Chapter Fourteen; God's Test
"Excuse me, I don't think I heard you right. Did you just say that your name was Harriet Potter?" Harry questioned her while his jaw dropped open as he unintentionally continued staring at her.
"Yes, that's right." She said with a nod. "Why, is there something wrong?" she asked him.
"Well it's just that that's my birth name. I'm adopted. My original last name was Potter." He told her.
"Wow, I always thought that I was an only child. Mum and Dad never mentioned anybody else. Do you think that there's a chance that we could be related?" she asked him.
"Well I'll say that there's a definite possibility since you look exactly like my mother. I mean like she did when she was still alive." He told her glancing down at the ground before glancing back up at her realizing that she was staring at his cross necklace.
"Where did you get?" she asked him with uncertainty and disbelief.
"My mother gave it to me for Christmas last year. That was before she went to Heaven. I'm a Christian, in fact I'm a Sunday school teacher. And I promised her that I would always wear it so that I would be reminded how I'm never truly alone." He told her.
"Well it's just that, my mum gave me exactly the same thing. I'm a Christian too, and she gave it to me for my birthday." She began as she removed it out of her shirt. "My grandmother's in Heaven too, and she wanted me to have it." She explained.
"Alright now this is just getting to weird." Harry said shaking his head with disbelief. "How old are you?" he asked her.
"I just turned eighteen on July 31st." she said as Harry widened his eyes again. "Harry, what's the matter? Are you alright?" she asked him.
"Don't you see what's happening Jenny? There's way too many similarities between us. I mean your name is Harriet Potter, and my name would have been Harry Potter if I hadn't of been adopted. You have a cat named Cowgirl and I had a dog named Cowboy. We both share the same cross necklace and we were both born on the exact same date in the exact same year." He said.
"So what are you saying? Do you really think there's a chance that we could be brother and sister?" she asked him.
"No, I'm saying there is a chance that we could be the same person. Or rather different people in alternate realties but have the same personalities." He said.
"So you mean there's an alternate dimension where I'm a boy? Whoa, now that's just too crazy." She told him with a shake of her head in disbelief.
"How do you think I feel!? I have a girlfriend!" Harry exclaimed. "Listen Jenny, it was really nice meeting you and everything but I have to get home. My brother needs me." He told her.
"You have a brother?" she asked him as he just simply nodded at her.
"Yes, his name is Tobey and I promised him that I would be there for him. He's losing his sight and I don't want him to think I just abandoned him." He said before he took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "He's already lost his mother. I don't want him to lose me too. So tell me, how do I get out of here?" he asked her.
"I'm not sure, I never even heard about an alternate dimension until you showed up. But I think I know someone who does, come with me." She told him as she grabbed his hand and dragged him out the door before they both disapparated together.
….
Tobey and Eve sat down together in the great hall for lunch. "So how much homework do you have to catch up on?" Eve asked him.
"A ton! Even though I only missed the morning classes you won't believe how many essays I have to do. What about you?" he asked her.
"I probably have just as much as you but it isn't my fault. I had to go to detention because Alyssa was copying off of me." She told him as she turned her head to look over at Alyssa talking and laughing with a bunch of other Slytherin girls and glared.
"Well how is that your problem?" he asked her.
"That's just it, it's not. Professor Binns just assumed we were both cheating and so he sent us both to detention." She muttered angrily.
"Well look on the bright side, at least she got punished too." He told her when suddenly Ron and Hermione walked over to their table.
"You guys haven't seen Harry around here anywhere have you?" Ron asked them as they both looked up at him.
"Not since this morning, why?" Tobey asked him.
"Because he said that he was going to bring your father back here to check out your eyes and neither one of them ever showed up." Ron told him.
"That figures, I should have known that he would abandon me." Tobey said slowly turning his head away from them before Hermione sat down beside him.
"No Tobey that's not true, your brother loves you very much. I'm sure that there's a very good logical reason why he hasn't come back yet. As soon as lunch is over I'll stop by the owlery and send him an owl alright?" she questioned him.
"Alright but I don't see what good it'll do. Either way I'm a disgrace to all wizard kind." He said.
"Well why do you say that?" Ron asked him as he quickly snapped his head back at him.
"Whose ever heard of a wizard that can't see!? I mean what's the point of even being here anymore!? I won't be able to do magic anyway if I can't see what I'm doing! I'll never make the Qudditch team, I won't even be able to get a decent job! If God loves me so much like Harry says He does then why is He doing this to me!? I'll be a complete laughing stock and it just isn't fair!" he snapped before he quickly leapt up from the table and ran out of the great hall.
"Tobey wait!" Hermione called after him as she sprung up and hurried after him. She found him sitting on the bench out in the courtyard. The same one that both she and Harry had often sat upon whenever they were feeling angry or depressed. "Tobey, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked him as he sniffed and wiped his nose on the back of his hand.
"No. Go away." He told her but she ignored him and slowly walked over to the bench and sat down next to him anyway.
"Tobey listen," she began as he looked up at her with his eyes full of tears.
"No you listen! I'm losing my sight don't you get that!? And there isn't anything that you or Harry can do about it! Except for maybe getting me some glasses, but I doubt that that would even work. The only person who has the real power to heal me isn't doing a thing!" he spat with another sniff as a tear rolled down his cheek.
"Tobey please you just have to listen to me. It may be true that Harry and I won't be able to get your sight back physically, but we're trying everything in our power to get it back for you spiritually. Now although it's true I don't know why you're losing your sight, I think it might be God's way of testing you and trying to make you a stronger person." She told him.
"But how am I supposed to do that?" he asked her with another sniff.
"By believing that you can. Don't you remember what Harry said in his graduation speech last year? The only one that is going to stop you from following your dreams is yourself. You're in charge of your own future. And if an obstacle gets in the way to prevent you from what you want to accomplish, you just have to find a way around it." She told him.
"Well alright, I'll try. But what if I'm not good enough?" she asked him.
"Then Harry and I will be proud of you for not giving up and trying your best." She told him as Tobey nodded at her and she pulled him inside a tight embrace.
