A/N: long chapter, but I promised the Department of Technomagical Integraton. Also, hints about Cedric's relationship with Harry, and toys, toys, toys. Meet Draco's girlfriend (*gasp* she's a Muggle!). Oh, yeah...and a sackfull of galleons, too!
Please see previous disclaimer.
Chapter Eleven
The next few minutes passed in a haze for Cedric. In his defense, he had been pulled into the future by an extremely complicated spell, given a crash course in catch-up history and 'current events', found out that his (still underage, although very aggressive and 'I don't care, I love you now, I don't want to wait' despite Cedric's continued insistence on just light snogging) boyfriend had not only defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named but been sent to Azkaban, released, united the three Deathly Hollows, fought his own successful war against international terrorism AND his mother country both muggle and magical and was now threatening to perform an extremely destructive Dark ritual that would (a) bring he, Cedric Diggory back from the dead but unfortunately destroying large chunks of the planet assuming that (b) the United States of America and their NATO allies, supported by most of the nations in the northern hemisphere didn't rain nuclear warheads on said boyfriend's head…and most of England and Scotland in the process.
Cedric was feeling just a bit overwhelmed.
As Surak said: "The cause was sufficient."
Just to make things even more grand and lovely, Cedric wasn't going to be able to do anything at all to stop his (future? past? current?) boyfriend from performing said Dark ritual, etc. etc. because in less than an hour, he would go back to…whence he had come. Back to a graveyard where he had been killed (KILLED!!!!), leaving his (still underage, etc., etc.) boyfriend to face a resurrected Dark Lord and his minions alone…then to return to Hogwarts with his, Cedric's body, only to be accused of his, Cedric's murder.
Cedric snickered. Then, he snickered again. Then, without any warning, he burst out in a combination of laughing, screaming and crying, all at once. He felt himself crumple to the floor, but didn't really care enough to stop.
Dimly, he thought he heard Justin Finch-Fletchley's voice. "Well, that's done it, he's gone mental. I told you this would happen. Merlin knows I would have, in his place."
A wave of enforced calmness washed over Cedric, but he pushed it aside with the absurdity of the situation. A second wave, much more powerful then struck him, leaving him gasping and coughing, curled into a fetal ball.
Draco Malfoy's rasping voice somehow penetrated. "Merlin's beard, help me with him!" Cedric felt a strong hand, then others grab him and sit him up. From somewhere, a moist rag appeared, and he wiped his face gratefully.
"Thanks. I guess I just…lost it, there for a minute."
"Obviously," Malfoy drawled. "Now, if you've finished with your Hufflepuff moment, could we get on with it?"
The Slytherin's insult to his house provoked an automatic reaction from Cedric, who looked up angrily. Then, noticing Draco's half-smile, he realized just what Malfoy had done.
"Good one, Malfoy. It's nice to see that your tongue is as sharp as ever."
"Always and forever, my dear lad, always and forever." He extended his hand, and Cedric took it, pulling himself to his feet. Looking around, he dusted himself off and looked around apologetically.
"Sorry about that…." He didn't continue, but he did see that almost everyone seemed to understand.
"Now…I can't stop Harry right now, because I go back in an hour or less, correct?" Cedric looked around as heads nodded. Hermione looked as if she might say something but, mercifully, did not.
"Well, I can't imagine a Slytherin like Draco Malfoy," he indicated the scarred man with a tilt of his head, "being a part of this without a plan that ensures his own success." He was rewarded with Draco's nod of acknowledgement. "So…might I ask just what that plan might be?"
Cedric looked at Draco, and was not surprised when Draco answered him. "Quite simple, actually…we're going to let you go back…and change history."
"Well, alright then," Cedric said.
He was extremely please with himself for not convulsing with hysterics again, but that was probably just the calming charm.
"So…I'm just to go back and change history? Isn't that…against some law of time, or something?" Cedric scratched his head and tried to remember…hadn't this been covered in Professor Vector's class, something about temporal paradoxes and time travel?
"Well, yes and no," Hermione Granger spoke softly. "Usually, yes, it would be a horrible mess, creating all manner of paradoxes and such, but because of the way we managed to bring you here, it shouldn't be a problem."
"It helps that you're dead, actually," Neville said flatly. Then, realizing what he had just said, he blushed. "Sorry, didn't mean it like that."
Cedric waved it off with a small smile. "I know. As long as it helps. What about going back? You said I was killed by the Avada Kedavra? How am I supposed to survive it? I'm not Harry Potter, you know." His attempts at humor brought out a few small chuckles.
"That will actually be one of the most difficult things, actually. We don't have any way to defeat the AK, but it can be blocked. We're hoping that the temporal flux your transport created will be enough to shield you, but…." Hermione shrugged.
"One word, Cedric: duck." Justin smirked at him.
"That I can do," Cedric smiled back.
"Next, we've prepared a few supplies for you to take back with you." Ignoring Draco's and Justin's snorts, Hermione continued. Reaching into her robe she pulled out a small dark object about the size of a pack of a matchbox. "This is actually not yours, this is…for Harry. You can tell them apart by the initials on the cover." At Cedric's puzzled look, she smiled. "Yes, we've got some presents for Harry, too. You didn't think we'd just send you back empty handed now, did you?"
"Actually, I rather thought that knowing what I know…." Cedric trailed off without finishing the thought. Knowing what he now knew, and not being dead, he'd be able to...do what, he didn't know, except that it involved keeping Harry safe and out of Azkaban. Oh, and from becoming a Dark Lord along the way.
"You thought that just knowing what would happen would be enough to change history? Hardly."
"Not bloody likely."
Draco and Neville snorted together, then looked at each other.
Hermione gave them both a repressing look. "Actually, we can't be totally certain that you'll be able to effect any change in the time stream at all. There are a number of conflicting theories as to what will occur when the spell which brought you forward is reversed. It's possible that you'll be killed to preserve the integrity of the time line, in which case this has all been a waste of time and effort. Alternatively, and just as likely, you will survive going back, in which case your mere presence there—having been here—will be sufficient in and of itself to split another time line off from this one."
"It's also possible that, the moment you go back, this time line will cease to exist," Draco finished, then shrugged at Cedric's horrified look. "Oh, don't look so shocked, Diggory. It's a possibility that we've all been aware of for months now. With few exceptions," and here he looked fondly at the young woman sitting beside him, "this time line has nothing to recommend it. If you can make a better one, then good riddance, I say!"
"Here, here," Justin joined in.
Cedric sat in the silence that followed for a few moments, then spoke softly. "Is it that bad? Here and now, I mean?"
"Not at the moment, no," Susan Bones said softly. "Most of magical Britain has been spared the worst excesses of the last few years, until now. What we're afraid of is what will happen if Harry isn't stopped."
"It's a question of probabilities, isn't it, old man? In one case, Harry is stopped, but large bits of England and Scotland are burned with nuclear fire. The other nations are dead serious about this," Neville said. "I've seen the plans they're making to stop Harry. It's basically a foregone conclusion that conventional forces don't stand a chance against him, even with the best magical aid that the United States and NATO can provide. Oh, they'll try, of course, for forms sake…but the only plans with a significant chance of success include not one, but several strategic nuclear strikes at Harry's most probable locations, all timed to hit simultaneously to maximize the chances of catching him unawares." He shrugged. "Even assuming that they succeed, there won't be much left of Merry Olde England, I'm afraid."
"That's not the end of it," said another tall man who had joined the group while Neville was talking. His accent marked him as American even before he introduced himself. "Tom Blevins, Mage Consultant, Pentagon," he said briskly. "Our best estimates only give us a ninety-odd percent chance of success against Potter. I've been asked to put together a set of back-up plans, in case Potter's magic somehow manages to let him survive. Those scenarios tend to be…not very pretty," he finished with a shake of his head.
Cedric's eyes went wide in his head. He could just imagine…. Harry's temper was something fierce and awesome as a fourteen year old, he could attest to that. As an adult, after an attack like that? There would literally be no end to his anger…or his revenge.
He shook himself, and looked the American in the eye. "Well, then…I'll just have to be sure that Harry never goes down that path, now won't I?"
Blevins gave him a cold stare back. "I certainly hope so, Mr. Diggory. It will be your responsibility to keep Mr. Potter from this course of action…by any means necessary." His voice was absolutely cold as he finished.
Cedric felt his anger rise against the calming charm. "I don't like what you're implying, sir. I won't use 'any means necessary' on Harry…because I won't have to!"
"I don't think you understand just how serious this situation is, Mr. Diggory! The President and the Joint Chiefs are ready to drop the hammer on Potter right now, and the only thing stopping them is the hope that this little group of magicians can pull off a miracle before…."
"Enough," Neville's parade ground voice was back. "That's enough, both of you. Mr. Blevins, you've made your point. Cedric, you need to understand just how seriously we are taking this attempt. We Can…Not…Afford…To…Fail! Do you understand?" Longbottom pounded his fist into his hand for emphasis as he spoke.
Cedric nodded dumbly. Once again he felt the cheering charm that someone had cast on him buoy his emotions. He was beginning to see the enormity of what this group of people had done. When he considered just how much was riding on their efforts, the audacity of it all—it was absolutely staggering!
"So…I'll just have to make sure that I don't fail, won't I?" Cedric set himself, then continued. "Hermione, I believe that you had something to show me?"
Dame Granger-Weasley looked relieved that the conversation had turned back to a more productive track. "Yes, Cedric, and thank you. First of all, I apologize for not having more time to familiarize you with the equipment we're going to be giving you, but there are a set of instructions in each pack. This," she said, holding up the small object she had previously shown him, "is a miniaturized wizard's trunk that holds most of what we'll be providing you…and Harry, of course."
"Of course," Cedric agreed, smiling. "Thank you for thinking of Harry, by the way. I'd hate to come back from the future without something for him."
Hermione's smile lit up her face. "Oh, we couldn't do that! As I was saying, this is actually for Harry, and is basically identical to the one we'll be giving you here shortly. Among other things, each trunk has nine components, all wizarding space. One of the first things that you and Harry need to do is to adjust the wards on them so that only you two and no one else--no matter how much my former self complains, do you understand?--can open them." She cocked her head to one side and added wryly, "I suppose that also goes for Ron, as well. Now that I think about it, I wouldn't even tell Ron about Harry's trunk, other than that it's new. I love him dearly, but he always was terribly jealous of Harry."
Cedric nodded in understanding. While he didn't know the Weasley boy well, Harry had shared with him some of the issues that simmered between them. Of course, Harry had also known Cedric well enough to make Cedric promise not to have a little 'conversation' with said Weasley about his treatment of Harry, trading shamelessly on Cedric's Hufflepuff nature.
Hermione continued at Cedric's nod. "Each trunk has all of the standard spells, of course…security, shrinking, feather-light, levitation on command…but we've added an extra feature. Once the trunks are personalized to you and Harry, you can either shrink them back down like this," she held the small trunk up a bit more, "or, you can have it change so that it looks like a muggle suitcase…with wheels and an pull handle, no less!"
"That was my idea," Susan put in. "I thought that it might come in handy, if you and Harry are traveling in muggle areas."
Cedric nodded thoughtfully. He and Harry had indeed talked, once or twice, about traveling in the muggle world. There was just so much that he as a pureblood and Harry, raised by 'evil muggles', had never seen.
"There were some arguments about what to put into the trunks, Cedric." Neville spoke with authority. "Some wanted to fill them up with spell books," he rolled his eyes in Hermione's direction, "or potion components and cauldrons," another roll towards Draco, "or dragon hide battle armor, or exotic weapons, or muggle-adapted weapons…."
"I can still get you a dozen shoulder-launched missiles," the Pentagon man spoke up helpfully. Not knowing how to respond, Cedric just smiled weakly.
"In the end, there wasn't a lot that we wound up putting in the trunks, mostly because most of what we wanted to send back with you wouldn't travel well through time, even packed away in a wizard's trunk. So, we just put a large sack of galleons inside the first compartment of each trunk. Then, we went a little crazy." Hermione smiled and turned to a nondescript young man on the outskirts of the group. "Jonas, if you will?" She beckoned him over.
"Mr. Diggory, I'm Jonas Bartelby, Department of Technomagical Integration in the Ministry. How do you do?" the young man extended his hand, giving Cedric a brief, somewhat limp shake. "First, I need to ask…have you ever used a computer before?"
"Com…puter? No, I can't say that I have, sorry," Cedric replied.
Bartelby gave a small, poorly concealed sigh. "Well, at least we're not giving him a PC," he said, half to himself. Then he visibly gathered himself, took a deep breath, and pulled a charcoal gray object from the black bag at his side. Sliding it across the small table between them, he sat back, obviously waiting for Cedric to do something with it.
Confused, Cedric just looked at it. "That's a…computer, I believe you called it? What does it do?" He looked up expectantly, but made no move to touch it. After a moment Bartelby sighed, did something with his fingers along the front of the device and opened it, turning it to face the young man. Cedric found himself looking at a dark screen and what looked like the keyboard of a muggle typewriter. He couldn't be sure, as his only experience with such things had been while visiting an eccentric aunt with a fascination with muggle devices, but he did notice the rows of buttons, each with a letter or some other symbol painted on them.
"This is for all intents and purposes a Powerbook five forty cee," he heard Bartelby speaking to him. At his confused look, he smiled. "It's a kind of computer, a computational device similar to an abacus, only much more advanced." At Cedric's nod—like most other wizards, he was familiar with using an abacus to do sums—Bartelby continued.
"It was actually introduced by an American company in 1994, to great acclaim. We felt that it would be the best option for you to have, since it would actually fit in with the time period that you came from".
The Ministry man was interrupted by Susan Bones. "Don't worry, Ced…it's actually NOT a temporally accurate device, it just looks like one." She smiled as he saw his forehead begin to furrow in worry. "Oh, if anyone but you…or Harry…happens to get their hands on it, it will easily pass for the 'real' item, but we've made a few modifications inside to give you every advantage that we can."
"We stripped out the guts of the thing and replaced them with bleeding edge components, Mr. Diggory, sir." The man from the…Technomagical Integration Department, was that it?...continued as if Cedric actually was able to follow what he was saying. "It has a three point two gig quad-core processor with twelve megs of el-two catch, eight gigs of de-de-are three ram, and two one twenty eight gig solid state drives in raid zero configuration…not to mention a full gig of gee-de-de-are three video ram, a nineteen twenty by twelve hundred high rez screen and full wi-fi and blue tooth capabilities." He smiled at a now thoroughly confused Cedric Diggory as if he had just presented Cedric with a brand-new Firebolt.
Fortunately, Hufflepuff reflexes came into play, and Susan Bones reached out and took Cedric's hand. She squeezed gently in a gesture of support before translating for him out of futuristic geek-speak.
"What he means, Cedric, is that it's very powerful, more powerful and faster than anything else that you'll encounter when we return you." At his only slightly less puzzled look, she smiled. "You see, we wanted to send you back with every 'edge' that we could think of, and by now, we're all so used to using these muggle devices that…."
"…that we've built you the best modern toy that we could, and then made another one for you to give to Potter." Draco interrupted with a rasp. "Don't worry, Diggory, there's an instruction book in the bag and you'll catch on quickly. The important thing to know is that this computer," he waved to the device "is not just a glorified abacus. It also stores information that you can 'pull up' and study at your leisure. Sally, would you, please?" Draco's voice had been growing steadily rougher as he handed off his part of the presentation to the young lady at his side. Cedric noticed that she helped him drink from a silver flask she retrieved from one of Draco's inner pockets, and then replaced it before she turned to him. From the lack of reaction by the others, he deduced that this was not an uncommon thing for them to see.
"Mr. Diggory, I'm Sally Darrow-Wright, Earl Malfoy's personal assistant," she said. Ignoring Draco's 'harrumph' at her description of herself, she went on. "We've adjusted your Powerbooks—that's what these computers are called—so that they can travel through time inside the specially shielded bags that we've packed into your trunks. This," she gestured toward the unit on the table before him, "is a demonstration model, identical to those you'll find in the first compartment of the trunks."
"With the large sack of galleons?" Cedric asked, smiling. She was obviously muggle, and just as obviously more than just Malfoy's 'assistant'.
"Indeed." The young lady smiled back. "As you've been told, there is a detailed instruction book inside of each computer's carry bag, as well as a list of the contents of the hard discs, a sleeve of DVD's, and a pair of flash drives…."
"Just a moment. Hard disk? Dee vee, er, dees? Flashes?" Cedric interrupted.
"A part of the computer where data…information is stored, a muggle way of storing information on shiny silver saucer-like things, and…well, information storage that plugs into slots on the computer," Bartelby supplied.
"Cedric, what you need to know about the computer is in the instruction book. You and Harry will be able to figure it out, I'm sure." Hermione reassured him. "The really important thing to know is what we've packed onto those drives and discs."
Cedric could recognize a cue when he heard one. "Oh?"
A/N: Next Chapter: What's on the discs, the problem of blood wards...and how Hermione REALLY feels about Dumbledore.
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