Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 356: Things are Back to Normal...Mostly
"Seriously? You couldn't keep it secret for even an hour?" Neville glared at 'Harry,' who sank onto the couch, looking guilty.
"Don't be so harsh on him. He was put on the spot," Daphne defended Harry. She had insisted on accompanying him, and the Headmaster allowed it since it was obvious she already knew who he really was.
"By you?" Neville stared directly at her.
Daphne glanced away. "Well… among others."
"She wanted to kiss me! I had no choice but to tell her the truth.!" 'Harry' blurted out.
"What?!" Neville shouted.
"You weren't supposed to say that, remember?" Daphne glared at Harry with narrowed eyes.
"I'm sorry!" Harry quickly covered his head. "Don't be mad at me!."
"What happened to wait until tonight?" Neville asked.
"I couldn't wait! I just wanted to kiss my boyfriend. What's wrong with that?" Daphne gave Neville her best attempt at puppy eyes.
"Greengrass?! You're involved with Potter?" Snape, who had been silent in the room, looked utterly horrified.
They had all forgotten he was still in the office.
"Your 'secret' boyfriend..." Neville emphasized the word. "But apparently, everyone has forgotten what that word means."
"Don't be so dramatic, Professor Snape is not a gossip, and...his is getting weird… Can you go back to your normal look? I don't like being scolded by Longbottom," Daphne complained.
"The potion may still last several more hours," Neville said.
"Several more hours?! I want my face back!" Now 'Harry' was the one complaining.
"Luckily, we have someone competent here." Snape pulled a couple of vials from his robes and placed them on the Headmaster's desk.
"Take this. It will nullify the effects of the previous potion and free us all from this madness..."
"That's brilliant, Severus," Dumbledore praised him.
'Harry' was quick to grab one of the vials and downed the strange liquid in one gulp.
"Is being me that bad?" 'Neville' wasn't sure whether he should feel offended by Harry's eagerness.
"It's... complicated," Daphne muttered.
"Did something else happen?" Neville asked, curious.
"Umm..." Daphne hesitated, glancing around. The Headmaster and Professor Snape were standing nearby. "We can talk about that later."
"Ah, it hurts," the real Neville yelped as his body began morphing back to its original form.
"It's an expected side effect of ending the magic too soon," Snape said. "Perhaps I should've given you a warning."
Harry, meanwhile, walked over to the desk and took the other potion.
They all watched as both boys slowly returned to their original appearances.
"I'm back!" Neville exclaimed, looking at his reflection on the polished table. "I'm me!."
Harry considered reminding him that they'd have to do this at least two more times but decided now wasn't the best moment.
Daphne grabbed Harry's face with both hands, examining him closely.
"Let's see... everything seems to be in order."
"Good, then... can you release my head?" Harry requested.
She smiled and leaned in, kissing him softly on the lips. After a few seconds, she let him go.
"Do that again, and I'll give you detention," Snape said with disgust.
"I believe that's against the rules now... but I can look the other way," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.
"Can I go now?" Neville asked, clearly eager to return to his normal life...though that wouldn't be possible until the tournament was over.
"You may leave. If something comes up, you'll be informed... Oh, and take this," Dumbledore handed him the golden egg from the first task.
"The champions are expected to discover the secret inside the egg to prepare for the next task."
"Eh?" Neville eyed the egg with concern.
"You don't actually have to figure it out," Harry assured him. "But if anyone asks, just pretend you're working on it."
Neville looked relieved.
"Right... then, I'll get going," he said, hurrying out of the office.
"I wonder why he was in such a hurry. He didn't even ask about the sleeping girl on the couch," Harry pointed to Victoria, who had yet to wake up.
"I would like to ask about that," Daphne said.
"I was going to say the same," Snape added, his tone sharp.
"Well..." Dumbledore glanced at Daphne, uncertain how much he should say in her presence.
Harry noticed his hesitation.
"She knows pretty much everything about me and what's happening. So don't worry about her—just speak your mind."
"You told her everything?" Dumbledore was genuinely surprised. Harry could be even more secretive than he was, at times.
"I felt it was necessary to keep her away from me," Harry said, as Daphne grabbed his arm and smiled.
"And I see that worked wonderfully," the Headmaster said with an amused grin.
"So, what's her story? Is she really... like another version of you?" Daphne asked.
"How did you reach that conclusion?" Harry asked, intrigued.
"Luna. She said that you all felt similar...you and the other four who appeared earlier in the arena," Daphne explained.
"So, Luna can sense that much," Harry muttered, impressed.
"She's right. This girl is from an alternate reality. Another variant of what could have been."
"And now she's trapped here," Dumbledore added.
"Trapped? She can't return to her world? Why not?" Daphne asked, concerned.
"Because her world doesn't exist anymore," Harry said solemnly.
Snape's gaze shifted to the Headmaster, utterly confused. They had only explained parts of the situation to him...mostly those concerning Voldemort. He hadn't been told anything about parallel realities or Convergences.
"Headmaster... what is this all about?" Snape asked, his tone demanding answers.
Dumbledore considered his response for a moment before noticing something.
"Why don't we wait until our guest wakes up? That way, we'll only have to explain it once."
"You heard Madam Pomfrey. She might not wake for another..."
Victoria moaned softly as she began to regain consciousness.
"This is going to take a while to explain... and she's not going to believe us," Harry noted grimly.
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