The Hidden Hero

Harry saw the imposter Harry in double Potions, which Gryffindor took with Slytherin. Harry shared a table with Ron in the back of the room. Draco Malfoy sat at his customary table, close to the front, with his new best friend, the fake Harry Potter. In his mind, Harry started calling the other boy “Harry 2”.

Draco was clearly thrilled to be with the famous Boy-Who-Lived. He looked around the room to make sure everyone noticed who was sitting next to him. When he caught Ron’s eye, he smirked.

Ron seemed to take it as a personal affront that Harry Potter was fraternizing with Malfoy. Ron told Harry that he had tried to speak with Harry 2 last night, when the real Harry had gone on to Gryffindor Tower seeking his bed. But, Crabbe and Goyle had blocked Ron’s attempts to approach the other boy. Ron told Harry that he was hoping to speak with “Harry” at the end of class. Harry nodded his head in agreement. He, too, wanted to meet the boy.

When Professor Snape entered the room, the class fell silent. He cast his cold, beady eyes over the classroom. “I am aware that you are excited over the appearance of our new…celebrity,” he began, coldly, “but I expect everyone to concentrate on learning in this class. You can gawk and ask for autographs later,” Snape sneered. “Unfortunately, you will find that Mr. Potter is far behind in his studies. Clearly fame is not everything.”

The class held its breath at this unprovoked attack. However, while Harry 2 glared at Snape, he said nothing.

Harry was taken aback at how cold and nasty Snape was when speaking about Harry 2. It was obvious that Snape and Harry 2 loathed each other. Had something happened between the two during the weeks Harry 2 had been at Hogwarts before the rest of the students had arrived? Or, did Snape hate Harry 2 because of his fame? Malfoy was fawning over Harry 2 because of who he was. Could Snape hate Harry 2 for the same reason? Or, was Snape a Voldemort supporter who hated Harry 2 because he thought the boy had defeated Voldemort?

Harry found himself feeling sorry for Harry 2 again. It couldn’t be easy if his own Head of House didn’t like him.

Harry’s sympathy for the false Harry didn’t last long as Harry 2 was unpleasant and rude. His attitude toward Harry and Ron, when they had approached him after their first Potions class, was typical of how he spoke with most of his classmates.  

When the class ended, Ron jumped up from his seat and hurried over to Harry 2’s desk, to corner the boy before he left the room. Draco narrowed his eyes at Ron’s approach and started to walk out of the room. Harry 2 turned to follow Draco, but Ron stepped in front of him, forcing the other boy to stop.

“Hello. I’m Ron Weasley.” He gave a wide smile in greeting.

“Yeah, I know,” said the other boy. “Draco told me who you are.” His tone was flat and unfriendly.

Pressing on, his smile only slightly dimmed, Ron said excitedly, “I’ve been hoping to meet you for a long time. Welcome to Hogwarts.” He stuck out his hand for a shake.

“Thanks,” the other boy said, shaking Ron’s hand with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm.

Ron ignored the signs, and asked eagerly, “Would you like to study together some time? Or, play Quidditch, or do something?”

“No. I’m good,” responded Harry 2 dismissively.

Ron’s mouth hung open a bit, unsure how to react. Harry could feel his temper rising, but he forced himself to calm down and try to make whatever contact he could with the pretender. “I’m Mark Twist,” he introduced himself. He didn’t try to shake the other boy’s hand.

Harry 2 inclined his head slightly. “Yeah. I’ve heard of you, too.”

Harry could imagine just what stories Draco had told Harry 2 about him. He was sure that mudblood and parselmouth featured largely in the telling. Trying to establish some rapport with the other boy, Harry said, “Snape was out of line with his comments about you at the beginning of class.”

“Yeah, well, he’s an idiot,” said Harry 2.

“You’ve got that right,” said Ron with feeling. He smiled again, relieved to have found some common ground with his hero.

“We’re going to Divination now,” continued Harry. “Why don’t we head there together?” he offered.

“I prefer to walk at my own pace,” said Harry 2.

“We can walk fast or slow, whatever you want, Harry,” said Ron, sycophantically.

Harry 2 cast Ron a look of disdain. “I prefer to walk alone or with the friends I select,” he said bluntly, looking toward Draco who was lounging by the door of the classroom waiting for Harry 2 to join him.

“Oh,” said Ron, blankly.

While Harry was irritated by Ron’s star-struck behavior, he was angry at Harry 2 for rebuffing his friend. Striving to keep his temper in check, he said quietly, “Well, don’t let us keep you then.”

“I won’t,” retorted Harry 2 and he left them to join Draco.

Draco cast a triumphant sneer in Harry and Ron’s direction as he turned to march down the corridor with Harry 2. The Gryffindors didn’t say anything, but walked in silence to Divination.

*

Harry 2’s unfriendly behavior caused some students to keep their distance. However, many continued to fawn over the famous boy. While it was true that Snape didn’t like the boy, that sentiment was obviously not shared by the rest of the school. Other teachers were clearly thrilled to have the boy in their class. Students vied for the chance to speak with him and he was rarely without a coterie of four or five students surrounding him. In a few weeks, the boy had thawed enough to start enjoying the attention and popularity.

Soon, Harry 2 could be seen holding court, with admirers at his beck and call. He would have them perform small errands, such as fetching him water or picking up something he had dropped. Harry was sure that the other boy even had some of the other students do his homework for him. Harry couldn’t understand why the other students would be willing to let the pretender order them around. But, these students seemed thrilled every time they were given a task to perform. It was amazing, Harry thought to himself, to watch how Harry 2 was turning more and more into a tyrant each day.

Harry 2’s behavior was particularly hurtful to Hagrid. Harry watched, frustrated, as Hagrid’s overtures of friendship to the little faker were met with disinterest and contempt by that boy. Hagrid had known the Potters and was the one who had brought the baby Harry Potter to his relatives, he had admitted to Harry at tea one day. It was a huge disappointment to see that the boy had turned out to be such a jerk. Not that Hagrid would admit that “Harry” was a jerk. And, shocking to Harry, neither would Ron. Both Hagrid and Ron seemed determined to find excuses for their hero. Hagrid excused his behavior by saying that the poor boy had had a difficult time with his aunt and uncle and would warm up a bit once he knew that he was among friends. Ron said it was only natural that “Harry” would favor his own housemates and Ron lay the blame for the boy’s unfriendly behavior at Draco’s door.

Hagrid had tried to engage Harry 2 in class by asking him if he wanted to be the first to pet a Hippogriff, a cool half-bird half-horse creature that Hagrid had shown the students. It was clear that Hagrid considered this offer to be an ultimate treat.

Harry 2 cast a disdainful glance at the hippogriff and sneered. “I think not. I’m not fond of…half-breeds,” he drawled.

It was exactly the kind of thing that Draco Malfoy might have said. Harry gazed at Harry 2 appraisingly. It was clear that the boy had chosen to buddy up with Draco. Was it just because Draco was his housemate? Cynically, Harry thought that Harry 2 had discovered, from Draco’s own mouth, no doubt, that the Malfoy family was powerful in the wizarding world.

Seeing how hurt Hagrid was by Harry 2’s comment, the real Harry stepped forward and pretended enthusiasm as he said, “Can I try, Hagrid? I think Hippogriffs are great.”

Hagrid lit up at having someone share his enthusiasm for the animals. Gesturing to one, he said, “Why don’t you try Buckbeak, here? Just remember that Hippogriffs are very proud creatures. You must never insult them.”       

Listening carefully to Hagrid’s instructions, Harry approached Buckbeak, maintaining eye contact and bowing. The creature appeared to take a liking to Harry and soon Harry was petting him. Harry said loudly to the rest of the class, “Don’t worry. You don’t have to be afraid.” He let his eyes linger on Harry 2, with the clear implication that he thought Harry 2 had refused to approach the Hippogriff because he was scared.

The other boy flushed in annoyance. “I’m not afraid,” he said. He approached Buckbeak. “I’m just not interested in the ugly brute.”

A flash of talons. Harry, standing close to the imposter, saw Buckbeak’s attack out of the corner of his eye. Acting instinctively, he pushed Harry 2 out of the way. Unfortunately for him, Buckbeak couldn’t stop the momentum of his attack and Harry felt the talons dig deep into his own shoulder.

As Harry fell to the ground, he saw Harry 2 scramble out of the way. Hagrid ran to the boys, grabbing at the chain around Buckbeak’s neck to drag him back. A number of the girls screamed and general yells filled the air.

Harry drew a ragged breath. Pain blossomed from his shoulder and seemed to radiate throughout his body. Involuntarily, he groaned.

“Mark! You okay?” Ron was kneeling at his side, staring at him with round, worried eyes. When Harry struggled to rise, Ron put a hand behind Harry’s back in support. Slowly, Harry staggered to his feet.

Hagrid came running over, having secured Buckbeak in a paddock. The big man was white as a ghost. He scooped up Harry in his arms. “Put me down, Hagrid! I can walk!”

Hagrid ignored the boy’s protests. “Hermione! Open the gate!” Hermione ran to obey and Hagrid ran with Harry up to the castle. “I’m so sorry, Mark! Are ye okay?” Hagrid panted, as he ran.

Although in pain, Harry tried to reassure his friend. “It’s okay, Hagrid. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry. You can put me down.”

But, Hagrid carried Harry to the hospital wing. Harry found it embarrassing to pass students in the castle, who eyed him with frank curiosity as Hagrid ran. Harry tried not to notice the trail of blood that he was leaving in his wake.

Madam Pomfrey gasped when they arrived at the hospital wing. “My goodness! What did the boy do to himself?”

“It’s all me fault!” moaned Hagrid in remorse. “I was showing the class Hippogriffs and one up and attacked. I don’t know what got into Buckbeak.”

Madam Pomfrey had bared Harry’s shoulder as Hagrid spoke and was pressing some foul-smelling potion on Harry’s skin. “It wasn’t his fault, Hagrid.” Harry defended Buckbeak. “Potter didn’t listen to your lesson and he insulted Buckbeak, calling him ‘an ugly brute’.” The potion started to burn, taking Harry’s breath away. It made him dizzy and he fell back on the hospital bed he was sitting on.

“He’ll be okay, Poppy? Won’t he?” Hagrid was wringing his hands in worry.

“He’ll be fine, Hagrid. Just give the medicine a few minutes to work. He’ll be good as new in a few days. You’ll see.”

Hagrid stayed at Harry’s bedside until the burning sensation had disappeared. Harry’s shoulder was still stiff but, not wanting to worry Hagrid any more than he already was, Harry downplayed the pain. He insisted on being permitted to leave the hospital to rejoin his friends.

Madam Pomfrey sniffed in disapproval. “All right, Twist. I’ll let you go. But, you take it easy for the next few days and you come right back here if you notice any red streaks under the skin.”

Harry promised and, with his shoulder bandaged securely, he convinced Hagrid that he was well enough to go with him to the Great Hall, where lunch would be soon served.

Reluctantly, Hagrid left Harry with his fellow Gryffindors and made his way to the staff table. Harry smiled bravely at his friends and assured them that he was fine. Knowing that Hagrid’s eyes were on him throughout the meal, watching to make sure that he was doing okay, Harry pinned a false smile on his face and tried to remember not to wince when his shoulder gave a twinge.

Leaving the Great Hall after lunch, Harry was waylaid by Harry 2 and Draco. Tipping his head toward Harry’s shoulder, Harry 2 said, “So, I see they patched you up, Twist.”

Harry nodded but waited. Would Harry 2 thank him for having saved him from a mauling by Buckbeak?

“Hagrid should be sacked!” inserted Draco. “What was that great oaf thinking, showing us a dangerous creature like that? I’m going to tell my father.”

Harry’s temper exploded. “It was Potter’s fault! He should have listened to Hagrid’s instructions. Buckbeak wouldn’t have tried to hurt him then.”

“You would stick up for that buffoon,” Harry 2 sneered. “Well, you’re both misfits, so I guess it makes sense.” He started to walk away. Then, turning back to Harry, he said as if in an afterthought, “Anyway, thanks for pushing me out of the way. It was such a … Gryffindor thing to do.” He made it sound as if Harry had been stupid to put himself in danger to protect someone else.

Hermione muttered under her breath as Draco and Harry 2 left the Great Hall, “What a git! He should have been grateful that you saved him.”

“Yeah. Too bad you didn’t let that Hippogriff take a bite out of his ego,” said Dean Thomas, coming up behind Harry.

That made Harry smile. “Next time, I’ll think about it,” he promised.

Ron kept quiet. Harry knew that Ron was having a hard time reconciling his image of the great Harry Potter with the behavior of Harry 2. Ron couldn’t defend his hero but it was too much to expect that he would criticize him either. Harry forgave Ron, though, as his friend spent the evening solicitously catering to Harry.

*

The Hippogriff attack soon became a distant memory, to be replaced by more immediate concerns. Professor Lupin had brought a Boggart to the Defense Against the Arts class and Harry had failed miserably at repelling the creature.

The Boggart took on the shape of whatever frightened a person most. Harry, waiting his turn to confront the creature, imagined that it would turn into his Uncle Vernon. He thought fleetingly that it was lucky his uncle only called him “Boy”. If the Boggart Uncle Vernon called out to him before Harry could defeat him, it wouldn’t give away his identity.

However, the Boggart didn’t morph into Uncle Vernon, as expected. Taking over from Ron, whose Boggart had been a spider, Harry stepped forward bravely. The legless spider transformed into a Dementor. The creature rose menacingly in front of Harry, who took an involuntary step backward.

“You’re doing fine, Mark,” called Professor Lupin in support. “You can do it. Remember. Concentrate!”

 Harry tried desperately to remember the spell but his mind became foggy and unclear. In the distance, he heard his aunt screaming, “Get out of here!” His cousin Dudley was saying, “Don’t tell anyone we’re related!” Uncle Vernon’s sneers of “Freak!” echoed in his head.

Dimly, Harry was aware that Professor Lupin had stepped forward and had banished the Boggart. His legs weak, Harry sat heavily in a nearby chair. He avoided looking at his classmates, who were gazing at him sympathetically.

He felt a heavy hand on his shoulder and looked up at Professor Lupin. “It’s okay, Mark. A Dementor is a very scary creature.” Other students nodded their heads in agreement. “With practice, I’m sure that you’ll be able to handle a Boggart just fine.”

Harry nodded but didn’t say anything. He wasn’t concerned about Boggarts. He was really concerned about Dementors. He hated those creatures.

Unfortunately, Draco learned that Harry had not been able to defeat a Boggart and took pleasure in taunting the other boy. Harry would have loved to be able to tell Draco that he would have fared no better. But, Harry knew that the Slytherins had done well in their lesson with the Boggart.

Harry didn’t know what Draco’s Boggart was but the rumor spreading through Hogwarts was that Harry 2’s Boggart was a strange man pointing a finger at him and shouting, “I know who you are!” Everyone assumed that Potter was worried that Death Eaters would find him. After all, Sirius Black was still on the loose. Only the real Harry realized that it was the threat of being unmasked as a fake that frightened the little pretender.

Harry didn’t make the mistake of pitying the other boy. It was clear that Harry 2 was enjoying his stolen identity. He didn’t hesitate to join Draco in sneering at muggleborns and seemed to dislike “Mark Twist” in particular. It was a strange experience for Harry to realize that, far from being grateful to Harry for having saved him, Harry 2 seemed to resent him.

The real Harry wondered how long this other boy would be able to continue the pretense of being the real Harry Potter. Wouldn’t someone discover the truth eventually? But, maybe whoever had driven the boy to run away wasn’t even looking for him.

Harry sometimes mused that there were some downsides to being the focus of attention as Harry Potter. Sybil Trewlaney, the Divination teacher, routinely saw dark omens surrounding the boy and predicted his imminent death at least once a week. This annoyed the real Harry, but the false Harry didn’t seem to mind. He also didn’t seem to care that he wouldn’t be permitted to join the other third years in visiting Hogsmeade. The boy didn’t have permission from any guardian to go to the village and Professor Dumbledore thought it safer for the boy to remain at Hogwarts anyway, given that Sirius Black still had not been found.

On Halloween morning, the third years got ready for their first trip to Hogsmeade. Harry had been looking forward for weeks to going to the only all-wizard village in England. He had, of course, forged the signatures of his “parents” on the permission slip. Ron’s brothers had told him of the treats in store at the village and he could barely wait for the day to arrive. However, Harry had not counted on passing Dementors who were guarding the Hogwarts gates.

Even though the Dementors had been given orders not to harm any of the students who were leaving the castle, Harry felt the effects of the Dementors almost immediately. As he approached the gate, to exit the castle grounds, Harry felt a deep cold start to penetrate his bones. “Mark, are you all right?” asked Hermione, worriedly. “You don’t look so good.”

Harry felt sweat break out on his face and his hands felt clammy. A distant voice started to sound in his ear, “You’re a freak!”

He stopped in his tracks and swayed. “What’s wrong with him?” he heard Ron ask.

“I think it’s the Dementors,” Hermione responded.

The voice in Harry’s head became louder, “You should never have been born! No one will ever love you!”

He felt dizzy and he started to sway. With a groan, he sank to the ground and lost consciousness. When he came to, Harry was in a darkened room. Looking around blearily, he realized that he was lying in a hospital bed. He recalled what had happened. He sat up slowly, and, noticing him move, Madam Pomfrey approached.

She put a hand on his forehead, and smiled kindly. “Feeling better, Mr. Twist?” At his nod, she continued. “You gave your friends quite a scare. You’ll be fine. As soon as you feel a bit steadier, you can return to your common room. I suggest you go to bed early tonight and get a good night’s sleep.”

“But what happened?”

“You are obviously particularly sensitive to Dementors. You fainted when you came near them. Your friends brought you to me. I convinced them that you’d be okay and I believe that they went on to Hogsmeade. After all, there was nothing more that they could do for you here.”

At Harry’s stricken expression, Madam Pomfrey sympathized. “I’m sorry you missed the trip to Hogsmeade. But, there’ll be others.”

Harry said nothing. His disappointment was too keen. He had wanted to go to Hogsmeade so much, he could taste it! And, he was still shaky from the effects of the Dementors. If he reacted like this to Dementors all the time, how could he ever leave the castle?

He returned to the Gryffindor common room where Ron and Hermione found him a short time later. They commiserated with their friend over his not being able to go to Hogsmeade and they brought him a number of treats to soften the blow. Harry was grateful for their sympathy.

“You know what, Mark?” said Ron, munching on a Chocolate Frog he had purchased in Hogsmeade. “You should ask Professor Lupin whether there is any spell that you could learn to keep the Dementors away from you.”

“That’s a great idea,” said Hermione.

Harry turned this thought over in his head and agreed. He brightened with the possibility that there might be something he could do about the Dementors. “I’ll ask him tomorrow,” he vowed.