While Harry had stayed behind in the Professor's office to get caught up, the rest of the ministry crew held a council of war in the nearby room of requirement. No one could think of anything to say. What do you say, when you have lost, temporarily, your best friend to have him replaced with a look-alike? It seemed almost like group legilmency that the group all had the same thought.
Hermione broke the silence, "Even if he isn't our Harry, he still is Harry. I think we should extend his every courtesy and privilege, he recognized all of us easily enough, so we must all still be friends. Besides, think how you would feel if the same had happened to you, he would be nothing but kind and caring…"
Ron spoke up, "especially with you…" as his eyebrows wagged suggestively.
And while the Hermione, we have all read about may have yelled, this one smirked lecherously and said, "Damn, right!" causing the group to laugh and releasing the tension.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Back in the Professor's office, Harry asked, "Well, if Snape is the Dark Lord, then did he ever hear the prophecy, and did he ever temporarily fall?"
"No, he didn't hear the prophecy, he went to your house not knowing it, only intent on fulfilling his grudge to its homicidal conclusion. Your father, apparently, knew enough to take the life debt and transfer it to you before his death. Thus trying to kill someone he owed a life debt to cause him to die. Or as much as the Horcruxes would allow. In a unique twist, Severus didn't know that he had any horcruxes. Being the impatient youth he was he didn't research the magic of the Dark-Lordship, all he knew was the grant of magical power and knowledge of the dark arts that he received. Though being a brilliant potions master and a cruel and heartless man, he had none of the creativity that Tom had, Tom ever innovative researched the horcruxes, made 5 and then tied them to the magic of the Dark Lordship. Thus they left him when the Lordship did. Severus, never allowing himself to feel positive emotions, didn't even notice when his soul was ripped into 6 pieces, he was too absorbed in his knew powers."
"If Tall, Dark, and Greasy, got knowledge why didn't he know of the horcruxes?"
"Because the magic of that position is almost hereditary. Tom, when first achieving it, in his young arrogance, believed that with the horcruxes, he would never die or lose the Dark Lordship, thus he saw no reason to insert into the dark-lordship his knowledge and advance researches. Tom did however, tie the horcruxes to the magic of the Lordship, because his own magical core wasn't strong enough to support more than two. That is part of why horcruxes are so dark; the immense tainting of one's own soul and magical core by the darkest of evils, murderous self-gain."
"And this Professor of yours can't help you. So we are racing Severus for knowledge… at least we are better off than my own world, Tom is truly a fearsome man, Snape is only a slimy bastard."
"Harry, why don't we continue this tomorrow night. If the castle is informing me right, your friends are waiting for you in the ROR."
"One last thing sir, why is it that in my world, Riddle goes on to be a fearsome dark lord, and in yours he gave up the opportunity to become a teacher. It seems so pedestrian compared to the fear he inspires in my world."
"I can quite imagine the fear Lord Potter, he was an accomplished student with great drive. Why he turned? I offered him his deepest desire, I offered him a chance to do good, I offered to welcome him back to his only true home. Course of I couldn't have him be DADA teacher, that would be to close to temptation. However, remember that he started out much like your Ms. Granger, with only a thirst of knowledge and a drive to succeed."
"Thank you sir, by the way, you appear to be a better judge of character than my headmaster, he turned Riddle down flat."
"A last warning Mr. Potter, be you changed places, with your counterpart, he had me enchant the item now in your pocket. (you'll notice you changed clothes with him) The enchantment is questionable, but voluntary, so not dark. As you are Lord Potter here, you will be bound by it. Nor can I tell you what specifically it will do, it will only require you so do some act that he was envisioning while I cast the spell."
"Lord Potter?"
Albus smiled, "Tommorrow night Harry. Or else ask your friends."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Harry went into the ROR much like one walking to the gallows. "Hi guys,…"
"…"
"Well isn't his awkward," said Ginny.
"Well let's try this," said Hermone, who then promptly pulled him into a passionate kiss.
After it was over Harry looked dazed.
"Never done that before Harry?" asked Hermione, "or just not with me?"
"Both" Harry said blushing.
That got the group laughing.
"Harry, in this world you are quite the good natured if magically underpowed stud." Ginny continued, "You and Hermione took up last year quite fiercely, and haven't stopped since. PDA's like that are quite common between the two of you, and you are most unashamed of it. What shall we do… you need to not be embarrassed if you are to fit in. You must understand that the press is almost omnipotent here, and they know almost everything about you. If you suddenly change behavior….
"What do you mean by omnipotent? How much do they know about me."
Neville was dying of laughter at this point, so Ron, blushing and with great reluctance said, "Mate, they once found out that you had a…good dream about Mione here, and it was on the front page the next day."
"Shit."
Mione stepped up, "Yeah, that about covers it. The story we are going with is that you hit your head and are suffering from some short term memory loss. Thus Albus and I estimate that if we keep you away from people, we can explain away your lack of knowledge and odd behavior for roughly 5 days. So we have to get you up to speed soon. Tonight has been a long one, so we won't hold our council of war tonight to hear your report from Dumbledore, but rather head to bed. Tommorrow we will start early and try to get you caught up."
"Wow you guys really are different. Really a take-charge person aren't you Hermione?" Harry asked.
Before Hermione could insert a word, Ginny fired her parting shot, "And you love it that way Potter!"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Harry started to follow the rest to the Gryffindor common room, when Hermione stopped him and said, "Head's suite is that way."
"Head's Suite?"
"You and I are the first 6th year Head's ever. Dumbledore in particular want to make up for his errors in 5th year and to reward you."
"The 7th years must be right pissed."
"Beyond belief, Mrs. Chang, mother of the favored 7th year candidate, actually sued Dumbledore in the Wizengamot. However she lost as it is solely the headmaster's discretion. Funnily enough, the Wizengamot, having been politically shamed for following Fudge decided that some of the accusations she made against you were slanderous of near bankrupted her to award you money. Cho won't even look at you. You quietly offered her a check with it all at the beginning of the year, and she shredded it and told you she didn't need pity. I enjoyed that pensive memory."
By this time they had reached the suite and Hermione had given the password "Ferret." Harry was so exhausted that as Hermione went into her room to change, Harry fell fast asleep on the couch. Hermione came back, and after admiring how cute he was, with a brief thought that the lightning bolt looked more manly than the bird, she levitated him to his bed, stripped and then joined him.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Harry woke up to a warm bed with a naked Hermione in it. He was so disoriented, still think he was in his own world, he ran screaming out of the room, and the suite. He ran all the way down to the Gryffindor Common Room, covered only in a silk sheet, looking for Ron. He loudly woke Ron and the rest of the dormitory screaming, "Ron, I am so sorry, I didn't do it, I don't know what happened…."
Ron, being more cognitive that the familiar version, waved off Dean and Seamus with an explanation and then took Harry to a private corner. "Harry, you remember the whole dimension thingy?"
"Oh, yeah…"
"She is your girlfriend, Mate. You were planning on proposing this holiday weekend. I don't generally inquire into your love life, but I understand you have been intimate several times…"
The stress and dimension thing was really getting to Harry. What the inhabitants of this dimension didn't know is that crossing dimensional lines can have negative mental health effects. Harry was lucky that it only made him more strung out. However, he was strung out, and told that he was about to propose to a girl he had only thought about THAT way for 2 weeks. Thus;
THUMP.