Author's Note: This is an AU where Colin survives the war.

QLFC - Finals Round 1 - Method of Time Travel - The Time Machine (HG Wells) - (dialogue) "What, have you changed your mind now?"; (colour) Coral; (word) Mindless

Word Count: 1774

Don't Look Back

It was an obsession, plain and simple; one that had only been fed by the discovery that magic flowed through his veins. Surely as a wizard, with real magic, time-travel was something he could finally achieve. What had started as a childhood fantasy, fuelled by the desire to be close to his father, was now something that he spent his every waking moment working on, and every sleeping moment dreaming about.

His father's dog-eared copy of his favourite novel had come with Colin to Hogwarts and it was his most precious possession, besides his camera, of course. Colin's father had not been a warm man — born of a more stoic generation — and he and Dennis had gotten their enthusiasm from their mother, but the one thing that had sparked life in Mr. Creevey had been HG Wells' book — The Time Machine. It was just about the only thing they had bonded over and when, at the age of ten, his father passed in a tragic accident, it was the only thing that kept him going.

It had always been a dream of theirs — one of the few times his father had allowed flights of fancy — to actually travel in time. Now, with the help of his magical abilities, he was determined to make that dream into a reality.

So it came to pass that at nearly thirty, Colin stood back and surveyed his handywork. A life-sized replica of the model in the book, complete with monstrous golden plate, plush red velvet seating and plethora of coloured lights and fascinating switches, sat in the workshop Colin had created for himself. He had modified the idea slightly, meaning it could now move in space as well as time, and the dials were more for show than actual use, but still it was a magnificent sight.

"Remind me again; what is wrong with a time turner?" Dennis' skeptical voice came from behind him and Colin didn't need to turn around to know his younger brother was leant casually against the doorframe. He could almost imagine the questions in his eyes.

"Where is your sense of elegance, Den?" Colin asked, gesturing wildly to the machine in front of him. "Your sense of adventure? Anyone can use a time-turner. This is a time-machine."

Despite being two years younger, Dennis now stood nearly a head taller than Colin. He resisted the urge to look up at his younger brother as he came to a stop alongside him. He'd grown into a fine young man, though time had mellowed Dennis' enthusiasm where it had only enhanced Colin's. He had turned out rather a lot like their father, actually.

"This," Dennis told him, gesturing mockingly, "is a death trap. How do you even know it will work? As opposed to blowing up in your face."

Colin scoffed in dismissal, bounding towards his masterpiece. "Because, dear brother, HG Wells had only science and the Ministry has only magic. I have employed a mixture of both. We shall travel in comfort and style."

Dennis made an unconvinced noise and folded his arms, but came no closer. "I wouldn't be counting on the 'we' there, brother."

Colin looked up from the knobs and dials he had been setting. Some of the lights had begun to flash and a low whirring sound had started to emanate from the golden disc, though it wasn't yet moving. "What, have you changed your mind now? You aren't coming with me?"

Dennis looked away uncomfortably, as if shattering the plans of a lifetime was at least a little difficult for him. "Someone needs to pull you from the burning wreckage when this thing explodes," he joked weakly, "or at least explain to Mother what happened when you don't come back."

Like Father.

The words hung unspoken in the air between them and for a long moment, they said nothing, until: "I'm planning on coming back, you know."

It was spoken quietly, his eyes beseeching, begging Dennis to look past the obvious counter to that sentence — their father had planned to come back too.

Dennis held his gaze for a beat. Long enough that Colin knew he had thought it too, that he didn't really believe Colin would come back. He strode forward though and clasped him in a strong hug.

"I know," Dennis whispered into his shoulder.

It was heartbreaking; he sounded like the eight-year-old boy who had lost his father again, but as Dennis stepped back with a nod, Colin steeled his nerve. If he didn't now, he never would. So, wand in hand, Colin cast the spell and pressed the lever. The lights flashed, the disc started to spin and the world began to fade.

"I love you, Den."

X

Time-travel really wasn't as exhilarating as Colin had expected it to be. There was no wind or thundering noise, no feeling of falling or kaleidoscopic tunnel to travel through with holographic clocks and significant world events flashing past.

No, as he cast the various charms to transport him through time, the world around him simply began to fade. If anything, it seemed to take on a strange hue, some sort of cross between sepia and sunset. Coral, Colin decided as he stared as an unmoving Dennis began to fade into nothingness; the world had gone coral-coloured.

He tried to focus; time-travel was not a mindless endeavour. You could set all the dials and say all the right words, but it was delicate magic and delicate magic was often influenced by your thoughts and feelings. So he thought long and hard about his desire to meet the famous author who had started this journey back in the 19th century, but his emotions were still reeling from his conversation with Dennis and so, as new scenery began to take shape in this coral-coloured world, it was not the tidy 19th century drawing room he had expected but rather a dark wood on a cold night.

There was no thud of landing, but it was almost as if his ears had been stuffed with cotton wool and as the world lost its rosy hue and became solid once more, the cotton wool was removed and his ears popped. Colin looked around, not understanding at first. The trees were tall with few branches until high up in the canopy, but in the dark, they looked ominous and silent. Cautiously, Colin rose from the seat and stepped onto the forest floor. He had no idea where he was, or when he was, but after a moment, all that didn't matter. Suddenly, lights flashed through the trees, almost blinding Colin, and he heard tyres squealing, followed quickly by a sickening crunch of metal against wood.

Without thinking, he took off towards the noise and emerged from the treeline on a darkened road. To his left, Colin could see the blaring red tail-lights of a car speeding away and within a second, they had disappeared around a bend. To his right, a car with a large dent in the driver's side showed where it had been hit by the other driver and the passenger side was wrapped around the treeline. He ran towards it, wand out and lit without even thinking about it, but as he started to notice the details, Colin went cold.

It was a 1991 Nissan Turbo, white and brown. His father's car. Mindless time-travel was dangerous, and that he had ended up here was simply proof of that fact. This was it. The night he died.

Blind with tears and terror, Colin ripped off the door. There was blood everywhere, glass littered the seats and the dashboard, but as he looked, he recognised the man he hadn't seen in nearly twenty years.

His father was still gripping the wheel, glass shards sticking in his hands, but his head was lolled back to the side. He was breathing though, shallowly, and without thinking, Colin unclicked the seatbelt and hauled his father from the car. The suit he had always prized himself on wearing, the importance of being smart and presentable at all times, was ripped and bloodied. He laid him on the ground carefully, fumbling for his wand that had been discarded on the tarmac, but even he knew that at this point, there was nothing he could do to save him.

"C-Colin."

His heart seized in his chest as Colin looked up from the mangled body of his father to the slightly open eyes. His lips were trembling, but he frowned, the barest wrinkling of his brow as if that was all his body could manage. "No. You're t-too b-big. M-my boys. My poor boys. They won't know."

Colin could barely breathe past the lump in his throat and the tears burning in his eyes, but he managed to speak. "They won't know what?"

Time almost seemed to pause. His father took a deep breath, his eyes opened a bit wider and with a moment of clarity, he spoke stronger than he should have been able to. "That I love them."

The tears that he had been holding back flowed forth and as his father passed on before him, Colin screwed up his eyes, unable to watch. He didn't know how long he had been kneeling there on the road, but his ears picked up the distant sounds of sirens. He knew he couldn't be found here, there would be too many questions, but he couldn't leave him like that. His father would die before being seen in such a state. Colin felt hysterics building up in him at such an inappropriate joke.

As they grew louder and drew closer, Colin reached out and gently fixed his father's tie into place before standing up and backing away. Before he could lose his nerve again, he turned away from the scene and half ran, half stumbled back to the Time Machine. He didn't bother with the dials or the pomp this time, going straight for the lever and casting the charms that would take him home.

X

He didn't admire the transition this time as the world turned coral and became muffled. As the wood around him disappeared and was replaced by the familiar surroundings of his workshop.

Dennis appeared in the doorway, relief and concern painted across his features and Colin made a strangled noise at the sight of his brother. On shaky legs, he stumbled off the small platform, his knees buckling beneath him, but Dennis was there to catch him.

"Colin? What happened? Are you alright?"

"Den," he gasped, his eyes wide. "I know why Father wasn't in his car."

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Much Love, MaryandMerlin x