The Adventures of a Girl Who Should Not Exist (Doctor Who/ Harry Potter Crossover)

Chapter Thirty: Running Into Trouble

This chapter, I whipped up in 30 minutes, tops. I feel obligated to update even though I'm busy and I have been working on the final chapters. :) I made a blog with a stupid name, "Bud's Blog", it's actually a work of mine, check it out if you feel like it, I'm on a sugar high, and 🎐that Is a Japanese wind bell, I figured it out because I noticed one watching Totoro and I looked up the emoji and I found it and now one of life's greatest mysteries is solved. :O

Chapter Thirty: Running Into Trouble

One hour, five minutes, and two seconds later, I put the finishing touch on my prototype.
It, strangely enough, greatly resembled a chunky ballpoint pen.
Haphazardly putting components together, I had created a sort of Frankenstein's monster of tools- it had a sonic blaster, which was rather underwhelming despite the cool name; a pen; an Identifier tied into several of the best information databases known to man (The Library, Shadow Procclimation Archives, 24th century Wikipedia); a small computer chip I had originally intended for creating alibis, but decided to change into a voice recorder and camera, which ended up turning on and off at strange times, all locked up by a retina scanner.
I wracked my brain for anything else to add. Then I remembered- if worst came to worst, I should probably have some sort of override for the retina scan. So I rigged up a regenerative energy detector and wired it in to the retinal scanner.
It was ugly, too... perhaps a simple chameleon chip would do?
I would have to make a chameleon CIRCUIT. I groaned internally. The circuits were complex, temperamental, and bulky, but all of the chips had been destroyed with Gallifrey, and it wasn't easy to make one yourself.
I stood up to go search for some pieces, humming tunelessly to myself.
And there stood Aries Malfoy.
I stared at him. He smiled at me. I continued to stare. Finally, I found my voice.
"How long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough," he said cheekily.
"Everyone always says that! What is 'long enough' anyway?"
"Um, a fluctuating frame of time depending- Er, I guess it depends."
I rolled my eyes.
"Why were you standing there?" I said matter-of-factly, making sure to remove any hint of kindness from my voice. Ari needed to learn that stalking me was unacceptable.
"Actually, I- I, um, well, Headmistress McGonagall sent for you and, Er, she told me to come get you?" he squeaked.
"Yep. Sure," I said sarcastically, folding my arms, partially for the emphasis, and partially for the purpose of concealing my 'device'.
I walked out of the room, stashing the multitool in one of the robe's surprisingly deep pockets. Then I hurried off to the corridor that housed the Gargoyle.
Bustling down the hall, I didn't notice the boy until I'd bowled him over.
"Oh- my gosh, I'm so sorry!" I yelped, reaching down to help him up.
"It's- fine," he said, in a rather strained voice. He adjusted his glasses over his strikingly green eyes and brushed some hair carelessly out of his face with the back of his hand. He wore red and black Gryffindor robes, and just looking at him brought up a nagging thought in the back of my mind, which I quickly dismissed.
"Sorry again!" I called before racing off.
As I skidded to a stop in front of the Gargoyle, I realized I didn't have the password.
"Albus?" I asked. No response. "McGonagall? Open sesame? Dumbledore?"
I sighed.
"Oh, this is hopeless," I muttered, brushing down my robes. A scrap of parchment flittered to the floor, and I scooped it up.
I could just make out a few scrawled words, one of which was clearly the Headmistress' signature. The boy from the hallway must have dropped it.
I pocketed the paper, next to my "multitool", and sat down on the floor. Might as well.
Menally, I thought of all of the details of our last meeting, in case one of them was the password. I said aloud a few of them, including "Tea, Prophecy, and Green," none of which worked. "What was that cookie she offered..." I muttered. There had definitely been a cookie- a gingerbread- "Ginger newt!" I said triumphantly. The Gargoyle smirked and moved aside.
I punched the air before bustling inside and up the moving staircase. I rapped cautiously on the rather intimidating wooden door.
"Come in," said the Headmistress wearily.
She looked tired and rather dis-shelved, a few strands of hair swinging from her crisp grey bun and dark rings under her eyes. Her wrinkles looked more pronounced than ever.
"Please excuse my appearance," she said. "I've had a rather late night."
I smiled.
"Don't worry, I look worse than that after a late night, and I don't always need to sleep."
A hint of humor flashed in her eyes and she gave a very small smile.
"I trust Aries delivered his message?"
"Yes... except he didn't tell me the password," I snorted.
"Sometimes that boy... reminds me of a former student." she clapped her hands, switching into a more brusque tone. "Well, I haven't summoned you to reminisce. I have several things I feel that I should tell you before- certain events- come to light."
"Like what?"
"I will be making an announcement at dinner tonight," she said gravely. "It is not news to be delivered lightly."
"Oh, it's... That kind of news."
"Yes, Miss Amelia, it is THAT kind of news. I apologize for getting off topic. I believe I was about to tell you at our last meeting about the Prophecy concerning you?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Well-" she began, but was suddenly interrupted by her office door slamming open.
"Profe- Er, Headmistress," said Professor Longbottom breathlessly, "You're needed- urgent- Teresa's office. Oh, hello... Amelia, is it?"
"Yes, Professor."
"Oh, have I- have I interrupted? Sorry, Pr- Headmistress, I'll go now- actually, you really are needed so please come along!"
"Oh, all right then," she said impatiently, rising creakily from her chair. "I'm getting too old for this," she muttered.
I sat there awkwardly for a minute or two after she left. Finally, one of the portraits commented.
"Has it not become obvious she is not returning soon? Would you care to remove yourself from our presence?" said a hook-nosed man with greasy, oily hair.
The portrait labeled "Armando Dippet" tutted indignantly.
"Now, Severus," said a silver-haired, wizened man I recognized as the famed Albus Dumbledore.
I got up quickly from my seat and jogged away, bookbag bouncing at my hip.
This was the second time we'd been interrupted when McGonagall was about to tell me something. I just hoped she would tell me soon- unless her grave announcement explained it all, which I very much hoped it did not.
I trotted down to the library. As I entered the grand room, old Madam Pince watched me like a hawk over her thick volume. She made me rather uncomfortable, although I felt we had gotten off on a relatively good foot earlier in the year.
I found a nice table near the back where I spread out the contents of my bookbag- I had homework from Professor Flint on Defensive Spells- each student was supposed to write a "short" list of at least six different defensive spells, their incantations and wand movements, and their uses. Loading up my quill with ink, I briefly wished for a regular pen before I began to write.
"Shield Charm. Incantation- Protego..."
I had gotten down two before I had to go consult a book. I skimmed through the Card Catalog quickly, making sure nobody could see my superhuman reading skills. On the third shelf of Aisle 4 resided "Defensive Magic: a Compendium", the title I was searching for.
I grabbed it off the shelf and swung it into my arms. It had to weigh at least ten pounds- it was NOT a short book.
I was lugging it back to my table when I ran into the boy from the hallway- on accident- again.
"Oh, my Ras- sorry- hey, wait a minute," I said, biting my lip and squinting at him. "I ran into you in the hallway, too."
"Uh- yeah. You did. Aren't you first years usually terrified of big, bad second years?"
I was about to cough dramatically and inform him that I was about eight times his age, but thought better of it, and instead said,
"I wanted to ask you, now that I think about it, where do I know you from?"
His ears went red.
"Oh, nowhere, I'm sure. I'm a nobody, just some Gryffindor second-year."
He pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose, readjusted his bag, and bolted. Not running, of course, Madam Pince would have your head if you ran in her library- but sort of trotting away. I snorted.
The heavy book was beginning to dig into my arms, so I tossed it onto the table, which shook and creaked ominously in response.
That boy definitely looked familiar. Maybe he resembled someone I'd seen before.
I shrugged inwardly before returning to my homework.