A Deviation of Circumstance
by Sparkling Whimsies
Summary- AU: In a reality where Neville Longbottom is the Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter is famous. He's the beloved son of Lily Potter and the famous Quidditch chaser James Potter, as well as the godson of both the famous beater Sirius Black and the world-renown novelist Remus Lupin. He's beginning to think he's seriously falling for his boyfriend, the one-and-only Draco Malfoy. After a late-night flight after a fight with Draco, Harry finds himself lost in a place where everyone's convinced his parents and godfather are dead and he's the Boy-Who-Lived. Realizing he's stuck there permanently, Harry searches for something familiar to hold on to... and decides he wants his boyfriend back.
Setting- Sixth Year
Rating - R
Chapter Seven: Alternate Universe Harry
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Harry fidgeted, chewing on the end of his quill. He was seated on one of the large couches in the Gryffindor common room, pretending to do his homework and daydreaming about the slim blonde somewhere in the castle. The dull sound of intermittent conversation from the other Gryffindors was a familiar and comforting background noise. Ron, sitting beside him, loudly blew and popped a bubble with his Droobles Best Blowing Gum. Hermione spared a moment to tut at him from her position, as perched on the edge of a recliner and leaned over to the small table her books were on. Harry rose and stretched languorously.
"I'll see you guys later, alright? I'm going for a walk," Harry said nonchalantly, placing his parchment inside his Charms book and his book into his bag. He Banished his bag up to his room and turned to go, planning on seeking out that delicious Slytherin.
"Harry, who is she?" Hermione asked quietly. Harry froze in place, amazed. "Who is it that you keep sneaking away to see?" All of his excuses died on his lips as the dark haired boy turned and met Hermione's implacable stare. He returned to his place on the couch with some hesitancy, perching on the edge of his seat like a bird prepared for flight.
'Gods, coming out was hard enough at home!' he wailed mentally. Hermione, picking up on his obvious discomfort, laid her quill aside and closed her books.
"You've got a secret girlfriend, aye mate? Who is she, then?" Ron asked genially. Harry tried to swallow the lump in his throat. 'Why is this so difficult?' Harry thought.
"Well... it's not a she, Ron," Harry said to his feet. Ron choked on his gum. Harry sighed. "I'm gay. I'm sorry I didn't tell your earlier, it's just..." Harry sighed again, shaking his head. "You're not mad, are you?" he asked meekly, chancing a look up at his friends. Suddenly he found himself wrapped in Hermione, who was fervently reassuring him that she still loved him just as much as before and she completely supported him, and that she was sure she'd love his boyfriend as well. That statement made Harry's shoulders shake with barely concealed laughter. The bushy haired girl took his shaking for heaving sobs, and began petting his head and crooning to him.
Harry was acutely aware of the stares their little group was gathering, what with Ron coughing and spluttering and the normally composed Hermione rocking a "sobbing" Harry and crooning. Regrettably, that observation only brought harsher "sobs", as he had to gasp for breath through his laughter. 'I must look like a complete twit!' Harry thought. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to care at the moment.
Unfortunately, he seemed to have been overheard... there was whispering (something that was never good, in Harry's experience), and Harry distinctly heard the word "gay". He sighed gustily and swiped a hand across his eyes for show. He gave Hermione a faint smile and gifted Ron with a hurt look.
"I think I'm going to lie down for a bit," Harry said loudly, watching amusedly as heads quickly turned away from the infamous trio. He turned and walked upstairs to his dorm room, a hidden smirk flitting around the corners of his mouth. 'Mission accomplished...'
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Harry stubbornly ignored the whispers and pointed fingers as he entered the Great Hall for dinner, flanked by Ron and Hermione. As he walked down the aisle between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables, the chatter broke off, just to pick up even louder as soon as he was past. By the time he'd reached his seat near the Head Table, his resolution not to get angry (as he had asked for it purposely, after all) flew out the window. He approached Dumbledore up on the dais and tried to remember not to gnash his teeth.
"Sir, might I make an announcement?" he asked, his voice deceptively calm. Dumbledore just twinkled at him and waved a negligent hand as if to say, "be my guest." Harry thanked him and turned to glare at the student body, motioning for Ron and Hermione to take their seats.
"To answer the questions you really have no right to ask," he announced, "yes, I am gay, no, I won't tell you who I'm seeing, and no, Colin," he growled, "I will not pose for any bloody pictures. Thank you." Harry strode angrily to his seat and glared around the Hall to fend off the stares. Students cringed satisfyingly.
Harry ignored everyone but Ron and Hermione for the entirety of the meal, except to send a reductor curse in the direction of Colin's camera. All in all, Harry was fairly happy with his efforts.
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Canon Harry:
Harry descended the large marble staircase into the Entrance Hall with some trepidation, deliberating with himself... was he really ready for his charade? The chattering crowd around him swept him down quickly toward lunch, and Harry began wondering if perhaps he should have stayed in the Hospital Wing for the rest of the day and tried for breakfast with the rest of his classmates on Monday... maybe he'd feel better about this after the weekend. Most of his required act he thought he could handle without too much of a problem, but acting like Draco Malfoy's boyfriend? That was going to be a bit of a stretch.
As if his thoughts had summoned the Slytherin, Draco came up from the corridor to the dungeons just as Harry left the last step. It was an unfamiliar but not wholly unwelcome feeling to see the Slytherin's face light up instead of sneering at the sight of him. Draco rushed over to him, startling Harry by pulling him into a quick hug. The quick kiss on his cheek was even more unexpected. Harry covered up his surprise by kissing Draco's cheek in return.
"Hey Harry. You feeling better now?" Draco asked, an amused glint in his eyes from Harry's reaction. "Or did Madam Pomfrey traumatize you permanently?" Harry laughed. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard.
"She's not so bad, Draco," Harry said. "I mean, she's really alright if you ignore all the potions she force feeds you." Draco laughed.
"Whatever you say, Harry," the blonde said amusedly, slinging an arm around Harry's waist. They parted ways after entering the Great Hall, and Harry tried to ignore the looks Draco sent his way all through lunch.
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Harry flopped tiredly onto the couch in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room. It had been a long day, even if he'd only had to go to three classes. The act was going to be harder to keep up than he could have ever imagined.
During Transfiguration, he'd sat next to Draco. The blonde had whispered something in his ear about not jumping Harry couldn't quite make out, and then proceeded to place his hand on Harry's leg. He had barely restrained his urge to bolt. Draco had kept a steady stream of muttering up, telling him that 'this is completely normal, just ignore it, my Harry doesn't care, just keep up the act, McGonagall won't say anything yet...' Draco had just gotten worse in Charms.
The problem wasn't so much that Draco would touch him... it was that he was beginning to actually like it. He had sternly reminded himself that he was straight continuously throughout the day, to no avail. Draco's wandering hands were actually... enjoyable. Unfortunately, the constant mantra of' No! It's bloody Malfoy! You're straight! Girls, girls, girls...' had been running through his head all day, causing Harry a headache from arguing with himself by the time Charms was over.
'This is going to be a lot harder than I thought,' Harry thought. He angrily banished thoughts of Draco's touches and pulled out his books to begin his homework.
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Harry had finally capitulated. He was scheduled to talk with Dumbledore up in the his office in just minutes, to tell him the story of his life. Dumbledore hoped to be able to find something that had been done in Harry's world against Voldemort that could be employed in this world as well. Harry knew the recounting of his past was probably going to suck royally because of all of the traumatic things in it, but he didn't really have much of a choice, the way Dumbledore had badgered him about it. Steeling himself to a night of painful recitation, Harry made his way to the gargoyle and told it the password. He staircase revolved slowly and Harry let it take him up instead of walking. He hesitantly knocked on the thick wooden door to the office.
The dull murmur of talk from within ceased at his knock and the door was soon pulled open by Remus Lupin. Harry momentarily found himself forgetting the fact that he was not at home to smile widely at the man who had mentored him in his third year.
"Hullo, Professor Lupin! How've you been?" Harry asked. His smile faltered as the memory of his surroundings came crashing back at the sight of all of the small differences in the tall sandy-haired man. This man was wearing a robe that was obviously well-made, and he had a more youthful countenance than that of the Lupin that Harry was familiar with. "Er, sorry... you taught Defense in my third year, and..." Harry trailed off sheepishly, blushing.
"Oh, it's quite all right," Lupin replied, ushering him inside and closing the door. Harry saw to his surprise that Lupin wasn't the only unexpected addition to the little party; James, Lily, and Sirius were all present as well. "Was I any good?" he joked. Harry took the seat offered to him between James and Sirius, directly in front of Dumbledore's desk. Remus sat on the opposite side of Sirius, while Lily was beside James.
"The best," Harry emphatically replied. "You taught me the Patronus Charm." Lupin looked surprised.
"That's advanced magic! Seventh year material, at least! Why on earth would you need to learn the Patronus Charm?" he asked. Harry smiled mirthlessly.
"Dementors were guarding the school, and I have a rather... severe reaction to them," Harry told them. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow behind his steepled fingers.
"What terrible even would cause Hogwarts to require Dementors as guardians?" Dumbledore asked. "I can't imagine ever allowing Dementors on school grounds, for any reason."
"Sirius had escaped from Azkaban, and Fudge, that bumbling idiot who calls himself the Minister for Magic, thought my own godfather wanted to murder me," Harry said. "The Dementors really didn't help with anything except Honeydukes' chocolate sales." Lupin, James, and Sirius laughed at his attempt at a joke, though Harry could tell it was strained. Lily looked vaguely horrified, and Dumbledore kept his usual calm appearance.
"Why was I in Azkaban? How did I escape? It's never been done..." Sirius asked. Harry sighed and removed his glasses to rub his eyes.
"I'll just start at the beginning, shall I? It all started on Halloween, 1981..."
And so Harry told them all there was to know about his life, only excluding a few more personal and private facets of his life (his "care", or rather lack thereof, from the Dursleys and Cho's wet, sloppy kiss among them). It took rather a long time, and so when Harry was finally allowed to stumble back to his dorm room, exhausted mentally, emotionally, and physically, he wanted nothing more than to fall immediately and deeply asleep. And so he did.