Of Boredom and Doppelgangers
Chapter 1
The Great Hall was filled with students and teachers eating dinner while conversion with each other, when all noise ceased as a great power surged into the Great Hall. All the teachers - including the headmaster – stood up, wands raised as a portal seemed to open above their heads and not one, but four people fell out. One black-haired boy, one redheaded boy, one redheaded girl and one brown-haired girl, seemingly around the age of 17, though it was hard to tell as they were lying on the floor, partially on top of each other.
The hall was silenced into shock and remained that way even when the black-haired boy (who was laying on the bottom of the human pyramid pile) stirred.
"Bloody hell," he swore, then, "Oi, Ron, get your fat arse off me. You're crushing me, mate." One by one they got up and gasps rang out in the Great Hall as they could see the faces of the four strangers now. Then the redheaded girl slapped the black-haired boy on the back of his head.
"Oi!" He exclaimed.
"Language," the girl shrugged.
"Er, guys, you might wanna look at where we are," the brown-haired girl said. The redheaded boy spoke up, "We're in the Great Hall, big deal." He shrugged, only to receive a slap on the head as well. He rolled his eyes but looked again, only to do a double take, as did the other two.
Sitting at the Ravenclaw table was Hermione Granger, who was also one of the four standing before the head table, dressed in Gryffindor robes. Sitting at the Huffelpuff table was Ginny Weasley, also standing at the front dressed in Gryffindor robes. Sitting at the Gryffindor table was Ronald Weasley, also standing at the front dressed in the same robes. Sitting at the Slytherin table was Harry Potter, also standing at the front wearing Gryffindor robes.
The Harry in front looked and looked and then just hummed, "Huh." The Ron next to him rolled his eyes, as did that Ginny, while that Hermione turned her sharp eyes on Harry, sho only grinned at her while trying to appear innocent.
"Yes?" He asked innocently, not fooling anyone.
"We're looking at other versions of ourselves and all you can do is hum?" She asked, Gryffindor Harry shrugged.
"Would you have preferred it if I cursed? I can do that, if you want 'Mione," he replied, smiling mischievously, Gryffindor Hermione huffed.
"You're incorrigible," she said.
"Yes, I am, and you love it," he said cheekily.
A cough behind them broke them out of their discussion as they turned to the head table. This time, Harry did curse, loudly, while the others turned stiff.
"Bloody fucking hell!" he said as he stared at Albus, then Severus, then Minerva, and so on. Albus was wearing dark green robes and his beard was gone, while Snape's hair was WASHED and he was wearing red robes, while Minerva was a blonde!
"I've finally gone mental, haven't I?" Gryffindor Harry said as he stared at the teachers in horror.
"You've always been mental, Harry. It's part of your charm," Hermione said.
"Where the bloody hell are we?" Their Ron said.
Dumbledore put his wand away, a twinkle in his eyes (at least that hadn't changed).
"I believe, Miss Granger, that you four have somehow ended up in a different dimension," he explained and everyone except the four gasped (not as one, that'd be weird).
"Huh, that is weird," Gryffindor Harry deadpanned. Then Harry thought of something.
"What about Voldemort? He's dead, right? Cause I really don't fancy another round with him, especially now that it's finally over," he said, Albus looked confused.
"Who? I do not who you're talking about, Mr. Potter."
The realization of that statement hit Harry like a ton of bricks and he backed away two steps, face ashen white. Gryffindor Ginny went to Harry's side and grabbed his hand, whispering in his ear.
"Professor Dumbledore, are you saying you're never had a dark lord terrorize Britain, one who was called Voldemort, also known as Tom Marvollo Riddle?" Hermione asked.
"I have never heard pf either name, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said.
"I see, excuse me," Hermione said, joining Ginny as they both tried to comfort Harry. Ron remained where he was.
"Mr. Weasley?" Albus turned his questioning eyes on him.
"Er, it's a long story, professor. Lets just put it this way; in our world Harry's been an orphan since he was 1 because of Voldemort. There's a lot more to it, off course, but if Voldemort never lived in this world, then that means that a lot of people that are dead in our world are probably alive here, including Harry's parents. And then there's Padfoot and Moony, and well, you understand…" Ron trailed off.
Then, Harry spoke, his voice a hoarse whisper, "Are they alive? I mean, they, oh Merlin,…" Harry looked sick. Just then Fawkes flamed in (again, many gasped as not many had seen a phoenix before) and perched on Harry's shoulder, and began singing a soothing melody. Harry patted Fawkes.
"Hey Fawkes, lovely to see you. Beautiful as ever, I see," Harry smiled, calming down quickly thanks to the Phoenix bird. Ginny, Hermione and Ron heaved a sigh of relief as they saw their friend calm down.
Albus' eyes twinkled as he looked at Harry and Fawkes. "Fawkes does not easily come to others, Mr. Potter. I must say I'm impressed he came to you," he said, Harry smiled.
"Fawkes and I go way back, professor. Saved my life a couple' times, in fact."
"I see. And may I ask how you four came to be here?" Albus asked, thinking it safer not to start up the discussion of Harry's parents again. At least, not now. Harry grinned sheepishly before turning to Hermione who huffed in irritation.
"Don't you look at me, Harry James Potter. This is as much your fault as it is mine, more even since you're the one who convinced me that it was a good idea. Hmm, good idea my arse."
Those in the Great Hall who knew the Ravenclaw Hermione were astonished in the way the Gryffindor Hermione carried herself and the way she spoke.
"Oh, come off it Hermione. You were as bored as I was. Just because I found the spell, doesn't mean this is my fault," Harry grinned cheekily – this Harry was also very different from the mean, cold, Slytherin Harry.
Hermione took a menacing step towards Harry, while Ron and Ginny quickly backed away, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire.
Hermione smiled sweetly, or in other words: dangerously.
"Harry, dead, you did not just imply that this whole mess is somehow my fault, did you?"
Harry, upon recognizing the danger of the situation, lost his grin and gulped (man, girls were scary). He quickly shook his head.
"O-off course not, 'Mione. You're right, this was my idea, my fault. Not yours, never yours. Absolutely not, nope," he rushed out, much to the amusement of everyone in the Great Hall. Hermione smiled brighter, "Exactly, and don't you forget it."
"Merlin, girls are scary when they're mad. How come I keep forgetting that?" Harry turned to Ron as he stared at the smirking faces of Hermione and Ginny.
Ron chuckled. "Because you're Harry Potter. You love danger."
"Not when it comes to those two," Harry said, nodding his head towards Hermione and Ginny. "They're bloody scary." He shuddered, as did Ron.
"Preaching to the choir, mate," Ron concurred, looking at the two with a mixture of adoration and apprehension. The Great Hall looked on in amusement.
"That 'a boys. You really are trained well, aren't you?" Ginny smiled sweetly, her eyes twinkling.
"Oi!" Both boys yelled.
Hermione spoke, "You two should just agree with her, you know, unless you want some one on one time with her bat-bogey hex."
Ron gulped, nodded and quickly agreed with Ginny. Harry took the more dramatic approach. He knelt down before Ginny, took her hands in his and spoke, "My fair lady, I consent that you have me whipped, completely and must admit that I do absolutely love it and do not wish to be hexed by you for the second time today. Please, do grant me forgiveness for my insolence, fair maiden," he preached, keeping a straight face all the while.
The Great Hall looked on in bewilderment, while Ron, Ginny and Hermione were struggling not to fall down laughing.
Dumbledore coughed again, a chuckle in his throat. Harry jumped up like an overexcited child.
"Righty-O, explanations. Well, it's like this. I was bored," he deadpanned; his friends rolled their eyes, still chuckling.
Dumbledore, as well as the rest of the hall, just stared.
"Bored?" Dumbledore repeated; Harry nodded, smiling brightly.
"Yeah, bored. Me. Who'd have thought, right? I mean, my first six years there was no time for me to be bored cause I was too busy trying not to get killed and solving some mystery and starting illegal student defense groups, that there was just no time to get bored. But then Voldy bit the dust and there I was, bored out of my mind. Honestly, at least fighting for my life was exiting,' Harry ranted, blissfully unaware of all the stunned and horrified looks thrown his way. His three friends shook their heads in exasperations.
Ginny stepped forward, taking Harry's hand in hers.
"Don't mind Harry, sir. He's just a little, er, exentric. I suppose you would be too if you'd had a psycho killer after you since you were born and had to grow up a lot faster than most kids. And then Voldy was gone and Harry decided to follow in his father's Maurauder footsteps and salvage all childish tendencies he could," she explained – though only few understood – and Harry scowled at her and did what any mature person would do in his situation; he stuck out his tongue at her. Dumbledore nodded slowly.
"Very well. So, you were bored, what happened next?" He asked, and thankfully Hermione stepped in and took charge before Harry could speak once more.
"He found a book in the restricted section of the library wile looking for… what exactly were you looking for again?" She asked, turning to Harry; Ginny and Ron groaned.
"Those books that scream bloody murder when you open them. They're bloody hilarious and scare the hell out of Filch, which is always good for a laugh," he grinned. Hermione rolled her eyes again and turned back to Dumbledore.
"So, he was looking for that. Anyhow, he found a loose page in the stacks and brought it to me, Ron and Ginny. The spell was Anis Abraxis Alosia and underneath was a single sentence in Latin, roughly translated as: 'To see what might have been'. I performed the spell and here we are."
Hermione shrugged; Dumbledore was silent and contemplative and for the first time Mcgonagall spoke up. "Are you telling us, Miss Granger, that you performed an unknown spell simply out of boredom?" She asked, her lips thin and face stern. Her hair might be different, but she was still as stern as in their world, it seemed.
"Well, when you put it like that… yes." Hermione deadpanned.
"Besides, Harry makes very convincing speeches. Always wins us over with those," Ron added.
"Awww, you think I'm inspirational," Harry beamed.
Ron fake-coughed, "Don't push it, mate." Harry pouted.
"I see, very well. Well, since you are her, you might as well continue your education. You are all 7th year Gryffindors, I see?" Dumbledore said. "Well, sixth year for Miss Weasley."
"I skipped a year, I'm 7th as well," Ginny said.
"Yup," Harry said, his lips popping on the 'P'. "None of us are headboy or headgirl or anything like that, though. Our Dumbles seemed to think the school wouldn't be left standing with us in that position," Harry grinned; Hermione grumbled something inaudible under her breath.
"Perhaps you could introduce us to our counterparts first, sir?' Ginny suggested; Dumbledore nodded.
"A good idea, Miss Weasley. One at a time, perhaps. Would our Ronald Weasley come forward, please?" Dumbledore said and this world's Ron came strutting forward, reminding the dimension travelers of Percy. Ron nearly fainted when he saw the headboy badge on Ronald's robes.
"Bloody hell, I've turned into Percy," Ron said; Hermione and Ginny were too busy staring to reprimand him for his language. Harry snickered.
"I am nothing like my troublemaking brother, thank you very much," Ronald said pompously. Hermione looked sick. "Now that is just wrong," she said, shuddering – her friends nodded in agreement.
Ronald went back to his table and Huffelpuff Ginny was next.
"Oh, hello. We are going to be such great friends, I just know it." Huffelpuff Ginny seemed extremely bubbly and somewhat dimwitted.
Ravenclaw Hermione came next. "I cannot believe you would break the rules like that. What were you thinking doing something so stupid and dangerous? Not to mention it could have been illegal!" She shrieked. Gryffindor Hermione grumbled.
"Great, I'm my own worst nightmare," she all but growled.
At long last Slytherin Harry swaggered over. He said nothing, simply staring at his counterpart. Eventually, Gryffindor Harry spoke, "Why do I get the feeling I'm a complete and utter git in this world?" He muttered; Slytherin Harry sneered at him.
"Better watch your back, Potter." He sneered before stalking away.
"Does that mean I have to watch your back, meanie-me?" Gryffindor Harry called after him. Slytherin Harry ignored him.
Ron clapped Harry on the shoulder sympathetically. "Cheer up mate. At least he's not a Percy replica, just a slimy git."
"Yeah, Harry. Out of everyone, you've got the best counterpart. You're like a Malfoy twin," Ginny grinned, Harry groaned, then turned to Hermione.
"Your counterpart is worse," he grumbled.
"Don't I know it," she murmured, looking disgruntled.
Harry turned back to Dumbledore. "So, back to my earlier question; the Potters, are they alive?" He asked, hope shining in his eyes.
"They are. Am I correct in assuming you would like to meet them?" Albus asked and Harry was nearly jumping up and down with joy.
"Are you freaking kidding me? Off course I wanna meet them! What are they like? No, don't tell me, I wanna see for myself. Oh, and could you ask them to bring Sirius and Remus, I've missed them so much, you can't even imagine. I-" Harry's rant was cut off when Ginny placed her hand over his mouth. Harry mock-glared at his girlfriend who smiled back sweetly.
I think it's safe to say he want to meet them, sir. Also, er, Fred Weasley, is he alive here?" Ron asked, mumbling the last part of his sentence nervously, which caused even Harry to pause in his excitement and Ginny got a sad look upon her face.
"Ah, Fred Weasley, yes. He and his brother George run a joke shop in diagon alley. Am I to assume you want me to bring them here as well?" Albus asked; Ron and Ginny nodded eagerly and Hermione and Harry smiled at their respective sweethearts.
Albus turned to Hermione. "Miss Granger, is there someone you would like to see while in this world?" He asked. Hermione smiled at him.
"Not specifically, sir. But thank you for asking. Do you mind if we join the others for dinner? I don't know about these three, but I'm rather famished," she said, and the others nodded their agreement. Albus smiled happily and instructed them to go join the Gryffindors of this world.
Hands locked, the two couples went and sat down, ignoring all the stares directed at them. They soon began to converse amongst themselves, fully aware that the entire hall was deadly silent, hoping to hear what they were saying.
"Blimey, I'm so nervous I think I'll burst. D' you think they'll like me?" Harry asked his friends and girlfriend in an insecure, childish type of voice.
Ginny gave him a peck on the cheek, "I'm sure they'll love you," she said with adoration in her voice.
"But what if they think I'm weird?" Harry asked with a pout, Ron laughed.
"We all think you're weird, mate. Like 'Mione said, it's just part of your charm," he said.
"Relax Harry, I'm sure it'll be great," Hermione added, smiling brightly at her best friend.
"I hope so. I bet my mom's real pretty. Like you, love," Harry said, smiling a goofy smile at Ginny.
"You know she's pretty Harry, you've seen pictures of her, remember?" Hermione offered her input, Harry frowned.
"But I have no idea what she looks like after she's 22. I wonder what she's like, what dad's like," Harry mused and was given an answer by a redheaded girl a few seats away from the 4 dimension travelers.
"You could always just ask your sister," she said, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Harry's head shot up towards the girl, his eyes wide.
"I have a sister?" He asked, extremely hopeful.
The girl nodded and stuck out her hand. "Alexa Potter, 4th year. My friends call me Lexi, pleasure to meet you," she smiled, and, dazed, Harry shook her hand.
"Wow, a sister," he said, amazed. Lexi smiled.
"I take it you approve?" She grinned widely.
"Are you bloody kidding me? This is great! I've always wanted a sister. You have to tell me everything about you. Please, pretty pretty please with a cherry on top?"
Lexi laughed, "Mom and dad are gonna love you."
"Really?" Harry asked, doubtful, his insecurities showing once more.
Lexi smiled. "Yes, really."
Harry smiled with relief before he adapted a serious look upon his face and turned to address Ginny and Ron.
"What about you two? Will you be okay, seeing Fred and all that?" It was the most serious and grown up he'd sounded all night. Ron nodded and Ginny smiled.
"Yes love, we'll be fine," she said. Harry nodded, and then his serious expression was gone as he turned back to Lexi.
"So, Lexi, Lexi, Lexi…"