An Unfortunate Miracle: Part III

Chapter Three

Temptation

Author's Note: I had trouble coming up with a chapter title for this because it's so short. Also, sorry about the delay. I hope to make up for both the shortness and the delay on Christmas (see end note). Also, the flight lengths are probably a bit off, because Ivy's plane originally stopped in Memphis, Tennessee. But I had to change it to Milwaukee, Wisconsin because of the next chapter, and I couldn't find any real flights online that had a connecting flight there. So forgive my laziness.

Okay, I'm seriously considering changing the rating to M (mature) for this story. Several later chapters I feel really don't fit into the T rating category because of character death (nothing that wasn't in book seven) and some steamy bits. I want to know what you all think, whether I should change the overall rating or just put warnings in the beginnings of the chapters. I'm leaning towards the individual warnings, because the automatic settings on only list stories that go as high as T. The only problem with that is one chapter event I don't want to warn you about, because you'll figure it out, and I want said event to be as unexpected as possible. Yeah, so let me know what you think! And I will tell you in advance if I decide to change the overall rating to M!

Did anyone go to the Order of the Phoenix premiere in London?! I'm having a lot of trouble with chapter six, when Ivy and Kailee go to the premiere. I really can't find many details about it, like how they decorated Leicester Square (I've only found pictures of celebrities and fans), what times celebrities arrived, when they screened the movie, stuff like that. I'd really appreciate any info anyone can give me!

StarsInTheSky123: Hehehe. Laziness is great, isn't it? Thanks for the review!

Vixen Hood: I've probably said it before (and I'm pretty sure I did), but I don't really like Justin either. I liked him when I first wrote him, but then...not so much. Not sure when that happened. Oh well.

xXNightmareGoddessXx: I have to plan things out that much so I know where the plot is ultimately going. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll get bored and not finish, which has happened many times before. Yay Burger King! But they're discontinuing my favorite chicken sandwich (the Italian Chicken) for the Firecracker Tendercrisp or Tendergrill (I forget which, probably Tendercrisp). Anyway, I'm not saying a word about the last part of your review. As my buddy Kaylin will tell you once I've finished this story, just because I won't say a word, doesn't mean you're right, or wrong. It just means I don't want to tell you. I don't promote spoilers, just heavy foreshadowing. Hehehe.

Clover, Scott, and I stood near the security checkpoint at Los Angeles International Airport. Justin and I had agreed to remain friends, and he was not going back to Australia. Instead, he was going to stay with Scott in our parents house, both so he had a place to stay and so he could help keep an eye on Scott. He was at a job interview (for what job, he hadn't said) and couldn't come to see me off, but we had already said our goodbyes.

"You better take care of him," I told Clover as I hugged her. "If you don't, I'll hex you. I can't get in trouble for hexing a Muggle here, you know."

"You know I will, don't be stupid," she said with a laugh. Then she turned slightly serious. "You better get Daniel Radcliffe's autograph for me if you can."

I laughed. I had told her yesterday that I was going to the London premiere of the fifth movie, and she was very jealous. "You said you were going to the L.A. premiere, why don't you just get it then?"

"What if none of them give autographs in L.A., but they do in London?"

I shook my head. "You get me James and Oliver Phelps, then, okay? And J. K. Rowling, if she's there." I turned to Scott. "Be careful," I warned. "Just because you can do underage magic here doesn't mean you can show off to Muggles." He rolled his eyes. "And I expect you to keep up with school so you can go back to Hogwarts when all this is over."

"Yeah, yeah, I will."

I stared at him for a moment. I had no idea when I would see him again, or if I ever would. I hugged him tightly. He was already taller than me. When did that happen? "I love you, Scott," I whispered.

He patted my back awkwardly. We rarely had moments like this. "Please be careful, Ivy," he said.

"I will." I pulled away and picked up my carry-on bag that only held my spell books. My Harry Potter books were back on my bookshelf at home.

"Oh yeah," said Clover suddenly, reaching into her purse. She pulled out an envelope and handed it to me. "Give that to George."

I looked at it. She had indeed scribbled "George" across the front. I looked at her suspiciously. "Why?"

"Don't worry, it's nothing about the books," she assured me. "Since I can't go with you, I just wanted to give him a warning that if he hurts you, I'll kill him."

I rolled my eyes. "I can take care of myself."

"I know, but it's my duty as your friend."

I laughed. "Whatever." I slipped the envelope into my bag. "I've got to get going," I said regretfully.

She nodded and hugged me again. "Be careful, Ivy."

I grinned at her and Scott as I pulled away. "Always," I said with a wink. "See you!" Then, before I could give in to the temptation to stay in America, I turned away and headed through security, hoping very much that I would see them both again.

The trip back to London was far less exciting than the one to Los Angeles. I was sitting in front of a woman with her six-month-old daughter who began fussing when the plane got high enough for the child's ear to pop, and didn't quit for three hours. I was amused for about half an hour by the fact that I was a victim of the over-used cliché of a crying baby on a too-long flight, until it began to get really annoying and I considered placing a Silencing Charm around my seat.

The plane landed in Milwaukee at a quarter to five their time, and I got on a connecting flight to London. This time I had to sit two seats to the right of a rather large businessman who fell asleep somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean and began snoring with enough volume that I was sure it was the reason a baby eight rows ahead began bawling soon after. I used the call button to summon a flight attendant and ask if she could do anything about the man, but she said she was sorry, that she couldn't do anything, and gave me a rather long speech about airline policy. I finally used a Silencing Charm on the man, and I made sure to remember to remove it when I noticed him waking as the plane began descending over the British Isles around nine o'clock.

Once I was off the plane, things went rather smoothly. I was through security and customs in a little less than an hour, with no trouble. Once I was outside the airport, I walked for a while until I found a deserted alleyway, where I Apparated to Aunt Becky's backyard. The yard was hidden from view by tall trees, providing a place for Apparition and condensed Quidditch matches that was safe from Muggle view.

I walked up to the back door, and before knocking, I gripped the doorknob and focused on the Potterverse. I watched as the last quarter moon overhead changed to a cute little crescent moon. It was a trick I had picked up a few weeks before when visiting Aunt Becky. Smiling to myself, I knocked on the door. There was silence, and I wondered for a moment if Aunt Becky wasn't home. I was about to knock again when I heard the door unlock and it swung open, revealing Lee, who looked slightly confused.

"Ivy!" he said, grinning. He stood aside to let me in, then closed the door and locked it again. "Mum went mad when she came home and saw you and Scott weren't here."

I winced inwardly. "Sorry. Is she really mad?"

He shrugged and made a little 'so-so' gesture with his hand. "She immediately went to the Order, and Lupin told her where you'd gone. I don't think she'll stop worrying until she sees you, but she's already gone to bed."

I nodded. Lee and Aunt Becky both knew about the Order of the Phoenix, and that I was in it. "I'll come back tomorrow morning on my way to see the twins, then," I said. "It's too late to see them now. I just wanted to let Aunt Becky know I was back and in one piece, since we forgot to leave a note for her."

"You got him there all right, then?"

"Yup," I nodded, shifting my bag slightly on my shoulder. "Nice and safe."

Author's Note: Like how I left the fact that Justin didn't tell her what job? Crazy, huh? I had ideas. It might not even mean anything, and it probably won't, but I wanted to keep it open, just in case I change my mind.

I've got Order of the Phoenix on DVD! YAY! Did everyone see Steve Vander Ark from the Harry Potter Lexicon on that one extra thing? I forget what it is, my friend took mine so he could watch it. I know it's in the bottom left corner of the main menu on disk two! I dunno why I'm so excited about this. Probably because I finally have a face to put to a name.

Sorry again about the shortness, but I hope this will make it up to you. As a Christmas present, I'll be putting up three to five chapters on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. I won't be in Iowa with my grandparents this holiday and will have an internet connection, so it all depends on how much I'm able to finish by then. It will be at least three chapters, but no more than five. Three is more likely, because I have final exams on December 17th - 21st, and I need to start cramming pretty soon. And you might even only get two chapters if I can't figure out chapter six (see above) by then. All the more reason to help me out in a review, yeah?

So, unless my laptop's AC adapter decides to completely die on me (the connection is really bad and goes out whenever I move it) before I can get a new one, you'll hear from me again in about a week and a half. See you then, and Happy Holidays!