trans_9 | Spared [Open]

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Spared [Open]

"Reducto!"

Cedric had found a spot in the grass of this strange city's park from which to work on his spellcasting, starting with some target practice. He'd pushed back the sleeves of his plantsuit as far as was possible and made long movements with his wand, alternating between creating fast streams of bubbles and shooting them down. The almost childish game of bubble-popping was a simple diversion from the stream of thoughts that was flowng just as fast, one that hadn't stopped since the moment he realized he was alive: I'm about to die. It was hard to comprehend, when it seemed like his life had been going so well just hours ago.

Yet these Ohm had thrown everything off balance. Cedric had gone straight to Stacy to ask for his memories restored, as he'd never rest until he knew the truth of what happened. It had been just as hard to remember as that unicorn princess had predicted. Sure, the curse that was meant to kill him had been thrown off by another attack, but he'd heard awful yells. Harry's. When the sedation had worn off and he'd opened his eyes, he'd had to struggle not to scream.

That was what had happened to disrupt the course of history. For now, he had been given days, weeks, maybe months or a year or two to live, that long until he left this crew behind and met his fate. People had talked about their worlds being restored after the war. The Ohm were supposed had something that would fix things as they were meant to be, and 'meant to be' was his death. If he didn't die during the war, he'd be meeting his end immediately afterward. Time couldn't be changed, not even with a Time Turner. It had to happen.

Cedric was living on borrowed time. No one knew how long it would be until they won. They were going to win, he was sure. A small selfish part of him hoped that it would last a while, that he would have time to finish his unfinished business and learn more, but that was unfair. He couldn't allow the needless deaths to hang over his conscience any longer than necessary. The countless innocents killed during the Ohm's attack needed to live, not him. Billions of lives resurrected in exchange for his death, that was fair. He was the spare, not them. No matter what his father said or the Goblet decided, he wasn't special in the eyes of the universe, was he? He was just...

The spare who had been temporarily spared. A bubble waiting to be popped. Pop, pop, pop went the bubbles as his wand moved more precisely. If this was all the life he had left, he might as well do it right.

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"I could ask the same question. I haven't seen anyone fly without a broom before." Cedric turned his wand to hold it in both hands, displaying it for the flying boy to see. Using his magic in public wasn't so bad---at least not so far.

"This is a wand. I'm a wizard, I cast a spell to pop them."

And he waved his wand in an arch, summoning an even bigger stream of bubbles to demonstrate.

"A broom? What's a broom have to do with flying?" Atom blinked as Cedric held out his wand. "You mean it's magic?"

He looked a little doubtful; after all, magic didn't exist in his world. But there were a bunch of people here that looked like aliens and stuff, so maybe it was just really advanced technology. He pointed to a nearby bubble floating through the air, firing a weak beam of energy from his fingertip. It popped, and the beam dissipated.

"Anyway, of course I can fly. That's what my boosters are for."

"People fly on brooms. Yes, they're magical. You can also use things like carpets or cars, I suppose, but it's illegal to enchant other things to fly." He did miss his broom. Captaining the Quidditch team was so much fun.

"Oh! I've never heard of those things before. Were they...built?" That was the thing Muggles did to compensate for their lack of magic, building increasingly complex things.

"Well, of course. I mean, they don't just grow on trees or anything." Cedric was weird.

Magic brooms? Magic carpets? Those were the kind of things you found in storybooks.

"Lots of robots can fly."

"No, of course not. Sorry. Not used to all this technology. I mean. I use it sometimes, when I'm out in the Muggle world, but---"

Wait, he was rambling. He needed to stop. Cedric paused to gaze up at his partner, disbelieving what he'd just heard for a moment.

"Did you just say you're a robot?"

~~Uhh, Cedric did you not just see Atom fire a laser beam out of his pointer finger~~

Atom blinked at him. "Yeah. Why? What's a Muggle?"

~~It could be another world's magic, like in those films! Weirder things have happened!~~

"Oh! I've never met one before. Well, I know the Muggles have little ones, but I've never met a full sized person like you. I thought they were just in stories."

Cedric scratched the back of his neck. "But I suppose I'm a little odd too. A Muggle's just someone who can't use magic."

Atom thought that one over for a moment. "Well, where I come from, magic is only in stories, so I guess we're even. How come you have a separate word for people who can't use magic?"

That seemed weird to him; weren't all humans... well, human?

That was easy enough to explain, at least. Cedric smiled apologetically, remembering that some people liked to use the word as an insult. It wasn't meant that way at all, not by him.

"Wizards and Muggles couldn't get along on my world. We used to fight and torment each other. Sometimes we were persecuted and tortured. When we couldn't get protection from the law, the wizarding Ministry decided we'd be safest in hiding. Muggles aren't allowed to know about magic anymore, but Professor Lupin told me it's all right to tell the people here. I don't think you're going to drown us, you have a whole department of magic!"

The cheerfulness with which Cedric had mentioned drowning wizards sort of put Atom off balance. "So you can't get along? Not even now?"

"No, we can. Well, I can. We're not really different, it's just luck---who's born with magic and who isn't. Most people aren't," he tried to explain.

"But the rest of the wizarding world isn't so calm. There are people who think they're better than Muggles just because they have magic. And Muggles would be afraid of us if they knew, and when they get together bad things happen. But that was all on our world. Now we're all in this war together we all expect weird things, and it doesn't make sense to hide anymore."

"That's what they said about my world," said Atom, frowning. "That robots and humans could never get along, and putting them together would only create disaster. But I don't believe it. I think humans and robots can live together... and if humans and robots can live together, I don't think wizards and people without magic are any different."

"I'd like to think so," Cedric agreed. It sure sounded nice, the prospect of everyone getting along and living without secrets. "But the prejudice really runs deep. It's fine here, but I won't be able to see it happen back home."

It was a shame, too, because that might've been something he worked on after Hogwarts. After the Quidditch career that he'd now never have.

Atom gave Cedric a scrutinizing look. "Hey, um... are you okay? Are you feeling sad about something?"

He couldn't sense emotions like Uran could, but something about Cedric seemed a little off somehow.

Way to cut to the chase, robot-kid. Cedric felt the unfairness of it all rushing up to the surface all over again, causing him to clench his fist over his wand.

"Well, it's a little complicated, but yes." He was feeling a little reluctant to start talking about it, though. "It's not the war, if that's what you're wondering. It's a little more personal than that."

Maybe Atom had only just met Cedric, but... he still wanted to make him feel a little better, if he could.

"Well... whatever it is, if it's anything I can help with, then I'll try my best. I mean, I guess if it were that easy, there wouldn't be a problem in the first place but... don't feel all alone, okay?"

Cedric spared a little smile for him. He was earnest and wanting to help---he liked that in a person. Nodding his consent, he took a seat on the grass and started in.

"That's so kind of you...sorry, can I have your name? I'm Cedric, it's good to meet you."

He had to get that out of the way first.

"But I'm not sure anyone can help. I'm wondering what's happening to us after the war. If we're going to go back to where we were in time. Because if we do...well, I'm going to die."

There, he said it.

Atom plunked down in the grass nearby. "I'm Atom! Nice to meet you."

He listened to Cedric with growing concern on his face, standing up suddenly as the story finished. "What do you mean you're going to die? That's not fair. They can't just take you away and then put you right back when they're done with you!"

Cedric jerked his head up to maintain eye contact, the sad resignation to his fate becoming something more lively. Like alarm.

"It's not, but the timeline's important. It's something called a ripple effect. If I live, things won't happen the way they're supposed to, will they? There's a reason we're warned about how dangerous it is to mess with time."

It was one of the biggest magical taboos. Time cannot be tampered with, disaster ensues.

Atom expected that kind of sentiment coming from someone else -- someone like Gesicht or Epsilon, maybe, who'd want to give all they had for what they felt was right. But Cedric was just a kid. A human kid. The adults of his world should want to protect him, not let him get killed off just to make sure their futures were all okay. In his upset, Atom even forgot he was supposed to be sounding like he was twelve.

"So things won't happen the way they're supposed to. Is that so awful? I mean, does your death suddenly inspire a whole bunch of people to fight off some evil villain or something? And even if it did, why does it have to be you? Is everyone just going to sit around and... and let you die because it'll make what they want happen?"

Actually, it did, but Cedric hadn't thought to request a posthumous account of life on his world yet. He'd get to that soon enough. But still...

"I don't think they want to let me die, I just don't think I can stop it. It happened before anyone else could lift a finger."

That, and it might actually be impossible to change the course of events.

Atom relaxed a little at this. "Can't you get like a... a magicproof vest or something?"

~~like in Back to the Future~~

"There are shielding charms, but nothing can block the killing curse. If it's cast on you, you're a goner."

Usually. Unless you're Harry Potter, but that was a fun speculation for another time.

"Oh." Atom fell silent for a moment. "Maybe you can duck or something when you get back."

He brightened. "Or hey, maybe you don't have to go back in the first place! I mean, what if you get off the ship before it happens? Then they won't be able to reach you and make you go back, right?"

"I wish it were that simple," Cedric really did. He wanted to live. "But I don't think they'll stop until I'm dead. I'd have to think of an escape, and even then...it might ruin the flow of time."

He's still not entirely sure what he's going to do. "I'll need some time to consider it, I think. Sounds like it'll be a while yet for us."

With that, he cast another ring of bubbles and gazed up at them. "Will you be all right, going back?"

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