Chapter 7
Opposites Attack
For the rest of the day, all of the students at Hogwarts Castle were snickering and laughing at the sight of Malfoy hanging off the Quidditch goalposts. Most of the house groups, particularly Gryffindor, were producing jokes about how he may have tied himself up there to become taller, even Ron joined in the fun. Harry on the other hand wasn't amused at all. He knew who had done it. He even attempted to tell Hermione and Ron that it was Past Harry that had done it, but Ron was too busy crying his eyes out with laughter and Hermione was fretting about how that could have been Harry hanging up there and not Malfoy.
For some time before the holidays, there was an empty seat in classes with the Slytherins. Malfoy was still in the hospital wing being treated for major shock, and was only released just before Christmas. There were also frequent annoying problems. Ron had begun to take his pet rat Scabbers with him everywhere, then losing him and spending countless hours searching for him again. Hermione on the other hand, before she went home for Christmas, started running around asking all her teachers to give her extra assignments and homework to do while she was away. She had always repeated to Ron and Harry to stick together during the holidays now that the Past Harry had the Time-Turner again.
On the morning that Hermione was leaving for home, she hauled her bags into the Common Room, to find Harry and Ron watching Ron's twin brothers, Fred and George, stack a house of cards using exploding snap cards, which was always more fun because they could explode at any given moment. Hermione hissed at them both, and they turned to face her.
'Listen you two! You have to....'
'....Stick together, right?' Harry mumbled,
'Yes, I'm going to keep in touch with you. If anything bad happens then you have to send Hedwig and tell me, ok?' She ordered back,
'Ok, ok' Harry and Ron rolled their eyes.
One of the cards that Fred had just placed on the top exploded, causing all of the others to blow up in his face. Ron and Harry chuckled at Fred and George's black sooty faces.
'Hey, Hermione, do you think you could stop over at Hogsmeade for us and pick up a few.......treats?' Fred chirped and Hermione eyed him cautiously,
'No, I'm spending Christmas in Australia with my parents! So I won't be here'
'Australia?!' Ron bellowed but Hermione wasn't surprised.
'Please don't do anything harsh Ron!'
'Just because I found the Malfoy hanging hilarious doesn't mean I want it to happen again.......well it would be even funnier.....'
Hermione ignored him and said goodbye to them both, leaving the room through the portrait hole. Ron and Harry glanced at each other with boredom and continued watching the twins build their house all over again. In the middle of the night, they were both still sitting in the Common Room, enjoying the burning fire. According to Harry and Ron, the entire day without Hermione was very boring. She was normally with them making up some stupid story about how they always forget to do their homework. They missed this, for the first time at Hogwarts, they actually missed Hermione fussing over them.
But, one quiet lonely night in the Common Room, Harry and Ron were discussing the events that had happened the year before.
'Do you really think that Nicholas Flamel died?' Asked Harry, who was staring directly into the fireplace,
'I suppose that he ran out of elixir after they destroyed the stone. Darn shame' Ron replied, a bored tone in his voice, 'I wanted to try some'
'Ron, you would have died!' Harry told him but Ron just shrugged,
'But living to see the future? Flying cars, talking dogs, dead Malfoy...'
Harry just stared at him naively,
'Talking dogs? You know that'll never happen' He replied, Ron smiled back,
'Always good to think so'
As Ron trailing off they heard a loud booming noise. It appeared to be coming from the hallways underneath the Gryffindor Tower. It sounded like the caretaker, Filch. He was always angry at things, especially if it messed up the castle halls. This time it was different. He sounded really angry this time, and it worried Harry. He remembered the incident in Potions when Filch accused him of kicking Mrs. Norris his cat.
'THIS IS THE LAST TIME!! YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR!!' Filch was yelling,
Ron and Harry quickly glanced at each other, got up and stood just outside the portrait hole, to hear better.
'YOU AREN'T SO GREAT NOW ARE YOU?! YOU LITTLE BRAT!! COME 'ERE!! I'LL BEAT YOU!! YOU'VE ABUSED MY CAT FOR THE LAST TIME AND YOU'LL PAY!!'
'Who do you think it is?' Harry questioned Ron,
'Maybe he's talking in his sleep?' Ron grinned back, and Harry chuckled.
'YOU WERE CURSED WEREN'T YOU?? I KNEW IT! 'ARRY POTTER THE BOY WHO WAS CURSED!!'
Harry and Ron stared at each other, a look of complete surprise on their faces.
'It's him!' They both said in unison, and bolted off down the staircases, following the screaming.
'COME ON BRING IT ON YOU BRAT!! YOU AREN'T SO TOUGH NOW ARE YOU POTTER!!?'
They continued running until they caught up to the sound. Filch was standing in the middle of a deserted hallway which evidently lead to another unknown room. No one was at the other end, yet Filch continued yelling and screaming. Harry and Ron hid behind a stone statuette torch and watched only from that spot.
'COME OUT NOW YOU COWARDLY BRAT!! WHY DO THEY CALL YOU GREAT IF YOU CAN'T STAND UP FOR YOURSELF, 'UH??!'
Harry noticed that the old girls toilets were on the other side of the hall where Filch was standing. Hermione told them that these toilets were originally the home of Moaning Myrtle the ghost that haunted them, and is always upset. They continued to listen. The end of the hallway was dark, so Ron and Harry couldn't see whether there was a person there or not.
'I swear he's nuts!' Ron whispered to him,
'Maybe he's sleepwalking!' Harry whispered back,
Filch just stood and stared at the darkness, not moving an inch, but still yelling.
'WHAT??!! YOU'RE AFRAID!!??'
'I'm not afraid of a bloody old hag like you' Harry's soft voice came from the other end of the hallway. Harry and Ron gawked at each other. It was the Past Harry.
'It's him! It's the other one of......you know......me!' Harry cried in silence,
'He kicked Mrs. Norris?! I was hoping it would be someone like Malfoy!' Ron replied hesitantly, but Harry wasn't amused. They continued to listen.
'WHY? LITTLE OL' 'ARRY POTTER CAN SPEAK!!' Filch cried, a sarcastic tone in his voice.
'Keep on pushing it and you'll be marrying your fu***ing cat!!' Past Harry said again quietly from the other end, still concealed in the shadows.
Harry and Ron were shocked at the language that the other Harry used, but kept listening carefully.
'OOOOOOH, I THINK I'LL TAKE YOU TO THE HEADMASTER FOR THAT LANGUAGE MISTER!!'
'I don't think that's a good idea old fart, don't mess with me! I have more power than your fu***ing little brain can handle!'
'YOU REALLY ARE A BASTARD, AREN'T YOU POTTER??' Filch added,
'DON'T MAKE IT WORSE FOR YOURSELF!!' Past Harry barked back at him, and there was a short pause.
'PUT THAT DOWN! A BOY OF YOUR INTELLIGENCE WOULDN'T KNOW HOW TO USE IT!' Filch began chuckling at his own joke, but he knew he was utterly wrong.
'Well, well, now who's trembling??' Past Harry told him,
'Now, Mr. Potter if I forget this ever happened then maybe you'll let me live??' He asked, Another short pause silenced the hallway.
'Why should I?? Your cat is a bother with or without you. Either way it won't make a difference'
Filch began to fall to his knees, as if he was going to beg him not to kill him, 'That's not true, Mrs. Norris is a great friend to me Mr. Potter' Filch replied,
'That's amazing! Filch actually is calling him by that name!' Ron whispered to Harry, and he nodded back.
'Give me one good reason why I shouldn't punish you and your cat?' Past Harry continued,
Filch looked up into the shadows at the other Harry and paused,
'I have done nothing to hurt you Mr. Potter. I can even tell Dumbledore to give Gryffindor 100 points!' Filch cried, but nothing followed but the sound of laughing.
'Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, that's all you've got?? A man such as yourself should have more connections than that! You are the caretaker after all' Harry had said, and Filch didn't know what to say, 'Hmm, it's seems that Harry Potter the boy that lived, is about to become Harry Potter the boy that lives to kill'
At that very moment, the other Harry stepped out of the shadows, and stood over Filch.
He looked absolutely identical to the original Harry, except for the fact that there was a very evil look in his eyes. He still had the bandage on his head from where he was hit by the rouge bludger. He grabbed the end of it and unwound it from around his skull. Rolling it up into a ball and throwing it at Filch, still grovelling on the floor, he inspected the scar that was clearly there on the side of his head.
'I guess playing out that I was the older Harry, did some good. I sure hope Flint liked his gift' He chuckled a wicked grin on his face,
Harry and Ron gawked at each other again,
'Flint? Oh, right he hit the bludger at him' Harry whispered,
'I still can't get over this!' Ron shrieked silently, 'There are two of you!'
'Yeah but this one is my evil half, I can tell. He's really smart!' Harry replied,
The Harry bent over Filch and pointed the end of his wand straight into the back of his head.
'Do you like cats, Mr. Filch??' He creepily asked him,
'..................No, definitely not Mr. Potter!! I hate the mongrels!! They're a disgrace to our society!!....'
'....and now tell me what I want to hear.....' Harry continued, Filch paused for a moment until he poked the wand into his head harder.
'I will kill Mrs. Norris for you Mr. Potter!'
'STOP CALLING ME THAT!!'
'I'm very sorry.......' Filch didn't know what to call him,
'Well.....'
'I will kill that cat for you sir!' He replied still trembling,
Harry removed the wand from deep in his skull, and pointed into the darkness.
'Go now!! Get rid of that vermin! I want to you to hang it on the wall when you're done. It will make a good wall ornament'
Harry and Ron looked at each other in surprise and knelt down to hide better. 'Yes, yes, as you wish' Filch got up nervously and trudged into the darkness.
The Harry stared at his wand for a short moment and grinned. He shook his head a few times, turned around and a huge flash of light shot out of his wand, hitting Filch, making him fall to the floor.
'Times Up!' He said snickering evilly and pocketed his wand, 'I'll have to do it myself now, shit!'
And with that he walked off into the black night, kicking the obviously dead Filch as he went, and laughing to himself.
Ron and Harry bolted out from their hiding spot after a short while, and checked on Filch. He was dead. 'I'd really like to kick the crap out of that Harry!!' Ron cried,
'I don't understand. Why would he do this? Is he really that bad??' Harry questioned,
'Harry, he's your other side. The evil one. You are good, you never kill anyone. Him on the other hand, by the sounds of it, lives to kill' Ron replied,
Harry paused for a short moment or two and looked down the corridor that had no lighting.
'We better go and tell Dumbledore about this' Harry said, until they heard footsteps, coming from the same place that the other Harry left.
They raced to the other end of the hall and his in the same spot. As predicted, the other Harry waltzed around the corridor and stopped at the girls toilet door. He looked as if he was thinking about something, and counting.
'What is he doing?? Why is he going into the toilets?' Ron whispered,
'Ha ha! Master Voldemort will be pleased!' He muttered to himself, opening the door and entering. Harry and Ron were completely shocked.
For the rest of the day, all of the students at Hogwarts Castle were snickering and laughing at the sight of Malfoy hanging off the Quidditch goalposts. Most of the house groups, particularly Gryffindor, were producing jokes about how he may have tied himself up there to become taller, even Ron joined in the fun. Harry on the other hand wasn't amused at all. He knew who had done it. He even attempted to tell Hermione and Ron that it was Past Harry that had done it, but Ron was too busy crying his eyes out with laughter and Hermione was fretting about how that could have been Harry hanging up there and not Malfoy.
For some time before the holidays, there was an empty seat in classes with the Slytherins. Malfoy was still in the hospital wing being treated for major shock, and was only released just before Christmas. There were also frequent annoying problems. Ron had begun to take his pet rat Scabbers with him everywhere, then losing him and spending countless hours searching for him again. Hermione on the other hand, before she went home for Christmas, started running around asking all her teachers to give her extra assignments and homework to do while she was away. She had always repeated to Ron and Harry to stick together during the holidays now that the Past Harry had the Time-Turner again.
On the morning that Hermione was leaving for home, she hauled her bags into the Common Room, to find Harry and Ron watching Ron's twin brothers, Fred and George, stack a house of cards using exploding snap cards, which was always more fun because they could explode at any given moment. Hermione hissed at them both, and they turned to face her.
'Listen you two! You have to....'
'....Stick together, right?' Harry mumbled,
'Yes, I'm going to keep in touch with you. If anything bad happens then you have to send Hedwig and tell me, ok?' She ordered back,
'Ok, ok' Harry and Ron rolled their eyes.
One of the cards that Fred had just placed on the top exploded, causing all of the others to blow up in his face. Ron and Harry chuckled at Fred and George's black sooty faces.
'Hey, Hermione, do you think you could stop over at Hogsmeade for us and pick up a few.......treats?' Fred chirped and Hermione eyed him cautiously,
'No, I'm spending Christmas in Australia with my parents! So I won't be here'
'Australia?!' Ron bellowed but Hermione wasn't surprised.
'Please don't do anything harsh Ron!'
'Just because I found the Malfoy hanging hilarious doesn't mean I want it to happen again.......well it would be even funnier.....'
Hermione ignored him and said goodbye to them both, leaving the room through the portrait hole. Ron and Harry glanced at each other with boredom and continued watching the twins build their house all over again. In the middle of the night, they were both still sitting in the Common Room, enjoying the burning fire. According to Harry and Ron, the entire day without Hermione was very boring. She was normally with them making up some stupid story about how they always forget to do their homework. They missed this, for the first time at Hogwarts, they actually missed Hermione fussing over them.
But, one quiet lonely night in the Common Room, Harry and Ron were discussing the events that had happened the year before.
'Do you really think that Nicholas Flamel died?' Asked Harry, who was staring directly into the fireplace,
'I suppose that he ran out of elixir after they destroyed the stone. Darn shame' Ron replied, a bored tone in his voice, 'I wanted to try some'
'Ron, you would have died!' Harry told him but Ron just shrugged,
'But living to see the future? Flying cars, talking dogs, dead Malfoy...'
Harry just stared at him naively,
'Talking dogs? You know that'll never happen' He replied, Ron smiled back,
'Always good to think so'
As Ron trailing off they heard a loud booming noise. It appeared to be coming from the hallways underneath the Gryffindor Tower. It sounded like the caretaker, Filch. He was always angry at things, especially if it messed up the castle halls. This time it was different. He sounded really angry this time, and it worried Harry. He remembered the incident in Potions when Filch accused him of kicking Mrs. Norris his cat.
'THIS IS THE LAST TIME!! YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR!!' Filch was yelling,
Ron and Harry quickly glanced at each other, got up and stood just outside the portrait hole, to hear better.
'YOU AREN'T SO GREAT NOW ARE YOU?! YOU LITTLE BRAT!! COME 'ERE!! I'LL BEAT YOU!! YOU'VE ABUSED MY CAT FOR THE LAST TIME AND YOU'LL PAY!!'
'Who do you think it is?' Harry questioned Ron,
'Maybe he's talking in his sleep?' Ron grinned back, and Harry chuckled.
'YOU WERE CURSED WEREN'T YOU?? I KNEW IT! 'ARRY POTTER THE BOY WHO WAS CURSED!!'
Harry and Ron stared at each other, a look of complete surprise on their faces.
'It's him!' They both said in unison, and bolted off down the staircases, following the screaming.
'COME ON BRING IT ON YOU BRAT!! YOU AREN'T SO TOUGH NOW ARE YOU POTTER!!?'
They continued running until they caught up to the sound. Filch was standing in the middle of a deserted hallway which evidently lead to another unknown room. No one was at the other end, yet Filch continued yelling and screaming. Harry and Ron hid behind a stone statuette torch and watched only from that spot.
'COME OUT NOW YOU COWARDLY BRAT!! WHY DO THEY CALL YOU GREAT IF YOU CAN'T STAND UP FOR YOURSELF, 'UH??!'
Harry noticed that the old girls toilets were on the other side of the hall where Filch was standing. Hermione told them that these toilets were originally the home of Moaning Myrtle the ghost that haunted them, and is always upset. They continued to listen. The end of the hallway was dark, so Ron and Harry couldn't see whether there was a person there or not.
'I swear he's nuts!' Ron whispered to him,
'Maybe he's sleepwalking!' Harry whispered back,
Filch just stood and stared at the darkness, not moving an inch, but still yelling.
'WHAT??!! YOU'RE AFRAID!!??'
'I'm not afraid of a bloody old hag like you' Harry's soft voice came from the other end of the hallway. Harry and Ron gawked at each other. It was the Past Harry.
'It's him! It's the other one of......you know......me!' Harry cried in silence,
'He kicked Mrs. Norris?! I was hoping it would be someone like Malfoy!' Ron replied hesitantly, but Harry wasn't amused. They continued to listen.
'WHY? LITTLE OL' 'ARRY POTTER CAN SPEAK!!' Filch cried, a sarcastic tone in his voice.
'Keep on pushing it and you'll be marrying your fu***ing cat!!' Past Harry said again quietly from the other end, still concealed in the shadows.
Harry and Ron were shocked at the language that the other Harry used, but kept listening carefully.
'OOOOOOH, I THINK I'LL TAKE YOU TO THE HEADMASTER FOR THAT LANGUAGE MISTER!!'
'I don't think that's a good idea old fart, don't mess with me! I have more power than your fu***ing little brain can handle!'
'YOU REALLY ARE A BASTARD, AREN'T YOU POTTER??' Filch added,
'DON'T MAKE IT WORSE FOR YOURSELF!!' Past Harry barked back at him, and there was a short pause.
'PUT THAT DOWN! A BOY OF YOUR INTELLIGENCE WOULDN'T KNOW HOW TO USE IT!' Filch began chuckling at his own joke, but he knew he was utterly wrong.
'Well, well, now who's trembling??' Past Harry told him,
'Now, Mr. Potter if I forget this ever happened then maybe you'll let me live??' He asked, Another short pause silenced the hallway.
'Why should I?? Your cat is a bother with or without you. Either way it won't make a difference'
Filch began to fall to his knees, as if he was going to beg him not to kill him, 'That's not true, Mrs. Norris is a great friend to me Mr. Potter' Filch replied,
'That's amazing! Filch actually is calling him by that name!' Ron whispered to Harry, and he nodded back.
'Give me one good reason why I shouldn't punish you and your cat?' Past Harry continued,
Filch looked up into the shadows at the other Harry and paused,
'I have done nothing to hurt you Mr. Potter. I can even tell Dumbledore to give Gryffindor 100 points!' Filch cried, but nothing followed but the sound of laughing.
'Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, that's all you've got?? A man such as yourself should have more connections than that! You are the caretaker after all' Harry had said, and Filch didn't know what to say, 'Hmm, it's seems that Harry Potter the boy that lived, is about to become Harry Potter the boy that lives to kill'
At that very moment, the other Harry stepped out of the shadows, and stood over Filch.
He looked absolutely identical to the original Harry, except for the fact that there was a very evil look in his eyes. He still had the bandage on his head from where he was hit by the rouge bludger. He grabbed the end of it and unwound it from around his skull. Rolling it up into a ball and throwing it at Filch, still grovelling on the floor, he inspected the scar that was clearly there on the side of his head.
'I guess playing out that I was the older Harry, did some good. I sure hope Flint liked his gift' He chuckled a wicked grin on his face,
Harry and Ron gawked at each other again,
'Flint? Oh, right he hit the bludger at him' Harry whispered,
'I still can't get over this!' Ron shrieked silently, 'There are two of you!'
'Yeah but this one is my evil half, I can tell. He's really smart!' Harry replied,
The Harry bent over Filch and pointed the end of his wand straight into the back of his head.
'Do you like cats, Mr. Filch??' He creepily asked him,
'..................No, definitely not Mr. Potter!! I hate the mongrels!! They're a disgrace to our society!!....'
'....and now tell me what I want to hear.....' Harry continued, Filch paused for a moment until he poked the wand into his head harder.
'I will kill Mrs. Norris for you Mr. Potter!'
'STOP CALLING ME THAT!!'
'I'm very sorry.......' Filch didn't know what to call him,
'Well.....'
'I will kill that cat for you sir!' He replied still trembling,
Harry removed the wand from deep in his skull, and pointed into the darkness.
'Go now!! Get rid of that vermin! I want to you to hang it on the wall when you're done. It will make a good wall ornament'
Harry and Ron looked at each other in surprise and knelt down to hide better. 'Yes, yes, as you wish' Filch got up nervously and trudged into the darkness.
The Harry stared at his wand for a short moment and grinned. He shook his head a few times, turned around and a huge flash of light shot out of his wand, hitting Filch, making him fall to the floor.
'Times Up!' He said snickering evilly and pocketed his wand, 'I'll have to do it myself now, shit!'
And with that he walked off into the black night, kicking the obviously dead Filch as he went, and laughing to himself.
Ron and Harry bolted out from their hiding spot after a short while, and checked on Filch. He was dead. 'I'd really like to kick the crap out of that Harry!!' Ron cried,
'I don't understand. Why would he do this? Is he really that bad??' Harry questioned,
'Harry, he's your other side. The evil one. You are good, you never kill anyone. Him on the other hand, by the sounds of it, lives to kill' Ron replied,
Harry paused for a short moment or two and looked down the corridor that had no lighting.
'We better go and tell Dumbledore about this' Harry said, until they heard footsteps, coming from the same place that the other Harry left.
They raced to the other end of the hall and his in the same spot. As predicted, the other Harry waltzed around the corridor and stopped at the girls toilet door. He looked as if he was thinking about something, and counting.
'What is he doing?? Why is he going into the toilets?' Ron whispered,
'Ha ha! Master Voldemort will be pleased!' He muttered to himself, opening the door and entering. Harry and Ron were completely shocked.