Upside Down Mirror: Free Falling (Harry Potter Fanfic)

Introduction

Here is yet another fanfic inspired by a ONC prompt.

What prompt did you use?

For this story I am using prompt, "A storm is raging outside, but you're cozy at home reading a good story. When the lights go out, you figure it's the result of the storm, but when they come back on, you've been transported into the alternative aftermath of the book you finished reading. Where are you and what happens?"

However, because of a clarification from the ONC profile, this is now a conjunction with prompt sixteen, "The story is finished. The end! Now everyone can go home. By that, there's a world where all the characters live, and guess what? You, dear creator, have stumbled upon it. Now, what's your tale?" and fourteen "You wake up in the middle of a battle of your favorite game. Who are you fighting and how does the game end?"

What fandom did you pick?

For this particular story the fandom I'm writing for is Harry Potter, but I am adding onto my Upside Down Mirror series.

What is the Upside Down Mirror series?

Everything started with a one-shot where Neville Longbottom is the boy-who-lived. I made an attempt to write a prequel to said one-shot last NaNoWriMo, but as I wrote the one-shot I realized Regulus Black would actually be alive in said prequel and an important question popped up because of this. How was it that Regulus Black ended up surviving?

Of course, there isn't any one answer to said question and the Upside Down Mirror series shifted from being about Neville the boy-who-lived to a series of alternative universes where Regulus Black ends up living, but as I wrote these stories I also came to realize the way I wrote Regulus was as someone on the spectrum.

So yes, this piece will stand-alone despite being a part of a bigger series, the real connection between them all simply being that Regulus Black ends up living and him being on the spectrum.

Is there anything else readers need to know?

Here was my original train of thought regarding the prompt.

The word aftermath means, "the consequences or aftereffects of a significant unpleasant event." The prompt simply says the character needs to be transported into an alternate aftermath, but one of the thoughts crossing my mind was everyone would jump on an event which occurs at the end of the book, nor does the prompt say the character can't be the reason why the point in time becomes an alternate aftermath. Not only is Regulus' death covered in the final book, it's also the exact opposite of an aftermath which occurs at the end of the story as it happens at the beginning of the HP timeline.

However, ONC clarified that by alternative aftermath they meant alternative ending to the book and that I should use prompt thirteen in conjunction with prompt sixteen, though in my case it is also in conjunction with fourteen as well, just a book rather than a game, the first of which they suggested to myself and another writer.

Regulus is also dealing with self-image issues which are tied to being small for his age as well as being aware of the fact he is underweight. The reasons for him being underweight are tied to the stress he's under at home along with realizing the beliefs of the Death Eaters and his own do not align, yet also because nobodies ever taught him about proper nutrition so he doesn't know what he needs to do in order to gain the weight he knows he needs. I bring this up because the subject is introduced towards the end of the 8k mark for this particular story.

Here is my progress.

- Chapter 1 ~ 379
- Chapter 2 ~ 1,462
- Chapter 3 ~ 2,612
- Chapter 4 ~ 3,767
- Chapter 5 ~ 5,262
- Chapter 6 ~ 6,869
- Chapter 7 ~ 8,139
- Chapter 8 ~ 9,340
- Chapter 9 ~ 10,378
- Chapter 10 ~ 11,471
- Chapter 11 ~ 12,693
- Chapter 12 ~ 14,214
- Chapter 13 ~ 15,779
- Chapter 14 ~ 16,949
- Chapter 15 ~ 18,136
- Chapter 16 ~ 19,218
- Chapter 17 ~ 20,701
- Chapter 18 ~ 21,885
- Chapter 19 ~ 23,259
- Chapter 20 ~ 25,022
- Chapter 21 ~ 25,879
- Chapter 22 ~ 27,152
- Chapter 23 ~ 27,904