Wow. This is old… Back when they actually let us use asterisks… Someone tell me I'm not crazy for updating this after all this time?
Liz sighed, glancing once again at her watch. "Anyone else the least bit shocked that time seems to be crawling? I mean, really crawling?"
Even as she said it, she got a mental image of a watch crawling through a desert, gasping for water. She burst into hysterical giggles, startling Sirius.
Nicole and Catty, who, of course, were used to this, rolled their eyes.
"Yes, Liz, it seems to be crawling," Nicole acknowledged. In any case, she pretended to acknowledge the girl. Catty had already pulled out her sketchbook and was drawing. Nicole peered over her shoulder.
"So… where exactly are we?" Sirius asked again. Liz was about to rattle off her list of locations, only this time in reverse order.
"Milky-Way Galaxy, Sol Solar system, Ear—"
"Obviously not where you are. It's 2004, and you're in the USA," Nicole said. She sighed, smiling sympathetically. "Your grandson technically dosen't exist, unless… Well…" she paused. "Unless there is someone gathering his story as he's living it… Wait-no. He'd be done, he started Hogwarts in 1991, didn't he?"
"Yes, I believe he did."
"Okay, well… Yeah. So…"
"That would be severely creepy if they did, in fact, actually exist. We could find out what's gonna happen in the next 3 books!"
"Yeah, we could."
"You don't sound so excited, Catty?"
"Yeah, well, I'm not the Potter-Freak." She stuck her tongue out at Nicole, who laughed. Liz seemed to return from whatever planet she was on and began questioning Sirius again.
"How old are you?"
"Apparently 17 again."
"That's the title of a movie! Have you ever seen Seventeen Again?"
"Not that I'm aware of?"
"Are you self-aware?"
"What's that?"
"When an AI knows it's an AI."
"AI?"
"Liz?"
"Yes?"
"Don't bug him. If anyone bugs him, it's gonna be me."
"Really? You can actually transfigure him into a bug?"
There was a long pause.
"Liz?"
"Yeah?"
"Shut up."
"Yes ma'am."
"Either of you know what time it is?" Catty asked. "I was thinking I'd slip back into school for art at least."
"Yeah, it's… oh, shoot." Liz glared at her watch. Time, apparently, chose then to speed up. The bell would have rung twenty minutes ago; the buses would be gone.
"My parents are going to panic!" Liz groaned.
"My mom can pick all of us up… Sirius?"
Sirius nodded and quickly transformed back into dog form. He trotted after the three teens as they emerged from the woods…
