AN: Ok I borrowed from a couple of authors for this chapter. The opening scene is kinda Ender's Game inspired while the latter one is a tribute to Nonjon's story Brown coat Green eyes. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed!
Movie review: I could never be your woman: Not bad but all in all don't waste your money. That's really all I have to say about that one.
Chapter Eight
Zero G
Even as far back as the earth-that-was early astronauts learned of the perils of space. The vacuum of space, radiation from solar flares, extreme cold, and weightless-ness were just a few of the problems they encountered. Weightless-ness came as a surprise to some, but it was soon realized that over time the lack of weight caused one's bones to weaken. So much so that it became dangerous to be in space for an extended period of time. Artificial gravity eventually took care of this problem, but there was still a strange difference between being on a ship and being planet-side. It was comparable to walking on one planet to walking on another. It just wasn't the same, and for some after a while it could become too much to take.
As River happily floated upside down in the cargo bay she considered this. She considered space-dementia and she considered how the effects of space could be hazardous on one's health mentally and physically. She giggled as her long black hair gently swayed back and forth below her… or above her, she considered that Simon didn't look like he was holding up well.
"River! Please! Kaylee will have the artificial gravity back on in a moment! You must come down!" He tried to make his voice commanding but it was little more than a whimper as he held on to the frame of the hatch he was at which led back towards the main part of the ship. Harry and Mal were peaking around Simon.
"Doc, I wouldn't worry too much. Kaylee will give us a warning before we need to get her down." Mal assured with a comforting grin…well goofy would be more accurate. Harry didn't look like he minded the zero g, but he did seem worried about River, and River?
"Oh god! I forgot about River!" Harry exclaimed panicked. Mal and Simon both looked at him askance. He was here cause of River…
"You crackin' Harry?" Mal asked nervously. Harry shook his head negatively.
"Look!" Harry pointed just beyond River to a little black dog happily twirling in zero g.
"Oh! River!" Mal exclaimed. "Yeah I see now… pretty irresponsible of you if you ask me." Mal said with a smirk. Harry scowled before calling out to the pup.
"River! Are you ok?" He was answered by a giggle and a bark.
"Which one barked do you think? Mal asked. Simon and Harry glared at him.
"Oh! Ok! All shiny! Grav should be on in a sec!" Kaylee's cheerful voice rang out over the intercom. The three men shared a look of horror. Mal and Harry quickly sprung into action immediately after, leaving the space sick and terrified doctor behind. Pushing off with a hard jump Harry headed straight for the ceiling. Mal, however, flung himself in the direction of the closest com link.
Once Harry was close to the ceiling he bent down hard causing his body to flip allowing his feet to take the landing rather than his face. Not even allowing himself to get situated he pushed off again towards the two Rivers who were happily oblivious to all around them. Luckily River had grabbed the small pup to pet and play with allowing Harry to simply grab her when he reached them.
Mal had underestimated the amount of strength he would need to push off in order to reach the com, so it took him most of this time to get there as he floated somewhat slowly in comparison to Harry. Once he could grab the damn thing he already started to feel the affect of the artificial gravity.
"Kaylee kill the gravity or were gonna have to scarp Harry and River off the cargo floor!" Mal's voice startled the mechanic who was still floating near her handiwork.
"Uh oh!" She whimpered wondering what the hell was going on. Grabbing the com she asked back, "Should I smash her Cap'n?"
Mal rolled his eyes. "Just get it off!"
Kaylee nodded nervously before reaching into the engine…
Harry sighed as he wrapped his arms around River securely. Now he just needed another point to push off from and they'd be on the ground. Just then the gravity kicked in full power. 'Well, we'll be on the ground.' Harry thought. The speed they were going (about 28 meters a second) and the distance they had to travel (just less then 28 meters) made Harry sure that they would probably live, but as he positioned himself to take the blow for River and the pup…'Maybe I should make peace with my dear and fluffy lord.' Harry thought. They were going to smash into the metal. His spine was going to bend in half before cracking.
"GO-SEEEE!" Harry screamed just before…
"GOT IT!" Kaylee's nervous yet relieved voice floated over the com from the engine room.
Harry decided to open his eyes and peek around. They were less than a foot off the ground. River had her head turned so she could look down at him. She began to giggle at the expression on his face, and after a moment Harry laughed out of relief.
Mal and Simon both looked like they wanted to vomit, but seeing as zero g was back both held it in.
"Kaylee? What happened to givin' us a warning?" Mal asked still trying to get his heart to slow down. There was a moment of silence before…
"I did too warn you!" Kaylee's voice had a slight tremble in it. Obviously she was trying to remember her warning.
"When?" Mal asked.
"I said, "Grav should be back on in a sex." Mal frowned.
"You said what." Silence. "Kaylee we're ok. Just get the gravity back on, will ya?" Mal shut off the com before blowing out a breath. A moment latter he felt the gravity kick in and he was sitting on the floor, happy to feel the weight of the world back on his shoulders. He looked up to see Harry grunt as River's weight and the foot fall onto metal add up to be an uncomfortable experience. River had yet to stop giggling, but she seemed to take sympathy on Harry as she climbed onto her knees so her weight was no longer suffocating Harry. The pup barked once before taking off to god knows where. Simon frowned from his spot at the top of the catwalk. River wouldn't realize it, and Harry was too distressed to notice, but she was straddling him in a slightly more familiar way then a big brother could appreciate.
River must have picked up on Simon's stray thought because she poked her tongue out at him before leaning her face down, inches from Harry's.
"My hero." She whispered before planting her lips on his. Harry's eyes widened in shock as the soft lips touched his own. He felt a numbing pleasure go through his body.
Mal smiled at the site 'till he saw the expression on Simon's face. 'Boy's gonna have a stroke.' Walking quickly over to the couple Mal lifted River off of Harry easily enough, though she gave a pout. Harry, of course, was still comatose much to their shared amusement.
"Sorry lil' albatross but your big brother looks fit to have an embolism." River's pout went away as she took in the surprised frown on Simon's face.
"Simon takes so much looking after." She sighed with a smile. Mal smiled as well.
"Help?" Harry asked through a wheezed out breath. Mal shook his head.
"Oh! Right there Harry." Mal grabbed onto Harry's outstretched hand and hauled the boy to his feet. "You ok?" Mal asked concerned as Harry moved a bit stiffly.
"Swell." Harry replied.
"You're swelling?" River asked. Mal rolled his eyes. "Bruised torso…" River mumbled. Harry grunted in agreement.
"Ow."
Later when everyone was gathered around the dining table for dinner Mal decided to recount the tale to the whole crew. Of course as it was at the expense of Simon, Kaylee, Harry and River only Zoe, Jayne, Inara and River could enjoy the story.
"So Harry says, "Ow." Jayne burst into laughter with a sniggering River, Zoe and Inara, though Inara did try to appear disapproving.
"Mal that's horrible. Harry you were very brave." Inara complemented the blushing Harry.
"Yes, Harry falling out of the sky was very brave." Zoe jibed well naturedly. Harry shrugged and decided to dig into his food.
"Seemed like a plan at the time." Just about everyone burst into laughter at his withering reply.
Simon looked at Harry with his stern older brother glare. "Still I wish you had let me check you out to make sure you haven't cracked your spine." Harry shrugged. He couldn't exactly explain he could 'fix' himself simply by concentrating.
"Just stiff really, Simon." Harry said placatingly. River looked at him with a knowing look.
"He's a proficient healer Simon. He received top NEWT marks." River said proudly. Mal looked at her sideways. Simon sighed but seeing the understanding in Harry's eyes he felt an unusual surge of uneasiness at River's ramblings.
"Harry…?" Simon began unsure of how to ask. "You understand what River is saying… don't you?" Everyone held their breath for the reply… everyone except Jayne who continued to eat noisily.
"Yes." Harry replied sadly. River nodded. Of course he understood.
"We went to the same school!" River said as though it was obvious, and to her it was. "Same grade, same year, same house… same, same, same…" She said cheerfully. " Harry flinched.
"You mean the academy?" Mal asked seeing the dead look in Harry's eyes. He nodded yes while River nodded no. They shared a confused look, which seemed sorely out of place on River's features to the rest of the crew.
"It's Hogwarts!" River said to Harry as though trying to get him to remember. Harry squirmed as the crew looked at him for confirmation. "Hogwarts was our place!" River explained. "They couldn't get me at Hogwarts."
"You'll think I've lost it." Harry said nervously. Jayne shrugged.
"Too late." Zoe slapped Jayne's arm before looking back at Harry.
"It's not your fault what they did to you Harry. You should try and let us help you." Zoe said compassionately. Inara nodded in agreement.
"Talking about it can help significantly." Harry sighed.
"Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry is the name of the 'school." He said bitterly. "Best I can figure so far… they had River and I-"
"Me and River." River corrected with a nod.
"Thanks Hermione. So they had…" Harry stopped mid-sentence realizing what he'd said. Turning to River he could see his words had no effect on her. In fact she seemed pleased he had remembered to thank her for her correction. The crew just watched wondering what in gorram hell was goin' on?
"What in gorram hell is goin' on?" Mal asked confused. Harry looked up in frustration.
"Just try, Harry." Simon said caringly. Harry sighed nodding.
"The Alliance had a program or something…" Harry shook his head. "I lived my entire life… the last seven years or so at Hogwarts on the earth that was in the twentieth century." Silence.
"Try harder, Harry." Mal coaxed. Harry growled.
"How? I don't have a bloody clue myself, and I am supposed to explain it to you!?" Harry rubbed his hand through his hair in frustration. Mal looked guilty but still gave a gentle shooing motion with his hand to get him talking.
"They had my brain believing I was in another world. It was all fake of course, but there were elements of truth. River was one of those parts. Except in my- our dream. Her name was Hermione Granger."
"Hermione Jane Granger." River piped in while picking at her food.
"Right." Harry sighed. "But there have been other parts that have been true as well…" Mal gave another shooing motion, but River answered.
"Healer, altering appearance… magic. Physics dictate the impossibility…" She laughed a little. Everyone looked between River and Harry trying to see if what she had said was true… or at least whether or not Harry believed it to be true. Harry sighed.
"I told you you'd think I was nuts." Harry looked down at his plate.
"Huh." Mal grunted.
"Yeah." Zoe agreed.
"What kina magic!?" Kaylee asked excitedly. Harry looked up sharply.
"You believe me?" Harry asked incredulously. Kaylee shrugged like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"The things River does, and knows… Sides we all saw you change as simple as breathing." Kaylee's eyes were bright as she leaned forward to ask again. "What kina magic!?" Harry looked doubtfully around the table, and while most of the crew still looked skeptical (Simon especially) they all looked willing to believe it possible.
"Wanna see?" Harry asked sheepishly.
"YEAH!" Jayne cheered before looking uncomfortable under the stares he got. "I mean… magic ain't real… right Mal?" He asked nervously. Mal nodded to Harry.
"Guess we'll see. What can you do Harry?" Mal asked not unkindly. Harry shrugged.
"In the other world I could do all sorts of stuff, but I had a wand. Since I've come to I've been able to change things into other stuff… I think they call it transfiguration." Harry said. River nodded.
"Why don't you try?" Simon asked with an odd glint. If Harry could do what he said then there was far more hope for River if not… He didn't want to think about what that would mean for River or Harry. Harry looked around the table.
"What should I change?" Mal tossed him a roll from across the table.
"How 'bout you make some dessert?" He asked. Harry nodded after catching the roll.
'Dessert…ok I can do this.' He thought to himself staring intently at the roll. Slowly it flattened out a bit before becoming wider and circular. Finally a hole emerged in the center of the circle. Next he darkened the bread until it was a dark brown. He was so immersed in his work he hadn't noticed everyone's wide open stares of amazement. Finally he took the salt shaker but as he shook the salt onto it the grains turned into sprinkles as they stuck to the now chocolate, sprinkled donut.
"Jing tsai!" Simon exclaimed. Harry carefully placed the donut on an empty plate in the center of table.
"Anyone want to try it?" Mal asked nervously. Surprisingly Simon reached forward and broke off a piece. He swallowed nervously once before popping the cake in his mouth and…
"Mmmm. Jung tsai…" Simon repeated. "That's amazing!" Harry would help heal River.
Everyone took Simon's excitement at face value and assumed it was a really good donut and within a second the crew of seven were munching on piece of donut.
"I can't remember the last time we had something that good on board." Mal said wistfully.
"Not sense Book was still here." Jayne said sadly. The crew nodded in agreement. Jayne turned to Harry. "Think you can turn the rest of that fei-oo in the kitchen into some good grub?" Harry shrugged.
"Guess so?" He looked at Mal.
"By all means, Harry." Mal said with a smile. "Protein flavored protein can get old."
"Any requests?" Harry asked. Kaylee squealed raising her hand.
"Strawberries!"
Soon just about everyone had named three foods they wanted. Harry was wondering if he'd even have the energy to do all that. After another half hour of joking around the dining table most of the crew had headed back to their bunks. Harry stayed to help with the dished and to Mal's amusement River volunteered to help. Mal was surprised though when Simon nodded and simply headed off towards the infirmary. The ship was starting to feel like a home again. It felt like nothing could touch their world. How wrong he was…
To be continued.
An: K I know this chap didn't really go anywhere but I thought it was fun. Thanks for the reviews. More soon. Next chapter we'll have a flashback of River in the program and Harry has a subliminal message.
