A/N: As some reviewers know I am redoing this story! Yeah! I know it has been to many years since I have written and I hope to make up for it with speedy updates! I am taking three months off to travel and relax before I return to working full time and attending university so I am hoping to have this story done somewhere around April, especially because I have some more ideas for some other fanfictions. I have started on a few chapters and am nearly done editing my chapters that I have previously posted (Almost 100 pages total). The changes I have made will not just be grammatical changes, but also some content so start reading!
You can see it a lot in this chapter but I have twisted my plot a bit… I felt like my style has changed so drastically I didn't want to keep half of my story. So enjoy the new and improved Other Side of Time… now called Unraveling Fate.
Disclaimer: I own nuttin' boo.
Summary: The war has been raging in 1997 and Hermione feels like things can never be normal. She has fallen in love with the world's biggest prat Draco Malfoy and he seems to love her back. Harry and Draco have gained some old archaic magic along with Hermione and right when the three are finally sure of victory they slip through the fabric of time and enter the Marauders' era. What will happen when Lily and the gang meet the famous 'Boy Who Lived' and two of the only people left alive that care for him? DM/HG JP/LE HP/LL
Chapter One
The Darkest Hour
Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter stood around a pentagon wearing thin white robes that did not prevent the bite of the autumn wind. The sky was clear and the forest surrounding them was silent. The three were just standing there. They were not chanting just standing together and gathering their energy to perform a very old ritual that Hermione had found in the Black Family Library.
Draco Malfoy was the newest addition to the Order and things seemed to be going well for him; soon more people began to trust him with missions. While some still were weary, Draco had made more than enough of an impression on where his loyalties lied. He had found more than a safe haven at the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix; he had found friends.
Five months ago he had stumbled upon the Burrow, drunk and dirty. The Weasleys' had tied him to a chair before seeking aid from the Order. Molly watched as her husband spoke in hushed tones through the Floo to whoever was at the Headquarters, but turned when she heard a sniffle. Tears were streaming down Draco's face, leaving tracks of dirt along his hollow cheeks. He was way too thin.
Way too thin in Molly's opinion.
She walked over to Draco and lifted his chin. As his silver eyes, glazed with his tears, stared back into her soft brown ones Molly understood that he was not there for any other reason than to seek out help.
"You look much too thin, Darling. How about some nice hot stew and tea?" she asked with a small soft smile.
Staring at her incredulously, Draco licked his lips and looked around the room. No one was really paying attention to him besides the peeking glances from around the corner and the occasional glare when he met someone's eyes. He licked his lips before responding, "Please."
When interrogations were over, Draco was sent to Grimmaulds Place and put into a room for the night to sober and sleep. Harry had protested violently to him and was escorted to another room to calm down. After a few potions and a cup of nice hot tea Harry walked quietly into the room that would soon be claimed as Draco"s.
"I heard that you killed your father."
Draco did not move nor acknowledged the words spoken. He gazed at the ceiling above his bed, blinking tears from his flowing eyes. After a long time of silence, he spoke, "Yes, Potter. I did."
Despite the questions Harry had, he stood up and left his old classmate alone to grieve.
Over the next week Harry would return after Molly cleared away the tray of mostly untouched food that she brought up each night for supper. Each night she got more and more frustrated with the leftover food and tonight was near her breaking point. After a few very harsh reprimands Molly stormed out of the room. A red apple, plump and juicy, fell from the tray and rolled towards Harry's feet. Picking up the fallen fruit he slipped into Draco's room before the door shut.
Tossing the apple to Draco, who hastily caught it at the last minute, Harry moved to sit in his usual spot on the floor facing the window. Snow was dancing to the ground in whirls of wind.
"He was not always insane." Draco's voice cracked after being silent for so long. He cleared his throat with a weak cough before biting into the apple, his teeth piercing the red flesh and his tongue licking the juices that spilt on his lips.
Harry's eyes were pulled from the falling snow and focused on the still form of Draco on the bed. "Your father?"
"Yes. Before he came back my father was a good man; ruthless and powerful, but a good father and good husband. The Dark Lord ruined him."
For the first time since his arrival Draco spoke of the reason he came to the Order of the Phoenix. The story was not too unsurprising. Lucius was a strong man that had been beaten like a dog into submission by his master. Insanity clung to him during the last few days he spent alive and it resulted in the death of his wife and Draco's mother.
Thick tears welled up in silver eyes, making them look glossy and shiny, but they did not fall. "He killed her. On accident, I am sure, but she upset him after returning from a raid. He was weak and hurting so my mother tried to help. And he shoved her. By the time she reached the last step of our grand staircase she was dead."
Harry did not speak and nor was it needed. Draco was speaking tonight, not asking for conversation. As each word left his lips the weight on his shoulders and in his eyes slowly lessened.
"My magic struck out when I saw her. I screamed so loudly the vase that she loved so dearly, a gift from her great aunt, shattered. Lucius was just staring at her and then he laughed a chilling screech of a laugh that I felt chills slide up my spine. I just turned and…" he made a motion with his hand, as if swiping away a pesky bug before closing his hand into a fist.
"It made his head turn so quickly I heard the snap of his neck and then he was on the floor, not breathing yet flailing around. His eyes, once so sharp and intelligent, were now cloudy with insanity and fear. They begged me to save him. Instead I gathered my things and when I stepped over him before climbing down the stairs and out of my only true home, I knew he was dead."
Now most would assume that Draco Malfoy would have bonded with the Boy Who Lived, especially after sharing his most dark hour, but Harry did not comfort him. While he may have been a listening ear, Harry was not suitable, nor nearly sane enough to attempt helping the grieving Slytherin. Harry did not even know his parents so could not understand the type of loss Draco felt regardless of their similarities. He was use to waking up and not seeing them. Draco had grown up with his parents and saw their deaths, even contributing to one, and felt a great void that wasn't there before.
It wasn't Harry who empathized with the tortured boy, but one of his best mates Hermione Granger.
Her parents had been attacked and murdered during the middle of their sixth year and she was still suffering from nightmares. She was able to sit with him, sometimes silently listening to his stories of his childhood and the dotting mother that he once thought smothering and other times she would speak herself hoarse telling him fairytales that he mother use to whisper to her while holding her after a nightmare. They comforted one another and a friendship bloomed.
Harry and Ron had been Hermione's rock when she heard the news of her parent's murder. She had become Draco's and thus he became dependent on her. Hermione was his one beacon of light in a world of darkness and he would protect her till his last breath. Not long after their friendship began, it changed into something much more intimate.
He loved her and she loved him.
Now, months after he arrived at the home of the Weasley family, the three of them stood around one another. Draco and Harry were chanting softly as their gazes followed the swing of the candle as Hermione spilt wax on their feet. Fighting another wince, she burnt the old thyme that she had picked during a new moon in an enchanted forest where yellow blossoms bloomed. Throwing the flaming plant she slipped to her knees, slicing her wrist and offering her blood to the magics of old.
She pledged her life and power to the magic, begging for a gift that would help aid in their quest for victory. Several people were dying each day and many were forced to stay in a hospital due to injuries including Ron and Luna. Almost the whole Weasley Clan was dead or with injuries. Fred had managed to survive a battle, while George died trying to protect their father. Both died and Fred was put into a muggle institution. He had tried to commit suicide three times now and if Molly had not charmed all of the knives to become dull when they touched skin he would have succeed. There was no room in any magical hospitals so the family made the fateful decision to put him in a muggle asylum.
Hermione had been appalled, but so much had changed and they needed to keep fighting. Several staff members of Hogwarts were also dead. They need anything that could help.
It may have been blood loss or the magics of old finally answering her prayers, but she began to see colors form around her; however, before she could do anything more she heard a curse fly past her and she lost concentration. She sprang forth and faced the offender.
There were curses flying everywhere. Hermione was standing back to back with Draco wands ready for an attack. She was scared, not only for whatever gift she was presented with that night, but the chances of something going wrong could prove fatal.
As Hermione finished this thought twelve Death Eaters stepped out of the darkness. Harry was crouched low, slipping beneath his invisibility clock and silently taking a position on Hermione's right, ready to spring out and attack.
One of the Death Eater's hood fell back to reveal a woman with long blond hair that was pulled back at the nape of her neck into a braid. She had beautiful blue eyes that seemed to flash a bit of innocence in them that a Death Eater normally didn't have. Her eyes searched Hermione's face.
She felt Draco stiffen behind her. "Come on you ugly bastards. Think we can't take you? Come and give us a try?"
Hermione sighed and wondered why he didn't just cast the first curse.
But Draco's word seemed to do the trick, the Death Eaters were now fuming and this gave Hermione just enough time to begin to concentrate on the colors surrounding the cloaked figures. When the women with blonde hair and blue eyes moved her wand the colors split, changing colors as magic welled up inside her. Hermione suddenly realized that she was seeing their magic. A powerful gift that allowed one to manipulate and control another's magic, after some much needed practice; however, there was no time for practice and Hermione was forced to use whatever she could of this gift that she only just began theorizing how to control.
Hermione didn't have time to ponder this before an anti-apparition ward was thrown up. Not sure what else to do Hermione help up her wand in one hand and sprawled out her other, facing her open palm to them before raising both arms. The air seemed to pulse around her, kicking up a breeze that played in her hair and gently whipped her shirt about. Each vibration seemed to come in sync with Harry and Draco's heartbeat.
Draco was becoming excited and staring intently forward whist wishing to turn around and watch whatever Hermione was doing to make his magic tickle beneath his skin and beat with each breath. Another shiver ran through him and he felt another wave of magic that uncoiled within him. Merlin he felt powerful and yet anxious. He bounced on the balls of his feet with his wand ready, stepping closer before stepping back again.
Hermione finally felt the part of the Death Eaters' magic that she wanted and pulled. It was like pulling a piece of thread from a rug and unraveling it. Almost at once everyone understood what was happening. They couldn't feel their magic anymore. Unfortunately for the three fighters, Hermione took Harry and Draco's, not to mention her own magic, while performing the fateful acts of before.
Realizing her mistake Hermione released her control over their magic. It was three against twelve and these people were known for their sadistic need to torture. Fate was not on the three's side. Nothing happened. They all still felt the emptiness.
She too took up the familiar fighting stance, though her confidence was slightly less than Draco's and Harry's and her stomach did a couple of apprehensive flips. After all, she was the lesser trained and not quite so adept at fighting, most especially without a wand. Draco and Harry had both thought that being physically fit would improve their chances in fights and now Hermione was starting to hope for the extra lessons. She still ran with them and practiced "muggle dueling" as Draco called it, but she never stayed up late studying new methods of protection while Draco and Harry did.
They all stood there unmoving and then suddenly a Death Eater made a mad run toward her and she vaulted forth, dodging the first blow.
Hermione didn't have time to watch Harry and Draco's progress, considering she was having a trifling time staying on top of her game. For the most part she spent her time dodging. The only time she attacked was when she was able to read a move far enough ahead, to dodge it and have time to place a well-calculated blow, but seriously she was fighting three Death Eaters. One had moved on to help his comrades either fight Draco or Harry.
Upon hearing a few injured noises from Draco she called out, "Malfoy?"
There was really nothing she could do, as she attempted a roundhouse to someone's head, but was met with air and a vacant spot. Then she heard a sickening thud of a body against one of the trees on the border. Her heart skipped a beat as she tried her best to concentrate on where the Death Eaters was going to take their next mark. She couldn't falter, and yet Draco was possibly in a bloody heap at the foot of a tree with four Death Eaters looming over him or maybe Harry. She felt her chest tighten.
Another sickening noise sounded, off to left this time.
It was the sound of a breaking bone, and the howling voice of the owner of the now cracked marrow. There was a familiarity in that groan of pain and Hermione automatically knew that Harry had been hurt. She silently begged for her magic to come back to her and almost as if she commanded it, all the magic that had been taken had now returned to the rightful owners.
Hermione grinned as she suddenly felt complete, but then suddenly stopped. Three wands were pointed at her throat. She thought she might have been able to pull out her own, but knew that someone would curse her before her fingers could encircle her magical conduct.
The woman with the blond braid suddenly stepped forward. "Let's make sure to leave a mark." Her grin was more malicious then Draco's had ever been in school.
Harry, Hermione and Draco were then taken to some unknown castle and chained together in a small damp cell, only to be removed when a Death Eater felt the need to torture someone. One put his ugly face in front of Harry and spat out, "You know Potter… I am not a fan of an easy death. These next few days will seem like hell for you and just wait for the Dark Lord to return."
And for the next week Hermione, Draco and Harry were all put through the worst pain of their lives. Finally one of their torture sessions ended and the blond woman stood up and moved to stand in front of the three Order members. "Agito Rursus!" An old dark curse that was meant to twist your bones causing them to break; yet, before the magic could touch the three, Hermione tried to pull the magic back. Not like before when she took away the magic of the people around her, but the magic of the spell that was flying toward the three.
She could not get all of the magic out of the spell and as the purple light hit the three Hermione was certain that they would all die that night.
It wasn't uncommon for the Marauders to be walking late at night. It wasn't uncommon that they all were out of their dorm rooms after hours and it wasn't uncommon that the weirdest things seemed to always happen to them.
They were roaming the seventh floor when they heard a sound that sounded like a bullet being fired. At first the four friends didn't even move, but when Remus straightened and turned to his friends did they realize how scary the situation was. They were approaching a Dark Age and everyone was alert and guarded.
The four friends moved quickly toward the sound and although they were all scared, though none would claim so, of what may have caused it, they all were very curious creatures.
James was the first to reach the bodies of three teenagers and at first he wasn't even sure of what he was seeing. There seemed to be some portal that had opened up and had spit them out. Them being the three people lying on the floor.
There was a girl. She looked to be around his age and although most of her features were hidden James could tell that she was beautiful. What was odd about the girl was that she was covered in bruises and blood. At a closer look James could see that the bone in her leg was sticking out and that several ribs had broken through her skin. At first he thought he was going to be sick, but as he turned to the boy that was next to her with his arms wrapped around her petite injured body did he start to think that he may pass out.
The boy was covered with even more blood that James wasn't sure if the kid was inside out. There was so much stuff that was supposed to be inside his body that wasn't. There were bones and guts and all sorts of things sticking out of the pale blond hair boy.
The last boy had dark and messy hair that reminded James of someone, but at that time he was unconcerned about that fact and looked to see what was wrong with this boy. He had several broken bones that were also visible. Not to mention more blood coving him then all the others. He looked terrible.
Remus ran up next to him and at the sight of the bodies promptly threw up, his sensitive werewolf nose was too affected by the awful smell of burnt flesh and blood. Sirius eventually joined and nearly did as well, but was stopped by James as the blond woke up.
"Where are we?" He mumbled softly, not really sure if someone was even there to answer the question.
James answered, "You're in Hogwarts, umm, how did you come to be here?"
The three boys jumped as they felt Peter move up behind them and jumped again when a different voice answered them. It was the dark haired boy.
"Yeah right… Hogwarts? I have a better chance of being dead. Yeah… that's probably it. I'm dead. Why else would I be in Hogwarts unless this is like some weird hell for wizards. This place has been closed for several months now and even if we were here then why the hell are you here?" The boy turned toward the Marauders and James gasped. He looked exactly like himself. He had the same nose, eyes and chin.
At first the boy just looked at James and then the rest of his friends through his broken glasses before glancing again at the four. No one made a sound till he turned to blond haired boy and said, "I think I may be hallucinating. It appears that James Potter, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black are in front of me. Yeah… I must be dead."
The blond looked up as well revealing beautiful gray eyes that seemed to have no innocence in them. "Well if you are then I guess I am too… but I also see a rat."
The Marauders shared a look and wondered silently to themselves what the blond had meant. He couldn't have known that Peter was an Animagus.
The dark hair boy nodded, "If we were dead then I wouldn't be feeling what I am sure you are feeling as well." Before adding while attempted to look at the girl, "How is Mione?'
All the boys in the hall turned toward her and looked at her pale, blood covered face. When looking at her in the light of the moon most would assume that she was wearing a dark red cloak, but after looking closely did the Marauders realize that the cloak was white. It was white and it was covered in blood.
Sirius now turned away from the group and threw up as well. "Bloody hell!"
James nodded, "Sirius go get Madam Promprefy. Now!"
Remus turned back after watching him run toward the Hospital Wing. He attempted to move toward the girl to check her vitals, but was stopped as both the boys attempted to get up. The dark haired one did and was standing in the werewolf's way while the blond grabbed the girl's broken arm and dragged her back.
The girl moaned loudly and then screamed as she felt someone pull on her arm. It was broken in several places and must have been causing her excruciating pain. Opening her eyes Hermione awoke to see Harry standing in front of her protecting her from the person between him and her. He was wobbling on his feet and it looked like he may fall over.
"Draco," she spluttered through the blood that had filled her lungs. It was amazing that she hadn't died yet.
She felt his hand touch her face. And she saw several broken fingers. "Where are we?"
The boy, now known as Draco laughed, "Hogwarts apparently, but don't worry this is all a hallucination and we will probably wake up to discover that we our back in our cells with knifes drawn and death and torture waiting."
Hermione nodded, trusting Draco while not understanding most of what he said. She couldn't keep a thought going through her head. "Harry?" she asked this time.
He merely grunted while keeping an eye on his 'father'.
"Why are you standing up?"
He turned his head lightly, "If this Death Eater in front of me moves so much as a finger toward his wand then I will break both his arms and legs."
James froze. The boy who looked so much like him glared and watched him while Peter ran away, hopefully toward the Headmaster. This 'Harry' also was severally injured so James wasn't that worried about fighting. He just didn't want to hurt him any more then he already was.
He looked like he was going to fall over. And James was pretty sure that his feet weren't supposed to be facing the way they were.
Remus was the one who answered for James. "He's not a Death Eater! And neither are any of us for that matter. Were just students here!"
However the dark haired boy didn't seem to hear him. This 'Harry' as the girl called him, kept his eyes on James.
Hermione muttered, "Are we safe?"
Draco grinned before wincing. It hurt. "No love were in Hogwarts, remember?"
Hermione smiled and then winced also, "But it's not safe."
Draco chuckled and James stared shockingly at the two. Hogwarts? Unsafe? This was probably the most protected place in the entire world, besides maybe Gringotts.
Suddenly the girl gasped in obvious pain and slumped down seemingly unconscious.
"Damn it!"
The blonde turned his body and Remus threw up again as one of his ribs went through his skin and cloak. He muttered before slipping into darkness with his girlfriend, "Merlin…"
It was now Harry against two and just before the new comer was going to give James and Remus a hit to the head he was stunned by the Headmaster himself.
The last thought through Harry's head before he joined his friends was that if he had not been so injured he would have kicked that fake Dumbledore's arse.
To say Albus Dumbledore was surprise would be an understatement. These three newcomers were not only unbelievably injured, but at the scale Madam Promprefy had taken to see their magical cores it had shown that all three were VERY powerful. The dark hair James-Look-Alike was by far the most powerful.
After he had stunned this 'Harry' the troubled nurse came skidding towards him with Sirius in tow and when she saw the three, Madam Promprefy nearly went into hysterics. At first she began to try and treat all three at once, but that was an almost impossible feat. Then when she realized that the Marauders were still there she tried to get them to leave so she could work and it wasn't till Dumbledore forced her to calm down and take them to the Hospital Wing did she finally think to take them were they could be treated the most easily.
When everyone arrived in at the Hospital Wing Dumbledore turned toward the boys, "I think you should leave for now. I'll talk with all of you in the morning."
"But sir…" James protested.
He shook his head, "No boys. Now please go."
Sirius didn't want to hear this and, although he respected his headmaster, he wanted answers. "How did they get here? Who are they? Why did they act like this place was closed? How did they know us?"
Dumbledore took a deep breath and stared into the boy's eyes. "I don't know."
And if Albus Dumbledore didn't know what was going on than something was definitely not right.
When the door was shut on their faces they all looked at each other.
James was the first to speak, "I'll go get the Marauders Map and Invisibility Cloak. Remus comes with me. Sirius and Peter both go down to the library and grab anything about portals. Let's meet back here in twenty minutes. That should give Madam enough time to diagnose and treat them before talking with Dumbledore."
The three boys nodded and left their separate ways.
James and Remus were silent on their walk back to Gryffindor. But when they arrived and got what they needed James turned to his friend and muttered, "Did you see him?"
Remus knew that he meant the boy that looked like him. "Yeah… I did."
James sighed before looking at the window. "Where did he come from? He knew us, but it seemed like, like he didn't believe that we were there."
Remus just shook his. "I don't know, James. I just don't know."
No one moved for several minutes and then Remus stood up and left the room, James following behind him somberly.
When the two boys reached the bottom of the stairs there was a disheveled looking Lily waiting for them. "Where have you been!? James you missed patrolling and I had to cover your sorry arse!"
"I'm sorry Lily, but I got to…"
Lily glared, "GO? You have to go? And pray tell where exactly do you have to GO?!"
Remus stepped forward, "Calm down Lils. We were taking someone to the Hospital Wing and we are just going back to check on them. We really don't have time to deal with you right now so can you please move?"
Lily just stood there looking at the boys before saying, "No. If that is really what you are going to do then you won't mind that I come along."
James gasped and began to decline, but Remus said, "Deal!"
"But…"
Remus glared at him. "We have to go James. NOW. And I don't particularly care who comes along for the ride, I want to know who they are and what happened to them."
James spent a minute looking at his friend, seeing not just the concern in his brown, almost amber eyes, but also there was fear. Fear of what this could possibly mean for the Wizarding World.
When they met up with Sirius and Peter both were carrying several books. "It took you long enough! We were afraid that we would have to listen without you!"
Lily turned on James, "Ah ha! I knew you were up to something! I knew it! Remus, I thought you were better than that? I can't believe that you lied to me."
Remus did look a little guilty, but before he could say anything Sirius did, "Is that Lily Evans who has joined us on this fateful night? My goodness Wormtail I believe it is!"
Peter just grinned at his fellow Marauder and Lily glared. James grabbed his cloak again and attempted to wrap it around the five of them whilst wondering how Sirius could be attempting a joke after seeing those three kids. Remus, Lily and he were the only ones that fit so Sirius and Peter changed into a dog and rat. Both sneaking in after the three entered the infirmary.
The three new patients were lying on three hospital beds. They all looked considerably better than before, but James could still see wounds that hadn't healed yet.
"What is wrong with them? What happened?" asked Lily, softer than a whisper.
"Torture."
Everyone jumped and was prepared to give their excuses, but the comment wasn't directed at them. Madam Promprefy was speaking to the Heads of the Houses and the Headmaster.
Slughorn looked down at the three, "Are you sure? I mean…"
But the tired looking nurse shook her head. "I am certain. At first I thought it may have been an attack by some wild animal, but after examining their injuries the only conclusion I can come to is that they were tortured."
Flitwick shook his head, "But they are only teenagers! Why would someone want to torture them?"
Poppy shrugged, "With this day and age I wouldn't be surprise to see more cases like this in the future, I had hoped, I mean, I just didn't think that the Dark Ages were approaching so quickly."
The Marauders and Lily all looked at each other worriedly.
McGonagall took a calming breath. "What was the status of their injuries Poppy?" The Headmaster nodded, but remained silent twisting his long silver beard and peering at the three patients over his half-moon glasses.
"The girl had several broken bones. Most were in her legs and those injuries will take some time to heal. She also had various cuts around her thighs and wrists an obvious sign of attempts to bleed her out. On her left arm there is words carved into her forearm. Albus it said… it said 'Mudblood'!" Poppy began to wipe her eyes with her dress as she gazed at the girl lying on the bed between the two boys.
The Marauders and Lily's mouths were open in shock and Lily's eyes were filled up with tears. It was obvious then that it was an attack by the Death Eaters.
"The blonde boy also has a considerable amount of broken bones. And while not nearly as much as the girl, he does seem to have several parts of his body burned as if someone lit a flame on his skin. He too has several cuts covering his body and on his left forearm the word 'Traitor' was carved into his skin."
Flitwick asked, "You healed those cuts didn't you?"
Madam Promprefy shook her head, "I could not. The blade must have been enchanted because they just wouldn't heal."
Dumbledore moved around her and picked up the girl's left wrist. James could just make out the word 'Mudblood' in the dim light. The Headmaster began to recite incantations and after several minutes he looked back at the four teachers and nurse. "It's true. No magic that I can conjure up can heal that wound. I am afraid that they will have it for the rest of their lives."
Lily looked positively ill at those words. She was a muggleborn witch too.
Dumbledore cast one more fleeting look at the scarred arm and then moved back to group gathered in the infirmary. "And the dark haired boy?"
"He has suffered the worst out of all of them. He has almost twenty five bones broken and almost his whole body was either burned or cut except for his face. I checked both of his arms for any carvings and there was none. The scar on his forehead looked like someone healed it already, but I cannot make it disappear. It is shaped like a lightning bolt. I did find the word 'Freak' on his upper back, but it looks like he received that injury no sooner than last year. I did an overall check of his body after I healed him and in both of his ankles it appeared that someone has, ahh, ripped out some bones with… pliers. My guess is that whoever did this did not want him to escape."
Lily was shaking silently next to James, but he was unwilling to move and comfort her. The teachers and nurse turned away from the three patients and began to walk toward Madam Promprefy's office.
"I will give him some Skele-Grow when he wakes up and hopefully it will heal less painlessly then when they were removed. They have all been put under the Cruciatus curse. I just don't understand Albus. What type of monster could do this?"
As Madam Promprefy finished her explanation the blond haired boy sat up. The teachers didn't move because they didn't see him, but Lily almost let out a shriek when she saw the dark hair boy and girl also sit up.
The girl looked at the dark haired boy and then the blonde before swing her legs off the bed and landing them on the floor without a sound. The blond did the same, but the dark haired boy let out a groan when he swung his legs. When James saw his ankles he had to look away in hopes of not throwing up. They had several indents in the skin that James was sure bones should have been. Poppy must have healed the wounds on the skin.
Dumbledore turned around and saw that the three were up and that they were attempting to leave. Quickly he rushed over to grab the swaying dark haired boy, only to jump back with hands raised in surrender as the boy jumped back with a raised fist. "Excuse me, why don't you all three sit down and take it easy. It appears that you have several injuries that need attention. Quite frankly I am surprised that you are up at all."
He casted the new comers a friendly grin though there was obvious sorrow in his eyes. At first they just stared at him and then turned toward Lily the Marauders under the cloak. They could see a rat in the corner of the room and Harry was certain that he saw a dog just slip under the bed.
Hermione kept her eyes on the cloak while Draco and Harry turned toward Dumbledore. They just stared back unsmiling.
Around Harry's neck was a chain with a shrunken case and cloak. All three carried their most valuable items on a chain that was charmed to not be removed by any other then the three.
Harry ripped off the cloak from the chain and mutter a quiet 'Engorgio' before flicking his wrist and the cloak to Draco.
He caught the cloak and threw it over himself while Harry transformed into a serpent, a Python that reached five feet in length. A snake didn't have feet much less legs so it was the most comfortable form he could be in. He slid toward where Draco had been moments before and vanished under the cloak.
Hermione was left alone looking at the stunned faces of the Professors. She suddenly grinned and nodded her head at them. With that she turned toward the Marauders and Lily. She ripped off the cloak and slipped it around herself.
Dumbledore moved quickly to block the door while Poppy and McGonagall blocked the nurse's office. Flitwick and Slughorn moved toward the students and stood guard, blocking them from view.
They never thought to guard the windows.
Suddenly across the window plane was a crack and then it seemed like a spider web was appearing on the windows, the tiny cracks reaching all the way to the frame.
Dumbledore didn't move. He was too shocked. He knew very well that James, Lily and Remus were under the invisibility cloak, but as soon as it wrapped around the girl's body he seemed to lose all sense of where they were. He had not suspected that they would jump out a three story tower to escape him
Which brought him to the next question… why were they trying to escape HIM?
But before he could ponder more the glass finally broke through and he could hear the faint sounds of bodies hitting the ground.
Poppy moved quickly toward the window and looked out. "They probably are injured from a fall like that! We need to get to them before they can start moving again. We cannot lose them."
The Professors nodded and began to move out the door.
"Headmaster!"
Dumbledore turned around to see James standing there with a piece of parchment in his hands. He took it gently and looked at the boy, "What is this Mr. Potter?"
He looked hesitant, but replied, "It is the Marauder's Map. Created by me, Remus, Sirius and Peter. When you tap your wand on it and mutter the words 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.' This will cause the map to reveal you Hogwarts and who is in it and what they are doing."
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows in surprise. "My goodness boys. Some brilliant spell work, but I fear we will discuss this more at another time."
Remus nodded and said quickly, "Go before they leave the grounds and when you are done using the map mutter 'Mischief Managed' and it will return to being an old piece of parchment."
Dumbledore smiled and gave the boys a quick nod of approval. This map was obviously very important to them and giving it to him was something he knew they didn't want to do.
James watched as the Headmaster began to run towards his colleges. Sirius and Peter both changed back to their original forms and looked at James. "You gave him the map." Was all that Sirius could say.
"Yep."
No one moved. They all just stood there in silence. This was definitely going to be one of the Marauders weirdest years at Hogwarts ever.
Lily suddenly gasped and turned around. James turned too and looked at her with worry in his eyes. "What is it?"
Lily's emerald green eyes turned back to look into James's startling brown ones. "I don't feel think we are alone."
Dumbledore was at the entrance to the school when he decided to use the incantation and wake up the map. When he did he realized that he had made a terrible mistake. Not only did he not think of the possibility that the three kids would not jump out the window, but he also let five of his students unattended in possibly hostile conditions.
As he called back to the others to turn around one more thought went through his head.
"Who were these Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy?"
A/N: There you go, loves! The first chapter has been redone and if I must say I am mostly pleased with my revisions. I almost scratched all of it and retyped it, but I know that it would just take ages and I admit that I am lazy. And I am sure all my loyal readers wanted this up sooner rather than later.
Hopefully the next chapter will be posted by Friday, also with plenty of revisions. And remember to review and let me know if you like the changes!
TM