Scorpius and I were leaned up against one another watching Delphi and Albus slinging spells at one another. Neither of us were happy with what was going on. I suspect Scorpius was unhappy because he felt like he was losing his best friend. I was unhappy because I couldn't shake the feeling that as soon as I turned my back on Delphi she would stab me in it. Plus, she was being a creepy stalker of teenage boys. Or one teenage boy. My best friend.

"Expelliarmus!" Ablus called and Delphi's wand flew through the air.

The she demon sounded overly enthusiastic when she beamed at Albus. "You're getting it now. You're good at this. You're a positively disarming young man." After another disarming the two high-five. It was sickening.

Albus was certainly happy. "I've never been good at spells."

"I was rubbish," Delphi tsked "and then something clicked. And it will for you too. Not that I'm a super witch or anything but I think you're becoming quite some wizard, Albus Potter."

Albus practically preened. "Then you should stick around, teach me more."

"Of course I'm sticking around, we're friends, aren't we?"No Delphi, WE are not friends.

I kept my thoughts to myself. Albus did not. "Yes. Yes. Definitely friends. Definitely."

"Great. Wizzo!" Delphi sounded stupidly chipper.

Having had enough Scorpius finally interrupted. "What's wizzo?"

Albus waved his wand about. "Cracked the spell. I mean, it's pretty basic, but I was… well, I cracked it."

Scorpius sounded too enthusiastic when he replied. I just glared at him. "And I've found our way through to the school. Listen, are we sure this will work?"

Delphi nodded also overly enthusiastic. "Yes!"

Albus wanting to support his new friend's plan also enthused. "It's a brilliant plan. The secret to not getting Cedric killed is to stop him winning the Triwizard Tournament. If he doesn't win, he can't be killed." All of this enthusiasm made me nauseas.

"And I understand that, but…" Either Scorpius was hesitant or he felt my glare at his back.

"So we just need to mess up his chances supremely badly in task one." Albus was ignoring my glares. "The first task is getting a golden egg from a dragon, how did Cedric distract the dragon…"

Delphi put her hand in the air like a little kid. "By transfiguring a stone into a dog."

Albus beamed at her. "Well, a little Expelliarmus and he won't be able to do that."

Scorpius finally remembered to include me. "Lils, what do you think?"

"I think the entire plan is doomed to failure, but what do I know?" I glared. "Just because we have already almost died…"

We were walking through the forest now and Albus looked at me a bit guilty. "But that was just a bit of bad luck."

"That wasn't the only bad luck." I glared at Delpi.

Scorpius, ever our peacemaker broke in. "And there it is."

Albus sucked in a breath. "Hogwarts. Never seen this view of it before."

"Still get a tingle, don't you? When you see it?" Scorpius was looking at the castle in awe. From the moment I first heard of it, I was desperate to go. I mean, Dad didn't much like it there but even the way he described it... From the age of ten I'd check the Daily Prophet first thing every morning, certain some sort of tragedy would have befallen it. Certain I wouldn't get to go."

"And then you got there and it turned out to be terrible after all." Albus sounded sad.

Scorpius shook his head. "Not for me."

"Not for me either." I added. "I met my best friends there."

Scorpius took my hand. "All I ever wanted to do was go to Hogwarts and have a mate to get up to mayhem with. Just like Harry Potter. And I got his son and niece. How crazily fortunate is that?"

Albus was determined to be a downer. "But I'm nothing like my dad."

Scorpius still had my hand. "You're better. You're my best friend, Albus. And this is mayhem to the nth degree. Which is great, thumbs-up great. It's just, I have got to say… I don't mind admitting… I am a tiny bit… just a tiny bit scared."

Albus finally smiled at us. "You're my best friends too. And don't worry, I have a good feeling about this."

Scorpius was still nervous. So was I. "Okay, two points, first point, we're certain the dragon won't kill him?"

"It's always two points with him, isn't it?" Delphi asked. "Of course it won't. This is Hogwarts. They won't let damage happen to any of the champions."

"Okay, second point, more significant point, we're going back without any knowledge of whether we can travel back afterwards. Which is exciting."Scorpius did NOT sound excited. "Maybe we should just try going back an hour, say, first and then."

I nodded. "Sounds reasonable to me."

"I'm sorry, Scorpius," Delphi continued her trend of ignoring me. "We've no time to waste. Waiting here this close to the school is just too dangerous. I'm sure they'll be looking for you and..."

Albus, eager to please agreed. "She's right."

"She's mental is what she is." I grumbled. Albus ignored me.

"Now, you're going to need to wear these." Delphi pulled out three large paper bags.

"But these are Durmstrang robes." Albus frowned. "And Beauxbaton."

"My uncle's idea." Why did everything she said sound like a lie? If you are in Hogwarts robes people will expect to know who you are. But there are two other schools competing at the Triwizard Tournament and if you're in Durmstrang and Beauxbaton robes, well, you can fade into the background, can't you?"

"Good thinking!" And right back to a hormonal twit. "Hang on, where are your robes?"

"Albus, I'm flattered, but I don't think I can pretend to be a student, do you? I'll just keep in the background and pretend to be a, ooh, maybe I could pretend to be a dragon tamer. You're doing all the spell stuff anyway." At least she admitted she was too damned old.

Scorpius looked uneasy. "You shouldn't come." I resisted the urge to pump my fist in the air.

"What?" Delphi looked angry.

Scorpius stood firm. "You're right. We don't need you for the spell. And if you can't wear student robes you're too big a risk. Sorry, Delphi, you shouldn't come."

"But I have to…" Delphi almost whined. "He's my cousin. Albus?"

"I agree." I slipped on the blue robes. "Stay here. We don't need you." Or want you!

Albus surprised me by agreeing. "I think they are right. I'm sorry."

Delphi looked surprised. "What?"

"We won't mess up." Albus promised.

Delphi tried another tactic. "But without me you won't be able to work the Time-Turner."

"You taught us how to use the Time-Turner." Scorpius reminded her while I helped him with his robes.

Delphi sounded really upset. "No. I won't let you do this."

Albus suited up on his own. "You told your uncle to trust us. Now it's your turn. The school is close now. We should leave you here."

Delphi looked at us. She nodded to herself and smiled. It gave me chills. "Then go. But just know this, today you get an opportunity few are given today you get to change history to change time itself. But more than all that, today you get the chance to give an old man his son back." Smiling she leaned towards Albus and gently kissed him on both cheeks.

Scorpius looked at Albus who seemed stunned. "She didn't kiss me or Lils, did you notice? Are you okay, Albus? You look a little pale. And red. Pale and red at the same time."

"Just let her try to kiss you." I scowled. "Or me. Either of us."

Albus shook his head. "Let's do this."

We could hear Uncle Ron's voice and he sounded close. "Albus? Scorpius? Lilliana? Where are you three?"

"But we've got to go. Now." Albus looked nervously towards the direction Uncle Ron's voice came from.

Albus took the Time-Turner and he pressed down upon it and it began to vibrate and then explodes into a storm of movement. Colors and seasons flashed by in seconds.

Suddenly everything is a riot of noise and a crowd consumed the three of us.

A very enthusiastic announcer was calling out. "Ladies and gentlemen boys and girls I give you the greatest the fabulous the one and the only TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT. If you're from Hogwarts. Give me a cheer." There's a loud cheer. "If you're from Durmstrang, give me a cheer." There's another loud cheer. "AND IF YOU'RE FROM BEAUXBATONS GIVE ME A CHEER." There's a slightly limp cheer. "Slightly less enthusiastic from the French there." Goo for Beauxbatons.

Scorpius grinned. "This has worked. That's Ludo Bagman."

Bagman went on. "And there they are. Ladies and gentlemen boys and girls I present to you, the reason why we're all here THE CHAMPIONS. Representing Durmstrang, what eyebrows, what a gait, what a boy, there's nothing he won't try on a broomstick, it's Viktor Krazy Krum.

Scorpius and Albus started cheering with the others. "Go, go, Krazy Krum. Go, go, Krazy Krum."

"From the Beauxbatons Academy zut alors, it's Fleur Delacour!" I stood on tip toes to try to get a peek at Aunt Fleur. There's some polite applause. "And from Hogwarts not one but two students, he makes us all go weaky at the kneesy, he's Cedric Delicious Diggory." Kneesy? Idiot. The went go wild. "And then the other you know him as the Boy Who Lived, I know him as the boy who keeps surprising us all…"

Albus looked a teensy bit more interested. "That's my dad."

"Wow, Uncle Harry was handsome." I commented, the two looked at me as though I were mental.

"Yes, it's Harry Plucky Potter." There's cheering. Particularly from a nervous-looking girl at the edge of the crow. It was Aunt Hermione. Just very, very young. She looked like Rose.

"And now silence please, all. The first task. Retrieving a golden egg. From a nest of ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I give you DRAGONS! And guiding the dragons, CHARLIE WEASLEY!" There are more cheers. Wow, Uncle Charlie was even better looking than he normally is. Which is saying a lot.

"If you're going to stand so close I'd rather you didn't breathe on me quite so much." Shoot Aunt Hermione noticed us.

"Rose? What are you doing here?" Damned it Scorpius!

"Who's Rose? And what's happened to your accent?" Can't put anything past her. She is sharp.

Albus faked an accent. Poorly. "Sorry. Hermione. He's got you mixed up with someone else."

"How do you know my name?" Now Aunt Hermione was very suspicious.

"You are always with 'Arry, oui?" I asked. "Zees ees 'ow."

There was no time to debate it. "And with no time to lose let's bring out our first champion facing a Swedish Short-Snout, I give you CEDRIC DIGGORY." A dragon roar distracted Aunt Hermione and Albus readied his wand.

And Cedric Diggory squared off with the dragon. He seemed ready. In control. Scared, but ready. He dodged this way. He dodged that. The girls swoon as he dives for cover. They cry as one "Don't damage our Diggory, Mr. Dragon!"

"Albus, Lils!" Scorpius sounded panicked "Something is going wrong. The Time-Turner, it's shaking." A ticking began, an incessant, dangerous ticking. It came from the Time-Turner.

The event went on. "And Cedric skirts left and he dives right and he readies his wand what has this young, brave, handsome man got up his sleevies (sleevies? Really? I gagged.) now…"

Albus acted fast. "Expelliarmus!" and Cedric's wand is summoned to his hand.

Bagman noticed, of course. "But no, what's this? Is it Dark Magic or is it something else entirely? His wand is flying away Cedric Diggory is Disarmed!"

Scorpius was more insistent. "I think the Time-Turner something is wrong!"

The Time-Turner's ticking gets louder still while Bagman droned on. "It's all going wrong for Diggors. This could be the end of the task for him. The end of the tournament."

Scospius grabbed us. There was a crescendo in the ticking, and a flash. And time turned back to the present, with Albus howled in pain. "Albus!" Scorpius sounded horrified. "Did it hurt you? Albus, are you…"

Albus gasped in pain. "What happened?"

Scorpius thought a moment. "There must be some limit, the Time-Turner must have some kind of time limit."

"Do you think we've done it?" Albus was so pale I was afraid. "Do you think we've changed anything?"

Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny, Uncle Draco and Uncle Ron came running up, except Uncle Ron looked… off somehow.

Scorpius quickly slipped the Time-Turner back into his pocket. Smart that guy of mine. Albus moaned. He was really in pain.

"I told you. I told you I saw them." Uncle Ron sounded so relieved.

Scorpius took my hand. "I think we're about to find out."

"Hello, Dad. Is something wrong?" Albus tried for non chalance.

It failed. Uncle Harry looked at him like he was mental. "Yes. You could say that." Not that Albus noticed, he collapsed finally.

...