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That Which Does Not Kill Us
Chapter 7
By Anne B. Walsh
The otherworldly equivalents of alarm bells clanged, summoning the attention of the being called Luq. Reluctantly turning away from the delicious sights of one Harry Potter shivering in a cell in Azkaban and another set upon by a werewolf, he "tuned in" on the universe which was sounding the alarm.
What, that place again? I thought I had everything well in hand. None of them seemed likely to make trouble...
The world came into clearer focus, and Luq snarled a curse. Half his careful work had been undone already, and more was unraveling every second. As he watched, the incipient magic around the dream-figures of the werewolf and his wife (and weren't they a sappy little pair) gathered itself, took form, and lanced outwards from their sleeping forms to that of the dog on the hearthstone of the cottage.
I'll obviously have to take a few more steps when I put this right. Luq absently began the preparations for entering the Dangerverse's origin point, the "command center" of the world; most of his mind was taken up with thoughts of how to keep this from happening again.
I underestimated the two Black children—that was my biggest mistake—so I'll have to neutralize them. The boy will likely be destroyed by watching me undo all his work, and as for the girl... there must be a Dark wizard somewhere around there who needs a virgin sacrifice.
He came out of his reverie to see that the gateway to the world's place of origin was ready. Pleased, he stepped through.
Every origin point looked different. This one resembled a large, messy room which obviously served three people as sleeping and living quarters. The "computer" which would allow him to manipulate the universe at will was in the far right corner. He started towards it, then stopped. Someone with short red hair, wearing cut-off jeans and a T-shirt, was already sitting at it.
"Hello, Luq," she said, turning towards him. "I've been waiting for you."
Sirius rolled over, fell off the hearth, and woke up halfway to the floor.
"Ow!"
Wait a second, did I just say ow? I thought I was stuck as a dog. Dogs can't say ow. So that would mean...
Though not a scholar of logic, Sirius was nonetheless able to work through this problem, and the conclusion he drew—bulwarked by the color view of the ceiling he was now getting from his position on the floor, and the way his body responded when he tried rolling over and getting up—would have befitted a master of the subject. Though most master logicians do not celebrate a successful proof by dancing around the room shouting "YES!" at the top of their lungs.
Quite finished? said a female voice in the back of his head after a few moments. You're needed elsewhere.
"Oh really?" Sirius said aloud, just for the pleasure of hearing his voice.
Oh really. Check your pocket—I think you may still have your wand. If not, you'll have to scrounge when you get there.
"Where's there?" Sirius patted his pocket and grinned. "And no scrounging needed. But I'd like to know where I'm headed."
London. St. Mungo's. The control room first. After that, take it as you find it. Good luck.
"Thanks." Sirius started for the door, then stopped, glancing back at the intertwined figures on the bed. "Should I..."
Leave them for now. They'll come when it's time.
"Right."
Outside the cottage, Sirius turned in place, concentrating on a secluded grove of trees in a London park conveniently near most of the major wizarding institutions. The moon, waxing gibbous above him, winked off and on again as he changed locations with a loud crack.
A little out of practice, but at least I didn't splinch. Now then, time to find a pretty Healer and a sweet little Healer-apprentice, and maybe a few others along the way...
Remus had no idea how long he'd been holding Danger—not long enough—when he heard an ominous rumble from overhead. "We have to go," he said into her hair. "We can't stay here."
"You're right." Danger pushed away from him, looking up at him regretfully. "You're right. I just don't want to lose this... I don't want to go back and lose you again..."
Remus shook his head. "You won't lose me again," he said. "Whatever was holding me, finding you broke it. I suspect it had the same effect on you. But if I'm wrong..." He grinned at her. "You have my full permission to pin me down on the bed and take shameless advantage of me."
"Remus John Lupin—" Danger stopped and smiled impishly. "Actually, that sounds wonderful. I think I will. But later. Let's see if it will be necessary first."
Hand in hand, they stepped from the dream into reality.
Remus opened his eyes first, and closed them again in thankfulness as the tiny cottage came into view. I never realized how much I relied on my vision until it was gone...
You were right, a familiar and most welcome voice spoke up silently. I can do this again—now let me see if...
A wheezing cough close by his side, and Remus instinctively started to put his arm around Danger, only to find it already there. It seems my body was wiser than I, he said musingly.
Danger coughed once more. "Seems like..." she said hoarsely. God, I sound awful, what's wrong with me?
Rust? Remus suggested whimsically. I doubt it's permanent, love. It'll likely get better with time.
"I hope you're right," Danger croaked. She lifted her head and looked around the room. "Wait, where's Sirius? He was right there when I climbed in with you..."
Remus followed her pointing finger (not without a silent thrill at the ability) and frowned. The hearthstone was indeed devoid of dog. "Where could he have gone at this hour?"
Exactly the same place you two need to go, said a female voice in the back of both their minds. London, St. Mungo's. Once you're there, just follow your noses.
"To what?" Remus asked.
"Trouble," whispered Danger. Remus, come on, we have to hurry—there's so much I haven't had a chance to tell you yet, everything that happened to everyone else, and if it's St. Mungo's it's most likely Harry—
Harry—wait a second— Remus felt at his neck, then cursed. His pendants were gone. The blood bond, it'll be broken, his mind's vulnerable, and Voldemort isn't dead, is he?
No. He's not. But that's not the worst of it.
Remus untangled his arm from Danger and slid out of the bed, starting for the door. Somehow I have the feeling I'm not going to like this.
However did you guess. Her tone was grim as she matched his pace a step behind. Let me start with Harry and work my way around...
Harry was beginning, against his will, to believe in this world.
It's probably not real, he tried to remind himself. Here today, gone tomorrow. Don't get attached. But it was hard, so hard, when this world seemed to be filling every void the others had left in his heart. Friends, siblings, even a mother, who had held him gently and transformed the blanket he was holding around him into actual clothing...
And now this.
"I knew something wasn't right," Ginny whispered against his neck, a tear tracing a line down his skin, hot to cool. "I just knew it. Harry, oh, Harry, I've missed you..."
"I know." It was a good, standard, non-committal answer, and Harry thought the hand he was running through Ginny's hair would substitute well for any other words she might be expecting. Words like "I've missed you too" or even "I love you".
There were so many girls who expected me to love them. And a few guys, but let's not get into that. This feels right, but... so did some of the others. How can I tell?
The only sure way to know would be if he woke up in this world again tomorrow morning. Until then, he wasn't going to let it have his heart.
Of course, it might already be here... in which case, not a problem.
He looked over Ginny's shoulder at a sight which would have been bizarre in many of the worlds he'd visited and commonplace in others, though usually for different reasons than it was happening here: Draco and Hermione holding hands and gazing, enraptured, into each other's eyes. Ron was standing to one side fidgeting, obviously less than happy with his girlfriend being this close to someone who'd been, until yesterday, "the enemy". Luna and Meghan were whispering in a corner, and Letha was guarding the door.
Correction. Letha is running out the door.
Neville sidestepped the woman and came into the room, giving Meghan a quick hug as she darted to him. "There's someone in the hallway you'll want to see," he told her. "But give them a moment first."
Someone Meghan and Letha both want to see... wait a minute...
Harry got to his feet, nodding to Neville, and crossed towards the door, Ginny matching him step for step with her arm hooked firmly around his. Draco and Hermione came out of their trance as they passed, Hermione grabbing Ron and pulling his head down to her mouth so that she could kiss him while Draco started towards Luna, who was waiting for him. Neville and Meghan were looking out the door, Neville holding Meghan gently against him with her back to his front, Meghan quivering with suppressed eagerness.
I have friends, a girlfriend, a brother and two sisters, a mum... there's only one thing missing, and I don't think it'll be missing much longer...
Letha reappeared in the doorway, her eyes shining. Beside her was the person Harry had suspected.
Ginny let him go as he ran to Padfoot, hugging his godfather tight around the shoulders and feeling the man's arm around him, the other around Meghan, who had arrived at the same moment despite her longer run.
Almost without Harry's noticing, his last reservation about this world quietly evaporated. There was no more question in his mind. He was home.
"Oh, how touching," Luq sneered, reading over the red-haired woman's shoulder from his seat halfway up the rungs of the bunk bed behind her. "What will you do next? Bring in rainbow unicorns for them all to ride away?"
"No," the woman said calmly, setting her section break in place. "Actually, I thought it was time to throw a little challenge at them."
"A challenge? You?" Luq snorted. "A few limp-wristed Aurors, I suppose."
The woman merely began to type again. Within a few sentences, Luq had stopped sneering. Within a few more, he gave up all pretensions and merely watched as the thin, white-skinned figure robed itself and prepared for what it knew must be the final battle with its adversary.
Good she may be, but this young lady has a surprising grasp of evil...
Author Notes:
Dun dun dun. Next chapter, and finale, tomorrow!