On the Edge of Great (Fanfic)

Chapter 3

"On Merlin Potter, I never want to see you again!  I hate you!" cried out Rose, her red, fiery curls bouncing in fury.

"Look who's talkin'" yelled out Albus, "the one who's willing to do anything for top marks"

"You don't know what you're saying", she cried, only more hesitant this time, knowing that they weren't the only ones involved in this interchange.  Nearly anything the cousins discussed involved an audience (often hidden from sight).

"What the bloody hell Rose-- that's it" he stated firmly, waved his wand a bit, and drew a line on the stone floor in the abandoned --apparently-- hallway.  

"Go ahead, I have been waiting for this my whole life", she stated, devilish glare in her eyes as she stood in position, bracing for the commencement of the duel.

Just around the end of the hallway, an oblivious Scorpius Malfoy was wiggling around a potion in one hand and a little scroll in the other.  He was humming to himself.  There was no particular thought in his head as he proceeded forward, placing one foot in front of the other.

Flashes of light stopped him in his tracks as he looked at Rose, who had just collapsed.  She placed her hand along her ribs, seemingly in pain, and looked around, grasping for her wand.

By this time, a crowd had gathered around the scene.  Albus noted the stares, the harsh stares.  Didn't they know that she had consented to this duel?  Why were they all looking at him like that?

He gripped his wand more tightly and made his way through the crowd, finding solace in seeing Scorpius.  

"Hey", he greeted him at the end of the hall, his figure still tense.  Scorpius, however, did not greet back.  Rather, he bumped him at the shoulder as he walked over to Rose, helping her up and whispering 'finite incantatem' as he helped her up.  

"Hey!" Albus yelled out, slightly hurt at the scene being played out in front of him.

---

"I think I'm hungry", Y/N thought to herself as she considered the opportunity costs of getting dinner early while she was still on land and getting it later at the airport.  But then she thought about how much she hated airplane food-- but then again, airplane food was not airport food--- airport food was made on ground level. But, then again, everything at the airport was unnaturally expensive.  

She looked at the time, getting a little anxious at how she had not been given any instructions as to how she was going to get there; she hadn't even been given a boarding pass, and anybody who'd been to LAX knew that not having a boarding pass basically meant there's only so far one can go (about 20 feet in from the entrance).

Her parents, supremely religious evangelicals, had always been against anything involving magic, and so, her fascination with the Harry Potter series and fandom had been kept on the 'down-low'.  The woman she had spoken to placed a confundus charm on her parents, among other memory charms, making them believe, much to their delight, that she was off to boarding school.  The lack of questions asked on their part may have been concerning to anyone viewing the situation from the outside, but, to give them the benefit of the doubt, they were, essentially, 'magically drugged' by the time it came to filling out the last of the paperwork.

Y/N looked at the trunk that had been gifted to her, her initials carved in.  The penmanship was reminiscent of gothic print.  Inside, she'd packed basic clothing essentials, the little money that she'd, over time, managed to save up, and stationary.  She considered bringing her phone, but life's circumstances suggested that it might be a better idea to purchase one of her own.  Perhaps she could get a job? 

The possibilities were endless.  It was about 7 p.m. and Y/N sat around the entrance of the airport.  The summer's breeze lightly caressed her face, offering a coolness that had become foreign after such a long, summer's day.  Around her neck was the golden necklace that the woman had claimed belonged to her-- the one that the clumsy fowl had left behind.  She reached her right hand to her chest as to grab a hold of it.  Her thumb and index finger gripped onto it, wiggling it slightly as her anxiety settled.  

"Hello Y/L/N"

Y/N turned abruptly at the mention of her surname.  It was the woman.  Only, she was dressed in typical muggle attire.  Jeans and a t-shirt, with a sweatshirt tied around her waist.  If anything, Y/N was the odd-one-out.  Of all the things the charms could do, it seemingly could not get her parent's ideologies to bend, not even a little bit.  And so, she wore a blouse that reached up to her collar-bone, a sweater (albeit a light one) over it, a line-a skirt that started at the waist and reached just below her knees, and leggings underneath.  

"Hi Ms. --uhm--"

"We've already discussed this.  You may not know my name"

"Right, sorry about that.  Um-- let's see-  uhhhh", Y/N was at a loss for words, slightly shaken by the tone the woman had taken.  If she wasn't going to give her her name then, she was likely to find out when they checked in for the flight, and so, what was the big deal.  

Y/N gripped the necklace again. 

"You know what that is, don't you?" the woman asked, the hostility still present in her voice.

"It's a time turner", responded Y/N, not looking the woman in the eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to take that tone with you," the woman stated, her voice tender now, "it's almost time to depart".  The pair entered in through the sliding, glass doors and then turned to the right, heading to the elevators.  When the elevator doors shut, all went black.  

She heard slight muttering before she noted glowing from the woman's neck.  A necklace, much like the one Y/N was wearing, had a lovely aura about it.  The woman gripped it and then lay her hand out for Y/N to grab.  Y/N followed suit, placing a firm grip before the elevator experienced another flash before all went back to normal. 

The individuals at LAX never noticed a power outage or any type of black-out.  In fact, the cameras would have never indicated that a pair had ever even gone into that elevator.  All they knew was that there was a nice aroma in the air as a light drizzle overtook the outside environment.