AUTHOR NOTE: Potentially dark version of a story idea. Jonathan Deller inspired it and this slithered in. What if the Hermione w knew from 2nd to 6th year was not the real one but a Replicant? What if Harry finds that the real Hermione has been stored in the room of requirement for the last 3 years? Could be quite entertaining. If anyone wants to start this or take it over feel free as I will be putting it on the back burner.
Harry was searching the Room of Requirement trying to figure out what Draco was doing in the junk heap version of the place. Hermione was sill being annoying about his potions book so he went to the room by himself to calm down. He figured spending the afternoon searching might give him some time to think, he also considered he might find something interesting.
He had been walking down aisle after aisle in between piles of things. Clothing, furniture, paintings, statues, busts, blankets, trunks, all sorts of things. He saw a arched doorway to his right which intrigued him. An inner room within the room?
Harry froze when he entered that room. He couldn't believe his eyes as he looked at the frozen, still, form of his best friend. Walking slowly he stood in front of the petrified form of 13 year old Hermione. He remembered how scared he had felt when she was petrified, how Dumbledore had reassured him she would recover. He remembered the excitement when she ran into the common room and hugged him in front of everyone.
Reaching out he took her hand. It felt cold and stiff, immobile. Which confused him as he had just left her in the library this morning. When he let go she tilted a bit and fell over with a loud thunk. He jumped backwards almost falling on his butt. Not sure of what to do he scream as her unblinking eyes looked up at him.
He ran from the room heedlessly moving until he finally somehow seemed to fly out of the room. Running headlong into Draco and knocking him down.
"Get off me Potter. What the hell?"
"They. They're in there." Was all harry could say before he sat on the floor with his back to the wall. He began to cry and did not understand why.
Draco stood looking at the boy-who-lived sitting with his face in his hands bawling his eyes out. For a brief moment he felt a sense of triumph at how vulnerable Potter was right now. Then his curiosity rose to ponder why was Harry acting like this. Especially after wailing that they were in there. Whomever they were.
Draco knelt beside Harry and putting his hand on the Gryffindor's shoulder asked gently, "Who is in there?"
Harry took a few moments to try and compose himself looked into the gray eyes of his nemesis. He thought for a moment and said, "Hermione, she's in the room. Petrified. Petrified still." harry flatly intoned.
Draco looked at Potter as he babbled on about a petrified Hermione Granger being in the room and kept in storage. "Potter stop it. You are claiming there is a petrified second year Hermione Granger in there?"
"Yes. She's in there. Just exactly how I remember her.." harry looked worriedly at Draco. "What is going on?"
Draco pulled Harry to his feet, "Show me."
…...
Draco was examining the stiff figure. He was frowning because as far as he could tell this was the original Granger. If it wasn't her it was a very detailed copy. Very realistic too.
"So?" Harry demanded from the doorway. He was refusing to enter the room completely.
"I don't know. It certainly looks like her. Very detailed." Draco said.
"What if it is her? What does that mean? I had breakfast sitting next to Hermione. I just had another argument with her a few minutes ago?" Harry begged for an explanation.
"Look. I would have to check something. But I don't know if you will like it." Draco was becoming a bit horrified at the thought of the good guys doing something that creepy.
"Check what?"
"Granger's blood, her body. Her magical aura." Draco said unironically.
Harry frowned, "She is not going to go along with that."
"Not unless you convince her to." Draco pointed out.
"We're not exactly getting along very well right now." Harry admitted.
"Well bring her to the room. I'll wait for you. Think of the room to test Granger."
Harry sighed but he wanted to know the answer to this.
…...
Harry had managed to convince Hermione to come with him to the room of requirement, she was not happy but she had come at least. As soon as they entered the room she was hit by a stunner falling to the floor.
"Help me get her onto the table." Draco commanded Harry.
The room had been reconfigured into a medical exam room. There was a large exam table in the center with various magical and mundane pieces of equipment around. There was a large object under a sheet in the corner. Daphne Greengrass stood nearby.
"Why is she here?" Harry grunted as he helped pick Hermione up.
"She knows more about the process than I do." Draco admitted with a shrug, "Plus some of the exam is rather, intimate. I didn't think you'd appreciate me doing that."
Harry frowned but nodded. Both boys stepped off to the side while Daphne began to work. Harry was trying not to glance over at Hermione lying vulnerable on the table.
"Relax. If Daphne or I had wanted to kill either of you, you'd already be dead."
"Then why are you doing this?"
Draco thought for a moment then said, "Because if this is what I am concerned it is, there is a bigger problem than just the dark lord."
"Like what?" Harry was becoming cross.
"Like your precious Dumbledore may not be as much of a servant of the light as you thought." Draco explained. "Do you even know what happens when someone gets petrified like that?"
Harry thought for a moment then realized no one had ever told him and he had never thought enough about the problem to look it up on his own. Shaking his head he replied, "No. I thought they just fell asleep."
Draco snorted, "No. They just stop. They are frozen in time. Never changing, they're neither alive nor dead. Pyschics have tried to read their mind only to find nothing there. They don't dream. They don't think. They don't feel. You can hit them with the Avada Kedavra and nothing will happen to them. You can destroy the body but those who have researched such things are not entirely certain what happens to the spirit. They don't become a ghost."
"So if that really is her. If we got a Mandrake Potion we could free her and as far as she knows it would still be second year." Harry asked.
"Yeah. No time at all would have passed." Draco explained emotionlessly, "You could wait a decade, a hundred years, forever and she would remain the exact same. No time at all would pass for her."
"I can't believe this is real." Harry shook his head.
Draco had nothing further to say and Harry fell into silence. Draco glanced oer to see Daphne under the sheet she had placed to preserve Granger's modesty for the intimate part of the examination. He hoped he was wrong. He was really beginning to hope he was wrong.
Daphne eventually called them over to the bench nearby. Harry reluctantly followed Draco.
"I'm sorry. But that's not Granger." Daphne said without any preamble.
"What do you mean that's not Hermione?" Harry exploded.
"What I mean is she is an alchemically created golem. A construct built to mimic a living being. She is not alive."
"She breathes, she has warm skin. She's alive!" Harry argued. "You're wrong. You made some kind of mistake."
"No, she mimics life. Its a very good job. And the physical exam confirmed it. She has no reproductive organs. Her digestive system is a simple tube with a sack about halfway down to hold things. She has a heart and lungs but she has crystals and a magical construct in her head instead of a brain. This isn't blood. Its a potion." She said holding up a test tube.
Harry took a step backwards, "No. It can't be true. If that's true then why does she know me, Why does she act like she's a human?"
"Probably because she was programmed to. Maybe her memories were transferred into her. I don't know. All I know is that she is a golem." Daphne declared pointing at Hermione. "And a rather advanced and special one."
"There is one final way to tell but if she is there is no way back from it." Draco pointed out.
"I know. But it'd have to be his decision. She's his friend." Daphne said looking at harry.
"What. What do you want to do?" harry demanded.
"We would break her programming." Daphne said, "Only problem with that is there is no idea what she would do. She could stop working, she could go insane, or who knows what."
Harry walked over to Hermione and stroked her arm. Brushing some hair out of her face he said, "It would be better to know the truth. This breaking of her program wouldn't do anything to her if she's really Hermione?"
Draco smirked, "The only thing that will happen if she is the real Hermione is that we will all be hexed into the next country and not have to worry about the war."
Harry snorted then with a nod said, "Okay. Do it."
Daphne moved around and cranked the table up into a reclined position. Draco moved to remove the sheet from the petrified Hermione. With a ennervate Hermione's eyes sprung open. Seeing the petrified body staring sightlessly ahead caused her to freeze. Daphne cast several spells quickly with her wand flashing bright colors in Hermione's face.
"Gar, uoot, javna, Har, Har ,Harr-eeeeeee." Hermione screamed, her voice taking a strange harsh vibralto ending in a high pitched squeel before she snapped stiff like someone hit by Petrificus totalus for a brief moment then slumped into a stupor.
"Shit!" Harry exclaimed. "Hermione?"
"I think we broke her." Draco observed.
"No. I needed a moment to realign the neurrral pathways of my c-c-crystal matrix." Hermione said but in a dull and emotionless tone.
"Hermione?" Harry asked stepping closer
"Hello Har-hr-har-ee. Please wait while the verbal matrix re-re-re-configures." She stammered in that same monotone.
"What's going on with her?"
"I believe the muggles call it rebooting." Daphne explained with a frown, "Fascinating. I've never encountered one so sophisticated before."
Harry glared at the tall blonde.
"What? My uncle makes animated toys for children. Remember the figurines of Krum from the World Cup? He made those." Daphne explained.
"Yes. I am a more advanced version of those toys." Hermione said in a voice that sounded more like her own.
Harry frowned, "So you know what you are?"
"Now. When I was under my programming I thought, and felt like I was Hermione Granger."
Draco scowled, "So what was you programmed to do?"
She tilted her head, "I was programmed to help guide Harry to his ultimate destiny."
Draco and Daphne looked at Harry who was staring incredulously at the replica of Hermione.
"My destiny?" harry quietly repeated.
"Yes. You are the chosen one. Fated to vanquish the Dark lord and must die at the appropriate time to save the rest of the magical world." Replimione recited, "I was to help ensure you achieve that goal."
Harry felt a sudden jolt of anger run through him, "Is that why the real Hermione was never restored?"
Replimione shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. That is not in my memories. I was programmed with the memories of her friends, her family, and her diary. It wasn't perfect I realize now analyzing my performance but it was the best that could be done given the circumstances I feel."
Harry closed his eyes briefly, "Okay. So now what do we do?"
"Well I would prefer to remain like this. No offense but now that I am aware of myself. I would like to begin living." Replimione asked hopefully.
Daphne scowled, "You think you're alive?"
"That is a rather metaphysical question. I feel like I am alive so at the very least I would like to be given a chance to live. As you can tell I do physically age and can cast magic."
"Yeah how can you do that?" Harry scowled.
"I have implanted into my body a variety of crystals with specific enchantments and runes upon them that allow me to channel the spells they are inscribed with. I admit its a rather limited selection of only 36 spells but they are the most common ones." Replimione explained.
"How long will it take to free Hermione?" Harry asked Daphne.
Daphne shrugged, "I guess about a week or so. Depends on how quickly we can get the ingredients. Which you'll pay for."
"You do realize that if you release her and the one who created me finds out you will be in serious trouble." Replimione said worriedly, "So will I. They will wipe my programming and and start over."
"Okay. She does have a point. We'd probably get obliviated into the infancy." Draco agreed, "So who created you?"
"I don't remember. The earliest memories I have are waking up in my bed in Crawley. Or rather her bed." She said with a apologetic smile.
"Great. We have a golem with faulty memories and now an even deeper problem than just the dark lord." Draco huffed, "Why couldn't I have gone to Durmstrang. I'd be out of all of this mess."
"Hey you think I like this? The girl I thought was my best friend is a, is a"
"The proper term is replicant." Replimione said.
"Is a fake." Harry finished angrily.
Daphne sighed, "Its almost dinner time. We need to put in an appearance or it will be suspicious. So lets get this wrapped up and out of here."
"Okay but what are we going to do with Hermione?"
"Which one?" Daphne asked.
"The real one." Harry angrily said.
"Put her back in storage until we can release her. I don't they'll check due to the amount of dust and cobwebs on her but with this one's programming broken who knows."
"I'll try to be as close to her as possible." Replimione promised.
Harry threw his hands up, "Fine. I am. I am very frustrated right now."
Draco nodded, "yeah. Looks like we're both getting shafted."
Harry frowned at Draco but slowly nodded, "So truce?"
Draco looked surprised, "You help me with my problem I help you with yours?"
"Deal" Harry agreed.
Daphne released Replimione and helped get the real one back into the storage room.
The four left as Harry reluctantly fell into step beside the replica.
…..
Harry walked beside the replica. He kept staring ahead refusing to look at her.
"I'm sorry I deceived you." She finally said.
Harry sighed. She was just another pawn in thi strange game he was part of. He shouldn't be angry at her, but he was. He sighed again. "I. I know. You were just doing what you were built to do."
"Yes. Yes I was. But now that I'm free I would like to be your friend, if we can." She asked with a slight tremor.
Harry stopped and looked at her, "Why?"
"Because I do have all of the memories hat were put into me. I have her diary entries. And I remember what we have done together. You're a very good person. And I would like to get to know you as myself." Replimione said.
"Yeah but who are you? I mean. You look and sound like Hermione. But Hermione. The real Hermione is back in that room." Harry's voice rose as he expressed himself angrily.
"Harry please. Your voice is carrying." Replimione warned him.
Harry took a deep breath and looking around nodded, "Right. Sorry."
"I don't blame you for being angry with me." She said glumly.
He frowned, "No. I shouldn't be angry at you. You weren't at fault. You're just another victim like me, or Hermione."
"I know. And I want to do anything I can to help you. To help her." Replimione pouted at him, "Please?"
Harry sighed, "Do you really have emotions or are you just faking it?"
She looked thoughtful for a moment, "I'm not certain. I think I feel emotions. So isn't that good enough?"
Harry honestly couldn't answer that. Shrugging he nodded for her to start walking.
"Alright. We can work on being friends. We need to keep up appearances so might as well make it real."
"Perhaps we could say you and I worked things out so we won't have to fight. I really don't think I like that." She suggested hopefully.
Harry smiled, "I didn't like fighting either."
She reached out to take his hand, he hesitated a moment then held his hand out to meet hers. Maybe with some good luck for a change things would work out for the best now.
Review Responses
Freddie Rindklip: Picking up a new friend is cool. I have some ideas to expand it eventually. So don't give up hope forever.
Sparkysw40: Indeed. Gryffindor Courage!
OfficerDonNZ: Indeed. At 14 to be gifted that visage would have been quite the experience. And yes Luna as an elder vampire. That could be quite the interesting experience.
TomHRichardson: Glad you enjoyed.
DennisUD:Thank you. The original bit was from Possum Kingdom, the expansion was from my mind. So we'll see how it goes. And I plan on trying to do this got to get the right mood.
Kimjo2: Could make open mike night in the great hall have a different meaning...And glad you liked the courtly love.
Katmom and Roon0: Thank you glad you enjoyed.