Warning from the Author: There are three things you should be aware of before reading any further.

1) This is now, and will remain, incomplete. There's no chance of me finishing it, or continuing it at all. It's been collecting dust for ages, but I finally decided to post it just for archive purposes. I would be shocked but not opposed if anyone wanted to adopt any part of this mess.

2) This "story" (and I use that term very loosely) started as three separate ones: "The Potter Paradox", a friendship piece featuring Harry and Hermione in different houses (yes, the obvious ones); an unnamed Harry in Slytherin story; and "Curse of the Sphinx", a Neville in Hufflepuff story (which was also true of the first two ideas). Later I realized they each had common elements and attempted to combine them. Which no doubt was ultimately, partially responsible for my giving up on all three.

3) As I go through my old files, I find half-formed stories. Should I come across any HP ones that I feel like posting, I will add them here as new chapters. So I don't want anyone who chooses to follow to mistakenly think the initial story is being updated, it won't be.

Harry Potter and the Diggory Deception

A Harry Potter Messfic by

Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)

From the Desk of Hermione Granger:

Draco Malfoy and the Potter Paradox

It didn't have to be that way. That was the real shame of it.

It took me years to recognize it. Partially because I didn't care to spend time watching Draco Malfoy, but mostly because my prolonged interest in any boy, even Harry, was sure to earn Ron's suspicion.

Draco only made it harder to pick out, probably on purpose. He was always sneering at us, after all. But somehow it was always more ugly, more venom-filled each time Harry gained a new friend.

True, while Draco had lashed out at Harry countless times, he took even greater pleasure in tormenting Harry's friends.

I thought he was just being cruel, at first. I'd heard the story of how Harry had met Draco far too many times by then, and Harry had fallen into the practice of making Draco seem like more of a bad apple even before they first exchanged words. But that was because he had actually experienced Draco's cruelty firsthand by then, and felt justified in giving the story a slant.

But I had begun to have my doubts. After all, very few people had known any real facts about Harry Potter the person before he came to Hogwarts. It would only have made sense for Draco to try and win famous Harry Potter over to his side, before anyone else could. And after several sharp prods from my finger, Harry had reluctantly admitted that that had been the very case: Draco had only officially become Harry's enemy when Harry had chosen Ron as his first friend, and turned his back on Draco. More importantly, Draco had actually extended his hand in friendship to Harry (or what passed for friendship for a Malfoy).

All I had to do was imagine how I would have felt in Draco's shoes. And it didn't take much effort: I remember very clearly how both Harry and Ron had first treated me, and the very memory of it still bothers me sometimes. That was partially because Harry, seeing the error of his ways, had later begged for my forgiveness, while Ron mostly said something along the lines of, "Well, we're friends now, what's the point in apologizing for being a git then?" A very small, petty part of me likes to point out that that was not even close to being a real apology, especially when compared to Harry's heartfelt one, but a larger part always reminds me that Ron is more or less always a git, it was just to what degree he was being one at any given moment that had to be considered.

Unfortunately, Draco was not anywhere near as forgiving as I was, and despite the shared life and death experiences, he had never established the bond that I had with Harry. But contrary to popular belief, it wasn't because Draco hadn't wanted such a bond. It was more because he had.

Draco had, at the very least, wanted Harry for a friend, initially. I can just imagine how having famous Harry Potter for a best mate would have increased Draco's swagger.

But Ron had (as he often managed to do) ruined things, first by rather innocently becoming Harry's friend, but then by rather blatantly passing on his tradition of bad feelings for Malfoys to Harry. They were always prepared to believe the worst about Draco, but I preferred to believe that Dumbledore wouldn't have allowed someone like that to set foot inside of Hogwarts. So if nothing else, Draco hadn't started out being a junior Death Eater, even if he was being raised by a senior one.

The reality was that Harry could not have been friends with both Draco and Ron: they were too different, and there had already been bad blood between their families long before Harry had learned he was a wizard. If Harry had chosen Draco, things would have changed rather drastically.

For one thing, Harry would have been sitting in Draco's compartment on the train that first year, and since I would not have bothered to enter one that contained people such as Crabbe and Goyle, I probably wouldn't have properly met Harry until the first day of classes. Assuming that Ron would have been alone, he most likely would have been twice as much of a git. Consequently, since Weasleys were commonly Gryffindors, I would of course have agreed with the Sorting Hat's idea of placing me in Ravenclaw just to keep away from him and the twins.

Without me to help him that first day, poor Neville could have ended up anywhere. But I firmly believe his loyalty would have landed him in Hufflepuff. He earned his nerve in Gryffindor, but I think a friend like Cedric Diggory could have been just the positive influence Neville needed to thrive.

Harry would go to Slytherin. Again, that in itself was not horrible, though depending on how Ron treated Harry afterwards, it could easily have been. Ron was not exactly the understanding type, and without me to make him see reason occasionally, he most likely would have hated Harry on principle alone, if not as a Slytherin, then certainly for being Draco's friend. Harry would merely respond in kind, and every Weasley would become his mortal enemy. And I shudder to think what that would have meant once Ginny joined us at school.

I couldn't see myself getting involved. I like to think that I would still be friends with Ginny, at least, and certainly Luna. Yes, we had our differences, but I think witnessing her being bullied firsthand would remind me how badly I had been treated in school. Surely I would have adopted her in much the same way I had Neville. At least, I hope I would have.

Chapter 1: The Brothers Diggory

Amos Diggory paced back and forth in his kitchen, muttering nervously to himself. His wife Alexis, on the other hand, calmly sipped from a steamy mug of hot chocolate and silently willed him to sit with her at the table. A moment later, he did just that, running a hand through his hair several times. She wordlessly reached over and squeezed his hand, and he returned the gesture, wishing he had her patience.

Without warning, in a burst of flame, a singed piece of parchment appeared between them on the table.

Amos snatched it up at once, read it twice, and passed it to his wife. She read it as well, then dropped it.

The note was instantly consumed by flames before it could land on the table, and those faded just as quickly.

Amos stood up and hurried to the door, drew his wand with his right hand, and yanked the door open with his left. Two older men stood on his doorstep, both wearing black travel cloaks. "Password?" Amos demanded at once.

"Fire fight," the lead wizard replied calmly. "May we enter, Amos?"

"Sorry, Dumbledore," Amos apologized, stepping back to allow him in. "Can't be too careful."

"I could not agree more." Dumbledore stepped over the threshold into the kitchen, and was followed by his companion, who Amos had recognized at once.

"Good to see you out and about, Moody," Amos said, exchanging a firm handshake with the older man. "They told me you had retired. Just office rumors, then?"

"Not this time," Moody growled, "but retired don't mean inactive, Diggory, especially when it comes to me."

"My dear Alexis," Dumbledore said as Amos's wife rose to greet him. "I trust young Cedric is well?"

"Yes, Headmaster," Alexis assured him, allowing him to kiss her hand. "But tell me, is it true what Amos has told me? Frank and Alice, they can't be-"

"Not dead," Dumbledore interrupted. "But that is no real kindness, given their current state. I fear they will never leave St. Mungo's alive. With any luck, they can eventually be convinced that they still have one last earthly attachment." He gestured to Moody, who opened his cloak, revealing that he was clutching a sleeping baby boy in one arm. The most striking thing about the boy was his head full of white hair.

Amos was stunned, but Alexis immediately took the boy in her arms. She fussed over him for a moment, then lifted teary eyes to Dumbledore. "What have those monsters done to him?" she demanded.

"As near as can be determined, the boy may have seen his grandmother murdered," Dumbledore sighed. "As for his hair, we believe it to be the result of a rebounded spell, combined with a precisely aimed curse."

"Someone tried to curse a baby?" Amos asked in disbelief.

"For reasons which are best not discussed at the moment, Voldemort felt the need to destroy a certain child. His information was spotty at best, and so he could only guess at which child."

"Harry Potter," Alexis whispered, and Dumbledore nodded. "But then, if he was the one..."

"No one is exactly sure of all that happened, the night Voldemort confronted the Potters. This clearly includes his Death Eaters, some of whom are still searching desperately for any sign of him. We know now that one such group included the Lestranges, and that they were the ones responsible for this latest tragedy. Although I have yet to receive confirmation, it appears that they have wiped out the rest of the Longbottom family. Without question, they were the ones who tortured Frank and Alice into insanity. Unfortunately, when this did not yield the answers they wanted, they proceeded to Augusta Longbottom's home, and it was there that their plans began to unravel."

"You're suggesting that the boy stopped them somehow?" Amos asked hesitantly.

"No. Not without considerable help, that is. The boy was in his grandmother's care, and she was easily one of the more powerful witches I had the pleasure to be acquainted with. There is no doubt in my mind that under normal circumstances, she could have easily defeated any four Death Eaters. But she had her grandson to consider, and consider him she did. This was both her final kindness, as well as her downfall. Augusta devoted the bulk of her magical power into a spell that would protect the boy, and faced the Death Eaters with what she had left. She did not survive."

"Tough old bird," Moody added approvingly. "Went down fighting."

Dumbledore nodded. "And in doing so, she empowered the spell on her grandson. Her sacrifice ensured his survival. Bellatrix Lestrange is now in custody, and it won't be long before her wand is tested. I do not need to see the results. Knowing her, there could only be two curses she would ever bother to cast against a helpless child, and I suspect she used them both. Augusta's spell allowed the boy to endure the first, and I suspect helped him rebound the second. Certainly children using wandless magic is not unheard of, even so young. But to manage what he did, there can be no doubt that his grandmother's magic aided him."

"Then it's Harry Potter all over again?" Alexis murmured, carefully running her fingers through the baby's white hair.

"Not quite. Bellatrix is harmed, to be certain, but not powerless. Humiliated, and angrier than ever because of it, I would wager. And I must admit that Augusta seemed rather more prepared for her own end than the Potters did. Her means of protection is certainly far more adaptable. She has essentially created a living will with two aspects: an inheritance of her magical power, and enabling a very extensive protection charm. I believe that even an adoptive family would benefit from it, as with most of her relatives already dead, Augusta knew better than to restrict herself to magic dependent on blood relations."

"Which is where we come in," Amos said. "What do we need to do?"

"A simple oath of allegiance should be enough. The genuine, heartfelt intent is what will matter most." Dumbledore drew his wand and gently tapped the boy's head. At once, what looked like a thick, golden thread sprouted among the baby's hair and grew until it rose just over all of their heads. "Amos and Alexis Diggory, do you swear to accept this child into your home, to love him as your second son, to protect him from all harm, and to raise him up as a wizard worthy of his family's name?"

"We do," the Diggorys swore.

At once, the golden thread split into three smaller threads. Two of the threads bent down, each connecting to either Amos or Alexis's forehead, while the third thread zoomed off deeper into the house, obviously in search of Cedric. After a moment, the threads pulsed briefly with power, then vanished.

"Success," Dumbledore announced, putting his wand away. "We leave the boy in your capable hands. I will need to know when you've decided upon a name. Just so there is no confusion when it comes time to enroll him at Hogwarts."

"Already have one in mind, Dumbledore," Amos answered with a somewhat bashful grin. "See, Alexis and I were thinking of having another child. Little Ced's been asking for a brother for months, and we already agreed on names."

"Edward August Diggory," Alexis whispered, stroking the baby's cheek with a finger. "That's what we'll call him."

"A fine name I'm sure that Augusta would approve of. But now I am afraid we come to the portion of the visit that I care for the least." Dumbledore's blue eyes narrowed. "No one must know his true identity for the time being. To be blunt, Alastor did not obtain the child through legal means, and so far as the world will know, Neville Longbottom did not survive this night. We certainly want any Death Eaters to think that."

"No one shall know who he is, Headmaster," Alexis agreed without hesitation.

"Excellent. Then there is one more matter I need to discuss with you, Alexis. It concerns your former occupation."

The color drained out of Amos's face. "I'll just put Edward to bed, then," he muttered, quickly taking his new son from his wife and kissing her cheek before rushing upstairs.

Alexis sighed deeply, then glanced warily at Moody.

"No need for that look," Moody said calmly. "Always a pleasure to be in the presence of an Unspeakable, former or otherwise."

Alexis grimaced and turned back to Dumbledore. "I detected a memory charm on the baby. Was it you that placed it, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, and neither did Alastor. I believe he, instinctively or otherwise, put it on himself. Possibly to protect his mind from the damage a memory of this night would surely cause him at such a young age."

She frowned. "If he's using such powerful and precise magic already-"

"Then I cannot think of a better adoptive mother for him to have, than the best Obliviator I have ever known."

"You know very well that you've never seen me Obliviate anyone," she said curtly.

"Or at least I don't recall having seen it. And surely, that is the clearest sign of a master Obliviator. I realize there are certain rules and restrictions involved in your occupation, Alexis, but I feel this matter must take precedence. I dare not ask you to make exceptions for your own child, but I am sure you will quickly find that it is best to handle such incidents personally. I would trust no one else to do so, if it were my son. We simply cannot have anyone begin to question how it is that Edward is so powerful. Not only would it be dangerous for him, but for you as well."

"You don't have to tell me that. I would never put my job before my children. And it's not like the Ministry can ever fire me. I know where all the bodies are buried, or I can certainly make everyone forget that I don't."

"Then you understand what I'm saying?" Dumbledore asked.

Alexis smirked. "You mean do I understand what you're asking without really asking it, Headmaster? Of course. We Ravenclaws learn to read between the lines in first year, if not sooner. And you're not exactly being subtle, for once. Rest assured that being my child comes with my full protection, no questions asked."

"You have always been one of my brightest students, Alexis. That is something I come to appreciate more each time I visit. I do hope you might one day reconsider the position I offered you. You would make an excellent professor, I have always said so."

She shook her head. "You flatter me, Headmaster. But I am more certain than ever that my heart only has room for Amos and our children. That helps me remain who I am, and do what I need to do. I hope you can respect that."

Dumbledore nodded, and without another word, he and Moody promptly left.

When Alexis went upstairs a few minutes later, she found Amos in Cedric's room, alternating between watching Cedric sleep even as he did the same with Edward, who was still asleep in his arms.

"Cedric will be pleased, I'm sure," Alexis said.

Amos nodded. "I'll take the rest of the week off. The month, maybe. I want to make this work for the boys."

"Then it will," Alexis promised.

He eyed her cautiously. "Am I going to need to forget these past few minutes?"

"I can't imagine why you would. We didn't actually discuss anything I would have minded you hearing. And as people seem to keep forgetting, I'm a Diggory first and a Ministry employee second. My loyalty is to you. Anyway, if I was going to make you forget something, I'd tell you first. I owe you that much courtesy, I think."

Amos shook his head, smiling grimly. "I don't remember you being quite so comfortable with all this when we first got married."

"Darling, when we first got married, I wasn't a mother, the Potters and Longbottoms were all alive, and Harry Potter couldn't have been anything more than a half-formed idea in his parents' heads. Things change, with or without an Obliviator on the scene."

It was a sight that Alexis Diggory had seen several times, and yet it always managed to warm her heart. Edward was seated on a bench outside his teacher's classroom, his head weighed down with guilt and worry. At his side, Cedric sat with his arm around his little brother, looking both comforting and defiant at the same time.

Alexis cleared her throat as she approached them. "Well?" she demanded in a no-nonsense tone. "Who wants to tell me why I was called away from work to come to your school?" Her eyes automatically went to Cedric, who gulped and stood up.

"It was my fault, Mum," he murmured. "These kids were picking on Ed again, so I-"

"They hit him?" she interrupted, her nostrils flaring ominously.

"No," Cedric admitted, wincing. "Called him names. The usual. 'Old Man Diggory', stuff like that."

"And then?" Alexis prompted.

Edward jumped up. "It was so cool, Mum! There were four of them, and Ced came out of nowhere and took them all down!"

Alexis shot him a withering look which instantly cooled his excitement. "How many times must I say it, boys? You don't attack, you only defend. It is only acceptable to strike someone if they've struck you first. Those children were wrong, but so was Cedric for reacting that way. You should have told a teacher, or just walked away."

"But now they know what I'll do if they try it again!" Cedric insisted fiercely.

"And you know what I'll do, since this isn't the first time you've made this mistake, Cedric. No dessert tonight, young man."

"Yes, Mum," Cedric sighed, lowering his head. He jerked slightly, however, when she pressed a cool bottle of butterbeer against his cheek. He slowly accepted the bottle, staring up at his mother in confusion.

"Share with your brother," she instructed, giving him a small, approving smile before stepping into the teacher's office.

Ms. Jasper was a familiar face to Alexis, but the teacher only smiled politely as if they barely knew each other. "Hello, Mrs. Diggory," she greeted. "Thank you for coming so quickly. I hope my call didn't alarm you, it was really just a minor incident."

"That's what my boys said, but I'd rather hear your version, Ms. Jasper."

"Some of the children have somewhat strong reactions to Edward's hair color," the teacher admitted. "Most either keep their distance, or know enough not to say what they think out aloud. But a small group have devoted themselves to teasing him. I have no doubt that Cedric was only looking out for Edward. Cedric has always been polite and kind, and he often volunteers to help me in class. I have never had any trouble from him, and as far as I'm concerned, that's still true. But I'm sure I don't have to tell you that fighting, for any reason, is unacceptable. Especially since Cedric somehow passed out a broken nose and three black eyes despite being outnumbered."

Alexis nodded stiffly. "Both of my boys know how I feel about fighting. Edward has always been smaller than average, so he was the first to take the lesson to heart. Cedric has a good heart, but he is fiercely protective of Edward, sometimes to a fault. I wish I could promise you that this will be an isolated incident. But so long as someone goes out of their way to tease Edward, there will be consequences."

"I thought you might say something like that." Ms. Jasper pulled a small folder out of her desk. "I am still required to make a note of this in Cedric's file. I don't want to, but if it becomes obvious that this is a pattern, perhaps I can arrange something more permanent." Before she could put pen to paper, however, a blank look settled over her face.

Alexis turned the file around so she could read it, keeping one finger trained on Ms. Jasper. When she saw nothing that would cause problems, she pushed the file back to the teacher, and lowered her finger.

Ms. Jasper blinked slowly, clearly dazed. "Oh... Mrs. Diggory? Was I saying something?"

"Yes. I trust the school will do something to prevent those boys from attacking my Cedric again. As far as I'm concerned, if it took four of them to do it, and he still came away without a scratch, they need to find an alternate source of entertainment. They're obviously not too good at bullying."

"Ah... yes," Ms. Jasper murmured softly as Alexis briskly walked out of the office and motioned for her sons to follow.

"Does Dad have to hear about this?" Cedric asked hesitantly, passing the remaining half of the butterbeer to Edward. "Only he said next time I got into a fight, I had better win, and Ms. Jasper broke it up before I could knock them all out."

Alexis pursed her lips, clearly annoyed. "Maybe your father needs to miss dessert tonight, too."

Next Chapter: When Harry Met Alejandro

The boa constrictor at the zoo passes on Brazil and decides to go home with Harry instead. The Dursleys are not amused. Harry is, greatly so.