Doppelganger
Part IX: It Could All Be Better...

By Krystiana
insanebunny@peoplepc.com

Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't sue. (aka HP and all other characters belong to JKR and whole bunch of other people, blah, blah, blah...)

Warnings: None for this chapter. Slash, of the H/D nature. You should probably also read the previous chapters before tackling this one, or else you'll be MAJORLY confused.

Archive: My site (), FanFiction.net, Noire Sensus (if they should somehow get a hold of this), Schnoogle (eventually). Anywhere else, please e-mail me first. ^_^

EMMA GRANT ROCKS. She beta'd this, and she does such a kick-ass job. She's an even more kick-ass author, so go read her stuff first chance you get.

The Gryffindors that were sitting nearby Harry and the two Slytherin visitors were quiet, waiting for an answer. A few tried to make it look like they weren't listening by idly pushing their eggs and bacon around their plates.

Harry opened and closed his mouth, stared at his double, and then sat back. "I was sorted into Gryffindor."

"That's pretty much obvious," Harry James responded immediately. "But WHY were you sorted into Gryffindor?"

"Both of my parents were Gryffindor."

"So were mine."

"Despite common belief," Draco Lucius said, staring at his bread, "The hat does not sort people based on their family." He took a bite, not looking at anyone. "Or blood, for that matter."

"Funny to hear YOU say that," Ron said. "All of the Malfoys have been Slytherins."

"And all of the Weasleys have been Gryffindors," Harry James said. "But the hat doesn't look at your family history when it sorts you. If looks at who you ARE."

"And many wizard families raise their children to aspire to a certain house," Draco Lucius continued. "I was raised to be a Slytherin, I am one hundred percent Slytherin, and thus I was sorted into Slytherin."

Harry James turned back to his double. "So I'm a Slytherin, and you are a Gryffindor. And yet… we're the same person."

"We're not the same," Harry said quietly.

"Of course we wouldn't be. For six years, you've had all of Gryffindor's glowing golden light washing over you. I've had six years of trying to prove myself as a Slytherin."

Harry froze, his eyes widening.

And a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting…

"Why are you so interested, anyway?" Ron asked shortly.

"And why are YOU so eager to stick your nose where it doesn't belong?" Harry James shot back.

"He's a Gryffindor," Draco Lucius murmured in his lover's ear. "That's the way they are."

Harry James narrowed his eyes, glaring across the table at Ron. He was silent for a moment, and then abruptly turned to his double. "Is it because I've got more snake in me than you do?"

A gasp erupted from the Gyrffindor table. Harry's eyebrows rose in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?" Whispers began shooting up and down the table after Harry spoke.

"Harry!" Ron hissed at him. "Don't DO that!"

Harry turned away from his double, surprised to see most of the Gyrffindor table staring at them. "Do what?" He glanced back at Harry James, who had an amused smirk on his lips.

"Do they react like that every time you speak Parseltongue?"

Harry blinked. "I haven't spoken Parseltongue since my second year."

Harry James smirked again. "Well, you don't sound too out of practice." He sat back a bit and studied his twin, as if he was looking for something he'd missed before. He ignored the Gryffindors' disapprovals that were growing louder and angrier.

"Would you two please STOP?" Seamus yelled from down the table.

Harry James's smile grew even further across his face, while Harry's face grew red and he shrank down a bit in his seat, looking at his twin with a horrified look on his face.

"It's a shame that you aren't allowed to be who you are in your own house." The Gryffindors were actually shouting now, attracting the attention of the other tables.

Harry narrowed his eyes, sitting up and leaning forward, his eyes darkening. "And it's a shame that you have no right to make that assumption, considering you have no idea who I am."

Harry James didn't let his smile drop, but he relaxed a bit, studying his twin once again. "There is some Slytherin in you, even with six years of Gryffindor influence."

Harry leaned even closer to his twin. "You don't know me," he repeated.

Harry James nodded. "But I think we should get to know each other. I'd like to compare notes - and I want to know what's happened in this world."

"Why don't you keep your nose in your own world?" Ron spat, standing up.

Harry James turned a burning stare in Ron's direction. "Because I'm HERE. I'm here in a world where Voldemort is still alive." He stood up, as well, leaning over the table towards Ron. Harry clenched his fists underneath the table, but his face grew white.

Ron gritted his teeth. "Don't SAY that name."

Harry James smiled maliciously. "VOLDEMORT is dead and buried in our world. No one is afraid to say the name there."

Harry lowered his eyes to the table. He had already known this - he'd heard Harry James talk of Voldemort's death before, when he saw them in the mirror.

Ron was baring his teeth now, looking feral. "You're lying -"

"GENTLEMEN!" Everyone at the table turned towards the wall to spot Professor McGonagall with her hands on her hips. She glared at Harry James and Draco Lucius with contempt in her eyes. "Mr. Malfoy, Mr… Potter." She took a breath, taking a few steps closer to the table. "May I ask why you are eating at the Gryffindor table this morning?"

Harry James stepped over the bench, and Draco Lucius looked around Harry James's leg at the professor. Draco Lucius swallowed his last bite of bread before he spoke. "We came over here to speak with Harry."

Professor McGonagall sniffed, crossing her arms. "Well, I must insist that your return to the Slytherin table. There is a reason each house has their own dining table, and it is a rule you must eat at your house's table."

Draco Lucius stared at Professor McGonagall. "There's a RULE?" he stood up as well, stepping in front of Harry. "So you're saying that you further encourage house rivalry by segregating them?"

"It's not segregation-"

"Hogwarts is supposed to be united," Harry suddenly said, standing up as well. "That's what the sorting hat told us last year."

The Gryffindors were staring open-mouthed at Harry, but Professor McGonagall clenched her teeth. "Despite the ramblings of an old hat, the rules are still the rules. I must insist that the Slytherins return to their table."

Draco Lucius gave her a challenging stare, but turned to Harry James. "Let's just go outside," he murmured. "Enjoy the day."

Harry James nodded, but said, "One second." He turned back to his twin. "Can we talk later? Without the shouting fest?" he asked, gesturing to the Gryffindors.

Harry bit his lip, but nodded. "Only if Ron and Hermione come, too."

Harry James flinched, glancing over at Ron. "If you insist."

Draco Lucius began walking, but leaned towards Harry and whispered at him. "The quidditch pitch, right after supper." Harry nodded silently, and the two Slytherins walked away. Harry watched them until they had left through the main doors.

"Why are you defending them, Harry?" Ron asked as he and Harry took their seats again.

"I wasn't defending them," Harry said. "I was stating a fact." He glanced back up towards the main doors, trying to force his thoughts to take a different path. It wasn't working. The fact that Harry James, a Slytherin version of himself, had defeated Voldemort, was weighing heavily on his mind.

On the other side of the hall, Draco was watching the Gryffindors in amusement. Harry James was definitely a Slytherin - he has easily gotten the entire Gryffindor table riled up over something quite small.

Pansy, on the other hand, still had her eyes lingering on the door that Harry James and Draco Lucius had left through. "I want to meet them," she said, a smile playing on her lips.

"You will," Draco said, not looking at her.

"Mail's here." Draco glanced up at Blaise's statement, and watched a few owls swoop around the hall, dropping packages and letters off. It was Sunday, so the only owls delivering today were ones that were privately owned. He was quite surprised when a package landed in front of him. Draco glanced at it and raised an eyebrow at his mother's handwriting. It wasn't like his mother to send him two packages in such a short amount of time.

He picked it up, eyes widening when he felt the weight of it. The last package she had sent to him had been light - it had been full of sweets. This package was heavier, and as Draco ran his hands over the packaging paper, he could feel something cold and hard inside.

"I'm going outside," Draco announced, standing up. Pansy started to respond, but Draco didn't wait to hear it, quickly walking out of the hall.

* * *

Bellatrix was wandering aimlessly around the mansion. Since she was an escape convict, she couldn't risk being seen in the wizarding world. This left her very bored during her free time.

"Bella?"

Irritated, Bellatrix turned around. "Do not call me 'Bella,' Wormtail," she hissed at the skinny man. Only the Dark Lord had that privilege.

Peter Pettigrew narrowed his eyes. Even since Bellatrix had brought their Lord the mirror, she had become his favorite.

Bellatrix tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for Wormtail to response. "What do you want?" she finally snapped.

"I was just wondering how you found Morgana's mirror," Wormtail said, raising an eyebrow. "It's been missing for hundreds of years."

"It's been missing because it's been in my family's private collection," Bellatrix said, crossing her arms. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm just curious. What gave you the idea?"

Bellatrix gritted her teeth. "That is between me, the Dark Lord, and the Potter brat."

"But -"

"It's NONE of your business," she said, sneering. "I'm going to my quarters."

Wormtail's eyes flashed, but he didn't dare ask her again. Now that she was Voldemort's 'pet,' she could do whatever she please. He turned to leave, but Bellatrix stopped him.

"Oh, and could you bring me a fire whiskey?" A smirk was spreading over Bellatrix's face. She didn't really want one, but she loved reminding the other Death Eaters that she was no above them.

Wormtail's body tightened up in bottled rage, and he reponded though clenched teeth. "Yes, Bellatrix." He spat her name out as if he couldn't stand it being in his mouth.

Bellatrix turned again, heading towards her room. It wouldn't hurt anything by telling Wormtail where the idea came from, but she didn't want to risk anyone using it again Potter before she had a chance.

Bellatrix's last encounter with the Potter brat had given her the idea for using the mirror. When she had killed Sirius, his anger took over him. He had wanted her dead, wanted her to hurt - so much that he had actually attempted casting an Unforgivable on her. There was so much potential in that boy, and had he only been in Slytherin…

If Harry Potter stood by Lord Voldemort's side, the Dark Lord would be unstoppable.

And now there was a Harry Potter in this world that could do that. He could fight for her Lord, instead of against him.

Bellatrix's lips spread into a twisted smile.

* * *

Draco sat on the grassy hill overlooking the Quidditch pitch, staring at the letter from his mother. He had read and reread the note at least twenty times. It was short, and explained nothing of the mysterious object that was inside the package she had sent him.

Draco,

Tell Professor Snape that you will be coming home next weekend. I will pick you up on Friday after your classes, and you will return Sunday afternoon. Bring the stone with you.

Draco picked up the stone again and studied it. There didn't seem to be anything unusual or magical about it, but it was small enough to fit in his pocket without being noticed. It was a shiny black, and appeared to be nothing more than ordinary hematite.

"Busy?"

Draco looked up to see Harry James and Draco Lucius standing over him. He closed his fist around the stone, folding up the note from his mother. "Not really," he replied. "Good job wreaking havoc on the Gryffindors this morning. What did you do to them, anyway?"

Harry James raised an eyebrow, sitting down next to Draco. "I didn't rile them up on purpose. I didn't know that having a conversation in Parseltongue would practically create a riot."

Draco smirked and leaned back, slipping the stone into his pocket. "Gryffindors don't react well to anything having to do with snakes."

"They don't act like that in our world," Draco Lucius said, sitting down next to Harry James. "The Gryffindors here are all insane."

Draco nodded. "That's the way they've always been."

They all turned as they heard someone walking up the hill behind them. Harry appeared on the crest, and he paused when he saw Draco sitting with them. A flush rose in his cheeks, remembering his dreams from the night before.

"Come sit down!" Harry James called, waving him over.

Harry shook his head, trying to clear the images of his dreams from his mind, and breached the gap between him and the group. "You didn't tell me Malfoy would be here, too."

"We didn't expect him to be here," Draco Lucius said. "It doesn't matter, anyway - I'm 'Malfoy,' too."

Harry sat down next to Draco Lucius, completing the pattern. If anyone had glanced up at the strange group perched on the hill, they would have sworn they were seeing double.

"You're having a meeting?" Draco said, narrowing his eyes. "I'm leaving." He moved to stand up, but Harry James waved him back down.

"Stay. We four should bond." Harry James smirked.

Draco looked over Harry James and Draco Lucius at Harry, glaring. "Thanks, but I'd rather not."

"Just give it a chance, will you?" Draco Lucius said. "Aren't you tired of the rivalry?"

"No."

"Is there anything wrong with making it a friendlier rivalry?"

"Yes." That answer came from Harry. "I thought we were meeting to figure out the differences in our worlds."

"We are," Harry James responded. "There's no harm in all four of us just hanging out, is there?"

"Look," Draco said, standing up. "You two are in love. Potter and I hate each other. We are the OPPOSITE of you two, and that isn't going to change."

"Love and hate aren't opposites," Draco Lucius said. "They're in the same category."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Please, just sit and talk with us for a while," Harry James said. "Do you have anything better to do?"

Draco stared at the three boys on the ground. Harry James and Draco Lucius were both watching him expectantly, while Harry was staring down at the Quidditch pitch with a lost expression. "Fine," Draco snapped.

Harry James turned to Harry. "I thought your Gryffindor friends were supposed to come with you," he said.

"Thank god they didn't," Draco said, sneering. "I would never have stayed if Weasel and the Mudblood were here, too."

"Don't call her that," Harry snapped, but it lacked his usual conviction. He sighed, but didn't look away from the pitch. "Hermione had to catch up on her homework since she spent most of her free time researching our… problem."

Harry James raised an eyebrow. "That's nice of her. What about Weasel?"

"Ron didn't want to come."

"Ah."

Draco Lucius smiled and looked to his lover. "So where do you want to start?"

"The sorting," Harry James replied automatically. He glanced over at his twin, who was still staring at the pitch. "What happened at the sorting?"

"What do you mean?"

"What did the sorting hat say to you when you were sorted?"

"The sorting hat speaks to you?" Draco said with mild surprise. "It didn't say anything to me."

"Nor me," Draco Lucius responded. "That's because we're both pure Slytherin - there's no question when it comes to our house."

"What did it say?" Harry James repeated, ignoring the Dracos' quips.

"It said I could be in Slytherin or Gryffindor. I ended up in Gryffindor."

Harry James narrowed his eyes. He brought his mind's eye back to when he was eleven years old, and an old hat dropped over his eyes. He repeated what the hat had said to him that day. "'Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either.'"

Harry finally tore his gaze away from the pitch and looked at his twin in horror.

"'There's talent, oh my goodness, yes - and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting… So where shall I put you?'"

Harry clenched his fists, hearing the sorting hat's words roll off of his double's tongue. It brought him back to that day, and his own response to the hat came to him.

"Not Slytherin, not Slytherin," he said out loud, his voice haunted.

"'Not Slytherin, eh?'" Harry James continued. "'Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that…'"

Harry picked up where Harry James left off, his voice still sounding far away and lost. "'No? Well, if you're sure, better be… Gryffindor.'"

The two Harrys were staring at each other. "How could it be exactly the same?" Harry whispered.

"It's not," Harry James answered. "I kept telling the hat 'not Slytherin,' same as you did."

"Then why did you end up in Slytherin?"

"'Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that…'" Harry James repeated. "'You don't want to go there, but you really can't tell ME how to do my job. I know what's best for you, and you belong in Slytherin…'"

Harry stared at his twin with his mouth open, unable to find something to say. He thought he had been close to being in Slytherin before, but now…

"Dumbledore said that my choice not to be in Slytherin was what made me a Gryffindor," Harry said. "But you tried to make the same choice, and the hat didn't let you…"

"Don't believe everything Dumbledore says," Harry James said, his voice hardening. "He's an old crock."

"Do you ever regret it?"

"Regret being a Slytherin?" Harry James gave a short laugh and put his arm around Draco Lucius. "Never."

"The sorting's not it, then," Draco Lucius said. "Maybe it goes farther back."

"You lived with the Dursleys growing up?" Harry James asked.

"That horrible muggle family…" Draco Lucius added with a biting tone.

"Yes. I still have to live with them during the summer."

"WHAT?!" Draco Lucius shouted. "You still have to go back to those disgusting muggles? How can you possibly still be alive?"

"What about Sirius?" Harry James added.

Harry's body jerked, snapping his head towards Harry James. The look in his eyes was haunting. "You live with Sirius?" he whispered.

"Well, I live with Sirius and Remus. They're the heads of the Equal Rights for Werewolves act."

~He lives with Sirius, and Sirius is heading some protection act… he's alive.~ Harry put his head between his knees so none of them could see his expression. His voice was very small when he spoke. "He's not a wanted criminal anymore?"

"No. He was free as soon as we showed Wormtail to Fudge."

Harry suddenly found himself completely speechless. Everything that had possibly gone wrong that night Wormtail escaped went RIGHT in their world. Sirius was alive, a free man, and Harry James went to live with him and Remus during the holidays. Voldemort was dead because Harry James had apparently killed him already. Harry James also had someone he was deeply in love with.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Draco Lucius asked, leaning forward.

"Is everything perfect in your world?" Harry said, lifting his head. His eyes were wild with several emotions, ranging from rage to despair to absolute envy.

"Perfect?" Harry James asked, his eyes narrowing. "I don't understand. What's happened here?"

Harry couldn't say anything. It was as if the grief had come back in full force. And with the grief, came the guilt - the guilt that is was HIS fault Sirius was gone…

"Sirius Black… I think he… died." Draco's voice was oddly soft.

Mouth opening in horror, Draco Lucius glanced at his twin, and then focused on Harry. "Is that true?" he asked.

Harry nodded.

"Sirius is dead in this world?" Harry James said, the realization dawning on him.

Harry exhaled, having not realized he had been holding his breath. "Yes, Sirius is dead," he said quietly. He fell back, lying on the grass, rubbing his hands on his face. "Why don't you rub it in some more?"

"We're not rubbing it in, Harry," Draco Lucius said. "Sirius is special to both of us -"

"Um… Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter?"

All but Harry turned to see a third year Slytherin standing on the hill a bit behind them. All four of them responded, although with different tones. "Yes?"

The third year girl couldn't help but giggle. "Um… Draco Lucius and Harry James, I mean?" She laughed again. "Professor Snape wants to see you. He says he needs to show you where you are in your classes."

"Right now?" Harry James said.

"That's what he said." She smiled at them, and then walked back down the hill.

Harry James sighed and looked over at Harry, who was still lying back on the hill, one hand over his eyes. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean bring something like that up-"

"Don't worry about it," came Harry's muffled reply. "You didn't know."

"We should… go, Harry," Draco Lucius stood as well, and reached a hand out to Harry James.

Harry James nodded, taking his lover's hand and squeezing it. He turned back to Harry again. "I want to talk again. Let me know tomorrow when you're free."

"Right."

Harry James finally turned, squeezing his lover's hand once more. They took a few steps down the hill, but Draco Lucius reached up and pulled Harry James's lips to his own, leaning into him. They rested their foreheads against the other's, and stayed that way for a few moments. "I needed that," Draco Lucius whispered into Harry James's ear before they broke apart. They continued down the hill, and were quickly out of sight.

* * *

"Ron, why are you here?"

"I told you - I need to finish my Potions essay. I thought you were going to help me, Hermione."

"Are you angry at Harry?"

"Yeah. Do you think he's noticed yet?"

A pause, and then a sigh. "No."

"Do I have a right to be mad?"

"Well, yes, but… Harry's going through something very strange right now."

A short laugh. "Got that right."

"Is that why you haven't cornered him yet?"

"Yes. That and the fact that I can never find him."

"Find him tonight when he gets back. He needs us right now, Ron. Get your anger out and get it over with.

* * *

Harry removed his hand from his eyes and stared up into the fading red and yellows of the sky. He didn't even know how he would start processing this and move on. Too much had been dropped on him.

Their life was better.

His life could have been better if had only been in Slytherin.

Movement out of the corner of his eye made him force his gaze to his right. Draco Malfoy sat across from him, staring back at Harry with an unreadable expression.

Harry had forgotten he was still there.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" he said, hoping he would just go away. He had too much to deal with at that moment, and he didn't need Malfoy's ruthless taunting and tactless remarks. Harry sat, waiting for Malfoy's jab at his emotions -

"Who are you, Harry Potter?"

Harry blinked, staring emotionlessly at Draco. "What?" he asked, not knowing how to react to what the Slytherin was asking him.

"You said I didn't know you. Well, who are you, really?"

Harry and Draco's eyes met, and for the first time, there was no anger in either boy.

To be continued...