Look for the Good Instead
Chapter 1
The Other Side
"Yet he was jealous, though he did not show it, for jealousy dislikes the world to know it."
Lord Byron
.Hermione Granger.
Charms on Halloween was exciting. We finally got to use the levitation charm, after weeks of theory! I got it on my first try, but when I tried to help Ron Weasley, he just got angry. I had turned back to my own feather with Neville of course after that. He had advised against trying to befriend Ron, but it was worth a shot. Not that he was any nicer than Terry Boot (very stuck up because his friend was the Boy Who Lived), but at least he didn't go bragging about that.
I just wanted to have more friends, really. I mean, I've been friends with Neville and Chaz since the sorting feast, and I became friends with Hannah in Potions, but I wanted a few more. No one in Ravenclaw, as I found most of them were stuck up, but it was still disappointing that no one outside the three I already had wanted to be my friend.
Class ended with Seamus Finnagan setting fire to the desk he shared with Dean Thomas. The class had to evacuate so Flitwick could get the flames under control. Dinner would be in a little bit, as it was Halloween. Seamus would claim it a Halloween prank, but I heard him pronouncing that spell wrong! Just like wizard Baruffio really.
On the way down the corridor, I caught sight of Charlus, walking with a purpose I knew all too well by this time. He was heading to his hidey hole on the seventh floor. I was about to call him out, try and get him out of his funk, when Ron, who was walking about three paces in front of me in the general direction of my auburn haired compatriot.
"Why does that stupid Ravenclaw keep bothering us anyway?" Ron complained. He was talking about me, I knew. Oh gods, he was talking about me! My eyes brimmed with small tears. Maybe Chaz had the right idea, hiding in a bathroom most of the time. "It's no wonder she hasn't got any real friends, I mean, those guys who act like her friends just want her homework help-"
"Shut up!" My head flew up. I hadn't even realized it was down, but I looked up and saw Chaz glaring at Ron. A calmness came over me as everyone in the hall halted and Chaz strode up closer. I heard Neville's slow gait catch up to me as well. "Don't talk about Hermione that way!"
"What do you care, Slytherin?" Harry said this. Harry Potter said that to his own twin brother. Every whisper that had started a moment past now stopped. My book bag wasn't the only one to clatter to floor without a care.
Charlus was running already, and I walked up to Harry, a serious bone to pick. Neville beat me to it.
"You go help Charlie, 'Mione," Neville sighed. "I'll take care of this." I nodded and ran after Charlus. As I turned the corner I heard Neville start to lay into the Boy Who Lived. "You're own brother Harry! What in the name of Merlin's big toe were you..."
It took me ten minutes to reach Chaz's bathroom. I heard him crying, but I couldn't do anything. He'd locked his stall, and bathroom stalls were distinctly "Alohamora" proof. I spent twenty minutes talking to him before he sent sparks under the door to scare me off. I took the hint and left. But Merlin... I regretted it.
The reason for said regret was made quickly evident. In the middle of dinner, Professor Quirrell stormed in, screaming about a troll. I knew Chaz had never come down to dinner. He wouldn't know! And when he had to go back to his common room, what if the teachers hadn't caught it by then? I was panicking of course, and left the Hall behind a group of Gryffindors in the upper years. We diverged soon enough, but hardly before I bumped into someone else.
Harry Potter. Again.
"What are you doing here Hermione?" He seemed generally concerned. "Your common room is on the other side of the castle." He glanced nervously about, as if expecting the troll to appear from thin air and attack him.
"Wouldn't you like to know," I growled. I moved to the right, but he blocked me. Left, blocked. I feinted right, then left again, and still he blocked me. "Out of my way Potter! In case you didn't know, it's your fault that Chaz doesn't know about that stupid troll, and I'm not about to let my friend get killed on his way to his common room! Now move!"
I was almost shocked to find my wand in my hand. It had become reflexive almost, somehow, but I did have it, and it was pointed at him. He didn't move, but drew his own wand, keeping it down.
"Hermione, you should just get back to your common room," He said sternly. Like he had any authority over me! He was two inches shorter, and didn't know half the spells I did because he never opened a book! I glowered and slapped him. In his shock at being hit (he was obviously quite coddled), I got past and continued running to the steps that would lead me back to Charlus bathroom.
"Chaz! Are you there?" I shouted as I wandered the hall. A horrid stench had been accosting my nose since I reached the seventh floor, but I attributed it to Peeves' Halloween prank. He'd blown dung bombs off in random parts of the castle, and as there weren't any classes up there, no one would have bothered to tell Filch, as they wouldn't have known.
It should have struck me that I hadn't smelt this when I was trying to get Chaz to come out before, but I was distraught. I just wanted to make sure he was okay. I hadn't even the slightest inkling until the crash. It was loud, and a small bit of rubble fell to the floor down the hall. It hit again, and I found I was heading in the direction of the disturbance. The third slam was louder, and hardly ten seconds passed before I had turned the corner and saw what could only be the troll smashing the door of Chaz's bathroom in. I heard Charlus' scream, and fainted.
.Harry Potter.
Days turned into weeks. Everything seemed so knew, and yet like it was old hap. I don't know, I felt overwhelmed. I held back in classes, hoping that Hermione would offer help, tips I already knew, just so we could talk. Instead, she pursed her lips, said something in general relation to what the entire class was doing wrong, and would turn her gaze back to Neville. Sometimes, she would seem to appear out of thin air and tell me and Ron how to do things properly, but Ron would always scowl and tell her to go away.
And she would. Hermione in Ravenclaw was a new experience. She really had the Gryffindor spirit, and yet she was in Ravenclaw, associating with the oddest people. Neville for one. Sure, later in life he would be great, but eleven year old Neville was skittish, shy, and all together uncoordinated. Hannah Abbott for another. The girl was always alone and liked it, and yet she would socialize with Hermione and Neville exclusively.
Last, oddly, was a Slytherin boy with dark red hair. I didn't remember him. I was sure he hadn't been in my year, and yet there he was. He never raised his hand in class, but amiable seeming enough when around Neville or Hermione. Why was that boy friends with my best friend? It didn't make sense.
Then, on the ominous Halloween, Ron made his expected remark about Hermione. I had been about to tell him off, because, really, Hermione was great. She just hated the idea of seeing anyone fail academically, especially at the easy stuff, but someone else's cry cut me off. The Slytherin.
"Shut up!" My eyes snapped to him. There were similarities, our eyes. Both green, and we had the same body type, height and all, though he looked more how I had when I originally started, after the Dursley's, like he rarely ate anything. Miserable and thin. The only real difference in appearance was our hair color, and the small brown ring around his pupils. An idolizer, like Colin Creevey. "Don't talk about Hermione that way!"
I fixed a stare on him, taking him in. I perked my left brow, bringing it higher than the right. "What do you care Slytherin?" A thud, and the sound of books tumbling from a bag onto the floor. I turned to the sound, seeing Hermione with very narrow eyes, and her face red hot. She moved forward, a definitely hostile look on her face, but Neville, touched her arm.
"You go help Charlie, 'Mione," Neville shook his head, then glared at me. "I'll take care of this." Hermione nodded, and ran down the hall, her books scattered on the floor with ink left to seep all over them.
I was taking out my wand to clean it up. No one liked it when their books got saturated with ink, least ways Hermione. Maybe cleaning up her things would open the way for the resurrection of the Golden Trio. Or, rather, just the creation of it. It was odd thinking of how different things had been since three weeks ago, when I appeared in the body of my younger self. I had family here, my parents were alive. The letter from my parents that morning had proved it.
"You're own brother Harry! What in the name of Merlin's big toe were you thinking?!" Neville's outburst snapped me from my reverie. I was shocked. A brother? I have a brother? "Charlie has enough to deal with, since that howler your dad sent him, and now you go and do this?! What are you trying to pull?!"
It didn't seem right. No way I would have a brother in Slytherin. We would have to be twins, near to identical (admittedly we looked quite alike), for that to be real. But I didn't have a twin. I was an only child, and his parents would at least have asked me to pass a message along to a brother, if not a letter.
"I think you're mistaken Neville," I murmured. "There's no way in hell that I have a brother in Slytherin."
The hall, still full of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw first years, burst into whispers. "Gotcha. I guess people were always right then. I never wanted to believe it, since you're Charlie's brother, but it's true. The fame really has got to your head."
Neville left with that last biting comment. I was left, dumbfounded, with an uneasy looking Ron.
"Mate... I think he's got a point," Ron murmured, "you have been kinda hard in Chaz lately. Let's get to dinner though. You can make up with them later." At that point he started dragging the still shocked me away from the whispering masses and to a short cut I hadn't found until fourth year that I showed Ron yesterday.
I... have a brother? And I'm a total stuck up prick. Oh hell no... I groaned mentally. I'd been in la-la land for three weeks now, and already the drama was unfolding like some poorly written soap of Aunt Petunia's. Great. I feel distinctly like this is how Malfoy would have treated a brother if he had one. As if they weren't related. Spiffy.
Not that I allowed my emotions to show. Three years of being a master Occlumens had left me the ability to don a mask of whatever emotion I wished. Thus, I showed a slightly ashamed face, with a hint of anger. Being twenty three in that little body was kind of annoying, but I lived. More annoying was that I have disappeared as Ginny was giving birth, and Teddy was bound to be confused.
I can imagine it now, I sighed mentally as Ron dragged me to the Great Hall. "I'm sorry Mrs. Potter, but your husband seems to have been whisked off to another dimension where his parents are alive. Oh, and Teddy, it seems your parents are alive there too. I'm sorry you'll never see him again most likely, but it can't be helped." Merlin, I don't even know if this me took my place there... what a mess.
I suppressed these thoughts soon though. They could wait until Christmas break. Instead I focused on dinner with every other male Gryffindor. One hour later, before desserts were going to crop up, Quirrell ran in, screaming about the troll. I didn't have to worry though. Hermione was back, she had appeared next to Neville (apparently she was allowed to sit with him after asking McGonagall), so no heroism this Halloween.
Until...
"Harry, Chaz never came down to dinner," Ron whispered. "What do you think happened? I mean, he was upset... Merlin only knows where he goes when he gets in those moods... well, him and Hermione."
"Speak of the..." I dropped the sentence. Hermione was whisking up a flight of stairs, seeming to head to the eastern wing of the castle. "Ron, get to the common room, and if Percy asks, tell him I had to go to the toilet."
Before he could protest, I was running up the steps to the elevator-like short cut that would allow me to intercept Hermione. It was added by Dumbledore after the Marauders left school, and I always thanked him for it when I was a professor. It made it so much easier to head off danger. Of course, by heading off Hermione, she crashed right into me on the sixth floor.
I hadn't really meant to do that. I wanted to follow her far enough to get a good idea of where she was headed, and thus where my supposed brother was, and accidentally sent the elevator right in her path. Scratch plan A. Onto Plan B... Improvisation.
"What are you doing here Hermione?" I asked in seeming confusion. I gave her a worried look that, hopefully, would incline her to leave it to me. It usually worked for Dumbledore, before he died. "Your common room is on the other side of the castle."
"Wouldn't you like to know," Hermione growled suddenly. I didn't even know she couldgrowl at this age! Rather intimidating. I moved to the left, blocking her escape. Right, blocking. I matched her every move even as she tried to pull a double feint on me. "Out of my way Potter! In case you didn't know, it's your fault that Chaz doesn't know about that stupid troll, and I'm not about to let my friend get killed on his way to his common room! Now move!"
Her hand was up, wand pointed at me. I was surprised, but slowly drew my own as well not aiming it. Did Hermione know anything offensive by this time? Aside from her bluebell flames there shouldn't be anything, but then, she hung out with a Slytherin. Who knew what had happened?
"Hermione, you should just get back to your common room," I said in as stern and teacher-like a voice as I could summon as an eleven year old. Not terribly impressive, it would have gotten a giggle from any of my students in the future, but Hermione usually responded to that sort of thing. Well, his Hermione. This Hermione though...
My head spun to the left as her open palmed slap struck. Hard. It was then I knew why Malfoy had been so edgy on her at the end of third year. She could slap hard. While I was still rubbing the pain away, she had run off towards the stairs to the seventh floor. I pursued, but as I hit the stairs a horrid stench hit my nose.
"Bloody hell!" I growled and started pelting through the corridors.
Thud. The sound of a club striking stone. Hermione paused before me. Thud. Thud. Hermione was running flat out and I kept up the chase. She quit at the corner and loud crack and scream meant that the troll had found someone. Hermione had fainted. Oh hell.
"Stupefy! Impedimenta!" I shouted quickly. They bounced off. Someone (also known as Quirrell) had placed a shield to reflect that sort of thing. The troll diverted its attention from its prey (mostly likely my "brother") and gave an angry grunt. It raised its club, and I suddenly found myself pulling a Ron. "Wingardium Leviosa!"
Thud.
And that was the end of the troll. However, it was not the end of everything, as was signified by the sudden arrival of several shocked teachers. My face paled. I had no excuse for taking the troll on myself this time.
Damn...
Author's Note: Point 1: Hermione doesn't like arrogance, and I can imagine most Ravenclaws being arrogant about their knowledge, where as she is just a teacher's pet. She's eager, likes to learn, and wants to be recognized for what she knows, but not to the point where she has a big head. After all the praise from Harry and Ron over the year's in canon, she still kept a level head, so I think this testifies for her on that front.
Point 2: This Hermione sees a troll attacking where her friend is, and panics. The panic causes her pulse to rise, she forgets to breathe, and presto change-o! Hermione has fainted. In canon, she had friends with her soon enough that she wouldn't have passed out, and she wasn't scared for anyone else. Also, in canon-land, she was a Gryffy, and embracing that side more than her Raven-ness. Honestly, it all makes sense... to me.
Point the 3rd: Yes, this is Harry from canon, just when Ginny was in labor with James. How special. Heheh. I won't detail whether or not the Harry of this universe is there instead, I'm still debating, and it might never come up (i.e.: if he never actually returns to his universe, whatever). That one point is where the universes diverge. In this universe it's when Lily becomes pregnant because there's two kids (fraternal, but very similar in appearance) instead of just Harry, but things are going to be similar at times, and different at others (like how the troll was five floors higher than in canon, Arthur Weasley is in charge of all illegally bewitched items, not just illegally bewitched muggle items (and thus has a higher salary), Harry actually gets his fan mail, etc.
Um... any more points? I dunno. Reviews are cool, they will help me improve. If you flame, tell me what is wrong, not just "you suck" because I can't stop sucking if I don't know what's wrong. Seriously.
Also, if there are any Brit-pickers out there, any hints you'd be willing to give? I'm bringing up my Brit abilities at the mo' by reading the UK editions, but it would still be helpful : )
Anyway, Happy Halloween! It's about 4 pm PST that I'm posting this on October 31st, so that's 7pm EST, midnight November the first in Britain, etc etc. I'm off to go trick-or-treating now. Bye! (maybe I'll put a link to the picture of my costume tomorrow, when I'm not busy inventing something really quick for History class... '
