AUTHOR'S NOTES: Has it been two weeks already? Time flies when you're desperately trying to finish up a chapter to keep yourself ahead of the curve! Not that it matters to anybody but me and my Beta, but I just finished Chapter 4…which means I could rest on my laurels right now, and not have to worry about writing another chapter for, like, a month. Not that that is gonna happen.
I mean, for one thing, I don't have any laurels on which to rest; Hell, I don't even have any hardys! (That there's a joke, people, so laugh!) Seriously, I need as much lead time as possible with this story. I may've been able to knock out a chapter in a day or two for Aftermath, but considering the content of Chapters 4 through 7, I'll be needing as much time as possible to get the chapters together and make them readable.
Have I piqued anybody's interest?! Anyone out there wondering what could be contained within those four chapters that good ol' Uncle BlackHawk needs as much time as possible to write them?! Well, I could tell ya', but where would be the fun in that?! :-D
We're getting ahead of ourselves worrying about those chapters; I mean, Chapter 4 won't even be posted until March 21 (I'm just a big ol' chapter-tease, aren't I?), so let's concern ourselves with this chapter here!
Things start to get interesting here, if I do say so myself, and for our dear Ronnikins, things start to get confusing! But, then, what would a good parallel universe story be without the initial confusion of the person who crossed over?
Of course, stuff really starts to roll in Chapter 3; and then in Chapter 4…oh! And Chapter 9!! Oh. My. God!!! Chapter 9 is awesome!!! Heh!! (Show of hands…who thinks I'm bluffing and I don't have Chapter 9 finished?!) BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Uhm…yeah…sorry 'bout that; got in touch with my inner super-villain for a second there.
GRATUITOUS THANKS: As I did with Aftermath, I'm going to take the time here to thank those readers who went above-and-beyond the call of duty and actually reviewed my story. I thrive on feedback, people; it's the only way for me to improve as a writer! So, for those brave souls who reviewed – CutewithAcapital-Q, ObsessedRHShipper, kareem33, TiffanyM, MaNdErS20100, Alquimista, zsdvnn, allanfrontrow, Rosiline, Pattox0111, Avanell, HopelessRomantic79, and Cantletharrygo – as always, thank you very much! For those of you who've been reading and reviewing me since my first fic, welcome back, and for those who are new to my writing, welcome aboard!
OBSEQUIOUS COWTOWING: Unlike my other stories, I've been working extensively with a Beta Reader for Mirror, Mirror. The beauty of this is that I at least know that her review will be positive (provided I take all her advice and don't decide to rebel! "Whaddya mean I can't have Ron walking around in Gucci school robes?!! Continuity? Screw continuity!!!"). So, for being the wind beneath my wings, an extra special thank you goes out to CutewithAcapital-Q. Sure, I could do it without her, but then I wouldn't have the wonderful warm and squishy feeling I get when she says something along the lines of "You did a marvelous job…" (that's a direct quote, people…although it may or may not be taken out of context, you never know with me…she could have followed that ellipsis – the three dots, if you didn't know the proper term – with "…of royally screwing up what could have been a good story!"…she didn't say that, but you never know!).
Seriously, though, no one has ever told me I've done a marvelous job at anything! Makes me just wanna blush and reply, "Well Shazam!" (There's a pun in there, but I'll wait to see if anybody gets it.)
Right…so…thanks, Cutie, for being my Beta on this ride!
DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter and all his little friends and whatnot are the property of J.K. Rowling. If STAR TREK creator Gene Roddenberry is the Great Bird of the Universe, then JKR must at least be the Great Owl of the Wizarding World. (See how I brought it back around to STAR TREK, people?! You can't stop it…it's a juggernaut! And the new movie's in theaters May 9!)
MIRROR, MIRROR
Chapter 2
"A Mirror, Darkly"
Ron hurried down the stairs into the common room, expecting everyone to be on their way to breakfast prior to the first day of class. He didn't expect everyone to be sitting around the room doing homework and lounging around after, apparently, a day of classes.
"Ron!"
Ron looked over to where Neville Longbottom was sitting at the wizard's chess set over in the corner near the window. The round-faced boy was waving him over. Ron walked over and dropped down into the seat opposite Neville.
"Nice to see you've finally rejoined the land of the living," Neville joked as he started setting up the chessboard.
Ron looked confused as he once again looked around the room, "What time is it, Neville?"
"Uhm…" Neville looked down at the watch on his wrist while Ron sat, wiping the sleep from his eyes, "Seven-thirty." Neville went back to setting up the chessmen.
"A.M. or P.M.?" Ron asked, confusedly looking out the window at the night sky.
"P.M., Ron, very P.M.," Neville looked at his best friend, concern showing on his young face, "Alright there, Ron? You don't look too good…should I get Madam Pomfrey?"
"I'm starting to think I don't feel too good, mate," Ron rubbed a hand across his forehead, "How long was I napping?"
"Napping?" Neville scoffed, "I wouldn't call what you did 'napping'."
"Call it whatever you want to," Ron grumbled "I've just never forgotten an entire day of classes before. I can't believe I blacked out the entire first day of class."
"Ron?" Neville looked up at him, his eyes awash in confusion, "What are you talking about? You weren't in class today."
"I wasn't?" Ron looked confused, "Why not?"
"You were in the hospital wing," Neville explained, "You mean you don't remember? At the feast, Professor McGonagall told us you'd come down with a pretty bad case of the flu on the train, and would be resting in the hospital wing for the night. Then, today, at breakfast, she came and told us you'd been moved back to the dorm, but you'd be spending the day resting and to not disturb you."
Ron leaned back in his seat, stretching his arms over his head, causing his too-short jumper to rise up over his stomach slightly. He leaned over the chessboard, moving closer to Neville, "I don't remember any of that stuff you just described, Neville." He smiled at Neville finding the whole situation rather funny. "Don't tell Harry or Hermione…no need to worry them."
"Why would I tell Hermione?" Neville asked, shooting a look across the room, "I don't think she'd care…and…who's Harry?"
"Right…oh, ha-ha, Neville," Ron said, smirking at what he assumed was Neville's lame attempt at a joke, "I'll play along. You know…Harry? Harry Potter? The-Boy-Who-Lived?"
"Harry Potter?!" Neville's brows furrowed, more confused now than ever, "Why would I tell him anything?!"
Neville's voice was raised and drew more attention from the rest of the Gryffindors in the common room, causing Neville to blush embarrassedly at the unwelcome attention. He looked around quickly at the multitude of eyes currently on him and sunk down in his seat, turtle-like.
"Okay, Neville, talk," Ron said, casting a glance at the Gryffindors eyeing them up, "What's going on between you and Harry?"
"Me and Harry?" Neville was starting to get frustrated at the confusing words coming out of Ron's mouth, "What --…?"
Neville was interrupted as one of the other Fifth Year Gryffindors came stomping over to where they were sitting, her bushy brown hair bouncing as she walked. She drew the attention of the two friends immediately, bringing a halt to their conversation.
Neville looked up and sighed audibly. He immediately looked away, paying close attention to the world right outside the window. It was obvious from his body language that he wanted nothing to do with whatever was about to happen. Ron, however, had other plans, apparently.
The redhead looked over at the new arrival as she reached them. He started to smile at her until he noticed the angry look etched on her face. His smile immediately fell as he knew he was about to be embroiled in yet another row with Hermione Granger…obviously, she was still angry with him about their argument at King's Cross Station.
"Where's my cat, Weasley?!" she yelled, taking Ron by surprise.
"Huh—what…?" Ron was completely dumbfounded. There was something odd about Hermione's mouth, but he couldn't concentrate since she was in the process of screaming at him.
"My cat!" Hermione yelled again, "Crookshanks! He's been missing ever since the Welcoming Feast last night and we all know how much you hate him!!"
Ron's eyes widened in shock and his mouth gaped for several moments before he was able to answer, "What? 'Mi--…erm…Hermione…I wouldn't do anything to Crookshanks; I mean, yeah, I don't like him, but I wouldn't do anything to him."
"That's a laugh!" Hermione snapped harshly, her eyes blazing, "You still blame him for your stupid rat disappearing two years ago! Every time you see him, you try to kick him and you say that you're going to kill him!!"
"Hermione, listen to me," Ron pleaded, getting to his feet, "I may not like Crookshanks, but I wouldn't hurt him…he's too important to you, and you are too important to me!"
"You're not funny, Ronald Weasley!" Hermione yelled, tears welling up in her big brown eyes and tumbling down her cheeks, "I swear to God, if you've hurt my Crookshanks, I'll make you pay!!"
Before Ron could say anything else, Hermione turned on her heel and raced across the common room and bolted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories, tears pouring down her cheeks in twin rivers of salty sadness.
"What the Hell was that about?!" Ron asked, seemingly in a daze as he sat back down. He hadn't taken his eyes off the girls' staircase since Hermione had run up them and disappeared from view. Almost absentmindedly he muttered, "Did she look different to you?"
"You didn't really do anything to her cat, did you?" Neville asked, glancing back from looking out the window. He had an odd look on his face that Ron couldn't quite place, "I know the two of you don't like each other, but that would be cruel even for you."
"What are you talking about, Neville?" Ron asked, looking and sounding completely confused by the round-faced boy's statement, "Hermione and I are best friends; why would I do something to her cat, when I know how much it would hurt her?"
The odd look that Neville was giving Ron quickly transformed into an expression that seemed to imply that the round-faced boy thought the redhead was stark, raving mad.
"Did that flu you caught drive you absolutely nutters, or are you just pulling my leg?" Neville asked, sounding honestly concerned for his friend's well-being, "You two have hated each other almost since the day you met; and you've been out to get her cat ever since he ate Scabbers back in Third Year!"
"Crookshanks didn't eat Scabbers," Ron explained matter-of-factly, "Scabbers was actually…"
Ron stopped mid-sentence. Few people actually knew the truth about Scabbers and his true identity as the Death Eater animagus Peter Pettigrew, and Ron really didn't want anyone else knowing. After all, that particular tidbit of information required way too much explanation as well as the revelation of many facts of a sensitive nature – such as Sirius Black's status as Harry Potter's godfather, and the fact that Ron shared his bed for more than two years with a rat that was in reality a middle-aged man who caused the deaths of Harry's parents.
"Scabbers was actually…what, Ron?" Neville asked, almost seeming to be dreading the answer; as if he was expecting Ron to erupt into an angry diatribe about his poor, sickly pet rat and the evil squish-faced monster that ate him.
"Scabbers was actually…" Ron was trying to think up a convincing lie that he could tell his dorm-mate; a lie that wouldn't reveal too much about what really happened on that night in June a little more than a year ago, "Scabbers was…he wasn't eaten, Neville; he just ran away."
Ron felt a little bit proud of himself because that wasn't actually a lie at all, really; Scabbers had run away, just not before being revealed for who and what he truly was.
"That's not what you said last year…and the year before that," Neville said, as if to remind him, "You've been going on about her cat and your rat every time you see that orange furball!"
"What the bloody Hell are you on about, mate?!" Ron raised his voice as he started to lose his temper. Neville was talking crazy, and he wouldn't stop, either, "Yeah, I thought Crookshanks ate Scabbers back in Third Year, but it turned out that he just ran off! I haven't even brought it up in over a year!"
"Calm down, Ron," Neville said, shrinking away from his friend and his fiery temper, "It's not worth getting angry over."
Ron scowled at Neville; something was seriously wrong here. Hermione was furious with him for something he didn't even do, and Neville was trying to convince him that they weren't even friends and hadn't ever been. Maybe Harry knew what was going on.
"Do you know where Harry is, Neville?" Ron asked, looking around the common room but not spying the Boy-Who-Lived, "Maybe he can tell me what Hermione's on about."
"This Harry business again?" Neville said, looking confused, "You sure you're not still feverish?"
"Come on, Neville; stop playing these games!" Ron snapped, jumping to his feet and drawing looks from around the common room, "Harry-bloody-Potter! Have. You. Seen. Him?!"
"No, of course not," Neville said quietly, looking afraid of the angry redhead, as if he feared he might strike him, "I haven't seen him since dinner along with the rest of the Slytherins."
"Rest of the --…? Neville are you effing nutters or what?!" Ron exclaimed, looking as though he was absolutely beside himself, "I don't know what you're playing at, but you're not very bloody funny!"
"Ron, what --…?"
"Harry Potter's a Slytherin about as much as you or I am!" Ron continued, cutting across the cowering boy, "If this is some kind of practical joke, Neville, let me tell you, it's completely daft! Did the twins put you up to this?!"
"The twins? No!" Neville exclaimed, trying to get his friend to understand, "Ron, I'm not joking around. Are you sure you're alright? You're sounding a bit delirious; maybe I should take you to see Madam Pomfrey…"
"I don't need to go to the hospital wing!" Ron shouted indignantly, "I just need you to stop playing these ruddy games with me! Harry's my best mate; you don't think I'd know it if he was some slimy Slytherin?!"
Neville looked genuinely hurt by Ron's last statement, "I thought I was your best friend…"
Ron laughed when he heard Neville's assertion, causing the round-faced boy's hurt expression to intensify. Ron felt a small twinge of guilt for laughing once he realized that Neville was serious; he really did think the two of them were best friends.
"Neville, don't get me wrong…you're a really great bloke, but me and Harry have been best friends since we met on the Hogwarts Express."
"Ron, I really think you should see Madam Pomfrey," Neville said as he got out of his seat and put a hand on the redhead's shoulder, "The stuff you're saying is barmy…you seem like you believe it, but I'm here to tell you, you're honestly starting to sound stark, raving mad!"
Ron glared at Neville and shrugged his hand off his shoulder, but that didn't stop Neville from continuing.
"I remember meeting you and Harry Potter on the Hogwarts Express when I was searching for Trevor, and yes, the two of you did look pretty chummy, but after that…after the Sorting Ceremony…you two lost touch and --…"
"I've had ENOUGH!" Ron yelled, marching towards the portrait hole, "If you won't drop this barmy act, then I'll just leave you to it while I go and find Harry!"
Before Neville could stop him, Ron was out the portrait hole, slamming the Fat Lady's painting, causing her to huff indignantly, and stormed down the stairs in search of Harry Potter. He could hear his dorm-mate calling after him, but Ron didn't bother turning back.
Ron's first stop was the Great Hall. Dinner was long over, however, and the few people who were still milling about the dining hall were either studying together, chatting amiably, or playing games of Exploding Snap, Gobstones, or wizard's chess. Harry was not among them.
When he entered the library, Madam Pince gave him a suspicious look and informed him immediately that the library would be closing shortly, and if he was planning on checking out any books, he would need to make his selections quickly and then be on his way. After assuring the vulture-like librarian that he wouldn't be long, he checked the stacks and the reading tables for any sign of Harry but found nothing.
After tickling the pear on the large portrait of fruit, Ron made his way down into the kitchens. It wasn't unusual for Harry to sneak down here to grab a late night snack or to check up on Dobby. Not only was there no sign of Harry, but Dobby wasn't there, either. In fact, when asked, each and every house-elf working clamoring to be of service to him, told Ron that Dobby didn't work at Hogwarts.
On the long hike up to the Astronomy Tower, Ron pondered the Dobby situation. Had he gotten another assignment? He was free, so that meant he could come and go as he pleased. That was just another thing he'd need to talk to Harry about when he finally found him. Unfortunately for Ron, though, Harry wasn't in the Astronomy Tower…but a couple of Sixth Year Ravenclaws were…doing what made the tallest tower in Hogwarts infamous among the student body.
"I wish I had Harry's map," Ron said to himself as he took the long walk back down from the Astronomy Tower, trying to get the image of the snogging Ravenclaws out of his head, "Of course, if he's playing along with Neville and hiding from me for whatever bloody stupid reason, he's probably looking at that ruddy map right now, watching to see where I'm headed. I swear to Merlin, if this has anything to do with him being jealous over me getting prefect, I'm going to thump him right in that scarred forehead of his!"
Ron checked the rest of Hogwarts to the best of his ability, and with no place left inside the castle to search, Ron decided to head outside and check the grounds for Harry, despite the lateness of the hour. It was already well after 8:00, and the school night curfew was rapidly approaching. Ron's status as a prefect would provide him with some protection, but not even prefects had the right to be outside the castle after curfew.
There was no sign of Harry out by the lake near their favorite beech tree. Likewise, he wasn't out on the Quidditch pitch, in the stands, or in any of the locker rooms when Ron checked. With nowhere else to try – as there was no way Ron was going to wander blindly into the Forbidden Forest in search of Harry without knowing he was definitely in there – Ron headed for Hagrid's hut.
The hut was dark and there was no answer when he knocked on the door…and no barking Fang, either. Peering into one of the dirty, cracked windows, Ron could just make out that the cabin was completely devoid of life inside.
That seemed odd to Ron, as Hagrid was ever-present; even if the half-giant wasn't inside his hut, there was always a fire burning in the fireplace. He'd never seen the place look so barren. Sure, it was cluttered with Hagrid's furniture and belongings, but it still seemed completely empty.
By the time he got back inside the castle, narrowly avoiding caretaker Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, Ron was cold, tired, muddy, and no closer to finding Harry Potter than he had been when he left the Gryffindor common room a couple of hours earlier.
Ron didn't feel like going back to the tower yet, knowing there would just be more confusing talk from Neville, swearing up-and-down that Harry was in Slytherin. The very notion was ridiculous. Harry had been in Gryffindor for four years; why would he all of a sudden be re-sorted? Could people even be re-sorted?
"I bet Hermione knows…she knows everything," he said to himself, "There's probably a whole chapter on sorting in Hogwarts, A History, and whether or not students are allowed to change houses."
As he thought about Hermione, Ron remembered something that struck him as odd. He hadn't really paid it much mind at the time, since Hermione was shouting at him and blaming him for something he didn't do, but there was something different about Hermione…something about her face…her teeth! Hermione's buck-teeth, which had been normal just yesterday, had returned.
"I thought she fixed her teeth last year," he muttered to himself, scratching the back of his neck as he was lost in thought, "Maybe her parents made her put them back the way they were…"
Ron shrugged, deciding to ask Hermione about her teeth once she'd calmed down and was willing to talk to him again. For now, he needed to concentrate on not getting thrown in detention. It was getting on towards 11:00 at night, curfew had been in effect for nearly two hours, and Ron knew if he was caught wandering around the castle at this time of night, he'd be in deep trouble…prefect or not.
A sudden thought occurred to Ron as he climbed the marble staircase and reached the Fifth Floor landing. He was cold, he was dirty, and he was delaying his return to Gryffindor tower…and he was a prefect. He headed down the Fifth Floor hallway, a new destination in mind.
"Pine Fresh," Ron said to the fourth door on the right as he stood near the statue of Boris the Bewildered. The door unlocked and he entered the Prefects' Bathroom, intent on taking a nice hot bath and mulling over his thoughts.
The last thing he expected was to find Professor Dumbledore standing in the bathroom with a gentle smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye.
"Ah, Mr. Weasley…I've been waiting for you."
-- End Chapter 2 --
AUTHOR'S END NOTES: Well, there you have it…Chapter 2. Mirror Neville and Mirror Hermione have made their debut…still no sign of the all-important Mirror Universe goatee! But be on the lookout, people, it's out there!!! After all, what would a Mirror Universe be without SOMEONE sporting a goatee! Because, let's face it, people, goatees = evil!!!!
The next thing I post, which will be next weekend, will be a Ron Weasley birthday story. For anyone who doesn't know, Ron's birthday is March 1, and I couldn't very well let my favorite character's birthday go by without doing a little shum'm-shum'm for the man!
Thanks for reading…feel free to review. I won't hold it against you!
I'll see you in two weeks (March 7) for the debut of Chapter 3. Hopefully, by then I'll be done Chapter 5 and well on my way to finishing Chapter 6! :-)
~Hawk~