Authors' Note
Back so soon? Knew you couldn't keep away.
Again with the creepy thing. Are you trying to channel Cormac McLaggen?
How. Very. DARE. You.
Oh, I dare.
Hmph. Well, here it is. The long-awaited (2 hours and counting) second chapter.
Bloody hell, it's been a long road. Many moons have passed.
Many warriors have fallen.
Many cakes have been consumed. (Only one of these things is true.)
So sit back, grab your own leopard-print blanket cape, and dive in.
We hope you enjoy!
Chapter Two: The Part Where Ice-Cream Solves Everything
Ella wasn't sure how much time had passed, dropping in and out of consciousness with each dizzying spin, some invisible force dragging her along like a rag doll. Each time her and Addy met in a clash of limbs she tried to call out to the other girl, but nothing came out. In fact, there was nothing at all. No sound, no light, only the constant movement of their bodies and a faint prickling sensation beneath her skin. It was getting more and more painful, building towards some unknown crescendo. Soon, she felt like her entire body was crawling with fire ants, a thousand burning hot needles pricking her from every direction. Just as the sensation became unbearable there was a violent tug in the pit of her stomach, as if someone had thrown a grappling hook and was trying to reel them in. She heard Addy yell, the first sound to cut through the vacuum, before light exploded behind her eyes.
Before they knew it, they were soaring through the air, clutching desperately at each-other as they met the ground so forcefully Addy felt the jarring impact set her teeth chattering. Of course it was cobblestone. It couldn't be soft, plushy grass or warm sand, or even the ever-icy waters of the English coast (yes, even in summer). It just had to be stone.
Cold, hard stone.
The Romans really knew how to pave a bloody road.* Muttering angrily about ancient infrastructure, Addy wiggled her limbs to test for injuries. She was sore all over and knew that pretty soon she'd be sporting some boast-worthy bruises, but to her chagrin, nothing appeared to be broken.
'Plunged through a ceiling vortex and I still haven't managed to break so much as my little toe,' she said irritably, getting steadily to her feet and shaking out her achy limbs. 'I'll never get my cast signed.'
A weak cough, followed by a low groan to her left had her spinning around hastily.
'Arse, bloody tits. Ella, my God, your shoulder looks a right mess!'
The girl in question was so pallid in the faint moonlight, Addy was sure that Ella must have fainted again. But then familiar eyes met hers, a perfect match for the night sky above them. It was just beginning to lighten with the early hours of the morning and as Addy's eyes adjusted she could see the slight sheen of sweat covering Ella's skin. Tremors rocked through her body, each one met with a pained gasp when the movement shook the injured bone.
'Jesus. We need to get you to a hospital, now,' Addy said kneeling down next to her friend to assess the damage. Addy was not great with blood and seeing the streams of red rushing out of Ella like a particularly rusty water pipe had her reeling. She needed to act, soon.
Addy began looking around desperately for a phone box since neither of them had their mobiles on them (pointedly ignoring the fact that neither of them had any change either. She could cross that bridge when she came to it). It was only then that she fully took in her surroundings. If she was just going by what she could see, she would say they had stumbled onto a typical Victorian street, complete with dingy gas lighting and old wooden street signs hanging over the top-heavy shops. She half expected to see Fagin walk around the corner with the Artful Dodger in tow, trying to lift the wallet of some unsuspecting, top-hat wearing gentleman. No, no respectful gentleman would ever find himself down here, she thought with a frown. It was the type of place her dodgy Uncle Jay would hang out if he happened to be a destitute dandy in 1853. There was an air of grunge and decay to the place, mixing unpleasantly with the warmth of the summer breeze. But most importantly, there were no phone boxes. No one around to beg for help.
'I need to find somewhere to call an ambulance- ' Addy began.
'Just leave me, Ad. I'll be fine. Go get help' Ella interrupted, her voice hoarse but surprisingly strong.
'Are you kidding me? And leave you alone to get sucked into another portal-thing without me? No way pal. We're sticking together.' Addy replied stubbornly.
'Addy -'
'Nope. Not gonna happen.'
Ella let out an exasperated sigh as Addy bent down to help her slowly to her feet, shoulder twinging with each movement until she thought she might throw up on herself. Glancing down, she saw that her top was already stained red and brown from her bleeding injury and the spilt hot chocolate. Why not add a little vomit to the mix. Lovely.
'Don't think I don't see your game, wanting all the glory to yourself. I leave you here, you get found by a nice family who take you in, feed you delicious food. Before you know it, you're being interviewed on local radio about your daring sci-fi adventures. Suddenly you've got a talk show and a breakfast cereal named after you, all because I left you alone for five minutes to find a phone. You bloody fame-hog.' Addy huffed under the strain of holding her friend up, keeping Ella's arm in place around her shoulders.
Ella couldn't help the wheezing chuckle that left her at this, it was just so Addy. Stranded, with no idea where they were or what they were going to do, and there she was making jokes about cereal. Ella felt her heart clench in affection for her friend, before swearing colourfully as the laughter sent another wave of pain over her. They continued forward with shaky steps, until something caught her eye and she froze.
'Is that a shrunken head?!' She exclaimed, coiling back in revulsion as she gazed into the shop display.
'What? Where?' Addy replied, trying to follow Ella's gaze but finding her own attention suddenly riveted upon one of the shop signs. 'No. No way. No bloody way…'
Carved into the aged wood were the words 'Borgin & Burkes', with a much smaller '13B Knockturn Alley, London' beneath it.
'Sweet mother of biscuits… Ella!' Addy exclaimed, eyes never leaving the sign as she held up a shaking finger towards it, still not believing her eyes.
'What? What are you….' Ella heard her own intake of breath as she too stared at the sign. All of a sudden she was hyper-aware of the street around her: the Victorian architecture, the shrunken heads. The shop to their right selling poison candles. Oh. Oh. No. It couldn't be. Could it?
She was so caught up in her own sense of wonder and increasing panic, she almost didn't hear the cloaked figures as they approached. She turned to Addy and realised from the bug-eyed expression on her friend's face that she hadn't in fact heard them. Ella tugged Addy's sleepshirt as firmly as she could manage in her newly-dazed state, until green eyes met hers and a look of comprehension and fear dawned with the sound of the approaching footsteps. Yes, they needed help. But they couldn't just jump out at the first people they met, not now. Not until they were sure about what they were both thinking, sure that it all wasn't just some sick joke or a misguided attempt at a birthday present. (She wouldn't put it past some of their friends, not after the aubergine incident of '09.) Talk about conflicting emotions; she felt like someone had just walloped them round the head with a hammer and offered them their favourite food all at the same time.
'Quick, in here' Ella whispered softly, pulling at Addy who was still somewhat frozen. With a shake of her head, trying to clear the million thoughts whizzing through her mind, Addy followed Ella into the shadowy corner of a shop entrance. She was still holding most of her friend's weight against her side; they really did need to get some medical assistance, pronto.
The cover wasn't perfect, with the sky getting lighter and lighter with each minute, but it was enough that anyone glancing their way would just think they were a pair of particularly odd-shaped shadows. They plastered themselves against the glass pane of the shop door as the two cloaked figures came further into view, stopping just a few steps away in front of the display of shrunken heads that had caught Ella off guard earlier. She could see now that there was a significant height difference between the two figures, the smaller one glancing at the window and shivering slightly as if they, too, were revolted by what they saw.
'He won't wait forever, Regulus. He's beginning to wonder at your hesitance.' Ella was sure it was the larger of the two that spoke, the man's deep voice carrying to their hiding spot as he loomed ominously over his companion. The small figure appeared to draw in slightly at the comment before squaring back their shoulders so suddenly the hood slipped from their face. And what a face, Ella thought, studying the boy's high cheekbones and the arrogant curve of his eyebrow. There was indignance there, but there was also fear. She got the feeling that he was not used to being intimidated and was trying to hide his alarm, but it sung out from his clear grey eyes and in the stiff lines of his posture. He looked so young and vulnerable, no older than her and Addy, and she felt the urge to place herself in between him and the other man. Not that she could do anything, injured as she was, but she detested bullying, especially when there was a clear age and size disadvantage.
'I am not hesitating!' He hissed back, eyes flashing. 'I know all too well my responsibilities. I came tonight, did I not? I proved my commitment.'
'And how did you find... the festivities?'
'Efficient.' Regulus responded, shortly.
'They did not see it coming.'
'So it would seem.'
'And yet you did not seem over-eager to take part for yourself. A change of heart? Perhaps you, like your Gryffindor brother, do not mean to take your place in our master's circle.'
Regulus' eyes were quicksilver.
'Take care how you address me, Lestrange. I am nothing like my brother. I do not so easily cast aside my family's honour. A Black's word is binding.' He paused, the silence emphasising the gravity of his words. 'But the time must be right if I am to avoid suspicion.'
The older man harrumphed, clearly less than satisfied with the reply. 'The Dark Lord is not one to bend to the whims of schoolboys. If he calls upon you, you must answer. Regardless of who suspects.'
'Yes, because alerting Dumbledore to our plans with my sudden disappearance just weeks before the school year begins is definitely a wise move. Very intelligent reasoning there, Rodolphus. Clearly, the Dark Lord relies on you for such keen insights,' Regulus sneered haughtily, holding his ground even as the larger man advanced on him and pulled something menacingly from his sleeve, brandishing it at the boy's throat.
'Be careful, little Black. Just because he wants you in his ranks doesn't make you indispensable. I'm sure the Dark Lord wouldn't lament too greatly if something tragic were to happen to you before you could prove yourself to us,' Rodolphus threatened in a low, silky voice. 'After all, your brother would have been the preferable choice. It's a shame he chooses to spend his time with blood traitors and half-breeds.'
At this Regulus began to shake slightly, whether in anger or fear it wasn't clear. Ella thought perhaps a little bit of both, as she watched his eyes lower to the ground and heard him whisper something to himself that sounded like 'always' and 'Sirius'.
Clearly pleased with the reaction, Rodolphus stepped back and returned whatever he had threatened Regulus with to his sleeve. 'Come, Cousin. We have tarried here too long. Your mother will be worried'. He pointedly ignored the look of cold loathing Regulus sent his way and pulled him along by the arm. Within moments the two had disappeared from sight. Ella let out the breath she hadn't realised she was holding.
They had just met Regulus Black and Rodolphus Lestrange. Okay, met was a bit of a stretch. They had creeped in the shadows like a couple of skulking skulkers whilst Regulus Black sassed Rodolphus Lestrange into the next century. But still. Regulus. Black.
'I...have no words' Addy turned to her, just as shocked with her own statement as she was about what had just occurred. Addy always had words.
'Okay,' Ella said, trying to make sense of everything that had happened since they'd settled down to a perfectly innocent night of (they had thought) harmless nostalgia. 'Okay' she repeated. Addy looked at her hopefully, as if expecting her to jump up with a sudden 'surprise!' or tell her that this was all just a wonderfully vivid dream they were sharing. 'I have no idea what the hell is happening' Ella finally admitted to her, wincing as her shoulder gave another twinge. She had largely managed to ignore it during the exchange, too engrossed in what was happening, but now it was practically screaming at her. She sagged slightly against Addy, who immediately re-took up the mantle of protective friend and seemed to shake herself out of whatever stupor had settled on her from the moment she read the Borgin & Burkes sign.
'Right. Well. Apparently, what's happening is that Regulus Black is a sass queen - somewhat unanticipated, I never got that vibe from him in the books - the death eaters are a-gathering, and we've somehow been transported into the middle of the world of magic where there are apparently no titting hospitals' she answered, clearly frustrated and once more scouring the area for something, anything that could help them.
'Well, there's always St Mungo's' Ella joked, clinging to Addy as they began once again to move forward.
'Ah yes, there's always St. Mungo's' Addy deadpanned, 'which we can't find because, despite all of their wizardy prowess, no one in this bloody place has been innovative enough to put up, oh, I don't know, signs!'
'Ad, don't worry. We'll find somewhere. I'll be alright,' Ella said, trying to soothe her huffing friend. Quietly, she couldn't help but feel that Addy was right. She wasn't sure that all of that blood was coming from a broken bone. She must have nicked something important, and with each step she felt her dizziness increase.
Addy marched angrily, somewhat lopsidedly attempting to hold Ella's weight, in the opposite direction of Regulus Black and Rodolphus Lestrange. That was a can of worms they could open later. As the two reached the end of the twisting alleyway, they noticed that the pavement was becoming slightly cleaner, the decor slightly cheerier, before their surroundings suddenly opened up into a wide, achingly familiar street.
'Holy Pringles**, it's Diagon Alley,' Addy whispered in awe, her ire with the wizarding world momentarily forgotten. Ella glanced around her in a similar state of wonder, taking in everything she could in the early-morning light. At some point during the last couple of life-altering events the sun had begun to rise. Her eyes settled on each and every shop, knowing that in a matter of hours they would all be bustling with witches and wizards in an explosion of colour, conversation, and uniquely wonderful commerce.
They continued forward, albeit much more slowly and stopping every now and then to stare in amazement ('Look Addy, Flourish and Blotts!' 'Ollivanders. Fricking Ollivanders.') until a loud, clattering noise startled them out of their reverie. They looked at each other, silently communicating panic and resignation. They were far too exposed, and the light was too bright to hide in, like they had before. Whoever or whatever it was, they had to face it.
It, as it turned out, was a merry-faced wizard in a red and white striped apron, carrying a stack of wooden chairs that he was arranging around tables in front of a shop window painted with the words 'Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour', proudly boasting over 999 flavours. That can't be right, Addy thought to herself, immediately distracted with trying to imagine as many different ice-cream flavours as she could. She got to fried-shrimp and wasabi before deciding to give it up as a bad exercise.
Ella kept her gaze trained on the man, knowing exactly when he had noticed them from the taken-aback expression on his face. She imagined they must look a sight, her covered in blood and being half-dragged by Addy who was still sporting the magnificent (if somewhat jarring) leopard-print blanket cape, both looking terrified, confused and a little bit dazed with the excitement that only a true Harry Potter fan could muster in this situation. It was a gift, really.
He walked towards them slowly, brow furrowing in concern. Ella thought he looked very kind, almost fatherly, although a fair bit younger than her own father. Mid-thirties, she would guess, with slightly greying brown hair and gentle eyes.
'Hello there, are you two girls alright?' His voice was good-natured, and it set something at ease in the both of them. Ella felt herself slide a little bit against Addy and suddenly he was there holding her up with a steady hand on her uninjured shoulder. 'Woah, there. It looks like you've had a bit of trouble. I think you should come inside with me, there's a good lass.'
Too exhausted to argue, the two pointedly ignored the stranger-danger bells ringing in their heads and followed him inside. He walked them through the colourful interior until they reach a booth upholstered in pale yellow and blue check fabric where they all but collapsed in an ungraceful heap.
'Now, first things first let's have a look at that shoulder of yours' he said, reaching into his back pocket and drawing out what could only be a wand. Ella couldn't even muster up the energy to be excited, although she could feel Addy practically bouncing in her seat beside her. He muttered a few words as he held it over Ella's shoulder, and she felt a tingling sensation as he began to move the wand up and down like a scanner. 'Now that's a mess and no mistake' he whistled, eyes finding hers in sympathy, before he turned his attention back and called out in a clear, authoritative voice 'Episkey'. She felt the sharp snap of the bone as it slotted back in place, nearly biting her lip off to avoid crying out. Burning heat suddenly spread across the injured area, and it was as though she could feel the bone fusing back together again, the soft tissue around it knitting itself whole.
'Vulnera Sanentur,' he added, enunciating each syllable with his strong Northern dialect. The bleeding slowed down from a gush to a trickle before halting altogether. 'Now, I'm no healer' the man said apologetically, 'but that should have worked right enough. Probably St. Mungos could have done it more gentle like, but you wouldn't have made it there with the state you were in.'
Ella could have cried in relief; she didn't care if it wasn't gentle, at least it no longer hurt. All that was left of the raging pain was a dull ache, like a bruise. Bruises she could handle.
'Thank-you,' she replied fervently, trying to convey her gratitude through her eyes.
The man smiled, waving off her thanks. 'Anyone would have done the same. Now I don't think I've seen you girls in my parlour before, and every Hogwarts student comes through my doors at some point,' he said with a hint of pride. 'So, I suppose I must introduce myself. I'm Florean. And who might you young ladies be?'
'Ella'
'Addy' Addy piped up for the first time, having clearly decided that Florean was a solid bloke. She had finally let go of some tension now that Ella was no longer injured, and found her attention drawn instead to the humongous counter at the end of the room. Her eyes widened. There really were hundreds and hundreds of flavours. She wasn't even sure how so many could fit within such a confined space, but there they all were. Her stomach rumbled, and Florean laughed.
'Now it may just be because I'm an expert in such things, but you ladies look like you need a sundae.' He walked behind the counter and immediately started pottering away, humming to himself. Ella could tell he was giving them some time to themselves, not pushing or questioning, just letting them breathe a bit. But the questions would come all the same. How could they not; two bloody and injured pyjama-clad teenagers turning up in the middle of the street? Not exactly your everyday occurrence. Or maybe it was in Diagon Alley. Who even knew anymore?
'What are we going to say?' Addy whispered frantically, mind clearly on the same issue. 'We can't exactly tell him we're unwitting inter-realm travellers who got swallowed into our favourite book series.' She paused then. 'God, I sound like the last fic prompt I read.'
'Well we need to tell him something. He's not going to let it go that we turned up, clearly stranded, looking like we'd gone a few rounds with Hulk.'
'Hey! You know deep down Hulk is a softie.' Addy suddenly paused, a thought occurring to her. 'Wait, do you think the Avengers are real too?'
Before Ella could answer, Florean appeared before them then, hands full with the most magnificent sundaes they had ever seen. It occurred to Addy that they hadn't told him what flavours they wanted (not that they could afford to be picky), but as she dug in to the sugary confection before her she sighed in appreciation. Strawberries and Cream with raspberry sauce. Perfect. If God was a sundae, she thought to herself, it still wouldn't come close to this. She saw the knowing smirk on Florean's face then, and the way his chest puffed up a bit in pride at having gotten it so dang right. The man was a bloody genius.
'So,' Florean began after both girls had completely demolished their ice-cream, Ella still trying to scoop the last dregs of her own eclectic mix of stem ginger and pistachio. Addy had turned her nose up at it, thinking Florean had made a horrific mistake, but Ella had immediately attacked the sundae with enthusiasm. (The weirdo.)
They both paused, wariness radiating from their features. 'Did you girls want to tell me what happened tonight?' Florean pressed on, shrewd eyes jumping between the both of them before settling on Ella. She had been the one with the injury, after all.
'There was an... incident,' Ella began slowly, carefully, looking to Addy for inspiration. 'We're still not entirely sure what occurred.'
'An incident?' Florean repeated, clearly trying not to push, but looking more and more concerned.
'An attack,' Addy rushed out. It wasn't a lie after all. Whatever had turned her living room into a tornado of window glass and harry-potter-book-confetti, before shoving them unwillingly through time and space into death-eater-ville, clearly did not have their immediate good health and wellbeing in mind.
'You were attacked?' Florean sounded alarmed now, worry washing over his face. 'Who attacked you? What happened?'
'We're not sure who it was, after I was injured it was all a bit of a blur. Suddenly we were here, in Diagon Alley.' Ella replied, not sure why, but deciding it wouldn't be a good idea to share their little escapade in Knockturn Alley. The whole thing with Regulus felt like something they should keep to themselves, at least until they had everything else figured out.
'What about your parents? Were they attacked too?'
Ella wasn't sure how to respond to this; she liked Florean already, he had helped them when they needed it and from everything she remembered from the books, he was a good man. She wasn't comfortable lying to him. But this was where everything hinged. They could tell him the truth; he might not believe them, but then maybe he would. Maybe he knew of something similar that had happened before, this was the wizarding world after all. He might know how to fix it all, to send them back, and it could be as if it never happened. Their brief stint within the mind of J.K. Rowling. But what if, she could feel a voice whispering at the back of her mind. What if. What if they were sent there for a reason? What if they had some purpose to fulfil, something that only they could do, armed with the knowledge of all seven books? Admittedly she could have just read too much fanfiction about exactly this situation but she knew from the look Addy was throwing her that she felt the same way. They couldn't just go back, not now. Not after what they'd been through, what they'd seen. They needed time to work this out; some way to stay.
'It's just us' Ella finally replied, 'we were the only ones to make it here'. It was ambiguous enough and she hoped Florean would take the bait and read into it what they needed him to.
'There's no one we can go to for help,' Addy added, and as she said the words she realised, not for the first time that night, just how true they were. Their family might not be dead, as they were horrifically implying (she could feel the guilt rolling off of Ella the moment the insinuation left her lips), but they weren't here. Maybe they weren't even alive yet, she realised with a start. She hadn't bothered to work out the maths, but the moment she saw young Regulus and realised who he was, she knew they weren't in their own timeline anymore. Quickly thinking back to the books, she remembered Regulus was supposed to be presumed dead when he was eighteen or so. The young man they'd seen in Knockturn Alley hadn't been much younger than that, maybe sixteen or seventeen, not a death eater yet. So, it was at least the mid-late seventies. Wow. Just Wow. An image of Dumbledore sporting flares and an untamable mullet came unbidden to her mind and she almost snorted in amusement, before the truth of the matter sobered her up.
So, her parents were children, and her sister - didn't exist.
The grief that washed over her then must have been obvious in her face because Florean reached out to place a sympathetic hand on her shoulder, eyes mirroring hers as if to communicate that he, too, had felt a similar pain. He knew that loss.
'Well,' Florean cleared his throat thickly as Addy blinked away the moisture in her eyes. 'You girls stay with me for now, whilst we figure out what we're doing. I've got a spare room upstairs and you both look like you could do with a full day in bed. Especially after that healing.' He looked at Ella then, probably attributing the relieved look on her face to the thought of finally getting to lie down. Addy knew it was more likely due to the fact that they wouldn't need to lie to Florean any more today, not right now at least. That they'd have time to think through their story, time to just think, and no longer running around with no idea what they were doing.
Florean led them up two flights of stairs, ushering them into an attic room. The ceiling was low, but neither of them were exactly Amazons, and whilst the furnishings were basic they were incredibly cozy. There was only the one bed but with a quick flourish of his wand Florean magicked another out of thin air and before they knew it they were both under the covers, melting into the soft warmth of sleep.
*Fun Fact: most cobblestone streets in Britain come from the Roman period. (She seriously googled this for you guys.)
** We are in no way, shape, or form sponsored by Pringles. However, if they are offering - No.