PART II

"Hagrid?" Harry called, pushing his way into the half-giant's hut.

Only silence greeted him. Harry gently placed Hermione's egg on the table, and he began to search the hut for Hagrid. Since it was only one room, it did not take long to conclude Hagrid was not about. Harry wondered if he should wait, and suddenly he realized Hermione's egg was in imminent danger of being eaten by Hagrid's new baby dragon.

"Wait!" Harry cried, but the dragon lanced forward and snatched the egg, crunching it between his teeth. Red eyes darted up to challenge Harry, and the boy suddenly perceived the danger of a dragon perceiving him as a competitor for food.

"Shit," he muttered, watching as the dragon retreated swiftly to a corner, polishing off Hermione's egg. What in the hell was he going to do? Hermione would kill him

Maybe...

Harry looked around thoughtfully. Maybe if he replaced the egg with another egg... Perhaps she wouldn't know the difference...

Hagrid always kept strange things about. He probably had some sort of egg around... There!

A glinting object in the corner had caught his eye, and Harry drew closer to find what looked like an egg covered in silver paint nestled into the corner. He reached out and snatched it, resolving to scrape the paint off- and suddenly the wall rumbled open to reveal another room!

Harry nearly dropped the egg in shock. Hagrid's hut had two rooms! Placing it gently on the table, Harry stepped gingerly around the clutter of Hagrid's hut to proceed into the dark, mysterious second room; the only thing in the room was a strange well. He drew closer and caught sight of a number of coins glinting beneath the surface. Hagrid had a wishing well!

He felt an involuntary shiver steal over his frame. Wishing wells were strictly forbidden; there were few crimes more heinous in the wizarding world, apart from maybe the Unforgiveable curses, than owning a wishing well. All the money people wasted in the water... It was an apalling use of gold on a device that never worked, and most wizards firmly believed the Dementors were entitled to suck the souls from those who dared toss coins in them, much less those who owned them.

Something was strangely compelling about this forbidden wishing well. Harry drew closer, watching his own reflection shimmer across its surface. Something..

Harry suddenly tumbled forward! He cried out in fear and horror as he plunged into the wishing well. Cold water enveloped him; he struggled his way to the surface, gasping and sputtering for precious air. Luckily it was only fifteen inches deep so all he had to do was raise his head a few inches to reach the surface.

"Holy shit!" he cried, forcing himself out of the well. He collapsed upon the floor of Hagrid's hut, gasping. His heart thumped in his chest like a drum. What in the hell had just-

He heard water sloshing as someone climbed out of the well behind him. Harry froze. Two soaking wet legs stood before him, and the person snorted derisively at his huddled form. Harry jerked to his feet, spinning around to face the stranger...

And he realized he was facing himself.

"So that's what I look like after an Occlumency lesson," the other Harry said coldly. "I never realized how pathetic I must have looked writhing around on the floor."

"Who- who are you?" Harry asked, stunned.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm Harry Potter," the other Harry said, smiling wildly. "I'm you."

Harry shook his head, half excpecting the other Harry to dissapear. "That's impossible-"

"Think of me as an identical twin brother. I came into being when you fell into the wishing well." The other Harry strolled idly around the hut, running a finger around the rim of the wishing well, then glancing at the dirty finger reprovingly. "Poor Hagrid needs to keep his hut cleaner. He's going to develop allergies with all this dust."

"I don't get it..." Harry said, stumbling back against the wall, utterly baffled. "How did you appear out of the wishing well like that... Are you me or are you a brother or-"

"I am you," said the other Harry. "But I'm an evil twin brother of sorts now."

Heavy footfalls pounded the floor, and suddenly, a large form filled the doorway. Both Harrys jumped, but it was only Hagrid, red-faced and panting. "Er, hello, Harry and-" He looked at the other Harry, "Harry. I see yeh found my wishing well."

The other Harry turned two glacial, green eyes to Hagrid, assessing him coldly. "Hagrid, you realize you're not supposed ot have these. You could get life in Azkaban for this."

"And I could get expelled from Hogwarrts!" Hagrid cried with a stricken look in his eyes. "Again!"

"Expelled?" Harry said, confused. "But you're not a student-"

Hagrid shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "I'm am a student. Snape's been giving me some piano lessons." His usual jovial smile quickly stole back across his lips. "He's a concert pianist. Bet ye didn't know that, did ye? That's why he's so useful to Dumbledore."

Harry stared in awe. He had no idea. No wonder Dumbledore trusted him so much!

"And he's useful to Voldemort because of that, too, I suppose," Harry said, suddenly comprehending things that had baffled him for years.

"Voldemort's my long-lost brother," the other Harry added thoughtfully.

"Does your long-lost brother know just how good a pianist Snape is?" Harry asked.

"I don't think so." At the alarmed look on Hagrid's face, the other Harry smiled. "Relax, elephant man. I won't tell a soul. Not even my dear brother Voldemort."

Hagrid looked dubiously between the two boys. "We better go to Dumbledore, now. Please don't tell him about my wishing well."

"How do I explain-" Harry said a little helplessly, gesturing with a wave of his hand.

"Oh, that?" Hagrid said, looking at Harry's messed up hair. "Just say you fell from a clock tower."

"I mean my twin brother!"

"Oh, you," Hagrid glanced at the other Harry. "Well... Didn't really think about that. I don't know if Dumbledore will even ask."

"If he does," the other Harry said confidentially, "We'll stick to the clock-tower story."

"Right," Harry said grimly.

To Be Continued!