A Glimpse without the Boy Who Lived

Explanations and a Room of Requirement

Harry felt completely isolated. Who was he going to tell? Perhaps he could try Ron and Hermione again. Hermione ought to know something about changing realities. He couldn't talk to Malfoy about it, although he did seem the only one who was friendly towards him at the moment.

As Harry went into the Great Hall for breakfast, he paused in his tracks as he reminded himself he was a Slytherin now. Instead of making his usual tracks towards the Gryffindor table to sit with Ron and Hermione, he spotted Malfoy waving him over at the Slytherin table and half-heartedly swaggered (he assumed this must be how he had been acting in this life all along) his way over.

"What happened to you?" Malfoy asked, pouring him some pumpkin juice.

"Err...I wasn't feeling well, had to get a bit extra sleep before breakfast," Harry lied.

"Alright, so how come you weren't in the dorm when I came down? Sleeping with your cloak on?"

"Look, do I ask all your business, Malfoy?" Harry said annoyed, but was relieved that Malfoy looked unthreatened by the sudden grumpiness.

"Fine, it's just the game is in two weeks. Not that you need to practice or anything, but you are the captain. You're sort of needed at practices," Malfoy said, before turning round to speak with Flint on his other side.

Great. He had to not only play as the Slytherin Seeker, but also play against his own house, Gryffindor. Harry knew this reality couldn't possibly last forever and so didn't really care about whether on the day he caught the Snitch or not.

When that day came, Harry found it easy to let Gryffindor win. The fact that Ginny Weasley was playing Seeker made Harry more than happy to allow her to have it, even though she shouted, "What's the matter, Potter? Scared of a girl?" after flying close over his head holding the snitch high.

"Don't worry about it Harry," Draco said flying over beside him. "Gryffindor'll get theirs when they face Ravenclaw next game. You really aren't scared of beating girls though, are you?"

Harry didn't answer this. He simply watched Ginny land back on the ground with the whole of her team surrounding her. Even a couple of specs from the crowd joined the group in celebration. And then Harry noticed them to be Ron and Hermione. It was time he talked to them. And they better believe me! He thought to himself.

He had planned it all out in his mind within seconds. If Voldemort had taken over the Ministry years ago then there would have been no need for Dolores Umbridge in their fifth year and so no DA would have been created. Further more, nobody would know anything about the Room of Requirement. He rushed out of the Astronomy class on Monday night so as to get ahead of them coming down the tower. When he reached the seventh floor he passed the same spot twice thinking of nothing more than a secret quiet room where nobody could be heard. A small door the size of a broom cupboards' appeared in front of him and he opened it and stepped halfway in so as to watch for them coming.

As if expected, Hermione and Ron were the last ones in the crowd. After watching the rest of the Slytherins go down to their common room, he waited for the few Gryffindors to approach. Hermione and Ron passed, deep in conversation and pretending not to recognise Harry, but he grabbed them both from behind and pulled them into the room as the door disappeared after them.

There was complete darkness.

"What the bloody hell was-" Ron's voice could be heard.

"-Who's there!" Hermione said sharply. Harry felt her wand graze across his arm as she flicked it out.

"Guys, it's me! Its Harry, I just - hold on...where are the lights...lights?" And as if the room was answering it showed four soft glows of torches in brackets, illuminating the small dungeon-like room they were standing in.

"Right, now-"

"What are you playing at?" Ron spat. Both of their wands were now pointing at his neck.

"Look, I know you're probably wondering why I just pulled you both in here-"

"Oh, you think?" Hermione shrilled, looking quite distressed.

"But I'm about to tell you something that is really going to stun you, I mean out of this world. I don't think it's ever happened before - you're going to love it Hermione, I don't know if you've heard of it or read about it..."

There was an awkward silence and then Ron said, "Well!"

"Is there such a thing as...changing reality?"

"Are you mad," Ron laughed. "You pulled us all the way in here to ask us that. That's it, where's he door Hermione?" But Hermione stayed silent, observing Harry curiously as if just realising he wasn't of her imagination.

"Hermione, I know you must of heard something or other...come on, please tell me you have." Harry was practically pleading now with her as she continued to just stare at him.

Finally she said, "No...I-I've never heard of such a thing."

Harry straightened up a little now and started pacing in front of them, their wands aloft all the time. He was curious to find out a little more of this character he seemed to be portraying in this life.

"You guys don't happen to remember how we all met, do you?" he asked casually.

Ron snorted out, "How could we forget. After you teased me about my hand-me-downs and Hermione about her muggle parents...it was pretty hard to forget you, Potter!"

He realised that they were back to second-name-calling again, but nothing could have made him feel so sick as to hear that he had made fun of such things in their lives.

"I would never do that," he whispered, more to himself, but Hermione must have heard and she gave a hollow laugh.

He now felt very ashamed of this Harry Potter and hung his head slightly closing his eyes with guilt. He felt extremely bombarded with all these things that were so unlike him that he thought he might cry with depression.

.

"Oh my god Hermione, is that a real tear falling down his face?" Ron sneered, watching Harry with revolt.

Hermione never answered but slowly lowered her wand.

"You know what, it doesn't matter, the both of you can just leave," Harry said waving a limp hand at the wall where the door had been. "No one is ever going to believe what I've got to say anyway."

"What is it that you have to say?" Hermione asked in a small voice.

Harry took a deep breath and sighed, ruthless to what he said next. "Only that...my name is Harry Potter. I'm The Boy Who Lived. I'm the only person that is destined to kill Voldemort-" both Ron and Hermione gasped with horror at the name, "-I'm in - or at least I was - in Gryffindor house. And you two are my only best friends." And he carried on to tell them how he seemed to be lost inside another reality.