Harry Potter and The Other

Arcturus, formerly Harry, was naturally soft-hearted and forgiving. He endured and, deep down, forgave the Dursleys; otherwise, he couldn't have tolerated them. He put up with Ron's foolishness and sloppiness, forgiving him for all his betrayals. He tolerated the silly jokes and pranks of Fred and George, sincerely believing that since they teased him, they cared for him. He would have forgiven his enemies too, if he had been allowed. He only became embittered after Sirius's death, and only toward the Death Eaters.

Now he couldn't distinguish between enemies and friends, between benefactors and villains. There were two sides with opposing interests, each seeking their own benefit, which automatically meant harm for the other side. He was constantly reminded of Voldemort, told that this monster shamelessly went to kill an infant. But who were they themselves? People who took a dead mother's baby as bait for the enemy, shattered his entire life, preparing him as a sacrificial lamb—and it wasn't their merit that he survived yet again. On the contrary, according to their designs, he was supposed to perish alongside Voldemort, while the real Harry Potter was meant to take his place.

And this was unforgivable. Some actions were akin to unpardonable curses; they were just as vile as to deserve no forgiveness. It was hard for Arcturus to condemn and sentence Voldemort, but his former friends and mentors helped him. He realized that the first time was the hardest—condemning them turned out to be much easier.

For two days, Arcturus stayed home, adjusting to his new life and appearance, dealing with domestic affairs. On the third day, he read in the "Prophet" about Dumbledore's unexpected resurrection and the return of the Potters, a sensation of the year alongside the defeat of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. The newspaper overflowed with discussions about how timely and symbolic this was, and how now everything in Britain would surely improve. Arcturus asked himself if he wanted to expose his former comrades and reclaim the glory of defeating Voldemort—and almost immediately answered that a peaceful life was more valuable, but he wouldn't refuse to repay them in kind.

The guilty were evident, but Arcturus had no idea what to do or where to start—and began by consulting Kreacher. The two previous days were enough for him to appreciate the life experience of a six-hundred-year-old being, who had never shown himself as a mentor while Arcturus was in the guise of Harry Potter. Arcturus held no grievances—he fundamentally didn't deserve it back then.

Kreacherwas against immediate revenge. Sharply and categorically. He reminded Arcturus that he simply had to continue his lineage as soon as possible. Once the lineage was secured, preferably more than once, then he could get down to the business of revenge. However, Kreacheradded that if a convenient opportunity for revenge arose and he could do it without compromising himself, he would have to be a complete fool not to take advantage of it.

Arcturus was at that flourishing age when "I hate children—but the process..." so the idea of continuing his lineage as an action appealed to him. He recalled his brief experiences in this regard—first with Cho Chang, then Ginny. With Cho, he had no grounded intentions; it was a revelation that girls were different from boys, and that this difference was significant. Nothing worked out with Cho because of Cedric, because he, then still Harry, was innocent in his feelings toward her, while she was experienced—nothing physical happened; everything remained within the realm of emotions. As for Ginny, to be honest, he just wanted to sleep with her. Bright and provocatively bold, having already gone through two guys, Ginny seemed available and eager. This was enticing.

Now, Arcturus wouldn't choose either of them as a life partner. With a budding cynicism, he noted that even if every girl had something attractive, some were suited for one purpose, while others were for another. This house, this ancient gloomy mansion, had already begun to subtly influence him, and it needed a different mistress.

But as the saying goes, "Water doesn't flow under a lying stone." It was impossible to either take revenge or find a life partner without leaving the house.

For his first outing, Arcturus chose Sunday. A day when people were free from the need to earn a living, when they relaxed, wanting to stroll for their pleasure and spend some of their earnings. Or not earned, depending on luck. He himself planned to start the day with updating his wardrobe, and then—depending on circumstances. If he happened to run into an old acquaintance, he would have to reintroduce himself, but Arcturus couldn't recall anyone he wanted to rekindle friendships with. At Hogwarts, he had Ron, Hermione, and of course, Ginny, but with the other students, he interacted no more than was necessary to train the teenage military squad named after Dumbledore, so it could get thrown and not caught. The last year was devoid of communication; the three of them sought adventures, and indeed found them. It's true what they say, that those who seek will always find.

The weather was warm and sunny. Arcturus strolled down Diagon Alley, and with each step, he liked it more that he was no longer Harry Potter. No one stared at his scar, no one rushed to greet him or personally express admiration for his inflated fame. Nevertheless, people turned to look at him. If he took after his real parents in appearance, then one of them, or perhaps both, must have been good-looking.

He left a good fifty galleons at Twilfitt and Tatting's for new clothes—a considerable sum for the Weasleys but quite small for the heir of the Blacks. He dressed well, without extravagance, changed right in the fitting room, and disposed of his old clothes with a spell. He bought some more essentials, stocked up on underwear and homewear, sent the purchases home with Kreacher, and set out to enjoy himself.

It was unnoticeable in Diagon Alley that a week ago the magical Britain had undergone a change in power. Merchants traded, beggars begged, townsfolk hurried about their business, leaving money with the traders and occasionally tossing coins to the beggars. Their routine lives remained almost unchanged regardless of who was in power.

Passing by the Magical Menagerie, Arcturus remembered that he no longer had an owl, but he had no one to write letters to. Flourish and Blotts didn't attract him either—there were more than enough books to read in the Black family library. Ollivander's wand shop was open again, but Arcturus passed it by, even though he was curious if the strange wand merchant had recovered from his captivity by the Death Eaters. Ollivander saw his clients with a special insight; he could discern the former Harry within Arcturus, and a wand from the Blacks' stock would certainly be suitable for magic.

Recalling that Fortescue sold delicious ice cream, Arcturus went inside. The small café was packed with visitors, and he struggled to find a free seat. While he waited for a waiter, a family sitting at a table finished their ice cream and left, and two girls sat down in the now vacant spots.

The girls looked familiar. One, older, was definitely Daphne Greengrass, a Slytherin and his classmate. Despite their shared classes with Slytherins, he had never exchanged more than a couple of words with her during their years of study. Daphne didn't notice Gryffindors, and so naturally that it wouldn't stand out unless one thought about how someone could overlook the same people for seven years. But this was still better than Draco Malfoy's harassment and Pansy Parkinson's snarkiness, so Arcturus considered Greengrass not the worst of Slytherins. The second girl, younger, he recalled was her sister, studying two years behind. The Greengrasses had maintained neutrality in both Magical Wars, so both warring sides disliked the family.

Today, Daphne noticed him. Her clear and attentive gray eyes turned to him, and her pleasant voice said:

"Excuse me, may I take the menu?"

Arcturus realized that in choosing his ice cream, he had forgotten to return the menu to its place.

"Yes, of course."

They both reached for the menu—she to take it, and he to hand it over—and their hands collided.

"Sorry," they said simultaneously, involuntarily smiling. Daphne handed the menu to her sister and looked around for the waiter.

"Have you been waiting long?" she asked Arcturus in a neutral and polite tone, noticing the waiter was busy.

"Not too long."

"It's so crowded here today," she said with a slight grimace of displeasure.

If Arcturus had been more astute, he would have guessed that she was subtly trying to engage him in conversation. A decently dressed stranger about her age whom Daphne hadn't seen at Hogwarts piqued her interest.

"Sunday, sunny weather," he replied, trying to say something. "People are taking advantage of it and going out."

"Oh yes, such weather deserves a stroll," Daphne chimed in with a sweet smile, expecting the stranger to keep the conversation going, but Arcturus was too afraid of giving too much away. "Tori and I decided to unwind too."

"Tori?" he didn't remember or even know what Daphne's younger sister was called.

"Astoria, my sister," Daphne nodded at the younger girl. "And I'm Daphne."

"Nice to meet you, Arcturus," he realized he should introduce himself in return.

Just then the waiter arrived, and they placed their orders. Arctur ordered vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips, and the girls ordered strawberry.

"You're new to Britain, Arcturus?" Daphne asked directly when the waiter left.

"How… why do you think that?" he stammered, deeply surprised by her perceptiveness, which would do credit to Hermione.

"Elementary," she smiled triumphantly. "I haven't seen you at Hogwarts."

After a moment of instant confusion, Arcturus finally found his words:

"Actually, I live in Britain, just… uh… I'm homeschooled," he had heard in passing that this was sometimes the case. "Due to family circumstances…"

Their ice cream arrived. They paid and began to eat. Despite the awkward situation, Arcturus enjoyed simply sitting and chatting with a beautiful girl, for whom he was just an ordinary guy, not the Boy Who Lived, but someone she wouldn't mind conversing with. Though he couldn't help but realize that his new clothes had influenced the former Slytherin's attitude.

It naturally happened that they left the café together. Arcturus didn't mind where to go; the girls didn't either, and they were fine with each other's company, so they continued on together. Daphne tactfully didn't pry into his family circumstances, and they chatted happily about unrelated topics. About an hour later, the sisters began to gather to go home.

"Arcturus , if you end up liking the weather, you can write to me with an owl," Daphne said as they parted. "I love nice weather too."