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Author: Caleb Nova Story: That Terrifying Momentum Rating: Teens Setting: AU Status: Completed Reviews: 8 Words: 267,976
“How do I look?” Scott turned to Ron, brushing his hands down the front of his suit to flatten it out. “I don’t know – fine, I guess.” Ron shrugged as he pulled his dress robes over his head. “Why don’t you ask Hermione?” “Right.” Giving his tie one last tug, Scott jogged down the staircase into the common room where Harry and Hermione were waiting. Harry stood up from where he had been sitting on one of the couches. “Ready?” “Yeah, just about. Hermione, how do I look?” “Your tie is crooked,” Hermione said critically. “Here—” Scott remained awkwardly still while Hermione straightened his tie, though he made several strangling noises for good measure. “Oh hush,” Hermione told him. “There you are.” As soon as she let go of the tie, Scott reached up to fiddle with it again and she slapped his hands away. “Leave it alone!” Scott did a quick survey of the room. “Seen Trevor and Kylie?” “Trevor was tired of waiting; they’ve already gone to the entrance hall,” Hermione said. “Alright. Once Ron’s done, we can go then.” “I’m interested in meeting this mysterious date of yours.” Hermione raised an eyebrow at Scott. “You said that she’ll be here with your sister?” “If everything is going according to plan, then they should be outside in the hall right about… now.” Ron came down the stairs, completing their group. “I’m ready!” “Good,” Harry said, “let’s go try and survive.” “C’mon, Harry—” Scott clapped him on the shoulder. “—I’m sure it won’t be that bad.” ***---~**~---*** “What the hell are you doing in there? Stuffing your chest?” Lila’s voice filtered through the door, loud and impatient. “Hurry up.” “I know. I’m almost ready,” Sophie called back. She adjusted the straps of her dress for the umpteenth time in the mirror. The dress was a very tasteful number in soft yellow, topped by two shoulder straps and a bottom that expanded out just enough to swish around her legs. It was modest and not all that sexy, which was fine because Sophie wasn’t feeling all that sexy. While she was sure that most women probably remembered their youth with fondness, becoming fifteen years old again hadn’t done her any favours. As an adult, Sophie stood at a diminutive five feet, short by pretty much anyone’s standards. Despite her lack of height, she had always been rather curvy, possessing the type of body that would have been predisposed towards chubbiness had her career not prevented it. She had been told that she had an hourglass figure, which she thought was probably a polite way of saying she had a big butt. And she did. With her slightly larger than proportional chest and wide hips Sophie could be described as being built for childbearing, a direct contrast to the fact that she was too small to fit that typecast. But that was the magic of genetics, she supposed. Now she had regressed to her teenaged self and as such was being reminded just how much she had fit the label of ‘late bloomer’. When she was grown up she might have had a large posterior, but at least it was a feminine one. Now she was a fifteen year old girl with the body of a twelve year old boy. She had gone from an hourglass to a plank. Of course, she told herself, this was officially a mission so there was no point in worrying about her attractiveness or a lack thereof. Scott had invited her not only to provide himself with a date but with another set of eyes. He would be expecting her to give a second opinion on his Primes. And whose attention was she trying to catch anyway? Sixteen year old Scott’s or normal Scott’s? Neither one would likely be interested in stick-figure-Sophie. In a way, she should really be thankful for that. She had always been strongly attracted to Scott. With both of them reverted to kids again, the majority of physical appeal had been eliminated. In theory, it would be easier for her to concentrate on the task at hand. The reality was that Sophie’s long held fantasy of Scott asking her out on a real date had come to fruition in the worst possible way. Not only was it tied to a mission and in unfamiliar settings with unwelcome company, but she had been stripped of her womanly curves and adult mindset. It just wasn’t fair. “Strauss!” Lila barked out. “Just a second!” Sophie checked herself in the mirror one last time. Her shoulder length hair was held up in a butterfly clip, and she patted it to make sure nothing was coming loose. Sophie’s hair was a mixture of colours best described as auburn, both brown and red with a hint of gold. It was naturally curly and, not for the first time, she cursed that fact as her locks fought to twirl their way free of the clip. Her large eyes were a crystalline green, positioned over a delicate nose that was slightly upturned at the tip. A full pair of pink cupid’s bow lips completed the array of features set in her heart-shaped face. Sophie thought that, if she could be termed attractive, then she was more what people would call ‘cute’ than really beautiful – especially at this age when her face was thinner, making her eyes look even bigger than they really were. “Strauss! What the hell!” “Okay, okay, I’m done,” Sophie said placatingly. Running her fingers under her dress straps one more time to make sure they hadn’t twisted, Sophie opened the door to the bathroom and stepped out. Lila immediately began looking her over. “Hah! Look at you!” she chuckled. “Going to an ice cream social, little Miss Priss?” “There’s nothing wrong with this dress…” Sophie protested meekly. “I’m laughing at you in general, not just the dress. I do think you could have worn something a little sleeker than that, though.” “It’s a Christmas party, Lil, not a dance or something.” “True, but I thought you’d be jumping at the chance to tart yourself up for my brother.” “What? No…” Sophie turned her back on Lila and gathered up her purse. “Oh please, like denial is gonna be convincing at this point.” Lila rolled her eyes. “Half the FA is in the betting pool on when you two are finally going to fuck.” “Lila!” Sophie gasped. “No wonder my brother is so bad at manipulating relationships. He can’t even get himself together and make a play for you. He think you’re gonna say 'no'?” “I might,” Sophie said defiantly. “Hah!” Lila scoffed again. “You’d let him feel you up in any proverbial backseat—much to my disgust, I might add.” “I won’t deny that I’m attracted to him,” Sophie told Lila, trying to keep her voice even, “but just because Scott flirts with me sometimes—” “Sometimes?” “A great deal,” Sophie reluctantly corrected herself, “it doesn’t actually mean anything. You know how he is.” “Do you actually believe that?” Lila asked incredulously. No, what Sophie wanted to believe was that Scott was just as drawn to her as she was to him. But instead of answering directly, she tried to change the subject. “It doesn’t matter; it’s just a Christmas party,” Sophie said, “and a mission besides.” “You really are crazy,” Lila said matter-of-factly. “But then you have the hots for my brother, so I guess that goes without saying.” “Yes, I know your opinion,” Sophie said, trying to be more firm and change the topic. “Shouldn’t we be going now?” Both of them slipped on heavy coats and boots, putting their dress shoes into a plastic bag. “Little Miss Priss’s first,” Lila said, opening an aperture. Through the one-dimensional portal in space and some aspects of time, Sophie could see snow and a dark evening sky. Sophie was reminded of something Scott had said once. “Have you ever wondered if Einstein rolls over in his grave whenever we step through one of these?” Sophie asked as she moved into the other world. “No,” Lila said, “I think he sits straight up and says ‘Was der fick?!’” The grounds of Hogwarts were dim beneath an overcast sky as Sophie and Lila walked across the expanse. The castle was a beacon, rearing up onto the horizon and guiding the way. Sophie was leaned her head back slightly to take it all in – the castle was bigger than she had imagined. The large front gate was open, and they hurried across the courtyard towards the entrance. “We’re right on time,” Lila noted, looking upwards at the clock tower. In the entrance hall they were accosted by an unpleasant man named Mr. Filch, whom Lila had apparently met before since she dealt with him familiarly. There were a number of students gathered around, and Sophie tried to use Lila as cover from their curious gazes. She felt awkward and out of place in her coat, wet boots and teenaged body. She hoped that nobody would say anything to her. Her lack of a local accent was sure to attract further attention, and she was self-conscious enough about her girlish voice as it was. Sophie jumped slightly when Lila nudged her in the side. “Here, take this,” Lila said, handing Sophie a small piece of paper. “It’s a sort of hall pass. Let’s go.” Sophie had always hated following Lila around – her much shorter legs meant that she was forced to intermittently jog to keep pace with Lila’s brisk walk. As they went up through the winding stairways, she looked down at the pass she had been given. Across it was scrawled in dark ink, ‘SOFIE STRAUSS’. “He spelled my name wrong,” Sophie said nervously to Lila. She didn’t want to get kicked out on a technicality. “He spelled mine wrong again too.” Lila took a sharp turn, leaving Sophie scrambling to catch up. “Take off your coat, the tower is just ahead.” “What should I do with it?” Sophie asked. “I don’t know. We can throw them on the couch or something. Who cares?” That was easy for Lil to say, with her ratty old BDU coat that should have been thrown away ages ago. Sophie’s own coat had been a gift, and she preferred to keep it in good shape. Sophie wasn’t aware that they had arrived until Lila stopped next to a portrait of a large woman in a pink dress. She looked around in confusion. “Where’s the door?” “I’m the door,” the woman in the painting spoke. Sophie was not all that used to be addressed by pictures, but despite being startled she held her ground. “Password?” “Is it, ‘Beware Oblivion Is At Hand’?” Lila guessed. The fat lady frowned. “No, that’s incorrect.” “Then I guess we’ll have to wait for my brother. Strauss – shoes.” Lila snapped her fingers, reaching out for the bag of shoes that Sophie held in one hand. They slipped into their dress shoes and placed their soggy boots in the bag. The seconds crawled by as they waited for Scott to emerge from the portrait. Sophie felt the small fluttering of nervousness stirring again. She felt stupid in her prim yellow dress. It seemed like she was spending all of her time being uncomfortably self-aware. She was a stranger to her own body. She didn’t even know how to just stand there without thinking she looked dumb. No wonder she never put much stock into adolescent nostalgia. She had been terrible at being a teenager. The portrait swung open, and a blond teen emerged from the room behind it. It took Sophie a good half-second longer than normal to realise it was Scott. Her first impression was that he was much thinner than she was used to. He had never been a very bulky man, but at sixteen he was a couple of inches shorter than he would be once he reached his full height, and lacking most of his musculature. She began to feel slightly better about her own state of affairs. Scott’s face might have been narrower, but the laughing grey eyes and corresponding grin it held were still entirely familiar. “Sophie!” he exclaimed. “Good lord, what happened to your tits?” That was not the greeting Sophie had hoped for, though in retrospect she probably should have expected it. “Scott, please don’t…” she pleaded with him, crossing her arms over her chest. Lila’s remonstrance was less mild. She leaned forward and smacked Scott upside the head. “You’re so rude sometimes that I don’t know how anyone puts up with you.” “Ow!” Scott rubbed the side of his head angrily. “I can’t believe I invited you. What was I thinking?” “You don’t remember? I didn’t hit you that hard,” Lila said dismissively. “Is everyone ready to go?” “They’re all right behind me, but I’m holding up the line.” Scott turned back to the portrait and motioned for the unseen people to follow him. “Everyone’s here; get going.” As the Primes filed out of the common room, Sophie attempted to put names to the faces. The black-haired boy with the lightning shaped scar was easily identifiable as Harry, and the only red-head had to be Ron. With her bushy brown hair and closeness to Ron, the girl was clearly Hermione. Though she tried, Sophie was unable to name the fourth unfamiliar teen until Scott spoke to him. “Neville, this is my sister,” Scott said to the shorter brown-haired boy. “She’s sort of your date this evening, so go ahead and feel her up a little if you’d like. You’ll need both hands.” Neville turned bright red and Sophie felt a stab of pity for the boy. “W-what?” he stuttered. “The option is there, that’s all I’m saying. Lila’s like a bowl of M&Ms – everybody gets a handful.” “I can see you’re going to be a problem tonight,” Lila said darkly. Sophie prepared herself to intercede as soon as Lila and Scott began fighting in earnest. Sometimes she felt like every time the two siblings were in close proximity to each other she ended up playing the peacemaker. But before their bickering could truly start, Scott was interrupted by Harry, and Sophie was approached by Hermione, who held out her hand for Sophie to shake. “Hello, I’m Hermione Granger,” Hermione said, introducing herself very properly. “Are you a friend of Lila’s?” Trust Scott not to explain Sophie’s presence beforehand. She wondered whether it was a secret ambition of his to keep everyone he knew in a constant state of confusion. “Yes, I’m Sophie Strauss,” she replied, taking Hermione’s hand in a grip that Sophie hoped was firm and confident. “Nice to meet you.” “Luna’s still waiting in the hall. I should get down there,” Harry was saying to Scott in the background. “I take it you’re going to the party with Scott tonight?” Hermione asked. Sophie refocused on Hermione and nodded. Hermione smiled at her. “He said he was bringing someone, but he wouldn’t tell us who.” Sophie nodded again, this time knowingly. “I’m not surprised.” “Hey!” Lila called out loudly, getting everyone’s attention. “Introductions can wait; save it for the party. Let’s go.” With Harry and Lila leading the way, the group headed towards the entrance hall. Hermione kept pace with Sophie, talking as they moved. “So you’ve known Scott for a long time?” “Yes,” Sophie answered simply. She wasn’t sure how much Hermione knew, or more importantly, how much she was willing to accept. “I suppose you must work together,” Hermione said carefully. “Yes, we do.” “It was nice of him to invite you to the party tonight,” Hermione commented, eyeing Sophie. “I’m sure it must be a good opportunity to spend time together without being on a job, unless of course there was something else he needed help with, though that’s probably not the case…” Sophie recalled that Hermione had a reputation for cleverness, but that apparently didn’t stop the bright girl from being absolutely terrible at subterfuge. Taking into account Scott’s propensity for leaving aggravating gaps of knowledge in his wake, it was understandable that Hermione would turn to Sophie who was, seemingly, near Hermione’s age and a less intimidating personality than Lila. Sophie decided to try openness. “Scott needed someone to go to the party with him tonight, and I was available,” she explained. “Also, while I’m here, I can pay attention and see if I notice anything that Scott missed.” Hermione was silent for a moment. “You mean things about people’s… relationships?” “Just anything important,” Sophie said; then she shrugged slightly and scrunched up her nose in a quick grimace. “It’s not very likely, though.” “Why not?” Sophie blinked. “Because he’s really good.” It was easy to forget that Scott’s abilities weren’t taken for granted in all of the Multiverse. Sophie had to remember that Scott’s personality and prevailing attitude made it very easy to believe the exact opposite. From a neutral standpoint, she could see how someone’s first perception of Scott could be one of wilful insouciance. “Really?” Hermione seemed surprised. “Good at what?” “Being a Primare,” Sophie said. “He picks up things that a lot of us would miss.” “You mean he’s good at reading people?” “Yes, he is…” Sophie answered uncomfortably. Given Scott’s hearing, it was entirely likely that he was listening in to her conversation with Hermione, and there was no telling what he’d say about it. “But I mean that he’s very sensitive to changes in shape, very gifted at working it.” Hermione frowned. “And that’s so difficult?” “Very difficult,” Sophie confirmed. “Most Kharadjai can’t be field agents.” Hermione opened her mouth for another question, and Sophie quickly tried to clarify. “What I mean is that most Kharadjai are just like regular people except they live longer and are stronger and that sort of thing. It’s like…” She struggled to continue – Scott and Lila were much better at explaining Kharadjai specifics to people. “It’s like there’s all the regular people, and then there’s the army, and then there’s the best people in the army, who have their own group.” “So out of all the Kharadjai, Scott is some sort of leader?” Hermione looked ahead towards Scott as if she was trying to see the greatness in him. Sophie almost giggled at the thought but managed not to. Hermione didn’t seem like the kind of person who would take being laughed at well. Instead, Sophie shook her head. “No, we have a government. Scott’s a soldier, like me and Lil.” It looked like they were approaching the entrance hall, so Sophie hurried to conclude. “That’s what he’s good at. There are other specialties, of course...” Hermione looked desperate for more information, but before she could corner Sophie with another question they had arrived at the hall. Sophie used the distraction of Trevor, Kylie and Luna joining the group to move away from Hermione and get next to Scott. He grinned down at her. “Thanks for telling Hermione how awesome I am,” he said pompously. “You’re welcome,” Sophie said, sighing quietly. She was sure he’d tease her for it the rest of the night. Scott gently nudged her in the side with his elbow. “You alright?” She looked up at him to see genuine concern in his eyes. “You look sort of down. I didn’t know what was up.” Sophie bit her bottom lip. “I don’t really like being a teen again,” she confessed. “There are a number of drawbacks,” Scott said lowly, moving closer to her so no one else would hear, “namely my lack of healing abilities. I’m worried that I’m gonna get mashed up one way or the other and I’ll have to wait for Pomfrey to put me back together again like frickin’ Humpty Dumpty.” Sophie’s eyes widened. “I thought you didn’t have stiff resistance on this OP?” “Yet,” Scott muttered. “I hate to admit it, but I don’t have a handle on the magic here. When things get rough I’m not going to have the slightest clue what they’re shooting at me or what will happen if I miss a block and get hit.” “Well, there’s not supposed to be too many bad guys,” Sophie said, trying to be positive, “so maybe you won’t ever have that much pressure on you. Lila said you blocked everything that the principal threw at you just fine.” “Thing is, Dumbledore didn’t know that my demonstration was kind of rigged. It’s easy enough to block something when you already know it’s coming – it’s the surprises that hurt, and the more that hit you—” “—the more that will,” Sophie finished softly, completing the old Kharadjai adage. “I’m not too worried,” Scott said, leaning away from her again. “I’ll be fine.” Fine eventually, yes. The self-healing abilities of a Kharadjai were only good so long as they weren’t too exhausted to use them, and there wasn’t much else that drained more stamina. Scott may not have needed to fear possible death, but Sophie hated it when he was hurt. She could quite vividly recall the various states of mutilation she had seen him in over the years. His inhuman tolerance for pain didn’t make it any less horrific. “Don’t get hurt this mission, okay?” Sophie said, trying to sound tough. “I don’t want to have to stitch you up again.” “I don’t know what you’re complaining about. it’s usually Lil that sews me back together anyway.” Scott turned around, looking back at the group. “Looks like everyone’s set. You ready to party like it's 1996?” “Oh, I forgot it was 1996,” Sophie said, blinking. “I haven’t been back to this decade for awhile.” “Numerically it’s like the second coming of 1969,” Scott pointed out, “except there aren’t as many goddamn hippies around.” Their group started walking, and Sophie followed along, unable to do anything else since she had no idea where the party was being held. She had hoped that Scott would provide his services as a defensive line by staying near and talking to her, but no sooner had they left the entrance hall than he had strode forward to talk to Neville. Sure enough, shortly afterwards, Hermione drew along side of her. “So you said that Scott is a soldier?” Hermione asked, picking up their previous conversation as if it had never ended. “Yes.” “But you also said that there were other specialties at which there were better people,” Hermione stated. “Well, nobody’s good at everything,” Sophie said with a nervous laugh. “Do you mind if I ask what it is that you’re good at?” “I’m pretty good at adapting to universal powers,” Sophie told Hermione reluctantly. She had never liked her designation as a specialist in that area. It seemed to imply that she was less effective in her wider role as a Primare. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand what you mean.” Hermione looked like she was unused to saying those words. “I understand how to use whatever form power takes in the universes,” Sophie explained. “It’s just something I do well... Like, I’m sure you know that Scott has trouble understanding how to use the magic you have here. It would probably be easier for me to learn.” “Which is why you’re here, then,” Hermione said with some triumph, “to help him with magic.” Sophie stared at the floor, wishing Hermione would leave her alone. This was all Scott’s fault for never taking the time to explain anything thoroughly to his Primes. “No, I’m really not. I’m just here to go to the party with Scott – that’s all.” Hermione started to say something else but fortunately Sophie was rescued by Lila, who walked up between the two girls. “Very true, though,” Lila said agreeably. “Strauss is damn good when it comes to figuring out how to make things work in unfamiliar places. And I’m good at forming and altering relationships, and Scott’s good at killing people.” Hermione blanched at that. “Surely that isn’t…” “A specialty? Of course it is.” “Are we going to a party tonight or a funeral?” Scott called back over his shoulder at them. “Stop with the morbid shit. There’ll be plenty of time for that later.” “I never thought I’d say this, but he has a point,” Lila conceded. “Strauss, change the subject.” “What? I don’t know what to say….” Sophie trailed off. “How about, ‘we’re here’?” And so they were. The sounds of mingled partygoers drifted out of a doorway up ahead. Sophie quickened her pace so that she was next to Scott when they entered the room. The office, if it could still be called that, was very crowded with a variety of eccentric-looking people, or at least she assumed they were all people. A thin miasma of smoke drifted around the proceedings and somewhere there was music playing, though in the press of the crowd, she couldn’t see from where. “See? No problem,” Scott said, leaning close to Harry’s ear. “Let’s split up and mingle before Slughorn spots us as a big group. If you want to find me, I’ll probably be by the snack table.” “Right. See you in a bit,” Harry said and vanished into the crowd with Ron and Hermione. “Er – Luna, do you want to see if we can find some drinks?” Neville nervously asked the dreamy girl. With a cheerful nod, she latched onto his arm, and Neville was turning slightly red as he led her off. “Hey, Scott – check out Lugosi over there,” Lila said, nodding her head towards a tall, thin man who was extremely pale. Scott snorted in laughter. “Hey now, go easy on the guy. For all you know, he just gave blood.” “What? Like, all of it?” “Or at least most of it.” Scott looked around for a moment, taking Sophie’s arm. “Better slip away, Lil.” “I’m already gone,” Lila replied, her voice fading as she squeezed past a throng of people and vanished. Scott watched her go and then turned to Sophie. “Looks like it’s just you and me, babe.” Sophie forced herself to ignore the faint flutter that the endearment stirred in her abdomen. “But what about—” She looked back towards the door just in time to see Trevor hauling Kylie off towards the food table. Kylie appeared reluctant, but Trevor had a very firm grip on her hand. “Textbook infiltration,” Scott murmured, drawing her closer to him so that she could hear. She shivered as his fingers brushed her bare shoulder. “We’re inside and online. Tell me what you see.” What she saw… She closed her eyes and extended her sixth sense into the universe. A bewildering array of associations lit up against the swirling morass of what was, what had been, and what was yet to be. Past and present swept along, coterminous, while the future snapped and sparkled in the corner of her mind’s eye. It could be overwhelming. But she had been trained to steady herself and hold the pace. A slight frown creased her forehead as she surveyed the room. Maybe it was just her, but it seemed like important connections were absent. “It’s strange,” she said to Scott as he watched her closely, “but it’s like a lot of lines are missing.” Her mouth thinned in disappointment. “But maybe it’s me...” “You’re better than most,” Scott told her, “and it’s not just you. If Lila talked about how frustrated I’ve been lately, then this is why. I’ve been working blind. Ron to Hermione, Snape to Malfoy, Harry to everybody – it’s all been blinking in and out, or gone entirely.” He shook his head, looking very serious. “I don’t know what’s going on most of the time. I’ve been moving forward with my damn hands stretched out in front of me, waiting to walk into a wall so I know what I’m not allowed to do, which, so far, seems to be pretty much anything.” Sophie tugged at a loose lock of her hair, thinking hard. “Do you think that’s why the Council gave you this mission? Because they knew the universe was so contracted?” “I don’t know. All I know is that they handed it to me in a hurry, so maybe they had someone else lined up first…. When you get back, could you ask around for me?” “Yes, I will,” Sophie assured him. “It’s been tough,” Scott said lowly. “I haven’t gotten any clear signs since that necklace Lil stole. That Malfoy kid is up to something, but not only do I not have any clues as to what, I’m not even sure if I’m allowed to do anything about it.” Sophie laid a sympathetic hand on his arm. “So what are you going to do?” “The only thing I can. I’m following Harry around to make sure he stays in one piece while waiting for something to light up on the map. Besides that necklace, I’ve really done nothing to alter the course of things as far as I can tell. I mean, I don’t know where they’re going anyway so it’s not like I can spot the differences.” He shrugged. “Best I can do. Harry’s making the path.” “He’s a Priority One,” Sophie said, trying to assuage Scott’s fears, “so that’s the most important thing.” “But slow,” Scott grumbled. “Very, very slow. There’s been no opportunity for acceleration.” That didn’t mesh with what Lila had said. “But what about Ron and Hermione?” “What about them? Now they get more tongue time. Big deal.” It had always been one of Scott’s biggest flaws, his impatience with romantic shaping. It had caused him trouble more than once. He liked to be on the front lines, causing damage to his enemies, and often didn’t even think about whether a certain relationship might be critical in some way. Not for the first time, Sophie wondered if his disregard for matters of the heart was the very reason why Lila chose to specialise in them. Their conversation was abruptly ended when Scott ducked his head down and muttered, “Here he comes.” “What?” Sophie tried to see who he was talking, about but she couldn’t lean around him without being obvious about it, and he was too tall to see over. “Who’s coming?” “Slughorn. I suggest you make yourself scarce unless you want to get trapped with me. I’ll come find you when he’s done figuring me out.” “Good luck to him,” Sophie said, smiling back at Scott as she walked away. “I’ve never figured you out, and I’ve had a very long time to do it.” “It must be the mystery you find so attractive,” Scott said, leering at her (or more accurately, her posterior), and then Slughorn had him cornered and Sophie slipped into the crowd. Immediately Sophie felt like she had lost her lifeline, adrift in a sea of unfamiliarity. She tried to spot some sort of chair in a corner or something else she could sink into without drawing attention to herself, but it was impossible to locate anything – why was everyone else so tall? She felt increasingly uncomfortable as strangers milled around her. She crossed her arms and took a deep breath. This was nonsense. What was wrong with her? She was a grown woman and a Primare who had seen combat. It was as if becoming a teenager again had stripped her of all her hard-earned confidence, and she hated it. With the obvious exceptions of Scott and Lila, there wasn’t a single person in the room she couldn’t take in a fight if she had to. Disgusted with herself, she set her jaw and started moving towards where she had last seen Lila. Unfortunately, as she walked, she realised that her internal pep talk hadn’t helped all that much because she wasn’t worried about being attacked. Her real problem was a painful level of self-consciousness. The only real fix for that would probably be to grow up again, but, for the time being, that wasn’t going to happen. She spotted Lila’s ponytail bobbing into view over to her left – of course she would be visible, Sophie thought spitefully. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone could be tall, supermodel-esque blonds with generically attractive features, an improbably lithe waist and an impressively stereotypical chest. Then maybe Sophie could ride the coattails of a talented brother while looking like an amalgamation of every beauty and sex cliché brought to life. How lovely if such a figure could be a quotidian characteristic. Lila saw Sophie and smiled at her, picking up a drink from a nearby tray and handing it to the shorter girl. “Ditch your date, Strauss? Scott didn’t try to grab something he shouldn’t have, did he? I’ll go deck him for you if he did.” Sophie felt so petty and horrid that she nearly ran away right then and there. It must have shown on her face, because Lila’s eyebrows rose slightly. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing…” Sophie grimaced and took a sip of her drink. “Just an unwelcome surge of teenage angst and hatefulness.” “I didn’t think you knew how to be hateful,” Lila commented. “It was kind of directed towards you,” Sophie glumly admitted, “because you’re so… filled out.” “Ah. Say no more.” Lila nodded in understanding. “I’m sure it sucks to be a late bloomer. But I can tell you it wasn’t that great to be an early bloomer either. Do you know how creepy it is to be fourteen and getting hit on by adult men? And it’s not like they were paedophiles or anything either. By the time I was that age, I was taller than most other kids and had a rack to match. Talk about unwanted attention.” Sophie considered that for a second. “I guess growing up is hard all around.” “Yeah, but you’re not really. You’re just aged down temporarily.” “I know, and I keep telling myself that,” Sophie said, sighing pathetically. “But it’s been ages since I last did this sort of thing and it’s not going very well.” “You want to know what I think?” Lila asked. That was a dangerous question. Against her better judgment, Sophie answered, “Yes.” “I think becoming a teenager again has exponentially magnified your already existing self-image problems,” Lila said with a detached air, “and then on top of that, Scott’s presence has exacerbated things further. You want him to see you as you perceive yourself to be, in your adult form, not in your current childlike body. Because you gained a more feminine physique later in life than most women, it’s that much more important to you, and you view your regression into teen years as a loss of the sex appeal that, A, you feel that you’ve earned, B, you feel very attached to because you used to think you’d never have it, and C, you think you need to capture the sort of attention you’d like to have from Scott.” At that point Sophie, A, could have been very offended or, B, could have stubbornly rejected Lila’s suppositions. However, a person did not spend a great deal of time around the Kharan siblings without becoming used to being analysed. So instead she took another sip of her drink with slightly shaky hands and mulled over Lila’s words. “Can’t you leave Scott out of this?” “No, because he’s a critical part of your problems. You really wanted to look good for him tonight, subconsciously or not, and because you had to age down, it was impossible to look the way you wanted to.” “Just – keep it down, please…” Sophie nervously looked over her shoulder, but fortunately it seemed that nobody was listening to them. “Can we have this talk later?” “Sure,” Lila said unconcernedly. “You’re the one who brought it up.” “Well, now I’m changing the subject,” Sophie said as firmly as she could manage, which wasn’t very. Suddenly, Scott came bursting out from between two groups of partygoers next to where Sophie and Lila stood. He was looking more than a little dishevelled after forcing his way through the crowd, his hair mussed and his tie halfway undone. He hurried over to them. “You guys seen Harry?” he immediately asked them. “No,” Lila said, glancing around. “Why?” “He’s disappeared on me. I think something might be up.” Sophie instinctively took a quick reading of the local shape, but there were no major events that she could discern. Lila must have done the same because she said, “I don’t feel anything.” “Me neither,” Scott said, “but it’s just – you know. I can’t… If everything weren’t so knotted around here... I need to find him.” “Okay,” Lila said. “You need us?” “Go find Ron and Hermione and stick with them,” Scott told them. “If something is happening they’ll be the most likely to get drawn into it.” As Scott shot off to find Harry, Sophie followed Lil towards Ron and Hermione. Unable to see over the crowd, Sophie could do little else but stick closely to her tall blond friend and hope that Lila knew where she was going. They found their target pair conversing in a corner with Neville and Luna. “—that Scott is some sort of celebrity back wherever it is they come from,” Hermione was saying as they approached. “Isn’t that odd?” “But why?” Neville wondered. “Perhaps because of his stories,” Luna said thoughtfully. “He does tell good stories.” Hermione rolled her eyes. “I doubt that’s the case. I’d be sooner to guess that he’s in some sort of band. He talks like a musician, anyway….” “He doesn’t have to be,” Ron said, shrugging. “Dumbledore’s famous, isn’t he? And he’s not that kind of famous.” “True. I wouldn’t wonder if Scott was involved in the government, despite what Sophie told me,” Hermione mused. “He is – mostly when he gets in trouble,” Lila dryly supplied, breaking into the conversation as she came to a halt next to them. “He’s a rather polarising presence within the Council, my brother.” Sophie had to smile at that. Scott had at least as many detractors as he did admirers. Hermione pounced on Lila’s divulgence. “The Council! Can you tell me about it?” Lila raised an amused eyebrow and Hermione added, “Please?” “Alright,” Lila said, sighing, “but don’t make it a habit. The Council is our governing body – you could also call it our congress, senate, parliament, whatever. Obviously, it is comprised of Councillors. There are a hundred of them, and that’s the only thing they can ever agree on. Ten of them are Princeps, which is one step up from Councillor, like a higher court within the big court. And then there’s the Oritorius – there’s only one of them. Oritorius means ‘speaker’, and that’s exactly what they are.” “And they vote on matters of state,” Hermione gathered. “Mm-hmm,” Lila hummed as she took another gulp from her drink. “Each Councillor gets one vote, then each Princep gets ten votes, and then the Oritorius gets twelve votes. That means there’s two-hundred and one votes, so it’s impossible to deadlock on common issues.” Hermione nodded her understanding. “So when you said that Scott was a polarising presence within the Council, did you mean that he was actually in the Council, or—” “He’s not in the Council and never has been,” Lila told Hermione before the girl finished her question. “He doesn’t have the temperament for it anyway. He’s not a very good peacetime leader.” Sophie tried to imagine Scott spending his days pushing papers at the Consistorium and failed. He really would be a flat-out terrible bureaucrat. “Found him.” Scott made his reappearance, coming up behind the group with Harry in tow. “There you are,” Ron said to Harry. “Where’d you go?” “I’ll tell you later,” Harry said lowly. Lila gave Scott a questioning look, and he shook his head in response. “Nothing to worry about,” he said. As the evening progressed, the party began to slowly disperse. The various guests left in small groups, heading back to their homes or common rooms. It was late when Sophie found herself saying goodbye to Scott in front of the Gryffindor tower entrance. “So... Sophie...” Scott stuck his hands in his pockets and shifted back and forth idly. “Apudne te vel me?” Sophie pursed her lips and tried not to blush at his blatant come on. He had just asked her, ‘your place or mine?’ “Scott... Nullo modo.” “Ouch. The party wasn’t enough to loosen your inhibitions, huh? It wasn’t anywhere in the league of a block party barbecue,” Scott judged, “but it could have been a lot worse, I think. Thanks for bailing me out of my date situation tonight anyway.” “You’re welcome. It was interesting to meet your Primes,” Sophie said a little breathlessly. She was still flushed with the heat of the party and brushed a few limp strands of hair from her forehead. “Blech. I’m all sweaty.” “You know, that sweat would come right off if someone licked it,” Scott said suggestively, eyeing her chest. Sophie wondered, and not for the first time, exactly what he would do if she ever took him up on one of his many lewd offers. “It will also come right off when I take a shower,” she said wryly. “Need someone to wash your back? I’ve been told I’m good with a washcloth.” “Good night, Scott.” ***---~**~---*** It was later that night – in a different corner of the Multiverse – that Sophie stood in front of a mirror once more and surveyed her adult body with satisfaction. Much better, she thought to herself as she slipped a t-shirt on. If Scott wanted her to become a teenager again, he’d have to order her to do it because otherwise it wasn’t happening. A thump sounded against the door as someone leaned against it. Lila’s voice came through the wooden divide shortly afterwards. “So what did you think?” “About what?” Sophie answered absently as she brushed her hair. “Everything.” “It’s tough to say when the universe is that contracted,” Sophie mused. “Scott hates being kept in the dark. I hope he doesn’t overreact and do something he’s not supposed to.” “I imagine he’ll be taking his frustration out on the Death Eaters. They’re not likely to be necessary.” “As long as he doesn’t go overboard.” Sophie crossed her arms, feeling a pang of sympathy for Scott, who was stuck in an unfamiliar universe, unable to go home. “His Primes didn’t seem like the kind of people who would take a massacre very well.” The scrape of cloth against the outside of the wooden door told Sophie that Lila must have shrugged. “If it gets them where they need to go, then they can’t really complain.” “I should have wished him luck before I left,” Sophie fretted. “Why didn’t I think of that? I usually do.” “Like it matters?” Lila scoffed. “He’ll be fine. Despite what he says, I know the truth – Scott likes making it up as he goes along.” ***---~**~---*** ADDENDUM: FIELD PERFORMANCE REPORT Primare Scott Kharan 1-776998 MOFA: Kharan, Scott AFA: Kharan, Lila Strauss, Sophie Kresser, Albrecht Malin, Bharat UNIVERSE: 47789-01 OP. TAG: Seven Gates SMA REF#: 0008 TIME STRAND: Anchor TIME FRAME: 1121-1420(Anchor) MISSION DURATION SST: Four Days MISSION DISPATCHER: Coleman, Jeanine MISSION PRIORITY: 2 I. Universal Objectives A. Priority One 1. The Leveler’s army must not cross the Cloudspine. B. Priority Two 1. Tharsis must not erupt. II. Primes N/A III. Praesaedius Review(REF #47789-01-0008-PR-000001) A. Nanuk, Lahna – She provided geographical information, mainly the locations of the passes and nearby settlements. During the missions phase she observed the movements of the opposing armies. IV. Actions Taken A. The Leveler’s army was attempting to cross the Cloudspine mountain range in winter. While a normal force would suffer serious losses due to the cold and heavy snowfall his units were made up primarily of undead and were therefore unaffected. The army opposing him was gathering their strength but was not prepared to face such a superior force. Before I get to the details I want to state right here and up front that the whole thing did get out of hand. The end result was not intended, but I would point out that the UO suffered no ill effects and retained stability. Secondly, I also want to make it clear that my unit was in no way responsible. We used the charges that were given to us and we were told they would be effective. I will not accept the censure of my team, who all performed flawlessly. Four large Blue charges were placed on each of the seven passes through the Cloudspine, which are known as Seven Gates. We placed the charges in such a manner that they would cause significant avalanches and widespread slumps in the deep snow, the idea being that the Leveler’s army would be trapped until the snow melted. It had happened before and we hoped to make it happen again. The undead entered the passes, we waited until they were a third of the way through and then we set off the charges. To summarize, they were somewhat more powerful than was anticipated. To be more colorful, they blew up like all hell. Malin has some theory about melted snow mixing with the Blue and liquidizing it. I think it’s much more likely that the dipshits who packed the charges added a pound when they needed a pinch. Anyway, the end result was that the charges completely demolished the mountainsides they were attached to, burst all of our eardrums, and buried the Leveler’s army beneath about a million tons of rock. The ensuing mudslides wiped two forests off the map and put a mining town (luckily already evacuated) about fifty feet beneath what is now ground level. My official stance is that we got the job done despite faulty munitions. V. Mission Collateral An entire damn army of undead, two forests and a lot of formerly-pretty mountain scenery. Casualties Inflicted (Hostile): Estimated 120,000 Casualties Inflicted (NeutralInfluenced): 0 Casualties Taken (Primes): 0 Casualties Taken (Friendly): 0 Civilian Collateral: 0 VI. Ordinance Expenditure Blue HE Custom Charges: 28 VII. Comments and Conclusions Personally I don’t think anyone is going to miss an army of the undead.
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