Chapter 2: Going Back
Simultaneously, all three awoke, gasping for breath, and finding the common room dark, except for one flickering candle above them. Harry and Ron could hear Hermione muttering to herself, "It was only a dream, it was only a dream." Harry looked at Ron and said, "You would not believe the dream I had." "You wouldn't believe my dream," Ron replied. Suddenly, Harry and Ron abandoned their conversation, Hermione stopped muttering, and all three tensed. Something was wrong. Even though their dreams had left, the feeling of something around their necks had not.
Harry forced himself to remain calm and looked down. "That's odd," he told Ron and Hermione, "My hands are bound, but my wand is still in them." It was the same with Ron and Hermione. "Now I want to see what's around my neck. It's not tightening, but it's cutting into my neck a little," Harry said. "Rorrim." A mirror appeared in front of Harry. In it he could see that his hands were bound with cord and tied very securely. But Harry couldn't see what was around his neck, he squinted and saw in the mirror a thin gold chain cutting into his neck. He also saw the same chain was around Ron and Hermione. "Disapario," Harry muttered. Then he turned to Ron and Hermione and told them, "There is a gold chain around all three of are necks and my hands are bound. Are yours?" Ron and Hermione checked and nodded. Suddenly, the candle sputtered furiously and went out, leaving them in complete darkness. As their eyes adjusted to the darkness Ron muttered nervously, "Just the wind." Harry barely noticed, as he was deep in thought. "A thin gold chain, a thin gold chain, a thin gold chain for what?" Suddenly three figures stepped from the shadows. As they came closer Harry could see who they were.
"Seamus," Harry said with a sigh of relief. "Neville. Dean. Could you help" Harry's voice died away when he saw the smirk on Seamus' face. Suddenly, he felt uneasy. Then, right before his very eyes, Seamus changed.
"Malfoy!"
"Yes, it's me," Malfoy drawled. "Oh, and to answer your question, Potter, the gold chain is holding a new and improved Time Turner." He motioned at something dangling from the chain in between Harry and Ron's necks. Harry narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean 'new and improved'?" Malfoy smirked, "Well, only the Ministry has them, but since Father has top connections, he was able to get me one. Anyway, this Time Turner has settings. You can not only go back hours, but weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, and millenniums. Also, the Time Turner automatically stops when you can't go back any farther. Does that answer your question?"
Hermione spoke up, "Malfoy, whatever you're going to do, you won't get away with it."
"Oh really, Granger?" Just then, Harry tried to cut the cord binding his hands with a charm, but Malfoy spun around before he could complete the spell. Malfoy's face turned red with rage as he yelled, "No you don't! I was only planning to send you back a century or two, but I've changed my mind!" As Malfoy was regaining his composure, Harry saw his Firebolt lying about two inches away from him, where he'd dropped it after Quidditch practice. It might be useful wherever Malfoy was sending them, if he wasn't caught first. Harry slowly moved his hands toward the Firebolt, then snatched it. He sighed with relief, Crabbe and Goyle hadn't noticed. Harry thought how lucky he was that he didn't go lock it it up after Quidditch practice, like he usually did, because he needed to study for exams.
His thoughts were interrupted when Malfoy walked back over to them. Malfoy smirked, grabbed the Time Turner, making sure Harry, Ron, and Hermione could see what he was doing, and pushed the small lever from Centuries to Millenniums. "What a fool,"Harry thought, "he'll only be able to turn it twice. Wherever he sends us, all we'll have to do is turn it twice forwards, and we'll be back here." Those thoughts stopped Harry from protesting as Malfoy turned the Time Turner once, then twice. But then, he turned it again.
Harry's eyes widened along with Ron's and Hermione's. "Wait," Ron said, "you should only be able to turn it twice. Time doesn't exist before that."
"I guess it does, "Malfoy drawled, he was sporting a large grin. "Well, you could say I'm sending you on a journey beyond time!"
At that moment, Harry, Ron, and Hermione got the same idea."HELP! Help! Malfoy's down here! Help!" they all yelled.
Malfoy looked startled for a split second, then unexpectedly a grin of satisfaction spread across Malfoy's face. "I would've sent you back farther, but this is far enough." He let go of the Time Turner, and the last thing Harry, Ron, and Hermione saw was Malfoy sprinting out of the portrait hole, Crabbe and Goyle at his heels, as confused Gryffindors appeared at the top of the staircases. Then everything dissolved into a whirl of color.
Simultaneously, all three awoke, gasping for breath, and finding the common room dark, except for one flickering candle above them. Harry and Ron could hear Hermione muttering to herself, "It was only a dream, it was only a dream." Harry looked at Ron and said, "You would not believe the dream I had." "You wouldn't believe my dream," Ron replied. Suddenly, Harry and Ron abandoned their conversation, Hermione stopped muttering, and all three tensed. Something was wrong. Even though their dreams had left, the feeling of something around their necks had not.
Harry forced himself to remain calm and looked down. "That's odd," he told Ron and Hermione, "My hands are bound, but my wand is still in them." It was the same with Ron and Hermione. "Now I want to see what's around my neck. It's not tightening, but it's cutting into my neck a little," Harry said. "Rorrim." A mirror appeared in front of Harry. In it he could see that his hands were bound with cord and tied very securely. But Harry couldn't see what was around his neck, he squinted and saw in the mirror a thin gold chain cutting into his neck. He also saw the same chain was around Ron and Hermione. "Disapario," Harry muttered. Then he turned to Ron and Hermione and told them, "There is a gold chain around all three of are necks and my hands are bound. Are yours?" Ron and Hermione checked and nodded. Suddenly, the candle sputtered furiously and went out, leaving them in complete darkness. As their eyes adjusted to the darkness Ron muttered nervously, "Just the wind." Harry barely noticed, as he was deep in thought. "A thin gold chain, a thin gold chain, a thin gold chain for what?" Suddenly three figures stepped from the shadows. As they came closer Harry could see who they were.
"Seamus," Harry said with a sigh of relief. "Neville. Dean. Could you help" Harry's voice died away when he saw the smirk on Seamus' face. Suddenly, he felt uneasy. Then, right before his very eyes, Seamus changed.
"Malfoy!"
"Yes, it's me," Malfoy drawled. "Oh, and to answer your question, Potter, the gold chain is holding a new and improved Time Turner." He motioned at something dangling from the chain in between Harry and Ron's necks. Harry narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean 'new and improved'?" Malfoy smirked, "Well, only the Ministry has them, but since Father has top connections, he was able to get me one. Anyway, this Time Turner has settings. You can not only go back hours, but weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, and millenniums. Also, the Time Turner automatically stops when you can't go back any farther. Does that answer your question?"
Hermione spoke up, "Malfoy, whatever you're going to do, you won't get away with it."
"Oh really, Granger?" Just then, Harry tried to cut the cord binding his hands with a charm, but Malfoy spun around before he could complete the spell. Malfoy's face turned red with rage as he yelled, "No you don't! I was only planning to send you back a century or two, but I've changed my mind!" As Malfoy was regaining his composure, Harry saw his Firebolt lying about two inches away from him, where he'd dropped it after Quidditch practice. It might be useful wherever Malfoy was sending them, if he wasn't caught first. Harry slowly moved his hands toward the Firebolt, then snatched it. He sighed with relief, Crabbe and Goyle hadn't noticed. Harry thought how lucky he was that he didn't go lock it it up after Quidditch practice, like he usually did, because he needed to study for exams.
His thoughts were interrupted when Malfoy walked back over to them. Malfoy smirked, grabbed the Time Turner, making sure Harry, Ron, and Hermione could see what he was doing, and pushed the small lever from Centuries to Millenniums. "What a fool,"Harry thought, "he'll only be able to turn it twice. Wherever he sends us, all we'll have to do is turn it twice forwards, and we'll be back here." Those thoughts stopped Harry from protesting as Malfoy turned the Time Turner once, then twice. But then, he turned it again.
Harry's eyes widened along with Ron's and Hermione's. "Wait," Ron said, "you should only be able to turn it twice. Time doesn't exist before that."
"I guess it does, "Malfoy drawled, he was sporting a large grin. "Well, you could say I'm sending you on a journey beyond time!"
At that moment, Harry, Ron, and Hermione got the same idea."HELP! Help! Malfoy's down here! Help!" they all yelled.
Malfoy looked startled for a split second, then unexpectedly a grin of satisfaction spread across Malfoy's face. "I would've sent you back farther, but this is far enough." He let go of the Time Turner, and the last thing Harry, Ron, and Hermione saw was Malfoy sprinting out of the portrait hole, Crabbe and Goyle at his heels, as confused Gryffindors appeared at the top of the staircases. Then everything dissolved into a whirl of color.