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Chapter 2: Prequel to the Headache
Harry's POV
I woke in the early morning, before Ron and my other roommates had even thought of their day to come. My head swam with thoughts as I tried to make sense of my upcoming job. Groaning, I rolled over on my side and stumbled into the bathroom. It was obvious by the bags under my eyes that I hadn't slept very well, not that I would have anyway, Voldemort haunting my dreams and all.
Getting dressed in my usual robes with muggle clothing underneath, I grabbed my satchel and went down stairs. "Maybe I'll actually get some homework done before Ron wakes up and drags me off to play chess," I though as I trotted down the stairs leading to the common room.
As I made it down the stairs, I stopped dead in my tracks. There standing in front of me was Dumbledore, accompanied by Professor Lupin and Professor McGonagall. I cocked my head to the side slightly and advanced forward.
"Ah, Mr. Potter, We were expecting you to sleep much later," Dumbledore said, casting his crooked smile my way.
"Sorry to disappoint you professor, but my anxiety seems to have gotten the best of me," I said, still slightly flustered.
"Well, in that case, I'm sure that Minerva would be happy to accompany you to the Great Hall for quick breakfast. You do, after all, have a very busy day ahead of you." Dumbledore smiled innocently at me and then turned back to Professor Lupin.
"Professor," I asked as I turned to Professor McGonagall," What does Dumbledore mean when he says I have a busy day ahead of me." I looked at her intently as we rounded the corner in front of the Great Hall.
McGonagall looked at me and then sheepishly diverted her eyes to the doors of the Great Hall. "You just wait for Albus to explain it to you, Harry. As for now, I think it would be best if you concerned yourself with eating a good breakfast, and perhaps spending some time with your classmates," Professor McGonagall said as she ushered me into the Great Hall and hurried off into the kitchens in search of a house elf.
I sat at the Gryffindor table, awaiting my food and pondering what might await me in the next few hours. Would I get to see my parents again, or would I get sent away on business the moment I made it to Hogwarts? Maybe I would get to meet Sirius and Remus when they were my age? "Wouldn't that be wild," I thought to myself," I can't imagine what Sirius would be like as a teenager. He's already so hyper now."
Just then, Professor McGonagall came back from the kitchens, a house elf in tow. The house elf eagerly placed the food from her tray onto the table in front of me, and then scurried off as quickly as she had come. To my immense amusement, McGonagall squeezed into the bench next to me, nibbling on a piece of toast.
I tried to force down as much of the breakfast as I could, which ended up being two pieces of toast and an egg. Excusing myself, I got up from the bench and walked towards the courtyard. Unfortunately, Dumbledore and Remus where walking towards me from down the hall. "Bugger, I'm never going to get any alone time today, eh," I thought to myself as I waited to be approached.
"Harry," Remus and Dumbledore said in unison, causing me to look quickly from one to the other.
"Uh…Yes," I said hesitantly. Once again, the sense of dread rose in me quickly.
"I have received word from myself that your accommodations at Hogwarts in 1985 will be set and ready when you get there. We had you put in the same room as your father, godfather and-," Dumbledore said but was cut off by Lupin. "And me," Remus replied rather happily.
Dumbledore coughed to get our attention again. "The reasoning behind this arrangement is that their former room mate, Peter Pettigrew, has gone missing from Hogsmeade earlier in the week. You will be occupying his bed and schedule until you find the person that has taken the time turner and come back to the present. Professor Lupin and I will accompany you into the past and get you the proper attire and supplies before heading back to our own time, leaving another time turner in your possession. Now, I strongly advise that you gather your personal items and be in my office by noon," Dumbledore said in a lighthearted manner that had somewhat of an underlying tone of worry.
"Y-yes Professor, in your office by noon, got it," I said, hurrying off in the opposite direction, towards the Gryffindor dorms.
When I finally made it to the dorms, I found that many of the other Gryffindors where wide awake and playing assorted games or reading. Hermione sat in the corner, once again reading a book that Professor McGonagall had lent to her. Ron was occupied in a game of wizards' chess with Seamus Finnegan.
"Harry," Hermione nearly screamed as I walked into the common room," I wondered where you had gone." She came up to give me a hug, but I wouldn't let her go when she tried to pull away. "Harry, what's wrong," She said, her motherly voice coming out.
"Oh no, I don't know if I'm allowed to tell them," I thought to myself as she pulled away slightly and looked into my eyes.
"I-I need to talk to you and Ron," I said, catching Ron's attention in the process. He walked over and put on his 'What did I miss' face. I took both of them by the arm and dragged them towards the Portrait of the Fat Lady and out to the hallway.
We stopped when we got to the next corner and I turned to face both of them. "O-okay…Do you want the long or short version," I said, almost begging them internally to ask for the short version.
"Oh! Just get on with it," Ron said impatiently as he leaned against the stone wall. "Yes, please do," Hermione followed up with.
"Well…After class yesterday, Professor Flitwick pulled me over to the side and told me that Dumbledore had been looking for me and had requested that I visit his office. I flu'ed to his office and Dumbledore was waiting there for me…." I trailed off.
"C'mon out with it Harry," Ron urged me. Hermione gave a curt nod behind him, staring intently at me.
I gulped. "I'm going back in time to get back a time turner that a Hogwarts worker stole," I spilt quickly, in a jumbled sentence," To my parents' time."
Hermione and Ron stared at him dumbfounded, Ron's jaw slightly slacked.
I shifted my gaze to Ron. "C'mon mate, it's not that big a deal," I said, not really thinking. BIG mistake!
Hermione was upon me in half a second. "Harry, how could you possibly say that! Time travel?! Do you know how big a deal that is," she said quite loudly at me.
"W-I-How should I know," I said, matching her sound level," It's not like I've been given time to rehearse my role of the "Back from the Future" child!" 'So much for staying calm,' I thought to myself.
I sighed heavily and slumped down the wall. I always found it much more comforting to be on the floor than to be standing when I was dealing with my problems. It was very calming just to be closer to the earth and away from the conflict above.
Hermione and Ron slumped down beside me and tried to catch my attention again.
"Sorry," I mumbled in the general direction of Hermione," I just don't know what to do once I get there. There is bound to be a million things that we have now that they didn't back then, and vice versa. What about my cloak and the Marauders map? If anyone were to get hold of them, it would blow my cover."
"But Harry, did Dumbledore say that you were going to stay under cover," Hermione questioned him with a hopeful tinge to her voice.
"I'm sure he will, Hermione! Harry can't bloody well walk around announcing that he's from the future! What is he supposed to do, expect for who ever he's looking for to just run to him with open arms," Ron said, most likely the most intelligent thing he had said in quite a while.
"Well then, I'll just have to work on a story while I'm still in present time and hope for the best once I get there," I pushed myself off the floor and started walking towards the common room.
"Harry," Hermione shouted from behind me.
"Hmm," I replied, turning to face her.
"I know some charms that would work wonders on securing your trunk from the marauders," she said, a large grin spreading over her face.
"How'd you know," I said, a grin forming on my face too," C'mon."
So, what do you think now? I'm really hoping that things turn out how I had originally planned them. Does Harry seem a little too girly? I'm not sure, but I'm starting to suspect it. I don't want him to be one of the 'flaming' gays, just a 'normal' one. The jury is out on who I should couple Harry with. A few people said I should put him with Sirius, which I'm all for. But if I do, I have to find someone else for Remus, and I hate the idea of Remus and Tonks. They just don't seem to mesh in my mind. Maybe Lucius or Snape for him then? Any suggestions?
P.S. I'm not putting up a new chapter until i get 5 reviews!