Tuesday's Ten Minute Tale - the result!
Jul. 8th, 2008 09:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
martinlivingsOkay, here we go. Thanks to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
shrydar for "H/Hr", and capnoblivious for "H/He". No third word today. And it took a lot longer than ten minutes! Thankfully I watched "Order of the Phoenix" on the weekend, or else I'd have been completely lost. :)
'Amnesius Forgetticus'
(c) Martin Livings 8-7-2008
"Amnesius Forgetticus!"
Harry and Hermione were enveloped in a glittery blue light. They shook their heads, confused, as the haze faded, leaving them in the Gryffindor common room, alone. They looked at one another, each one's eyes mirroring the other's.
"Harry?" Hermione said at last. "What's happening? How did we get here? The last thing I remember, we were eating dinner in the Great Hall."
"I... I'm not sure," Harry admitted. He looked at his hand, saw his wand dangling there limply. He tried to concentrate, to remember. "There was a spell," he said with some hesitation. "I can't remember..."
"It must be an Amnesius spell!" Hermione snapped her finger, all wishy-washiness dispelled. She was her old self again. Determined. Certain. Annoying, Harry added silently, with a small smile. "But who cast it? And why?"
"I think the answer to the first question is obvious," Harry said, holding up his wand. it was still warm from the casting.
"You?" Hermione frowned. "But why? Why did you erase my memory?"
"Our memories," Harry corrected her. "And, funnily enough, I don't remember why."
Hermione thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers again. "The Chronoseer!"
"The what?"
"It's a project I was working on for our Divination class," she beamed proudly. "The focus is always on seeing the future, but sometimes it'd just as important to see the past. I combined two far-seeing spells, so that one goes deep into space and then the other operates from there, looking back at wherever you want. It allows you to see into the past."
"Hermione, that's brilliant!" Harry gave Hermione a quick hug. "Let's do it. Look back, say, an hour, in this room."
She nodded, then waved her own wand. "Opticus Historicus!"
A glowing golden sphere appeared in the centre of the room, then expanded out, engulfing Harry and Hermione. Harry yelped as it swallowed him.
"Don't worry, Harry," Hermione said calmly. "Just relax, and observe."
The light faded, and they were still in the room. But it was the room as it had been an hour earlier. Harry and Hermione stood and watched themselves sitting on the couch. Between them was a small gas cannister, which Hermione had one hand on.
"So," past-Harry was saying, "is this hydrogen or helium?"
"Neither," past-Hermione replied. "It's something the Weasleys gave to me. It's even lighter than hydrogen."
Harry shook his head. "Nothing's lighter than hydrogen!"
"Weaslium is, apparently," Hermione said. She let go of the cannister. Slowly, it rose from the couch. She placed her hand back on it and pushed it down.
"Excellent!" Harry smiled. "This will make the best balloons ever for Dumbledore's surprise party!"
"I don't understand," future-Harry whispered to future-Hermione. "Why did we have to forget this?"
"It's alright, Harry," future-Hermione replied in a normal voice. "They can't hear you. It's one-way."
"But..."
"Shh!" Hermione hushed him.
Past-Harry had a mischievous look on his face. "Hey," he said to past-Hermione, "do you think this stuff makes your voice go funny? Like helium?"
Past-Hermione shrugged.
"Let's try it," Harry grinned.
Hermione looked dubious. "I don't know, Harry," she said, eyes troubled.
"Oh, come on," Harry urged her. "The Weasleys wouldn't have given it to us if it was dangerous!"
Hermione thought a little more. "Well, okay," she said at last. "But not too much."
Harry grabbed the cannister, held the nozzle to his mouth, and opened it. He breathed in, then passed it to Hermione, holding his breath. She did the same.
They both exhaled, then Harry spoke.
"Hey hey, listen to me," he said... in a perfectly ordinary voice. His face fell.
Hermione laughed. "Never mind, Harry," she teased him. "Your voice is funny enough as it is." Then her eyes became unfocussed. "I feel funny," she said, her voice slurred.
"Me too," Harry replied in a similar voice. "Kind of... uh..." he trailed off, looking at Hermione. A strange smile twitched on his lips. "Hey, Hermione... did you know that you're, uh... you're really pretty?"
"Do you think?" Hermione smiled back. "You're kind of cute yourself, Harry Potter. Especially that scar."
"Yeah?"
She nodded, reached up to his forehead and stroked it. "It's really... manly."
They sat for a moment longer, gazing at one another. Then, suddenly, they grabbed each other roughly, pressing their lips together hard. Their tongues darted, hands digging beneath each other's uniforms.
Then the scene froze, mid-snog.
"What happened?" future-Harry said, confused. He looked at Hermione. She looked stricken, her face ashen. He looked back at their past selves. He felt uncomfortable, like a voyeur. Like he'd walked in on his parents, even though he'd never known them. It was so intimate, and so awkward.
"Dispellicus!" future-Hermione said, her voice a little strangled. The scene dissolved, leaving them back in the present common room.
There was a long, painful silence. Neither of them looked at one another.
"I think I know why I did the spell now," Harry said to the couch. "It must have been the gas. It made us crazy."
"Yes," Hermione said, distantly. "Crazy."
Harry still didn't face her. "So, what do we do now?"
"You know."
Harry looked at his hand, at the wand in it. Hermione was right. He knew what to do.
"Amnesius Forgetticus!"
Harry and Hermione were enveloped in a glittery blue light. They shook their heads, confused, as the haze faded, leaving them in the Gryffindor common room, alone. They looked at one another, each one's eyes mirroring the other's.
"Harry?" Hermione said at last. "What's happening? How did we get here? The last thing I remember, we were eating dinner in the Great Hall."
"I... I'm not sure," Harry admitted. He looked at his hand, saw his wand dangling there limply. He tried to concentrate, to remember. "There was a spell," he said with some hesitation. "I can't remember..."
"It must be an Amnesius spell!" Hermione snapped her finger, all wishy-washiness dispelled. She was her old self again. Determined. Certain. Annoying, Harry added silently, with a small smile. "But who cast it? And why?"
"I think the answer to the first question is obvious," Harry said, holding up his wand. it was still warm from the casting.
"You?" Hermione frowned. "But why? Why did you erase my memory?"
"Our memories," Harry corrected her. "And, funnily enough, I don't remember why."
Which was for the best. They'd find that out, though, soon enough. For the eighteenth time today.
shrydar for "H/Hr", and capnoblivious for "H/He". No third word today. And it took a lot longer than ten minutes! Thankfully I watched "Order of the Phoenix" on the weekend, or else I'd have been completely lost. :)'Amnesius Forgetticus'
(c) Martin Livings 8-7-2008
"Amnesius Forgetticus!"
Harry and Hermione were enveloped in a glittery blue light. They shook their heads, confused, as the haze faded, leaving them in the Gryffindor common room, alone. They looked at one another, each one's eyes mirroring the other's.
"Harry?" Hermione said at last. "What's happening? How did we get here? The last thing I remember, we were eating dinner in the Great Hall."
"I... I'm not sure," Harry admitted. He looked at his hand, saw his wand dangling there limply. He tried to concentrate, to remember. "There was a spell," he said with some hesitation. "I can't remember..."
"It must be an Amnesius spell!" Hermione snapped her finger, all wishy-washiness dispelled. She was her old self again. Determined. Certain. Annoying, Harry added silently, with a small smile. "But who cast it? And why?"
"I think the answer to the first question is obvious," Harry said, holding up his wand. it was still warm from the casting.
"You?" Hermione frowned. "But why? Why did you erase my memory?"
"Our memories," Harry corrected her. "And, funnily enough, I don't remember why."
Hermione thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers again. "The Chronoseer!"
"The what?"
"It's a project I was working on for our Divination class," she beamed proudly. "The focus is always on seeing the future, but sometimes it'd just as important to see the past. I combined two far-seeing spells, so that one goes deep into space and then the other operates from there, looking back at wherever you want. It allows you to see into the past."
"Hermione, that's brilliant!" Harry gave Hermione a quick hug. "Let's do it. Look back, say, an hour, in this room."
She nodded, then waved her own wand. "Opticus Historicus!"
A glowing golden sphere appeared in the centre of the room, then expanded out, engulfing Harry and Hermione. Harry yelped as it swallowed him.
"Don't worry, Harry," Hermione said calmly. "Just relax, and observe."
The light faded, and they were still in the room. But it was the room as it had been an hour earlier. Harry and Hermione stood and watched themselves sitting on the couch. Between them was a small gas cannister, which Hermione had one hand on.
"So," past-Harry was saying, "is this hydrogen or helium?"
"Neither," past-Hermione replied. "It's something the Weasleys gave to me. It's even lighter than hydrogen."
Harry shook his head. "Nothing's lighter than hydrogen!"
"Weaslium is, apparently," Hermione said. She let go of the cannister. Slowly, it rose from the couch. She placed her hand back on it and pushed it down.
"Excellent!" Harry smiled. "This will make the best balloons ever for Dumbledore's surprise party!"
"I don't understand," future-Harry whispered to future-Hermione. "Why did we have to forget this?"
"It's alright, Harry," future-Hermione replied in a normal voice. "They can't hear you. It's one-way."
"But..."
"Shh!" Hermione hushed him.
Past-Harry had a mischievous look on his face. "Hey," he said to past-Hermione, "do you think this stuff makes your voice go funny? Like helium?"
Past-Hermione shrugged.
"Let's try it," Harry grinned.
Hermione looked dubious. "I don't know, Harry," she said, eyes troubled.
"Oh, come on," Harry urged her. "The Weasleys wouldn't have given it to us if it was dangerous!"
Hermione thought a little more. "Well, okay," she said at last. "But not too much."
Harry grabbed the cannister, held the nozzle to his mouth, and opened it. He breathed in, then passed it to Hermione, holding his breath. She did the same.
They both exhaled, then Harry spoke.
"Hey hey, listen to me," he said... in a perfectly ordinary voice. His face fell.
Hermione laughed. "Never mind, Harry," she teased him. "Your voice is funny enough as it is." Then her eyes became unfocussed. "I feel funny," she said, her voice slurred.
"Me too," Harry replied in a similar voice. "Kind of... uh..." he trailed off, looking at Hermione. A strange smile twitched on his lips. "Hey, Hermione... did you know that you're, uh... you're really pretty?"
"Do you think?" Hermione smiled back. "You're kind of cute yourself, Harry Potter. Especially that scar."
"Yeah?"
She nodded, reached up to his forehead and stroked it. "It's really... manly."
They sat for a moment longer, gazing at one another. Then, suddenly, they grabbed each other roughly, pressing their lips together hard. Their tongues darted, hands digging beneath each other's uniforms.
Then the scene froze, mid-snog.
"What happened?" future-Harry said, confused. He looked at Hermione. She looked stricken, her face ashen. He looked back at their past selves. He felt uncomfortable, like a voyeur. Like he'd walked in on his parents, even though he'd never known them. It was so intimate, and so awkward.
"Dispellicus!" future-Hermione said, her voice a little strangled. The scene dissolved, leaving them back in the present common room.
There was a long, painful silence. Neither of them looked at one another.
"I think I know why I did the spell now," Harry said to the couch. "It must have been the gas. It made us crazy."
"Yes," Hermione said, distantly. "Crazy."
Harry still didn't face her. "So, what do we do now?"
"You know."
Harry looked at his hand, at the wand in it. Hermione was right. He knew what to do.
"Amnesius Forgetticus!"
Harry and Hermione were enveloped in a glittery blue light. They shook their heads, confused, as the haze faded, leaving them in the Gryffindor common room, alone. They looked at one another, each one's eyes mirroring the other's.
"Harry?" Hermione said at last. "What's happening? How did we get here? The last thing I remember, we were eating dinner in the Great Hall."
"I... I'm not sure," Harry admitted. He looked at his hand, saw his wand dangling there limply. He tried to concentrate, to remember. "There was a spell," he said with some hesitation. "I can't remember..."
"It must be an Amnesius spell!" Hermione snapped her finger, all wishy-washiness dispelled. She was her old self again. Determined. Certain. Annoying, Harry added silently, with a small smile. "But who cast it? And why?"
"I think the answer to the first question is obvious," Harry said, holding up his wand. it was still warm from the casting.
"You?" Hermione frowned. "But why? Why did you erase my memory?"
"Our memories," Harry corrected her. "And, funnily enough, I don't remember why."
Which was for the best. They'd find that out, though, soon enough. For the eighteenth time today.
