Response to a challenge set forth by Cuban Sombrero Gal. Check her profile for details. Oh, and I like Dumbledore, so he's not dead. That's all the reason I have. We're gonna go with the theory that HBP didn't happen and this is sixth year, cuz I messed with the canon pairings too.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
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Harry woke up early. It was the last day of classes before Christmas break, which, for some unknown reason, Dumbledore had insisted he go home for. He tried to push that thought from his mind. Today was about the goodbyes he had to say before they all left for a month. He had a particular one on his mind as he stretched awake. His thoughts diverted, however, to the fact that something felt…off. It was dark inside his four-poster, but something didn't feel right. He sat up and knew something didn't feel right. He opened the bed curtains a little too hastily and almost knocked his wand off the bedside table and onto the ground. His spell-o-taped wand? He picked the wand up and looked at it, just now noticing his pale hands, and the 3 or 4 inches of forearm sticking out past the sleeve of his pajamas. Calm, Harry. Panicking helps no one. He was still in the Gryffindor seventh-year boys' dorm, so things weren't too wrong. He got up calmly and went to the bathroom, a little farther than usual, for a mirror. His reflection, however, wasn't brunette. There were no bright green eyes. There was no scar. Instead, red hair and freckles framed blue eyes that looked at him in complete disbelief. Well, that is, until the reflection shut its mouth and told him, in no nice terms, to "stop gawking!"
As Harry was still adjusting to the fact that he seemed to be inhabiting his best friend's body, he heard movement out in the dorm. He heard his own voice (it was so weird to not be attached to everything it said) yelp in surprise. He assumed that if he was in Ron's body, Ron was probably in his; and was probably just discovering that fact now. Unfortunately, that yelp brought Seamus to Harry's bedside. Harry prayed, for the time being, that Ron would keep his wits and pretend nothing was wrong. Ron knew, just as Harry did, that anything weird that happened to Harry was confidential and top secret. Even if Voldemort and his Death Eaters weren't involved, they could make Harry's potential moment of weakness into their victory. Seeing as Ron was waking up in Harry's body, Harry figured it was a pretty dead giveaway that this qualified under "anything weird that happened to Harry."
"You all right, Harry?"
Harry heard his own voice falter as Ron tried to master it, "Erm…yeah…just…uh…stubbed my toe, that's all."
"All right then. See you at breakfast!" Seamus sounded a little incredulous, but Harry was breathing a sigh of relief. Ron hadn't freaked out and he had maintained normalcy. At least, as close to normal as things ever got around Harry. Why did weird stuff always have to happen to him?
The next thing Harry knew, he was watching himself walk into the bathroom. This is like an out-of-body experience! Well, I guess it kinda is an out-of-body experience. He quickly found himself literally beside himself at the sinks, brushing teeth and combing hair. His own eyes kept shifting to look at him, which seemed somewhat inside out to him. Once Harry was sure all of the other boys had left, he turned to himself. This is so weird. "Ron?"
"H-Harry?"
"Oh, thank Merlin it's you. I was worried it would be more complicated." Not that this isn't complicated; but don't panic Ron, we have to keep this quiet until we can get to Dumbledore at the very least.
"Harry? You're short." Always one for ingenious insights in times of stress.
"Yes, Ron, I always have been short, thanks for noticing now. I'm assuming you've considered already that this needs to be kept quiet. I'm hoping we can get it fixed almost immediately. So, we're going to breakfast and then we're going to Dumbledore's office. You can't let it slip at breakfast, we have to pretend to be each other." Definitely easier said than done.
Ron nodded. "But, how did we get like this? Did someone slip us polyjuice potion?"
"No, you know that's only temporary, and you would have noticed that flavor, remember how horrible it tasted? Not to mention the racking pains when you change. I don't think that's what it was." But I also have no clue what other options there might be.
"Good, because as much as you're my mate and all, I really don't want to be eating anything that might have your fingernails in it."
"Um…thanks, I think. Anyway, we have to go to breakfast. Remember, you're me, and I'm you, until we get to Dumbledore. Okay?"
Ron nodded again. "Right."
