The Time Travel Crew
Chapter 17: A Journey, a sorting and a jolt (Nev, Sprout, Luna)
Harry let out a relieved laugh, jumped off his seat, grabbed Justin, pulled him into the compartment, shut the door and pulled him into a tight hug. From the corner of his eye Neville noticed Draco pointing his wand at the door and making some complicated movements.
"How are you?" Harry said when he let Justin go.
"Fit as a fiddle, and you?"
"I'm good."
"That's great. What did you do to that door, Draco?"
"Improvised disillusionment charm." Draco said simply as he pulled him into a hug.
"How so?" Justin asked as Draco let go, giving Neville a chance to hug him.
"Anyone passing by will just find the compartment packed with first years but will neither notice our faces nor be able to hear what goes on. We on the other hand will be able to see and hear exactly what happens outside."
At that moment, Ron Weasley passed by with Dean Thomas.
"What are you going to do about him?" Neville heard Draco say as Ron looked into the compartment and lead Dean ahead.
"What should I do?" Harry said.
"What do you want to do, Harry?" Draco said.
"I don't really know... I-I mean, he really was emotionally unbalanced then, his father and sister and brother had just died and yeah... What he did wasn't the right thing to do... But Luna seemed to have changed things with respect to Ron and his parents... So I really don't know. You alright, Justin?"
Neville turned to the boy in question and found him staring through the empty corridor.
"Justin?" Harry said again.
Justin shook his head and turned to the three of them, his face wore unreadable expression.
"What's wrong?" Neville asked him.
"Dean! That boy was Dean!"
"Of course, he's Dean." Neville said a little confused at his behaviour.
"No, no!" Justin said shaking his head again. "I mean that there was a boy who used to pass by our house every Thursday to head to the nearby grocery store. In the previous time, I never connected the dots and that is understandable... But this time too!... I never realised that that that boy and Dean Thomas are one and the same!"
"So Thomas's your neighbour?" Draco said.
"Yes! And I never really took the time to understand it! I'm such a fool!...Anyway, what were you saying?"
"We were speaking about what Harry's relationship with Ron should be like... acquaintances, friends, best friends or like last time, brothers..." Draco said.
"I don't think you should go to the friends section right now." Justin said. "I mean, just take the time to observe him from far for now... something I think you've never done in the last time, and if you don't mind me saying, I think you really need to watch him. Don't take any offense, Harry, because, if you actually go out of your way to make friends with him on the first day itself, knowing what he may do to you -"
"Alright, I get the picture." Harry interrupted him and then sighed.
Justin continued, "I know, Luna has had some influence on him, but still... I think you should be just a bit wary of him, You know what I mean?"
Harry nodded and said, "Speaking about Luna, how is she?"
"No idea, mate." said Neville. "Apart from the fact that she still has a mother and Ginny for a friend and is very happy, I have no idea... Oh, yes, yes, Snape visited me last month and that was the last time any of them visited me, er, he said Luna said good luck and have fun and Oh! Harry, he gave me this to give to you!"
Neville pulled out the the diary Snape had asked him to discreetly hide in his trunk and handed it to Harry.
"This is the one that shares a connection with the one in Lucius Malfoy's safe."
"Thanks." Harry said pocketing the diary. "How's life with your brother, Justin?"
"Absolutely brilliant! I still can't believe that I forgot about him... Oh well, how about you three?"
"Absolutely brilliant!" Neville, Harry and Draco said at once.
They fell into a silence which was surprising given that the boys in the compartment hadn't actually had a chance to speak in complete isolation for hours together in ten years. However, five minutes later, Draco spoke.
"Harry, why didn't your aunt and cousin come too? Didn't they want to see the platform?"
"Er, my aunt," Harry said, "has seen the platform and she had a huge order to complete... Dudley on the other hand has started with school... He was quite disappointed, but Mum promised to get him along in June to collect me from the train."
Harry sighed and shook his head, "It is just so, er, strange, you know, seeing them behave so kindly when they were so... just so cruel in the previous time... I just can't seem to get used to Aunt Petunia's soft, gentle tone... Dudley, on the other hand, I jad to compel him to behave... But..."
Harry trailed off and looked out of the window in a way that told the other three not to press on that topic.
Neville cleared his throat, "What's been decided about the ring?"
"I have no idea." Harry said with an annoyed huff. "Snape will not tell me anything before they get a horcrux. It's torture, living with not knowing exactly how things are going... But I know Snape's right, you know, about wanting me to enjoy my life and life has really been amazing."
Neville hummed in agreement.
"Not for me." said Draco in an indifferent voice. "The twins have really made my life miserable."
"Come on, Draco." Harry said with a laugh. "They just want to play with you."
"That's exactly it!" Draco said looking slightly annoyed. "And that curtails my privacy even beyond the limit that I've kept for myself...It's absolutely ridiculous! And now, they made Mother make me promise to send them each a letter once a week! Just notice how it's going to take so much of my time!"
This was a topic, Neville wouldn't want to get into debate with - he always wanted siblings and he loved his sisters with everything he had. Harry too, adored Joyce and Neville knew from observing Justin's behaviour around Keith and he loved his brother too. Draco's siblings simply wanted his attention and Neville knew they loved him just as much as he loved them and hence, this most definitely wasn't a topic any of the four boys would have liked to continue on...
And so they moved on to various topics (including what activities Dumbledore would come up with during the Houses United), enjoyed great homemade lunches and a few chocolate frogs...in other words, they spent the rest of their time behaving like eleven year olds, and, before they knew it, they were at the Hogsmead station.
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It just had to be here, in the very Great Hall, that most of the time travellers would all be together, for the very first time in ten years, except for poor Luna, and it was the anxiousness that made Pomona feel like jumping of her seat and pacing the length of the head table.
There were many other things for her to worry about, such as Dumbledore's sugar levels going high due to his new habit of eating sweets three times a day...or the fact that a turbaned Quirrel was seated next to her...or that it was to be her who would be distracting the DADA professor while Filius, Minerva and Severus went to get the Peverrel ring...but Pomona chose to be nervous about the new students who would be led into the Great Hall by Minerva in a few minutes.
She had seen the four before, no doubt about that, so why was it that she was jumpy... well, many things could go wrong... for one, if anyone of the boys' occlumemcy shields failed, their secret would be out... Or, they could be sorted into a different house, which could also be a problem, given that there was a strict rule to maintain ten students including five girls and five boys in each house. The latter however, was the hat's problem and Pomona needed to keep her faith in the four boys just like Minerva, Filius and Severus.
Pomona's occluded mind wondered to her Devil's Snare that lay below the trapdoor on the third floor and how Severus imperiused the three-headed dog, bidding it to be tame to anyone but Quirrel.
Pomona sighed and looked down at the four long tables in front of her. How fast the time had passed and how much of a difference had they made? Almost nothing, but to some people like Neville, Harry and even Justin and maybe Draco too, it probably meant the world.
"Something the matter, Pomona?" Severus asked from Quirrel's other side.
She looked at him and shook her head, "Oh, it's nothing, Severus. I was just speculating on how different this year is going to be..."
"It certainly will be interesting." Filius commented.
"I-I'm l-l-looking f-foward to m-m-meeting the Potter b-boy!" Quirrel stated.
"Oh, I'm sure you are, Professor Quirrel." Filius said, but Pomona believed she was the only one to hear a slight tinge of disgust in his voice.
Then as per the plan, Pomona turned to Quirrel, "Quirinus, I need your help, if it's not asking too much."
"O-of c-course Po-Po-Pomona." The stuttering was really getting to her, but she kept her cool.
"You see, they're some special mushrooms growing in the forbidden forest that will bloom on Friday night this week and I really need your help in collecting them."
"M-m-my h-h-help?" Quirrel squeaked, his eye twitching worse than ever.
"Please, Quirinus. I absolutely need to collect those mushrooms they're very important in preparing a manure for many of my rare plants in the greenhouses."
"Why m-m-me?" Quirrel stuttered pathetically, his face rapidly losing colour.
"Because," Pomona huffed. "Filius has already taken Severus and Minerva to help him run an errand on that day, an errand I am not aware of but something that they claim will get them worn-out... so worn-out that they will not be able to help me." She sent a mock glare at both Filius and Severus. "Please, Quirinus."
"Why c-c-can't you d-do it y-yourself?"
"I am a Herbology Professor, Quirinus, you know that - my defense techniques are rather poor."
In reality, Pomona considered herself to be quite good duelist and she usually collected the mushrooms alone under an invisibility charm and she would return within half-an-hour. This time, however, Filius and Severus had set up a few foolproof, undetectable traps that would delay both, Quirrel and Pomona by a couple of hours, giving Filius, Minerva and Severus ample time to attain the ring, the currently last horcrux that needed destroying
And then the doors opened and the older students crowded into the Hall and took their places at their respective tables. And then as soon the ghosts flew into the Hall, the door of the side chamber opened and following Minerva were the new forty eleven year olds. And there - Pomona could have just beamed with pride if she had the chance - were Justin, Neville, Harry and Draco, all so bright eyed, looking so sweet in their robes.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." came the statement Pomona had long since gotten tired of hearing, but she smiled and applauded patiently as Hannah Abbott got Sorted into Hufflepuff... Again.
Soon it was Justin's turn and Pomona could only hope his Occlumemcy shields were strong enough as she watched him steadily walk to the stool, sit on it and put on the mind reading hat. Pomona had expected Justin to quarrel with the hat and maybe be sorted after a few minutes, but it was in a few minutes that the hat yelled, "HUFFLEPUFF!"
Then came Neville's turn who was, like Justin, immediately sorted to Gryffindor and this time he remembered to pass on the hat to the next student. A few minutes later came Draco who was again immediately sorted into Slytherin. Pomona could only wonder if - from the moment the hat was put on the boys' heads - they simply let their mind yell the name of the house they wanted to be in and the poor hat for fear of suffering a fabric-ache seemed to put them where they wanted. She resisted shaking her head as Harry, who was receiving much more attention than the last time, too was immediately sorted into Gryffindor.
Pomona watched how the Gryffindors shook Harry's hands and how Ronald Weasley was watching Harry converse with Neville with rapidly reddening ear tips - it looked like Luna's attempt hadn't paid off in some aspects. Filius tittered softly as he noticed the same and Pomona gave him a tiny wink that went unnoticed by everyone in the Hall.
Or maybe not.
"What is the matter, Pomona, Filius?"
"Oh, nothing, Albus." Pomona said turning to give the aged Headmaster a kind smile. "I was simply watching the youngest Weasley boy - he seems to want to get the attention of Mr. Potter." Pomona tittered audibly. "I really don't know why it is so hard for people to believe that Harry Potter is a normal child!"
Dumbledore sighed, "I was hoping they would believe that when they saw him... But I was wrong. Oh well..."
Dumbledore stood up and let out those four mad words and when everyone clapped, the feast began.
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On the very same night, as Luna lay down in her bed, her instincts made her cast a protection charm around her before she fell asleep, but it was the uneasiness she felt over the reason for the need of the protection charm that didn't let her fall deeply asleep. This resulted in her awakening every once in a while and it was while she had woken up for the ninth time that night that she heard someone enter her room through the window.
Luna knew, by the persons footfalls that this person was neither of her parents or any of the visiting professors, and again, trusting her instincts Luna lay still in her bed, willing her breathing to slow down. She couldn't, however, stop her heart from pounding and hoping that the protection she cast on herself would be enough to keep her safe, she waited for the person to approach.
"Imperio!" said a very harsh voice and Luna felt a trickle of fear and a bit of relief as no sense of lethargy came upon her - her protection charm had worked against an unforgivable!
The voice said again, "Peter Pettigrew, in the form of a rat, will approach you at some point of time. Tell him that I am Barty Crouch Junior... That I am held captive by my father in his house... That I will help him bring back our Lord... That it was I who escaped my father's clutches for a little while, just enough to imperius you...That I will explain everything to him when he meets me...You will never remember to mention this to anyone but Pettigrew!"
The voice in Luna's mind ceased speaking and soon, Luna heard footfalls moving further away from her and when they probably reached the window, she heard a mad cackle. "Sleep well, Missy!"
Then no one spoke, but a distance crack after five minutes told Luna that Barty Junior had disapperated.
Luna began to shake with the aftershock of the event. Carefully she cast a disillusionment charm on herself and sat up...why was she selected to deliver the message to a rat, an escaped prisoner? Had Pettigrew already escaped? How did this happen? A wandless spell told her it was eleven thirty.
Luna's breath caught in her throat - this could even lead to the deaths of her parents... She found herself paralyzed with fear for probably the first time in her life... This definitely hadn't been on their list of events before they went back in time... But how many things had even gone according to plan?
Luna hopped off her bed...she needed to inform one of her crew members immediately... who would it be...
Shakily, she made her way to her desk and taking out a bit of parchment, she wrote on it with a quill dipped in red ink:
'Filius!
Please come and meet me immediately! Something strange has just happened and it can't wait for a visiting night.
Be careful, make yourself invisible. This could be dangerous, but try to make it before two o'clock. Can't tell you much in this letter.
LL.'
Luna didn't bother to reread her letter. She hurried to her garden and ran down the path to a specific tree in which an owl sat every night, making herself visible to the owl only.
"Hurry!" she whispered to him as she coaxed it down to her and tied her note to his leg. "Please give this to Professor Filius Flitwick at Hogwarts as fast as you can! Fly faster than you have ever flown!"
The owl seemed to have understood her, for he did just that and in a minute he had disappeared from view. Luna stood and stared at the starry sky for a long time before going inside, closing the front door and silently heading back to the comfort of her room.
To be continued...
Hello Everyone,
I hope you are well. This will be my last update for the month. I will upload next in November, thanks to another round of upcoming exams.
Take care!!!