Chapter 8: Next Stop, Hogwarts

Everyone was gathered around the dinner table, trying to eat.

"You must be excited to have a new brother, Malcolm." Piama was smiling as she avoided looking at Lois.

"Well, he cries all the time," Jared glanced at Lois, "but that just makes it more wonderful."

"I'm going to school in September," Simon noted, trying to remember that he only looked eleven. He turned to Lois. "Excuse me, Ma'am, could we please stop pretending? I'm getting a headache trying to think of dumb things to say."

Hal looked up from his newspaper. "I have no problem with that, Honey. I don't really know what's going on, anyway."

"Fine, make all the mistakes you want," Lois said with exasperation. "I'm just trying to make sure you don't make any mistakes when it matters."

Jared sighed. It was like this almost every day. He and Simon shared a room with Dewey, which was bad enough. They were used to having their own rooms. And the baby did seem to cry ALL THE TIME. Now Francis was home and the living arrangements were changed around. They were now sleeping in the garage. With the house elf.

Jared wasn't homesick. He didn't have time to be homesick. Between all the chores they had to do, and being constantly reminded to remember they were not who they were. And the worst thing of all was, just when it seemed like they would get a break, the stupid house elf would twiddle his fake mustache and say, "let me help you with that, pardner."

"Why," Jared asked helplessly, "do I have to be Malcolm? Why can't I be the nice brother?"

"You don't have one," Lois said as she cut at her meatloaf. "The closest you have is Nob, and he's you with less experience. Consider yourself lucky. Reese has to pretend to be Draco and live in that big mansion with servants and everything. You can't tell me he's having a good time. And Draco, he's stuck being Malcolm because he can't be himself or it'll cause problems. Do you think he's happy?"

"No, I'm not," Draco/Malcolm said as he grabbed another slice of meatloaf. "You could at least cancel the spell, you know."

"Can't change you back if we have to," Lois said. "Nob's missing."

Draco scowled.

[I swear. I'm going to find a way to pay Malcolm back for this. I could be home right now, having dinner with . . . oh, yeah, we have a house guest. Never mind.

"You're right, Aunt Lois. It could always be worse."

Simon nudged his brother. "Don't worry. We'll make it through this. I know you can deal with it."

And Jared's bad mood faded for a few hours. Simon was smarter than him. He was always able to figure puzzles and things out without a problem. If he wasn't worried, then there was no reason to be. Soon, they would go to Hogwarts, to the time machine, and begin the journey home. To find out how and why their father did what he did.

"Us," Jared said suddenly. "Simon, he did it because of us. That's right, isn't it."

Simon nodded. "My guess is when we disappeared, he came to the house. He found the book and believed what he read. And because we never came back . . ."

"Say, pardner . . ."

Simon turned at once, "Timmy, this is something we don't need help with."

"Huh," Timmy said. "You have company."


Fred Weasley smiled as he looked at the twins. "This is amazing. If this works, it will be the greatest prank I've ever played. Hold up your wand hands, please."

The two boys held up their right hands. Fred pulled two wands out of his pocket and gave each boy a wand. "Keep them up," he admonished. He pulled out his own wand, waved it and shouted dramatically, "Replicatus Observus." Lightning flashed between his own wand and the other two. "Done. And please remember. These are test models. Please keep track of your progress and any difficulties you may have."

Simon raised his left hand. "Are these supposed to be magic wands?"

"Mimic wands," Fred answered cheerfully. He pointed to Johnny, an eighteen-year-old with a scraggly beard. "I have to admit it wasn't my idea, but my brother and I did help to make an improved version."

"This is really cool, little dudes," Johnny told them. "You got your eight basic spells, like Lumos and Accio. And you can program it to hold eight other spells, as long as they're under NEWT level. Way under. The wands can't handle the more complicated spells. But you guys are going to be first years, so you don't have to worry. I gave one to Dabney, and he swears by it. Some kid even apologized for calling him a squib."

"Um, cool, thanks," Jared said, then did the complicated hand shake thing that Johnny taught him.

"Hey, I owe you guys, at least the guys you're supposed to be. I met Fred and George because of you, uh, them, and they have some kick-ass ideas, too."

Fred smiled. "And we are now the European distributors of JD Spaces."

The twins nodded. They saw the advertisement: A Castle In Your Closet.


The Gryphon eyed the two boys in front of him. The boys stared right back at it. Finally, one of the boys spoke.

"Dennis, is that you?"

"Dennis?" Nob asked.

"Yeah, he's an illegal animagus. He'll be a fourth year."

"And he's a Gryphon?"

"A noble choice," the Gryphon said solemnly. "A promising wizard filled with courage and wisdom."

[This is really cool. I didn't laugh.

Malcolm looked up at the dragon and the winged horse. "Where are we?"

"My house," a pale blond man said as he walked through the door that these three creatures surrounded. "As you were passing through my kingdom, I thought I would see for myself why my sister has taken such an interest in you."

"Sister?" Nob asked. "Who are you? Sir?"

"Daniel." The man smiled at a private joke. "Yes, I suppose you are enough of a curiosity. I will let you continue on your way. And I apologize for delaying you on your journey. There. I believe I have made up for what I have done. Now you are dressed properly."

Malcolm had time to look at Nob, and to glance at himself. He was wearing the finest dress robes he had ever seen. Black on black with silver buttons and trim that seemed to shine yet also enhance the darkness of the robes. And Nob, his robes were dark blue with a faint luminescence to accentuate his features.

[We look good. Heck, we look great.


Draco was, in a word, annoyed. He had spent more time as an owl than he had as a human being, and those times he spent as Malcolm. He even spent a few nights at the Burrow, sleeping in the corner with an old owl named Errol. In a last ditch effort to return to normal, he flew to his cousin's house, only to find out that Nob had disappeared along with Malcolm, that the two were now twins, and that his aunt had gone to some rental service for a pair of replacements.

On the other hand . . .

"Malcolm," Draco said smoothly to whichever twin he was talking to. "You really should test your wand, you know. To make sure it works."

[I've decided. If he looks like Malcolm, I'll call him Malcolm. I don't care.

Simon stared at his wand. "I don't know."

"I'll do it," Jared said, "just because you didn't call ME Malcolm. What spell should I try?"

"Well?" Draco acted as thought he really was thinking. "Wait, I know. Can you cancel a spell? I have a charm that I was going to get rid of, but I can let you try it."

Jared looked at the list that came with his wand. "Yeah, it's number seven. Finite . . ."

"It's pronounced Fin - ee - tay," Draco explained.

Dewey counted down from five to one then looked expectantly at the doorway to the kitchen

"IT'S PRONOUNCED DON'T YOU DARE," Lois yelled from the kitchen.

[Dang.


"Francis," Piama said lovingly as they lay quietly in the bed. "You were wonderful."

"Why, thank you, my lady."

She laughed. "I'm not talking about just that. I'm talking about everything. The way you've been handling your mother. You even have her talking to me like I'm a real person. And the way you take time to help out with things. You've changed during this vacation and for the better."

"I guess I just needed to relax."

"And you need to stay relaxed. Francis, promise me something. I know it will make things hard for us financially, but it'll be worth it. I just don't want you to go back to being the person you were. Please, quit your job. Let's not even go back to that ranch. I want a husband who cares about me."

Francis thought about it, carefully. "You're my wife. You come first in my life. Consider it done."

Piama hugged Francis for all he was worth. And Francis hugged her back. Now he would never have to tell her that he was fired.


"Don't try anything," Simon warned. Draco shrugged his shoulders. They weren't going to cast the spell he wanted, so he didn't care.

"We should make sure they work," Jared insisted. "I won't do anything dangerous. This first one." He followed the instructions on how to hold the wand and called out, "Lumos." The tip of his wand emitted a soft glow. "Cool."

A popping noise was heard at the same time that Lois shouted, "What did you do, Malcolm? Tell Dave I'll bring him a cup of coffee in a minute."

Everyone froze as David Winter appeared in the living room. He glanced at all four boys in the room. "Malcolm? You're teaching your relatives to break the rules already? And who are these boys? Dewey, you did nothing wrong. Why are you looking at me as though you've seen a ghost?"

"Um, habit," Dewey said, and kept staring.

David gave him a glaring look and turned back to the twins. "And I'm going to hate this, but how are you two related to Malcolm?"

"Dave," Lois called cheerfully, "Here's your coffee." She then grabbed the wand out of Jared's hand. "You'll get this back little Mister after you get on that train." She grabbed Simon's wand for good measure, as a baby began to cry. "They're all yours, Dave, I've got a priority." And Lois disappeared into the bedroom.

David took a sip of the coffee, and smiled. "As good as I remember." He glanced at the twins. "It seems my problem is solved. I won't even give you a warning."

Draco saw his chance. "Mister Winter, I was wondering if you could do me a favor. You know Nob. He likes me for some reason."

David smiled. "Just let him get to know you better, Malcolm, and the problem will solve itself." He took another swallow of the coffee. "From the looks of it, I may not get a chance to visit again." He drank the rest of the coffee and handed the mug to Malcolm. "I'll see you again on the 31st, to take you to Kings Cross."

"MISTER WINTER," Dewey shouted, "could I talk to you, in private, please. It's really important."

"Of course."

They walked into the kitchen and out into the yard. They stopped near the fence.

"I need to ask," Dewey said.

"You thought I was dead?" David wasn't smiling. "Did you see me die?"

"No, I left as soon as I heard . . ."

David was nodding his head. When Dewey paused, he did smile. "When you heard the Death Eaters?" Dewey nodded. "Well, I didn't die. Not that I didn't escape completely unharmed." His smile faded and his voice took a serious tone. "Dewey, I don't remember everything. It's like there's still a fog in my head. They didn't try to kill me. They tried to control me. I escaped them, and did them considerable harm, I remember that. I remember who I am, my duties in general. I'll be honest. I know I said something wrong from the way Malcolm looked at me, but I can't . . . I don't know what."

Dewey's eyes went wide. He had never thought of that possibility. "You're lucky. I heard they messed up the same way on one of the Prime Minister's aides, and now all the guy does is quack like a duck. I think he waddles, too."

"I am lucky," David admitted. "And every day I'm reminded about how lucky I am. And I'll be honest with you. Most of what I remember about your family is little more than what I wrote in the reports. I need to know. What did I do wrong with Malcolm?"

"Nothing, that's Draco."

"Draco Malfoy? I didn't recognize him."

"Yeah, Nob turned him into Malcolm so that he could escape after Snape killed Dumbledore. He's supposed to be staying with Malcolm's girlfriend but he got bored. He wants someone to change him back. Mom says he has to stay like that. At least until school starts."

"And the two boys . . ."

Dewey paused. Instinct said to not tell 'where' they came from. "I told them how you're trying to cover for Malcolm, and they agreed to pretend. One will be Nob and the other one is Malcolm. Until my brothers show up again. Their mom even agreed, as long as my mom tells her everything." He smiled widely. "It's okay. No need to worry."

"Then I won't," David told him. "And now, I have to get back to work. Give Draco my apologies." He apparated.

Dewey sighed in happy relief. In all of this something good had happened. An hour ago he was still mentally kicking himself for not telling anyone about that night. Now he was mentally jumping for joy.


"Hey, guys," Dabney called out to the roomful of teenagers. "This is Malcolm, version 3.1, and his brother."

Jared looked around the game room. He was very impressed. But now he was curious. "Malcolm 3.1?"

"He's cute," a girl said to her boyfriend. "I'm Belinda and this is Lloyd. You're going to have a great time being Malcolm."

Jared looked at his brother for help but Simon was laughing. He finally decided to try again. "How many other people have been Malcolm." He glanced at Draco. "Besides him."

"Not many," Dabney pointed out. "Draco was Malcolm when he lived in England. He covered for us while we competed in the Mental Olympics. Until we were thrown out for cheating."

"It was great," Lloyd added. "We even made it to the finals. Two weeks, all expenses paid, in London England, and the sponsors didn't even demand their money back."

"I wish I had known you then," Belinda said with a hint of jealousy.

"Last year we had this French kid as Malcolm," Dabney continued.

Jared stared at Dabney. "You had somebody from France pretend to be Malcolm, I mean, pretend to be me?"

"Not exactly. He moved to France after he was done playing Malcolm."

"I don't blame him."

"And there's Mallory," Belinda mentioned.

"That's my sister."

"Yeah, we know. Your twin sister, before you decided to have a twin brother as well. I guess now she's your older sister."

"And there's Nob," Draco added. "He actually decided to be Malcolm."

"But . . ." Jared paused. "Isn't he supposed to be smart?"

"He's . . . supposed . . . to be . . ." Stevie admitted. "He likes . . . Malcolm."

"And why do I have to be Malcolm?" Jared wanted to know.

"You . . . look like . . . Malcolm. Any . . . more . . . questions?"

"Yeah, why are Lloyd and Belinda wearing bathing suits."

Eric answered this question. "Swimming pool is on the fourth floor. Spare suits are available in the changing room."

Jared decided he could like being Malcolm.


Hal snuck up behind his wife and gently kissed the back of her neck. Lois started to complain, but gave it up as a lost cause. The baby was sleeping, and everyone else was out of the house.

"Honey," Hal asked, "before we get too involved, I wanted to know something. Why aren't you worried about any of this?"

"Why aren't you?" Lois asked in turn.

"Well . . . I'm just not. I can't see things turning out too badly. Even the baby came out better than I expected."

Lois laughed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I've been kissing your neck for fifteen minutes and he hasn't woken up yet."

Lois smiled and kissed him. "Well, I'm not worried for a very good reason. I know everything is going to be fine in the end. Dewey told me."

Hal was curious. "Before or after he had the sudden growth spurt."

"After. He had another time accident and actually lived in the future for a while. He told me it was all over and everything is fine. Either he's telling the truth or he's become an excellent liar. Either way, I'm not going to worry about it." They kissed again. "Let's go to bed."


"What happened now?" Nob wanted to know. "Every time I trust you to do something you mess it up. Where are we?"

"I don't know," Malcolm insisted. "I was just thinking that maybe we should have gone straight home and . . . we stopped."

"In the middle of nowhere? In the dark?"

"Wait a minute." Malcolm pulled out his wand. "Lumos." He looked at Nob, then looked around. "I don't see anything."

"I do," Nob said. "Behind you."

Malcolm turned around. It was another door. He reached for the doorknob and turned. The door opened. And they were there.


Lord Voldemort was eyeing the potion before him carefully. He callously tossed it back to the man who had handed it to him.

"Yes, it is a wondrous achievement. The ability for a human being to duplicate himself down to the last hair is a magnificent accomplishment, in its own way. But, and I want you to think on this question very carefully, Nott, why would I want to duplicate myself? I have no wish to share power with anyone, not even a twin brother, regardless of how much he agreed with me. And now that you have had time to think of it, have you thought of a reason."

"No, master," Nott said nervously.

"And have you, Nott?"

"No, master," Nott said nervously, also.

Voldemort smiled. "Do you have anything else for me?"

"This, master." One of the Notts held up a silver ball the size of a snitch.

"Oh, lovely. Now we can play Quidditch with different colored balls." Voldemort was drawing his wand but paused as the Notts looked confused. "Did I guess wrong?"

"It's a lie detector," Nott explained. "The person you want to question holds the ball in his hand. If he tells the truth, nothing happens. But if he lies . . ."

"It's the Crustacean Curse," the other Nott blurted out."

"He turns into a crab?" Severus Snape asked.

"Why would they turn into me?" Crabbe asked. "Is it something like Polyjuice potion?"

Voldemort eyed the man carefully. "Surely you mean the Cruciatus Curse."

"I wanted to tell him," Nott one hissed at Nott two.

"That could be useful. Severus, call young Draco in here."

The masked figure closest to Voldemort went to the door and opened it. "The master wishes to see young Malfoy." Less than a minute later, Snape was walking back to the Dark Lord accompanied by one impeccably dressed and extremely nervous Draco Malfoy. He was told to hold out his hand. When he did, Voldemort placed the silver ball in his palm.

"Now, Draco," he said oily, "I want you to do something you have never done before. I want you to deliberately lie to me."

"But I have no reason to lie to you."

After a few moments, Voldemort asked, "Nott, how long will he writhe like that?"

"About twenty seconds, I think. There, you can see, he stopped twitching."

"Very good. Severus, would you . . . No, Lucius, why don't you take care of your son." He waved his wand and the ball came to his hand. He put it in a pocket and turned back to his two mad scientists. "Is there anything else?"

The two Notts looked at each other. Finally one pulled out a box with a five inch hole in it, and placed it on the small table between them and their master. "You probably wouldn't be interested but the application of the procedure to other areas is promising. This box will play a muggle device called a DVD. It's an entertainment disk that they put, I think they call them Moving Pictures, and they can play them back."

"A curious thing. And the magic does not interfere with the device's functionability?"

"That's the beauty of it, master. The DVD is an electric storage medium, but it isn't corrupted by the use of magic when placed in this device. We have even managed to have it project the image and sound as to the standard it was designed."

The other Nott pulled out a small handheld device. "And this is the best part, Master. A remote control."

Voldemort took the remote control device and told Nott to put one of his DVD's into the device. When Nott said it was ready, the Dark Lord pressed the power button. A screen appeared in mid air and he pressed the button marked play. Suddenly, the Alps appeared before them and Julie Andrews was singing, "The Hills Are Alive / With The Sound Of Music."

After the song was over, Voldemort pressed the stop button. "A curious device. Leave it with me, and the, um, DVD. I'd like to examine it closer at my leisure." As an afterthought, he added, "If you have any other DVD's, leave them as well. I want to make sure this isn't a fluke."

Happily, the Notts set four other disks on the table. They even had the honor of Voldemort thanking them for their efforts.


Anthony awoke in luxury. He had his own bedroom, and he had a real bed. It was better than when he was at school. And, he reminded himself, he was going to a new school. Best of all, today, he was going shopping.

He dressed as quickly as he could. He was nervous as he ate his breakfast but refused to say why. To their credit, Matt and his father made no further comment. Both were reminded of their first trips to Diagon Alley.

"Have you ever apparated before?" Mister Zeller asked.

"No," Anthony admitted, but his eyes grew wide at the thought.

"It is the fastest way to travel," Zeller's eye betrayed his amusement. "But it isn't as exciting as it sounds."

"I can live with that," Anthony admitted.

After breakfast was over, Anthony went to grab the list of items he would need for Hogwarts. Then he returned to the foyer where Matt was already waiting. A few more minutes and Mister Zeller came out of his office. He carefully explained what he was going to do, and what Anthony would have to do to apparate with him. Matthew grabbed his father's arm and both of them took a curious step. And they were gone. Moments later, Mister Zeller reappeared. Now it was Anthony's turn. He grabbed the man's arm as Matt had done. He took the curious step.

It was as though he was being squeezed from all sides. Then, just as suddenly, the pressure was gone. Matt was standing in front of him, grinning. Diagon Alley was all around them. Many shops were closed and there were few shoppers but it was still an amazing sight for Anthony. They were dragged first to the Alchemists, then to Madam Malkins. Anthony had to admit that being fitted for robes was no more fun than trying on clothes in a muggle store.

Flourish and Blotts was slightly more exciting. He saw some teenagers he recognized as Hogwarts students but no one he actually knew. He also met a girl who was a new student as well. She knew about magic but admitted she was excited as well as nervous. Anthony told her he felt the same way. Some of the shops were too unusual to be considered pleasant.

Matt smiled at the two of them. He knew about those shops. They were the new ones. And they catered to wizards and witches with darker tastes. As they left the bookstore, a man called out, "Jeffrey, what luck. Can I have a few words with you?"

Mister Zeller nodded. He told Matt to take Anthony for his wand. If he didn't meet them at Ollivander's then they should wait for him at one of his former properties. He left them with a wink. Anthony asked which former property. With a smile, Matt told him it was the one that the Weasleys had bought.

"Oh, mum, there they are." It was the girl they had talked with briefly. She was with her parents. She was trying to smile. "I need to get my wand but I don't know where to go."

"Those clerks weren't very helpful," her father noted.

Matt decided a little honesty was in order. "Quite a few wizards and witches are nervous about whom they might be dealing with. They don't hide it very well."

"What a surprise," the man said. "Wizards can be as stupid as normal people. And we're not exactly muggles, although we don't qualify as purebloods."

"I'd like to meet one of those pureblood," the girl said, "and give him a piece of my mind."

"That would be you," Anthony said to Matt.

"Guilty as charged. Of the purity, not the prejudice. And I am being rude. I'm Matt. I'm going to be a third year, in Gryffindor. It is the best house, you know. And this is my friend, Anthony. He's going to be a first year in Gryffindor."

"Rose said I should try for Ravenclaw," Anthony said. "That's where all the smart people go."

"Rose?" the girl asked.

"His girlfriend," Anthony said. "She's muggle born."

"She's only a friend," Matt insisted.

The girl smiled as everyone fell silent. Her mother nudged her. "Becca?"

"Oh!" The girl remembered. She never introduced herself. "I'm Rebecca Dutton. My friends, and my parents, call me 'Becca."

Becca told them that she needed to get her wand, but no one knew where they could go. Matt told them that Ollivander's was the best place and it was nearby. He eyed the Dutton's carefully as he said this. They should have known about the wand shop.

And they did. They had heard that it was closed up. Matt admitted that he had not heard anything about it. It was quickly decided that the Duttons would go with the two boys to investigate. If the shop was opened, they would buy a wand. If not, they would go with the boys to the other shop they had mentioned. There had been rumors, and all of them were curious what Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes would be like.

Secretly, Matt was glad for the company. Walking through Diagon Alley reminded him too closely of the one time his father took him to Knockturn Alley. His heart also dropped when he saw that Ollivander's shop was boarded up. In that moment, for the first time, he understood the darkness that threatened.

"Someone's trying to get in," Becca said.

Matt looked and his heart gave a leap. He knew the person, it was the fifth year, Malcolm. But he still looked like a fifth year and not the boy of eleven that left his birthday party.

"Malcolm?"

[What the hell? I just go along with it. Just as long as I don't have to explain myself.

"The shop will be open shortly, for a limited period of time. If any of you care to wait."

[I'm a genius. Now they won't be suspicious of me.

"You're breaking in?" Anthony asked with a laugh.

"Entering with difficulty," Malcolm explained.

"Malcolm," Matt started to ask.

"One minute," Malcolm said. He turned the lock pick and heard a click. "Let's talk inside the shop." He ushered everyone in, then closed the door behind him. "You had a question, young man?"

"I do. You look like you did at my birthday party, when you arrived, you know before you drank that potion that made you younger."

Malcolm smiled. "If I'm younger than I am now, then I must be from the future."

[Great. It'll take me a little longer but they won't ask too many questions.

Malcolm smiled even more. "I don't have much time, but I think I need to sell a wand or two?"

Mrs. Dutton asked a question. "Then the shop was closed?"

"Ollivander disappeared a few weeks ago. No one knows what happened to him. That's what anyone will tell you if you ask."

She smiled. "A very diplomatic answer."

"Wands?" Malcolm said as he rubbed his hands together. He pointed at Anthony. "You, young man, what can I do for you?"

"A wand please, Sir."

Malcolm walked a short way, pulled a box at random, read the label on it, and brought it back. He opened the box, and handed over the wand. "Oak and Unicorn hair, fourteen inches."

Matt hit Anthony's arm and hissed, "wave it."

Anthony did so while the Duttons laughed. Nothing happened.

Malcolm walked down another aisle. He came back with a different box. "Dragon Heartstring and Ash, ten and one quarter inches."

Anthony waved it. Blue and Red stars shot out of it in a fireworks display. Matt nodded appreciatively. He told Anthony that those were the primary colors of two of the houses, the two he had friends in.

Rebecca was more difficult. It was her eighth wand, Also Dragon Heartstring, but twelve inches and Maple. Her wand did not shoot out and sparks. Instead, there was a brief rain of rose petals, red and yellow. Gryffindor colors. She smiled at Malcolm and told him that he was the reason for those colors. Then she hugged him. Despite his surprise, he returned the hug, and even whispered, "You're welcome." He looked at the parents. "Depending on circumstances, you may receive a bill at a later date."

He gathered the wands not chosen back into their boxes and put them away. On impulse, while he was not in view of anyone, he opened a random box and tested the wand. His luck held. He again found a wand on his first try. Going back to the small group, he opened the door. Seeing no one around, he ushered everyone out, urging discretion. Mister Dutton told him that discretion was the obvious course.

Malcolm locked the door behind him and bid everyone a final farewell. He went the other way from them and disappeared from sight as quickly as possible.

The two first years were amazed

"To think," Rebecca said, "He came back in time, just for us. Anthony, you're not smiling?"

"Becca, I was just wondering. What's so important that he would travel four years into the past, just to sell us our wands?"

Everyone felt a chill at the thought. Times were dark, and getting darker. Why would these two first years need their wands?