PART III
Together, they set off to find Dumbledore. It was only later Harry realized he had forgotten to ask about the egg. Dumbledore hadn't asked about the other Harry until the original Harry prompted him. The old wizard had slid his eyes to the other Harry, smiled benignly, and invited him to attend the school. The Sorting Hat had quickly placed him in Gryffindor, and now Harry, the other Harry, Ron and Hermione all sat together in the common room as the other Harry talked endlessly about himself.
"So you're really the same person as Harry?" Hermione asked, amazed and awed.
"Yes," the other Harry nodded proudly. "But I like to think of myself as an evil twin brother of sorts."
"And your brother's You-Know-Who?" Ron chimed in, trying to confirm the mysterious new Harry's details.
"Voldemort's my long-lost-brother, yes. He gave me this scar," the other Harry confirmed, raising his bangs to show a lightning shaped scar identical to Harry's.
"Uh," Harry felt very awkward as his double talked to his friends. "I'm starting to feel very tired. I bet you are, too... uh, Harry..."
"You can go to bed without me," the other Harry said with a cold smile. "I can hang out without you. Besides, I can't go to sleep without a name."
"Let's get this done then," Harry said grimly, sitting back down. He didn't like the idea of leaving his evil twin brother with his friends. "We'd narrowed it down to Stephen, Isthmus, Roger, Rastin, Sara, and Jaques. Why don't you just pick a number and get one randomly?"
"That's it! I know my name!" the other Harry exclaimed.
They all turned to him expectantly.
"Harry 2!"
Hermione's eyes lit up. "Harry 2, that's brilliant!"
"Wow, that suits you perfectly!" Ron exclaimed. "Now we're a foursome- Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Harry 2. It sounds just right."
"I think that's a terrible name!" Harry cried. "Harry 2? My God, can't you use one ounce of originality-"
They all looked at him as though he had suddenly mutated into Draco Malfoy.
"Harry, why would you say such a terrible thing?" Hermione demanded, as though she were personally affronted. She turned to Harry 2. "I'm so sorry about that..."
Harry 2 patted her hand comfortingly. "It's okay. He's just stressed out by having an evil arch-nemesis's brother in his presence."
Ron tried to catch Harry's eye. "You've got to mellow out some, mate," he said. He then turned a smile to Harry 2. "I like the name."
"Fine!" Harry threw up his hands in surrender. "Harry 2. Whatever."
They still looked at him warily, as though he were a stranger.
The mood was dead. The two Harrys and Ron went to their room. Harry 2 paused on the stairs, and Harry followed his wistful gaze to Hermione's retreating form.
"What?" Harry demanded.
"Nothing," Harry 2 said, sending Harry a suspicious look before slinking off to their bed. "I thought about it all night, and I think I've figured out your egg problem!" Harry 2 exclaimed the next morning when they were all eating breakfast.
"Oh really?" Hermione glanced up hopefully. "Just in time, too. They all hatched last night into little baby penguins and I have no idea what to do with them!"
"Have you been eating a lot of protein lately?"
Hermione's mind raced with thought. "I have!" she realized suddenly.
"There you have it!" Harry 2 said. "Less protein, more whey, and those eggs will go away!"
"Oh, Harry 2, you're brilliant!" Hermione cried, reaching out to envelop Harry 2 in a hug. Then just as suddenly she looked awkward, and they pulled slowly apart.
Harry was slightly shocked. Hermione had never complemented his intellect. Last year, when he'd speculated that gene therapy could restore eyesight to blind canines, Hermione had scoffed.
Yet he'd had the last laugh when she'd been proven wrong, hadn't she? She'd still never admitted he had a measurable IQ.
Now she was praising Harry 2?
Ron was also beaming with admiration at Harry 2, and Harry could not help but feel a twinge of jealousy.
Snape will factor into this story. Harry will steadily lose his friends and be rendered hopelessly vulnerable to his charms. Don't worry- the summary will match.
