Chapter 1: An Honest Mistake
While Cassieopeia would forever declare "We blew up a time turner", Riley would in return forever consider their trip through time and space her fault. She was also ridiculously proud of that fact; as a descendant of generations of skilled wizards and witches, she liked being proud of originality rather than actual success.
It began with a walk through the woods. Riley led the way, her tall figure wrapped in her witch's robes but cut in two by the blue scarf wrapped around her waist in an attempt to highlight the hourglass shape of her figure. Her brown hair trailed wildly down her back, curling even more madly as she ruffled it uncomfortably and squinted her grey-green eyes up at the cloudy sky. Her general appearance was unusual; a hawkish nose, almond eyes, a rounded face. Not that it was easy to look at her as she hopped about the tree roots.
Cassieopeia was taking her time only slightly more than Riley and only because her shorter legs had a more difficult time with the tree roots. Cassieopeia was about the opposite of Riley in most ways; with long pretty blonde hair, a thin face and fox like nose, an evil grin with an adorable gap between the two front teeth. Her blue grey eyes reflected the sky and-when the mischievous smile fade—they rested in a very kind and pretty face.
"You know, if you could figure out that enlargement charm, we could do these things in a basement and I wouldn't have to give up on my dream of becoming the world's fattest woman." Riley complained, jumping around rather hyperactively.
"What do you mean?" Cassieopeia asked, glancing around for a meadow or pond or some other large space.
"I mean, we get a lot of exercise trudging out into the middle of nowhere all the time." Riley replied, throwing her hands in the air in mock despair. "Look at my robes! They're soaked!"
"That's because you insisted on wearing full Muggle clothes underneath them." Cassieopeia observed, changing course as she spotted a nice gap in the trees. She herself was wearing only her Muggle clothes, her robes remaining safely in her pack.
"I was cold." Riley sighed, glancing up at the unusually cloudy summer sky. "And I will be again, as soon as we stop… which we are... Have. Hurray!"
"You're a witch, Riley." Cassieopeia pointed out. "Build a fire."
"You think we're far enough from the Muggles?" Riley wondered. She pulled out her wand and frowned for a moment, trying to sense the spell that forbid underage wizards from performing magic in Muggle society; the American version of the trace. "Yep. And here's a campfire spot. How nice. Incendio."
"When you're warm and toasty again, mind giving me the time turner?" Cassieopeia asked, placing several other magical items in the middle of the clearing.
"What did you bring again?" Riley asked, pulling out the illegal item she'd stolen from her brother who'd bought it off an erstwhile cousin. "I remember your theory but…"
"I went for simple." Cassieopeia replied, pulling out a notebook and quill. "We want to see the past. Time turner for past. Crystal ball for seeing."
"Well, try it then. Though you still want something for location. " Riley said with a shrug, flicking her wand at the fire and making it spark dozens of strange colors. Her mind was preoccupied with her own ideas. "I doubt the history of a random field in Michigan is quite as interesting as the British Wizarding Wars." Riley made a violent slash with her wand, vanishing the smoke so that only fire remained. "And remember; I stole that thing from my brother and he still needs it to study for that test and he will—"
"I know, I know." Cassieopeia muttered. She returned to scowling from her notes to the two objects. "How were you going to combine the powers? I was thinking—"
"Hang on." Riley cut her off with a gesture and spoke several spells quickly, ending with "Cave Inimicum." She turned back to her friend, flick her long curly hair out of her face. "Concilio. Or Coeo Unisco."
"Hmmm…" Cassieopeia replied. "I was thinking Unose Ostendite."
Riley nodded. "More specific. I'd start with that. Accio Marshmallows. Oh, don't look at me like that. Do your experiment and let me do mine and you can have one of them." Riley caught the bag of marshmallows as it zoomed past. "Accio stick." She settled down to roast her marshmallows. Cassieopeia ignored her.
Cassieopeia began her experiment by pulling on her robe, knowing that experimental magic was likely to get messy and that her robe was the least favorite of the clothes she had with her. Pulling back her short blonde hair, she knelt down in front of the two magical items and frowned severely before placing the clear ball on top of the time turner and pronouncing her spell. The ball glittered but only showed a picture of the time turner. Cassieopeia rolled her eyes and spoke Riley's spells one by one, but the picture in the glass ball only went blank. Finally she took her ball and walked to the bright purple fire, where Riley was attempting to spell sticky marshmallow off her hands without getting it on her wand.
"Your turn."
"Watch the fire."
Riley pulled out an assortment of magical and nonmagical objects and began combining them with the time turner and a variety of spells. By the time the marshmallows were done roasting, the time-turner was spell-o-taped to a foe glass and sitting in the remains of Riley's previous attempt which included a pile of floo powder and dragon's blood.
"Did you simply bring every magical object you could think of?" Asked Cassieopeia.
"Forgot the Remembrall." Riley joked.
"And what was the floo powder supposed to do?" Cassieopeia asked.
"Magic." Riley replied, too busy making mental calculations to listen to the question.
"Haha." Cassieopeia said flatly. She popped a marshmallow in her mouth and frowned thoughtfully, placing the empty stick in the fire. "Put the crystal ball in place of the foe glass and picture something."
With steady steps, Cassieopeia moved the fire to the set up around the time turner, watching as Riley hurriedly added several spells to their protective nexus. When Riley gave her the nod, Cassieopeia blanked her mind and lowered the stick to the pile of floo powder.
Nothing happened.
The powder burned green, of course, but the time turner didn't seem affected and no picture of the past appeared. Riley groaned loudly.
"So much for seeing the war of You-Know-Who." She said, collapsing onto her back. The fire flickered but there was no change in the other objects.
"Well, we don't really know enough about time-turners:they're not exactly the ABCs." Cassieopeia pointed out. Riley grunted. "I can sense something happening though. Maybe all the spells you cast are blocking the picture?"
Riley, remaining flat on her back, raised her wand arm and commanded "Partis Temporus."
WUMP.
"What is that?" Cassieopeia asked nervously.
"It's coming from the time-turner?" Riley guessed. She looked nervously at the edge of the field where light was beginning to gather around the spot at which she'd pointed her wand.
WUMP. WUMP. WUMP.
"Oh, no. Oh, no." Riley said calmly, peering nervously into the giant hole in her shield. "I do not know the counterspell for my counterspell."
"Just do something!" Cassieopeia yelped as she pulled her wand, backing away from the swelling noise of the time turner.
"Easier said then... Oh!" Without a second thought, Riley dashed toward the middle of the field, scooped up the flaming time turner, and tossed it toward the glowing light.
For a second it disappeared.
Then the entire meadow exploded into purple fire.
When it cleared, Riley and Cassieopeia were gone, leaving behind only a large crater in the forest floor.