Parallel Universe by H_HrFan

Rating: G
Genres: Drama, Romance
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 5
Published: 16/01/2005
Last Updated: 01/02/2005
Status: Paused

11 May 2005...A/N: This story has been temporarily paused. I've not had the time to dedicate
to it and rather than provide you with a shoddy story, I'm going to officially pause it. I
graduate in two weeks and I hope to get on this story again in the next month or so. Thanks to all
of you who have reviewed. I've been slowly updating chapter 1 and hope to start on 2 soon.After
the events at the Department of Mysteries, relationships are formed between Harry and Ginny, Ron
and Hermione, Neville and Luna. Then, a shocking article Hermione finds in a Muggle magazine makes
the three couples question whether they really are where they should be. Odd couplings at first but
will end up as it should be...be patient.




1. The Article
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DISCLAIMER: Every time I do this I want to cry because sadly Harry does not belong to me … oh,
and, neither do any of the other characters. No money, no fame, no glory will come from this story
so please don't sue me … I have nothing to give!

A/N: This is a story I was working on before I started what was supposed to be a `short'
little Her-my-oh-nee story. I thought I'd put it out there to see what kind of response I get
so I'd know if it's worth pursuing later.

I'd appreciate your comments … good or bad … so I know whether or not to continue on.
I'm working on finishing up `Fairy Tale' so I suppose I'm looking for my next great
adventure.

Thanks!

PS For those of you reading `Fairy Tale' I *was* supposed to be out of town this
weekend but inclement weather kind of ruined our plans. I'll be working on the next chapter
soon.

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**Chapter One:**

“**W**ow,” said Hermione in a soft, disbelieving voice. “No way … I wonder if that could be
true.”

Following the events at the Department of Mysteries nearly two years ago, an indescribable bond
formed between Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. What had started as three had now
become six and the bond they shared was strong and unbreakable.

The summer following the tragic events at the DoM Harry had thankfully spent little time with
the Dursleys. Instead, he was taken to Grimmauld Place where the headquarters for the Order still
resided. Upset by the fact that he was taken to Sirius' house so soon after his death, Harry
sealed himself away from the others in an attempt to spend his time alone while still near to the
people he loved. For reasons even he didn't understand, he had been unable to open himself up
to Hermione and Ron and so, it had been left up to Ginny to try. After much coercion she was
finally able to break through the barrier he'd erected around himself and as a result, their
`friendship' quickly grew into more. As the relationship between them grew, the cycle continued
as Ron and Hermione were inevitably drawn closer, soon to be followed by Neville and Luna.

While there were now three couples in the group, there was only *one* group and there was
no way for an outsider to penetrate it. Where there was one there was bound to be at least one more
not far behind as they continued to look out for each other.

This was their routine. Every night after supper they would meet in the Room of Requirement;
generally they would study, but as it was a Friday, Hermione had gone easy on them and tonight they
were able to sit around talking and just generally goofing off. As was her way, Hermione could
often be found with a book or magazine in her hand; tonight was no different. When they heard her
exclamation they all smiled and looked around at each other, it was so typical Hermione; she'd
often find something in her reading and get a strong urge to share with the rest of the group.

Harry looked up at her. “What is it Hermione? What are you looking at?”

“Yeah, `Mione, what is it *this* time?” Ron said affectionately but with a slight roll of
his eyes.

“Oh, it's just this article. It's fascinating. It's not something that I would
normally pay any mind too, but now I'm curious to know if there's any truth to it,” she
replied.

“Well, are you going to tell us about it or are we supposed to be reading your mind now?” Ginny
asked with an even blend of sarcasm and affection.

“Oh. Sorry,” Hermione replied, still engrossed in the article. “Just give me a minute to finish
this and I'll explain. Fascinating…” She mumbled again.

Surprisingly, the others silently waited for her to finish. This time seemed different and
Hermione's behavior had certainly gotten their curiosity piqued. She seemed to be more
interested than usual in what she was reading and they were all very keen on hearing the story that
was causing the look of disbelief on her face. Even Ron had nothing to say while they waited.

After a minute Hermione looked up and noticed that all eyes were on her. After turning a soft
shade of pink, she said, “Sorry. I didn't realize that I'd actually spoken out loud
earlier.”

“Okay, so tell us. What's so exciting about this article?” Neville asked.

“What are you reading anyway?” Harry asked.

“Oh, it's Science Weekly, a Muggle magazine that my parents send me. You've seen it
before,” Hermione replied a bit distractedly.

“Tell us about the article, `Mione. From the way you were mumbling to yourself it sounded like
it could be an interesting one this time,” Ron said with surprising interest.

“Okay, listen…” She said.

*For many years scientists have believed that there is a universe parallel to th**e
one* *in which we live. While there are varying degrees of belief, and numerous theories
associated with a `parallel universe' there is one underlying fact that scientists can and do
agree upon: if* *someone is looking for their true soul mate they need look no further than
where they, themselves, are.*

*It is believed by many in the scientific community that* *each individual* *has a
soul mate* *and* *that* *their roles in the two worlds are reversed.* *In
laym**a**n's terms,* *this would mean that* *whatever a person is doing in
this universe, their soul mate is doing in the parallel universe.*

*According to Steven Jones, a futuristic research scientist from the United States, “**In
essence,* *it is believed that* *t**here is a point at which the two worlds collide
and the* *two* *souls* *a**re* *at last* *united.* *Naturally,
th**is time is different for* *each pairing* *as it is* *virtually*
*impossible for everyone in the world to find their soul mate at the exact same*
*moment**.* *It is when these worlds collide* *however,* *that we are
inexplicably drawn to the one within our own universe* *for which we are predestined.”*

*Another theory has scientists believing* *that individuals who are destined to play a
vital role in o**ne* *universe* *ha**ve* *a soul mate that shares the
burden from the parallel univers**e; meaning, that w**hatever role one is playing in*
*this* *universe, their* *soul mate* *is playing in the parallel universe**.
Knowing this, the individual**s* *in both universes can rest assured that* *they
are* *never really alone.* *It is w**hen their destiny is fulfilled* *that*
*the worlds collide and* *their* *souls are* *then* *joined**.*

*Says John Winslet, a research scientist from the United Kingdom, “While* *this theory
has proven difficult* *to* *substantiate,* *we believe we are closer than ever to
discovering the truth.* *Numerous types of* *scienti**fic* *research ranging
from dream**…”*

“From there they just talk about how they've reached their conclusions, what kind of
research they've done, etc…” finished Hermione. “I think it's a very interesting
theory.”

“Hold on,” said Ron appearing as though a light bulb had just turned on above his head. “You
mean to tell me that if this article is true, then in another universe *I**'m* the
one reading the books and being clever? Not Hermione? Scary!” He looked at her with a twinkle in
his eye and a sort of dumbfounded look upon his face.

Hermione realized he was joking but that he didn't really know what to believe either.
“Perhaps you can find a way to get in touch with your other self to get some much-needed help on
that homework you always seem to have so much trouble with,” she teased as she smiled and gave him
a quick kiss on the cheek.

The others laughed but as Hermione looked around, she realized that they were all thinking about
what their other selves could possibly be doing and what they might be like. It made her smile to
think that she had finally found an article that kept their attention for more than two
minutes.

“Don't tell me that somewhere out there Luna's looking for a lost toad named Trevor,”
laughed Harry, bringing a fresh round of laughter from the others.

“Yeah, and Hermione is sitting around playing chess and begging Ron to help her with her
homework,” joked Neville.

Hermione didn't seem to keen upon that idea but she smiled anyway and looked affectionately
at Ron whose ears had begun to turn pink.

“And Neville has gone from anxious to dreamy. I wonder if the Crumple-Horned Snorkack can be
found in the parallel universe. Maybe Neville's already discovered one, Luna.” Hermione
replied, making a concerted effort to hide her exasperation about such things.

This brought a fresh round of laughter from everyone but Ginny. Ginny was sitting quietly in the
corner, her hand in Harry's, with a look of deep concentration and concern on her pretty
face.

“What is it, Gin?” asked Harry.

“Yeah, Ginny, you're not looking so good. You look worried,” Hermione said, suddenly
concerned for her friend.

“Well…” started Ginny. “Do you s…s…suppose that the other me…the one in the other universe…could
be battling You-Know-Who as we speak?” she asked in a low, timid voice.

The others looked at her in surprise and Harry held her hand a little tighter.

“Oh, yes. Just imagine…'the girl-who-lived',” said Luna in her faraway, dreamy voice,
not realizing that the others had ceased laughing.

“Luna…” said Neville in a rather harsh tone.

“Oh…Ginny, I'm so sorry,” said Luna with a look of deep regret in her eyes. “I didn't
mean …”

“It's all right Luna,” said Ginny. “It's just that when the thought hit me, I was just
shocked for a minute and didn't know what to think. It's hard to imagine having to
personally live through all of the things that have happened to Harry. It just took me by surprise,
that's all,” she finished with a sympathetic look at Harry.

Harry looked deeply into Ginny's eyes and wanted nothing more than to tell her how sorry he
was that she had been scared by that thought, but as he looked at her he found that he simply could
not apologize. Somehow he knew that there was no reason for her to be scared and no reason for him
to be scared for her. As he was contemplating the reasons for why he was so sure she had nothing to
fear Ron interrupted his thoughts...

“Well, it wouldn't really be You-Know-Who now, would it?” replied Ron. “According to the
article our roles would be the opposite of our soul mate. That would mean that you would be
battling *his* soul mate, and not You-Know-Who himself, wouldn't it?”

“Well,” said Hermione in that know-it-all tone they'd grown so used to after so many years.
“Since Tom Riddle has obviously never known love, I think it's highly likely that he
doesn't have a soul mate. So, whatever pain he's causing here, he's most probably
causing there as well. Don't you think, Harry?”

Not wanting to make matters any worse, Harry just looked down and sort of shrugged his
shoulders. He glanced up briefly to give Hermione a “please just drop it” look and she instantly
regretted her comment and looked down at her hand holding Ron's.

“Well…I'm exhausted. I think I'm ready to call it a night,” Said Neville suddenly.
“Thanks for sharing that article Hermione, it really was interesting. Maybe I'll have sweet
dreams about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and other bizarre creatures tonight.”

Neville smiled shyly at Luna who put her arms around him and whispered, “I can't wait to
hear about it in the morning.”

Harry and Ginny walked quickly to Gryffindor Tower. When they reached the common room, she
turned into his arms and looked at him with a half-smile and a look of regret.

“I'm sorry, Harry,” She began. “I didn't mean to sound as though I wouldn't want to
be your soul mate just because another me could be fighting You-Know-Who. It just took me by
surprise, that's all. I don't ever want you to think that what you've done has not been
greatly appreciated by everyone … especially me. I know how hard it's been for you and
that's the part that scared me the most. Please forgive me.”

Kissing her softly and resting his forehead against hers, he whispered, “Don't worry about
it, Gin. It's okay. Really. Given a choice, I wouldn't want to be me either.”

When he looked at her there was a sort of helplessness in his eyes and she had to fight to hold
back her tears.

*His entire life has been about saving the world,* *she thought,* *and I can't
even comprehend it for just a few minutes…and I'm not even the one going through it. It's a
Ginny I don't even know. What kind of friend* *… or rather, soul mate … am I?*

With a tender kiss they said their goodnights and both turned to go to their dormitories. After
a few steps Ginny chanced a glance over her shoulder and saw that Harry kept his head down and that
he never once looked back.

*Harry was deep in thought and it hadn't even occurred to him to turn around and check on
Ginny.* *Why didn't that bother me?* *H**e wondered to himself as he walked
toward his room**.* *E**very time someone mentions my destiny I get* *upset*
*and I* *start* *to fear for the lives of my friends. A comment like that should*
*definitely* *have me worried about Ginny.* *His next thought took him completely
by* *surprise;* *could* *i**t be that Ginny's not the one?*

*Harry* *suddenly* *felt* *an overwhelming urge to check* *on
Hermione**;* *k**nowing she was with Ron was the only thing that kept him from
turning around and looking for her.*

*Knowing Harry and Ginny needed a few m**inutes* *alone, Ron and Hermione took their
time returning to the common room and kept an eye out for Neville* *who had walked Luna to
Ravenclaw Tower**. Since they knew he couldn't go all the way in they were expecting him
to reappear quickly. Neville was still the one in the group that got picked on the most, and they
didn't like to take their chances on his getting caught alone after escorting his*
*girlfriend* *back to her dormitory. Most people knew better than to mess with anyone in the
group, as many of them were scared of Harry, but catching Neville alone for a bit of verbal torture
would suit any one of the Slytherins just fine.*

*Ron and Hermione meandered along in silence for a while; each of them caught up in their own
thoughts. Hermione couldn't help but feel a little trepidation although she could not find a
justification for it. When she looked at Ron, he was sort of staring off into space, looking as
though he might have been daydreaming about faraway places. She thought for a moment about asking
him what he was thinking and then thought better of it, realizing that she was enjoying the silence
too much to break it just then.*

*Neville caught up with* *them* *just after Hermione realized how nice the silence
was.*

*“Wow, Hermione,**” He said. “That was some article. You even have Luna and me wondering
if there might be some truth to it. It's actually kind of fun thinking about what I might be
doing in another universe.”*

*“I'm glad you liked it, Neville**,” She replied**.* *“**It does make
one think, doesn't it?”*

*With that, Neville joined in their silence. When they got to the Gryffindor common room
Neville made a cursory glance at Ron and Hermione and quickly excused himself. After a quick round
of goodnights, he rushed up the stairs to his* *room**.*

*Ron and Hermione turned toward each other and Ron instinctively wrapped his arms around her,
pulling her into a comfortable hug.*

*Ron said, “That really was some article `Mione. I feel really awful for Gin though. She
seemed a bit more upset than she let on. I know that putting yourself in Harry's position
can't be pleasant, but I can't imagine that it would have that much of an impact either.
Man…”*

“Well, Ron,” Hermione said in a tone that took Ron quite by surprise, “being Harry would mean a
lot of responsibility. He practically carries the weight of our world…and possibly even the Muggle
world…on his shoulders every day. Could you really imagine having to carry that burden? Do you
think that Ginny could do it? Do you think you could?”

“I hadn't really looked at it in quite that way to tell the truth,” Ron said thoughtfully.
“I don't suppose it would be easy. I know that you could do it though.” He said hoping to
lighten her mood, if only a little.

Surprising him again, she replied, “Yes, Ron. You're probably right. I think I *could*
handle it.”

Taking note of the surprised look on his face Hermione quickly added, “Especially if I had
friends like you and Harry to help me through.”

Ron looked at her in amazement and gently kissed first her forehead and then her lips before he
whispered, “Right again `Mione, and we would never leave your side.”

“I know,” She said in a lighter tone of voice.

“Goodnight `Mione.”

“Goodnight Ron.”

Hermione didn't make it far before her mind once again returned to the article. She
couldn't see herself `playing chess and asking Ron to help with her homework' as Neville
had joked earlier. She would want more action. If hanging out with Harry and Ron all these years
had done nothing else for her it *had* given her an insatiable appetite for adventure. It gave
her much more than that of course; friendship, trust, love, acceptance…she could go on forever. But
it was her desire for adventure that had at first been the hardest thing to accept. Where she used
to be just practical, she was now not only practical but a little daring as well. She loved using
her knowledge, quick wit, and photographic memory to further Harry's cause. Helping Harry had
been her passion since she'd repaired his glasses for him when they first met him on the
Hogwart's Express nearly seven years ago. She smiled at that memory, just as she did so many
others when she took the time to think about the past. She'd had a lot of good times with Harry
and Ron and she was looking forward to many more, especially after the defeat of Lord Voldemort.
There was a part of her that was really looking forward to that battle…

Ron was thinking quite along the same lines as Hermione. Under no conditions could he imagine
himself buried in books. As much as he loved Hermione, he could *not* imagine being her. She
was too smart for her own good … for all their good … and he knew that even in a dream world or a
`parallel universe' as it was called now, he just couldn't bring himself to accept the fact
that he was smarter than her. Just the thought of it actually made him laugh out loud. Thank
*goodness the others* *ar**e sleeping,* he thought. He could just imagine himself
having to explain, *“Well, I was picturing myself as Hermione. But without the bushy hair, brown
eyes, and you know,* girl *stuff. Just imagining myself smarter, that's all!”*

*Nope, not going to happen. Not now, not ever,* *he thought to himself.* *Ron
drifted off to sleep with thoughts of Hermione … not realizing that those thoughts would soon
change to dreams of something entirely different.*

Harry and Neville both heard Ron's chuckle but they were too engrossed in their own thinking
to take the time to ask about it. It was only a chuckle after all. It wasn't like he was hurt
or anything…whatever it was could wait until tomorrow.

Harry knew Ron well and he was quite sure he knew what had made him laugh and the thought made
him want to laugh too. Ron as smart as Hermione, yeah right! *Hermione!* There it was again,
that feeling. Harry didn't know how to describe it. It was like his stomach would tighten up
and he would get worried. It was almost as if he felt … *guilty*. *Why on earth would I feel
guilty about Hermione?* he wondered.

Hermione had been one of his best friends for nearly seven years. He'd felt guilty toward
her a lot during that time, but it was never this nagging feeling like he was experiencing now. It
started when she'd read the article to them and he hadn't been able to shake it since. He
wanted to chalk it up to habit … in the back of his mind he lived in a constant state of worry
where Hermione was concerned … Ron too, for that matter. For some reason though, `habit' was
not a suitable term to use this time. *Nope,* he thought, *t**his goes way beyond
habit.*

Harry tried very hard to clear his mind of thoughts of Hermione and tried to focus his thoughts
toward Ginny … his Ginny. They'd had a lot of good times since they became a couple. Sometimes
he found it hard to believe how lucky he was … how lucky they all were. Yes, they were all young
but when you know, you know…and they all seemed to know. There was never any question of who would
end up with whom. It was a natural progression and definitely what they'd needed at the time.
Harry needed someone to hold. He needed someone to talk to, hold hands with…and he had to admit,
the kissing was quite nice, too. Luna and Neville always seemed to be having a good time and Ron
and Hermione … they'd been on the edge of something for quite some time so that was the least
surprising relationship of all of them.

Determined to get some much needed sleep, Harry focused his mind once again on Ginny. Just
Ginny; no thoughts, no worries just her face and her smile. With a small, soft smile on his face he
drifted off to sleep - completely unaware of where his dreams would take him.

Neville was having trouble falling asleep. He didn't normally have trouble, but tonight he
couldn't seem to stop thinking about the article Hermione had read. Just a few short paragraphs
and for some reason he felt as though his life were about to take a drastic turn. He had no idea
why he thought that, he just did. He reflected briefly on Hermione's comments about the
Crumple-Horned Snarkack and other fantastical beasts that only Luna seemed to know anything about.
He couldn't imagine spending his life daydreaming about finding creatures that only seemed to
exist in his mind. He loved Luna, but she did have a tendency to `drift' off and on throughout
the day. It was hard sometimes to know if she was ever truly there with him or if she'd once
again lost herself to a world all her own.

Then he thought of Ginny. Neville had always had a great deal of respect for her. When Harry
rescued her from the Chamber of Secrets she'd never let anyone see how scared she'd been.
She was almost always in total control. It wasn't like her to get upset like she did tonight
and it worried him. He was also worried about what her fears would do to Harry. Neville knew that
Harry took everything straight to heart. His ability to feel the pain of others set him apart from
everyone else. Harry never made fun of others and was always there to help out anyone in need. He
could just imagine how much Harry would want to calm Ginny's fears.

He'd help him. He'd do whatever he needed to do to make it easier on both Ginny and
Harry. Who knows … maybe this parallel universe doesn't exist anyway. There's probably
nothing to worry about. *Our imaginations are just running away from us with the thoughts of what
we might be doing with our other lives**,* he reasoned. Tomorrow he would tell Ginny his
conclusion and it would ease all her fears about her other self and what her destiny might be in
the parallel universe. He would tell her that there's simply no way that other universe exists
and that she needs to think about living in the here and now … in this universe.

When Neville finally reached the conclusion he'd been looking for he was able to return his
thoughts to Luna. He visibly relaxed when he realized that there was no other Neville who might be
out searching for fantastical beasts; there was only him and he was going to enjoy what he had.
With thoughts of his life with Luna going through his head, he was finally able to sleep …
completely oblivious to the fact that his dreams would take him places that, while awake, he would
undoubtedly fear to tread…

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A/N2: The continuation would take us into the dreams of the boys as well as the girls'
thoughts and dreams until finally we reach our conclusion.

Thanks for reading. I hope you liked it and I'm looking forward to your comments.

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2. A/N Only...
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Short A/N only:

Hi! This is just a quick author's note. First of all, I'd like to thank those of you who
have reviewed and have shown interest in the continuation of the story…I appreciate that very, very
much! Secondly, I want to say that I have not forgotten about this story.

I am FINALLY nearing the completion point of `A Fairy Tale for His Her-my-oh-nee' and I will
be getting back to this one as soon as I can after that. I have just a few remaining fluff (YAY)
chapters left in the other story so I'll be able to change my focus soon.

I hope to hear from you all again when I get the next chapter posted. This story has been a long
time in the making and I'm excited to get started on it. (I know it's only been a couple of
weeks, but as those of you who've been following `Fairy Tale' know, a couple of weeks is a
*really, really* long time for me…usually two days is a really long time for me…)

Thanks again!

Take care…I'll be looking for you all when I get the next chapter posted!

H_HrFan

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