Chapter 2: Rhymes and Time

Hermione woke up first. She looked around and shook her friend as panic began to set in.

"Harry! Harry wake up!"she hissed in urgency.

Harry's eyes woke and adjusted to the light. They found themselves in a filthy alleyway.

"Where are we?" Harry groaned sitting up.

"Actually Harry, it might be when are we..." she said biting her lip.

"Oh right...the time turner broke," he frowned.

"Yes and Harry those sands aren't supposed to touch air... I'm not sure where or when we are. It should have taken us back to where we were in the castle."

Harry grabbed a nearby paper and frowned, "Maybe it's because we aren't born yet. Look at the date of this paper!"

"October 3rd 1893!? Harry we're over 100 years in the past!"

After getting over the initial shock of how far back in time they had gone, the two friends ventures into the crisp air. They were in a street in muggle London.

"What about Dumbledore?" Harry asked as they walked.

"He's quite young in this time. I don't know he'd be of the mind set to believe us," Hermione sighed.

"Well...who would?"

"No one."

"What?!"

"Harry, the wizards Tarus and Merlin meddled with time but were never able to adequately prefect it! A witch did but it's still twenty years before even SHE does that! Right now she's a child and..." Hermione suddenly stopped her eyes growing wide.

"And what? Hermione?" he turned around and frowned seeing her eyes, "What?"

Time is Fickle and so are her People

When you are in a Pickle call upon her Twinkle

Go to the beginning and start again

She can help you you return from where you began

"What? Hermione speak English."

"That is English!" she sighed rolling her eyes, "It's a rhyme that McGonagall told me."

"Well ….how does it help?"

"The witch that created the time turner from Tarus and Merlin's notes is alive in this time. She's only 12 or 13, but even at that age she was a genius. If we can find her she may be the only person that can help us get back to our own time!"

"Great! So where does she live?"

Hermione frowned and shut her eyes trying to remember all the headmistress had told her about the time turners.

Another rhyme came to her.

To find her true you must go to where the sky is not blue.

To find a lion of guile you must return to her mire

Salazar's den is for a crafty lion

A home of light in a moor of the night

"Salazar's Mire?" Harry frowned.

Hermione nodded, "Her family home was in the Salazar's Mire. It's in a northern part of Scotland I think."

It took several hours, but the two Gryffindors finally found themselves in the village that birthed one of the most prolific founders and dark wizards known.