Potter47 Part One
Old Friends "'I've already answered three questions, and that is enough,'
Said his father. "Don't give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I'll kick you downstairs!'"
Lewis Carroll Chapter Nine
Through the Looking-Glass
When one is running, their surroundings tend to fly by them, and one tends to reach their goal faster than if they were, say, walking, crawling, or riding in a baby carriage. This is simply logical, you see, as you are moving faster than you would be in those circumstances.
This is why it felt odd, to Luna, Hermione, and Harpia that it was taking so very long to reach the end of the corridor. It seemed that they were going faster when they had been walking, but that was simply illogical. They were moving faster than they had been. Logically, they should reach the end.
"Do you get the feeling that this is a never-ending corridor?" asked Hermione.
"Of course it isn't a never-ending corridor," said Luna. "It just doesn't seem to come to a conclusion."
"Exactly," said Hermione. "I don't think this is—OW!"
Just as Hermione was going to express her doubt that they were doing the right thing, her face connected with something...hard. Very, very hard.
"Oh, my nose!" cried Hermione, rubbing. "Where'd this wall come from?"
For, you see, that very, very hard something was a wall. A wall that seemed to spring up in front of the three, just as the three barriers had melted away.
"What is this?" asked Luna.
"The Fourth Barrier," whispered Harpia, as if the wall would attack if it heard her. "I've never heard of this. There were only supposed to be three—"
"Maybe that sphinx wasn't supposed to be here," suggested Luna. "I never thought the Wizard would deal with cats."
"Nor did I," said Harpia.
"But there's no riddle," said Hermione. "How do we get past, if there is no riddle?"
"YOU DON'T!" came a deep, snarling voice.
Hermione spun round, trying to find the origin of the voice. It seemed to come from thin air.
"How did you do that?" asked Hermione. "There are no speakers..."
"I'm a wizard, you foolish girl! It's called magic, if you've never heard of it."
"But magic is a myth...it doesn't really exist..." said Hermione.
"Oh, really?" came the voice, which clearly belonged to the Wizard. "News to me. I could have sworn that magic was real. In fact, I could have sworn that you were a witch..."
"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked the ceiling. "My family has been purely Muggle for—" Hermione clasped her hands over her mouth.
"See?"
Hermione put her arms over her head, blocking her ears. She didn't want to hear anymore. She saw, however, something she had never seen before.
Luna and Harpia were frozen in time. Harpia's wings were stopped in mid-flap. Luna had the oddest look on her face. It seemed as though she were just about to sneeze, but she would never be able to.
"What did you do to them?" Hermione said, taking her arms down. "Are they alive?"
"What did you do to them?" mocked the Wizard. "Are they alive?" The Wizard laughed. "Yes, they are alive. I simply wanted to see for myself if what they said is true. If you are really the brightest witch of your age..."
"I am not a witch! Witches are green and ugly!"
"And you consider yourself...what? Beautiful? You may not be green, but..."
"Shut up!"
"Shut up!" mocked the Wizard. "If you do not believe, I can show you."
Before Hermione could say a word, her surroundings disappeared with a crack! and she found herself in a new room. She presumed that she was on the other side of the wall, with the Wizard. She looked around, and spotted a man in the centre of the room. He had shoulder-length, greasy black hair, a crooked nose, and despicable teeth.
"YOU!" cried Hermione recognition dawning.
"Well, Miss Granger," he said, smirking, "how is spew going these days?"
"I never thought I'd see the day," said Hermione scathingly. "Professor Snape reused a joke."
"It's one of my favourites," said Snape. "Take a seat, Miss Granger. We have all the time in the world." He conjured two hard-backed armchairs, and sat down in one himself.
Reluctantly, if only because her legs were aching, Hermione did as he asked. She took the chair opposite him, and scooted back several inches away.
"What's happening?" said Hermione, getting to business. "Why am I here?"
"How should I know?" said Snape. "Something is happening, in our world, I think. Something that could change everything."
"Voldemort?" asked Hermione. "Is he planning something?"
Snape shook his head. "I doubt it. The Headmaster said that he has a new plan, but this isn't it."
"Dumbledore?"
"No, the Wizard of Oz," said Snape sarcastically. "Yes, Dumbledore. What other headmaster would I mean?"
"You've seen The Wizard of Oz?" asked Hermione disbelievingly.
"Along with the rest of the staff," muttered Snape. "The Headmaster insisted."
"Is Dumbledore here? Does he know what's happened?"
"No, Dumbledore is not here. I can't imagine why I am, or why you are, either."
"And Luna?"
"No, it makes perfect sense that Miss Lovegood is here. She created this place, after all."
"What?" said Hermione. "We're in her mind?"
"That's not what I said. She created it. Involuntarily. This is just like the real world, only distorted. Logica-Land exists shoulder to shoulder with our own world, Dumbledore says."
"Then why are we here?" asked Hermione once again.
"How many times do I have to tell you? I DON'T KNOW!"
"Sorry."
"I do know, however," continued Snape icily, "that we have Doppelgangers here, or something like them. When we leave our places in this world, those who lived here before we arrived replace us . Only Miss Lovegood truly exists in both worlds."
Hermione furrowed her brow, thinking. "What else do you know?"
"I know that I first landed in this retched place four days ago. I've been taken back several times, when I least expect it. Sitting on chairs, touching doorknobs, et cetera." He took a breath before continuing. "Before you ask once again, I don't know why."
"I wasn't going to—" Hermione began, but she realised something. "Professor, what about the Envelope? The Envelope of Oblivion? What are we supposed to do about it?"
"I presume we must defeat it. After all, if we can enter this world, you don't know if it works both ways. I believe that the Envelope may be the reason we were sent here in the first place, but I'm not sure."
Hermione shivered, thinking of both Voldemort and the Envelope in the same world. It would be chaos, she thought.
"It would be chaos," she said. "But what are we to do?"
"For now," he said, "the best thing to do is to wait. Wait to be taken home, that is. I must consult Dumbledore. We thought only I'd been sent here."
"Right," said Hermione. "But how long will—"
She never got to finish her thought, or at least Snape never heard it. As sudden as a bird would fall to the ground if it forgot how to ride a bicycle, Hermione disappeared. To her home, presumably.
Snape shook his head. "Lucky girl. I've been waiting to go home for hours, and she just finds out who she is, and—"
The walls of the nondescript room disappeared, to be replaced with those of a Potions Dungeon.
"Oh."
"Where'd she go?" asked Luna suddenly.
"What?" asked Harpia suddenly, falling a bit to the ground.
"Hermione Granger just...disappeared. She's gone."
"How are we going to get past, if she's gone?" asked Harpia, panicked.
"YOU DON'T!" came a deep, snarling voice.
"Who's there?" said Luna, spinning round.
"It is I, the great Wizard. What is the Queen of Logica-Land doing in my tunnel?"
"We need your help—"
"Of course you do! Everyone needs my help! I'm the Wizard."
"Sir, we—"
"ENTER!" called the voice, and the two...beings popped into the nondescript room. A man with shoulder-length, greasy black hair and a hooked nose stood before them. He looked vaguely familiar to Luna, but she couldn't place him.
The man took one look at Luna, before suddenly popping up even closer. He stood right in front of her.
He whispered in her ear; "Put the looking-glass on the desk," he hissed. "All will be explained in time."
"What—" began Luna, but the man was nowhere to be seen. Harpia was gone as well. Everything was gone, actually, except for the hallway with the yellow pinstriped walls and thick orange round carpet and hardwood floor, and the desk in front of her, and the comfortable, deep, royal blue chair beneath her.
"Harry!" called Ginny, dashing up the stairs. "Harry, where are you going?"
Ginny ran, as fast as she could, up the flights of stairs that led to where Harry was going. When she finally caught up with him, he was in Percy's room, throwing the top of his trunk back, and practically attacking the contents.
"Harry, what are you doing?"
"The box," he said suddenly. "Sirius gave me a box last Christmas. He said that if I needed to contact him, if Snape was giving me a hard time at Occlumency, I could use it. I never opened it, but…I think it's a mirror."
"What?" said Ginny. "Why would you think—what—how would you know?"
"I don't know," said Harry, pulling the box out triumphantly. "It's just a feeling. I felt it downstairs. Even if I'm wrong, it could still help. I didn't use it before because of Umbridge, and everything, but now it should be safe."
Harry quickly tore open the badly wrapped, paperback-book-sized package. He was not surprised when a small, old-looking, square mirror fell out. It was very old; Harry held it up to his face and saw his own face looking back at him.
"How did you—" began Ginny, but she stopped, seeing something. "Harry, there's a note on the back."
He turned the mirror over. There on the reverse side was a scribbled note from Sirius.
need to speak to me, just say my name into it; you'll appear in
my mirror and I'll be able to talk in yours. James and I used to
use them when we were in separate detentions.
Harry looked at this in awe. How did I... It didn't really make any sense. How did he know it would be a mirror?
"Well?" said Ginny. "Are you going to try it?"
"Oh, right," said Harry. He held the mirror close to his face, and said in a loud, clear voice, "Sirius."
He looked down. His breath had fogged up the surface of the mirror. He wiped it clean, and he saw a familiar face that he hadn't seen since just after he had fallen into Snape's Pensieve.
"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed.
The face in the mirror looked exhausted. It looked up at Harry disbelievingly. "Ja—Harry?" Sirius said.
"You look as if you've seen a—" began Ginny worriedly, looking over Harry's shoulder into the mirror. Sirius cut her off.
"Ginny? What are you—"
"Are you okay, Sirius?" asked Harry anxiously. "You haven't sent any letters, and—"
"I'm holding up," said Sirius hoarsely. His face looked haunted, as if he had indeed seen a ghost. "I'm sorry, it's just…I haven't actually talked through one of these in years, and...you look so much like James..."
"Oh," said Harry.
"Why didn't you send Harry any letters?" asked Ginny.
"What are you doing there, Ginny?" replied Sirius, avoiding the question. "Shouldn't you be at the Burrow?"
"We are at the Burrow," said Harry. "I arrived this morning."
"You're at the Burrow?" said Sirius disbelievingly. "I guess Dumbledore doesn't feel the need to tell me these things any more…why are you there? Shouldn't you be at Privet Drive?"
"The Dementors," said Harry. "Dumbledore said that Privet Drive wasn't safe from the Dementors, and Voldemort was in control of the Dementors, and—"
"Hang on, hang on!" said Sirius, holding a hand in front of the mirror. "Has Dumbledore told any of the Guard about this? They're still guarding the Dursley's."
"I'm–I'm sure he has," said Ginny, looking questioningly at Harry, who shrugged.
"You probably shouldn't be sure about anything, when Dumbledore's involved," said Sirius. "He hasn't been himself lately. Something's a bit off."
"Why didn't you—" tried Harry again, but was cut off.
"So, you two are friends now?" said Sirius abruptly. "After the whole incident last June?"
"What?" said Harry. "What makes you think we weren't friends before?"
"Well, it could be the fact that you never seemed to talk to her at Headquarters…you never said anything about her in your letters..." Sirius grinned. "Need I go on?"
"No, no," said Harry.
"Yes, we're...friends," said Ginny awkwardly. "Now."
Sirius quirked an eyebrow. "Friends? You said that rather suspiciously…has my godson finally got himself a girlfriend?"
"What?" said Harry and Ginny abruptly.
"How—how did you—"
"Wow," said Sirius. "I guess I'm pretty darn perceptive. When did this happen?"
"After the incident, last June," said Harry, cheeks red.
"Ah," said Sirius. "Should have guessed...oh wait! I did!"
"Don't tell anyone," said Ginny pleadingly.
Sirius looked at them confusedly. "Why? Why do you want to—" He stopped, and looked round. "Mooney's here with Tonks. I'd better go. Don't worry," he whispered. "Your secret's safe with me." He looked at them, grinning. He saluted to them. "I'd take it to the grave with me, before I'd tell."
"Luna?" called Ron, walking up the stairs uncertainly. "What have you been doing up here all this time? Where'd that chair come from?"
"Ronald? But you're mi—" Luna blinked, suddenly standing up. "Sorry," she said, "I must have nodded off."
"Right," said Ron. "Well, if you're tired, I guess I could…go—"
"No, no, you don't have to leave," said Luna hurriedly. "No, I need your help with the attic," she said pleadingly, hoping beyond hope that he would not leave.
"Oh, right," said Ron. He looked at his watch. "It's six-thirty." He grinned. "So, another nine hours would be…"
But just when it would be, they would never know. At least, not consciously. Obviously, nine hours from six-thirty is...er...oh, yes. Three-thirty. It was, however, simply a joke, and they knew without really even thinking about it that they would not still be cleaning at three-thirty in the morning.
However, the reason that they would never know when it would be is that an owl swooped into the hallway, apparently after coming up the stairs behind Ron.
"What—" Ron began, but he saw the official looking seal on the envelope.
It read,
Ronald Weasley
"My OWL results," said Ron, gulping. "I probably got two…just so I could do worse than the twins…."
"Don't be absurd," said Luna, and all Ron could think about that was that it was pretty darn absurd for Luna, of all people, to say 'don't be absurd'. "You probably did fine."
"Yeah, right," he said, staring at the envelope.
"Are you going to open it?" asked Luna curiously.
"Oh, right…" said Ron, but he made no move to do so.
"Oh, I'll do it," said Luna impatiently, taking the envelope from Ron's hand and ripping off the seal. She unfolded the parchment inside, and looked down at it.
She frowned. "Erm, Ronald," she said, "you said you expected two?"
"Yes," said Ronald nervously. Oh no, he thought, I got one. I know it.
"Well, you set your expectations a bit low…"
I got three!, thought Ron.
"I got three, didn't I?"
"No, no, not three," said Luna mildly.
"Just tell me!"
"What time did you say it was?" Luna said, smiling.
"Oh, please, Luna."
"Six-thirty, right? Well, sorry, but you didn't get thirty..."
"I got six? Yes!" He pumped his arm in the air. "That's as much as Fred and George got combined! Which ones?"
"Well," said Luna, smiling slightly at Ron who was doing a sort of funny jig, "you got a "P" in Potions, but—"
"No more Snape!" Ron said excitedly. "Yippee!"
"You got— hang on. Did you just say 'yippee'?"
"Yeah, so? I'm happy! What did I get in Charms?"
"Let me see...an 'E'."
"Yes!"
And it went on, much in this fashion, until the very last "A" in Divination. After Ron had stopped dancing, he still looked happier than Luna had seen him since he won the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor.
"Wait 'til I tell Fred and George…," said Ron, "I did better than them, but not enough to make fun of. Perfect!"
Luna smiled one last time. "You still want to help with the attic? Or do you want to go home and tell your brothers?"
"What?" said Ron, as if noticing that Luna was there for the first time in minutes. "Oh, no, I can tell them some other time. It's just...wow."
"Yeah, you did really great, Ronald," said Luna.
"Thanks," he said, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe it. "Let's go."
Luna led the way up the attic stairs, and suddenly she was back in Logica-Land. Not literally; the third step to the attic was not something that would take her to her not-so-imaginary world. But she was reminded of something that had occured.
The man took one look at Luna, before suddenly popping up even closer. He stood right in front of her.
He whispered in her ear; "Put the looking-glass on the desk," he hissed. "All will be explained in time."
Put the looking-glass on the desk…
Looking-glass?
What looking-glass?
But as Luna saw, once in the attic, the space formerly occupied by the royal blue chair, she saw something very different there now. Different yet similar at the same time.
A mirror lay untouched on the wooden floor. It was oval-shaped, and had a stand attached to keep it upright. It wasn't upright, but it could be. Luna looked at it, as if she had seen a ghost. Well, maybe seeing a 'ghost' wouldn't be the best word, as Luna saw ghosts everyday at Hogwarts. So maybe "Luna looked at it, as if she had seen a something that would make her face look very, very, haunted," would be better.
Luna looked at it, as if she had seen a something that would make her face look very, very, haunted.
"What is it?" asked Ron, trying to figure out what she was staring at. "Hey, wasn't a chair—"
Put the looking-glass on the desk.
On the desk.
Luna very nearly tripped over Ron's big feet on her way to the mirror. She picked it up, and it felt warm beneath her fingers. Dazedly, she took it down the stairs, careful not to drop it or break it.
"Luna, what—" Ron said, before following.
Stepping carefully, Luna walked around the desk and sat down in the royal blue chair once again. She was not transported to an alternate universe this time, however. She looked at the wooden desk in front of her, and carefully placed the mirror right where it always was.
The glass was covered in grey smoke. It billowed around the surface, just out of reach. Luna gazed into the mirror's depths for the second time in her life.
"Luna, what are you doing?" said Ron, out of breath, coming to stand behind her.
"Shh..." Luna wanted to know what was happening.
The smoke that covered the surface of the mirror faded away, and Luna could see a blonde witch. A very, very familiar blonde witch.
"Mum," she whispered with bated breath.
"Mum?" the witch in the mirror said. "What do you mean, 'mum'? I'm not your mother—"
"It's me, Mum. It's your little queen."
"Luna?" said the witch.
"Luna?" said Ron confuzzledly. "Your mum is dead, remember?"
"Shh..." Luna shushed Ron.
"How old are you?" said Cynthia Lovegood.
"Fifteen," answered Luna.
"You are?" said Ron. "I didn't know that."
"My god—what—" Cynthia stopped, looking around for a minute. "Just a second."
"Mum!" called a small, familiar voice, somewhere behind Cynthia. "Can I look into your mirror?"
Cynthia's head disappeared. "And what do you think you'll see, if you look into this mirror?"
"My face, of course! Obviously."
"Aha!" exclaimed Luna's mother. "You assumed!" she said. "What have I told you about assuming?"
"Never assume...Yeah, yeah. But of course I'll see my face. What else would I see in a mirror?"
"Never assume, Queen Luna," said Cynthia seriously. "My mother told me, and her mother told her, and her mother told her. Never assume. It just so happens that this is a special mirror. You won't see your face." She paused, as if to correct a mistake. "At least, you'll probably not see your face. You might."
"Let me see!"
Déjà vu, thought Luna. Déjà vu.
First off, I'd like to apologise for the delay in this chapter's posting. My computer decided to, you know, blow up (figuratively), and I couldn't log onto the internet. It's been fixed, and it shouldn't cause another delay. The only reason chapters might not be posted in a timely fashion would be if I get another case of writer's block, but things are looking good so far.
Also, before you complain about my interpretation of OWL results, saying I neglected the two different parts of the tests, let me explain my interpretation of OWL results. I believe that if you get an 'O' on both parts of the test, you get two OWLs in that subject. If not, you get one. You may complain, but this is the only way I can see it being fair; otherwise someone could get twelve 'A's and it would be just as good as someone who got twelve 'O's.
Also, in the English versions of the books, OWL is not spelt O.W.L. as it is in the American, which is why I spelt it as such. Any words that seem a bit funny to you are probably using the English spelling. Such as 'duelling' which only has one 'l' in America.
To reviewer Ari, I'll get that wallpaper to you as soon as I can.
Review. And if you read this when another chapter's already up, read and review, after you review. That way you review on all the chapters, instead of just once. Or if there isn't another chapter already posted, just, you know, review. Tell me what you think. Ask a question about something that confuzzles you. I'm sure something does. If I can, I will answer as truthfully as possible. If I can't, well...I must not tell lies...
See you next chapter! :)
Yes, that was a colon and a parenthesis. What else would it be?
Some never come to be, unless those that behold the visions turn aside from their path to prevent them."
J.R.R. TolkienComing Soon