Disclaimer:
I don't own anything related to the rights of Harry Potter or Warehouse 13.

Author's Note:
The next chapter of Endless Wondering is here. I apologize for the delay, but I've been having trouble writing lately and haven't been able to produce anything of quality for any extended length of time. As long as this continues, updates will continue to be slow, but I will say this:

NONE OF MY STORIES ARE ABANDONED!

I have been asked frequently if my stories are abandoned or if I ever plan on updating them. Yes, I do. But I want it to be quality work and not just whatever crap I happen to come up with.

(Oct.23rd - Fixed the quotation mark problem. I have no idea how that happened, other than FFN doesn't like when I post from my phone .)

Publish Date: July 1st, 2014

Update Date: Oct. 23rd, 2014

Chapter Three

Consolation Prizes

The Omni-Comp given to Claudia was possibly the most advanced piece of tech that the redhead had ever dealt with. She had spent the last week tweaking the device itself and the coding to suit her, and she wasn't even close to half-way done. She sighed tiredly as she continued making alterations and referencing the massive manual that accompanied the device, thoroughly refusing to give in and call the number for help.

"Claudia," Steve huffed. "Why are you torturing yourself over this?"

"Because I can do this on my own!" Claudia replied in exasperation. "I probably barely passed the first assessment, I'm not going to screw this one up, too!"

Steve tilted his head to the side and asked, "What makes you think your second assessment has anything to do with that thingy?"

Claudia huffed again and responded, "It's all I have to go on, so that's my best guess."

Steve shrugged and changed the subject, asking, "So what all can that thing do, anyway?"

Claudia grinned and replied tiredly, "Quite a bit, but you know I can't really give you any details about it, Jinksy. I've been telling you that all week."

"Aww, come on, Claudia. Who am I going to tell?" Steve asked rhetorically, grinning and pushing against her shoulder playfully.

Claudia shook her head and replied distractedly, "Doesn't really matter, does it?" She looked back at him and grinned, continuing, "We both know I can't talk about it."

Steve shrugged and grinned back, saying, "Well you can't blame me for trying. So how are things going?"

Claudia huffed and muttered, "Slowly." At Steve's questioning look, she elaborated, "This is just extremely complicated and it's taking longer than I would like to learn the system it uses and make adjustments."

Steve's confusion deepened and he asked, "So what are you having trouble with?" At Claudia's indignant look, Steve snorted and replied, "Even I can tell that much, Claudia. Spill."

Claudia turned around with a sigh and responded, "There are things that I just don't get with this device." The tech snorted and continued, "And if I didn't know any better, I'd say it was magic."

Steve tilted his head with a slightly bemused expression and replied, "You don't believe in magic?" Claudia gave him a confused look and he continued, "You work in a growing building that houses seemingly ordinary items that can do a wide variety of extraordinary things, from changing the color of your hair to items that can shatter continents." Steve leaned forward and finished, "And you say you don't believe in magic?"

Claudia blinked twice before muttering, "Well, when you put it like that..."

Steve grinned in reply and continued, "What constitutes magic anyway? An event or effect that is unexplainable?" He shrugged and added, "That just means no one has explained it yet."

The redhead sighed in response and said quietly, "I suppose, it just doesn't feel right calling anything magic and being serious." She turned around to continue tinkering with the Omni-Comp as the conversation continued, asking, "You know what I mean?"

Steve tilted his head to the side and shot back, "Do you have another name for it?" Steve gave an unseen shrug and concluded, "Because I don't."

Claudia stopped what she was doing to think about the question. After a few moments, she sighed heavily and muttered, "I suppose you're right." She frowned at Steve's grin and said, "Don't let it go to your head."

"Who, me?"

Claudia just arched her eyebrow at Steve's obviously false innocent expression. "So what have you been up to?"

Steve shrugged. "This and that," he said easily. Claudia glared at him and he adopted another faux innocent look on his face. "What?!" he questioned.

"Details, man!" Claudia exclaimed, tossing her hands in the air. "I must have them!" She grinned at Steve and added, Besides, when have you ever held out on me?

"It's not that," Steve said quickly. "Just haven't been up to anything noteworthy." He grinned sheepishly and said, "Just business as usual."

The sound of a car door shutting outside wasn't that unusual. The gait up the walkway indicated male, which Claudia noted absently was a bit odd. The sound of the door opening wasn't anything strange, either. What caught Claudia's attention, however, was the voice that called out as soon as the front door slammed shut.

"Hey Claudia, I brought ice cream!"

The speed at which the redheaded tech drew her tesla and aimed it at the Steve impostor was impressive, and the doppleganger reflexively backed up a step and held his hands up in front of him. "I really thought he'd be gone longer," the impostor grinned.

At the sound of someone ascending the stairs and closer to Claudia's room, the Steve copy said quickly, "Sorry about bugging you all week about that Omni-Comp." He grinned impossibly wide, causing Claudia to pause in confusion as he continued, "Here's a consolation prize, though."

With that, 'Steve' suddenly sprouted long, curly golden locks. The look-alike shook out the mane of hair, suddenly shifting to a shocking bubblegum pink. The door opened and the original Steve stepped inside and stopped short at the image in front of him. He tilted his head to the side and said the first thing that came to mind.

"What the hell?"

The pink-haired Steve grinned widely and said, "Wotcher, mate. Gotta be going now, though." 'Steve' turned to Claudia and added, "Good job passing the third assessment." With that, the unknown person vanished with a small 'pop'.

"What the hell was that?" Steve blinked in confusion.

Claudia opened her mouth to respond, hesitated for a second, and finally said, "I honestly have no idea, Jinksy."