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When Everything Finally Settled Down, the real Dumbledore was the first to speak, offering a quiet word of thanks.
"For the greater good."
It was never just a slogan. It was a truth, a core belief Dumbledore knew every version of himself, in any possible world, would ultimately choose to uphold.
He withdrew his gaze from where the other man had stood. The real Dumbledore looked toward the two people beside him.
"Legilimency." Snape's voice was a low snarl, turning on Dumbledore with cold fury burning in his eyes. "Has the other version of you entirely abandoned all restraint? Do you care about nothing anymore?"
Compared to Hermione, Snape seemed to have already pieced a few things together, albeit not the full picture. He wanted confirmation from the Dumbledore standing next to him, the one who appeared suspicious, but not too suspicious yet. It was a very Snape-like way of seeking the truth.
Dumbledore offered a weary, gentle smile.
"Professor," Hermione's voice was soft, barely a whisper. "Who was that person?"
She still held a creeping suspicion that they had encountered some kind of counterfeit Dumbledore. Her confusion mirrored Snape's own dark queries.
"Every wrong choice gives birth to another me," Dumbledore said as he lowered his wand and turned toward the great bronze door, which had finally stopped spinning and manifesting new versions of himself.
"In a certain sense, he truly is me, just another possibility."
Hermione didn't quite grasp that answer, but Snape's emotions were already churning violently. Even his usually impassive face couldn't entirely conceal the shock.
"How is that even possible!?"
Snape's voice trembled; his entire worldview felt as if it were being violently rewritten. While Dumbledore hadn't explained things clearly before, now that he had, Snape instantly connected the dots. The Hogwarts Potions Master might have a focused perspective, but it was never due to a lack of intellect, just a different frame of reference than most wizards.
"This world is vast, and the universe even vaster," Dumbledore said gently. "There are always things hidden out there that we have never known, truth be told, I feel as astonished as you do right now."
Albus Dumbledore's tone carried his usual calm warmth, his expression serene. From his face alone, no one could tell the true depth of the turmoil stirring in his heart.
"This is far beyond mere astonishment," Snape muttered, clutching his head. He desperately wished this was all a dream. If they hadn't had an audience, he likely would have slapped himself just to be certain.
Of course, even without being able to strike himself, Snape still discreetly pinched his thigh. Judging from the practiced motion, this wasn't his first time testing reality this way.
He couldn't help it, having a nephew like Ian meant Snape frequently had cause to question whether he was still alive or simply trapped in a nightmare. The students at Hogwarts had no idea the kind of mental torment Snape had endured this past year.
"Hiss…!"
He gasped sharply; apparently, he'd pinched too hard.
"What's wrong, Professor?" Hermione asked, puzzled. The keen young witch had noticed the Potions Master's strange behavior, though she had no idea what had caused it. After so many consecutive shocks, Hermione was as jumpy as a frightened bird.
"Nothing," Snape replied flatly. Having confirmed that this was, in fact, reality, he turned to Dumbledore.
"My mind refuses to accept this," he said. "I'm not just surprised, I'm shaken, appalled." He spoke his heart plainly. If Hermione was merely startled, he was downright horrified by what had just occurred.
"I feel the same," Dumbledore said with his gentle smile.
"…" Snape wanted to punch him.
But he knew he wouldn't win; he'd just end up the one being pummeled. So, after a deep breath, he changed the subject.
"That other version of you… what did he mean by being discarded?" It was the one thing Snape still couldn't make sense of. He was certain Dumbledore would know.
And indeed, he did.
Dumbledore didn't answer immediately. His gaze lingered on Snape, noticing how the black-robed wizard was still subtly massaging his temples, the aftereffects of the imposter's mental intrusion. An act committed by another version of himself.
"In countless possibilities," Dumbledore finally said softly, "there are always moments when even the firmest convictions begin to waver."
"And those moments of doubt… can give birth to an endless number of other possibilities."
As he spoke, Dumbledore turned toward the bronze door again. His eyes flickered, pausing briefly, before he continued.
"The door seems capable of manifesting those shaken possibilities."
Dumbledore had to admit, this wasn't a simple parallel universe theory. It was something far stranger, far harder to comprehend than that.
Hermione's face was blank with confusion.
Snape, meanwhile, frowned deeply, trying and failing to make sense of it. "What do you mean by 'shaken possibilities'?" He pressed again.
Dumbledore didn't seem the least bit impatient; he explained with quiet patience: "You could think of it this way, every decision we make in our lives branches off from another path. The path we don't choose doesn't cease to exist, it simply remains unrealized. And this door gathers those unrealized possibilities."
"It collects and condenses them, until they form the versions of myself we just encountered. In essence, what we faced was the embodiment of every possibility I never chose."
That was clear enough, even Hermione suddenly understood.
"Magic like this actually exists…" she whispered, utterly stunned.
Snape's emotions, however, were far less simple. Compared to Hermione, his thoughts ran darker and deeper, and far more terrifying. He couldn't help but feel a creeping dread.
Because if what Dumbledore said was true, then if the man had made a different choice all those years ago, the Dumbledore before him could have become something far worse than he'd ever imagined. The world would always birth a Dark Lord, and who was to say that Dark Lord couldn't have been Dumbledore himself?
To be honest, the aura that radiated from that other Dumbledore earlier, that was what a true Dark Lord should feel like. Just remembering it made Snape's skin crawl.
"That's right," Dumbledore said calmly, nodding.
"So," Snape sneered coldly, "what's sealed behind that door, then? All the filthy thoughts you don't want anyone to see?" He clearly still didn't grasp the door's true nature.
"More accurately speaking," Dumbledore sighed, "it holds not only mine, but everyone's. All the possibilities that every living being has ever refused. The parts of reality this universe itself has cast aside."
His words made Hermione's eyes widen in shock. Snape's gaze flickered sharply.
(To Be Continued…)