Zigzag

Zigzag

*

Chapter 11

*

"Why am I the one who must do this?" complained Father Harry. He was still holding his hand on the door handle.

"Because it's your idea, love," said Remus Potter, sounding a bit amused. "So, stop complaining and open it."

Drawing a deep breath, feeling all the gazes intent on his back, Father Harry then concentrated and opened the door. As soon as he'd done it, everybody rushed past him to get to see what was inside.

At first, it didn't look like much. There was only a small room, with three doors leading somewhere. When Harry Lupin opened the one to the left, however, he gasped. "Come to see this!" he exclaimed. "It's unbelievable!"

Of course, everybody now hurried to see what was fascinating him so much. As they entered the room, everybody was fascinated. Large, obviously magical bubbles floated everywhere, full of tiny, moving figures. At a closer look you could see the tiny signs below the figures, showing their names. Dumbledore walked in also, looking around.

"This seems to be where the completed universes go to," he said cheerfully. "You know, those that the Author has already finished with. In fact, we should also find here the universes where some of you have returned from, but those will be in the situation when they left for the first time."

At hearing this, Remus Malfoy glanced around. Then he pointed at one bubble, smiling a bit. "That's our world."

"So, where's that daughter of yours?" asked Remia curiously, coming nearer to get a better look. "Is that her?" She pointed at a figure of a shyly smiling teenager girl inside the bubble. "She looks rather nice."

"Well, she is nice," Remus Malfoy said, his voice including more than just a hint of fatherly pride. "Olivia's a wonderful girl." He watched the girl inside the bubble with a smile. As he saw a miniature figure of himself coming nearer and saying something inaudible to the figure of his daughter, he then sighed. "I miss her," he confessed.

"Awww, look at this!" exclaimed Sirius Lupin from another bubble. "To think that Keith has been that tiny once!"

The others who had come to the room just glanced around, showing more interest to some bubbles than to some. Remus Lupin lingered in front of one bubble for a longer time, looking deep into it, a sad look on his face. As Carer Sirius came to his side and carefully asked what was the matter, he sighed and pointed at the bubble.

"This," the unhappy werewolf said, "was our universe once. To be exact, on my and James's wedding day." He sighed again, then said, "I don't know if he was a spy already at that point. I'll never know."

"Well, be happy you are still alive, at least," said Remus Lionsnake quietly from his side. "I just looked at these bubbles. There are at least seven universes where any replica of us is replaced by a simple gravestone stating our name. Pretty many have our children or lovers dead, too." After a small pause, he continued, "I noticed that those sad universes' bubbles were usually smaller than for example Remus Malfoy's former reality. I wonder why."

"That's quite simple, really," they heard Dumbledore's ever cheerful voice. "Those that are small the Author hasn't worked much with. Apparently, she doesn't feel comfortable enough with killing off people to linger in those universes for long." With a twinkle in his eyes, he added, "I might add that Remus Malfoy's former reality is the biggest bubble."

"Well, the one she's returned to most is definitely our reality," commented Sirius Lupin with a cheerful grin. "There is one small and two a bit larger bubbles floating around, all from our universe." He laughed. "It's almost like a series!"

"And the saddest one is that one, in the corner," said Harry Snape darkly, pointing at one bubble. "It's just gravestones there. Everybody is dead, the names show that. Harry Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Hermione Granger..."

"Speaking of whom," piped up Laugher, "I would like to get an explanation from one of the Remuses. This is unacceptable!" He was grinning broadly, pointing at one bubble. Upon looking at it, the others saw a figure of a yet another Remus, his arms around a young witch with the name label "Hermione Lupin." And, attached to her name sign, there was another, smaller one, reading, "Sirius Lupin -- unborn". Surprising, yes.

"Oh, my!" exclaimed Sirius Lupin dramatically. "I think I'm going to faint from the shock. Oh, oh!" And so, he fell backwards -- right through one of the bubbles from his universe. The others looked startled, not knowing what this would cause. They were relieved, though, to see the man jut sitting on the floor, having fallen there.

"Hey!" he then said. "I think I heard something in there!" Unhesitantly sticking his head into the bubble -- which was the latest one of his universe -- he then came back out. "I heard Lucius and Remus singing," he said with a grin. "It was 'Ave Maria' -- they always keep singing it to the kids. Well, it certainly goes along with the last update before we disappeared." A thoughtful look on his face, he added, "It felt kinda happy, too. I wonder if that's the same everywhere."

Of course, they had to test the theory. Harry Snape immediately stuck his head into the bubble he'd claimed saddest, oblivious to his lovers startled warning not to do that. A moment later, he emerged from the bubble, looking bewildered. "I felt -- happy," he said, sounding confused. "And I think I heard somebody talking and laughing."

Upon this discovery, they all -- well, mostly the Harries and Siriuses -- started to test random bubbles all around the room. Soon they discovered that the only sad ones they could find where some small ones. All universes that by Dumbledore's word had been in the Author's consciousness for a longer time had ended happily, well, except for one, which was still relatively small and could be thus ignored in the statistics.

The old Headmaster, of course, was beaming at them all. "This only works to prove that the Author likes happy endings. I think we can all be rather sure that he will give those to you all as well."

"Well, it's nice to hope," said Servant Remus darkly. "However, it always doesn't work that way." The next moment, however, he swayed, then blinked. Then, a broad smile spread onto his face. "Lucius is awake!" he exclaimed, then rushed out of the room without stopping to do or say anything else. The others looked after him, bemused.

"So much for hopelessness, I see," chuckled Lucius Snape. Then, however, he sighed, shaking his head. "I truly hope that you are right about the happy endings, though," he said quietly. "I really could use one." Just then, he, too, swayed a bit. As the others looked at him questioningly, he sighed. "Nothing much happened," he answered their unspoken questions. "Janus just seems to have made a new friend -- and Severus's morning sickness is very, very bad."

"Oh, that's a pity," said Remus Snape worriedly. He had Jeremy in his arms, the small boy hiding his face into the folds of his carrier's robes. "I truly hope everything will go well for you." As it now seemed to be a habit, he then swayed as he, too, got updated. As soon as he regained his composure, he let Jeremy to the ground. The boy looked a bit older now, and definitely less shy. He started running around the room, sticking his head into random bubbles and laughing all the time. Nobody was looking at him, though. They were all watching his parents with great interest. Father Severus was tanned, and he looked healthy and happy -- something rare to almost any Severus. Remus Snape, however, got even more wondering looks, as his stomach was now well rounded with pregnancy.

"It's twins," Father Severus told them all with a slight smile, wrapping his arms around his lover. "At least we think it is; the school nurse couldn't tell it yet and we can't very well go to a Muggle doctor to ask."

"Would you want to find out?" asked Remus Lupin. "It only takes a simple spell; I'm really surprised that the nurse didn't know that." As both men nodded enthusiastically, he muttered a few words, his wand pointed at his replica's round stomach. After a moment, he smiled. "Congratulations," he said. "It is two girls."

"Two?!" exclaimed Remus Snape at the same time as his husband exclaimed, "Girls?!" Then, they glanced at each other, then at their son, who was currently practically bouncing off the walls. Then they both started to laugh almost hysterically. That is, until they both swayed again. For a brief moment, everybody could see them several years older and definitely happier than ever, Remus's baby bump disappeared. Then, they faded away.

"Hey!" exclaimed Harry Lovegood, pointing at the nearby wall. "I think that's them!"

They all watched as a middle-sized bubble floated slowly through the wall to join the other worlds. As they went nearer, they could indeed see the happy couple there. Jeremy seemed to be about the age of attending Hogwarts now, and two little girls with the name labels of Marié and Celesté Snape were running around the bubble, laughing.

"And another happy ending," said Dumbledore happily. "The statistics are really looking up, you know."

Now, it was Father Harry's turn to sway at an update. As everybody turned to look at him, he smiled reassuringly at them. "Everything is as well as it's going to be," he said quietly. "At least Remus has calmed down now."

At this announcement, Dumbledore just nodded solemnly. Then he said, "I think it's about the time we inspect other parts of the Author's mind in our quest to understand her motivations and goals better. Don't you agree?"

Of course, they all agreed. Once again in the small room, they at Dumbledore's insistence didn't go to the one door opposite to the one they'd come in through, but rather at the one on the last wall. When they went inside, everybody gasped in surprise and wonder as they let their eyes wander around the room, taking everything in.

If the bubbles of countless little worlds had been amazing, this was something else entirely. Tiny figures floated around in the air, some frozen at place, some playing the same scenes over and over again. Death, birth, hate, love, anger, sadness -- they saw about everything flying in the air. Weird creatures marched around, seemingly oblivious to the observers, and as they went close enough to some things that looked like miniature stars more than anything, they could hear quiet dialogues. Some of these elements were hovering around each other, slowly gathering more and more things to them. In a couple of places they could even see a bubble already half surrounding some group of things. Like they also noticed, every now and then something flew through a nearby wall, never returning, while some just disappeared.

Dumbledore glanced around, beaming at the sight. "This, my dear gentlemen -- and one lady," he added hastily at Remia's glare, "this is the future. The half-formed ideas, scenes that are yet to be placed anywhere, dialogues that still need work. Look around closely -- you might see your own future here."

"Woah," breathed Sirius Lionsnake, casting a wary glance around. "I can't believe somebody could have all this mess inside their head. I, for one, would have gone insane a long time ago. There's no order of any kind in here!"

As if the mock him, the ideas just then started to fly around even more franticly. At the next moment, they were all assorted by the theme. In one corner, they could see more children than probably all Weasleys altogether had produced in the last two centuries or so. Another corner was inhabited by gravestones, all with various death scenes playing around them -- murder, suicide, illness, accident. About everything else that anybody could think of was now between these two ends, sorted by their content. Then, before anybody could even move or speak, the images started to fly again. This time, they ended up in groups assorted by the person they centred on. They could see a thousand Remuses living, dying, laughing, crying, greeting someone and saying goodbyes -- and when they turned their head, they saw countless Severuses doing the same, and then Harries, and Siriuses, and about anybody they could think of.

Then, the images seemed to get bored or something similar to that. Anyway, they soon again flew around, again forming beginnings for world bubbles and gathering randomly together just to float apart again. The people in the room just stared around themselves, confused and most not a bit frightened at the display they'd just seen.

"This is creepy," muttered Teddy, glancing around with bewildered eyes. "It kind of makes sense, though. After all, the Author knows everything we say or do -- we're in her consciousness, too. And we're inside her mind at the moment."

"Thanks for reminding me," muttered Severus Snape-Black darkly. Then he sighed. "There are so many happy things in here," he muttered. "Why couldn't the Author give even one of those into our world?"

As if to reply this, something flew in front of his eyes. Nobody else could see what it was; it seemed to be a mere blur to them. The Potions Master himself, however, seemed to indeed see it all, because he now smiled briefly if not weakly. "Well, thanks for the reassurance," he mumbled to no one in particular as the image then flew away again.

The others watched him curiously, but nobody dared to say anything. Then, however, Werewolf Severus swayed, turning the attention away from the odd scene they had witnessed. At seeing their questioning eyes on himself, the lycanthropic Potions Master smirked. "Nothing important happened," he muttered. "Just some talking, that's all."

Some took this easily, some looked doubtful. However, they soon lost their interest in him, too, as Mated Remus swayed, too. He looked horrified once he got over the update. "Severus's father tried to kill him," he said quietly, his eyes cast down to the floor. "We got there just in time. If we'd been a minute too late, Severus would be dead by now."

Most of them couldn't suppress a shiver at this. All of them had a Severus in their universe, and many cared much for them, never mind the Severuses themselves. To think that one of them might have died was very startling.

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see how that ending turns happy," said Remus Lionsnake quietly. Just then, he was updated. Instead of swaying like usually, however, he flinched, then almost ran to Lucius Lionsnake. Wrapping his arms around the blond's waist and receiving a hug in return, he hid his face in his eldest husband's robes. Harry and Sirius Lionsnake immediately came to their side, looking concerned. All three pregnant wizards were certainly showing now.

"Bad memories," explained Severus Lionsnake quietly, watching his husbands concernedly. "Very bad memories."

Nobody dared to ask anything, most of them knowing better than to try to question anybody about some dark events in anybody's life. The Author liked happy endings, that was probably true, but she sure did like to throw in about just as much sad, nasty, evil, or just otherwise dark things as she could fit between the beginning and the end.

And then, as if to prove that, Harry Malfoy swayed a bit, and immediately panicked. "Where are Sirius and Severus?" he demanded. "I have to know what's happened to them! Are they okay? Are they... still alive?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Remus Malfoy, looking startled. Obviously his update hadn't included anything like this. If anything, he just looked happier and healthier than before, not having any reasons to be upset.

"There's been a tsunami," explained the bespectacled young wizard from his universe, "right where Sirius and Severus are on vacation. And it might have hit them! They might be injured, or... or worse."

"I don't think they are," said Dark Severus quietly. As everybody turned to look at the half-vampire, confused, he just clicked his tongue. "I'd think it's rather obvious," he said irritably. "Just think about it. Nobody has died in anybody's universe during the time we've been here. Only those who were dead to begin with have remained thus. No matter what has happened, somehow we've all always survived. The only loss this far is one of Severus Baby-Shacklebolt's babies."

"That's true," said Remus Pettigrew, nodding slowly. "A lot of bad things have happened since our arrival here, but not even once a death has come to us. Which doesn't prove that it wouldn't happen, though," he added then sadly.

"Now, now, cheer up," said Sirius Lupin softly. "I'm sure everything will be all right, Harry Malfoy. Surely the Author wouldn't be that nasty." Just then, he swayed, then raised a hand onto his stomach with a bit of wonder in his expression. "Guess what?" he asked happily. "I am pregnant! I am having Remus's child!"

"How's that possible?" asked Lucius Snape disbelievingly. "Remus is absolutely sterile... isn't he?"

"Well, we used magical means to achieve our goal," the Animagus replied with a smile. "It's risky, and the chances are that I'll miscarry. However, we are going to keep trying until Keith gets a little sibling!"

Remus Malfoy smiled faintly. "That's wonderful," he said quietly, making everybody wonder about his behaviour. Then, however, he suddenly swayed again at another update, and a bright smile lit up his features. "Severus and Sirius are safe!" he announced to everybody. "Well, they're still in the catastrophe area, but at least they're alive and we know where they are. Severus is injured, but otherwise, there's no worry in the world for us!"

Dark Severus smirked. "I told you so," he replied with a rather smug tone. "The Author will but us into anxiety, but not into death." Then, he glanced at Dumbledore. "Anyway. Could we perhaps finally see our own worlds?" he asked.

"Why, of course," the ancient wizard replied happily. "Follow me, will you?"

And so, they made their way to the last room in the middle of the others. It, too, was filled with bubbles like the room of completed worlds, but these bubbles were alive, if not as wildly changing as those in the room of future ideas. Every now and then something would float through the wall between this room and the future room and join one of the bubbles, making the worlds grown even more. Fascinated, they started to look around.

"I found this world!" exclaimed Laugher suddenly. "Come and take a look. We're all there!" In an instant, almost everybody was surrounding him and the world bubble. Indeed, they were all there. Heaps of Remuses, Siriuses, Severuses and whatnot floated around in the bubble. It was truly weird to see.

After a moment of wondering, everybody soon found their own universe. Soon they were introducing each other to their own worlds, especially to the people not currently present in this weird world that included them all.

After a moment, however, another bubble floated into the room, getting their attention immediately. Teddy, who was the first one to run to the bubble, however, looked confused as he looked into the bubble. "I don't know any of these people," he complained. "In fact, they all look Asian. Do you know any of them?" he asked hopefully from the others.

Everybody gathered around the bubble, peering inside. At first, nobody could claim to recognize anybody in this odd little world. None of the figures carried even any resemblance to anybody they knew. "Hey, wait a minute!" exclaimed Remus Malfoy at last. "I know this man!" He pointed at a blond man inside the bubble. "It's Eiri Yuki!"

"Who?" The others all looked at him with looks of utter confusion on their faces. They clearly didn't understand.

Then, however, Harry Malfoy seemed to understand. "You mean that guy from Draco and Olivia's favourite manga?" he asked. "A novelist, wasn't he? Is that other guy there as well -- Shuichi Shindou, I think his name was?"

"Yes," the eldest werewolf replied, nodding his head in confirmation. "It looks like we're going to have some very special guests," he said with a grin. "Assuming they are going to arrive here as well, that is."

"How could they?" asked Severus Potter, raising an eyebrow. "If you remember, only certain people were summoned."

Now, a smirk spread over Remus Malfoy's lips. "Oh, you'd be surprised if you knew," he chuckled. "In fact, Eiri Yuki is almost exactly like you -- or any other typical Severus Snape. So, he looks different, but in character, you're just alike."

At this, Laugher's face lit up with a broad grin. "Let's go to see if they've arrived!" he exclaimed.

*

Everybody in the main hall glanced at each other. "So, what are we going to do with them?" asked Sirius Black then warily, looking at the people on the floor in front of them. "I don't think we should try waking them up."

Brave Severus took a cautious step towards the various people sprawled on the ground. There was a cold-looking blond man there, and another man who looked exactly like him, except for having dark hair. A young boy with a screaming shade of pink colouring his hair lay next to them, and then yet another man who looked pretty much like him, except for being a brunet. This elder man, however, was clutching on a pink bunny. In addition to these four men, they saw a rather angelic-looking blond, a young man with dark red hair, two women, and... Well, there were a lot of people there. And, judging by their clothes, they were very, very Muggle, all of them. To put it short, they had a Serious Problem.

"They look familiar somehow," said Cane Lucius thoughtfully. He was the only one of his universe present, Harry Malfoy and Remus Malfoy being both in the Room of Requirements and Wheelchair Sirius -- who no more was that, though -- fussing over his injured husband. "I just can't exactly place them anywhere."

"Let's wake this one up first," suggested Batty, pointing at the pinkhaired boy. "He looks least dangerous." At this, he glanced at one of the odd, Asian-like people. The one he was looking at was a man carrying a threatening-looking gun.

So, Sirius Snape pointed a wand at the pinkhaired boy, being the only Charms Master currently present and thus most qualified to do that. "Enervate," he murmured, and a jet of light shot from the wand to the young man.

In an instant, the pinkhaired boy sat up. Seeing where he was and who he was surrounded by, however, he looked startled and frightened. He turned towards the cold-looking blond next to him, trying to shake him awake. All the time he kept babbling in something that sounded like Japanese. He chanted one word especially much. "Yuki, Yuki, Yuki!"

"Yuki?" echoed Cane Lucius, looking as if he had just remembered something. "He isn't Eiri Yuki, is he?"

At the sound of that name, the pinkhaired boy looked up with large violet eyes. Immediately starting to talk even more in Japanese, his face fell when nobody seemed to understand him.

"Does anybody here speak a word of Japanese?" asked Cane Lucius. As everybody just shook their heads, he sighed. "Very well. I fear we have to wake up that blond, then," he said, pointing at the unconscious man the pinkhaired boy was clutching onto. "He should be able to translate for us."

"How do you know that?" asked Sirius Black, looking surprised. "Wait a minute! Didn't you say you know them?"

"Yes, I do, in a way," the blond man replied calmly. "To be exact, from the manga series my dear offsprings are nowadays nuts on. The blond man is Eiri Yuki, a novelist, and this babbling one is Shuichi Shindou, a popular singer."

So, Sirius Snape proceeded to wake up the blond man. The boy Cane Lucius had named Shuichi Shindou looked even more frightened as he saw him using the wand, but they figured that it didn't really matter right now. After all, they were in a different world altogether. When the Muggles returned to their own world, they wouldn't remember a thing.

As the blond was woken, he at first grumbled something in Japanese, trying to shove the other Japanese male away. When the pinkhaired boy babbled on, however, he opened his eyes. The said eyes widened slightly as he took in his surroundings, but he kept his face carefully expressionless. After saying a few words in Japanese to calm down the distressed young man, he glared at the people gathered around him. As an angry inquiry in his mother tongue didn't seem to bring any results, he then snapped angrily in English, "So, what the Hell is going on here?"

"I think," they heard Dumbledore's happy voice from the doorway, "that this is going to take quite some time to explain." Behind him all the other replicas came into the room. At seeing this group of what appeared to be slightly altered clones, the boy called Shuichi Shindou again started to babble on in startled shock. At last, however, Eiri Yuki clamped a hand over his mouth, effectively silencing him. Then he drew the smaller man into his arms and hugged him, looking a bit awkward, but still managing to comfort him. At the same time, he whispered something in Japanese to the boy.

Fixing a gold glare at Dumbledore, the blond then nodded. "Fine," he said. "I'm waiting."

*

About an hour later they had all the new arrivers awake, named and somehow understanding of the situation. It hadn't been easy by any means, no. However, with a bit of translation charms and some demonstration of magic, they had somehow managed to explain what had happened. Of course, this had included a lot of bawling from Shuichi's part, a lot of gunshots from K-san, a lot of anger and cold attitude from Yuki, and a lot of disbelief from the others.

"Now, can you return us or not?" asked Yuki irritably, heroistically resisting the urge to tear Shuichi away from his shirt, which the younger man seemed to be glued onto. "If you can, please, do so as soon as possible. The brat's homesick as Hell already, I'll never get to be in peace if we don't get back to our reality."

"Of course we can return you," replied Dumbledore cheerfully. "Just wait a minute!" As everybody else stepped back, he then pointed his wand at their "guests". Then, he uttered the words of the returning charm.

Most of them indeed vanished. However, Yuki, Shuichi, Ryuichi, and Tatsuha remained.

"Uh-oh," said Dumbledore meekly.

*

"Okay," the Headmaster said quite some time later. "It appears that some unknown force is keeping you four here. Until we can figure out what it is and how we can overcome it, you are apparently stuck here."

"In other words," Yuki said dryly, "we'll be staying here just as long as this thousand times damned Author sees fitting."

Dumbledore blinked. Now that he thought about it, yes, that indeed seemed to be the only possible explanation to this. The Author must be keeping these people in their universe! "But why on Earth would she do that?"

"For fun, of course." Everybody turned to look at the source of the sound. Blind Severus merely snorted. "I'd think it's obvious," he said. "Even though I can't see your expressions, I do have to admit that even hearing your reactions when Shindou here started bawling, as well as our dear so-called original's reaction to that bunny, was more than amusing."

"You're probably right," said Teddy in agreement. "Never mind putting several different universes together, mixing in a wholly different reality is bound to bring forth some funny events!" At this, he grinned broadly.

"Oh, no," groaned Yuki. "So this is how I meet my end: Dead of disgust in the middle of brats and evil maniacs just to amuse some teenager girl who doesn't have anything better to do. If she's that bored, why can't she read?"

"Perhaps because your newest book is a month late?" asked Tatsuha. His speech sounded a little slurred, and it was rather clear that he was drunk. "Besides, I do think you belong to the 'evil maniac' category yourself."

Yuki, however, didn't give him a single glance, not even a glare. Instead, he just ignored his brother completely.

"You know," said Dark Harry, well, darkly, "I have a very bad feeling about this..."

*