I, I'm a new day rising
I'm a brand new sky
To hang the stars upon tonight
I am a little divided
Do I stay or run away
And leave it all behind?
It's times like these you learn to live again
It's times like these you give and give again
Times like these - Foo Fighters
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters from Harry Potter and all rights belong to JK Rowling! Thanks for stopping by my story and I hope you all have a Happy Halloween!
It was a beautiful day outside Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and all the students who attended school there were taking full advantage of it. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue and the sun shone down, bathing all the students who were scattered across the outdoor grounds in warmth.
Most students could be found among their friends chatting, for the daily prophet had run stories the past few days that would keep people talking for weeks. Voldemort was back, Dolores Umbridge was banished from the school, Dumbledore was back in his place as headmaster, and Draco Malfoy's father was one of the men captured and imprisoned as a now known Death Eater. There wasn't a place inside or out of Hogwarts where you couldn't hear whispers of gossip about what was going on.
Not everyone was outside taking advantage of the beautiful day where they could talk more freely without being overheard. No, far up away from the chatter you could find Harry Potter laying on his back in his four post bed staring up at the fading fabric of the canopy above him. Harry wished for nothing more than to stay far, far away from the talk of his peers. He knew he was a large source of the talk that surrounded him around every corner. Talk about how he'd been right all along and that everyone knew it now. Talk about how he'd fainted in his exams and then disappeared. People talking about him was nothing new by any means, that he was used to. Right now though, what everyone was talking about only served as a terrible reminder of what happened at the Department of Mysteries, and what he'd lost that night.
It had been three days now, and it wasn't getting any easier, not even a little bit, not even at all. How could three days pass in such a whirl of excitement of everything happening around him, yet also pass in a slow drag of grief all at the same time? Grief was strange and unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. He'd always been told about his parents, both the fake story from childhood of a car crash, and the true one of their murders. It was a painful thing to think about, especially when the Dementors had made it real in his third year. He'd never really known them though, and he thought that never having really known them had made it more painful. Now that he'd lost Sirius who he'd gotten the chance to spend time with, he realized that this current grief worse. It hurts to miss something you'd never had, but losing what you did have the chance to enjoy left a gaping hole where it had been, where Sirius had been. He'd lost his last chance at a family.
The sunlight hit his cheek and warmed it as he turned on his side and stared out the dusty window. In just a week he'd be shipped back to the Dursley's and the dread was filling him more and more every day at an alarming rate. He'd always hated going back to Privet Drive, but for the past two summers knowing he'd had Sirius to correspond with had filled him with hope. Sirius had been on the run, but there had always been hope for when that would change and his name would be cleared. Hope that one day Sirius and himself could be a real family, that he wouldn't have to go back the next summer.
"Hey, uh Harry, I hate to bother you but could we talk for a moment?" A voice asked from behind him, surprising him and causing him to sit up far too fast and awkwardly. Neville stood in the doorway looking nervous, his round face filled with apprehension.
"Oh hey Neville, what's up? Harry asked trying to sound casual, but his voice sounded miserable even to himself. He plastered a fake smile on his face that he hoped would pass.
"There's something I need to tell you about the night at the Department of Mysteries, I've been going back and forth on it but it's important." He explained looking behind him nervously before closing the door behind him. Curiosity ate at Harry as he watched Neville act even more nervous than usual, which was saying something.
"Look, I appreciate you coming to talk to me but I just really don't want to talk about that anymore." Harry said making a choice that reliving that night anymore than he already did inside his own head was extremely more unappealing than the curiosity for what Neville had to say could beat.
"No, I know about Sirius and stuff…" Harry winced at his godfather's name and Neville paused shooting him an apologetic look before continuing hurriedly. "I did something kind of bad that night… and I think you deserve to know about it." Harry watched as Neville only continued to get more and more nervous feeling slightly frustrated with him now. How could he come to him right now and act like he did any worse than he had? Was this a pity thing?
"Look… I don't know what you're trying to say but I'm the one who messed up Neville!" Harry started to say, his voice full of frustration. Neville shook his head and threw up his arms in equal frustration though taking Harry by surprise and to stop in confusion for Neville hardly ever got worked up. He watched as Neville dug around the pockets of his robes and pulled something out after a moment of digging. A gasp escaped Harry's lungs, as he quickly stood up and closed the distance between them. Neville stretched out his arm and Harry looked down to see something golden shinning in the palm of his hand.
"How… they were supposed to be gone… that's a" Harry started to say but he was cut off.
"A time turner." Neville finished for him, his voice grave and full of confliction. The time turner sparkled against the sun shining in through the window. Harry stared down in shock at the very thing that had saved Sirius's life the first time.