You think you know someone

 There’s nothing Albus resented in himself more than how long it took to realize the atrocities Dumbledore was capable of. The intensive scheming, the inconspicuous manipulating and. . . the grooming? Of course, these were just allegations made by Albus once he allowed his imaginations to go wild. They were outrageously possible, yes, but they were just assumptions. Dumbledore couldn’t have denied what Albus hadn’t put words to, therefore he couldn’t have confirmed anything either, so. . .

 Albus might have been basing his conclusions on a place of growing paranoia, after all, he was in a different world where his dad was seemingly out to get him. If Albus didn’t feel like he could trust his own family with the truth of his identity, he would only start questioning his blind trust in the one person that knew too much.

 Am I overthinking again?

 Whether he was or wasn’t, he figured it would be wisest to become cautious around Dumbledore from now on as he attempted to fit in with the other students in this universe. Whatever shell-shocked condition the majority of people were feeling about him before had developed into one of constant wariness for the remainder of the first week of school.

 The second week had been no better. Words like ‘fake Potter’ or ‘phony Slytherin’ were passed around the castle’s hallways, occasionally within Albus’ earshot. Some students from other Houses thought he was the One True Chosen One, whatever that meant. But that name evaporated a couple of days after it started coming up. All Slytherins thought he was secretly a Gryffindor and treated him as such. There were snooty Ravenclaw prefects that tried cornering him numerous times, but if his cousin, Rose, taught him anything, it was how to avoid those sort of folk.

 One thing most students and teachers had in common was how they all seemed to find his presence fascinating. Albus had to suffer through a repeated stream of the same conversation: "Hi!” “How are you settling in?” “Is Hogwarts anything like you’re used to?” and of course: “Do you know my counterpart?” They all used the same tactic of making polite small talk to try and weed out information about his home. Information that he could never be entirely truthful about to anyone at the moment.

 Well, everyone except for the Headmaster and the new Defense teacher.

 Snape was content to treat him the same way after he found out he wasn’t Harry Potter’s alternate self but his son. So, Albus had to go the extra mile and try visiting him in his office one day under the pretense that he had questions regarding DADA. Snape still referred to him as Potter with the same level of disdain. Albus thought it would be funny to try and joke about Harry naming him after the Slytherin Head of House. 

 The Head of House in question did not find it funny. If anything, it appeared that Snape had taken it as a personal attack to have a Potter be named after him. 

 “I think you’re missing the silver lining here, Harry ends up forgiving you!” Albus elaborated hopefully. He really didn’t see why Snape was so mortified for. “My dad respects you a lot. Says you’re one of the bravest—”

 “Get out of my office.”

 Snape made it his life mission to avoid speaking privately to Albus after that visit.

 So much for having someone other than yourself to confide in, Dumbledore! Albus thought this was why he needed to have Draco on his side. He wasn’t sure he could trust Dumbledore wholeheartedly and Snape apparently wanted nothing to do with him.

 But Draco was practically avoiding everyone. Albus knew why, and it pained him that he couldn’t get Draco to trust him if he kept going on like that.

 That was how Albus ended up spending two weeks of hanging around Luna in early mornings at breakfast, and his evenings around Hermione at the library. Until one Friday night, his uncle and dad joined them at the library.

 Hermione and Ron left him and Harry alone together. Albus knew from stories of his parent’s time at Hogwarts that it had something to do with finding out the identity of the half-blood Prince, but he had a feeling that Hermione didn’t really need Ron to do that. It was a little suspicious how eager they had been to leave. Albus thought it was either because they wanted him and Harry to try to speak civilly for once or it had more to do with their relationship. Have they gotten together already?

 He was constantly surprised to see how this version of Harry Potter was nothing like he expected his dad to be when he was younger. It was easy to see his uncle and younger cousin in Ron and figured he’d see something similar in Harry. Albus had always thought his brother was the most like their dad, even though Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione told him once that he was the most like his father out of his siblings. Albus could see neither himself nor James in this Harry, let alone his dad. Unlike with Hermione, Ron and Ginny, Albus didn’t see two familiar people in Harry. What he saw was no one familiar at all. And the more he learned about Harry, the more he felt like a complete stranger rather than his father. But that was what made it worse. That this used to be his father. Albus had to keep reminding himself that this smaller boy was the savior everyone idolized, yet he looked nothing like the unbeatable hero Albus always imagined his father to be.

 Albus told Harry about James. How he was—or used to be—Captain of Gryffindor’s quidditch team before Lily took his place. Albus didn’t mention it was because his brother graduated, obviously. And he also made sure not to let slip his sister’s name like he accidently did his brother’s. He had to be more cautious of how he phrased certain things. It was lucky Harry hadn’t noticed his short moment of panic. On second thought, Harry seemed as lost in thought as Albus felt. I wonder what he’s thinking of.

 When the two other Gryffindors finally came back (with a record book that showed students who attended Hogwarts), Hermione asked if Albus was busy tomorrow before inviting him to watch Gryffindor’s quidditch tryouts with her.

 His eyes shot briefly at Harry and Ron to see that they wore encouraging smiles, which was a far cry from how they perceived him since his first outburst at the Great Hall. Albus had smiled weakly as he accepted her offer. It wasn’t like he had much going on, with Draco ignoring him and all.

 There was one problem Albus hadn’t taken into account, though. Everyone thought he was obsessed with quidditch the way literally all his family was. Even in a whole different dimension, he was still the black sheep.

 It felt like the tryouts would take all of Saturday morning since more than half of Gryffindor House seemed to have shown up. Albus wasn’t sure if it was because they all loved quidditch that much or if it had something to do with Harry’s presence or even because of himself. It was hard to tell which it was, but that didn’t change the fact that his mother was going to be here to secure her spot as Chaser.

 Hermione hadn’t come yet, and the Weasleys were probably still in the changing rooms with others that wanted to make the team. Albus didn’t want to stay in the stands without Hermione, so he stuck close to Harry, who, as Captain, was responsible for preparing necessary precautions and whatnot.

 “I know you said your siblings became Gryffindor Captains, but what about you?” Harry said offhandedly as he carried the box containing the Bludgers. “You play Seeker, too, I presume.”

 It was said as a fact, not a question. Because Harry Potter was a Seeker prodigy.

 Shit. How had he forgotten about that?

 “Al?” Harry had turned when he noticed the lack of response.

 “I don’t really care for quidditch.” Definitely not because he sucked at it. “Sort of an overrated sport, if I’m being honest—oh, don’t give me that look. Are you really surprised that there’s one more thing you and I don’t have in common?” Albus resisted the desperate urge to roll his eyes. Though in all honesty, he wasn’t sure if Harry’s visible bafflement had to do with just how different they were from each other or because quidditch was so sacred in all wizarding communities. “Aside from the fact I don’t wear glasses and aren’t a Gryffindor, not caring for quidditch can’t be that surprising.”

 “Yeah, clearly we’re not a hundred percent alike.” Harry said evenly once he overcame his shock. “Think we already established that.”

 Albus winced at the acid undertone Harry was clearly trying to mask. Albus was never used to hearing his dad being salty and bitter. He usually only acted that way when Albus “provokes” him by using his own biting words, whatever that means. But Albus wasn’t trying to pick a fight this time. He had been nothing but careful when talking to his alternate dad.

 Albus wasn’t stupid, he wasn’t buying the nice act Harry was trying to sell here. He knew full well there was still tension between him and this Harry. What he didn’t know was why it was still there!

 Was it because of the approach he attempted last night with the therapy card? Perhaps if it had been someone else suggesting it, Harry wouldn’t have taken it the wrong way like he did with Albus. After all, it was an invasive thing for a stranger to claim to someone like Harry that they needed help. Or maybe Harry only took offence in that because Albus was no longer in the twenty-first century. His generation was more open-minded, and therefor, people showed more interest in receiving psychological help without shame. It might not be considered the same in the nineties. As Dumbledore mentioned before, most people in this era viewed getting therapy as a stain in their social statuses.

 Mercifully, players were starting to gather all over the pitch, so this conversation had to some to an end before it could get very uncomfortable.

 “Tryout’s about to start.” Harry said as he reached to the hem of one of his sleeves to pull something dark out of it. For a hot second, Albus thought Harry was going to take out his wand to hex him, but what Harry pulled from under his sleeve was too bendy to be a wand. “Here, hold my snake, will you?”

 “What—”

 Harry all but shoved a damn Grass Snake into his hands before heading toward the other players, leaving a flabbergasted Albus with some reptile curling around his hands.

 “Why do you even have that for?!”

 But Harry was already too far to receive any protests. “Go sit over the stands, Al!” He called over his shoulder at a gaping Albus.

 He wasn’t sure how to hold the squirming creature without letting it fall or crawl onto his wrist. He really, really didn’t want it slithering under his shirt like it clearly wanted to. His entire focus was on keeping the serpent spread on his palms where he could see it as he made his way to the stands. After a while of sitting alone there with his hands held in front of him like a street beggar, Hermione joined him.

 “Er, is that your pet?” She darted a little further from him when she realized what was on his hands.

 “It’s not mine.” He said stiffly. His arms were starting to ache.

 “Why are you holding it like that?” She tried to stifle a laugh despite being too creeped out from the snake.

 “I don’t know! Why don’t you ask your friend why he happens to carry that—”

 “Hermione!”

 To his genuine surprise, he saw his mother flying down toward the stands. She looked shockingly like his sister but with longer hair that was braided to be kept out of the way.

 “Hullo, Ginny!”

 Ginny approached his and Hermione’s place in the stands when it came to the Beaters turn. Now that she was close by, Albus could see less of his sister and more of his mother. Her face filled with many more freckles and her eyes the same chocolate color as James’.

 She beamed at the Gryffindor sitting next to him without seeming to notice he was there. It was a good thing today was the weekend and they didn’t have to wear school uniforms, or else Albus would’ve surely stood out among the Gryffindors. Ginny raised an amused eyebrow as she asked, “Came to watch Ron?”

 “You’re my friend too, you know. I came here to watch you both.” Albus could see Hermione’s ears flush since she had her thick hair tied to the back of her head in a massive ponytail. “Also, it’s Harry’s first year as Captain, so I’m here to offer him my support too.”

 “Sure.” Ginny grinned.

 Albus’ heart yearned so much at the moment that he forgot completely about the serpent moving in his hands, which allowed it to climb to his forearm.

 He jumped at the alien sensation and accidentally dropped the snake between the seats.

 Hermione squealed in surprise and got to her feet.

 He cursed violently as he dove under the seats to find it. By the time he spotted the snake, it looked like it was floating in air.

 “People know you’re a snake, Potter, you don’t need to be showing it off like that, you know?” He heard his mother’s voice teasingly chide him. He got up and saw that Hermione had her wand out, levitating the snake up, up until Ginny caught it from the air and stretched her hand toward him, willing him to take the animal off her hand.

 Albus was filled with a childish desire to defend himself to his mum. Like this was one of those cases where James would set him up as a prank and get him in trouble with adults.

 But Ginny was no adult. However, that didn’t stop him from becoming defensive.

 “It’s not mine! If anything, tell that to the Potter lion! Bloody bugger’s more of a snake than I am!”

 “Hmm, a Potter lion and a Potter snake, only question is, who’s which?” She stroked her chin in mock thoughtfulness, her other hand still lingering between them for him to take the snake. “Is the Slytherin a lion all along while us Gryffindors have a snake in our midst? We might never know.”

 “Har, har, very funny.” He nervously took the snake from her.

 “I try my best.” She smirked. “You’re Al, right? Luna and Hermione told me about you.”

 “Th-they have?”

 “Mmhmm, I’m Ginny.” She smiled kindly at him. Gone was the look of mistrust he first saw on her face a couple of weeks ago when their eyes met from across the room at the feast.

 “It’s nice to meet you.” He clutched the snake’s body to stop it from sliding up his arm again.

 “You, too.”

 “I think Chasers are about to start, Gin.” Hermione cut them off.

 “Wish me luck!” Ginny called as she guided her broom back toward the pitch where Harry was.

  “Good luck!” He and Hermione shouted after her.

 She still wouldn’t come near the snake in Albus’ hand, but she sat near enough for them to be able to chat while the players were trying out.

 “Alright, if it’s not your pet, then why do you have it at all?”

 “I told you, it’s Harry’s” He said before summoning a jar to trap the slithering creature in.

 Hermione gave him a doubtful look. “Harry doesn’t have a pet snake, he’s got an owl.”

 “Then I reckon he obtained it recently.” He said exasperated. “He literally pulled it from beneath his sleeve like he forgot he had it there before handing it to me for safe keeping!”

 Hermione snorted. “Maybe he thought it would make a good peace offering.”

 “You don’t see me throwing a lion at you because you’re a Gryffindor, do you? It’s not funny! Besides, if I remember correctly, he said, and I quote ‘hold my snake’. So it couldn’t have been a gift.”

 Mirth had gone from Hermione’s face and her expression turned into that of deep somberness. “Are you sure he didn’t conjure the snake and hand it to you as a joke?”

 “No, I’m certain he didn’t use a wand whatsoever, why?” He was becoming slightly alarmed at how troubled she looked at the possibility of Harry owning a snake.

 She shook her head. “It’s probably nothing, really. I’m sure he’s just messing with you.”

 It sounded like she was hoping for what she said to be true. She steered the conversation to one of their many assignments. Albus let her.

 He and Hermione continued to be engulfed in conversation until the Keepers turn came at last. Albus knew that was the sole reason Hermione came to watch the tryouts in the first place.

 The first Keepers couldn’t save more than two goals out of five, but someone named Cormac McLaggen was nearly able to save all five, but at the last one, he ended up shooting off in the very opposite direction. Albus turned his head to his side soon enough to see Hermione smile smugly. Some jeered at what happened while others laughed, but Albus looked at Hermione imploringly. He was wondering. . .

 She seemed to have noticed him staring, a slight crease in her forehead. “What?”

 Albus shrugged.

 Nah. Aunt Hermione’s a goody tow shoe. She wouldn’t do something to sabotage someone like that. At least not without a good reason.

 But there was a reason, and its name was Ronald Weasley.

 Albus was momentarily struck with awe at his aunt’s boldness. He reckoned not even Rose would do something like that. But his father did always say that Aunt Hermione wouldn’t mind breaking several rules for the sake of the people she cared for.

 It’s kind of mean, though. But that thought left him immediately when he thought Cormac McLaggen was about to beat up Harry because he refused to give him another chance. He didn’t, but he did end up stomping away and mutter bitterly to himself. What a sore loser.

 Now came Ron’s turn. Hermione was about to shout a word of encouragement, but someone beat her to it.

 “Good luck!” Albus saw a blonde girl jump excitedly from her seat. Ron seemed to puff out his chest more at the little cheer, visibly turning more confident.

 Hermione was silently fuming beside Albus, so she must be bothered by the blonde.

 “Who’s that?”

 “Lavender Brown.”

 Albus nodded, the name didn’t ring any bells at all. Then again, he didn’t exactly know every single person that attended Hogwarts the same time as his parents did. “And we don’t like her?”

 Hermione scoffed. “Who said anything about not liking her?”

 Albus arched an eyebrow as if saying seriously?

 “She’s one of my dormmates, and she’s a little annoying, is all.” She huffed before redirecting her focus to the pitch, where Ron managed to save all five goals.

 When everyone gathered to leave after tryouts were over, Albus and Hermione came down to the pitch where Harry, Ron had Ginny waited, still in quidditch uniforms. Hermione congratulated the two Weasleys while Harry came to Albus to retrieve his snake.

 He frowned when he saw the jar Albus carried with him. “Why would you lock him in?”

 “Be happy I didn’t throw it away ’cause I considered it.” Albus answered grimly.

 To his surprise, Harry mumbled a quiet apology to him before accepting the snake in the jar.

 He opened the lid and carried out the creature that was hissing violently. Albus saw him stare at it thoughtfully as though he could comprehend what that noise could mean.

 Albus felt a hand heavily land on his shoulder. He turned and saw Ginny gaping at him.

 Oh no, what was that about?

 “Al, Harry said that you don’t play quidditch! Tell me that’s not true!”

 Nothing important. Okay.

 “Don’t fancy myself much of a player.” He mumbled.

 “A world where Harry Potter isn’t a quidditch pro.” Ron whistled. “Your world must be an odd one.”

 Albus could hear Hermione whispering urgently to Harry, and for a moment, it just struck Albus that both his parents were here with him, and yet neither one of them knew he was their son. How could someone be surrounded by four members of their family and still feel like an outsider?

 Ron seemed to realize something was up where Hermione and Harry stood a distance away and went to join them. Albus, meanwhile, was too engrossed with Ginny to pay enough attention like he ought to.

 His mum shook her head in bafflement, but a smile still tugged at the corners of her mouth. “I can’t believe a world like that can ever exist. I’m sorry, Al, but you can’t be Harry.”

 “What do you mean?”

 “I’m not exactly sure, but not only are you nothing like him, but even your appearances are off.”

 Oh, no. Oh, no. She knows somehow.

 Why would she know? How?

 How could she have found out? This was literally the first time they interacted! Not even his dad found out! Or Hermione, who he spent the most time with!

 How could she know that he— Oh. 

 There were physical differences between him and his dad. Like how Albus had light freckles splashed across his bridge nose, and how his smile was less crooked than his dad’s and more even like his mum’s. Those details could only be spotted by someone paying close attention, like his mum obviously would.

 There were also the other kind of differences, of course. Like their heights and weights and all the things that had more to do with how they’ve been nurtured and less to do with the nature of their appearances.

 He mentally chided himself. He wouldn’t be able to tell for sure what kind of differences Ginny was referring to, and it frustrated him, because he foolishly hadn’t noticed until now that he wished for his mum to know who he was. She was the only one in their gigantic family that Albus was closest to.

 “Yeah, I suppose it is a bit off.” Albus said. “But to be fair, everything about this world feels off to me.”

 Ginny pondered on what he said and nodded. “Makes sense. It must be hard, being away from home for so long, and to be here, where everything is a poor replica of what you’re used to.”

 A poor replica of what you’re used to? Was she referring to him and Harry?

 She must have noticed the look that dawned on his face because she cackled. “I didn’t mean it as an insult, Al. I’m not implying you’re a bad looking bloke or anything like that. It’s just, I’m not used to seeing my world’s Harry scarless and all that rubbish.”

 “Oh.” He huffed an uncertain laugh.

 Then Ginny’s expression turned earnest as she offered him to hang out with her anytime he felt like he might need the company. “Any friend of Luna’s is a friend of mine also.”

 Unlike when Harry said something similar, Albus knew she meant it.

 As she bade him goodbye, Albus was left to wonder if it would be safe to tell her.

 It would make his stay here so much more bearable if she knew the truth. Forget trying to seek company in Draco, Ginny would be more reliable. In the end, Draco wasn’t Scorpius. Albus couldn’t keep pretending that this Malfoy and his best friend were one. But at least Ginny was still his mother.

 In his original timeline, his relationship with his mum was much more stable than his relationship with his dad was.

 “There were times I wished you weren’t my son.”

 Maybe some things were meant to be the same in every timeline, in every universe. His dad showing some sort of contempt toward him, even without knowing he was his son, and there was his mum, the only member of his family he could ever bring himself to trust wholeheartedly. And even though this Ginny didn’t know his true identity, she at least was the less hostile parent here.

 He felt guilty thinking like that. He spared a glance toward his troubled father standing several steps behind him, talking intently with Ron and Hermione while clutching his snake tightly toward his chest as if afraid the other two Gryffindors might steal it.

 Albus hesitantly approached the Golden Trio.

 “Er, is everything okay?”

 The trio all turned to look at him in unison as though they’ve forgotten they had him and Ginny conversing near them a moment ago.

 “Everything’s fine.” Harry replied too quickly.

 Hermione narrowed her eyes at her friend but said nothing. Ron looked conflicted as his eyes darted from Hermione to Harry and back again.

 “Right.” He was truly confused. But maybe this had something to do with the riddle that was the half-blood Prince? How did they find out it was just Snape in his original timeline? Eh. It probably wasn’t a big deal. He turned to Ron and congratulated him on making the team in an attempt to lighten up the mood.

 With that, the four of them were having a light discussion about upcoming matches that Albus couldn’t care less about. But at some point, the conversation had stirred toward Ginny’s love life when Ron brought up how needy he thought one of her suitors was being. Albus was looking at Harry for some reason, searching for some sort of reaction. But his face was unreadable.

 Did this version of his dad even fancy this version of his mum? At least Albus was able to see for himself how his aunt and uncle had a thing for each other here. If Ginny was dating another bloke now, it was most likely to stir feelings in his dad that’d make him jealous, but was he feeling things? Or did Albus’s presence ruined that somehow?

 “If your sister’s anything like mine, then she’s probably only dating him to lure the one she actually likes into making the first move.” Albus said to Ron, eyes never leaving Harry to study his every reaction.

 “But that’s stupid.” Ron argued. “How would the one she likes even know that she fancies him if she’s making it obvious that she’s taken?”

 “Sometimes, wanting what you can’t have makes what you want seem more desirable.” Albus said, still looking at Harry. “At least, that’s my sister’s tactic.”

 Finally, Albus got a reaction from Harry.

 He looked at Albus with curios suspicion written all over his face. “Does Ginny remind you of your sister?”

 That’s what he picked up?

 Albus arched an eyebrow but answered nonchalantly. “Yes, she’s achingly familiar.” Just like Hermione was achingly similar to Rose. And Draco to Scorpius.

 Harry had his eyes widen as if he just had his entire word view spinning in a new direction. Albus couldn’t have asked him what was going on inside his head because he and Ron headed toward the showers to change before the trio would visit Hagrid.

 Albus stayed in the now empty pitch to keep Hermione company as they talked about Hogsmeade, but his brain wandered elsewhere. . .

. . . Had he accidentally ruined his dad’s crush?

 Fuuuuu