theboywhodied: (Default)
Cedric Diggory ([personal profile] theboywhodied) wrote in [community profile] trans_92011-10-02 04:11 pm

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.

[identity profile] tetsuwan-atom.livejournal.com 2011-10-02 08:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Atom was flying through the City, dipping to plunge through the branches of a leafy tree or tap a passing flagpole, when he spotted Cedric surrounded by bubbles. The rocket thrusters at the bottom of his boots flared as he slowed mid-air, popping a bubble with his hand.

"Hey!" he said brightly. "What're you doing?"

[identity profile] tetsuwan-atom.livejournal.com 2011-10-02 08:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Atom watched Cedric fire spells from his wand with great interest. "Hey, neat! How'd you do that?"

He was only asking because his sensors couldn't identify it as any sort of conventional weapons fire.

[identity profile] tetsuwan-atom.livejournal.com 2011-10-02 09:11 pm (UTC)(link)
"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."

[identity profile] carrieswar.livejournal.com 2011-10-02 09:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Jr. wasn't so much focused on the bubbles (though they were fun to watch when one drifted over and close enough to his face) as much as he was focused on how Cedric was popping them. His movements made his wand noticeable enough, and Jr. hadn't met anybody else on the ship who actually used wands for magic aside from Remus. Usually everybody else just ... did it. And Jr. himself didn't need wands for casting Ether.

He wondered if Cedric was new, or if he had just never seen the boy practicing before. "Maybe some wind'll pick up and speed the targets up a little bit."

[identity profile] tetsuwan-atom.livejournal.com 2011-10-02 10:14 pm (UTC)(link)
"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."

[identity profile] tetsuwan-atom.livejournal.com 2011-10-02 10:48 pm (UTC)(link)
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?"

[identity profile] tetsuwan-atom.livejournal.com 2011-10-02 11:03 pm (UTC)(link)
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?

[identity profile] carrieswar.livejournal.com 2011-10-02 11:14 pm (UTC)(link)
"Hey, not bad," Jr. said as he watched. Hitting things in mid-air was a tough task, though Jr. excelled more at coins than rocks.

"You're the second guy I've ever seen on this ship who uses one of those." He pointed to Cedric's wand.

[identity profile] tetsuwan-atom.livejournal.com 2011-10-02 11:27 pm (UTC)(link)
The cheerfulness with which Cedric had mentioned drowning wizards sort of put Atom off balance. "So you can't get along? Not even now?"

[identity profile] carrieswar.livejournal.com 2011-10-02 11:29 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yeah, you got it!" he replied, pointing.

"Does that mean you're from the same place that he is? I've never heard anybody call him professor even though we know he's a teacher..."

[identity profile] tetsuwan-atom.livejournal.com 2011-10-02 11:50 pm (UTC)(link)
"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."

[identity profile] tetsuwan-atom.livejournal.com 2011-10-03 12:13 am (UTC)(link)
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.

[identity profile] tetsuwan-atom.livejournal.com 2011-10-03 12:39 am (UTC)(link)
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?"

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