Beachbeagle: Ok. Note for all. This was something I hadn't really planned on writing at first, but the idea came anyways shortly after I read whydoyouneedtoknow's dangerverse and Narnia cross-over. Some strange thing in my head clicked and created this plot. Of course this ended up being one of those stories that just won't go away until I write them.
Warning: Minor spoilers for some parts of whydoyouneedtoknow's stories and for some things I plan to possibly have in my own story.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that comes from the original stories in Harry Potter, the dangerverse, or a Wrinkle in Time. All of the characters and things that come from those places belong to whoever among the three ladies who created those universes invented them.
Kevyn stormed along the halls of Hogwarts. Another day another bad run-in with Louis James, he thought. Sometimes I wish I'd just left him to find his own compartment to sit in.
Part of Kevyn did wish that. If Louis hadn't known Kat, Keerah, and Kevyn he wouldn't have had any reason to single them out to tease with the help of his posse of Slitherin jerks.
Kevyn had just had another moment like that. He'd been sitting with Kat, and by the end she'd run off crying and Kevyn had lost 20 points for Ravenclaw for making a scene. He had little control over his temper when his friends were being hurt. He was still mad now, and his brown eyes were twin storm clouds.
He entered the Ravenclaw common room and stormed up into the dorm room of the first year boys. Hopefully people would just leave him alone now. Maybe even until this month was over and he could go home and forget for a few months that Hogwarts existed.
Irene was having a decent Christmas. Her whole family had come to visit and was taking up a decent number of the guest suites. She just kept having this nagging feeling that something wasn't as it should be. Someone was missing. She ran over the list of people in her mind.
Her parents were here along with her siblings, Jacob, Bobby, and Cissy. Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny were here and had brought Noah and James. Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione had showed up with Brian and Tim. Uncle Neville and Aunt Meghan had brought Liam and Amy. Danger, Moony, Sirius, Aletha, and Abby, John, and Jason were all here. Lastly she was here and so were Nadia, Esther, David, and Marcus. That accounted for the entire family.
Still, it felt like someone should be here and wasn't, or maybe more than one someone. Like there were multiple people who had somehow not become a part of her life and should have, but that was silly. Still, something in the back of her head nagged her.
It was night, and Kevyn had awaked in the darkness with an urgent need to be somewhere. A picture flashed in his mind of a rock down by the lake. It was a nice place to sit, possibly because it was shaped in such a way as to facilitate comfortable seating. Why did he want to be there though?
The picture came again with an even more urgent feeling to it. He just had to get down there and soon. Something was going to happen and he needed to be there for it. He slipped out of bed, put on his glasses, and changed into some everyday clothes. Then he slipped quietly down the stairs. When he got out the entrance to the common room a hand grabbed his arm.
"It certainly took you long enough to get the idea," said a woman who looked like a professor. "Hurry," she continued, "we hardly had time to get there before you decided to make up your mind."
"But where are we going? And why?" asked Kevyn. They were moving so fast down halls and corridors that it seemed they were flying.
"You know where," came the answer, "and why can wait for now."
They passed through the large doors outside sooner than Kevyn thought was possible and were in no time at all standing by the rock by the lake that he had seen in his mind.
"What's going on?" he asked. This was all too confusing.
"No time now. Questions can wait until we are safe."
This was getting weirder all the time. Hogwarts was the safest place he knew of. In fact, being in the school would be safer right now. The wind out here was blowing strongly and a storm cloud over head was rolling in.
The woman grabbed his hand and suddenly the world vanished into swirling colors and images. Planets and stars and worlds of all sorts flashed before his eyes. What, oh what, had he gotten himself into.
Irene woke up. She was sleeping in the Hogwarts Den and someone was shaking her awake.
"Reenie, do you feel it?" asked her little brother Jacob?
She was about to ask him what he meant when suddenly she felt a sense of great urgency.
"Yes, I do."
"Come on. Let's go," said the eager little blonde boy.
She slipped into the blue bedroom and up the passageway. When she had changed into some normal clothes she and Jacob slipped out into the hallways. Going as fast as they could to escape being caught they reached the large front doors and were out on the lawn. Jacob was leading the whole way and as the got closer the feeling got stronger.
The reached the particular rock, snow covered by the frozen lake. A woman stood on top of it.
"Quickly, Irene, Jacob, time is of the essence," the woman said.
"How do you know our names?" asked Jacob.
"I know many things," said the woman, "some of them are not so happy though. Now, we must make haste."
Irene and Jacob stood to either side of the woman and she took their hands. Suddenly the were moving through flashes of color. Planets and stars and worlds slid by their view. Irene could barely focus on an image before it was gone, replaced by something entirely different.
Just as suddenly they stopped in a field in a world that was brightly colored and beautiful to behold. Just to the left and in front of where the stood was another woman and a boy. He appeared to be Irene's age and had dark brown hair and glasses. He was looking at Irene with a questioning glance.
"Now," said the woman beside the boy "is a safe time for questions."
"Where are we?" It took Irene a moment to realize it was her who had spoken.
Kevyn stared at the blonde girl who had spoken only moments ago. He almost found himself wanting to echo her question as it was one on the top of his list. The other was who all the people were.
"Very to the point, Irene," said the woman standing by her.
So that was her name, Irene. He studied her. She had blonde hair and very pale, as was the boy next to her. The two almost appeared to be siblings.
"However," said the woman next to him, "I believe introductions would be in order first."
Well, as long as all his questions got answered he was going to be fine, Kevyn thought.
"First, I am Ms. When, and this is Ms. Why," said the woman by Irene.
"And I am Ms. Where," said another appearing out of the trees.
Ms. When, Ms. Why, and Ms. Where….. Those names bugged Kevyn. He'd heard them before, or something very similar to them. He studied the three ladies. Ms. Where was definitely the oldest of the three and held an air of no nonsense authority. Ms Why and Ms When were much younger and cheerier and he noticed that both were dressed as Hogwarts teachers so that the main way to tell them apart was Why's glasses.
Ms. Why continued, "This is Kevyn Hollens. Kevyn, these two are Jacob and Irene Black."
"As to where we are," picked up Ms. Where, "the most you need know is this is a safe place where we will prepare you for what lies ahead."
"What do you mean what lies ahead?" asked the girl, Irene.
"We must ask you to do what is not an easy task, but it is necessary to fix what has been made wrong," said Ms. When.
"What has been made wrong? What do you mean?" Kevyn asked. He himself was starting to wonder about this, and yet it all seemed like it had happened before. Like he'd seen or read something like this…. It all nagged at the back of his head.
"Sit down," said Ms. Why, "this will take a while to explain."
When the three children were seated she continued.
"You come from two very different worlds, both of which are not meant to exist. An event happened in the past of those universes that caused a ripple effect in other existing universes as it changed the way things were meant to go and split the two apart."
She paused and then continued, "Kevyn, in your universe a woman named Gertrude 'Danger' Granger goes missing after dropping a young Harry Potter off at his aunt's and uncle's after babysitting him. This causes many things that are different from Irene's universe. Danger had a younger sister who was currently left with a man named Remus Lupin. Young Hermione was put up for adoption when Danger never returned because Lupin could not raise her himself, he was a werewolf and unlike in Irene's universe had no way to control his wolf self. Harry is raised by his aunt and uncle never meeting another wizard until he is eleven. Neither the group known as the Pack or the one known as the Pride is formed. There is no such person as Meghan Black because Sirius never married Aletha Freeman. Most importantly, Draco Malfoy was never given to the loving family he has in Irene's world and thus never met Luna Lovegood. The resulting end is no person in your world by the name of Irene Black, nor her siblings Jacob and Narcissa."
She seemed to let this sink in before turning to Irene. "Irene, you know all of these things as true, but one major change did happen in your world because of the ripple. A young muggleborn witch named Carolyn died in the final battle with Voldemort. Had she lived she would have married her muggle sweetheart and become Carolyn Hollens, mother of Kevyn, Keerah, and Joel Hollens. You can pretty much figure the resulting end out."
"So what does this have to do with anything?" asked Irene, "I mean, you're saying that because of something in his world we don't exist there and he doesn't exist in ours. Why is that such a big deal?"
"You know Irene. Think about how you felt earlier this morning," said Ms. Why.
"I felt like someone was missing, or more than one person, but….. Oh!" Something must have clicked into place.
"As fate would have it, the two of you are supposed to be part of a new pride group that will change some things up a little at Hogwarts, but if neither of you exist in the same world then that can't happen," said Ms. When, "that is why you felt that way. The missing people totaled four, but without Kevyn and Keerah the other two would never have met your group."
"But what can we do about it?" asked Kevyn, "someone disappeared, who knows where she went."
"But you do know, Kevyn," said Ms. Why with a smile, "you just have to think like you have been. This reminds you of something, what is it?"
Kevyn thought some more. The names, they weren't quite right. They should be something else. The way they'd traveled seemed familiar yet it wasn't floo, portkey, or appiration. This group of people, older boy, girl, younger boy, and the last two related. It all strained against some spot of his mind. Suddenly it came down and was there.
"A Wrinkle in Time! It's just like the book!" he exclaimed.
"Very good," said Ms. Why with a smile.
"So that was a tesseract that you brought me here by, and Danger was taken by the darkness like Meg and Charles Wallace's father, and you three are fallen stars who tried to defeat it from spreading like Ms. Whatsit, Ms. Who, and Ms. Which."
"Yes, and you know what that means," said Ms. Why with a frown.
"That we have to rescue her from a planet covered in darkness. We take the place of Calvin, Charles Wallace, and Meg." This thought frightened Kevyn.
"What is he talking about?" asked Irene.
Irene stared at Kevyn. The boy was babbling for all she knew.
"A book, a muggle story, called A Wrinkle in Time" said Kevyn. "It's one of my favorite books, and this is all right out of the story."
Kevyn quickly explained the story to Irene and Jacob. Irene found herself fascinated by Meg, the main character, as she traveled with her younger brother and friend to a planet cloaked in a dark evil to save her father who had been taken and was being kept there. He stopped after the got to the dark planet.
"Wait," said Jacob, "don't stop. What happens next?"
"I don't think I should tell you. If already given you everything up to the point where we're at and you can see how our situation nearly mirrors the one in the book," said Kevyn.
Irene studied it. A missing person, three children, two boys and a girl, the three fallen stars, a planet shrouded in darkness, she had to admit it was following the plot fairly well.
"He's right Jake," she said, "he can't tell us any more. If it turns out our adventure is going to be like theirs we can't know ahead of time what's going to happen, at least not all of us." She turned to the three ladies and asked, "Is it even safe for Kevyn to know the plot? If what happens to us is the same wouldn't it be best to block his memories of the book?"
"Oh, it matters little if he knows," said Ms. Where, "he can know everything that will happen, but won't expect the small changes in the story that might happen. Already they have begun."
Kevyn looked confused now, obviously he hadn't noticed anything to far from the story plot and must have discounted any smaller changes.
"Now," said Ms. Where, "I'm afraid that this is all the preparation you will get. We can give you only one more thing each and shall, but then I must take you to the planet on which Danger resides."
The children stood up and faced the women. Ms. Why looked slightly sad, Ms. When was wringing her hands nervously, and Ms. Where had a stern look on her face that masked any emotion.
Ms. When stepped forward and placed her hand on Irene's shoulder. Irene found herself looking into the lady's troubled eyes. Mustering courage she told Irene, "Do not doubt yourself, but don't discount what those you are with will tell you."
She stepped back and Ms. Why stepped up to Kevyn. The boy's worried brown eyes met the lady's sad ones and she took her glasses off. Irene thought she was going to dry her eyes, but instead she handed them to Kevyn saying, "You know when and where you will need these. They will work as well as your own do when you put them on."
Again two ladies changed places and Ms. Where was standing before Jacob. She knelt down and looked into the little boy's eyes with an expression that was almost motherly saying, "There will come a time when you are alone with Irene. At this time remember that oldest is not always wisest."
Then she stood up and pushed her way between the two boys. "Hold hands," she said. Irene reached Kevyn's hand and found and their faces met when they looked up. He turned away quickly and Irene was glad he had. I can not be blushing at just touching a boy my own age. Then something Ms. Where said caught her attention.
"When we reach the planet you are on your own," said the lady, "I cannot remain there long. Kevyn knows what to do and where to go. Follow his lead and things should be okay."
Then they were off. For a while it was the as before. She remembered Kevyn's name for it, traveling in a tesseract. She liked that, and she liked all the bright colors and scenes. Then suddenly everything was black and it felt darkly cold, like a dementor was present sucking out all the happiness.
She found herself suddenly in a black, grey expanse of desert with a starless black sky overhead. She was still holding Kevyn's hand, and this realization made her instantly drop it. She turned, there was Kevyn and next to him a slightly frightened Jacob.
She knelt down by her brother and gave him a hug saying, "We're here Jake, and you'll be okay."
She pulled away and saw her little brother pull together a few scraps of courage and take her hand. She stood up and turned to Kevyn, "Ms. Where said you know what to do, I trust that's because of your knowledge of the book plot. So, take the lead."
Kevyn turned and led the way down into the village. Down the street of houses that all looked the same, same shade of grey, same dull lawn, same flower beds in front. Children stepped out of each house all moving like robots and began to bounce balls if they were boys or skip rope if they were girls. Irene and Jacob, he suddenly realized, had stopped to watch.
"They're all doing it in the same rhythm," said Irene unbelievingly.
"Yes," said Kevyn, "They have to. Everything here is about sameness. Nothing can be unusual or different." He stared at the kids a well for a bit listening to the steady rhythm then said, "Come on, if we stare they'll know something is up…" His sentence hung on air at what he saw.
A little girl dropped her rope and ran into the next lawn. She stopped in the driveway and grabbed the ball the boy there was bouncing. She began to bounce it, still keeping with the rhythm. She passed the ball back to the boy who up until now had a dumb expression on his face. He caught it and continued to bounce it as if nothing had ever happened. The girl put her hands on her hips and stared at him.
Then a woman came out of the house the girl had come from as all the other mothers stepped out of their own houses. In most, the children stopped what they were doing and walked robotically back into the house. The little girl's mother, however, had to run out into the next driveway and grab the arm of the little girl who was waving at the boy's back. She pulled the little girl inside and shut the door.
Irene went and picked up the jump rope and Kevyn woke from his stupor. He'd been watching a scene that was the same, and in it's own way different, as the one that had happened in the story.
"Don't bother returning it," he said to Irene, who gave him a perplexed look for the blank tone he had used.
"Her mother won't let her take it back," said Kevyn, "she won't want to admit that her daughter is an 'aberration.'"
"What's an aberration?" asked Jacob.
"Aberration means unnatural, deviating from the norm," said Kevyn, "It means the little girl is different."
"And that's not good here," said Jacob, suddenly catching on, "you said so yourself."
Kevyn nodded grimly and Irene slowly let go of the jump rope. Kevyn felt a tug on his pant leg and looked a Jacob.
"What's going to happen to that girl," asked the younger boy, fear for the other child in his eyes. Kevyn shuddered at the thought of what had happened in the story. The boy had a right to be afraid for the girl they'd seen.
"I'll tell you if we don't find out while we're here," said Kevyn, "because otherwise we might change something we're not supposed to." Then Kevyn turned and led onward.
Irene glanced around the whole time they were walking, looking for something that wasn't the same as everything else. The only thing that did stand out in this place was them unfortunately.
The whole planet gave her an eerie feeling and had since they set foot on it. Now that feeling felt even worse as the stood in front of a building obviously in the center of everything. Kevyn had led them here, and now that she thought about it, it made sense in an eerie way to have everything spread out from her like spokes on a tire. It kept the uniformity.
"Danger should be somewhere in here," said Kevyn, "but Calvin, Meg, and Charles Wallace ran into a lot of trouble at this point. It's not going to be easy, but our best bet is to get in, find Danger, and get back out."
"What can we expect?" asked Irene.
"Trouble," said Kevyn, "I know I can't tell you more than that and that they will do anything to keep Danger here. It must have something to do with how you and I are supposed to help change things at Hogwarts. They want sameness, not difference, so if we're supposed to change things they'll want to keep us from existing together."
"Right," said Irene, "I guess this is it."
They turned and walked into the building.
It was a trap, Kevyn felt like smacking himself, I wasn't expecting this.
Irene was glaring daggers into the man before them. "Where's Danger?" she asked, acid dripping from her words.
"Oh, you'll see her soon enough," said the man in front of them, "but let me offer you something to eat first."
"It's not going to be real food," said Kevyn, "just some slop that you'll fool our senses into thinking that it's real food."
"You see," said the man disdainfully glaring at Kevyn, "we were warned by people coming from the outer areas that one of you knew what to expect here. They didn't tell us which one, but it appears it's you."
Irene suddenly glanced to the side, Kevyn did too and noticed that someone had brought in a table anyways and they were led over and sat in the seats. A plate appeared in front of each of them. Kevyn glared down at the food. It looked normal, which is what he'd expected. Jacob would most likely be the one who noticed it was different, the same as Charles Wallace had.
Someone walked over and forced a spoonful into each of their mouths.
"You see," said the man, "the food is perfectly normal."
"You're just fooling our senses!" shouted Kevyn.
"Not even that," said Irene, "this stuff looks like grayish applesauce and it tastes disgusting."
That's not right, thought Kevyn; it should be Jacob noticing the difference, not Irene. Something was wrong, a twist in the plot that he hadn't been expecting. Even as he thought it he remembered something Ms. Where had said, "…he can know everything that will happen, but won't expect the small changes in the story that might happen."
He had looked at this as all coming straight out of the book, when in reality there were changes and deviations from the plot everywhere he looked. He'd discounted every small incident as not mattering, but the truth was combined they showed that a great deal of the plot was in fact different than the story he knew. Ms. Where had been right, it had all been right in front of him and yet he hadn't suspected a thing.
"Yes," said the man in a pleased voice, "you, Irene, I knew you were different. You're special, just like Charles Wallace was special."
Irene was confused now. This was a part of the story Kevyn hadn't told them about. She gave a glance over at the dark haired boy.
"Ah, I see this is something Kevyn decided not to share with you," he gave Kevyn a disapproving look, "He's been keeping secrets from you Irene. He didn't want you to know something so small?"
"If you call when 'It' takes over Charles Wallace's mind small…" Kevyn started.
"Insolent boy!" shouted the man. His voice was dripping with sugar again as he said, "It didn't take over Charles Wallace's mind. It merely allowed Charles Wallace to see all the things he was missing, all the things of this world that Meg and Calvin could see because their minds were less powerful and less able to block out Its control."
Suddenly one of their captors screamed and everyone glanced in that direction. Jacob had used the momentary distraction of everyone's attention on Kevyn and Irene to bite the person holding him. Kevyn and Irene used this distraction of everyone looking at Jacob to break free.
"Run!" shouted Kevyn.
They ran down a seemingly endless maze of corridors, each one exactly like the last. Kevyn kept glancing at the doors as they passed them; seeming like her was looking for something. Suddenly Jacob stopped at one of the ones Kevyn had passed. Irene went back to grab her brother.
"Come on Jake, we have to go…" he voice caught in her throat as she stared into the room.
Inside the room was the little girl they had seen on their way in. She was jumping rope in time with the rhythm, but something was wrong. Then Irene realized that the little girl couldn't put the jump rope down. Every time she tried to she got a pained expression and kept on jumping. She could see now why Kevyn had chosen not to tell Jacob what was going to happen to the girl, hoping they wouldn't run across it.
"Come on Jake," she found herself saying, "we have to go. If we get caught here there's no chance of us saving Danger."
The blonde boy took the offered hand with a look on his face that made him look much younger than seven. With one last glance back at the girl they ran to catch up with Kevyn.
When they found him again he was standing outside a cell staring inside. Irene came to stand next to him and touched his shoulder.
He jumped, looked at her, and then said, "Is… is that Danger?"
Irene looked into the cell. The woman inside had unruly slightly wild hair and brown eyes and a face that Irene had seen so many times looking at her with love.
Drawing a shuddering breath she said, "Yes."
Kevyn reached into his pocket and pulled something out. He held it out to Irene. They were Ms. Why's glasses.
"I think you're the one meant to use those," said Irene.
"But it was Meg in the story…" Kevyn started.
"But who were the glasses given to in the story."
"Meg." Kevyn answered with a defeated look.
"If the one they were given to in the story was also the one who used them then it would seem to indicate that the one they were given to was meant to have them."
Kevyn looked at her, but didn't argue. He pulled his own glasses off, pocketed them, and slid Ms. Why's glasses onto his face instead. Then he turned and walked through the strange barrier covering the door to Danger's cell.
"Well," said a voice Irene hadn't wanted to hear, "what an opportune moment."
Irene mustered all the resolve she could and turned to face the red eyed man who was their captor.
Danger looked up at the wall she had been staring at for years and saw something there she hadn't expected to see. A boy about eleven years of age with dark hair and glasses was standing in front of her.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"My name's Kevyn, I'm here to get you out of here," the boy answered.
"Nice try, but don't you think I've already tried escaping. I can't get through the barrier even with magic."
"That's what these glasses do," said Kevyn. He took them off, handed them to her, and pulled another pair out of his pocket to stick on. She did have to admit this pair looked much more suited to the boy.
"These don't look like anything special," she said, examining the glasses he'd handed her.
"They were given to me by a friend," the boy paused, then his eyes lit up and he continued, "they work just like Ms. Who's."
Danger gave him a glance. "How did you know I was muggleborn?"
"Irene told me," said the boy, and then added to what must have been her confused expression, "Irene is your adoptive granddaughter in the dimension. In my dimension you were captured and so she never existed. Because of this my mother was killed fighting Voldemort in hers so neither of us exists in the same dimension even though we're supposed to and it's all because you vanished."
For a moment she considered the possibility that the boy was lying through his teeth, but saw absolute seriousness in his face. This was the truth, and somehow saving her must be the solution to the predicament.
"How does this work?" she asked.
"Should work the same was as in the story," said Kevyn, "I suggest you wear them and carry me piggyback through the entrance or one of us will end up stuck here."
Danger put the glasses on, picked up the boy, and headed towards the wall. For a moment she had the feeling it wouldn't work, then there was a gut wrenching feeling as the barrier attempted to keep them inside. Finally they were out and facing two children.
"Kevyn went to talk to the girl and she looked at the little boy. He had fine blond hair and silvery eyes. The girl was the same. No. No, she wasn't. Something told Danger she was supposed to look the same as the boy, but her eyes. They were an evil red. She attempted to call out to Kevyn, but it was too late.
Jacob stared at the man with red eyes. He didn't like him one bit, but Reenie was giving him and odd look. Jacob didn't like that either. He wished that Kevyn was here and not getting Danger. Kevyn knew the story. He'd know what to do.
"Well, Irene, my offer still stands. You could willingly let It into your head, only for a second or two if you wanted, and It could show you everything that you are missing," said the red eyed man.
"Tell me, Jake, do you see anything besides a boring hallway?" Reenie asked him.
"Asking your brother is no good," said the red eyed man, "his mind is weak. He could already be under Its control."
"If he was he'd have red eyes like you… and It would make him agree with you," Reenie was trying to sound brave, but Jacob could tell his big sister was scared.
"Not necessarily," said the man, "red eyes are not a guaranteed thing and It could always make him lie to you. There's no real way to know if he's telling the truth or not."
Jacob was starting to get very upset. Kevyn had never told them about this part of the story, or about whether what the man was saying was true, but he did remember something Kevyn did say.
"Reenie, Kevyn said they'd try to keep you two from ever being in the same world. They don't want you to change things. Remember?" Jacob pleaded.
"Yes," said Reenie, then she was on the defensive, "but I can't trust anything you say. You could be under Its control."
"I am not!" shouted Jacob. Pouting was going to get him no where. He quickly changed tactics again. "Reenie, I don't trust him."
"What do you know," she snapped, "you're only seven."
"The oldest is not necessarily the wisest," said Jacob, remembering the words Ms. Where had told him. This was the time when they were needed. He was alone with Reenie and she wasn't listening to him.
Reenie glared at him and then turned to the man, "I'll let It in, but only for a second. Just to see if I truly am missing anything." The man turned to her, her eyes closed, and she shuddered.
"Reenie! Reenie, no!" Jacob pleaded with his sister, but it was too late. When Reenie turned back with her eyes opened they weren't her eyes anymore. They were the same red eyes the man had.
Just then Danger stumbled through the barrier with Ms. Why's glasses on his face and Kevyn on her back. Danger came to Jacob and looked at him, then held him for a few moments.
For a little bit Jacob was safe and could forget about what else was happening. Suddenly his mind jerked to the present. Kevyn wasn't safe.
His head snapped towards where the older boy stood with Reenie. Danger must have thought of it too because she was looking in the same direction, but both were too late. Reenie whipped out her wand and Kevyn was up in the air. The ground began to shake and parts fell away revealing a writhing mass that Jacob realized was the large brain called It that Kevyn had told him and Reenie about.
Kevyn was floating in the air above the brain looking very frightened. Meanwhile the red eyed body of his sister held a wicked smirk. It was enjoying this.
"Poor, stupid boy," said Irene, or more so It with Irene's body. "The changes were right under your nose the whole time, but you never noticed them because they didn't fit with your precious plot."
Stupid was how Kevyn felt right now. He had thought their group to be the same as the one in the book, meaning leading them with his knowledge of the plot was his only task. Irene would rescue Danger, Jacob would get taken over, and his sister would be the one to free him.
He'd been very wrong. Roles had been all switched around, and he found himself in the place of Meg, trying to keep the thumping rhythm of the brain from taking him over.
"I don't see what the big deal is," It/Irene said. "Why does it really matter if we don't exist in the same world?" She passed the edge, and then continued, "You would supposedly be with me in Ravenclaw, but I have friends and my cousins so I don't really need you. I could do away with you easily and not care one bit."
As if to demonstrate the point Kevyn felt his stomach lurch as It/Irene let him drop quickly and then caught him again with the levitating spell.
"Stop it!" screamed Jacob. The little boy seemed to give Kevyn courage.
"You know," Kevyn found himself saying, "The only thing about you that scares me is the fact of where I am. Maybe Irene saying those things would bug me, if it was really Irene, but it's not. It's Irene's body, and her voice, but not her mind."
It/Irene growled and spun Kevyn around in the air a few times.
I'm not going to hurl. I'm not going to hurl. Kevyn told himself that, but his stomach certainly felt ready. He looked up and saw he'd drifted a little away from the edge It/Irene was standing on, which meant he was closer to Danger and Jacob.
It he could get within Danger's reach she could grab him. She had Mr. Why's glasses, and those would get them out of here. They could be safe… for a while. Even if it meant him coming back alone to save Irene it was worth a shot.
He risked a glance over towards Danger and caught her eyes. He mouthed the words 'book plot' before turning away; hoping Danger could figure that out.
He turned back to It/Irene and said, "I may have been stupid in not seeing the changes, but Irene seems to have made a pretty stupid move herself."
It/Irene glared at him and he felt himself slowly beginning to turn.
"Do not doubt yourself, but don't discount what those you are with will tell you," he continued. "That's what Ms. When told her. It looks like she didn't listen to the second part because I highly doubt Jacob would stand by and let his sister become a puppet."
Just a little farther, he told himself, and I'm not going to hurl…
It/Irene seemed to have noticed what was happening and tried to pull him out over the pit again, but Danger grabbed his hand and suddenly he felt even sicker.
It was dark and deathly cold. The tesseract threatened to pull him limb from limb and he felt his hand slipping from Danger's grasp. He was being squeezed and stretched at the same time, all the while slipping, slipping away.
There was a soft impact and the world went dark. Kevyn could faintly hear someone calling his name, feel them pushing his shoulder. The world went black.
Kevyn sat by himself in one of the icy caverns feeling depressed, doubtful, and above all lost. He'd been wrong, and at the same time right. Their adventure had followed the plot, and yet changed just as Ms. Where had said.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Ms. Where, her motherly face directed at him.
"Why did you let me keep my knowledge of the book? Why did you let me feel so sure I knew what would happen?" he pleaded.
"Because," said Ms. Where, her tone matching her face, "even if we had removed those memories you would still be in the same position you are in." She paused, then continued, "Do you know where you went wrong?"
Kevyn nodded. "I assumed we were a group laid out exactly like Calvin, Meg, and Charles Wallace," he said. When Ms. Where didn't respond he continued. "I was Calvin, not meant for much and only here because of my knowledge of the plot in my case. Irene was Meg; she would have the most to do. She would save Danger and Jacob. Jacob would have been Charles Wallace, the one getting taken by It, The one who saw the reality and not what It fooled us into seeing."
"And what was the truth," said Ms. Where. She sounded like a school teacher, asking questions she knew the answer to because she wanted to know if you knew.
"Jacob was Calvin. He was more of a tagalong character, though he helped us escape and I'm sure he tried to keep Irene from letting It into her mind. Irene was Charles Wallace, but why?"
"You know Irene's mother is Luna Lovegood, now Luna Black in her world. When Irene's biological grandmother on that side died her mom was in the room too. Some of a scrying potion got into her blood when she was cut by some pieces of the exploding pensive that killed her mother. This allowed Luna to see things that others couldn't."
"But what does that have to do with Irene?"
"Irene is the oldest biological child in her family. Somehow when her mother was pregnant with her some of the potion got across the bloodstream barrier between mother and child. Irene is not nearly as able to see as her mother, but it made her more like Charles Wallace because illusions didn't fool her."
She looked at Kevyn and caught his eyes before saying, "You could never have known that these changes to the plot were in place while you were still an infant."
"I know," said Kevyn, "the only problem is…"
"Is what?"
"Is that this leaves me in the place of Meg. I used the glasses to save Danger, and now I'm going back there alone to save Irene, right?"
Ms. Where looked at him sternly, "Yes, that is correct, but you know what will defeat It and free Irene."
"I know what worked in the book, but that won't work here."
"Why not?"
Now it was Kevyn's turn to look sternly at the older woman. "Because in the book it was love," he said. "I can understand love between Meg and Charles Wallace because they were siblings. Irene and I are eleven though. Even if we could feel that way for each other we would be older. We've barely gotten to know each other right now."
Ms. Where smiled at Kevyn. "You said yourself; it could happen in a few years."
Kevyn looked at her, perplexed by this statement.
"I'm going to show you something," she said, "something that may convince both you and Irene that if your two worlds were brought back together there is definitely a chance of love in your future."
Kevyn sat facing Ms. Where when she had finished showing and explaining things to him. He was still extremely scared of confronting It alone, but somehow it felt like he had a chance.
"Now," said Ms. Where, "you are as prepared for this as you are going to be." Her motherly look returned as she said, almost with regret, "It is time."
Kevyn went over and hugged her saying, "Thank you, for what you've done."
Then they were off. The tesseract trip began just like the first two, and then changed like the second. Soon Kevyn was standing alone in the same spot Irene, Jacob, and He had stood when they had first arrived on the dark planet.
He took a deep breath and pulled together the few shards of courage he had, even they were threatening to get away. Then he set off, walking down what could have been the very same street he had walked with Irene and Jacob.
Head held high he reached the central building. His stomach knotted and his mind threatened to go into panic, but he regained his minimal composure and opened the door. Again people were waiting for him and they lead him down the maze of corridors until they entered a room where It/Irene was waiting for him.
She turned around, fixed her red eyes on him, and said, "Foolish boy. You should have known better to return."
Kevyn fixed his eyes on her and said as boldly as he could, "How could I not return when someone had to. It's in the book."
"Have you still not realized this isn't your precious story? It has changed…," began It/Irene.
"Yes," Kevyn interrupted, "It has changed, but the basic plot has remained the same. I return for Irene like Meg returned for Charles Wallace. I know I'll need to fight to get her back. Unlike Meg I know already that I can't use anger, because you'll just fight fire with fire."
It/Irene watched Kevyn carefully now, obviously interested in this portion of the story Kevyn hadn't told yet not trusting the boy who knew more than it did.
"I know what will work though," Kevyn continued.
It/Irene chuckled and said, "Do humor me by telling me."
"Love, just like with Meg and Charles Wallace."
It/Irene cracked up, laughing like a manic and sounding just as evil. It regained enough composure to say, "How can you offer her love? You're both eleven so are too young for that kind of interest in the opposite gender. On top of that you have barely known the girl for a full day."
"Maybe not now, but I could in the future…" Kevyn began.
"You can't see the future," said It/Irene like it was talking to a small child.
"I have been shown the future and I can show you!" shouted Kevyn, revealing what had been hidden under his shirt.
"Where did you get those?" growled It/Irene. It was obviously using the girl's memories to recognize the chain with four pendants.
"These I was told are called pride pendants," said Kevyn toying with the chain, "and I was also told that this is the set I would have were Irene and I to exist in the same world. I got them now on a loan basis to put them to early use."
It/Irene was hanging on the boy's every word now, "I was told what they do, most importantly that they can show memories that same as a pensive. I was also told how to do this." He paused for a moment before saying, "I will show you what I was shown."
"What if I don't wish to see it?" said It/Irene. Kevyn thought he heard a bit of worry in the voice.
"Humor me," said Kevyn, "if it doesn't work you keep Irene. I have more to lose than you do because this is my only hope of breaking through."
It/Irene seemed to consider for a moment before walking over to Kevyn. Kevyn extended the pendant chain and handed part of it to It/Irene who slid it over her head. Then Kevyn concentrated on the memory he wanted to show her.
They were now standing in the icy cavern watching the Kevyn of the past and Ms. Where talking.
"I'm going to show you something," Ms. Where said, "something that may convince both you and Irene that if your two worlds were brought back together there is definitely a chance of love in your future."
"What is it?" asked Kevyn.
"You'll see," said Ms. Where, then she laid a hand on Kevyn's fore head and his eyes shut. Now the future Kevyn and Irene were seeing the visions Kevyn had been shown by Ms. Where. Kevyn watched them all again, wondering if they would work.
The first scene was Kevyn and Irene. Both were wearing Ravenclaw robes and sitting by the fireplace in the Ravenclaw common room. The Kevyn figure said something and both started laughing.
The next scene showed Kevyn, Irene, and two redheads, a boy and a girl. They were all wearing matching outfits and chatting as the girls helped the boys put on stage makeup. All four looked excited, nervous, and happy.
They moved on again. The next few scenes were all short and just snippets of Kevyn and Irene together. Holidays, birthdays, and summer vacations flashed before their eyes. Each one showed the two happy in the presence of the other, but also both growing steadily older.
The next scene was longer again. An older Kevyn and Irene who appeared to be fourth years were talking to each other. Older Irene turned and started towards the girls dormitory when the older Kevyn said something. Irene turned and they said things back and forth. Then suddenly the older Irene practically flung herself down the stairs and hugged the older Kevyn.
New scene again, this one showed the same Kevyn and Irene. Kevyn looked darkly handsome in black dress robes. Irene looked like a princess in a beautiful dress. The two were dancing in what appeared to be the Hogwarts Great Hall.
Another scene, this one too had the same Kevyn and Irene. They sat on a bench talking and suddenly Kevyn started to say something and however he had started it upset Irene. She turned to leave, but Kevyn grabbed her arm. He stood up as she turned to face him. He was just barely taller than her so their eyes met and he said something that took him a while. Irene smiled, and though there were tears it seemed the must have been tears of joy for the two kissed.
Then they were back in the cavern with the younger Kevyn facing Ms. Where.
"Why wasn't there any sound in those visions?" he asked.
"I purposely left it out because I'm going to have to erase those memories as it is," she answered.
"Why?"
"Because if you and Irene were to exist in the same universe they would most certainly happen and knowing that would ruin those happy moments."
They were ripped from the memory as It screamed. Kevyn realized the scream was coming both from the brain and from Irene as she fought for control.
He watched the scene, unsure what to do. Irene's eyes were almost like strobe lights flickering from sliver to red and back to silver.
Then the scream stopped and Irene's eyes were normal. She looked shocked staring at her hands like she didn't recognize them. Then the ground started shaking. The pulsating brain showed through many cracks in the floor, writhing in pain. Suddenly it stopped and so did the shaking.
Irene turned to Kevyn and hugged him. It must have been an instinctive reaction because she backed away again fairly quickly, though not with a reaction like she was afraid of cooties.
"Kevyn you did it!" she said. She hugged him again and this time he hugged her back and they found they were flying through space and time, the colors and scenes of the tesseract all around them. They stopped in a spot very familiar and yet different in its own way.
They stood by the lake at Hogwarts, by the very same rock they had both left from in their separate universes. Slightly to one side of them stood Danger and Jacob, the second of which ran to Irene for a hug.
"I thought I'd lost you," said the little boy almost close to tears.
"For a moment I was lost," said Irene, "but I'm here now. That's what really matters."
"Indeed," said a male voice. They were confronted by ten people who wore red, blue, yellow, or green.
The founders of Hogwarts said Irene's voice in Kevyn's head. Kevyn suddenly realized they were both still wearing the pendant chain. Irene must have too, for she slid the chain off her head and handed it to Kevyn.
"I'll take that," said the one of the two men in red, the older of the two. The man held out his hand for Kevyn's pendants. Kevyn took them off and handed them over; knowing his loan on them was over.
"Now," said one of the women in blue, this one with red hair, "it's time to get you back where you belong."
"We want to go back to the same universe," said Irene.
The lady in yellow chuckled. "Not a chance Irene Black. Do you know how many changes that would make in your universes?"
"We do know," said Kevyn, "but we also know it's the way things are meant to be. Irene and I are meant to be friends, to help improve Hogwarts, and to maybe even fall in love."
"Dear boy," said the oldest lady in blue, "that all sounds beautiful, but if it's not the way things are then it isn't meant to be."
"Why won't you just let us?" said Irene. She seemed to be growing upset.
"For the simple reason that the reason young Mr. Hollens here provided is no good. Fate is all fine and beautiful, but it's not enough of a reason to change two universes so drastically," said the blond woman in blue.
"What about friendship?" asked Irene.
"Go on," said the man in green. Kevyn registered that he was the only one wearing that color.
"Kevyn is now friends with Jacob and me. You'd be sending us to worlds where we could never see each other again because the other doesn't exist."
"And there's Danger too," said Kevyn, "she's been missing for years. You can send her back now, but her life would never be the same. She missed her sister growing up, she missed any sort of a life she could have had in those years."
"That is good," said the dark haired woman in blue, "but changing the past requires a lot of magic and will require a cost. What will you pay."
Irene looked confused, and suddenly Kevyn had a thought.
"Irene and I will pay," he said. "We will allow you to erase the memories of our possible future."
Irene caught on and continued, "They were happy memories, but we give them up in the hopes that we might one day live them."
The founders smiled and said, "You know what you must say now."
Irene took Kevyn's hand and whispered some words to him. Then they said together, "So we speak, so we intend, so shall it be done."
Then everything faded into darkness.
Irene woke suddenly in the octagonal room in the center of the Heart of Hogwarts. At first she thought she'd dreamed the whole thing, but then she looked around her. Kevyn lay sprawled to one side of her, elsewhere in a rough circle where her cousins Nadia, Esther, and David and her uncle Marcus.
There were three people in the circle she didn't recognize and something sitting in the middle. As she reached out and touched it her memories of what had just happened faded until they became no more than a dream and part of it was completely gone.
What replaced them were memories of this new universe. The three people in the circle were Keerah Hollens, Kat Hart, and Louis James. They'd come down into the heart to swear a pack oath with each other. She picked up one chain of pendants, her own, and slid them on. Another hand reached out and grabbed a chain.
She turned and silver grey met brown.
"Do we tell them?" Kevyn asked.
"No," said Irene, "for us it's really no more than a dream now. For them it never happened. This world is the only one they'll ever have known."
Kevyn seemed thoughtful and then said, "Did we do the right thing?"
Irene thought for a while before responding, "Yes, I believe we did. Though the only way to find out is let time go by."
"I'll be with you the whole way," said Kevyn, taking her hand.
"I know," said Irene. She smiled then they both lay down again and drifted off to sleep.
Beachbeagle: Well, that's all for this one. Hope you like it. For those of you who want to know, yes I fancy the idea of Kevyn and Irene becoming a couple. I may or may not include scenes like the ones in this story in my dangerverse fic. The only thing left for me to say is please review.