Summary: There was a reason the use of Time-Turners are restricted, and Harry Potter was going to find that out the hard way.
Timeless
"Three turns ought to do it."
Harry stared at the doors that Dumbledore had just locked. "Hermione, what is he talking about?" he asked, quite confused. Hermione however, was too busy apologizing to Ron for having to leave him behind – We're going somewhere? But we're locked in! – and fishing something out of her blouse –Don't look, don't look! – to bother answering him, and the next thing Harry knew he was surrounded by swirling colors and sounds. When the swirling stopped and Harry was certain he knew what the clothes in the wash felt like during the spin cycle, they were – shock and awe – still standing in the Hospital Wing.
"Are you sure that whatever it was that you were supposed to be doing worked? I mean, we haven't gone anywhere, and we certainly can't save Sirius while we're locked in here."
"Of course it worked," she replied, tucking the whatever-it-was back into her shirt, "it's daylight out isn't it? Now come on, we've got work to do! And we must not be seen!"
"What? Why?" Harry asked, running to catch up with his bushy haired (and rather annoyed) friend. "It's not like people don't know that we go to school here. We've got every right to walk these halls as anyone else."
"Harry," the bookish girl huffed, "I will explain everything later, ok? Right now we have to get down to Hagrid's and save Buckbeak."
"Umm… ok." He shrugged. Hermione usually knows what she's doing, right? "Can we stop off at the kitchens though? I'm starving."
"No! Buckbeak is about to be executed Harry – could you please focus on the task at hand here?"
"So… save Buckbeak and then get food?"
Hermione's only response was to throw up her hands and stalk off, muttering about boys under her breath.
"Is that a 'no'?"
Xxx
Harry Potter was bored. He and Hermione had saved Buckbeak from execution, and were now sitting in the Forbidden Forest waiting for their past selves to head back up to the castle.
"Hermione…"
"Shhh!"
Harry sighed. Yup, definitely boring. You would think that travelling back in time would be exciting…
"Is that what my hair looks like form the back?" present Hermione said, inching forward to get a better look at past-Hermione's hair. A twig breaking somewhere in the Forest made past-Hermione turn around, anxiety on her features. Present-Hermione was forced to move behind a bush to avoid being seen, and Harry was left trying to soothe Buckbeak on his own. Up ahead, the Headmaster and Hagrid were discussing Buckbeak's 'escape' with the Minister and Executioner, after which the pairs parted ways – Fudge and McNair heading down to the gates and Dumbledore inviting Hagrid to his office for a spot of tea.
"Wouldn't mind if I do!" Hagrid said, cheered brightly by the thought of Buckbeak having gotten away. As the shapes of Hagrid and Dumbledore retreated, Harry breathed a sigh of relief. That could have gone a lot worse!
Of course, it was at that moment that Buckbeak decided to give him the slip.
"Hermione!" he hissed, catching her attention. "Buckbeak!"
Hermione glared at him. "I'll get him," she whispered, "you stay here. And don't let us see you!" Harry nodded. He wasn't sure what would happen if he did see himself, but he didn't want Hermione to get upset with him over it. She can be pretty scary when she's angry…
Sighing, Harry turned back to the task at hand just in time to see Scabbers bite Ron and run off. "Ah!" Ron yelled, "Scabbers! Scabbers, come back!" The forest was filled with the sound of three teenagers crashing through the underbrush, and Harry was left alone. Great, he thought, now I'm really bored! Come on Hermione, where are you? Harry surveyed his surroundings with a wary eye. The Forbidden Forest was not where he wanted to be right now. Or ever really. Sighing, he lay down in the grass and looked up at the sky. As he watched the clouds drift away from the nearly-risen full moon, something caught his attention. There, sparkling in the faint moonlight, was a gold chain. Picking it up, Harry saw that it was attached to what appeared to be an hourglass. It's Hermione's Time-Turner! I wonder how you work it… Best to start small, just in case… Looking around to ensure that Hermione wouldn't see him, he turned the dial back half a turn. When the world stopped blurring together, he found himself sitting in the exact same spot, looking into a pair of very familiar green eyes. Uh oh...
Xxx