Misadventures in Time Travelling
Chapter 10: A Chaotic Weekend
It was early the day after the flying lesson when Hermy met Jamie in the Common Room at the fire place. As they walked through the still dim and quiet halls towards the Owlery, they bickered.
"I am placing an order for the Nimbus Two Thousand for you. I am surprised enough they let you on the team. They are not going to buy YOU a broomstick," said Jamie.
"Oh yeah. Thanks for that. I need to tell my parents about getting on the team. Hopefully they will be excited. They understand academic success more than physical," Hermy said with worry.
The two time travellers chatted until they reached the Owlery and sent their letters.
"Oh, did I tell you that I also drew up a study timetable for you. You have great knowledge for a first year, but it is not enough!" said Jamie slyly. "You need to know more. Charms. Curses. We both need to practice using our animagi forms. It has been too long since we have transformed!"
With a spring in their steps, Hermy and Jamie walked to the Great Hall, greeting the rather confused portraits as they walked. As no one was watching, Hermy lead the way through the passageways forming the shortest route from the Owlery to the Great Hall. They ate a small breakfast, only looking up as McGonagall approached them.
"Are you ready for this? It will be tough and you have to be careful with the goblins. I will act in local parentis, but you have to lead this. It is the goblin culture!" McGonagall said with worry in her voice.
The trio met a party of goblins, laden with packages in the Entrance Hall, and lead them to Myrtle's bathroom. The goblins stopped scowling after the two young ones had offered assistance in carrying their many packages. They refused, but were thoughtful at the respect offered by such young humans, considering the rudeness and scoffing exhibited by most witches and wizards.
Hermy and Jamie bent at the sink with the snake engraved on the pipes. The goblins and McGonagall watched as a cavity opened behind the sinks, not knowing it was actually Hermy who had spoken in Parseltongue and opened it. Before entering the cavity, they waited for Dumbledore and Snape to arrive.
After Dumbledore and Snape had reached the bathroom, the procession headed into Slytherin's lair. The goblins hid their joy, but inwardly chortled as they imagined the profit that their share of the snake would bring.
McGonagall conjured chairs for herself, Jamie and Hermy and they watch the goblins, examine the carcass as Dumbledore and Snape hovered. The goblins used magic to measure the length of the Basilisk, and used mysterious devices in unknown ways. Hermy and Jamie wished they could speak in Gobbledegook as they listened to the working goblins.
While the goblins worked, Dumbledore and Snape took their own measurements, their eyes gleaming. Dumbledore was imagining the wealth added to his, well Hogwart's coffers, while Snape was imagining the potential research. How often did one get to play with the remains of a BASILISK?
Finally their evaluations were complete and the goblins approached Hermy and Jamie, who stood in respect as the goblins walked to them.
"10% of the profit. We will charge 10% to handle and sell the remains. You will get 45% each." said the head goblin. "We will harvest the majority of the body and anticipate that it will bring us 300 000 galleons. We will get 30 000 galleons. You each will get 135 000 galleons."
"That does seem low…" Jamie said, shaking his head.
McGonagall gasped at his daring to challenge a goblin, of all creatures at matters pertaining to money. However, the goblin's eyes gleamed as he relished the challenge of a good barter. He had expected the young witch and wizard to take the first, overly low offer and they rose in his estimation.
Hermy and Jamie negotiated with the goblins and with pride, McGonagall watched them request that a small amount of supplies be kept back for potion making at school and for themselves, while part of the hide be put away for them to use in the future.
Dumbledore watched them sourly. He wanted it. He needed the money after spending the majority of his family fortune fighting against Voldemort in the first Wizarding War. His expression changed within an instant when Hermy turned and spoke to him with an innocent face.
"Professor, we would like to pay for 20 brooms for the school. They are truly a death trap and need to be replaced. It will probably cost around 25 000 or so to get the newest model Cleansweeps and they would be paid for out of the first bit of income," Hermy offered with a sweet smile.
She turned to the goblins and thanked them. "Thank you. Would you like us to help you harvest?"
The goblins shook their heads and were left in the chamber to carry out their grisly task.
After leaving the chamber, Hermy and Jamie spend the day relaxing. They did homework and gossiped. They sent one owl, waiting for the results of that letter to be seen. Jamie was called before curfew to close the Chamber, after which they went to bed.
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Yet again Hermy and Jamie met early in front of the Gryffindor fireplace.
"We have to stop meeting like this," Hermy said with a huge grin on her face.
Jamie groaned, "You're as bad as Fred and George when it comes to jokes. Shh…"
Hoping to avoid identification if seen, they changed into their Animagi forms and moved towards the Room of Requirement. They had learned the hard way in the previous timeline that Dumbledore had used the portraits as spies. Even if their presence had been reported, Dumbles would not know it was them.
Hermy paced in front of the Room of Requirement as a dog and focussed on the need to hide something. The door opened, and they transformed back into their human forms. Their search for the diadem holding the piece of Voldemort's soul began.
They knew where it was, but something stopped them from going to it immediately. Instead, they searched and compared the strange things found in the room.
"Is that a used pregnancy test?"
"Ewww… here are some stained undies!"
"Several rat skeletons, a quitaped skeleton…"
"Do you think we should destroy the vanishing cabinet?"
"Maybe. Do you think we should fix some of this stuff and sell it?"
They gradually made their way to the diadem, climbing on piles of discarded goods to reach it. They put it in their shielded bag and left the room. They paced back and forth, focussing on the need for a room to destroy the Horcruxes.
A door opened. They stepped through the door into an empty room lined with cement. There was nothing to get destroyed. No window. No decorations on the wall.
"Remember. We could see some nasty stuff. Here is a fang, I will take the diary and you can take the diadem," commanded Jamie.
The two horcuxes, the diary and the diadem were placed in the middle of the room, metres apart. Hermy and Jamie picked up the basilisk fangs, hesitating. Both remembered what had happened previously. What visions would be seen? Would the destruction have any impact on their souls?
Their glazes met, and subconsciously they made a decision. This time, without hesitation the fangs were raised in the air and plunged into the Horcruxes. Horrific screeching filled the air, along with a feeling of pain and despair, yet the children continued. An evil, eerie black cloud of smoke spilled out as the Horcruxes were destroyed, unfixable.
As the smoke cleared, exhaustion and pain took hold and the two children fell to the ground in a dead faint.
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Meanwhile, in her office McGonagall was arguing with Dumbledore.
"They have a stake in this, you old fool! Jamie cannot go back to the Dursleys," she argued.
"My dear Minerva, if it is to happen, it will without them or not," Dumbledore said with his blue eyes twinkling. "Lemon drop."
She said with eyes blazing and a forceful stance, "You. Old. Goat. You will not play with the lives of these children. They WILL go to the trial. They WILL testify. I have permission from Miss Granger's parents and Mr Potter will most certainly be there."
"If you think it is best, but it is certainly not needed," Dumbledore reassured, dismissing McGonagall with his hand.
McGonagall stormed out of the office, muttering to herself. "I do not know why I put up with him. They need better, He deserves more…"
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Hours later, two children groaned as they sat up, clutching their heads. They sat in silence, trying to work through the pain of the splitting headache and the memories of what had happened before.
"That's not what I was expecting. That was so much worse than the last time!" moaned Jamie. "I do not think we passed out before during a destruction."
"Do you think that it could be because our bodies are less powerful? We probably need to build up our magical powers."
"Hmm… that could work…" Jamie said thoughtfully.
After their headaches abated, they grabbed a bite to eat in the kitchen, as dinner had long finished and made their way back to the Common Room.
As they walked in, Hermy whispered quietly, "Why on Earth did not one notice that we were gone ALL DAY LONG?"
Jamie punched her gently in the arm and replied, "We were gone all day yesterday as well. Who knows what they thought we were doing."
Hermy raised her eyebrows suggestively and they joined their housemates in the common room for a study session and went to bed early. It had been an exhausting day.
In both the girl's dorm and the boy's dorm, the other inhabitants had similar conversations.
"What are they doing all day?"
"Surely they're not together!"
"They are 11!"
"I bet you that they are doing more than holding hands."
"They are always hugging, and staying close to each other…"
"Ask them tomorrow…"
"You are the closest… You do it."