The Gemini

Chapter One

Harry Potter stared resentfully at the headmaster's desk.

"I don't know what happened," he said for the fifth time. Truthfully, he did know, a little, but right now his mind was so confused that he barely understood the knowledge. Dumbledore looked at him gravely.

"Are you sure, Harry?"

Burning anger rose up in him.

"Of course I'm sure!" he yelled, leaping to his feet. Some of the portraits muttered disapprovingly, but he took no notice.

"I don't even remember what happened!"

It was a lie: he remembered quite well. The problem was, the memory didn't belong to him; it belonged to an entirely different personality that had replaced his own for the few minutes it took to force Voldemort to leave. Even now there was a ghostly echo of it in his mind.

"Very well, Harry," said the headmaster wearily. "You may go."

Harry stormed out, feeling irritable and unwell. His stomach burned and his head throbbed. He ignored everyone who passed, even Malfoy who stopped to yell insults at him. Harry climbed through the portrait hole intending to go straight upstairs to bed, but was stopped by Ron, Ginny, and Hermione.

"It's no use asking what happened," he snarled, "because I don't know."

His friends regarded him gravely. Harry just stormed past up to the dorm to bed.

He was woken some time around midnight. Blinking confusedly he saw a mischievous face with vivid green eyes (very like his own in size and shape) looking into his own.

"Hello, Harry," she whispered. Harry groaned.

"Belinda," he hissed back, "what are you doing here?"

Those mischievous green eyes were filled with laughter. Belinda tucked a strand of golden-brown hair behind her ear and smiled. She was sitting on the end of his bed in a loose and flowing thing that he recognised as a nightie.

"I'm going to dance in the grounds," she whispered back.

"What?" Harry jerked upright. With a small cry of delighted laughter she swirled of the bed and ran lightly to the stairs. Harry swore and grabbed his wand and invisibility cloak before going after her.

He reached the bottom of the stairs in time to see her climb through the portrait hole, and went tearing after her. She was a pale, unearthly figure running before him, making almost no noise.

Harry caught up with her on the lawn. She squealed as he caught her and whirled away in a swirl of white nightie. Then she ducked in range again, eyes enormous and glowing in the moonlight.

"You can put them down, Harry," Belinda said. "You won't need them."

"Are you mad?" Harry bellowed. "I'm out of bounds!"

Belinda just smiled.

"Trust me, Harry. You won't need them."

For a long moment Harry stared into the impish face with the brilliant, otherworldly eyes. Then he sighed and put his wand and cloak on the ground. Belinda seized his hands and he was immediately spun around in a dizzying dance, faster and faster. Suddenly she let him go and he stumbled several steps before he got his balance back and looked over to see her leaping and dancing and spinning in a billow of white nightie, barefoot in the cool wet grass.

Not quite knowing why, Harry joined in, and soon they were describing fantastic figure eights and beating a tattoo on the grass in their unshod feet. It felt unearthly, dreamlike. Eventually they sank, breathless, onto the wet grass. Harry felt warm all over and shivered at the cool breeze on his skin. Belinda was lying on her back, looking at the sky. Harry did the same. The stars looked beautiful and far away in the darkness. After a while, a long time he thought, Belinda sighed and sat up.

"I suppose you'd better get back to bed," she said regretfully. Harry sighed too, and, gathering his belongings, headed back towards the castle, Belinda walking quietly beside him.

As he settled back into bed Harry cast one last glance at Belinda. Those luminous eyes had quietened. The look of excitement was gone, replaced by a restful contentment.

"Night, Harry," Belinda yawned. Harry drifted off into a deep and dreamless sleep.

When he woke up the next morning Harry felt strangely refreshed. He felt more rested and... serene ...then he had in a long time. Ron and Hermione both noticed the peaceful look on his face.

"So where were you last night?" Ron asked innocently just as Harry took a large gulp of pumpkin juice. Harry choked and spat pumpkin juice all over the table.

"Eww, Harry," Ginny complained, wrinkling her nose.

"Great timing, Ron," Hermione snapped as Harry apologised to the people around him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Harry lied when Ron repeated the question. Ron's eyes narrowed.

"Come off it," he growled. "I woke up last night to find you'd gone. With your wand and the invisibility cloak. Where were you?"

Harry wriggled uncomfortably.

"I went for a walk," he sighed. "I was having trouble sleeping and I just wanted to be myself to think for a while."

Both Ron and Hermione appeared satisfied with this explanation, but kept shooting him suspicious looks all the same. Harry wished they wouldn't; it kept making him think of how he had gone out dancing with Belinda under the full moon.

I must have been barmy, Harry thought. All the same, he had enjoyed himself.