Don't you love it when authors set dates for the next update (tomorrow, for instance) And then don't follow through. That is my attention span. Yes indeed. Two weeks later, but we can say this counts as tomorrow. Or that I am a time traveler and it has been only one day. In fact, I have no idea what you people are talking about. I updated only yesterday.
If I wrote Harry Potter, it never would have been finished.
Nessy took a deep breath, scraping desperately for time to make up a story.
"Well," She said...
And then a voice sounded behind her, the sweet sound of salvation from the thirty foot venomous cobras currently circling her feet. Or at least thats what you would have thought by the look on her face as Nessy swung around in her chair to see who had called her name.
Her head nearly clocked her savior's nose as she turned, only to freeze as she caught sight of the dust- colored robes at her eye level. Slowly, ever so slowly, she raised her gaze to meet the grey- brown eyes that she knew far to well in her opinion.
"Hiya Nessy" Fate said cheerfully.
"You!" she accused halfheartedly, still too grateful to muster her usual annoyance.
"Indeed, it is I!" exclaimed the boy with a sweeping bow "And I see your standard greeting has not changed."
"What are you doing here?"
To this Fate gave an amused but chiding look. The sort of look one would give to a kitten who misbehaved. "What do you think I'm doing here?" He moved his eyes to stare pointedly at the two boys, frozen in time.
"You froze them!" Exclaimed Nessy, budding anger in her voice.
"What? No,'Thanks a lot Fate' 'I'm so grateful Fate' 'Whew, good timing Fate' 'You're so handsome when you're saving my but Fate', or any of that? Just 'You froze them.' So much for gratitude."
"You didn't freeze Ms. Figg."
"I like to mix it up"
Nessy crossed her arms, her pride battered by Fate's banter. "Okay then, what do you want."
Fate put his hands up as a peace offering. "I just want to give you time to come up with a good cover, so you don't blow it"
"You thought I'd blow it?"
"What- No! Why do you have to get all defensive all the time?"
"Why do you have to pop into my business all the time?"
"Hey! You're the one who called me!"
"Say what?"
"Your thoughts were, and I quote "I need time, anyone, please, time."
It was a silence more complete than any Nessy had heard before. Nothing moved, everything caught up in either time, or the knowledge that someone had read their mind.
"Can you-" Nessy began.
"No" said Fate before she could finish, not the most reassuring thing considering the circumstances.
"But-"
"Drop it Nessy. I can't read minds. All I did was intercept a call for help. Be grateful. I don't answer everyones."
"So..." said Nessy, the wind lost from under her wings by a disturbing revelation.
"So, ideas for your father's profession." steered Fate, his annoying helpfulness returned.
"Right-" said Nessy awkwardly "Right, we should do that."
"It needs to be something that can't be traced." Fate tried again.
"Can't be many of those"
"Something to explain the amount of information he had, and subsequently give you a way to explain your wealth of top secret knowledge."
"Uh- Huh"
"Are you going to contribute, or shall I just tell you what to say?"
"No, no, I'm just thinking."
"Do you mind doing it out loud?"
"Why don't you just read my mind."
"Let's not start this again..."
"A spy."
Fate blinked. Such a small thing to surprise the great and wise Fate.
"Yes." he said carefully. "Yes, a spy would work very well. Henry Thrower. He peddle\ information. Talk to Dumbledore. Together, you could make him infamous. Who did he work for? Only the best. With that description you'll have the most powerful men in the country convincing each other he worked for them. Everyone will be Henry Thrower's confidant. And he will know all the secrets. Some he must have shared with you."
"He'll be a tribute to my old dad."
"And and inspiration to your new one" Fate spun excitedly on the spot. "Oh, this is brilliant! It even explains why you were anxious about talking to the boys about him!" He spun back to face her. "Come now! Sit back down. You've got to be in the exact same spot when I restart time or it'll look like you aparated."
Nessy lowered herself back into her seat at the table, pushing a tangled lock of hair behind her ear. She didn't even remember getting up from her seat in the first place.
"All right Nessy." Fate said "Three, two, one, and ta ta for now!"
And then he was gone, and the remainder of her family was sitting across from her, looking expectant.
She took a deep breath. "Well," She said, "It's like this."
The lie left her tongue in normal, if nervous, sentences. They hung believably in the air, with just the right amount of hesitation, of self consciousness, of hope they would believe her. And they did. Every word.
When she was done, she excused herself. She walked straight out of the portrait hole, and towards the gargoyle that hid the headmaster's office. Along the way, she only stopped once. In the girl's toilet, where she was sick into the basin. She wiped her mouth and looked at her reflection. She should have brushed her hair, before going to see the headmaster, but something told her he wouldn't care.
'But why?' she thought, as she continued on her way, 'Why did that story effect me so?' It wasn't as if she'd never lied to him. What child had never lied to her father? And then, as she reached the gargoyle a voice spoke, the small voice that speaks from the back of your head,, and never quite sounds like you. '
'You've replaced him'
And so she had. Her father was no longer Harry Potter, it was Henry Thrower, secretive spy. Harry Potter wasn't just dead anymore, he was gone from her. Gone from her name. Gone from her words. And gone from her eyes.
Bum bum bum!!! Hoped you liked it, Hope I get the next one up quicker, and hope you review. Wow, I really have a thing for repetition today.
