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Sep. 14th, 2006 10:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hempfandangoNo introduction this time. You're on your own.
The Badger Brigade
Chapter Twelve (b): Pastorama (again)
The thrilling conclusion!
"I don't really see this plan working."
"What's not to work? We wait here for the other TGs to arrive, we ambush them, they become taffy, we travel thirty years forward in time, and then have dinner. It's so simple, it's brilliant!"
"You're half right."
"Well, what would you suggest?"
"Er..."
"I thought so."
"Wait."
"What-"
"I hear something."
They both paused and held their breath. Alex could just make out the sound of rapid footsteps over the sound of her own heart beating.
"Someone's coming..."
Both the girls were crouched behind the corner of the hall where, less than an hour before, Alex had crouched with her future professor. She glanced over her shoulder to the smaller girl behind her. Megan's face was a pale oval in the shadows, her expression difficult to make out. Was she frightened? Alex pulled her attention away as the steps came closer.
There was a pause. No doubt the mystery guest had come across the remains of Amethyst, which Alex had made no attempt in hiding. After all, that was the bait. She tightened her grip on the wand and shifted over as quietly as she could, and peered around the corner.
A dark figure was bent over the gooey remains, with his or her back to Alex. She eased further forward and mentally ran through her list of curses. She couldn't lead in with the purification spell, so perhaps a stunning spell. The TG needed to be conscious enough for her to hear words of logic or personal insults or whatever ridiculous method they could use.
The figure's head rose up suddenly, like a gazelle on the Serengeti, sensing the approach of a lion... or possibly a cheetah. Whatever it was that ate gazelles. Alex pulled herself back from thoughts from the Discovery Channel and refocused on the back of the figure's greasy head. It took a moment for recognition to click. Snape. She deflated instantly.
"Oh, it's just you then." She straightened up and entered the clearing. "I thought you crawled back under your rock."
Snape looked up at her through a curtain of greasy black hair. "I thought you died."
"Well, we've both suffered disappointments today, so let's not make it worse."
"Why are you still here?" he asked, while he sniffed at the purple ooze and grimaced.
"We're supposed to be ambushing the others," Megan said. Alex started; she hadn't realized the other girl had come out. "I guess the plan's changed to exchanging insults in the open."
"Okay, I get it. We'll go back to hiding and Snape can do... whatever it is he does best. Which means he'll probably run away again."
"I did not run," he said coolly. "I was not needed, so I left. You seemed to have everything under control."
Alex snorted and bit back her retort. It could be possible he was telling the truth. She did have the tendency to appear over confident when she was, in fact, way over her head. But, on the other hand, Snape was a horrible human being who probably wouldn't hesitate to leave someone to die. Alex decided to settle it later; they had more important things to worry about right now.
Footsteps. Several of them. People were approaching them at speed. The three teens exchanged glances but they had heard the approach too late. There was no time to take cover, as two new figures rounded the corner. Both of them boys and both of them wearing Gryffindor robes. One of them was--
Harry Potter?
Alex blinked. No, that's stupid, she chided herself. This is the 70s so this must be... Potter Sr. Jim? John? Something like that.
The other was the roguishly handsome boy she had seen with Amethyst earlier, although he seemed different. He no longer looked as if he had stepped off of a romance novel cover, and instead looked like every other 16-year-old boy Alex had seen.
He looked to her and then to Megan, his expression one of unimpressed indifference. His gaze then slid to the dark haired teen between them and turned to pure venom.
"Snivellus."
Alex fought back a grin. That was the second time she had heard her future professor called that, and it sounded even better. She made a note to remember it.
"Honestly, Black, has your reserve of wit gone dry?" Snape drawled, his face indifferent. "If we are going to do this, I'd prefer to hear a bit of originality for once."
The boy - Black - yawned and rolled his eyes. "And is this your girlfriend, Snivvy?" he asked, ignoring Megan and gesturing to Alex. "Nice catch. Looks like she has a bit of troll in her, though."
Alex's face reddened, first with embarrassment and then with barely suppressed rage. Before she could act on the emotion, Jim or possibly John Potter knelt over the mess of his former twin sister and asked,
"Why is there taffy everywhere?"
Alex pushed aside her anger for a moment (a Herculean task, to be sure) and struggled to come up with a believable answer.
"Peeves?" she tried. Jim/John (or could it be Jacob? She knew it was started with a J, at any rate) Potter considered her answer. He then shrugged, which Alex took to mean her answer was acceptable.
More footsteps. These were quicker and heavier than the others, suggesting someone was running. Alex tensed. Did they have time to prepare an ambush? It seemed unlikely, given they were all standing in the middle of the hall, holding an awkward conversation. Megan seemed to reach the same conclusion, as the other girl gave her a panicked look. Alex shrugged helplessly.
All the boys suddenly fell silent, each wearing a pensive and almost peaceful look on their faces. Alex waved her hand experimentally in front of her young professor's eyes and received no response. Not even a flicker in his eyes.
It occurred to her, then, that she should have grabbed Megan and ran behind the corner to attempt the ambush plan, but the thought came too late.
Two girls, one with shining flame red hair and the other with black multicolored streaked hair, rounded the far corner. As they approached, their jeweled eyes examined the group, their expressions flickering as their gaze landed on Alex and Megan. Alex tensed and tightened her grip on her wand. She met Lily's formidable emerald gaze head on, without flinching. Lily couldn't help but be mildly impressed. The Hufflepuff was either very brave or too stupid to realize what she was up against.
"Lily!" Potter breathed in awe, distracting Lily from her staring contest. "What are you doing here?"
She gave him a quick, impassive glance. "Sorry, James," she said smoothly. "I'm not here to exchange scathingly witty insults with you right now."
Potter deflated. "Really?"
Lily sighed and rolled her eyes. "After I'm finished this, we'll have at it, alright?"
Potter smirked and nodded -- and faltered. "Why, what are you going to do here?"
Lily gave a long sigh, and stared at the ceiling, praying silently for patience. "Never you mind," she said in a 'don't-interrupt-while-mummy's-talking' sort of voice.
Alex was frozen with uncertainty. Part of her wanted to just attack and go from there, while the rest of her tried to remember what Megan had told her. She could either use logic, which was never her strength, or snark, which was. She glanced over to Megan for assistance or inspiration or something. The shorter girl caught her look and nodded her head towards the other side of the corner, where they had originally planned to hide out until the time was right.
"What should we do?" Alex hissed after they had ducked behind the wall. Megan bit her lip.
"I don't know," she said. "You see the one with streaked hair? Her name is Orion, and despite her choice of wardrobe, she's not as stupid as she looks. And the red head next to her is Lily Evans."
"She doesn't look so bad," Alex remarked.
"She's Harry Potter's mother. And now she's one of them," Megan said darkly. Alex snorted.
"Hah, I always knew that kid was too special. Figures he's the son of a TG."
"No, he isn't. At least, he's not supposed to be. It looks like Lily's fallen under their spell, just like your Hermione Granger or Ginevra Weasley."
"Or Luna Lovegood," Alex said darkly. She paused. "Ginevra? I thought her name was Virginia."
"So does she, most of the time."
"So, she's Harry Potter's mum. I guess that means we can't destroy her."
She cast a glance around the corner to where Lily and James were, in fact, having it out. Snape and Sirius had been shuffled to one side, each wearing glazed expressions. Orion was standing to one side, looking bored and twirling a strand of hair around her ringed finger, somehow managing not to tangle it, while casting haughty glances in Sirius' direction. Alex followed her look.
"Is she flirting with that guy?" she asked, her brow furrowed. "I thought she was friends with his former girlfriend."
"Ma- TG's are never ones to miss an opportunity," Megan said. "They'll be best friends until one gets in the way of what they want." Megan sighed and slumped against the wall. "At least, they used to. These days they get along perfectly. I can't figure out why..."
"Maybe they've just lacked proper encouragement," Alex said, smirking. "I think I got an idea. Follow my lead." She strode back into the group confidently.
"Oh, it's you," Lily said impassively. Alex opened her mouth for a retort, but Lily simply yawned and flicked her wrist. Alex's words died in her throat, destroyed by the rush of air that tore through her lungs as she was thrown back by an invisible force. She skidded along the floor, her wand slipping out of her grip and skittering away, out of reach. She wheezed a swear, and doubled over, coughing.
Megan looked ready to react, but all too late. Another flick of Lily's thin and pale wrist sent Megan flying down the hall. She skid to a halt some feet away from Alex, who was just now beginning to recover her breath.
"Now what?" Alex managed.
Megan struggled to speak between coughs and wheezes, "She's... she's not... g-going to kill..." She paused to gulp for air. "Going to kill us... right away." She paused for a small coughing fit. "She'll play with us first. To showcase her powers. She wants to look special." Megan literally spat. She pulled herself to her feet. "You had an idea?"
Alex nodded and came unsteadily to her feet as well. "That was pretty impressive," she said loudly, her voice carrying down the hall.
Lily smiled. "Thank you," she said and flicked her wrist again. This time Alex was flung to her side, against the wall. Alex couldn't hold back a yell of pain as her weak shoulder was slammed into solid rock and crumpled to the ground.
Megan met a similar fate not much later, as she was flung into the opposite wall.
"That was pretty good," Alex gasped, sounding slightly muffled due to the fact that she was still in a heap on the floor. She looked up, her face pale and stricken. Something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. The boys had moved to one side and were watching the battle.
No, Alex realized. They weren't watching the battle; they were watching the girls with very familiar expressions. James' gaze was locked on Lily, and even from a distance, Alex could see that he practically worshiped her. Sirius' attention was fixed to Orion, although his look was not as reverential as his friend's, it was approaching there. Alex had seen those looks countless times before, and she knew it was a product of the TGs' influence over reality.
But Snape... she squinted curiously. Snape's expression was pained and his face screwed up. His already pale skin looked almost grey.
"I can tell you're the strongest," Alex continued slowly, not taking her eyes off of Snape.
Lily nodded with a smug gleam in her eye, too distracted by her own excellence and praise to notice the object of Alex's attention. Orion, however, paused mid hair-twirl and frowned.
"What did you say?" she asked, finally turning away from Sirius to face Alex. Lily's expression drained from her face.
"Er..." she said.
Alex half-shrugged. "Well, I mean, it's pretty clear to me that Lily here is the strongest and I bet she's the leader, too, right?"
Orion scowled. "Why would you think that?"
"Don't listen to her, Orion," Lily urged. "We are the same, of course, both in power and beauty."
"Then why is she the only one doing the work? It seems to me either she's the strongest or she just wants all the attention," Alex pointed out.
Orion gave her a long thoughtful look while Alex prayed quietly. After a pause, she flicked her wrist in much the same manner as Lily had only minutes earlier. And, much like before, Alex and Megan flew down the hall. Though both girls were doubled over, trying to catch their breath again, Megan managed to shoot Alex a look.
"Yeah, it's backfiring," Alex muttered, clutching her throbbing shoulder. Megan groaned and grit her teeth.
"This is an awful plan. I just want you to know that," she hissed. She took a deep breath. "That was a little better than the red head's attack," she said loudly. "I guess you were wrong."
"I agree," Alex managed. "Ha ha," she added.
Orion beamed smugly, while Lily's expression darkened.
"Do you truly believe yourself more powerful than me?" she asked, her tone light but all present could sense the danger in her words. Orion's pleased expression faded, replaced with a cool look.
"Do you?" she countered, rounding on Lily. "You say we're equal, but why do you always get the best plots? Why do you get the most attention? Why do you always give the orders?!" Her voice climbed several octaves as her outrage grew.
Lily tried and failed to come up with a response, startled by her friend's anger. "I never give orders--" Lily began hotly.
"Ha! No, that's true. You give suggestions," Orion spat. "I'm not stupid, I know what you'll do to me if I don't listen to your suggestions."
"It's not my fault you're a coward," Lily snapped.
"Coward?! Coward?!" she shrieked. "You believe me a coward? Well, maybe I was but I'm not anymore. I'm not afraid of you!" She flung her hands out, palm forward, and sent a blast of purple energy that struck Lily full in the chest. The red head stumbled back against the wall.
"Orion!" she shouted in surprise. Her expression shifted instantly from a friend betrayed to a enemy challenged. She grinned and her emerald eyes flashed. She moved in a flash, her fists flying, and struck the dark haired girl several times with precise and powerful blows. And then, just as suddenly, she backed off. Orion fell to the ground, clutching her chest and coughing blood. Lily circled the girl, eyeing her warily and smirking.
"I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to try this," she remarked airily. "But I'm glad you did."
Alex and Megan were on their feet. Alex braced herself against the wall, wincing in pain.
"If I know these two," Megan began, "and I do, they'll try to make this as dramatic and flashy as possible. Which means their attacks will get bigger and bigger."
"Which means we could still get caught in the cross fire," Alex said grimly.
"I'm not worried about us."
The two Marauders and Snape were still standing off to the side, in close proximity to the dueling TGs. James and Sirius' expressions had changed from looks of worship to looks of enrapture at the magic show around them. Alex could partly understand why; the attacks were getting flashier, just as Megan predicted. Lily was using a combination of martial arts and wandless magic while Orion was manipulating the elements and summoning little pixie-like figures, which bit and scratched at Lily. The fight appeared to be going nowhere, as the two girls were too evenly matched, as far as Alex could see.
A flare of golden light ricocheted off the stone wall, dangerously close to James' head. He didn't even blink.
"Would it be bad if they died?" Alex asked with a touch of hope.
"It would be very bad," Megan said. Alex sighed.
"I was afraid of that."
Alex gave a rueful glance towards the slack-jawed morons at the end of the hall. Her gaze caught on the now bent double and twitching future professor. She couldn't see his face, but she could guess he didn't look good. Was this something they were doing to him or was he... was he trying to fight them off?
She remembered him being twitched and tugged around the dungeons during the last potions class she attended, like a marionette on invisible strings. He had tried to fight back then, too. That was the last time she had seen him, before he was replaced by that brainless Harlequin pretty boy. It was unusual, though. Why was he replaced instead of infected, like Luna and Granger? It was then a new idea unfolded in her head. Had he succeeded in fighting back? Was that why they replaced him?
Did they kill him?
"Bastards," she growled. "I had dibs."
Lily had lost her patience. She was no longer smiling and her clothing was smoking from the attacks her former friend had thrown at her. When did Orion learn these attacks? When did she become so strong? Lily hadn't anticipated such a struggle and now she was cursing herself for it. She gathered as much energy as she could and flung it all into her next attack: a perfectly executed round-house kick, which she landed on Orion's face. She broke away from the struggle to catch her breath and examine the damage. She put nearly everything she had into that attack and it showed.
Orion didn't look good. Her nose was gushing blood and the beginnings of a black eye were already materializing. She bared her blood-stained teeth at Lily and spat into a corner. A small sound -- like someone dropping dice on the ground -- told her that Orion was spitting out some teeth. She smiled with satisfaction. This seemed like a good moment to gloat.
"We are not all equal, Orion," she said. "I am more powerful than you. I am prettier than you. I am more interesting than you." She flung a ball of red energy at the bloody girl, which knocked her back into the wall. "I am better than you. I always have been, always will be." She swaggered towards the twitching, nearly lifeless form on the ground and knelt down. "Do you understand?"
Orion looked up into the face of her former partner in crime. Although Lily didn't realize it, she didn't look so good either. Several red welts were forming where the pixies had bitten her. Her hair was unstylishly disheveled and smoking at the tips. Her lip was split and her eyebrows completely gone. Even though she was in a great deal of pain, Orion couldn't help but giggle at the sight, although it ended up sounding more like a gurgle.
Lily's brow furrowed and a frown tugged at her lips. The former comrade was looking even worse now, with blood leaking from her temple. Her eyes rolled back into her head as she giggled at something. Had she gone insane?
Deep inside, Lily felt the vaguest stirrings of pity. Something long ago repressed began to resurface.
Poor girl... Lily blanched at the thought. She knew it wasn't hers, but hers. The other girl. The Before Lily.
Things are better now, she told Before Lily hurriedly, mentally shoving the thoughts and voice back into the depths of her subconscious. You're powerful now. More powerful than any one else.
"But I can be merciful," she whispered. "I'll end this for her." She raised her hand and a small ball of energy began to form. "You are a vampire after all," she went on. "I am the Slayer. It's only natural things would end this way."
Orion looked up in time to see death sparkling in Lily's palm. She squeezed her eyes closed.
When the dust cleared, there was nothing left but a smoking black circle.
Everyone was silent. Megan's eyes were fixated on the smoking circle, dumbfounded. The Marauders had creases in their foreheads, as if they had seen something troubling but couldn't process it.
"What now?" Alex whispered. "Can I just use the purification spell or what?" Megan shook her head.
"No, you have to remind her of her past," Megan said. "You have to bring back some un-glamorous memories that the parasite will have tried to repress."
Alex ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "Fantastic. I'm so glad I studied up on the adolescence of Harry Potter's dead mum in case a situation like this should arise."
Lily straightened up, tossing her charred hair over her shoulder.
"Well," she said, smiling, "that was..." She paused and her eyes fixed on Snape as if seeing him for the first time. Her expression faded. The Slytherin was bracing himself against the wall with one arm, head bowed and struggling to stay upright.
"What are you trying to do, Snape...?" she asked sweetly, moving closer. "You look like you're in pain..." Snape's head snapped up and his expression was that of a cornered animal. Lily reached out to him with a gentle smile.
"I can help," she offered, her voice soft and serene. "I can make things better for everyone. I can--"
Something sharp but blunt was jabbed into the side of her neck.
"Can you stop talking? Is that in your vast arsenal of abilities?"
Lily knew two things then: a) the thing pressed to her neck was a wand and b) she really should have paid more attention to the Hufflepuff girl and her scruffy side-kick. She gave the taller girl a side-long glance.
"What are you going to do?" she asked.
Alex really didn't know, but she would be damned if she admitted that. "That's not how this works," she said, covering. "You don't ask questions. You stand very, very still."
There was a pause.
"And then what?"
Alex coloured. "What did I just say?"
"Lily!"
There was a new figure at the end of the hall, quickly approaching them, and for a wild moment, Lily believed reinforcements had arrived. It wasn't. It was Peter Pettigrew. She swore under her breath.
And something deep inside her, something kept repressed for so long, began to stir. There was something refreshingly familiar about the pudgy boy trundling down the hall. He was so... normal.
He's a rat, she reminded herself. He's a liar, a traitor, and unattractive to boot.
He's Peter Pettigrew, she thought dizzily. A chubby boy who hangs out with Potter and his group of hooligans.
He's a rat.
He's nice enough but shy and can get carried away with enthusiasm.
He's a traitor!
He does well in Transfiguration. In fact, he once helped me with my homework...
"No! I don't need help with homework!" she screamed, clutching her head. "I'm smarter! I'm stronger! I'm better, dammit!"
"Lily...?" Peter drew level with the others, looking confused and concerned. "Are you okay?" He gently put his hand on her shoulder. She flinched and gave him a wild-eyed look.
"Peter...?"
A small movement in the corner of her eye distracted Alex. She glanced over and saw Snape relax slightly and pull himself up right, looking confused but relieved. She met his gaze and glanced over to Megan, who gave an imperceptible nod.
Her mind raced. What now, what now? Throw the purification spell at her and hope it doesn't kill her and destroy the future? Wait and see if she gets better on her own? No, I don't have that kind of time. I need to go home, before I screw up the timeline any more.
"Alex!" Megan hissed. "Now or never!"
Right. Here goes nothing...
"Purus Morbis!"
Lily's eyes went blank as the spell shot directly into her neck, and something came out on the other side and went splat onto the far wall. Lily staggered forward and fell into Peter's arms.
"Lily!"
Alex held her breath and closed her eyes.
"Is she...?"
"She's breathing," Megan whispered. "Congratulations, the future will probably continue as planned."
Alex exhaled and sagged with relief and sent a silent thanks to whichever deity was listening.
"Now what do we do?"
Silence.
"Megan?"
"Would you look at this..."
On the opposite wall was a bizarre and roughly person-shaped silhouette, a shadow made of a caramel-coloured substance. It looked thick and gooey as, with a glacier's pace, it slowly slid down the wall. Alex blinked.
"Well now... that's new." She paused. "Could you explain this please?"
"You know, I don't think I can. What do you think it is?"
Alex cast a nervous look around. The two Gryffindors had recovered from their stupor and were now fussing over Lily and bombarding a flustered Peter with questions. Snape had, once again, buggered off somewhere. She carefully ran a finger across the substance, leaving a thin scar in her wake. She stared at her caramel-coated fingertip.
"It looks like caramel," Megan muttered.
"Tastes like caramel, too. Honestly, what is wrong with you people? Are you all made of sugar?"
There was a pause. "'Tastes'?"
***
Elsie realized she was too late. The Evans girl was unconscious, but, according to a small device Elsie held in her hands, she was back to relative normality, as were the others. She huffed, feeling a little disappointed. She had come here expecting a bit of a fancy showdown, but what she had gotten was one kill, while some janitor and her Hufflepuff friend had beaten her to the rest of them.
Nuts. She had only performed an exorcism once before, and not on someone as ill as Lily had been. She had really been itching to try it again.
The so-called janitor squib was still there, insulting the world by continuing to convert oxygen into carbon dioxide. Well, Elsie thought smugly as she drew Jennifer from her slumber, not for long. Tonight wasn't going to be a complete wash.
She froze. Someone was behind her. She knew this because she could hear their soft breathing, the rustle of robes, but most importantly, because they had pressed the tip of their wand into the crook of her neck.
"I'm very tired," Snape growled. "It's been a long day, thanks to you people. I don't know why you're here or why you're so insistent on staying, but I'm not going to lie down and let you. And," he added, jabbing his wand for emphasis, "I won't be made into anyone's 'love muffin' or whatever nonsense your blue-haired friend had spat out."
Elsie tried to look behind her without moving her head. "You don't know me, so you don't realize what insult you've leveled on me. I ain't like those that were here before."
Snape eyed her coolly. "Really? Waving around a Muggle weapon, talking in some kind of ridiculous American drawl, prowling around school with your special animal side-kick?"
Elsie's eyes widened. "What?"
A black cat detached itself from the shadows and curled around her legs affectionately. Elsie bore her teeth in warning.
"It's not mine," she growled. "And listen here, boy, you don't understand what you're--" she began, before falling into a deep sleep. Snape pocketed his wand.
"Oh do shut up."
***
The sound of a body hitting the floor -- a sound Megan had been in tune to hearing ever since she was young enough to walk -- kicked her rat-like survival instincts into action. Wordlessly, both girls took to their heels, ignoring Potter Sr.'s questions ("What the hell do you think you're doing?") as they fled.
They were well and away from the scene before Alex's brain caught up with her feet.
Hi, don't mind me, I'm just curious about something, it said. Where the hell are we going? In case we've forgotten, we have no way to get home.
Alex swore and skid to a stop. It took Megan several paces to realize her running partner had vanished, and she too stopped.
"Wha... is it?" Megan panted. Alex gave her a hopeless look.
"I just remembered," she explained, "that I'm stuck here. Or, rather, I'm stuck now. Or when. Or something."
Megan looked concerned yet clueless. Alex sighed.
"In the past. I'm stuck here, in the past."
Megan's face cleared. "Ooooh, that's all? That's alright then."
Alex quirked a brow.
"I've got a way out of here, no problem," Megan went on. "It's in the library. Follow me."
***
The library was, as Alex expected, dusty, old and odd smelling. It was, in fact, depressingly similar to the library she avoided 30 years in the future.
No, hold on, something was odd... as they strolled between the bookshelves, Alex came to realize that they were surrounded by a dry, papery whispering sound. She was sure that was new. Megan seemed to notice the sound too, as her steps quickened.
"I don't have much experience with magical libraries," she said, "but is this normal?"
A growl sounded from somewhere between the pages of a large tome. Alex was reminded of a painful experience in her third year with the Monster Book of Monsters.
"More or less," she said.
"Ah, here we are."
Tied to a chair leg at a studying table was a piece of yarn, which trailed along the ground, between the shelves until it curved out of sight. There was also a sick looking cat sitting next to it, flicking its tail with impatience. Other than that, Alex couldn't see exactly what was so special about this place.
"We are?" she asked.
"Yes. This," Megan said, picking the yarn up from the ground, "is what will take us back in the past."
"This is a time machine," Alex said.
"Yes."
"This piece of yarn."
"Yes."
"It will take us back to the 90s."
"Yes."
"Is the cat involved in anyway?"
"Well, he's going to follow us. By the way, this is Muffins."
"Right, the one you share a telepathic bond with." The cat narrowed its bulbous eyes and flicked its tail with extra vigor.
'Oh, the hunter is probably dead, by the way.'
Megan whirled around to face him. "What?"
'Yeah, I don't know, but the greasy kid did something and she fell to the ground. I didn't stick around to find out what happened next.'
Megan blinked and turned back to a questioning Alex. "He says Snape cursed the hun-- Elsie," she explained.
"Who?" Alex asked.
Megan picked up the yarn again. "Come on," she said, "follow me and I'll explain along the way."
Both girls and the cat walked further into the library, carefully following Megan's yarn. She spoke to them, and her voice took on an oddly echoing quality as they went deeper into the library.
"You remember I told you about how the TG infect worlds? Well, there's a type of people who get rid of that infection by killing the TGs..."
Alex only half-listened, as she was distracted by the shelves around her. It seemed like they were changing shape when she wasn't looking. She kept seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, and the paper whispering was getting quieter. In fact, everything was getting smaller, without changing its shape, and the air felt different. Not smaller, as if they were shrinking, but as if the area around them suddenly opened up, making them feel smaller by comparison, as if they had walked into a large cavern. But nothing had actually changed. The walls and ceiling remained where they were, stubbornly immobile. The shadows were behaving oddly, too.
"We call them 'Hunters'." Megan said.
"How creative."
***
Elizabeth and Sara were desperately searching for their lost time-portal-opening TG, with little success. Sara was becoming more and more agitated with each passing minute, knowing that her friend was still stuck in a different decade, surrounded by dangerous TGs that she had to face on her own. She glanced down at the badge clutched in her hand, which was emitting the buzzing sound of static.
"I should have gone with her," she muttered ruefully. Elizabeth gave her a sympathetic look.
"She's still not answering her badge, then?"
"No," Sara said sourly, flinging the thing as far from her as she could manage. "Damn thing was just a waste of time anyway." Elizabeth ran ahead and picked up the disc.
"This was a good idea, Sara," she said firmly. "Alex is probably busy. Or the power ran out." Sara didn't reply. She stuck her hands into the pockets of her robes and continued to sulk.
"Maybe we should try the library again," Elizabeth suggested. Sara snorted.
"I doubt the TG knows how to read."
"No, I meant that we could look up time travel methods."
"I don't think there are any, aside from Time Turners," Sara said. She paused mid-step as the sound of someone shuffling paper reached her ears. She looked up and saw a small figure up ahead pasting notices to the pillars and walls. She glanced to Elizabeth, who was staring at the figure as well.
"Hey, you there!" she called out. The figure, which was a Gryffindor, turned to them. Her look of irritation melted into a look of fear as she took in their Hufflepuff uniforms. Before Sara could call out for her again, the Gryffindor fled down the hall, her stack of papers flying out of her arms.
"What in the world was that about?" Elizabeth asked as they approached the mess. Sara knelt down and picked up a sheaf between her fingers.
"I think our reputation has preceded us," she muttered, studying the sheet.
"Still, I think that was rather rude," Elizabeth said.
"Never mind that," Sara said, "look at this." She thrusted the paper under Elizabeth's face. Several seconds passed in silence as she read as quickly as she could.
"A ball?" she said at last. "Why in the world are we having a ball?"
Sara sighed. "Read the whole thing," she said, pulling the sheet away before Elizabeth could do just that. "It's in honor of all the new exchange students. It even lists all their names on the back." She flipped the sheet over and squinted at the minuscule print. "At least I think it does." She ran her finger down the list until she found, crowded in the lower right hand corner, the words 'Page 1 of 45'.
"Oh dear."
"Why would they want a ball, though?" Elizabeth asked, peering over Sara's shoulder. "I mean, what's so special about a ball?"
"We rarely have them, and it'll give them an excuse to dress up even more ridiculously than they normally do," she hypothesized. "And it'll be romantic," she added grimly.
"-I can try, but I don't know if it still works. Hello? Hello? Anyone there?"
Elizabeth yelped with happiness as the golden disc crackled to life, and Alex's familiar voice was heard.
"Alex!" she said, hugging the badge. "You're not dead yet!"
"Thank you for the vote of confidence, Liz."
Sara snatched the badge from Elizabeth's hands, flushed with pleasure and relief. "Alex, it's actually good to hear your voice. Where are you?"
"You too. I'm in the library and I'm here right now."
"You mean... you're back in the future?" Sara asked, flabbergasted.
"Yeah."
"How?" she demanded.
"I walked."
"Wha-"
"Look, meet me in the common room, and I'll explain everything." There was a pause and a sharp intake of breath on the other side, followed by swearing. "And then maybe you can explain what the hell happened to Hogwarts while I was gone."
Sara felt something tighten in her stomach as a realization crept up on her. "Did you destroy the TGs?" she asked quietly.
"I did."
She exchanged looks with Elizabeth.
"But... but they're still here," Elizabeth whispered. "I thought that was supposed to destroy them here."
Sara looked helplessly around, willing everything to go back to normal.
"What do we do?" Elizabeth asked.
Sara continued to stare hopelessly at the walls, which stubbornly remained white marble. Her eyes narrowed. "We go back to the common room," she said at last. "We'll think of something."
She screwed up the ball announcement in her hands and threw it to the ground. She felt now that this was no longer a battle. Now it was a war.
***
I used the word 'hypothesized' as a synonym for 'said'. For the good of mankind, I need to be stopped.
Anyway, thanks for making it this far. Unless you've just skipped the whole chapter to read the author's note. In which case, what the hell.
I now encourage you to review.
***
Previous Chapter - Index - Next Chapter
The Badger Brigade
Chapter Twelve (b): Pastorama (again)
The thrilling conclusion!
"I don't really see this plan working."
"What's not to work? We wait here for the other TGs to arrive, we ambush them, they become taffy, we travel thirty years forward in time, and then have dinner. It's so simple, it's brilliant!"
"You're half right."
"Well, what would you suggest?"
"Er..."
"I thought so."
"Wait."
"What-"
"I hear something."
They both paused and held their breath. Alex could just make out the sound of rapid footsteps over the sound of her own heart beating.
"Someone's coming..."
Both the girls were crouched behind the corner of the hall where, less than an hour before, Alex had crouched with her future professor. She glanced over her shoulder to the smaller girl behind her. Megan's face was a pale oval in the shadows, her expression difficult to make out. Was she frightened? Alex pulled her attention away as the steps came closer.
There was a pause. No doubt the mystery guest had come across the remains of Amethyst, which Alex had made no attempt in hiding. After all, that was the bait. She tightened her grip on the wand and shifted over as quietly as she could, and peered around the corner.
A dark figure was bent over the gooey remains, with his or her back to Alex. She eased further forward and mentally ran through her list of curses. She couldn't lead in with the purification spell, so perhaps a stunning spell. The TG needed to be conscious enough for her to hear words of logic or personal insults or whatever ridiculous method they could use.
The figure's head rose up suddenly, like a gazelle on the Serengeti, sensing the approach of a lion... or possibly a cheetah. Whatever it was that ate gazelles. Alex pulled herself back from thoughts from the Discovery Channel and refocused on the back of the figure's greasy head. It took a moment for recognition to click. Snape. She deflated instantly.
"Oh, it's just you then." She straightened up and entered the clearing. "I thought you crawled back under your rock."
Snape looked up at her through a curtain of greasy black hair. "I thought you died."
"Well, we've both suffered disappointments today, so let's not make it worse."
"Why are you still here?" he asked, while he sniffed at the purple ooze and grimaced.
"We're supposed to be ambushing the others," Megan said. Alex started; she hadn't realized the other girl had come out. "I guess the plan's changed to exchanging insults in the open."
"Okay, I get it. We'll go back to hiding and Snape can do... whatever it is he does best. Which means he'll probably run away again."
"I did not run," he said coolly. "I was not needed, so I left. You seemed to have everything under control."
Alex snorted and bit back her retort. It could be possible he was telling the truth. She did have the tendency to appear over confident when she was, in fact, way over her head. But, on the other hand, Snape was a horrible human being who probably wouldn't hesitate to leave someone to die. Alex decided to settle it later; they had more important things to worry about right now.
Footsteps. Several of them. People were approaching them at speed. The three teens exchanged glances but they had heard the approach too late. There was no time to take cover, as two new figures rounded the corner. Both of them boys and both of them wearing Gryffindor robes. One of them was--
Harry Potter?
Alex blinked. No, that's stupid, she chided herself. This is the 70s so this must be... Potter Sr. Jim? John? Something like that.
The other was the roguishly handsome boy she had seen with Amethyst earlier, although he seemed different. He no longer looked as if he had stepped off of a romance novel cover, and instead looked like every other 16-year-old boy Alex had seen.
He looked to her and then to Megan, his expression one of unimpressed indifference. His gaze then slid to the dark haired teen between them and turned to pure venom.
"Snivellus."
Alex fought back a grin. That was the second time she had heard her future professor called that, and it sounded even better. She made a note to remember it.
"Honestly, Black, has your reserve of wit gone dry?" Snape drawled, his face indifferent. "If we are going to do this, I'd prefer to hear a bit of originality for once."
The boy - Black - yawned and rolled his eyes. "And is this your girlfriend, Snivvy?" he asked, ignoring Megan and gesturing to Alex. "Nice catch. Looks like she has a bit of troll in her, though."
Alex's face reddened, first with embarrassment and then with barely suppressed rage. Before she could act on the emotion, Jim or possibly John Potter knelt over the mess of his former twin sister and asked,
"Why is there taffy everywhere?"
Alex pushed aside her anger for a moment (a Herculean task, to be sure) and struggled to come up with a believable answer.
"Peeves?" she tried. Jim/John (or could it be Jacob? She knew it was started with a J, at any rate) Potter considered her answer. He then shrugged, which Alex took to mean her answer was acceptable.
More footsteps. These were quicker and heavier than the others, suggesting someone was running. Alex tensed. Did they have time to prepare an ambush? It seemed unlikely, given they were all standing in the middle of the hall, holding an awkward conversation. Megan seemed to reach the same conclusion, as the other girl gave her a panicked look. Alex shrugged helplessly.
All the boys suddenly fell silent, each wearing a pensive and almost peaceful look on their faces. Alex waved her hand experimentally in front of her young professor's eyes and received no response. Not even a flicker in his eyes.
It occurred to her, then, that she should have grabbed Megan and ran behind the corner to attempt the ambush plan, but the thought came too late.
Two girls, one with shining flame red hair and the other with black multicolored streaked hair, rounded the far corner. As they approached, their jeweled eyes examined the group, their expressions flickering as their gaze landed on Alex and Megan. Alex tensed and tightened her grip on her wand. She met Lily's formidable emerald gaze head on, without flinching. Lily couldn't help but be mildly impressed. The Hufflepuff was either very brave or too stupid to realize what she was up against.
"Lily!" Potter breathed in awe, distracting Lily from her staring contest. "What are you doing here?"
She gave him a quick, impassive glance. "Sorry, James," she said smoothly. "I'm not here to exchange scathingly witty insults with you right now."
Potter deflated. "Really?"
Lily sighed and rolled her eyes. "After I'm finished this, we'll have at it, alright?"
Potter smirked and nodded -- and faltered. "Why, what are you going to do here?"
Lily gave a long sigh, and stared at the ceiling, praying silently for patience. "Never you mind," she said in a 'don't-interrupt-while-mummy's-talking' sort of voice.
Alex was frozen with uncertainty. Part of her wanted to just attack and go from there, while the rest of her tried to remember what Megan had told her. She could either use logic, which was never her strength, or snark, which was. She glanced over to Megan for assistance or inspiration or something. The shorter girl caught her look and nodded her head towards the other side of the corner, where they had originally planned to hide out until the time was right.
"What should we do?" Alex hissed after they had ducked behind the wall. Megan bit her lip.
"I don't know," she said. "You see the one with streaked hair? Her name is Orion, and despite her choice of wardrobe, she's not as stupid as she looks. And the red head next to her is Lily Evans."
"She doesn't look so bad," Alex remarked.
"She's Harry Potter's mother. And now she's one of them," Megan said darkly. Alex snorted.
"Hah, I always knew that kid was too special. Figures he's the son of a TG."
"No, he isn't. At least, he's not supposed to be. It looks like Lily's fallen under their spell, just like your Hermione Granger or Ginevra Weasley."
"Or Luna Lovegood," Alex said darkly. She paused. "Ginevra? I thought her name was Virginia."
"So does she, most of the time."
"So, she's Harry Potter's mum. I guess that means we can't destroy her."
She cast a glance around the corner to where Lily and James were, in fact, having it out. Snape and Sirius had been shuffled to one side, each wearing glazed expressions. Orion was standing to one side, looking bored and twirling a strand of hair around her ringed finger, somehow managing not to tangle it, while casting haughty glances in Sirius' direction. Alex followed her look.
"Is she flirting with that guy?" she asked, her brow furrowed. "I thought she was friends with his former girlfriend."
"Ma- TG's are never ones to miss an opportunity," Megan said. "They'll be best friends until one gets in the way of what they want." Megan sighed and slumped against the wall. "At least, they used to. These days they get along perfectly. I can't figure out why..."
"Maybe they've just lacked proper encouragement," Alex said, smirking. "I think I got an idea. Follow my lead." She strode back into the group confidently.
"Oh, it's you," Lily said impassively. Alex opened her mouth for a retort, but Lily simply yawned and flicked her wrist. Alex's words died in her throat, destroyed by the rush of air that tore through her lungs as she was thrown back by an invisible force. She skidded along the floor, her wand slipping out of her grip and skittering away, out of reach. She wheezed a swear, and doubled over, coughing.
Megan looked ready to react, but all too late. Another flick of Lily's thin and pale wrist sent Megan flying down the hall. She skid to a halt some feet away from Alex, who was just now beginning to recover her breath.
"Now what?" Alex managed.
Megan struggled to speak between coughs and wheezes, "She's... she's not... g-going to kill..." She paused to gulp for air. "Going to kill us... right away." She paused for a small coughing fit. "She'll play with us first. To showcase her powers. She wants to look special." Megan literally spat. She pulled herself to her feet. "You had an idea?"
Alex nodded and came unsteadily to her feet as well. "That was pretty impressive," she said loudly, her voice carrying down the hall.
Lily smiled. "Thank you," she said and flicked her wrist again. This time Alex was flung to her side, against the wall. Alex couldn't hold back a yell of pain as her weak shoulder was slammed into solid rock and crumpled to the ground.
Megan met a similar fate not much later, as she was flung into the opposite wall.
"That was pretty good," Alex gasped, sounding slightly muffled due to the fact that she was still in a heap on the floor. She looked up, her face pale and stricken. Something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. The boys had moved to one side and were watching the battle.
No, Alex realized. They weren't watching the battle; they were watching the girls with very familiar expressions. James' gaze was locked on Lily, and even from a distance, Alex could see that he practically worshiped her. Sirius' attention was fixed to Orion, although his look was not as reverential as his friend's, it was approaching there. Alex had seen those looks countless times before, and she knew it was a product of the TGs' influence over reality.
But Snape... she squinted curiously. Snape's expression was pained and his face screwed up. His already pale skin looked almost grey.
"I can tell you're the strongest," Alex continued slowly, not taking her eyes off of Snape.
Lily nodded with a smug gleam in her eye, too distracted by her own excellence and praise to notice the object of Alex's attention. Orion, however, paused mid hair-twirl and frowned.
"What did you say?" she asked, finally turning away from Sirius to face Alex. Lily's expression drained from her face.
"Er..." she said.
Alex half-shrugged. "Well, I mean, it's pretty clear to me that Lily here is the strongest and I bet she's the leader, too, right?"
Orion scowled. "Why would you think that?"
"Don't listen to her, Orion," Lily urged. "We are the same, of course, both in power and beauty."
"Then why is she the only one doing the work? It seems to me either she's the strongest or she just wants all the attention," Alex pointed out.
Orion gave her a long thoughtful look while Alex prayed quietly. After a pause, she flicked her wrist in much the same manner as Lily had only minutes earlier. And, much like before, Alex and Megan flew down the hall. Though both girls were doubled over, trying to catch their breath again, Megan managed to shoot Alex a look.
"Yeah, it's backfiring," Alex muttered, clutching her throbbing shoulder. Megan groaned and grit her teeth.
"This is an awful plan. I just want you to know that," she hissed. She took a deep breath. "That was a little better than the red head's attack," she said loudly. "I guess you were wrong."
"I agree," Alex managed. "Ha ha," she added.
Orion beamed smugly, while Lily's expression darkened.
"Do you truly believe yourself more powerful than me?" she asked, her tone light but all present could sense the danger in her words. Orion's pleased expression faded, replaced with a cool look.
"Do you?" she countered, rounding on Lily. "You say we're equal, but why do you always get the best plots? Why do you get the most attention? Why do you always give the orders?!" Her voice climbed several octaves as her outrage grew.
Lily tried and failed to come up with a response, startled by her friend's anger. "I never give orders--" Lily began hotly.
"Ha! No, that's true. You give suggestions," Orion spat. "I'm not stupid, I know what you'll do to me if I don't listen to your suggestions."
"It's not my fault you're a coward," Lily snapped.
"Coward?! Coward?!" she shrieked. "You believe me a coward? Well, maybe I was but I'm not anymore. I'm not afraid of you!" She flung her hands out, palm forward, and sent a blast of purple energy that struck Lily full in the chest. The red head stumbled back against the wall.
"Orion!" she shouted in surprise. Her expression shifted instantly from a friend betrayed to a enemy challenged. She grinned and her emerald eyes flashed. She moved in a flash, her fists flying, and struck the dark haired girl several times with precise and powerful blows. And then, just as suddenly, she backed off. Orion fell to the ground, clutching her chest and coughing blood. Lily circled the girl, eyeing her warily and smirking.
"I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to try this," she remarked airily. "But I'm glad you did."
Alex and Megan were on their feet. Alex braced herself against the wall, wincing in pain.
"If I know these two," Megan began, "and I do, they'll try to make this as dramatic and flashy as possible. Which means their attacks will get bigger and bigger."
"Which means we could still get caught in the cross fire," Alex said grimly.
"I'm not worried about us."
The two Marauders and Snape were still standing off to the side, in close proximity to the dueling TGs. James and Sirius' expressions had changed from looks of worship to looks of enrapture at the magic show around them. Alex could partly understand why; the attacks were getting flashier, just as Megan predicted. Lily was using a combination of martial arts and wandless magic while Orion was manipulating the elements and summoning little pixie-like figures, which bit and scratched at Lily. The fight appeared to be going nowhere, as the two girls were too evenly matched, as far as Alex could see.
A flare of golden light ricocheted off the stone wall, dangerously close to James' head. He didn't even blink.
"Would it be bad if they died?" Alex asked with a touch of hope.
"It would be very bad," Megan said. Alex sighed.
"I was afraid of that."
Alex gave a rueful glance towards the slack-jawed morons at the end of the hall. Her gaze caught on the now bent double and twitching future professor. She couldn't see his face, but she could guess he didn't look good. Was this something they were doing to him or was he... was he trying to fight them off?
She remembered him being twitched and tugged around the dungeons during the last potions class she attended, like a marionette on invisible strings. He had tried to fight back then, too. That was the last time she had seen him, before he was replaced by that brainless Harlequin pretty boy. It was unusual, though. Why was he replaced instead of infected, like Luna and Granger? It was then a new idea unfolded in her head. Had he succeeded in fighting back? Was that why they replaced him?
Did they kill him?
"Bastards," she growled. "I had dibs."
Lily had lost her patience. She was no longer smiling and her clothing was smoking from the attacks her former friend had thrown at her. When did Orion learn these attacks? When did she become so strong? Lily hadn't anticipated such a struggle and now she was cursing herself for it. She gathered as much energy as she could and flung it all into her next attack: a perfectly executed round-house kick, which she landed on Orion's face. She broke away from the struggle to catch her breath and examine the damage. She put nearly everything she had into that attack and it showed.
Orion didn't look good. Her nose was gushing blood and the beginnings of a black eye were already materializing. She bared her blood-stained teeth at Lily and spat into a corner. A small sound -- like someone dropping dice on the ground -- told her that Orion was spitting out some teeth. She smiled with satisfaction. This seemed like a good moment to gloat.
"We are not all equal, Orion," she said. "I am more powerful than you. I am prettier than you. I am more interesting than you." She flung a ball of red energy at the bloody girl, which knocked her back into the wall. "I am better than you. I always have been, always will be." She swaggered towards the twitching, nearly lifeless form on the ground and knelt down. "Do you understand?"
Orion looked up into the face of her former partner in crime. Although Lily didn't realize it, she didn't look so good either. Several red welts were forming where the pixies had bitten her. Her hair was unstylishly disheveled and smoking at the tips. Her lip was split and her eyebrows completely gone. Even though she was in a great deal of pain, Orion couldn't help but giggle at the sight, although it ended up sounding more like a gurgle.
Lily's brow furrowed and a frown tugged at her lips. The former comrade was looking even worse now, with blood leaking from her temple. Her eyes rolled back into her head as she giggled at something. Had she gone insane?
Deep inside, Lily felt the vaguest stirrings of pity. Something long ago repressed began to resurface.
Poor girl... Lily blanched at the thought. She knew it wasn't hers, but hers. The other girl. The Before Lily.
Things are better now, she told Before Lily hurriedly, mentally shoving the thoughts and voice back into the depths of her subconscious. You're powerful now. More powerful than any one else.
"But I can be merciful," she whispered. "I'll end this for her." She raised her hand and a small ball of energy began to form. "You are a vampire after all," she went on. "I am the Slayer. It's only natural things would end this way."
Orion looked up in time to see death sparkling in Lily's palm. She squeezed her eyes closed.
When the dust cleared, there was nothing left but a smoking black circle.
Everyone was silent. Megan's eyes were fixated on the smoking circle, dumbfounded. The Marauders had creases in their foreheads, as if they had seen something troubling but couldn't process it.
"What now?" Alex whispered. "Can I just use the purification spell or what?" Megan shook her head.
"No, you have to remind her of her past," Megan said. "You have to bring back some un-glamorous memories that the parasite will have tried to repress."
Alex ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "Fantastic. I'm so glad I studied up on the adolescence of Harry Potter's dead mum in case a situation like this should arise."
Lily straightened up, tossing her charred hair over her shoulder.
"Well," she said, smiling, "that was..." She paused and her eyes fixed on Snape as if seeing him for the first time. Her expression faded. The Slytherin was bracing himself against the wall with one arm, head bowed and struggling to stay upright.
"What are you trying to do, Snape...?" she asked sweetly, moving closer. "You look like you're in pain..." Snape's head snapped up and his expression was that of a cornered animal. Lily reached out to him with a gentle smile.
"I can help," she offered, her voice soft and serene. "I can make things better for everyone. I can--"
Something sharp but blunt was jabbed into the side of her neck.
"Can you stop talking? Is that in your vast arsenal of abilities?"
Lily knew two things then: a) the thing pressed to her neck was a wand and b) she really should have paid more attention to the Hufflepuff girl and her scruffy side-kick. She gave the taller girl a side-long glance.
"What are you going to do?" she asked.
Alex really didn't know, but she would be damned if she admitted that. "That's not how this works," she said, covering. "You don't ask questions. You stand very, very still."
There was a pause.
"And then what?"
Alex coloured. "What did I just say?"
"Lily!"
There was a new figure at the end of the hall, quickly approaching them, and for a wild moment, Lily believed reinforcements had arrived. It wasn't. It was Peter Pettigrew. She swore under her breath.
And something deep inside her, something kept repressed for so long, began to stir. There was something refreshingly familiar about the pudgy boy trundling down the hall. He was so... normal.
He's a rat, she reminded herself. He's a liar, a traitor, and unattractive to boot.
He's Peter Pettigrew, she thought dizzily. A chubby boy who hangs out with Potter and his group of hooligans.
He's a rat.
He's nice enough but shy and can get carried away with enthusiasm.
He's a traitor!
He does well in Transfiguration. In fact, he once helped me with my homework...
"No! I don't need help with homework!" she screamed, clutching her head. "I'm smarter! I'm stronger! I'm better, dammit!"
"Lily...?" Peter drew level with the others, looking confused and concerned. "Are you okay?" He gently put his hand on her shoulder. She flinched and gave him a wild-eyed look.
"Peter...?"
A small movement in the corner of her eye distracted Alex. She glanced over and saw Snape relax slightly and pull himself up right, looking confused but relieved. She met his gaze and glanced over to Megan, who gave an imperceptible nod.
Her mind raced. What now, what now? Throw the purification spell at her and hope it doesn't kill her and destroy the future? Wait and see if she gets better on her own? No, I don't have that kind of time. I need to go home, before I screw up the timeline any more.
"Alex!" Megan hissed. "Now or never!"
Right. Here goes nothing...
"Purus Morbis!"
Lily's eyes went blank as the spell shot directly into her neck, and something came out on the other side and went splat onto the far wall. Lily staggered forward and fell into Peter's arms.
"Lily!"
Alex held her breath and closed her eyes.
"Is she...?"
"She's breathing," Megan whispered. "Congratulations, the future will probably continue as planned."
Alex exhaled and sagged with relief and sent a silent thanks to whichever deity was listening.
"Now what do we do?"
Silence.
"Megan?"
"Would you look at this..."
On the opposite wall was a bizarre and roughly person-shaped silhouette, a shadow made of a caramel-coloured substance. It looked thick and gooey as, with a glacier's pace, it slowly slid down the wall. Alex blinked.
"Well now... that's new." She paused. "Could you explain this please?"
"You know, I don't think I can. What do you think it is?"
Alex cast a nervous look around. The two Gryffindors had recovered from their stupor and were now fussing over Lily and bombarding a flustered Peter with questions. Snape had, once again, buggered off somewhere. She carefully ran a finger across the substance, leaving a thin scar in her wake. She stared at her caramel-coated fingertip.
"It looks like caramel," Megan muttered.
"Tastes like caramel, too. Honestly, what is wrong with you people? Are you all made of sugar?"
There was a pause. "'Tastes'?"
***
Elsie realized she was too late. The Evans girl was unconscious, but, according to a small device Elsie held in her hands, she was back to relative normality, as were the others. She huffed, feeling a little disappointed. She had come here expecting a bit of a fancy showdown, but what she had gotten was one kill, while some janitor and her Hufflepuff friend had beaten her to the rest of them.
Nuts. She had only performed an exorcism once before, and not on someone as ill as Lily had been. She had really been itching to try it again.
The so-called janitor squib was still there, insulting the world by continuing to convert oxygen into carbon dioxide. Well, Elsie thought smugly as she drew Jennifer from her slumber, not for long. Tonight wasn't going to be a complete wash.
She froze. Someone was behind her. She knew this because she could hear their soft breathing, the rustle of robes, but most importantly, because they had pressed the tip of their wand into the crook of her neck.
"I'm very tired," Snape growled. "It's been a long day, thanks to you people. I don't know why you're here or why you're so insistent on staying, but I'm not going to lie down and let you. And," he added, jabbing his wand for emphasis, "I won't be made into anyone's 'love muffin' or whatever nonsense your blue-haired friend had spat out."
Elsie tried to look behind her without moving her head. "You don't know me, so you don't realize what insult you've leveled on me. I ain't like those that were here before."
Snape eyed her coolly. "Really? Waving around a Muggle weapon, talking in some kind of ridiculous American drawl, prowling around school with your special animal side-kick?"
Elsie's eyes widened. "What?"
A black cat detached itself from the shadows and curled around her legs affectionately. Elsie bore her teeth in warning.
"It's not mine," she growled. "And listen here, boy, you don't understand what you're--" she began, before falling into a deep sleep. Snape pocketed his wand.
"Oh do shut up."
***
The sound of a body hitting the floor -- a sound Megan had been in tune to hearing ever since she was young enough to walk -- kicked her rat-like survival instincts into action. Wordlessly, both girls took to their heels, ignoring Potter Sr.'s questions ("What the hell do you think you're doing?") as they fled.
They were well and away from the scene before Alex's brain caught up with her feet.
Hi, don't mind me, I'm just curious about something, it said. Where the hell are we going? In case we've forgotten, we have no way to get home.
Alex swore and skid to a stop. It took Megan several paces to realize her running partner had vanished, and she too stopped.
"Wha... is it?" Megan panted. Alex gave her a hopeless look.
"I just remembered," she explained, "that I'm stuck here. Or, rather, I'm stuck now. Or when. Or something."
Megan looked concerned yet clueless. Alex sighed.
"In the past. I'm stuck here, in the past."
Megan's face cleared. "Ooooh, that's all? That's alright then."
Alex quirked a brow.
"I've got a way out of here, no problem," Megan went on. "It's in the library. Follow me."
***
The library was, as Alex expected, dusty, old and odd smelling. It was, in fact, depressingly similar to the library she avoided 30 years in the future.
No, hold on, something was odd... as they strolled between the bookshelves, Alex came to realize that they were surrounded by a dry, papery whispering sound. She was sure that was new. Megan seemed to notice the sound too, as her steps quickened.
"I don't have much experience with magical libraries," she said, "but is this normal?"
A growl sounded from somewhere between the pages of a large tome. Alex was reminded of a painful experience in her third year with the Monster Book of Monsters.
"More or less," she said.
"Ah, here we are."
Tied to a chair leg at a studying table was a piece of yarn, which trailed along the ground, between the shelves until it curved out of sight. There was also a sick looking cat sitting next to it, flicking its tail with impatience. Other than that, Alex couldn't see exactly what was so special about this place.
"We are?" she asked.
"Yes. This," Megan said, picking the yarn up from the ground, "is what will take us back in the past."
"This is a time machine," Alex said.
"Yes."
"This piece of yarn."
"Yes."
"It will take us back to the 90s."
"Yes."
"Is the cat involved in anyway?"
"Well, he's going to follow us. By the way, this is Muffins."
"Right, the one you share a telepathic bond with." The cat narrowed its bulbous eyes and flicked its tail with extra vigor.
'Oh, the hunter is probably dead, by the way.'
Megan whirled around to face him. "What?"
'Yeah, I don't know, but the greasy kid did something and she fell to the ground. I didn't stick around to find out what happened next.'
Megan blinked and turned back to a questioning Alex. "He says Snape cursed the hun-- Elsie," she explained.
"Who?" Alex asked.
Megan picked up the yarn again. "Come on," she said, "follow me and I'll explain along the way."
Both girls and the cat walked further into the library, carefully following Megan's yarn. She spoke to them, and her voice took on an oddly echoing quality as they went deeper into the library.
"You remember I told you about how the TG infect worlds? Well, there's a type of people who get rid of that infection by killing the TGs..."
Alex only half-listened, as she was distracted by the shelves around her. It seemed like they were changing shape when she wasn't looking. She kept seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, and the paper whispering was getting quieter. In fact, everything was getting smaller, without changing its shape, and the air felt different. Not smaller, as if they were shrinking, but as if the area around them suddenly opened up, making them feel smaller by comparison, as if they had walked into a large cavern. But nothing had actually changed. The walls and ceiling remained where they were, stubbornly immobile. The shadows were behaving oddly, too.
"We call them 'Hunters'." Megan said.
"How creative."
***
Elizabeth and Sara were desperately searching for their lost time-portal-opening TG, with little success. Sara was becoming more and more agitated with each passing minute, knowing that her friend was still stuck in a different decade, surrounded by dangerous TGs that she had to face on her own. She glanced down at the badge clutched in her hand, which was emitting the buzzing sound of static.
"I should have gone with her," she muttered ruefully. Elizabeth gave her a sympathetic look.
"She's still not answering her badge, then?"
"No," Sara said sourly, flinging the thing as far from her as she could manage. "Damn thing was just a waste of time anyway." Elizabeth ran ahead and picked up the disc.
"This was a good idea, Sara," she said firmly. "Alex is probably busy. Or the power ran out." Sara didn't reply. She stuck her hands into the pockets of her robes and continued to sulk.
"Maybe we should try the library again," Elizabeth suggested. Sara snorted.
"I doubt the TG knows how to read."
"No, I meant that we could look up time travel methods."
"I don't think there are any, aside from Time Turners," Sara said. She paused mid-step as the sound of someone shuffling paper reached her ears. She looked up and saw a small figure up ahead pasting notices to the pillars and walls. She glanced to Elizabeth, who was staring at the figure as well.
"Hey, you there!" she called out. The figure, which was a Gryffindor, turned to them. Her look of irritation melted into a look of fear as she took in their Hufflepuff uniforms. Before Sara could call out for her again, the Gryffindor fled down the hall, her stack of papers flying out of her arms.
"What in the world was that about?" Elizabeth asked as they approached the mess. Sara knelt down and picked up a sheaf between her fingers.
"I think our reputation has preceded us," she muttered, studying the sheet.
"Still, I think that was rather rude," Elizabeth said.
"Never mind that," Sara said, "look at this." She thrusted the paper under Elizabeth's face. Several seconds passed in silence as she read as quickly as she could.
"A ball?" she said at last. "Why in the world are we having a ball?"
Sara sighed. "Read the whole thing," she said, pulling the sheet away before Elizabeth could do just that. "It's in honor of all the new exchange students. It even lists all their names on the back." She flipped the sheet over and squinted at the minuscule print. "At least I think it does." She ran her finger down the list until she found, crowded in the lower right hand corner, the words 'Page 1 of 45'.
"Oh dear."
"Why would they want a ball, though?" Elizabeth asked, peering over Sara's shoulder. "I mean, what's so special about a ball?"
"We rarely have them, and it'll give them an excuse to dress up even more ridiculously than they normally do," she hypothesized. "And it'll be romantic," she added grimly.
"-I can try, but I don't know if it still works. Hello? Hello? Anyone there?"
Elizabeth yelped with happiness as the golden disc crackled to life, and Alex's familiar voice was heard.
"Alex!" she said, hugging the badge. "You're not dead yet!"
"Thank you for the vote of confidence, Liz."
Sara snatched the badge from Elizabeth's hands, flushed with pleasure and relief. "Alex, it's actually good to hear your voice. Where are you?"
"You too. I'm in the library and I'm here right now."
"You mean... you're back in the future?" Sara asked, flabbergasted.
"Yeah."
"How?" she demanded.
"I walked."
"Wha-"
"Look, meet me in the common room, and I'll explain everything." There was a pause and a sharp intake of breath on the other side, followed by swearing. "And then maybe you can explain what the hell happened to Hogwarts while I was gone."
Sara felt something tighten in her stomach as a realization crept up on her. "Did you destroy the TGs?" she asked quietly.
"I did."
She exchanged looks with Elizabeth.
"But... but they're still here," Elizabeth whispered. "I thought that was supposed to destroy them here."
Sara looked helplessly around, willing everything to go back to normal.
"What do we do?" Elizabeth asked.
Sara continued to stare hopelessly at the walls, which stubbornly remained white marble. Her eyes narrowed. "We go back to the common room," she said at last. "We'll think of something."
She screwed up the ball announcement in her hands and threw it to the ground. She felt now that this was no longer a battle. Now it was a war.
***
I used the word 'hypothesized' as a synonym for 'said'. For the good of mankind, I need to be stopped.
Anyway, thanks for making it this far. Unless you've just skipped the whole chapter to read the author's note. In which case, what the hell.
I now encourage you to review.
***
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