Worlds Collide 7/7

[rumpelsnorcack]

Title: Worlds Collide 7/7
Characters/Pairing: Harry/Hermione, Harry/Ginny
Word Count: 2,149
Rating: PG
Genre: Fluff, Romance
Summary: A Harry from a Harmony world finds his way through a portal to a canon world.  What happens when he meets his counterpart?
A/N: This was written after I had been talking with a Harmonian shipper and she had been trying to 'convert' me.  I had a dream where her Harry met up with my Harry and was, frankly, appalled that my Harry was dating Ginny.  This was the outcome.  The chapters alternate between Harmony Harry's and Canon Harry's perspectives.

Chapter 7: End of an Era

 

Harry turned to look at them all one more time before stepping through the portal.  They were arrayed once more in their pairs.  Harry had his arms around Ginny and she leaned back against him possessively, and Ron had a hand on Hermione’s shoulder.  They all looked natural … right, somehow.  On looking back to his world his eyes rested on Ginny as much as they did on Hermione.  He took one deep breath and returned through the shimmer to the place he knew and understood.

 

Hermione threw her arms around him and buried her head in his shoulder.  He grinned in relief and hugged her tightly to him; things were finally right again in his life.  However, his eyes sought out Ginny as she watched the two of them together.  She looked much as normal, but now that he was looking at her properly he could see the effort it was taking her to remain neutral as she looked at them.  He felt a twinge of guilt, and determined once again to put some effort into their friendship.  Hermione let go of him, but as he leant down for a kiss she rained a series of well-aimed punches on his chest.  Taken by surprise he just watched for a moment then carefully grasped her wrists in his hands and held her away from him.

 

“What was that for?” he asked.

 

“You idiot!” She shrieked, still trying to hit him.  “You just go off who knows where without thinking of the consequences!  Then you get stuck there, and no-one knew if you’d even get back. I didn’t know if I’d see you again! What did you expect?  Flowers?”

 

“No … I, Look,” he finally said firmly.  “I’ve been … it was a really weird place.  I just need to relax.  I don’t need someone telling me all my faults right now.”

 

Hermione looked at him, shocked.  This was the first time in their relationship that he’d been less than warm with her.  He felt a stab of guilt Great! My one legacy from that crazy journey: more guilt he thought as turned back to her.

 

“Look, I’m sorry Hermione.  It’s been a weird day and I think I’m really just tired.”  He smiled at her and moved to leave the room.  She tugged on his hand and asked, “Don’t you want to talk about it?  What was the other Hogwarts like?”

 

He chuckled and said, “You really don’t want to know.”  With one final glance at Ginny, who was looking thoughtful, he did leave the room.

 

Next morning, after having some breakfast, Harry was beginning to feel more himself.  The after-effects of yesterday’s journey and his short, but intense, fight with Hermione were still vivid in his mind, however.  To try and figure it out he excused himself, saying he just wanted to do some thinking alone.  The others watched him go in surprise but made no protests.  Harry made his way to a favourite spot he and Ginny used to share when they were both feeling depressed after the events in the Chamber.  Something drew him there to sort out his issues this time.  To his shock, someone was already there.

“Ginny! What are you doing here?” he asked.

 

“Harry.” She blushed, but kept her eyes steady on his.  “I kept coming here when I felt down.  It’s become habit to come here when I need to think.”

 

She turned and looked out over the lake that was laid out below them.

 

“What are you doing here, then?” she asked, almost achieving nonchalance.

 

“I guess I needed to think a bit myself,” he said.

 

“Oh,” she sounded disappointed.  “I’d better leave you to it.”

 

“No, wait,” he said, stretching out his hand towards her as she stood to leave.  “It was kind of you I needed to think about.  I’d like you to stay and talk to me, if you would.”

 

“OK.” She sat down again, clasped her hands around her knees and tilted her head at him.  “Why do you need to think about me?”

 

“That other Hogwarts was weird, Ginny.  The other me, well, he …” he blushed. 

 

“He’s going out with the other me isn’t he?” she asked.

 

“How did you know?”

 

“I could see the people in the other place, and they were standing very close together.  It seemed logical that was what was going on.  I can see why you’d be weirded by that,” she sounded a little sad as she said it.

 

“Well you’re right.  It did freak me out.  Hermione … she was just like my Hermione, but she was so obviously just his friend.  It confused me.  If they’re the same, then is our Hermione really just my friend and we’re making a mistake?”

 

“No, I don’t think so,” said Ginny.   “Good relationships come out of friendships, don’t they?”

 

“I guess so.  I don’t know.  I’m all confused; while I was watching the other Harry with that Ginny I felt … almost jealous of what they have.  They were good together.”  He blushed again.  “I don’t mean you and I … I just mean … there was something different between them, something more than what I have with Hermione.  I feel like maybe I was wanting Hermione to be ‘the one’ because she was always there, but what if she isn’t really?”  He sighed and looked over at Ginny.

 

“I’m sorry I’m laying all this on you, but I feel like I can talk to you.” He squirmed a little, looking embarrassed.  The inquisitive glance she threw at him didn’t help him with what he needed to do, but he finally took a breath and added, “there’s one more thing I really have to say.  They told me off for the way I’ve treated you.  And I realised they are right about at least one thing.  I took you for granted once I got interested in other girls.  I’m sorry, Ginny.”

 

“Don’t go all mental on me, Harry Potter.  You’ve got nothing to be sorry for,” she said. “I always knew I was not really part of your life.”

 

“But that’s the thing.  I think you were, or you were meant to be.  They talked about a bond between us that started in the Chamber, and when I remember those early years I know they’re right.  Don’t you feel it too?”

 

“Yes,” she answered simply.  “But I always thought it was just me because you never seemed to notice it.”

 

He reached a hand out towards her, then thought better of it and stopped himself.

 

“I always felt it,” he said softly, looking at her earnestly.  “I just didn’t know what it was.  I never meant to hurt you, I hope you realise that.”

 

“Of course I do,” she said.  “It’s not your fault I allowed myself to hope for silly things.  I just … I wish we could be friends.  Real friends.”

 

“Me too,” he said and stood up.  He offered her a hand.  “Maybe we could start now?”

 

“Sure,” she said, getting to her feet.

 

They walked back to the castle talking about things they both loved: quidditch mostly, but other topics slipped in.  It was the easiest he could remember feeling in ages.  The hunt for Voldemort and his horcruxes seemed to stop overpowering him while they talked.  Harry felt at peace with himself for the first time since Sirius died.  It felt unusual but good.

 

The weeks flew past and while Harry had patched up his relationship with Hermione there was always that niggle there, that worry that this wasn’t how it was meant to be.  She was a marvellous person; he still knew that, still appreciated all her myriad qualities, but he kept flashing to what he had seen on what he privately called ‘the other side,’ and he thought that as friends the other Harry and Hermione had made such a great team, whereas he and his Hermione were having to change themselves to be what the other one needed in a partner.  He felt dimly that a relationship shouldn’t be that way.  Again and again he wondered if maybe they would be better off remaining best friends, allowing each to be true to their inner self. 

 

Then there was Ginny.  He was finding himself thinking of her more than he used to, wondering what she was doing, wanting to spend time with her.  When they played quidditch they had an easy familiarity that allowed them to know in advance the plays that would help gain Gryffindor the edge in a match.  More and more he wanted to be with her and enjoy her comforting presence and her personality that sympathised with his more reckless impulses and, rather than chiding him for them, was willing to help him find ways to carry them out.  It was nice to be accepted as he was for once, and while he felt the disloyalty to Hermione he still couldn’t help himself from seeking out Ginny to talk to and be at ease with.

 

Finally, about 3 weeks after he had gone through the portal, Hermione came to him with a serious look on her face.

 

“We need to talk Harry.  Will you come to the Room of Requirement with me?”

 

“I … sure …” he said, alarmed at the way she looked.

 

They walked silently up the stairs neither really talking til they reached the room.  Hermione turned to him once they were in and took a deep breath, clearly gearing herself up for something.  Harry felt even more tense and nervous as he watched her.

 

“This is where it all started, Harry.  This is where things changed and I think I need to say what I have to say right here too.”

 

“But …”

 

“No, please just listen to me.  Ever since you came out of that other world you’ve been different.  I need to know what you saw in there to make you change so much.”

 

“I didn’t want it to be like this, Hermione.  Please believe me.  It’s just … in that other place things were so different.  It made me think a bit more about how it is here, and I guess I never stopped wondering.”

 

“Wondering about what?”

 

“Ginny … and you.”

 

“What do you mean?’

 

“He, the other me, is going out with Ginny.”

 

“I’m not surprised,” she said wryly.

 

“What? How?”

 

“Well, Harry, I’m not blind you know.  I know Ginny still has feelings for you, and I see the way you are with her.  You become really yourself when you’re around her.  It’s like the way I am with …” she broke off with a blush.

 

“With Ron.  I know,” he said as she looked up at him in surprise.  “They were so close to getting together in there.”  He waved at the wall the portal had opened on.  “And she seemed happier, more herself than you do here.  I didn’t want to admit it, but I think being with me diminished you somehow.”

 

“I think it’s diminished us both,” she said.  “I think we are great as friends, but not so great as partners.  Does that even make sense?”

 

Harry laughed and said, “yeah it does.  Do you hate me?”

 

She laughed.  “No, I’m as much at fault as you are,” she said.  “We just wanted it to happen without really thinking about whether it was right.  Shall we just agree that it’s a mistake, and move on?”

 

“Sounds good to me.”  Harry laughed and pulled her in to a hug.  This felt right now.  It was like they were the siblings, the best friends that they were intended to be.

 

“Harry, I think you do need to talk to someone, and it’s not me,” said Hermione.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean it’s obvious that you’ve developed feelings for Ginny, and even I can see she’s much better for you than I am.  I think you should go talk to her.”

 

“I couldn’t.  It wouldn’t be right, so soon after …”

 

Hermione laughed.  “Well, I already talked to her, so I think she may be expecting you.”

 

Harry’s face lit up.  “Thanks Hermione,” he said, giving her a final peck on the cheek. “You really do have my back.”

 

He instinctively went to the place they shared, knowing she would be there waiting.  When he saw her he broke into a run, willing himself to get to her faster.  Her face was alight as she saw him.

 

“I didn’t think you’d come,” she said.  “Hermione seemed so sure, but I just couldn’t help wondering …”

 

He hugged her to him and said, “You never need to wonder again.  I’ve been yours since the Chamber, I just didn’t realise it.  Can you forgive me for being so stupid?”

 

The kiss she reached up to give him was all the answer he needed.