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David couldn't help laughing; the act was so cleverly done. Harry Potter indeed! Well that was obvious by the outfit, he supposed, but to actually say that was his name!
'Harry P-Potter!' he spluttered between laughs. 'Great acting, mate! You could cover for me sometime…' he trailed off at the look on the boy's face, which looked dead serious, and very confused.
'No, really, that is my name.'
David laughed again. 'Yeah right! And I suppose you have a best friend called Ronald Weasley, too!' he joked. Honestly, how much longer could this guy keep up the act?
'Um, yes, actually, I do have a friend called Ron Weasley,' he replied.
David stared at him, his laughter dying for the moment. Was this so called 'Harry' guy mad enough to really think he really was Harry Potter. He certainly seemed serious enough.
He looked into the boy's vibrant green eyes, and felt power and truth blazing out at him. His gut feeling told him to believe that the guy before him really was Harry Potter. Yet his head argued with him; told him that it was impossible. This was just someone pretending to be Harry Potter.
Something stupid made him say, 'where's your wand then?' and he immediately regretted it.
However, the boy reached into his back pocket and pulled out a shiny, polished stick, not unlike the prop wand he used in filming. A fake, of course…David thought with some doubt.
The boy stared at him, green eyes blazing. David could feel the anger coming from within the boy at not being believed. Gold sparks flew from the end of the stick.
He gasped.
The boy who looked so much like himself re-pocketed his wand, then stared coolly back at him.
'You really are Harry Potter, aren't you?' David asked in an awed voice.
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Harry stared at the boy as he burst out laughing, then frowned. What was so funny about his name? And what was he on about; acting, and covering for him someday?
'No, really, that is my name,' he replied, now totally confused.
The boy laughed again. 'Yeah right! And I suppose you have a best friend called Ronald Weasley, too!' he asked, as if it was a joke.
Harry was seriously worried now. How did this boy not only recognise him, like all the other muggles seemed to, but also know about Ron? There would be hell to pay if the secret of the wizarding world was out.
'Um, yes, actually, I do have a friend called Ron Weasley,' he replied uncomfortably.
The boy looked at him, and their eyes met. Harry could tell that the boy still thought him a fake, and felt annoyance and anger; he had no right to disbelieve him and laugh at him when, except for the eyes, they could be identical twins.
He continued to stare, the truth blazing out of his eyes, and was glad that his intense, angry glaring was making the boy seem uncomfortable. Maybe he would believe him now.
The boy broke the gaze and looked awkward. 'Where's your wand, then?' he blurted out, then immediately looking as if he regretted opening his mouth.
Harry smirked and put his hand in his pocket, drawing out his wand. The boy was looking at it doubtfully, but with some wariness.
Once again, Harry felt angry at the boy's denial, and clutched his wand, forgetting that it would sense his anger. Gold sparks flashed out of the end, startling even Harry.
He re pocketed his wand and stared coolly back at his double.
The boy looked shocked and amazed. 'You really are Harry Potter, aren't you?' He asked in an awed voice.
Harry nodded. Finally the muggle boy believed him. 'Of course. Who else would I be?' he asked, baffled.
The boy shrugged his shoulders, causing Harry to roll his eyes. 'So who are you, then?'
It was only fair he should know the name of the boy who had thought him a liar and a fake, especially as they looked so alike.
The boy was silent a moment, and seemed to be contemplating something.
'My name's David Ranfurst,' he answered finally. Then he added a bit uncomfortably, ' I act, well…you, in the Harry Potter films.'
A/N I appreciate reviews, they encourage my writing! So let me know what you think so far.