Lavender Brown awoke in a nice warm bed and sat up quickly in shock. She had been dreaming. It had been a lovely nice dream of her running through fields in the sun. Her eyes went wide as her head whipped around. This looked a lot like one of the guest rooms at Greengrass Manor. She had stayed here a long, long time ago. The memories of the previous day flashed through her mind.
She made her way to the window. The view of the grounds looked very real. She pinched herself. Yes. That hurt. Oh, thank Merlin. She was safe.
Lavender made her way to the en-suite and peered at herself in the mirror. She looked too thin. That was to be expected. They had been surviving on scraps whilst those bastards feasted on the best food next to them, rubbing it in.
She was in a different world. That was obvious when she went through a portal into a cell then arrived on Mount Everest with a really quite nice Iris Black and ran into a very much alive Sirius Black. She actually swooned at the sight of the dashing man. There had been very little in the way of charming men in her life in recent years. Seamus, Filch and Snape were the only gentlemen left and didn't that make her want to scream.
Her life in the last few years had been one long nightmare. Parvati dying had almost finished her but she persevered. When Cedric Diggory was killed in the Great Hall for the amusement of the Death Eaters she went mute. The last really nice, good looking chap had left. She clung on in the end for Hermione and Seamus. They had grown up together. They supported each other through the cruelties. They knew at any moment one of them could be killed.
She had stood with the others in their rags for the inevitable humiliations and pain. Numb. Numb to it all. A part of her wishing one of them would kill her. Make it stop. Make it all just end.
And then something happened that no one in that room could have predicted at dinner time. When all was darkest, a carbon copy of the nastiest bitch imaginable had stormed into the Great Hall in a black leather jacket, oozing with so much Pureblood arrogance it had made Lavender freeze. The real Iris was stood opposite her, looking as shocked as them.
At first, she thought it a sick joke. Messing with their minds. It wouldn't be the first time they did that. Given them false hope to cruelly snatch it away.
This copy of Iris Black was just too weird though to be a sick joke. Rambling about holograms and illusions. How she spoke to the bastards at the table had made her pinch herself. No one would dare speak the truth anymore. Even polyjuiced. When Lucius Malfoy was impaled and Barty Crouch split in two her heart had stopped. She watched every professor except Snape be decapitated.
This Iris had stood up bold as brass after taking a killing curse and then had done what Lavender had wanted to for years. Slapped down Iris Black and took her head off. Nott going into the strange portal was the icing on the cake. He was such a sadistic creep. His perversions were legendary. Lavender had watched with confusion the hot portal that swum with Gryffindor colours and had seen those she most despised have their heads kicked into it like they were footballs.
This Iris seemed to think she was in some sort of game. Lavender had watched one by one as the cruel elite rich were judged, found guilty and disposed of by the most impressive powerful black magic she had ever felt. This Iris seemed to know her very well. She had asked her for bruise ointment. They were not allowed to carry anything to ease any pain. When the penny seemed to drop for this version of Iris Black that this wasn't a game, Lavender had been transfixed. This Iris was a Gryffindor. Her house. She mentioned the names of people they were forbidden to talk about. Harry. Ron. Neville.
She had been carried along with the others to the infirmary where she watched Iris ask if they wanted a way out. Hermione had been first. When she watched her friend disappear into the mirror Lavender had felt she was dreaming. The glazed looks on the faces of the others suggested the same. Well. Seeing this was the loveliest dream she could remember having she simply went along with the others.
Iris had taken her hands. Given her a big smile and said it was good to see her. She had been pulled through a mirror, a swirl of colours and strange sounds as she then arrived in a cell. The sight of Sirius looking at her in amazement cemented the fact that this was the right thing to do. There was nothing left for her on her planet. If the other men were half as nice as this one here then it was the best day of her life. The Angel left her feeling a sort of peace.
Hermione had passed out. Understandable. Lavender herself was wobbling with nerves. Using a combination of portkeys and portals the survivors and astounded Aurors made their way back to Britain.
Lavender had started crying when she saw the front doors of Greengrass Manor. This had been burnt to the ground several years ago in her world.
Seeing two Daphne's and two Astoria's together wasn't even the strangest thing she had witnessed that day. She had been told this world was having the same problems they had already lived through. Her counterpart had been killed defending Hogwarts. She was told gently that it was up to her if she wanted to contact her family here. It was freaky stuff. Parvati was still alive in this world. She was already ready to see her. She would give her some time to settle in. It would be different, they had warned her. This was a different version of her best friend. Lavender had nodded along. If this Parvati was even a little like her Parvati she would be extremely happy.
Iris had come into the room where she was with the Greengrass sisters with a very healthy looking Hermione. Lavender hadn't even blinked, so surreal was this day. When Iris said she was giving them all the Black beauty spell that was the moment the floodgates opened. She had forgotten the emotion of happiness. It hit her like a truck.
It was this new Hermione who held her close. Lavender had sunk into her arms and for the first time in years fell asleep with a smile on her face.
Dawn and Gareth had both been taken aback by their two new daughters arriving, but as they were very well mannered they had accepted the news with as much quiet dignity as possible.
They had all been horrified by their unkempt appearance.
Their poised, immaculate and well dressed alters could not keep the emotions at bay as they stared in the deepest sympathy at their twins. Tears glistening at the harsh, unforgiving images in front of them.
Gareth was almost frantic as he made plans, 'Dawn. Daphne. Astoria. I cannot emphasise how important this is. Your mission is to bring our two new daughters back into the land of civilisation. First things first. Call Fabio now. This can't wait.'
Dawn ran over to the floo in her urgency to help.
'Their hair must be healed. It's shocking. This is essential. Then take them clothes shopping in the morning. Immediately, after breakfast. Go to Oxford Street.'
Gareth reached into his wallet and thrust a platinum credit card onto the table.
'Take my card. Spend as much as you can in the best clothes shops. Nothing off the rack. I forbid it. Then buy make-up. Quality Perfume. Buy some expensive, tasteful jewellery. Goodness. The Greengrass family does not have split ends. It simply isn't acceptable. If you don't look good, you don't feel good. It's very simple,'
His family nodded in earnest agreement with Gareth's wisdom.
The tatty versions of Daphne and Astoria had sobbed in pure relief. They wrapped their arms around Gareth and wept, 'Thank you, other daddy,' they had both murmured as Gareth held them close. He was so angry at their treatment and vowed again to do what he could to help defeat Riddle.
'It's all been so wretched,' Daphne sobbed to her extended family, 'Thank you so much for this. I can't remember the last time I went to a salon. We haven't been to the spa in years.'
Astoria had big fat tears running down her cheeks as Dawn moved over to give them warm hugs as the Daphne and Astoria from this world held their hands over their mouths in horror as the realities of Riddle winning the war became emblazoned on their distraught minds and fortified their resolve. Death would be preferable to that desolate existence.
The tatty Greengrass sisters both had joyful tears running down their cheeks as Gareth handed the new Daphne another platinum card.
'I want you to use it all up. Max it,' Gareth said to her in urgency, 'Actually. Here, take another one Astoria. This is critical. I never thought things would get so bad that any Greengrass would be forced into H and M's cheap clothing. Merlin. What next? Where does the humiliation end? Tesco essentials?! A bad perm? No. That is too horrifying to even contemplate. Too twisted even for Riddle. Never again, darlings.'
They were the most soothing words either of them had heard in a very long time and what both of them needed to hear. This world may be on the fast track to dystopia, but at least, for now, sanity prevailed at Greengrass Manor. This version of their mum and dad was very alike to their own. Well, before the house fire and bombing.
The survivor Greengrass sisters had watched Iris give their father a big hug in astonishment. The only time the other Iris had visited the Manor was to help burn it down. They had no proof that Iris was responsible for the bombing but she had smirked at them the whole day when they received the news of their parent's death. This Iris was a different person. They could see that in her eyes. Daphne watched her counterpart sit chatting with her other-self. She noticed the identical snake rings swirl on the fingers on their left hands. A sister thing then. Merlin, it was so good to be back in their tastefully decorated home. The magic that flowed from this Iris was so different from the one from her planet.
Daphne was very astute. She had noticed the close magical bond immediately between Iris and this world's Hermione. She had kept her mouth quietly shut. Never would she have thought Granger would have been Black's type. They had been nothing but antagonistic to each other in her world. Till the last year when Riddle had finally killed the boy who lived and all hope was gone. The other Iris had revelled in tormenting Hermione. One of the few of Harry Potter's last friends left alive in their world. But this was a whole new world. Things were very different here to their world. For the better, she thought confidently. She looked at her new sisters. Weird. Very weird. But so good.
They had been told to relax for now.
Daphne intended to do just that. She heard the floo go into action. Fabio was here. Daphne and Astoria smiled gratefully. The moment the shampoo hit her their heads they knew they would start to feel like actual human beings again.
The Grangers had bided their time before meeting this version of Hermione. It was one thing to meet friends. Quite another to meet the family. They knew this new Hermione needed a bit of time to adjust so they arranged a meeting for the very next day.
At this point of Hermione's Hogwarts education, the Granger's admitted defeat and just went with the flow as their world deviated from one point of absurdity and madness to another.
The thin Hermione had been looked over and healed properly by Gabriel and felt much better than she had for a long time. Seeing very similar versions of Ron, Harry and Ginny again had given her a much-needed boost. They seemed much the same as they had in her world. Although not nearly so broken down as they had been in her world in the end. She had fallen asleep surrounded by her beloved books and had drifted into a deep sleep for the first time in a long time.
The next day saw two nervous Hermione's sitting in the drawing-room waiting for the Grangers.
'Are you sure you're ready for this?' Hermione had asked her thin counterpart.
'No. But I miss my own family so much. It will just be nice to see their faces.'
'Just remember they are all now twenty-five years old. Because you know. None of this is weird enough already for any of us.'
They had both smiled at that.
Hermione had patted the bony fingers of her twin and had waited patiently.
They heard the gentle knock at the door.
'Come in,' they both said at the same time.
Michael, Eleanor and Elsie Granger entered the room and stood in the centre as they looked at both Hermione's.
Elsie put her hand to her mouth and walked over to the thin Hermione, 'Oh, my baby. What did they do to you?' she then said something else in german as they watched the new Hermione's mouth quiver with emotion. They watched the thin girl open her arms up as Elsie wrapped herself around the slender girl. That was that. The Grangers let their stiff upper lip down and hugged it out with each other.
It was a while later that they sat down, each with a cup of tea, to talk.
The thinner Hermione was feeling stronger with each minute. Family. She had felt herself come back together.
'You all look so young,'' she said in amazement.
'Equilibrium, my dear,' Elsie said proudly, 'And I feel twenty-five too. It certainly came in bloody useful. We were out there fighting too in the week war. I paired up with a savage Demon by the name of Elizir and we went on a rampage together. I helped bring down three of the Nazi scum in Bond Street. He tore their heads right off,' she proudly showed her the scar on her leg, 'I'm very proud to have done my bit. Your mother ran over a Death Eater in her Saab and Michael put a bullet in his head. Ha. That served the bastard right. Death by Muggles!'
The thin Hermione couldn't help but grin, 'You did that?' she whispered.
The Grangers nodded, 'After watching Iris throw five of them into Hell in less than a minute and watching them wet themselves they kind of lost their terrifying edge. They are just men at the end of the day. Very shitty men but still human. They can die just like us,' Michael said in a strong voice.
She looked at the healthy version of her in confusion. Hermione told her what had happened at Kings Cross.
'Five of them? Silver snakes? Your Iris kills Death Eaters?' she clarified.
The Grangers nodded, 'She saved our lives and made us young again. She's a good lass. She's always looking out for our Hermione here,' Elsie said.
Thin Hermione nodded. This Iris was so different to one she had known. She had saved the Granger family from Death Eaters. Ok. Not her actual family but still. Her family. Different but the same people. They looked the same. Smelt the same. Were the same. Well, these Grangers were a bit more bolshy. Hermione stared at this version of her mum and pictured her running down Death Eaters in the family car that she used for shopping at Waitrose. She felt a rush go through her. Her own family hadn't stood a chance. They had been murdered in their beds.
They spent hours talking. They showed her the newspapers and the reports of that week and all that had happened since. Hermione drank in all this new information. Occasionally glancing at her counterpart. She didn't mention the magical bonding. She assumed they were keeping it quiet while all this other stuff was going on. This was more than enough for one day. The Grangers were still living at the Manor.
'We're just waiting for the new smeg fridge, darling. The war has caused some delays with fridge production but it's getting there. Once that's done we can move back home,' Eleanor looked at her Hermione who gave a slight tilt of her head.
'You would be more than welcome to live with us,' Eleanor said gently, 'If you want to come home, please do. It's been rebuilt but it's on the same street. We'd love to have you.'
Michael and Elsie gave her encouraging smiles as Hermione felt her chin start to wobble.
'We can put a bookshelf up for you. As big as you like. As many as you like. And they have expanded the library down the road,' Michael said.
Hermione burst into tears at these innocuous statements of normality as she ran up to them. The group hugs continued for a long time before they sat back down again.
Crookshanks came into the room with his arrogant swagger and jumped onto the thin Hermione immediately. His head then turned to the other Hermione as he looked back and forth in confusion. He sniffed her. Then it looked like he shrugged as he stretched and sat back down curling up.
Both Hermione's looked down at this cat in thought.
'Did you have a cat in the other place?' Hermione asked the new arrival curiously.
She shook her head, 'We dare not bring out pets to school by the third year. Pets went missing at Hogwarts,' she said in a bitter tone, 'But I saw this cat in the pet shop in Diagon Alley. I really wanted him but I decided not to get him. It was safer for him away from that place.'
Hermione patted her softly as Crookshanks purred, 'We can share him. He's part kneazle. He's super smart. He likes you already.'
'Thanks,' Hermione told her with a smile as she stroked the cat.
'Um,' Michael said, 'With you being so alike and having the same name have you decided how you're going to deal with that?'
They both shrugged, 'We're not going to shorten our names. We both refuse to be called Mione,' they both nodded at the same time.
'I'm not pandering to sheer bone idleness,' the thin Hermione said.
The Grangers grinned.
'How about one of you using your middle name? Or Granger?' Michael suggested.
They both sighed, 'I suppose you may well be right. It will get a little bothersome after a while,' the healthy Hermione said as she pursed her lips, 'I'll be Granger in public. You can be Hermione.'
Thin Hermione nodded her thanks, 'I'll let Daphne and Astoria know. They can work something similar out.'
The evening was getting darker as the Grangers left them to talk.
'Are you friends with the Greengrass sisters?' Hermione asked her thin counterpart curiously.
Hermione paused, 'We were never enemies or anything. We became closer over time due to circumstances. They both tried to stay out of things but they were dragged into it. Iris had her head filled with lies. She had been told the Greengrass family didn't want her and had chucked her away like rubbish. No one could convince her otherwise. Their father had tried everything to get her back. The records had been destroyed. There was no proof he did any of that. Iris targeted them almost as much as she did Harry and us. Merlin. It was horrendous. From day one she was after them but she was so underhand about it all. She had been so demure when she started at Hogwarts. Polite. Nice. It was her eyes that told us differently. As time went by she became worse. She got what she wanted in the end. She destroyed them all. Took everything from them. Their Manor. Their family. Every business they owned was destroyed. She was vicious. All Daphne and Astoria had at the end were the rags on their back. She kept them alive so she could gloat every day at them. Her own blood and she did that to them.'
Hermione felt a chill run up her spine.
Thin Hermione paused, 'She was raised by Riddle. He twisted her. Warped her. I don't even want to contemplate what her childhood was. Memory charms and lies would be the least of it. She grew up with Bellatrix LeStrange. All of the worst Death Eaters who had been on trial and escaped. Your Iris would have been the same with that upbringing. I think anyone would be damaged permanently.'
Hermione flinched at the dodged bullet, 'Thank Merlin she wasn't then,' she said shortly, 'What was she like with Harry?'
Hermione sighed, 'Distant for the first few years. Things always seemed to go wrong for him though. He had an owl, Hedwig. Ugh. It's disturbing to even think about it. He loved that owl. In the third year, he found her in the owlery utterly destroyed. She had been ripped apart. His broom was destroyed. Things like that. Anything he owned or anyone he cared about was hurt. His friends, his belongings. Hagrid's hut was burnt down. We would be attacked from behind. From corners. Nothing anyone could connect to her. But, we all knew who it was. She pushed Draco into ending it. Always berating him. Humiliating him in public. It was embarrassing to watch. I didn't even like him but she was so hard on him. She would call him weak and pathetic when he wouldn't join in the bullying of Neville. The Slytherins hadn't started all bad but by the third year, most of them had all changed for the worse. We could feel their magic getting even more warped. Except for Daphne, who I swear, I haven't seen a smile in years from her. Tracey was one of the students that disappeared in our third year. She was her best friend.'
Hermione frowned, 'It has been so different here. I can't believe Neville was bullied at school. Of course. His parents. Gabriel and Iris fixed them up here.'
She explained the other differences in her world.
'Pansy's here?' Hermione said in fear, 'She's awful.'
Hermione gave a wry grin, 'She's a cow in this world too, but not like she was in yours. Iris reached out to her when we were young. Showed her a different path. Pansy was one of those defending the castle. She helped buy them some time to get the young ones to Valinor in safety. She put her life on the line to do that,' on her counterparts questioning look she explained about the elves home near Hogwarts.
'How is it so different? I never thought Pansy had it in her to do something honourable like that.'
Hermione thought hard, 'Iris could always access both black and white magic. I think some of the Equi magic rubbed off on the Slytherins over time. A lot of the Slytherins here turned their backs on Riddle and joined the Order. It has made the Order a lot stronger. Pansy is good friends with Daphne. The Greengrass family adopted her when the Parkinsons threw her out. She's staying with Milicent at the moment. The Bulstrode's have been great. You know, they bring the brute force. They took in a lot of people at their farm after the week war. People who had had their homes damaged. Helped them get back on their feet,' the other Hermione was intrigued by this.
'Draco took our side because he knew Iris's black magic was purer and better than Riddle's. He knew it was a small hope but it was still better to stand with his cousin than with Riddle. Narcissa turned to Iris too. It cost Narcissa her life but she knew the risks. They had both made peace with their choices before she was killed by Riddle. Iris takes Draco to visit her on occasion.'
'Narcissa Malfoy turned against Riddle here?' Hermione gasped out loud.
Hermione nodded, 'It helped that the Black family had been reunited. They had allied with the Weasley and Greengrass families. It made a huge difference here. A lot of the old families joined them then. Andromeda and Bellatrix swung it for Narcissa. Riddle had taken the Horcrux off Bella's neck that had been corrupting her mind. She knew he was a Half-blood, the papers were going crazy about everything. Riddle had lost his magic. He wasn't a threat anymore and they got braver and he must have known Bella was going to go off on one because of it. The cup wasn't safe with her. I'm not sure what changed in your world with her. He got his magic back sooner. Maybe he had a chance to get to her at the Ministry and do a memory charm or spell on her before the trial. He could have put her under the Imperius to control her. Everything diverted at the ritual. The butterfly effect can have unforeseen consequences. He had to make fast decisions at the time in our world. In your world, he had more freedom to plan. He knew his secret was out of the bag by then. He knew Regulus had taken one of them. He wanted to keep them all safe,'
The new Hermione nodded. She had read the reports of the other trial and how it differed completely from their own trial. The number of Horcruxes this world had successfully destroyed was staggering to her, 'Rita Skeeter was killed at Walburga's with the others. It wasn't common knowledge that Riddle is a Half-blood in our world. Albus told us it had all got hushed up in the mess that week. No journalist dared report anything about Tom's blood status after that night. Not after what happened to Rita. Bella may not have found out in time in your world. By the time she found out the truth, the Horcrux would have had full control of her. She could still fight it at that time.'
Hermione considered this, 'Narcissa was very pissed off at Riddle for what he had done to her sister. She was worried about Draco too. She could see what it was doing to him. She was vital as well. She gave us a Horcrux of Riddle's that has taken us one step closer to ending this.'
Hermione whistled in shock, 'Never, ever would I have believed that woman had any good in her.'
'Yes. Well, She did. She made it to Equilibrium here. So. Yeah. She does.'
'After Draco poisoned himself she went off the deep end. She became almost as bad as Bellatrix.'
'Choices. Dumbledore always says that what it comes down to in the end.'
'Draco didn't have a choice in our world. A lot of them didn't,' Hermione said with a dawning awareness, 'Riddle's magic twisted them all.'
'Iris made all the difference here for them. Well, the ring did too. I mean, when she dragged Nott back from Hell and had bought Lucifer with her, that sealed the deal for most of them. Slytherins like it hardcore. Iris bought it in barrels. Lucifer has his own fan club at Hogwarts. He makes the odd public appearance. Lots of squealing Slytherin girls. He signs autographs for them.'
Hermione snorted, 'No. Really? Please, tell me all about that.'
They continued to talk long into the night. And the next one.