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Chapter 10: Over The Hill and Under The Hill
"Ooh…that was a bit of a rough landing." Hermione got carefully to her feet, shaking her head.
Ginny rubbed the sore spot on her head from falling over. She was certain they hadn't Flooed—that they'd done whatever it was they'd done the last time, when she, Luna and Harry had ended up in that other world. But they were now standing in the Lovegood kitchen, right where they had intended to go. Luna was dazedly looking around, clutching her hands behind her back. After several moments Ginny realized they weren't the only ones in the room.
A blonde boy, who looked very much like Luna, was standing there watching them.
"Oh…oh no," said Ginny as realization set in. She darted forward, swaying slightly. "We've got to go. Now!" she said, grabbing Luna by the shoulder.
"Why?" said Luna. "We only just got here. And I think I'd like to sleep."
"Sleep? No! Listen!" she hissed, leaning forward so that Hermione couldn't hear her. "She doesn't know about all this. She's getting married tomorrow…don't you realize how much this is going to freak her out? Especially if…oh, please don't tell me this is that weird reversed gender world…"
"Hello, friends," said Logan after a long moment, bowing deeply at the waist. "I thought you'd be visiting me again soon."
"Who're you?" slurred Hermione.
"He is me," said Luna.
"No more Beatles references," said Hermione, making a face.
"What about Beetles?"
"Egh…my head hurts," said Hermione, placing her palm against her forehead.
"Hermione has had a bit to drink. I believe she may be drunk. In fact, I believe I am drunk," said Luna to Logan.
Logan nodded. Although Ginny knew, somehow, that she ought to decline the offer and find a way to get the three of them home she found herself accepting Logan's proposition of a bed for the night and breakfast in the morning. She reasoned that it shouldn't be too much of a problem—after all, time passed differently in their worlds. With any luck they'd get back before the preparations for the wedding began and hopefully without any lingering hangover.
Luna and Hermione were already snoring in the large bed by the time Ginny felt her eyes sliding closed. The last thing she could remember thinking was that she ought to do something to make sure she was the first up in the morning, but unfortunately the thought was lost forever as she slid into a very deep sleep.
When she next opened her eyes, it was to the tune of a bloodcurdling scream. She jumped up, looking across the room to see Hermione standing by her bed with a thick blanket wrapped around her. "Wh-who are you?" she stammered. A short, redheaded boy was standing there, brows furrowed in concentration.
Ginny recognized him immediately. "Oh my God," she said, slapping her hand to her forehead—something she regretted, due to the roaring hangover she had.
Jimmy looked over at her, eyes widening in shock. "You're Ginny, aren't you? Logan told me some 'guests' arrived last night. I was expecting your version of Harry to be here."
"Yeah, well," said Ginny, stumbling for words, "guess he didn't make the trip this time."
"Would someone care to tell me who this is?" said Hermione.
"Jimmy Weasley," said the boy.
Hermione stared at him for a long moment, until suddenly it seemed like she thought she understood. "Oh…Ron's cousin, I suppose. But what are you doing here? I'm not even dressed!"
"I can assure you, I'm not really interested in looking," said Jimmy, blushing a little as he said so.
Hermione gasped. "Why, you rude little…"
"Don't get all bent," said Ginny, running a hand through her hair (which she noted in agitation was the exact shade of Jimmy's). "He's gay."
"Oh." Hermione colored. "I…well…that still doesn't explain what he's doing here."
"I was just going to ask what you were doing here," said Jimmy. "Have you figured any of this out yet?"
Luna shook her head. "Not quite," she said. "But I'm pretty sure the nargles don't have anything to do with it after all. Harry has some theories but I don't think I was really paying attention."
Ginny and Jimmy both sighed, then gave each other sidelong glances. "So…you know about this?" said Jimmy after a long pause.
Ginny nodded. "I got pulled into another world with him, just a little while ago. He explained everything he could to me, then."
"So there are other worlds?" said Jimmy, eyes widening in astonishment. "Bloody hell…Harry and I were talking about it. There are some old theories about parallel universes, alternate realities…we were wondering if maybe that's what's going on here."
Ginny nodded. Hermione, on the other hand, looked completely baffled. "What are you talking about?" she said finally, looking from Ginny to Jimmy and back again. "You didn't have any more to drink after we got back from the bar, did you? Oh God, was there something in the drink?..."
"You're fine," said Ginny. "Hermione…just listen. You know how you've been saying you think something is up with Harry? How you were worried he was hiding something and you asked me if I knew anything about it?"
Hermione nodded slowly.
"Well…he was hiding something. From me too, for a while, until he couldn't hide it anymore—thanks to Luna. This world we're in right now, it isn't ours. There are other versions of us…versions of us with completely different lives."
"This is a joke," said Hermione, laughing nervously.
"No. It isn't," said Ginny. "In this world…boys are girls and girls are boys…for the most part. This is Jimmy. He's…well, he's me. And Logan over there is Luna. Just…different."
Hermione sat down, missing the bed and landing with a thud on the floor. She stared into space for several long minutes, hardly aware of the fact that her blanket had slipped away and she was sitting there in only her bra and a miniscule slip, causing Jimmy to blush a deep and vibrant shade of red. When Ginny was beginning to wonder if she would have to do something to pull her out of it, she let out a deep sigh and slowly got to her feet.
"Well, I've seen a lot of strange things. I guess I can believe this…until it's proven to be a big hoax, or a side effect of whatever it is they put in those drinks."
"Fine, fine," said Logan, coming over to pat her on the shoulder. "I washed all of your things while you were sleeping. They're on a line outside, if you want to put them back on."
Ginny glanced down, realizing for the first time that she was only wearing the thin negligee she had had on underneath her robes. Luna was wearing a pair of muggle boxer shorts with yellow smiley faces on it and a black T-shirt.
They followed him down the stairs, stopping when they heard voices coming from the next room. "Who's in there?" said Ginny, stopping on the stairs.
"Just a few friends. You should meet them! After all, they're your friends too," said Logan. Before Ginny could stop him he had called for the people in the next room. A sick feeling came over her—embarrassment with a side of hangover—as a small group of people wandered in to stop and stare at the three girls, and Jimmy, standing on the stairs.
There was a whistle, and a call of "Way to go Jim!" Twin redheads, dressed in white T-shirts and pink skirts, stood at the front of the crowd, grinning (identical) ear to ear grins. Behind them was the other Harry, who was about as red as the boy standing on the stairs with them. But worse than anything else, in Ginny's opinion, was the tall and gangly girl who stood by Harry's side. She was wearing an oversized jersey over cutoff shorts, her face plagued by freckles. Flanking the girl was a bookish boy in a white button-down shirt, with frizzy brown hair cut close to his face.
"It's not what you think," said Jimmy, scrambling down to stand next to Harry. A smirk appeared on Harry's face then, as he caught what was going on.
"Sure it is," said Harry. "We all know what a babe magnet you are."
"Shut up," said Jimmy, elbowing him in the stomach.
"Logan! Where…" She had scarcely started the statement when she heard Hermione's calm voice.
"Accio clothing," she murmured. Through an open window their clothes flew at them. Ginny almost tripped as she dressed, debating whether smacking Luna when they got back to their own world was a justifiable action for something that Logan had done.
"These are our otherworldly visitors," said Logan. "I'd like you to meet Ginny…she's the redhead…and this is Hermione, and of course I am Luna."
"So you're Ginny," said one of the twins suddenly. "Ooh…cute."
"Do you have any sisters?" said the other twin with a wink.
"This is too bloody weird," said Ginny. "Is there any way we can sit down and talk for a bit? My head is spinning."
After a little arranging, the group found themselves seated around a large table. It took about as long to convince the bookish boy, who Ginny learned was named Herman, that they were from a different world as it had taken to convince Hermione.
When everything was out in the open, the doubles found themselves incredibly aware of their opposite sitting near them. Herman and Hermione were speaking together in a tone low enough that nobody else could hear them. Luna and Logan, as usual, were off in their own worlds.
Ginny learned fairly quickly, though, that she was not to speak of Harry and Jimmy's relationship. With a small amount of gesturing she got the point that Rhonda (the girl in the Jersey) was as yet unaware of the pairing, or even of the fact that her best friend and brother were even gay.
"So…I'm just curious," said Freda after the conversation had broken off for a little while. "Who are you with in your world? I mean, if it's like our world and you know the same people…for the most part."
"There was one world where you fell in love with Hermione, Georgina…well, you were George there, though…" said Luna.
Hermione glanced over at the busty twin, who winked at her. "Well, she is kind of cute," said Georgina with a giggle that seemed to cause Hermione real physical pain.
"And you, Ginny?" said Freda, seemingly innocent.
"Erm…well, I'm with Harry. He's male in our world too. So…you know…" she laughed nervously.
"Kind of weird, huh?" said Georgina. "Does that make you gay, in a way, Jimmy?" she said.
"Er…what about you Hermione?" said Jimmy quickly.
"Oh, well…oh my God, the wedding!" she gasped, as if the thought had just occurred to her.
"You'll be fine," said Ginny, noting that her friend was likely to suffer a heart attack if she wasn't calmed down quickly. "Time doesn't run the same way here. In fact, you might even get over your hangover with plenty of time to get ready," she said reassuringly.
"Wedding?" said the group at large.
"To who? To who?" said the twins.
"To…well, to Ron. Er…Rhonda…her other half."
All eyes turned to the girl sitting on the opposite table, who to this point seemed to have made it a point to keep to herself. Now, with all attention on her, she colored so dark that her freckles seemed to disappear into her skin. "I…I mean, my double…and Herman's?"
"It makes sense," said Jimmy casually. "You did used to snog when we were in school."
Now it was Herman's turn to blush. "Everybody snogged when it was Hogsmeade weekend," he said dismissively. "We dated for all of a month."
"And you didn't tell anybody," said Freda, batting her lashes. "Secret lovers are the ones we treasure most."
"Secret…" Herman began to sputter.
"This is rubbish," said Rhonda.
Harry and Jimmy were both laughing so hard that tears were coming out of their eyes. Ginny couldn't help but wonder just what was up with them, that they found the idea of being together so strange—although, taking note of her own brother's track record with Hermione before they finally got together, she figured it shouldn't be too surprising.
It was later on when she got to talk to Jimmy and Harry privately that she got a chance to hear the entire story. Rhonda, it seemed, had had a crush on Harry since their fourth year of school—right around the time when Harry became very confused by the feelings he was having for Li Chang, a fifth year Ravenclaw boy. For years Harry had kept his orientation a secret—with the exception of a stolen kiss from Li, who later dumped him for a Hufflepuff girl named Celia Diggory.
Then, by chance, Jimmy had stumbled on his secret—in no small part due to the fact that he had had a crush on Harry for years. The two had been an item ever since, telling very few people—Logan because his house was convenient for late-night snogging meet-ups, the twins, because they had caught them at it a few too many times for excuses to work, and Herman because he was smart enough to have figured it out on his own.
Unfortunately, Rhonda's crush on Harry had not lessened over the years—it had only grown stronger and stronger, and now they had no clue how to tell her the truth.
This conversation took place on the turret of Luna's house, overlooking the meadow that led to the Burrow. Taking their leave of Ginny, Harry and Jimmy opted to make their way back home. Ginny remained there, and several minutes later she heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Herman and Hermione coming her way.
"You feeling better?" said Ginny.
Hermione nodded. "I am," she said.
The serious faced Herman nodded too. "Are you okay?" Ginny asked him.
"I'm fine. A little peeved. Well…okay, a lot peeved."
"Herman likes Rhonda," said Hermione with a sigh. "Unfortunately she's just as much of a git in this world as my Ron is in ours."
Ginny laughed. "You love him," she said.
"Yeah. God help me, I do," she muttered.
Herman walked to the edge of the roof and leaned on the edge of the wall, staring off into the distance. Ginny patted him on the back. "You know…I know this is going to sound weird, but I think you and Rhonda are really meant to be."
"Wish she'd realize that," he said bitterly.
"She will," said Hermione confidently. "Trust me…it took a war and imminent death for Ron to admit he loved me."
Herman turned around. "Really?"
Hermione nodded. "I know Ron better than anybody. And in a way, I know Rhonda too. In a way it was his love for Harry that kept him from admitting how he felt about me, once upon a time. He thought that Harry and I…that we were supposed to be together. He thought he should step back and let us be together, that it was best. I think Rhonda loves Harry because of how long they've been friends, and maybe…even if she knows it won't happen…she thinks she'd be betraying him by loving somebody else."
Herman blinked. "When the hell did I get so introspective?"
"You always were," said Hermione. "Girls say it better than boys can."
There was another footstep on the stair. They turned—Luna stood there. She reached out her hands. Ginny, knowing what was coming, took her hand automatically, and seeing Ginny do so Hermione followed suit.
"We'll see you again, I'm sure of it," said Ginny to Herman.
"Goodbye!" said Luna cheerfully. And then they had left that world, Ginny realizing with some surprise just how intertwined her world had always been with one that, until recently, she had never known existed.
Before we end this report, we the Potter Monitor have a challenge for our readers. All of titles of the first eight chapters, save the second, had a common source. This chapter's title and the one before it also share a common source, but it is different from the others. We challenge you to name these sources. We await you theories.