MariaGlitterKittey MariaGlitterKittey

My eyes open to a blinding white light. My first thought was: Oh Merlin, I'm dead! I'm going into a white light! Oh my gods!

Then the sound of talking flooded my ears, and filled my soul with relief. The voices were muffled and hard to hear. Why was I here? Oh yeah, the woman from earlier.

'…danger. Miss Potter is in quite a bit of trouble, you see, but to what extent I'm not sure. When she wakes I'll explain it to her personally.' Dumbledore. Why was he here? And who was he speaking to.

'What kind of trouble?' Harry's voice asked from a little farther away at the same time George's voice said,

'What's she done now?'

'Nothing that she has done really. More something she will do.'

'Excuse me?' Harry said, sounding confused, I wasn't quite following either.

'You see, I have reason to believe the person who attacked her wasn't from our time. She was from the future.'

That was all I needed to freak out completely. A time traveller was out to kill me for some reason, and I didn't know for what because I hadn't done it yet! Geez.

Normal fifteen year old girls didn't have to deal with this.

I tried to say, 'I'm awake,' but something was stuck in my throat. It was swollen or something. So the sound came out like a moan, or a cough. Nonetheless, everyone heard and ran to my hospital bed quickly.

Arms strangled me, someone's elbow was in my face, and there must have been eight different people on top of me. Eight?

'I believe that is an uncomfortable position for in her current condition,' Dumbledore cheerfully said, I wanted to hug the man. Bad thing to think about your friends, but they were honestly sort of suffocating me.

I pulled back to look at the people who were now crowded around me tightly, faces either grim, like Lee's, or happy, like Ginny's.

Fred, George, Lee, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Harry, Katie, Fionina, and Abigail were crowded around me. I had been wrong, it was more than eight people.

'So,' I said to Dumbledore, 'explain?'

'Certainly. Would you like for your friends to hear it as well?' He nodded at the gang. They looked at me pleadingly. Fred even held his hands in a pleading gesture and put on his best puppy dog face (which looked hilarious by the way), and Lee mouthed "I'll be your best friend." How could I say no?

'Sure, whatever. I just want to know.'

'Let me begin then.' Dumbledore cleared his throat. The room became tense as everybody leaned forward, as if afraid of not hearing it, though of course we would. 'I am sure you know of the LeStrange family?' We nodded, or most of us did. Bellatrix LeStrange was locked up in Azkaban and her husband, Rodolphus, was a former Death Eater.

'Rodolphus has a brother, Repner LeStrange, who is not as well known among Voldemort's followers. He had always been the lesser of the family. I just had an interesting visit with the Minister in the future, and he informed me that one day the LeStrange family will fall.'

We let this sink in. 'So?'

'That woman, Nillixa LeStrange, was his daughter, you see. And she was less than pleased about her sudden ridicule, her life in ruins, for being a LeStrange. See, that family fell, evidently, because Rodolphus was exposed or being a Death Eater and was captured and turned in to the Ministry at some point in time. The entire family was scorned and chased out of England after he was put in Azkaban.'

'I still do not understand what this has to do with me.' I replied uneasily. Why was this all relevant?

'My dear, you were the one to capture and turn in Rodolphus.'

This sunk in quickly. I had captured a death eater? Cool! But also bad, for my own safety. This woman was out for revenge, supposedly, and there was nothing I would be able to do. Crap. 'M-Merlin,' I whispered into the air, hearing the audible gasps around me. George (or was it Fred's?) gasp was the loudest, in my ear almost. I didn't care.

'This woman found a time turner in her Aunt Bellatrix's trunk in her time, while emptying it out, and decided to take action to "right" her family history. This is why it is so dangerous for you. She is still on the loose. Until we find her, I am afraid you won't be going anywhere alone.' Dumbledore concluded, then he sat down and looked at me with concern. 'Are you alright?'

'I am f-fine,' I said after a while,' just... Is there anything I should do?'

'No. Just steer clear of any suspicious things and never be alone, for she would probably stop at nothing to save herself. Harming you…or worse.' The unspoken threat that came not from him but from a crazy time traveller hung above us all. Or worse. Or death.

'I will let you be,' Dumbledore nodded as he started towards the door, 'you have undoubtedly had a stressful day.'

What? No! Since when is almost being killed by a time traveller who wants to right her family history by killing me so I never get the chance to do what it is I've done that I have not even done yet stressful? Also, I'm not sarcastic. At. All. Or bitter. Why do these sort of things only happen to me? I wondered sometimes.

Abigail approached my hospital bed where I had spent quite a bit of time in the past few years of my school career: ever since Harry started at Hogwarts I've been busy fighting Voldemort and Death Eaters, or uncovering dangerous artifacts and stuff like that. What a talent it was! 'Kal, you're the only one I know who could get herself into such a mess.'

'I know it,' I replied, my voice significantly lacking the usual sass in it.

'Do you have something against having a normal year?' George demanded teasingly. I glared.

'As if I want any of this to happen! I didn't exactly phone the future and ask for them to send a crazy lady, y'know!'

'We know,' Abigail soothed, 'you don't like getting in trouble as much as you do.'

'Kal loves getting in trouble, just not this specific kind of it,' Fred told her teasingly, 'maybe you should just concentrate on jokes for the time being instead of crazy time travel conspiracies.'

'Good advice,' I said.

'Seriously, be careful.' Fred pleaded with me, making my heart give a painful little squeeze. 'I don't want to lose my favourite pranking buddy!'

George let out an indignant yelp, I giggled. 'OI! WHAT AM I, CHOPPED TROLL LIVER?'

Everybody let out a tiny laugh, except George, who looked honestly vexed, the silly git! As if I could ever replace the legendary George Weasley. 'Alright, everyone out.' I demanded. 'I must rest or I will collapse out of weariness. Seriously, get out.'

With a bit of grumbling and some colourful words, the twins, collective Weasleys, and Lee exited, followed by a less reluctant Fionina and Abigail and Katie, and ten Hermione, leaving only Harry. 'Are you alright?' He asked in a whisper.

'Fine.' I answered with my most optimistic grin, knowing he needed it. Poor Harry, if he lost his only family left…I could only imagine what I'd be leaving behind. A mess, that's what. I knew because it is what I would be if Harry were to...to die. The thought itself was horrific. Even worse, it was likely. 'Just a little sore.'

'You really need to keep your head down,' he sighed a tiny bit and gripped my hand tightly, 'you'll get in big trouble someday.'

'I think at broom has already flown.' I scoffed under my breath. It hurt to do so. 'And you of all people know how hard it is to "keep my head down."'

'I guess. Just…just try, okay? I can't be there all the time.'

'Harry. You don't need to be, it should be the other way around if anything. I'm older, I'm the one that needs to be around for you, understand?' I put my hands on his shoulders gently, arms aching (what the hell had they given me?) and turned him to face me. He was ashamed for something that he had no power over. 'I'm serious. YOU don't need to look out for ME.'

But even as he nodded and shut the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts, I knew he still would, my words wouldn't stop him. My little brother was loyal, and defensive end, and idiotically noble, and protective towards those around him. It was one of my favourite things about him, but also the thing that sated me the most.

Every time a curtain rustled or a step sounded somewhere far off, I imagined it was "the lunatic" which was my new nickname for the woman, coming to get me. More than once I took my wand out from where it rested in my robe and aimed it at the door lest somebody burst in to get me. Paranoia did funny things to people.

It turned out I hadn't been seriously hurt. My rib had indeed broken, and my neck was bruised in a not so elegant design, but I would be fine. All it took was a restless night of shoving regrowing potion down my throat.

By morning, I was free from the cage and allowed to once more roam in the sunlight. I wanted to run onto the Quidditch field and kiss it, say sorry for missing practice, just normal activities on a nice day such as today. Sadly, I had (shiver) classes. The horror.

My friends had stuck to their promise of not letting me go ANYWHERE alone. It was all for my own good of course, but it was incredibly aggravating to go to the bathroom and hear "Are you done yet?" From Abigail, Katy, or Fionina, who would undoubtedly be waiting outside the toilet stall. Goodbye, privacy.

It was when I was walking to the library with Fred to study, yes he had protested at first but I had threatened him by saying if he failed out of Hogwarts, his mother would have a thing or two to him. Then he had been all for the idea. 'Ron, Hermione, and your brother are really torn up about Buckbeak.'

I was confused. 'What about Buckbeak? The Hippogriff?'

'They had a class when Hagrid taught them about Hippogriffs and he used Buckbeak as his example, and Harry was chosen to go up and pet him and stuff, but he ended up riding him.'

'So?' I asked.

'Let me get to that!' Fred scolded me. 'And Draco Malfoy, the annoying git, got all jealous and called him some names, and Buckbeak lashed out a cut him a tiny bit, it was well deserved I'm sure, and now his father demanded that Buckbeak be put to Death!'

That horrible boy. Draco had never meant that much to me besides the fact that he was an issue, a pest, a parasite. Of course I had my own reasons to dislike the blond brat, but it was mostly because of what he did to Harry and how he treated the Weasleys. We had never really associated much, but I had the upper hand when we did. I viewed him as a child, young and foolish, and he knew it, so he would get angry and flustered. Hilarious I watch. But this was something else. Leave the animals out of this, Malfoy. 'That little!' I exclaimed angrily. 'We are going to give him a piece of our minds!'

'I'm guessing you don't mean have a chat?' Fred grinned wickedly. That meant business.

'Nope. Meet me in the Common Room tonight. And bring your colour bombs.'

OoOoOoOoOo

Tonight would be stupid, risky, and immature. I could already tell it was going to be purely amazing.

Of course, Fred had invited George along to our pranking escapade on the little Barbie (that was my new nickname for Draco) even though I didn't really want George to come. The second I realized it I felt bad. Why couldn't I have fancied somebody less complicated and terrifying? Like Voldemort. (Sarcasm alert.) George had mysteriously "fallen sick" tonight, leaving Fred and I alone. Why did I have the feeling he was not really sick? I rolled my eyes at his obviousness.

'Got the paint bombs?' I asked in greeting, crouching behind a sofa with the Marauders Map.

'Yep. Got the sign?' Fred leaned in to look at something on the map. I took out the sign as evidence. 'Perfect. Let's go.'

We snuck out way down the hallways of the castle, terrifying at night, all the while careful to duck out of the way of anyone coming. My dad was the best! The thought saddened me. The best shouldn't have to die.

We eventually crouched in the Slytherin hallway. Now came the tricky part. Getting in. 'What did Lee say the password was?' Fred scrunched up his brow in concentration, he had an awful memory.

Lee had found out by asking his cousin in Ravenclaw to ask her Slytherin friend. Quite a complicated system but we had our answer. 'Snake scale.'

'How unoriginal.' Fred scoffed quietly. 'I would expect nothing less from Slytherin's.'

I turned to the wall and said in my clearest voice: 'Snake Scale.' The wall slid open to reveal the Snake common room. I had only been inside once before. That was when I had snuck in to see it for myself. Lee's descriptions of his cousins friends mind was just too vague and twisted from the truth o satisfy my burning curiosity.

We tip-toes up to the boys dormitories, Fred leading the way. There was a dilemma when we reached the actual staircase. 'How do I get up there? I'm a girl!'

'I can stun it.' Free offered, pointing his wand. 'Stupi-'

'No!' I hissed and forced his wand hand down. 'You git, if you cast a spell on anything in here the professors will be able to trace it to your wand!'

'Oh,' he said sheepishly. 'Then I'm out of ideas.'

Why hasn't we thought this far? This was so stupid, why did they have to be so strict about this anyway-

'I got it!' He whispered. I waited impatiently to hear the brilliant idea. 'I'll carry you!'

'No!' I protested as a reflex, nobody was picking me up! What if I was heavy or we fell? I would die of embarrassment.

'C'mon, Kal! I can do it, I'm very strong you know. And it's the only way!' He pleaded, bright blue Weasley eyes looking sadly into my own Potter green ones. No, must-resist-puppy dog face…

'Oh fine!' I grumbled, half giddy with excitement and nervousness, half terrified and angry. With who I didn't know.

After one last check of the map to ensure we weren't about to be caught, Fred grabbed me by the waist and hoisted me into his arms, bridal style. Had I suddenly become weightless? Because that was what he was acting like, it was as if I were a fester and it was NO PROBLEM to carry me, though I weighed roughly 115. Not THAT small, just slim. Right?

I guess I really don't give the bloke enough credit for that beater job. Must do the body good.

When he set me down with a flourish and a bow, I blushed a deep red, quite like his hair, trying not to show how much I had actually enjoyed the little ride up. I. Hated. Hormones. 'Why, Ms. Potter, you are blushing? Is it being in the presence of such a handsome gentleman that makes you flushed?' He teased relentlessly, making me feel like pummelling him. Now I doubted that I could, compared to how easy it had been to just pluck me off the ground for him.

'Yes, just I can't appear to find him, so I'm here with you.' I told him smugly before dragging him along the corridors until we reached what must have been Barbie's room. It had green lining: silk, on the handle. Of course Dorko couldn't have a normal door like everyone else. I cringed as I realized how much that fabric must have cost, more than the Weasley family could ever even dream of owning, as Fred fingered it thoughtfully.

'Huh,' was all he said.

He took the lead again, creeping in, seeing the peaceful sleeping faces of Slytherin prays. 'You get the door, I'll knock them out.' I ran to cast Silencio on the door, to make sure nobody would hear our bomb explode. (I sounded like a terrorist. It wasn't dangerous!)

With a giggle of anticipation, I put the circular pink ball in the middle of the floor. 'Shield charms up?' I asked Fred.

'Up!'

'Care to do the honours? It is your product, after all.' I nudged him in the direction of the circle.

'Of course. I'd like to thank George for helping me, even though I'm the better twin as we all know, and myself, for being a genius, and my sister Ginny-' he began an award acceptance speech, cut short by my cuff to the head.

'Get on with it before someone finds us!' I scolded. Fred nodded and pressed the button.

The room exploded in pink smoke. It was everywhere, I couldn't see anything beyond my bubble of protection. So satisfying to see this. When the smoke cleared, the only spots not completely and totally pink were the spots Fred and I had stood with our shields up.

A/N:

Hey all!

Another chapter out, sorry it took so long, and on a cliffhanger no less. I want to murder me too, but I sort of want to live so... No. Anyway, not too proud of this chapter, I think I sucked with the delivering news part of it. Tell me what you think? If you agree, any tips? Thanks, I know there are a lot of awesome writers on here. By the way, THANK YOU ALL for reading this story, something I thought would be a huge bomb and a waste of time by the second chapter but here I am… still somewhat afloat! So thank you all for that.

News: I have a Quotev account now. I'm thinking of adding this there, and I have another story on the works on there, so if you want to check it out, here's the link at the top.

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Maria