'Stand aside!' said a rough voice. 'Alohomora!'
As the door flew open, Harry, Hermione and Neville dived under desks. They could see the bottom of the two Death Eaters' robes drawing nearer, their feet moving rapidly.
'They might've run straight through to the hall,' said the rough voice.
'Check under the desks,' said another.
Harry saw the knees of the Death Eaters bend; poking his wand out from under the desk, he shouted, 'STUPEFY!'
A jet of red light hit the nearest Death Eater; he fell backwards into a grandfather clock and knocked it over; the second Death Eater, however, had leapt aside to avoid Harry's spell and was pointing his own wand at Hermione, who was crawling out from under the desk to get a better aim.
'Avada-'
Harry launched himself across the floor and grabbed the Death Eater around the knees, causing him to topple and his aim to go awry. Neville overturned a desk in his anxiety to help; and pointing his wand wildly at the struggling pair, he cried:
'EXPELLIARMUS!'
Both Harry's and the Death Eater's wands flew out of their hands and soared back towards the entrance to the Hall of Prophecy; both scrambled to their feet and charged after them, the Death Eater in front, Harry hot on his heels, and Neville bringing up the rear, plainly horrorstruck by what he had done.
'Get out of the way, Harry!' yelled Neville, clearly determined to repair the damage.
Harry flung himself sideways as Neville took aim again and shouted:
'STUPEFY!'
The jet of red light flew right over the Death Eaters shoulder and hit a glass-fronted cabinet on the wall full of variously shaped hour-glasses-
(Taken from Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix, Chapter 35)
Golden dust flew everywhere, settling on Harry, Hermione and Neville. Harry felt a whirling sensation, not unlike a portkey, and he disappeared. A whirl of color and a few nauseous minutes later, he was thrown on the ground face-first. He groaned and turned around to try to stand up. He spotted Neville and Hermione a few feet away, and hobbled over to them.
"Neville, Hermione! Are you alright?" he asked. Neville shook his head.
"Hermione's unconscious. I think she hit her head. Where's everyone else?" he asked, going over to Hermione and turned her over. She let out a soft moan.
"I don't know. The last thing I remember is the time-turners exploding and a feeling of traveling by portkey." Harry said grimly, and reached for his wand. "Be on guard. We don't know where we are." He levitated Hermione and gestured Neville to follow. They finally looked at their surroundings. They were in a forest with tall, thick trees. Small animals scuttled around. Harry spotted a bowtruckle slipping between leaves.
"Harry, I think we're in the Forbidden Forest. I think I recognize this clearing." Neville said. Harry looked at him incredulously.
"You remember that?!" he said in disbelief. Neville nodded sheepishly. Harry sighed. "Let's hope you're right. Come on." They trudged through the woods, Hermione floating behind them. After several hours of looking, Neville surged forward.
"I think I see Hogwarts!" he said excitedly. He ran forward, but Harry grasped the back of his shirt.
"Wait! We don't know what we could find!" he said, and Neville slowed down.
"Sorry. I got excited." he said, and Harry nodded. They progressed a bit slower and finally they came to the edge of the forest. They spent a few minutes gazing at the castle, until they noticed a man making their way to them. He did not look happy. The man came to a stop in front of them.
"What business do you have here?" he said, his voice deep and powerful. Harry and Neville exchanged glances.
"Um, we just landed in the forest and our friend got hurt. Can you help us?" Harry asked hesitantly. The man crossed his arms.
"What are your names?" he asked.
"Um, Harry. This is Neville and Hermione is our friend who is hurt." Harry answered. The man looked at them suspiciously.
"Very well. Follow me." His tone left no room for argument. He swept toward the castle. The two teens hurried to catch up. They came to a stop in front of the gates. Harry and Neville could see a woman with long, curly blond hair hurrying towards them.
"Salazar, what happened? I felt the wards detect intruders. Are we under attack?" she said quickly. Harry and Neville gaped at her. Salazar? As in Salazar Slytherin?
"No, Helga. I found a couple of young lads by the forest. Their friend hit their head. Can you bring the girl to the infirmary? I'll go find the others and introduce these two while you heal the girl." the man said. The woman nodded.
"Of course. Please set her on the ground." she said briskly to the two.
"No." Harry said. "Wherever Hermione goes, we go too." Neville nodded and they stared back defiantly. The woman pursed her lips.
"Very well. Come with me." They followed a familiar path to the infirmary. The woman instructed the to set Hermione on a bed and stand out of her way. Harry and Neville complied. They watched the woman work.
"So these are the intruders." Someone suddenly said behind them. Harry and Neville spun around with their wands in their hands. The man who they have met before was standing next to another man and woman. The woman was tall and she had dark brown hair and intelligent blue eyes. The man was also tall and he had dirty blonde hair and hard brown eyes. But what really caught Harry's eye was the familiar ruby-encrusted sword hanging from the man's hip. His eyes widened.
"My name is Godric Gryffindor. These are my comrades, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, and the one healing your friend is Helga Hufflepuff. Salazar informs me that your names are Harry, Neville and Hermione. Is this correct?" the man with the sword said. They gaped at him. Gryffindor? Hufflepuff? Ravenclaw? Slytherin? The founders? Neville found his voice first.
"You're the founders?" he squeaked, and then went red. Ravenclaw narrowed her eyes.
"If you mean the founders of Hogwarts school, then yes. Now answer the question." she said. Harry nodded.
"Excellent. How did you end up at Hogwarts?"Godric said. Harry scratched the back of his head.
"We're not really sure. One minute we were at the Ministry, fighting Death Eaters, the next, we were traveling somehow and ended up in the Forbidden Forest. We'll have to ask Hermione when she wakes up. She probably knows what happened." he said thoughtfully. Gryffindor pursed his lips.
"Godric, the girl will wake in a few days. Why don't we get the boys to a room? It is getting late." Helga called from her post next to Hermione.
"Good idea. When your friend wakes, we will talk again." Gryffindor said and walked out of the room, leaving Harry and Neville to talk with the others.
Welcome to my story! Hope you like it and please review. I am also looking for a beta, so if anyone wants the job, PM me. Thanks!
-KittyCat
