Disclaimer: Professor Linguallus, Madam Dessin and Madam Clavier are mine but the other characters are property of J.K. Rowling. The locations are mainly Ms. Rowling's although I stake claim over my idea for the ceiling to be upside down, hence the world being the wrong way round.
A/N: Sorry that this has taken forever and a day. This is one of the longest chapters and I've now decided that there will have to be two more episodes. Chapter 14: Accept Reality will be the next instalment and then an epilogue will finish the story. Happy New Year everyone! Review if you want the next part.
The Parting of the Twain (PG – Padma and George)
Chapter 13: Defy Destiny
"Are you coming Parvati?" asked Hermione, patiently. Padma, not used to the name, did not immediately respond. "What's going on?" she muttered to "Fred".
"I dunno," he said, more to himself, than to her. He retorted to the only means of recovery he knew: humour. "Padma, I don't think we're in Hogwarts anymore."
She glared at him. "Well, I don't see any yellow brick road," she hissed.
"Parvati?" Hermione repeated, with more force.
"That's you," said George, nudging Padma.
"What?" Padma asked Hermione. "Oh yeah, coming." She turned back to George. "I'll see you in the morning…" she whispered. "Inshallah," she added to herself, silently.
As she turned away, George said in her ear, "Don't forget." He turned to walk with Harry and Padma made her way over to Hermione.
*
"This will be your room during your time here at Hogwarts," said Hermione. "Do you like it?"
"Oh yes," replied Padma with a rueful smile. It was the Gryffindor fifth year girls' dormitory.
"It reminds me of somewhere I know quite well," she added.
"I sleep over here," said Hermione, gesturing at a wall covered with posters of Celestina Warbeck and Harry. She was only half-listening to Padma; she was playing with her hair. "And that," she added with a regal air, "is where Lavender sleeps. She should be up soon."
Padma had already known the room's layout, of course, because she had been to her sister's dormitory many times, but she remained silent, noting the changes that had been made. The main one was that Hermione's revision timetables had gone and instead scarless Harry was there, winking and licking his lips at every opportunity. There was also one of Harry and Hermione, but Harry had been eyeing Padma up so openly that Hermione had slapped him and he had stormed off.
"So…" began Padma. "You and Harry been seeing each other long?"
Hermione smiled, sat down on her bed and flicked her highlighted hair back. "It's kind of a long story, but if you're not tired…"
"Believe me, sleeping is the last thing I feel like doing right now," said Padma, plainly.
"It all started at the fourth-year Yule Ball," gushed Hermione. "Harry's the star of the Quidditch team," she added proudly.
"Really?" asked Padma with genuine surprise. How was this opposite to the real Harry Potter?
"Yes!" replied Hermione, a little put out. "He was the youngest Seeker in over a…"
"Century," Padma finished for her. She tried to make an excuse. "He just doesn't seem the type to – to be a Seeker."
"Oh," replied Hermione, her smile back. "I know what you mean. I always say that he could be such a better Beater. He's so muscular – so sexy… mmm… yes…"
Padma, out of politeness, turned away and sat down on her own bed. Once Hermione had come to terms with the situation, Padma pursued her question.
"So what happened at the Yule Ball?"
Hermione looked heavenward and said in an ecstatic tone, "Well, we weren't really friends before the Ball – "
No, you wouldn't be, thought Padma, considering the real Hermione's relationship with Harry. "-But then, well, loads of people asked me to the Yule Ball. I mean including Neville. It was tough refusing him, of course, but unfortunately I had just accepted to go with Viktor Krum… I felt sorry for Viktor. First, he was refused from the Bulgarian Quidditch team and then he had no partner for the Ball. So I had to go with him…"
Padma was beginning to see that some things in this alternate reality were the same as the one she was used to – she belonged to. Neville had asked Hermione to the ball. Viktor Krum had gone with Hermione.
"But when we got to the ball, I was shocked to find Harry didn't have a partner. I mean, I knew a lot of girls had asked him, but Harry's quite proud. I think he was going to ask Ginny, but she's always found him a bit of a snob. Anyway, she was with Neville. Then Viktor went off to get us some drinks. I was sitting by myself and Harry came over and asked me to dance. I didn't expect that. We haven't spoken much throughout our time at Hogwarts. We both have our own circle of friends. So we were dancing and then we began… well, the rest's private." She finished with a beatific smile on her face.
"How… nice," finished Padma. As she undressed, she thought hard. Harry had had a partner at the Yule Ball – her sister. Was it because of the lack of a Patil girl that the Hermione she was talking to was now seeing her Harry? Or was it simply because everything in this world seemed to be the opposite of actuality, thus proving that Harry and Hermione were destined to be nothing more than best friends? And Ron… Ron didn't seem to play a part in the couple's lives at all. Was that what was stopping them – Ron? It did not seem likely. Since the events of the fourth-year Yule Ball, Padma had always envisaged that Ron and Hermione would eventually become an item.
This is what she thought of whilst undressing, but whilst lying in bed all she could think of were her current situation and how much she wanted George.
*
"You stay on your own then?" George asked. He had been left by Harry ages ago and was currently studying what his bedroom looked like. "Yeah," replied Lee. "It might be difficult for me to adjust to having a roommate, but then we're hardly here for long, are we?" He gave a nervous laugh – the kind of chuckle that George's best friend Lee Jordan would have mocked. George simply replied. "No, not long at all. Exams start next week?"
Lee nodded. "Mine start on Tuesday, yours on Monday."
Right, thought George. That makes sense. This Lee Jordan is such a swot that he's memorised both our timetables.
"Now, rules of the room…" began Lee. Here we go, thought George. "This half is mine, that half is yours."
"What a good idea!" exclaimed George, before he could help himself. Luckily, Lee did not know he was being patronised. "There are three showers, so that's not a problem… I won't clean up your mess and I don't expect you to clean up mine… And that's about it! Oh, do you keep any pets?"
"Pets? No," replied George.
"Oh good. I don't like some animals."
George cocked his head sideways and said slowly. "You have arachnophobia, don't you?"
Lee took a step backwards. "How did – did you know that?"
George thought of the huge tarantula that his best friend kept and sighed "Sixth sense" before climbing into bed.
*
The morning could not come quickly enough for Padma. She had lain awake long after Lavender had apologetically shuffled into the dormitory. George's words kept haunting her; she could almost hear his whisper them. "Don't forget… don't forget." How could she have forgotten before? She had honestly believed herself to be Parvati and George to be Fred. Now, she could hardly accept that any of it was real. Tom Riddle as Headmaster? Harry and Hermione together? Neville cool? Puh – lease the boy made a stick insect look like Mr. Wizarding World. Padma shivered; she was even starting to think like Parvati.
"Morning," smiled Hermione rising from her bed, flicking back her straight, even hair. No one could have guessed she had just woken up. "Have you been awake long?"
"Not really," Padma lied. She pretended to yawn and rubbed her eyes. "What time do we have to get up?" She was not really sure why she was lying to Hermione; it seemed the only natural thing to do under the circumstances.
"Well it's a Sunday, so it's really pretty much up to us. I've got to be down early because I'm Head Girl."
Padma stopped rubbing her eyes. "Hermione," she said, struck by sudden inspiration, "why are you Head Girl? I mean, isn't the Head Girl usually in Seventh Year?"
Hermione looked at her incredulously. "Well yes, but that was before Harry came to Hogwarts." Padma blinked. What had Harry done in this reality?
"Parvati!" exclaimed Hermione. "I knew you came from India where they live in the twelfth century and everything but… come on you must have heard of Harry Potter!"
Padma feigned ignorance. She hung her head in shame as Parvati would have done if she had discovered she did not have Calvin Clone's new fragrance. "But everyone's heard of Harry!" Hermione was taking Padma's cluelessness as a personal injury; someone had not heard of her boyfriend. "I mean honestly, does that mean you've never heard of You-Know-Who either?"
Padma was utterly confused. Ron had told her that Tom Riddle had grown into You-know-who and yet here was Hermione2 telling her that Harry was somehow linked to her Headmaster.
She had to be careful here – she could not give too much away by pretending she knew too little. How could she deal with this? She imagined she was talking to someone really stupid and gullible… someone like Pansy Parkinson.
"Hermione," Padma said slowly. "Professor Riddle obviously didn't tell you this, but… but I – I had a memory charm put on me a few days ago."
It worked like a real charm. Hermione's hand went to her mouth. "Oh I'm so sorry Parvati!" she exclaimed. "Who was it?"
"I can't really remember," replied Padma hoarsely as though the memory was too painful to bear. "I just remember hearing "obliviate" and then everything went black…"
"Oh right!" smiled Hermione, giggling to herself. "That's why you don't know what Harry did or who You-know-who is…"
Padma looked up forlorn. "Hermione," she sniffed. "You've been such a good friend to me already… I don't suppose you could fill me in on all this stuff? It's going to be so embarrassing in class when I don't know any of it…"
Hermione looked a bit dubious as though it was not her place to tell. Padma knew what she had to do – it was time for the waterworks.
"And we have O.W.L.s next week!" she wailed. "How on earth am I supposed to pass History of Magic?" She dissolved into floods of tears. It was quite a useful piece of instant Drama; she and Parvati had taught it to themselves by using onions.
"Oh Parvati, don't cry!" exclaimed Hermione, jumping out of bed. "I'm sure the teachers will understand why you can't sit the exams." She stood beside Padma's bed uncertain how to comfort the girl.
Padma was quite enjoying this now. She stopped crying suddenly, looked up at Hermione her face shining with tears and said "Oh no, Hermione! Do you know what this means?" Hermione shook her head. "I'll have to repeat a year! I'll have to share a dorm with the fourth years!" She broke into renewed sobs. She felt an arm slide round her shoulders. That's done it she thought, utterly satisfied.
*
"You-know-who is very, very old," whispered Hermione. Even though the Great Hall was empty, she spoke quietly. "He's ancient – older than Professor Riddle. No one really knows why he's stayed alive for so long. There have been rumours, of course. Some people reckon he used The Philosopher's Stone… do you know what that is?"
Padma knew exactly what it was, but knew that if she admitted this Hermione would not volunteer any further information. "Something to do with alchemy?" she asked instead.
Hermione nodded. "It produces the elixir of life – that's to say, anyone who has the stone can live forever."
Padma pretended to be impressed. Hermione continued "you-know-who, however old he is, is power hungry. The story goes that Harry was born with a scar on his forehead…" Hermione waited patiently for her new "friend" to look astonished. "On his forehead? A scar?" asked Padma.
Hermione nodded. "Shaped like lightning. This gave Harry powers that no wizard or witch has ever dreamt about."
"Like what?" asked Padma, genuinely curious.
"When his milk bottle was too hot, he'd cool it with his hands. Once, when his aunt criticised his father, he actually blew her up. This was all when he was a baby."
Padma was beginning to see a link between this story and what had actually happened to Harry. "So why doesn't he have the scar anymore?" she asked.
"I'm coming to that," muttered Hermione a little impatiently. "Harry's scar was a symbol of how he was linked to Professor Riddle. The Headmaster has powers similar to Harry, although much more potent. Harry was only a baby after all… From what Harry remembers and from what others have told me, it goes like this: the Wizard from the other side, the rising force, came to Harry's house on Halloween when Harry was a year old. He – he…"
Padma was surprised to see that Hermione was blinking back tears. "He killed Lily and James." This is all the same thought Padma. What's going on? She tried a different tack. "Are those Harry's parents?" she asked kindly.
"Yes," sniffed Hermione. "Well, then you-know-who turned on Harry and of course, everyone expected him to kill him. But he didn't even try."
Padma almost fell out of her seat. Okay, maybe it's not all the same. "What?" she exclaimed. "Why? Why did he kill his parents then?"
Hermione shrugged. "No one really knows. Harry reckons you-know-who just liked killing people. But anyway, what do you think he did to Harry?"
Padma shook her head, her eyes locked with Hermione's. Hermione leant forward and whispered "He put a finger on Harry's forehead and removed the scar."
Hermione waited for a response. Padma sat back in her seat, a little annoyed. "Is that it?" she asked. "I seem to remember Harry stopping the Avada Kedavra curse…" She stopped herself quickly before giving too much away.
Hermione shook her head bewildered. "Must be the memory charm mucking up," she said.
"Must be," replied Padma. "So what's the significance of removing the scar?"
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Harry could have been the most powerful wizard the world has seen since
Merlin. But you-know-who stopped that. It's as though he could tell what would
happen in the future, as though he had travelled back in time…"
Padma's eyes glinted. Travelled back in time? Or travelled through it to
another dimension? Harry was not the best Hogwarts student, but he was by far
the bravest and the most capable. Was the purpose of these two dimensions to
see the consequences of one boy's power? "I need to know one more thing," said
Padma slowly, drinking all the information in.
"Yes?" asked Hermione. "Hurry up though, Harry will be wondering where I am."
"Who is this you-know-who? What's his name?" Padma was well aware it might just be Voldemort and Professor Riddle was somehow unrelated, but she had a funny feeling that this was not the case.
"Oh Parvati…" moaned Hermione. "No one likes to say his name…"
"I know," replied Padma irritably. "How about a game of charades?" she asked sarcastically. "Ok!" answered Hermione brightly. She held up two fingers. At first Padma thought she was being sworn at but then realised Hermione had started. "Two words," she said dully. "First word… sounds like…" Hermione was buzzing round the Great Hall. "Bee?" Hermione became excited so Padma continued. "Tea? It's not Professor Trelawney, is it?" Hermione shook her head violently to show she had made a mistake.
"What about the second word?" asked Padma exasperated.
Hermione nodded and feigned opening a handle and stepping into a room. "Room?" asked Padma. Hermione shook her head. "Handle? Door?" Hermione nodded, relieved.
Padma's eyebrows knitted. "Bee…door. Beeder? No… Bee wasn't right, was it? Wasp? Ludo Bagman?!" But this was wrong too. "Bee… bee… bumblebee?"
Hermione sank into a chair and nodded. "Bumblebee door… bumblebeedor… bumble…"
And then it hit her.
It was so obvious. This world was the opposite of everything. Riddle was Headmaster and her headmaster was…
"Dumbledore?" Padma did not need to see Hermione wince to know that she had guessed correctly.
*
"So You-know who's Dumbledore, our headmaster. And their headmaster is Riddle who is…"
"You-Know-Who." George was getting into the habit of finishing sentences for Padma. He had been particularly impressed by how she had persuaded Hermione to relate Harry's life story.
"I understand everything now…" he said. "Except one thing."
"What's that?" asked Padma.
"Where the hell do we come into all this?" he demanded.
Padma shrugged and lay her head down on the grass beside them.
George cocked his head sideways and looked at Padma lying down. He knew her actions well; in a moment she would close her eyes and her chest would rise and fall in time with her breathing. He longed to stretch out a hand and finger her delicate mouth… he wondered how much of her he could touch without…
"Hey Padma," he said, hit by a sudden inspiration. "Reckon if I kiss you again we'll get home?" Padma's body quivered as she suppressed a laugh.
"Nice try Weasley," she smiled, still keeping her eyes closed.
He sat in silence, deep in thought. He knew this world was somehow dangerous, but right then, it did not seem that bad. He felt safe whenever he was with her. He heard the sound of footsteps. Upon turning, he saw a pale, blond, nervous boy hurrying along the grass, looking furtively around them.
"Hey Padma," said George again.
"No George," she said firmly.
"It's not that," he interrupted, a little impatiently. "Who did we ask for help when all of this started?" Padma opened one bleary eye.
"Harry," she replied at last.
"And you know how everything's upside down here?"
"Yes?"
"Well… who's the opposite of Harry?" Padma's brow furrowed. She still did not understand. George turned her in the direction of the worried boy. "I think," he said quietly. "That it's about time we introduced ourselves to Mr. Malfoy."
Padma turned her face to George's. "Brilliant!" she exclaimed and they hurried over to Malfoy. "Er, excuse me?" said George to Malfoy's back. Draco turned around, looking utterly petrified. "Yes?" he squeaked.
"We're new around here," said Padma quickly. "We were wondering if you could show us around…" she invented wildly.
"Oh," replied Malfoy, looking relieved. "Of course. I have some homework, but it can wait… I'll just ask Pansy to help me with it or something, it's such a help to be best friends with the cleverest witch in the year! I'm Draco, by the way. Draco Malfoy."
"I'm George," said George before Padma could stop him.
Malfoy's brow furrowed. "I thought you were…" Then a look came over his face of realisation. "You're – you're the two!" he spluttered. Padma and George looked at each other nervously. "You," said Draco turning on Padma. "You're Padma, aren't you? Oh my God, I can't believe it, it's finally happening."
"Ssh!" silenced Padma.
Draco bit his lip. "Sorry," he said quietly. "It's just I'd given up hope… it's been so long since…" He suddenly changed tack. "We'll go find Pansy," he said firmly and then we'll go up to your dormitory George. Lee's gone into Hogsmeade and won't be back for ages."
* * *
It was amazing how pretty Pansy could look when she did not have a scowl on her face. She had a side parting kept straight by a purple flower fashioned in her hair and, if possible, her appearance was more intelligent.
"You have to trust us completely," she said seriously, but not patronisingly.
George ran a hand through his hair. "Not to be rude, but why should we?" Pansy and Draco looked at each other as though communicating non-verbally.
"We'll go first then," said Draco awkwardly "to show we trust you."
Padma sat forward. "We're all ears."
Pansy let out a deep breath. "Draco and I have had our names down for Hogwarts since we were born. Our parents gave us everything we ever wanted but we felt as though something was wrong. Life was empty. When we came to Hogwarts, it became even stranger. The Head Boy, Harry, could not string two sensible words together – and Riddle had chosen him to share his powers with. Besides he was a bully. The amount of times, I've seen him pick on younger students – and the teachers turn a blind eye. I couldn't help feeling – and later Draco told me he felt this way too – that this was not the way it was supposed to be. Somewhere down the line it had gone wrong. Then one day, last year, Draco asked to meet me late at night. Vince and Greg – those are our friends – had found a mirror on the third floor… Oh you better take over Draco."
"Vince had found it first," said Draco taking up the story. "He came running back to the dorm and got me and Greg up. None of us were really allowed on the third floor but he persuaded us to go up. The wonderful thing was, the mirror was not a reflection of us – it was a reflection of what we wanted. Vince, who Harry's always picked on, saw himself as Head Boy, confident and charismatic. Greg, who's clever but can't hold a broom properly, saw himself flying for Puddlemere United. Then I went in front of it and I saw something wonderful. It was Hogwarts, like it's supposed to be. Harry wasn't Head Boy and he didn't want to be. He didn't like being famous, he just wanted a few friends and that would be enough. He had them – Hermione was kind and clever and completely different and Ron, who hardly speaks to them, was also friends with him. The teachers were good and kind. Bullying did not go on as much as it does here… I know it sounds hard to explain but I saw all that in a still reflection. I could have stood there for hours gazing at the breathtaking world, but it started to fade in front of me. The characters disappeared, one by one until there were just two left. They told me their names and that one day they would come into my world and that I must help them. I ran and got Pansy and…"
"And I saw exactly the same thing," interrupted Pansy. "We only saw them once, but once was enough. What they looked like started to fade in our memories, but we remembered their names. They were…"
"Padma and George?" asked Padma. Pansy nodded.
"That's how we know. We're meant to get you back to your own world, but that's also all we know. It's your turn."
George lay back on his bed and groaned. "You tell it Padma, you'll be better."
Padma sighed in the same way Pansy had and began "George and I have always been what you would call the lesser of twins…"
* * *
"Wow," gasped Draco after Padma had finished speaking. "That is unbelievable!"
"But you do believe us?" asked Padma hurriedly.
"Of course we do," said Padma smoothing the situation over and her skirt down. "It's just hard to imagine that Riddle's like that in your world… and that we're evil…"
"Everything's opposite," said Padma gently. "This takes a lot of getting used to."
"But I don't understand!" burst out Draco. "Why are you supposed to leave if you belong here?"
"We don't belong here," replied Padma desperately. "Maybe we were meant to but that was in the beginning: it's not that way anymore. George hates you Draco – and he owes everything to Harry. Pansy, you can't stand me and spend your time devising potions to make me get spots."
Draco grinned, but Pansy had something else to add. "By the sounds of it, you were meant to be together and the only way that's possible is for you to stay here."
"That's right."
"Glad you agree with me, er, whoever agreed with me. Who was it by the way?" asked Pansy looking confused.
Padma tensed. She had not seen anyone's lips moving.
The floorboards creaked and the four sharply turned their heads in the direction of the noise. "Welcome back Weasley and Patil," a low voice hissed.
"Show yourself," commanded George, sounding braver than he felt.
"Gladly," answered the voice. With that, a small torrent of wind swept around the dorm, filling it with a pungent smell and a thick fog. Through the yellow gas, Padma clutched onto George. She buried herself in his clothes for protection against the gale, but she need not have bothered. The wind died down as quickly as it had come. When the smoke cleared a tall figure's silhouette could be made out.
It was Dumbledore.
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