DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.
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Summary: After a trip from 1991, he found his Aunt Mione married to someone else.
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Chapter 2: Cedric Diggory
"I wonder if Cedric knows? Think I'll go and tell him." - Ernie Macmillan, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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"Mr. Potter," the tall wizard greeted him, offering a hand. "Pleasure to meet you."
Albus reluctantly shook Mr. Diggory's hand. "Thank you for your kindness, sir." That was all he could say because he wasn't sure if it was really a 'pleasure' meeting Cedric Diggory. This was the first alternate timeline he ever visited in which Cedric Diggory was alive.
What happened in 1994? he thought.
"Rose, Hugo, wash your hands," called Hermione from the other room.
Mr. Diggory must have seen him frown. "Rose, because we named her after Hermione's grandmother and coincidentally, it is my mother's middle name. Hugo, for Victor Hugo. Hermione and I love the writer," he explained.
He looked up to the man, looking very puzzled.
He just chuckled. "You're not the first person I've met from the other timeline," he told him.
"But your wife said - "
"She's not allowed to know things like this." He winked.
Al thought this man was cooler than his dad, or even Uncle Ron. "Are you an Unspeakable?" he asked hesitantly.
Mr. Diggory smiled. It was a charming smile and Al, already fourteen knew that that kind of smile could swoon girls. "I am. And we will help you with your time-turner so you could go back to your family."
He smiled appreciatively and nodded. "Thank you, Sir."
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Dinner with the Diggorys was nice, Albus decided. Mr. Diggory asked Rose and Hugo what they did today. The children told their father that they flew around their mini Quidditch pitch. Aunt Hermione talked about Grade 4 magical plants and herbs and potions Rose learned today.
"What year were you in, Al?" asked Rose beside him. Mr. Diggory was sitting at the head of the table, his wife to his right, and beside Hermione was Hugo. Rose was seated at her father's left. And he was beside her.
"Is it safe to ask, Mum? Dad?" asked Rose when he didn't reply.
Mr. Diggory shrugged casually. "It's up to him," he told Rose. Then, he turned to him. "You aren't in 2020 to change anything, are you?"
He shook his head. "No. I'm in my fourth year."
"And you're in Slytherin!" exclaimed Hugo, but his tone was curious and excited.
He nodded. "Yeah, Slytherin."
"How's Hogwarts? Is Professor McGonagall erm... around?" asked Rose.
He smiled at her and nodded. "She's our Headmistress."
"Oh, good!" Rose said in relief. "So why were you traveling?"
"I think we should not discuss that this time," said Mr. Diggory gently. "Mr. Potter and I have to talk first, then after that, we'll see if you, kids, can know about it."
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They finished eating dinner. Rose and Hugo were tasked to clean up and wash the dishes.
"You kids are okay here? Mum and I have to speak with Mr. Potter," asked Mr. Diggory.
Rose smiled at him and her parents while gathering the plates. "Fine, Dad."
"Mum, can I have my screentime after?" asked Hugo from the other end of the table, helping his sister.
"Of course, sweetheart. Just for two hours, all right?" replied Aunt Hermione.
Albus frowned at the word 'screentime'.
"Your father's a half-blood, so you must know about Muggle gadgets? Like smartphones and tablets?" asked Hugo.
Al nodded carefully, but deep inside he was trying to remember if his cousins Rose and Hugo ever used Muggle things because he and his family seldom visited Muggle London. While the Potters visit Uncle Dudley and his family every Christmas, the Potter kids dreaded that time. The visits to the Dursleys were always so formal. It didn't feel like Christmas. Then he remembered that Rose and Hugo used to visit Aunt Hermione's parents during holidays, so that was where they must be exposed to Muggle gadgets. In his time.
"Come on, Mr. Potter," came Aunt Hermione's gentle voice.
He followed the couple to a room near the stairs, the study. He shouldn't be surprised, but he still looked at the room in awe. There were ceiling-to-floor bookshelves and perhaps a thousand books were around them. No, he wasn't exaggerating. Aunt Hermione must be a bookworm in any universe.
He wanted to look at the pictures on the wall and mantle closer, but Mr. Diggory led him to the sitting area of the study. They were just taking their seats when the fireplace roared.
"Hey, Hermione," came a cheerful voice that was so familiar to him.
That was the voice he heard for ten months a year, for almost four years.
"It's your best friend," the person on the other line of the Floo said in a sing-song.
Hermione knelt by the fireplace. "Hey, Neville!" she greeted happily.
"Don't forget my birthday dinner, all right? Friday night," came Al's godfather's voice.
Is he even my godfather this time? he wondered.
"Sure, we're coming!" replied Hermione.
Mr. Diggory stood behind his kneeling wife.
"Hey, Ced!" greeted Professor Longbottom.
"How you doin', mate?"
"Good. See you on Friday!"
The couple bid their friend goodbye before turning to him again. (Aunt) Hermione collected something inside the drawer of the study table and levitated it towards her husband.
"There you go, Ced," she told him, placing down Al's time-turner on the coffee table in front of Mr. Diggory and Al. They were sitting across from each other, in their own wingback chairs.
"Thanks, love."
Al was a bit startled by the endearment. It was new to him. His parents would call each other by their names - Ginny (sometimes Gin) and Harry. Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione call each other 'Mione' and 'Ron'.
The two couples in Al's universe loved their partners, of course. His parents raised him and his siblings well and they seldom argue. The same goes for Uncle Ron and Aunt Mione. But Aunt Mione was always busy at the Ministry. She sometimes displayed her affections to the family, but not like this, Al decided, as he watched this Hermione sit beside her husband closely, her hand on his thigh.
"It's been more than nine hours, and it's still hot?" Mr. Diggory asked, inspecting the time-turner with his wand.
"Yes, more than nine hours," confirmed Hermione. "When do you think it will cool down?"
Mr. Diggory frowned and Al started to get nervous.
The Unspeakable shook his head, eyes on the levitated time-turner. "We had a similar case two years ago, and the time-turner was not this hot. We could hold it with gloves and fix the dial, but it took a week before the traveler could leave."
"A week?" he asked, dismayed. "And does it mean I will stay here longer?"
Mr. Diggory placed the time-turner down the table. "It appears that way, Mr. Potter."
"So, do I have to go and explain myself to the Harry Potter here?" he asked, uncertain.
Mr. Diggory shook his head kindly. "You stay under the Ministry's protection; under my protection unless it's permanent. But it's not. I will take you and the time-turner to my office tomorrow."
He didn't know if he should be relieved or worried. He had never been under an Unspeakable's protection in his trips. This was the first time.
At least you're not in a cell, he told himself.
"Do you mind if I speak with him alone?" he asked his wife kindly.
Hermione smiled. "I don't, love."
Mr. Diggory held his wife's hand that was on his thigh and kissed her cheek before letting him go. "Thanks. You're the best."
Hermione gave Al a motherly smile before leaving the room. When Hermione was gone, Mr. Diggory warded the room with his wand.
"Now, Mr. Potter, can you tell me who Hermione married in your time and who were her children?"
He was taken aback because Mr. Diggory asked so casually.
The Unspeakable smiled when he didn't answer. "I didn't try Legilimency on you, but your facial expressions say something else. So, what happened to me - and Hermione - in your time? I'm curious."
He didn't know how to answer. He didn't want to tell him that he died at the age of seventeen; that he was always gone in every '2020 universe' he had been. How could he tell him that this was the first universe he visited where he was alive?
"Did you ask the same question to the traveler two years ago?" he asked instead.
"Oh, that person knew me and my family; a friend's child as well," he replied with a smile.
"I knew Rose and Hugo," he said, not meeting his eyes.
"Good." He sounded sincere, Al decided.
"What House was uh - Mrs. Diggory in?" he asked. He just couldn't imagine Aunt Hermione being sorted into a different Hogwarts House, and not friends with his Dad and Uncle Ron. Sure, in both universes, she was friends with Professor Longbottom. But here they were best of friends.
Here, Hermione Granger was closer to Neville Longbottom than to Harry Potter.
Here, Hermione Granger was in love with Cedric Diggory, not to Ronald Weasley.
Here, Hermione Granger was more affectionate to her husband than in Al's timeline.
So he had to know what happened during her Hogwarts days.
"We're from the same House: Hufflepuff," replied Mr. Diggory.
For the second time that day, Al felt like a bucket of ice had been splashed to him.