A/N:It's me, updating! Yeah, so I'm really trying to update as quick as I can while managing to keep up with the murderous (and stupendously draining) workload in school and being able to give you the best continuation for the previous chapter that I can, so I dearly hope y'all enjoy this one.
Actually, it's been really hard to finish this chapter. First, many requirements are asked from us by the very evil teachers, and I'm really trying my best to give the best outputs that I can… Second, giving my utmost best in all the projects, reports, and all other laborious work tires me a lot, and so I spend my free time trying to get as much sleep as I used to get back in the summer. Third, of course, I also gave time to think about how best to write this chapter-- so it would be as good as the others too.
Again, I'm so very sorry for the delay. :(
Gah, let me stop blabbering! Here's the much awaited Chapter 3.
When Time-Turners Go Haywire
An RLNT fanfic, AU
3: Frozen Sheet of Ice
XxX
Tonks felt the nauseating feeling come upon her again, so she shut her reddened eyelids tight, the tears still out of her control. Her head was heavy and she was weak; she could feel the whole universe spinning around her, tears raced down her cheeks, she had no idea where she would end up next (though she badly missed Grimmauld Place even though she normally didn't), she didn't know how long she would be time-traveling like this, but all she could do was to hold on tight to the Time-Turner, as a Christian Muggle would do to a Rosary while praying fervently.
Unlike the first time she had vanished like this (wherein she had ended on the Lupins' house and witnessed something she wished she hadn't), this trip seemed to take forever. It was mocking her, adding to the guilt she was already feeling, like it was telling her how it was all her fault why things had gone so terribly wrong… it was all her fault….
The next thing Tonks knew, she was freezing and lying on an ice-cold layer of dark glass. She tried to sit up but she was literally shivering from head to foot, like someone having a seizure. What's worse, it was dark and she had no idea where and when she was in.
"Help!" she screamed, but her voice was drowned by the howling wind around her and all that came out of her lips was fog. Tonks suddenly realized where she lay and she felt her heart skip a beat: she had materialized right on top of a frozen lake, or river, or ocean (she couldn't tell how vast the body of water was), and any movement she made might lead to her untimely death: she fumbled for the Time-Turner and spun it clumsily, but she remained on top of the glassy surface (why did the Time-Turner not work according to her favor?-- but it was a Dark object, she noted); she didn't dare create another move to get to her wand-- for if this made the ice crack and break, no one would ever see her return to work, to her family, to Sirius, the Weasleys, the Order, and Remus….
But that wasn't her only problem: if she didn't move, she'd be stuck there, in the frosty evening, the wind blowing in all directions, coating her hair with snowflakes, wrapping her body in white bits of ice flakes; whether she moved or not, she knew she'd be dying sooner or later. And so the tears that had stopped momentarily from falling came again, and all Tonks could do was wrap her knees with her arms and wished that this had merely been a terrible nightmare…
"Hey," called a hoarse voice from a distance. "What the…"
"Help me," muttered Tonks through her violently chattering teeth. Her lips were covered in snow and just the same as what had happened earlier; only fog came out of her lips.
"Wait there!" yelled the hoarse voice, suddenly realizing Tonks' situation. "Don't move!" Tonks lay freezing on top of the ice, hoping immensely that she would get out of this situation alive, now that someone has come to her aid.
It had been a minute or two of desperation when gloved hands grabbed Tonks by the arms and pulled her up. She leaned against this kind stranger, wheezing. "It's okay now, let's get going--"
The stranger stopped in mid-sentence when an unmistakable cracking sound interrupted him. The stranger looked down nervously at his feet and saw a long crooked line in the frozen water and before the ice gave way to the dangerously freezing water, he had grabbed Tonks and pressed her against him, not wanting to let go.
Then the ice cracked into a million other pieces-- Tonks screamed into the stranger's snow-covered coat; she and the stranger had fallen.
XxX
Tonks looked around. She was in a forest, surrounded by many lush green trees. It was warm, and she wondered why it was so, when she slightly remembered dying because of the cold. Was this where dead people (or spirits) end up? Tonks wondered.
Suddenly she saw a little boy sitting at her feet. She hadn't noticed him before, but Tonks smiled lightly still, for the boy's presence seemed to have removed the burden in her chest, merely being by her side.
"Wotcher, kiddo," said Tonks cheerfully. Believing she was already dead, she was strangely happy-- at least, she has another dead person beside her; at least she wasn't alone. "C'mon, why don't you stand up and let's walk around together."
The boy didn't look at Tonks, but he replied, "You killed me."
"W-what?" stammered Tonks, aghast and paled by the boy's answer.
But the boy didn't answer back anymore, for a large creature had leaped out from behind one of the trees, grabbed the boy and began lashing greedily at it, ripping it into pieces with his sharp paws and teeth.
"NO!" yelled Tonks. She jumped at the werewolf lapping at the boy, but she merely went through it, just like a ghost. The boy was screaming for help, and Tonks began to cry, for she couldn't do anything else. This death was unimaginable; was she supposed to relive those moments in her life when she had been filled with sadness and regret?
Then the werewolf leaped away from the boy, howling maniacally. It ran away, and Tonks immediately knelt before the blood-stained boy, weeping. The boy looked at Tonks and whispered, "It was your fault."
"No-- I couldn't-- h-help--"
"You killed me!"
"No! It w-wasn't my f-fault-- forgive me--"
"You destroyed me!" hissed the boy.
"I'm sorry! I w-was s-s-selfish! I-- I--" Tonks was crying as though she's never cried before. She tried to touch the boy, but the boy had touched her first; he grasped her arms quite tightly, until it began to hurt.
"No….," whispered Tonks.
"You need to wake up, miss! Please listen to me!" said a hoarse voice.
"No…."
"Wake up, you're only dreaming!"
Tonks opened her eyes, which were wet. She blinked a few times, and saw that there was no boy, no forest; indeed it was just a dream-- rather, a nightmare. The stranger soothingly rubbed her back as Tonks began crying again. "It's just a dream… forget it," said the stranger gently. But Tonks cried harder, and pulling the unknowing stranger by her side, she leaned into him while sobbing.
"It's okay…" said the stranger to comfort the woman, though there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice. How can there not be, when this woman who was sobbing on his thin, patched shirt was a stranger to him, someone who was peculiar enough to be thrashing around on the bed as she dreamt? And what troubled him the most were these: how did a twenty-something-year-old woman get inside Hogwarts, and position herself to lay on top of a frozen sheet of ice which was the Hogwarts Lake? Why would she lay on top of the dangerous layer of ice anyway?
The woman sobbed louder, and the teenage stranger's thoughts were put aside as he figured that there were more pressing matters to deal with.
"I r-really sh-should've--hic-- saved--hic-- h-him," whispered Tonks onto the stranger's wet shirt, which was seemingly familiar and comfortable. She had reduced her cries by now, but her sobs were replaced by hiccups. "But I--hic-- was so--hic-- selfish!" A single tear fell from her eyes, but it seemed that all her other tears had dried out already.
"Erm," muttered the stranger, not knowing what he really should say, seeing as he doesn't know what the woman was talking about. His hoarse voice brought Tonks to gaze up at the unknowing stranger, and as she looked up, her mouth hung open and her dark eyes widened; she didn't quite know what the Time-Turner was doing with her life.
"You?" gasped Tonks. "Again?"
"Excuse me--?"
"Oh, Remus!" squealed Tonks. She threw herself at the teenage Remus Lupin and began crying softly again.
Remus Lupin felt like the cold water of the lake must have given him a terrible headache. Questions swam back into his mind, and he felt like it was going to drown him-- it was just too many, and he didn't know a single answer to any of it. Plus, the arms of this strange woman around his neck were choking him-- generally, girls wouldn't want to get five hundred meters near him.
Tonks pulled away, teary-eyed, and upon seeing the look on Remus's face, she smiled despite herself. "Well, of course you don't know me," she giggled. "What was I thinking?"
"Miss, I… you need to tell me what's going on," began Remus. His voice was nervous yet there was a note of authority in it. "As a school prefect, I need to know--"
"--How I got here and why I know you even if you have no idea who the hell I am?" Tonks grinned as she finished Remus's question.
"I suppose, yes."
"Blody hell, I'm in Hogwarts?"
"How do you not know?" asked Remus suspiciously.
"Well, I'm ruddy stupid, you know," said Tonks. "Particularly stupid, mind you… for wearing this." And she showed him the dusty golden chain that she wore, from which an hourglass hung lifelessly, seemingly harmless. Remus, being the intelligent young man that he was, recognized the necklace immediately.
"A Time-Turner," he breathed in awe.
"Yep," said Tonks nonchalantly, drying her face with her sleeve. "Remus, I'm from your future."
Remus Lupin was staring in avid curiosity at this young woman, as though she knew everything there was to know about everything. He began to understand a little, if not much, about all his worries.
"Seriously?" He breathed once more.
To Be Continued…
XxX
A/N: After checking, I've just realized that it's been a month and three days since I've posted the second chapter. I'm just very thankful that I was able to finish this chapter, and the only consolations I get from all of these are your reviews.
Please review, pretty, pretty please! I know this chapter was a bit predictable (like you could tell from the beginning that Tonks ended up with Remus again, duh)… but I still think that it's very romantic though. Remus really stuck with Tonks and saved her from dying from the cold and drowning, even though she was a total stranger. I wanted to include the scene about what happened when the two of them fell into the freezing Hogwarts Lake, but I thought it would go off-course if I did. So I decided to just make a one-shot out of it, and for those who are interested to read, I'll just say when I plan to post that particular scene.
SPECIAL A/N (a.k.a. A/N Part 2): And now… the time to give thanks to those who deserved to be thanked.
I really, really (REALLY) appreciate all those who took the time and patience to show their support for this fic. Thank you so much, guys! You deserve some hot, strong, love… from your favorite Harry Potter character. :)
First, to all those who reviewed this fic so far: MrsRemusLupin1 (who reviewed twice), somber-quill (reviewed once), TwilightForever93 (reviewed twice), Mezzanotte Nera (reviewed once), You Know Who (reviewed once), islay12 (reviewed once), amber'eyed'countess (reviewed once) and to Mrsamandamcavoy (who reviewed once).
Second, to those who have put this story on their Story Alert list: MrsRemusLupin1, MudbloodFlo, TwilightForever93, Gryffindor for eva', Queen Flora, Mezzanotte Nera, Lifeclaw, Starla101101, Horsegrad13, amber'eyed'countess, bookwormology101, Essabellia, islay12, Mrsamandamcavoy, wrightie and Zalaril.
And lastly, to those who have put this story on their Favorites list: amber'eyed'countess, Mrsamandamcavoy, MrsRemusLupin1 and WickederThanYou.
(Like my last statement in Chapter 2) Thanks a million, people.
