Time is a strange thing.
We can't help but be changed by it, even in the small ways we might not recognise at first.
Our hair will grow, our waistline will alter, our shoe size will evolve. This is life. It has an inescapable monopoly on morphing us from tiny lumps of flesh demanding food to larger more mobile lumps of flesh from whom the food is demanded. The tireless to the ever-exhausted, the optimistic to the angry old pessimist, the confused to the downright confounded.
For our story, time affected our players in different ways. Remus Lupin went from a hopeful young academic with friends and a future, to a tired and lonely professor just trying to do his best. Linette Bell went from alive to very definitely dead. Kadin Bell went from daughter to orphan. And as for our falsely accused captive in a tower... Well, you'll just have to wait and see for that one.
But time did something very strange to one particular sphinx- Nothing at all.
"Welcome to the Den. We are not responsible for any theft or disembowelment that may result from leaving personal property such as handbags, smart gadgets and vital organs unattended."
The clearing was so well lit that the stars were almost blotted out by pollution. Fire crackled and spat from brackets on nearby trees, but there were also mosquito lights, and the cold glow of computer monitors with their many blinking adornments, and a giant neon sign that said 'INTERNET CAFE- WHERE YOU CAN CONSUME ALL THE INTERNET YOU WANT', which felt vaguely threatening in a way Kadin couldn't quite put her finger on.
The sphinx that was speaking was perched on top of a large, expensive looking gaming chair, the sort with a back massager built in. Every so often, his tail would accidentally flick the 'ON' button and all conversation would have to cease until the buzzing of the massager turned off. He was wearing a size XL (meaning 'Extra Lion-y') shirt that read 'DON'T ASK, DON'T KNOW, DON'T CARE' on the front. Other than his status and choice in furniture, all that was obvious about the mythical creature was that he looked like he really didn't want to be there.
"Hello." Hermione said, stepping forward, "We seek answers to our questions, oh great Kyle, and-"
"Yeah, yeah, heard it before." Kyle the sphinx barely glanced at them, flicking his tail at one of the sphinxes at the base of his chair, "Did they bring the offerings?"
"Shannon was meant to be on Guide duty, but she'll be on her break by now." The guard hissed back, "We won't hear from her till sunup."
"It's this new generation of sphinxes." The other guard agreed, "No respect for the craft."
"We could try to find her?" The first guard suggested.
Kyle sighed, "I have to call my sister in half an hour and rub her nose in the fact I haven't been usurped or murdered yet. Let's just get this over with. Human... Creatures, what is your question or whatever?"
"Well, there's two things, actually." Kadin said, "I'm looking for someone. My dad. And also there's this woman- she got sent to Azkaban years ago and I just... I want to know everything I can about her, but all the wizard records have been wiped."
"And your dad is..?" Kyle raised his eyebrows. Kadin and Hermione traded glances, "We're just your average tech company, with extra drama. We're not mind readers. You want our help, then expect to answer a bunch of seemingly unrelated questions and wait far too long for the results."
"Sirius Black." Kadin said, "My dad is Sirius Black."
"We thought with your hacking and things, you could maybe find something the aurors haven't?" Hermione chipped in.
YOU ARE READING
ONCE BOY |2| Remus Lupin
Fiksi Penggemar'Grown up' has never been more foreign. Kadin Bell is the daughter of a disgraced murderer and a practically perfect war hero. The hero is dead. The murderer has escaped. It's a classic story. But something's wrong. The adults are keeping secrets, a...
