Author: sKiTzO sHy VioLeT
Summary: Response to a fanfic challenge: What if Janeway, Chakotay, and any other crew member was transported to Hogwarts as first years during the time of Harry Potter? How did they get there? Remember Q? Q's son?
Disclaimer: Janeway and company belong to Paramounts, Harry and company belong to the brilliant J. K. Rowling and Scholastic
Warning: If you haven't read every book, turn around now. And if you don't like Voyager, you might not like this.
~*~
The Doctor scanned the children and found no anomalies.
"But I *swear* I saw it." B'Elanna Torres was in sickbay with the Doctor and three strange children who had appeared with the Captain, First Officer, and resident grown Borg disappeared. Only a short time later she was in the Mess Hall with her husband when she swore she saw the boy, Michael, make an apple float over to him.
"Lt. Torres," the Doctor sighed. "What you've explained is not possible. Floating items.... Honestly...."
"But I swear it...." She stopped and took a few deep breaths. It was something she had been trying to do lately. Whenever she got angry, which was of course quite often, she would stop and proceed to take slow, deep breaths. She was often seen in Engineering, paused near a console, her eyes closed, her teeth clenched. It was tough to take deep breaths between clenched teeth, but sometimes she couldn't unclench them.
One of the children giggled and pulled out something that looked like a stick. She muttered a few words and a tricorder came floating over to her. The Doctor stood watching, mouth agape. The girl, B'Elanna believed it was Patsy, grabbed the tricorder and jumped off the biobed she and the other children were sitting on. Giggling she ran to the other side of the room, pursued by the Doctor. Michael hopped off too and motioned for her to toss it to him. She did and he ran. Anita, calm cool Anita, slid off the biobed and waited.
And waited.
Finally Michael passed it to her. As the Doctor came over to her, she tossed it to him easily. A little shocked it caught it and her brother and sister whined at the ruined fun. B'Elanna smiled. She hadn't even tried to help the Doctor. Now he stood there, frustrated. He knew if he had lungs he would have been worn out.
"Floating objects." B'Elanna taunted. "Honestly."
~*~
Naomi loved the company. The kids were unlike any she'd ever met. Of course she hadn't met many, but still. She was sure there weren't very many kids like that out there. They had these powers, which made things really fun. But for some reason Anita, rather Nita, didn't like to use them much. Naomi couldn't understand why not. If she had powers... She would never stop using them....
"Accio bowl!" Michael shouted with his "wand" held high. Quite neatly the bowl of food Neelix had prepared for him floated from the Talaxian's hands and right to Michael. The boy grinned widely and went to sit down. Pat did the same, but Nita accepted it just as Naomi did.
"Normally," Michael told Naomi as they were eating. "We wouldn't learn that charm until our fourth year at Hogwarts, but our Nana saw we were mature enough for it. She taught us that, and a few more."
"She also taught us the rules of Quidditch!" Pat squeaked.
"Quidditch?" Naomi looked up from her food. "What's that?"
"Only the best sport ever!" Michael replied. "We'll have to show you how to play in that little holodeck you guys have."
Nita rolled her eyes. She didn't get her siblings. "Gosh you guys talk about the holodeck as if it's nothing!"
"Well," Pat said stubbornly. "It's not magic!"
Her sister couldn't believe her ears. "Not magic?" she nearly shouted. "Not magic?! I can't believe you! It's greater than anything magic can do! It can produce any environment you want! Any! It's better than magic! It's technology!"
She picked up her bowl and stormed out of the Mess Hall.
~*~
Icheb walked into Cargo Bay Two and immediately felt odd. He knew there was someone there, and his sensitive hearing confirmed it.
"I'm sorry." It was one of the children that had "taken the place" of Seven of Nine. He was angry with them. When he thought about it, the idea of it was stupid, but he couldn't help it. He would much rather have Seven there than these... These... Children.
"I didn't think anyone was going to come in here." She came toward him, prepared to leave. She had an empty food bowl in her hands, telling Icheb she'd ate in there. He hoped she hadn't gotten any crumbs or anything anywhere. He wanted everything to be perfect when his mentor returned.
"What were you doing in here?" he asked her outright.
"I find this room very.... Comforting..." she replied, looking around. "So much technology. It's really beautiful. I would have gone to Engineering, but I know Mrs. Paris wouldn't like that."
"No, she probably wouldn't." He stood taller at the mention of her name. He believed she had feelings for him, and her husband had once challenged him to ritual combat.
"It's really amazing." Nita continued to marvel. "This world you live in. All this technology. Made by human hands. Where I come from things you do come naturally. Like... what do you call it? Transporting?
"In my world people can already do that themselves. We call it apparating. Or we can cast a spell on an object that'll take us somewhere. We call those portkeys. So no one would even bother thinking of making a transporting *device*.
"So we're a little lazy. Well, at least *I* think so. But you guys *making* this technology... It's far more amazing than magic."
"I suppose." Icheb looked at her, his head tilted. Why was she telling him this?
She nodded and continued. "And the holodeck! Wow! Nothing we can do come close to that! I mean... Wow..."
He wondered about what she was saying. Had she just now started thinking about it? Or was this something she'd been pondering for a while. Magic versus technology, that is. There was no way for her to know about transporters and holodecks before.
"Aren't you supposed to be with Mr. Neelix?"
She shrugged. "Yeah, but I got mad."
"Are you now?"
The girl took a deep breath and thought for a moment. "No," she replied finally. "Not really."
"Then perhaps you should go back."
~*~
She knew when she was unwanted. She left the Cargo Bay and went, rather sneakily, to Engineering. She made sure she kept out of sight and wished she had an invisibility cloak. Every once and awhile someone would move away from a console and, utterly curious, she sneak up to it and check it out. She never touched one though. She knew better than that. She stayed out of everyone's way because she knew they'd throw her out in a second if she prevented anything from happening that needed to happen. She was surprised she lasted as long as she did.
"You." She heard the voice of the Chief Engineer, Mrs. Paris, behind her. Nita stiffened. She'd heard about the woman's great temper. And now she was going to fall victim to it...
She turned slowly to see the half klingon's face....
Smiling!
"Why aren't you with your brother and sister?" She was speaking sweetly.
Nita was confused. She'd been Engineering, where she wasn't supposed to be. Why....
"Hello?" The little girl snapped out of her thoughts when she realized Mrs. Paris was still waiting for an answer.
"I know Miss. Janeway told me to stay with Mr. Neelix," she blurted out. "But I got so mad at Mike and Pat! I went to Cargo Bay Two but Icheb didn't seem to want me in there. So I came here. I didn't touch anything! I swear!"
Mrs. Paris laughed. "You're not in trouble." she said.
~*~
"Train her?" Tuvok couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What do you mean *train* her??"
B'Elanna Torres stood as tall as she could in front of the acting captain. "I mean exactly what I said." She replied, standing firm on the idea. She wanted nothing more than to train this girl. She was hungering for the knowledge and was like no other kid she'd met.
"Yes," Tuvok nodded. "I know that. I just don't understand what possessed you to make a suggestion like this."
"What do you mean?" She knew exactly what he meant, but she wanted to argue with him. To show him that this girl *had* to be trained... Well, she didn't *have* to, but B'Elanna really wanted to.
"She's from the past," Tuvok answered her in the practically monotonous way he did. "And when we get Captain Janeway and the others back, she'll have to go back. We cannot have her taking this information with her to the past."
She was prepared for that argument and had a comeback for it already worked out.
"If it's possible," B'Elanna told Tuvok. "I believe she'll want to stay here, on Voyager. But if it's not, she'll go back and not tell anyone."
"And how do you know this?" Tuvok asked her. "She is a child."
"A *magical* child!" She wanted to shout it, but didn't. "She's a *witch* Tuvok! She's lived among non-magical people all her life! She's been brought up to keep secrets like this!"
The vulcan sat back in his chair. If he could feel he would have felt weird sitting in Janeway's chair. Thinking of the request Lt. Torres had placed before him, he wanted to say no.
"Please," B'Elanna spoke up finally, breaking the silence. "I'm not going to be around forever. I know we're close to the Alpha Quadrant, but what if something happens? When I'm old I can't be Chief Engineer. This girl, trained properly, can take my place!"
"What about other Engineers?"
The hybrid shook her head. "No," she answered. "All of them are too by the book. They do the procedures they're taught at the Academy. They're afraid to try things. I learned to do this with only two years at the Academy plus years of making stuff up. You *know* how resourceful I am. With someone like me as her teacher, she can be great!"
He saw no more fault in the logic of the request. He nodded. For the time being she could train the girl. But if he saw any problems, he stop her.
Extremely pleased, B'Elanna left the ready room. Tuvok sat in the chair for sometime wondering what Janeway would have said.
~*~
Nita was more than happy to begin her training. Everything Lt. Torres taught her she soaked up like a sponge. She wanted to know more. She wondered why *anyone* would choose magic over technology. Over the period of weeks that followed she became close to B'Elanna, and the her husband, Mr. Paris.
It struck Nita one day as she was having her lesson that this woman was more of a mother than she'd ever had. She never knew her mother, and Nana Annie was all she ever had to take care of her. Sure the old woman tried, but she was never like a mother. At least not how Nita imagined they acted. But spending time with B'Elanna made her feel like she knew how they acted. Just like the Chief Engineer of the USS Voyager.
Sometimes she would close her eyes and imagine that B'Elanna *was* her mother, and Mr. Paris was her father. She would no longer use the last name Banks, and would adopt the name Paris, or perhaps Torres-Paris. Sometimes Paris-Torres. They'd live together in Tom's quarters like Naomi lived in her mother's and Nita would know everything there was to know about Engineering. She'd visit the holodeck with two of them, and watch TV with Tom. It was a lovely day dream and she wished more than anything that it was reality.
She knew if she had a choice she wouldn't return to the world she knew. Sure she'd miss Mike, and Patsy, and Nana Annie terribly, but she never belonged there. She belonged on Voyager. With Torres and Paris and the rest of the crew. Her future was working in Engineering and spending her free time in the holodecks. She never wanted to leave this paradise.
To be continued....
Yeah this is more Voyager-y than Harry Potter-y, but all the others were in the Harry Potter section :)
Oh and if you're wondering why they're kids as well, it'll all be explained :)