Turning Back the Hands of Time 6/?
Burning Bridges
The lifelong friends you always had
Disappearing wherever you turn
The more you try to stop the flames
The faster your bridges burn
The sunshine that used to flood your life
Has turned to a dismal gray
And the laughter that used to hang in the air
Has simply faded away
Where there were many footprints in the sand
Now there's just your pair
And the burden of walking all alone
Is just too much to bear
But the pair of footprints in the sand
Does not belong to you
The times that you thought you were walking alone
God was carrying you
So when burning bridges are all around
And no one seems to care
The best friend you could ever have
Will always be right there
© 2000 Gretchen Bailey
"In the year 1000, Anno Domini, tragedy struck the land of magic." Professor Binns was actually interesting. It was a miracle. He spoke with animations, thoughts, voice indictions, and he was pleased with his own teaching. The students were in awe.
"Who here knows what the Tragedia War was about?" he asked, looking around the room for hands. As always, Hermione knew the answer.
"Yes Ms. Granger?"
"Vixens teamed up with evil wizards to kill all good witches and wizards and any good creature they came across. Obviously, they lost." She said, smugly.
"That's only half of it, dear… only half of it. It was a long and horrendous battle. Vixens are awful sort… you take a single look into their eyes and you are hypnotized. A whiff of their breath paralyzes you instantly. They have no conscience whatsoever. Perfect evil-doing machines." He paused. The class was listening intently, on the edge of their seats.
"Like I said, it was a long battle, lasting fifty years. The only way you could kill a vixen was if you touched them. They cannot bear the goodness, purity, and life of a good person's skin. They would shrivel up in an instant. Many people died… As did many bad witches and wizards. When we had all the vixens surrounded, they surrendered. We were wearing masks. We couldn't breathe their breath, and did not look into their eyes. The leaders of the good army decided to make their leader sign a blood pact. That is where a drop of their blood on a sheet of paper is as good as a signature, making their people and descendents perform, or in this case, not perform, an act listed on that scroll." He shuffled in his seat.
"It made them banished to an island in the Atlantic Ocean, where they could not kill any living creature or leave the island, as long as the treaty remains. This treaty is held in this very school, but no one knows where it is to this day! Does anyone know who this wise group of leaders were?"
No one raised his or her hands.
"Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Salazar Slytherin, and Helena Hufflepuff. Now that's a bit of history I bet you never knew of. You're dismissed."
Everyone stood up shakily. This was the first interesting history lesson they'd ever had! Talking amongst themselves, they left for lunch.
"Wow. I never knew any of that…" Hermione said, shocked and amazed.
"I never thought you'd actually admit to it!" Ron joked, avoiding a slap from her direction.
"Come on guys! I'm hungry…" Harry whined, rubbing his stomach.
"Oh please. You're such a baby! Well, come along then, we don't want to keep the four year old Harry waiting!" Lavender raced ahead.
"Hey!" He said, racing after her.
"Last one there buys drinks!" Ron said, catching up.
"But the drinks are free!"
***
That night, Hermione had the strangest dream. She was walking on an extremely large sand dune in the Sahara Desert, but it was very cold. The Sun spoke to her.
"Would you like me to make it warmer, dear?" It asked, maternally.
"Yes please. Very warm… I like it that way." Hermione said in reply.
"Very well…" The Sun said, and it started to heat up. At first, it felt wonderful, but then it started to get really hot. Hermione was lying in the sand, and was sweating.
"Turn the heat down a little please!" Hermione cried.
The Sun cackled and turned into Professor Snape, yelling, "Warmer! Warmer! Burn her up!"
It got too hot for her liking. She was screaming, and screaming, and screaming…
And she woke up. Looking above her, she thought she was still dreaming, but she could pinch herself, and she felt it. Then how was the sun still burning above her? The sun got larger, and larger, and larger, until Hermione realized…
"My canopy is on fire!" She screamed, throwing away the sash and stepping out of her bed as far as she could. She looked to her side, where Lavender was still sleeping. She had to wake her up. They had to get out of here!
"Lavender! Wake up! This room is on fire!" Hermione sputtered, smoke clogging her nostrils. The Flame-Freezing charm was forgotten.
"LAVENDER!" She yelled. Lavender sat up, seeing her room and possessions in flames, and screamed, jumping out of her bed, holding onto Hermione like a child to a rag doll.
"We've got to get out of here!" Hermione directed.
"But my makeup! And clothes and… My stuff! It'll be ruined!"
"We need to get out of here! Perform the Flame-Freezing Charm, but remember, smoke can still get to you!" Hermione said, ushering Lavender out the door, doing the spell. Parvati was sleeping in the Astrology Tower with some of her friends to see the meteor shower. She was so lucky.
Hermione flung open the door to be greeted by swirling smoke. She couldn't see five feet in front of her. Stumbling blindly down the stairs, she looked around the room, tripping over a chair. Ginny ran by her, her flaming red hair following. Flaming… her hair! It was on fire!
"Ginny!" She sputtered. "Ginny!" She tried again. Ginny just kept running.
Getting up, she couldn't find the portrait hole! Everything was going in circles, and she was coughing. She couldn't see, where was the portrait hole? Everyone was yelling…
Hermione passed out then and there. Her eyes closed and she fell to the ground, but as she did, someone picked her up… That was the last thing she acknowledged before all was black…
***
"She's coming 'round!" Someone said loudly. There was a shuffling of feet, and people crowded around her.
Hermione groaned. Her eyes stung badly, her voice hurt from yelling, and everything spun in circles around her. Steadying herself, she slowly sat up. Her back was terribly sore, and her hands and arms hurt very badly.
"What is going on?" She said slowly, disliking the sound of her own voice.
"Thank God you're alive… I was worried about you." Harry said, crouched over her.
Looking around, she realized she was in the hall outside the hospital. There were people everywhere… families crowded around children. Lavender was crying into Ron's shoulder, shrieking every few minutes.
"Ginny! Her hair is on fire! It's-" Hermione stammered, sitting up promptly, coughing a bit.
"I'm here." Ginny said, sadly. Her normal waist length hair was scorched to her shoulders, uneven lengths with the tips black and singed.
"Oh Ginny! I'm so sorry, I tried to warn you!" Hermione cried, pulling her friend into a hug.
"It's alright. At least it didn't burn farther… It's good that you're alive. We were all worried for a few hours, it's been a while, Hermione." Ginny said, running her fingers through her hair.
"Is everyone okay? No one, died, right?" Hermione scanned her friend's faces, looking for something… Was it guilt? Or sadness, maybe?
"We don't know yet. They're still pummeling through the wreckage…" Harry said, glumly.
"What happened to the tower? And my stuff! All my books, clothes, diaries… What happened to them?" Hermione pleaded her friends as if they could do something about it.
"Parts of the tower has collapsed. Yours was one of the firsts… it's good that you got out as soon as you did or…" He didn't have to finish.
"Parvati! What happened to Parvati?" Doris, a member of the Astrology Club that was sleeping in the tower, asked frantically, running through the crowded hallway.
"Parvati is with you." Hermione said shortly.
"No, no… She went back to her room because she didn't feel like sleeping on a stone floor! Where is she?" She asked, panicking beyond control.
Guilt like no other slammed into Hermione's mind. Parvati had gone back to bed, and Hermione hadn't realized… She was responsible for her friend's death.
"NO!" She wailed, falling to her knees, hands to her face, tears streaming out. The others tried to comfort and control her, but she stood up, and ran.
Ran away from the guilt of death. Regret would follow her around forever. She ran away from all the things that would never change because of that fire. She ran away from the smoke that clouded her mind. She sprinted across the quidditch field, stopping by the broom shed. She was stealing a broom and flying far away from here.
Stealing… A voice rang in her head. You've never done that before! Running away from your problems instead of facing them? You coward. That's all you are anyway… a coward.
"No…" She sobbed, hanging her head. The voice was right. She was a coward. A guilty coward destroyed by love and bound by fear. She got on that broom, and flew across the wreckage, swooping down on a particularly large stone. Dusting it off a bit, she recognized permanent marker writing on it. Dusting off more and more, she read.
Lily and Tina
Best Friends for Life!
If I live you live to be a hundred
I want to live a hundred minus one day
So I never have to live without you-
Winnie the Pooh
1968
Underneath it, it read, in handwriting she recognized:
Hermione Granger
Lavender Brown
Parvati Patil
Chance made us roommates
Love made us friends
BFF and Ever
2001
That was a piece of her room. She remembered the night, it was just a couple years ago, that they stayed up late eating junk food, which was amazing for Lavender, talking about life, love, and whatever came along the way. Lavender had a permanent marker, so they signed their names on the wall, writing a message like the people did above them. It had never struck Hermione that it may be Harry's mother that had written that, so many years ago, she just remembered how exciting and daring it was… damaging school property! Those were the days…
Hermione rummaged through the rubble, seeing if other bits and pieces of her life were in there also. Lavender's makeup case was still barely intact; her diary from the fourth year was half burnt and scarred. She realized she needed something to carry this all in. Flying back to the hall, memories came flooding back to her.
Parvati Patil was dead.
***
Almost the entirety of Gryffindor were on their hands and knees, digging, removing, and collecting objects to put in the "Found" pile on the grounds. It had become an obsession; Hermione had started it, finding not only a makeup case and diary, but clothing, books, and inkwells… things that weren't eaten up by flames. Someone had found part of the most prized couch in the common room, and several portraits were still intact.
Parvati's body had not been found, however.
Thousands of questions arose. Did she get lost on her way there in the dark, and is still wandering the lost passageways of the school? Was her body burned to a crisp before the tower fell? Was it still down there, under stone and possessions? Or was she hiding, away from the fire she didn't know has been put out?
But if she were alive, wouldn't she be here now, digging alongside she and Lavender? If Parvati were alive, would this nagging guilt fill Hermione's mind like a haze? So many what-ifs, only one answer.
A glint. That's what Hermione saw… As she got closer, it began to gleam, sparkle, and shine brilliantly in the midday sun. Pushing away the dust and dirt, she picked up the object, and began to cry. Was it a happiness cry? Yes, it must have been. The tears washed away the grime on the stones, and it shone brighter than ever. And she cried.
She cried for everyone's sake… for those whose objects weren't found. She bawled for her own sake, for the guilt that followed her around like a puppy. Hermione sobbed because the tears washed away her cover-ups, her masks, and her makeup. The tears made her real self arise. She wasn't going to pretend everything was okay, because it wasn't.
She cried because she had found the necklace Harry gave her.
***
"Ahem!" Dumbledore tapped his wand on the podium.
Everyone drifted his or her attention to him.
"Everyone knows of the fire in the Gryffindor common room. A candlestick left burning on the mantle fell over, burning the rugs, which quickly spread, causing it. The stones of the tower are old, and fire made it unstable. The entire tower collapsed, but is being rebuilt momentarily by magic. It will take about a month, to build it and put the necessary charms on it."
Hermione gazed wide-eyed at Harry, who gazed back. She felt it. She had felt the burning hot of that particular candlestick, and saw the common room in flames… She had predicted the future, and they both knew it.
"Now for the statistics. We have 5 dead, 11 seriously wounded. The funeral for those who have died will be held Sunday, near the lake. Those people are; Frank Foret, a 2nd year, Charlotte Aura, a fifth year, Ava Mouscouri, a third year, Robert Doffen, a first year, and Parvati Patil, a seventh year. We invite all of you to come if you wish. It's at 6 o'clock, on Sunday. Thank you."
And all this time Hermione thought that Parvati might be alive. It was a mockery. A complete and innocent mockery. She had betrayed herself, made her believe that she was still alive, but she wasn't. It was all her fault. All of it.
Parvati Patil was gone from their lives forever.
***
Aurora Boredacci felt it in her bones. The thing that bound them to their misery was gone. Gone! Forever!
She tried it. Squashing a bug with her fingers, she laughed, gleefully. Diving into the sparkling waters of the Atlantic, she swam towards the other side of the shores, where she would lead her group to freedom and evil
Red hair as red as blood, eyes as yellow as gold, she climbed ashore on the island, greeting all that surrounded her with a force none other could compare. She was the original, she was the one forced to sign it, she was the power, the evil, the fear.
"My fellow comrades." She hissed, a glint in her eyes unmistakable for death; "Do you feel it?"
Aurora looked around to her people. The black and purple flowing cloak she wore swirled around her in the breeze. No one dare speak.
"The treaty has been burned. We are free to run away from here. We are free to kill!" Aurora rubbed the lime green crystal ball that sat atop her long black wooden scepter. It began to glow; a swirling mist escaping from it, proving that Aurora was back, and ready for the death of the good and pure. She was more powerful than the most evil wizard ever lived, more venomous than a poisonous snake, and had an evilness that became her aura, hence her name.
No other Vixen could compare.
A/N: Oooh, spookiness! Maybe possibly hopefully? I know… I KILLED PARVATI!!! Sorry y'all, but it had to be done. We'll see where this brings us. What do you think of Aurora? Scary enough? REVIEW PLEASE!!! Thanx!
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters, places, and things belong to J. K. Rowling, and Bloomsbury Press. Don't sue please, I'm on my knees, I'm begging you, PLEASE DON'T SUE!
Turning Back the Hands of Time 7/?
Subtitled: Wishes, Black Dresses, and Geothermal Heat
"No." Lavender said loudly.
"Yes!" Ron demanded through pursed lips.
"It's Gorgon's Blood, not the Gordian Tree Root!" Lavender demanded, reaching for the vile.
"No, I specifically heard Snape say it was Gordian Tree Root." Ron stopped her hand.
"Well I am positive-" Lavender started.
"Having problems, Miss Brown, Mister Weasley?" Snape asked coldly.
"No." "Yes!" They said at the same time, glaring at the other.
"Aren't we violent!" Snape cackled. He snapped his fingers. "Crabbe? Goyle? Please take these two troublemakers to my office…"
"NO!" They said in unison.
"This is all your fault." Ron said to her.
"You are such a child! Blaming everything on me!" Lavender furrowed her brow.
"Child! I'm not the one who's a shrimp! At least I don't look like a child!" He retorted menacingly.
"Is it my fault I'm vertically challenged? I don't think so! At least I'm more mature than you!"
"You call this mature?"
At that point, the giants Crabbe and Goyle began to drag them kicking and flailing their arms out of the way.
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" They screamed, lunging for the other.
Throughout the halls, you could hear them screaming. When the slamming of Snape's doorway to his office cut through the air, everything was quiet once again.
Harry and Hermione sighed in unison. It was two days before Parvati's funeral, and all were tense. Everyone thought they were to blame.
The tower was going up more quickly than they expected. They would be planning on living in it again in three days. All the beds would be in order, and everyone' s belongings have been shipped of to be restored… At least, the stuff that remained. Everything that they had left would be put exactly as it was before the fire. Lavender and Hermione would have a room to themselves. There was no point in replacing someone. The bed would still be there, exactly how it was, however.
Hermione knew that Ron and Lavender were both incorrect. It was the Gorgon Tree Root Pulp. How's that for a Jeopardy question?
The day passed by slower than ever. Weekend meant freedom, but they had to work for it, sure enough. They had enough homework to last them a lifetime, even if the funeral was Sunday. The teachers didn't really care, except for Flitwick and McGonagall. They gave them nothing but a sigh.
Lavender and Ron skidded around each other in the hallway, after getting an hour-long detention with Snape.
Walking into the Great Hall, side by side, Lavender stopped Hermione at the entrance.
"Play along." She demanded. Hermione shrugged. Lavender proceeded to make a series of funny muffled noises in Hermione's ear and then in the middle yelled "RON WEASLEY!" Then made some more funny sounds.
Hermione laughed. "O-kay!" She said, walking over to the table.
"Hun, you're no actress." Lavender followed.
Harry had the joy of sitting between the two opposing magnets.
"Tell Lavender she's such a preschooler." Ron said to Harry.
"Ron says you're such a preschooler." His job was the messenger for the entire dinner.
"Well tell him if he hadn't argued with me on the potion then we wouldn't have detention tonight!" Lavender said as-a-matter-of-fact-ly.
"But you were both wrong!" Harry pointed out.
"Well, tell him that anyway." Lavender said nonchalantly.
"Lavender says-." Harry started, but was interrupted by Ron leaning forward.
"You were wrong though!" Ron said, furrowing his brow.
"Well so were you!" Lavender said smugly.
"Well-!" Ron stood up, but Harry pushed him back down.
"Hermione, will you trade me places?" He asked, giving her a puppy face.
"Not even for a puppy face, Harry. Not for a million galleons." She laughed.
"I'd do it for a million galleons, but no less!" Seamus said eagerly.
"Sorry, I don't have a million galleons, I'll stay where I am, thanks." He sat down, reaching for a bread stick.
"Those have 5 grams of saturated fat in them, you know." Lavender pointed out, wrinkling her nose.
"I think I'll risk a heart attack on this one." He said, taking a large bite and internally laughing at the look on Lavender's face.
"Parvati's funeral is Sunday." Hermione said sadly.
"What are you wearing?" Lavender asked eagerly.
"Black." Hermione gave her the best "obvious" look she could manage.
"Oh yeah. Duh! I knew that!" She giggled hesitantly.
"I can't believe she's gone." Dean shook his head.
"All my fault." Everyone said under their breath.
"At least nothing will go wrong at her funeral, eh? Nothing." Harry said, reassuringly.
I suppose he forgot about Murphy's Law.
***
It was a silent day at the castle. The wind dare not whisper, and the trees couldn't rustle. Speaking was slim to none, as everyone spent most of their time cooped up in their guestrooms provided for them. The sky outside was a dull gray, and rain was imminent. Even God was going to cry at Parvati's funeral.
Lavender sat on her bed with the drapes of her canopy pulled to the sides. However cold it may have been outside, it was quite humid and everyone was trying to escape the heat inside. As the castle had no thermostat, a freak of geothermal nature was cooking the entire place. Hermione and Lavender were wearing spaghetti strap tank tops with itty-bitty shorts that barely used half a yard of fabric. However normal this was for Lavender, it was one of the firsts for Hermione. She had to admit it was quite comfortable, however.
Lavender lay on her bed, her shoulder length blonde hairs sticking to the back of her neck, waving a paper fan at her face.
"That really doesn't work you know. It takes enough effort to heat you up and tire your arms making and waving it to overpower the amount of air produced." Hermione drawled. Lavender sighed.
"Too bad." She snapped.
Hermione took no offense to Lavender's attitude. She was quite high-strung herself, just didn't have the energy or will to show it.
"I'm going to lunch. Maybe it's cooler in the Great Hall?" Hermione put her hands on her hips.
"I'm coming. Just give me a second." Lavender began to wipe off her face.
"I'm leaving with or without you." Hermione cocked her eyebrow, waiting for her response.
"Fine. Here I come." Lavender put down the compact.
Hermione opened the door quickly, basking in the milliseconds of air that it brought.
She passed through the common room looking like something else was on her mind. She loved to act like she had somewhere important to go, when she did not. It boosted her self-esteem.
"Hermione!" Harry stepped in front of her.
"Oh, hey Harry!" She smiled, Lavender twirled her hair, looking around.
"RON!" She squealed, running up to him. "Listen."
"I am-" Ron started.
"So-"
"SORRY!" They said in unison.
"Thank God that's out!" Lavender said, squeezing him into a hug.
"You look nice!" Harry said, surveying Hermione's outfit.
"Hermione's turned into a hoochie-mama!" Ron said, grinning ear to ear.
"Look at your girlfriend!" Hermione exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips. Everyone laughed. "Just trying to escape the heat."
"We all are. Actually, we were just heading down to the Great Hall… You wouldn't want to come. Would you?" Lavender asked.
"We'd love to." Harry said for the both of them. It was quite true, though; they were trying to go somewhere just as much as anyone does.
Were they really trying to escape the heat? Or was it something else that was more persistent, nagging, and painful? Something that caused everyone to tense up at the name… You could see everyone tighten their neck muscles as they tried to squeak out something to say about it.
"It". That's what Parvati had become. She wasn't a person anymore; she was a tragedy story in the making. She was a thing now… and nothing more.
Walking into the Great Hall, they saw something that brought their spirits down to ground level. Everyone was preparing for the funeral reception. They had totally forgotten that it would have been in the Great Hall, but it was obvious. Where else would it be?
Lavender burst into tears instantly. As Ron tried to comfort her, Harry and Hermione slid away, trying to find some peace and quiet, although most of the castle was.
"Harry…" Hermione started.
"I know, I know…" Harry comforted.
"No you don't! I didn't see her! I should have checked… I SHOULD HAVE CHECKED!" Hermione screamed, sobbing into his shoulder.
Harry didn't flinch when she screamed and cried. He understood. He seemed to understand everything, and be able to pull through it easily. It was so easy for him. So easy… on the outside.
He patted her shoulder, pulling her close. She shrieked occasionally, trying to work everything out. This was the thing that brought her over her head. So many emotional things had happened this year. Going out with Harry, getting mad at Harry, Lavender and Ron as a couple… And now Parvati died? It just wasn't fair. Nothing seemed to be, lately.
"I just wish I could see her one last time… Tell her some stuff… Last words, kind of thing, I suppose. I just wish…" Hermione choked.
"We all do, Hermione. We all do." He reminded her. They now had people staring at them, circling them. It was always strange to see Hermione cry. She was always so uptight and collected; she didn't seem to have time for it!
But they were oblivious to the other people. Oblivious to other things, too…
"So you're supposed to be the head honcho, eh?" Aurora taunted an old man, whose hair was thinning and skin was rough. She was ever young, and proud of it.
"Ha, it couldn't be. This is what all the people are scared of? An old saggy man?" She taunted again. The man buried his face in his hands, and muttered something inaudible.
"What was that?" She asked.
"P-p-p." He stammered.
"Speak up, old man, or die trying." She warned.
"Potter." He said, standing up, growling softly.
"Who?" She asked, wondering if her ears were playing tricks on her.
"Harry Potter. Stole my powers, made me… He turned me into this wretched thing whose hopelessness is unmatched. I was powerful, you know." The man said defensively.
"Well Lord Voldemort. I'm pleased to meet you. I am Aurora Boredacci. Ever heard of me?" She asked, not daring to give him her hand.
"The vixen?" He asked, paling a few shades.
"The one and only! You may know me, but other people don't. They know you though, right?" She hissed.
"Who does not, I wouldn't know." He muttered.
"Well, are you an actor?" She asked, gleefully.
"This is irrelevant." He said, not daring to look at her straight in the eye.
"Nothing is irrelevant." She said sternly, silencing him instantly.
"It depends on the part." He said.
"I want you to play you. But I need you to act as if you are back in full power, and I am your co-leader, as you would say. Threaten, back stab, I don't care. Just make me the ruler of the wizarding world." She demanded.
"And if I don't?" He asked.
"There are fates worse than death waiting in Azkaban." She said, hinting that she could turn him in now in a second.
"I thought your breath paralyzes other people." He said, more of a question than a statement.
"The almost immortal have no need of breath. I take it or leave it, and don't use it unless I need to. I have so much more power than you do; you won't know what hit you. And they thought women were useless in Medieval times…" She snickered.
"Then, yes, I will. What do you need…" He asked.
She looked at him sternly, waiting for him to go on.
"Your highness." He spat bitterly, gritting his teeth and mentally slapping himself for incompetence.
"Good… step number one completed. First, you'll need followers. I'll be right alongside you. Don't worry about looking at me… I will provide a shield for you. But understand and know, I could kill you in a matter of seconds." She said menacingly.
"Understood." He was the slave, for the first time in his life.
***
"This one or this one?" Lavender asked, holding up two black dresses.
"I like the other one… You bought it a while ago for any special occasions… You remember?" Hermione asked, sitting on her bed.
"It was… burned." Lavender said sadly. Most of her clothes were destroyed. It was the same with Hermione, and many others.
"Oh. Well, I guess that one." Hermione pointed to the dress in her left hand.
"Too bad, I like this one better." She flopped the dress in her right hand on her bed, and put the other one back in the closet.
Hermione sighed. "Then why did you ask my opinion anyway?" She asked, irritably.
"So you could agree with me, which you didn't, so it doesn't matter, does it?" Lavender snapped.
Hermione walked into the bathroom and put on her dress, twirling a bit, making sure it swirled around her. She hated dresses that stuck to you tightly, where it didn't flow or anything.
"I could really use some of Parvati's makeup right now." Hermione sighed, stepping out of the bathroom.
Parvati had almost the same colorings as Hermione. Both tanned easily, and had dark brown hair, so they shared most of the same makeup. Lavender was paler, yet still tanned, but had blonde hair, and a very different taste in makeup.
"I could just use Parvati herself!" Lavender sighed, sadly.
Hermione chose to say nothing. Putting on a light coat of makeup, just enough to make her look better, she walked out of her guest room and into the common room, where she flopped on the loveseat, making sure her hair didn't get messed up.
The black veil she wore floated down around her face perfectly, like a shield from the world. It about fifteen minutes, she would be going outside to get a good seat for it. She was going to see one of her best friends laid to rest, right on these grounds.
She was going to meet Parvati's twin, who she didn't talk about much, and her parents, who were divorced. It was all so new for Hermione… She had never been to a funeral before. She never knew her grandparents, who died before she was born, and everyone else that she cared for hadn't died… until now.
Someone lifted up her veil, and peeked underneath. It was Harry, with a smiling, yet puzzled, face.
"Well, I know this is the highlight of your day!" He said sarcastically.
"You betcha!" She said in reply, sitting up so there was room for him to sit next to her.
"Were you waiting for me?" He asked, sitting down.
"I was waiting for someone to save my life. I guess you'll do!" She smiled sweetly, knowing both statements were true.
"Well, we better get a move on, we want good seats, right?" He stood up and gave her his hand.
"I suppose so." She replied, and they made their way out of the portrait hole.
***
And they lowered the casket into the ground.
Filling it with dirt, everyone sighed in unison. This was the last time they'd ever see any remnant of the wonderful girl. The others that died were also being buried, but in different areas. This was Parvati's spot. A sacred place, meant only for her and the earth.
No one moved. Lavender shed a silent tear that fell into the hole that was being filled.
Prunella, Parvati's twin, turned around and began to walk away. Hermione gasped in shock. No wonder Parvati didn't talk about her much! Prunella was rude, insensitive, and didn't truly care about her sister. No wonder she had never met her before.
But this was a turning point for everyone else. They began to turn and slowly walk away. Even her parents departed quickly. Hermione turned to Harry, her eyes filled with question. Did they not care? Weren't they sad? Shouldn't they stay?
Only Harry, Hermione, Ron, Lavender, and the people filling the grave were left, standing around the edge. For a moment, Hermione thought she may fall in, into the depths of her mind, hiding into the black corners where all her secrets and confessions lie. And she would be buried, filled with dirt, so they would never have to see her again.
Harry put his arm around her protectively, as if reading her mind. She sobbed, and closed her eyes, wishing it were all just a dream. Just a horrible dream… Just a nightmare.
"We better go." He whispered in her ear.
Hermione rose her head, looking from him, to Lavender, where she had black streams of mascara running down her cheeks. Hermione wiped her face off self-consciously, knowing that she too had black mascara dripping.
"I suppose." The four turned, and slowly made their way to the Great Hall.
***
"Your things have been moved to your room. You may sleep there tonight." McGonagall informed the four that were leaving the reception.
"Thank you, Professor." Lavender replied. They made their way to the common room, and sighed gratefully, knowing that they would have their own room back.
"Goodnight." Hermione said, making her way up the stairs. She stopped, turning around, and running back down them, into Harry's arms, where he held her close.
She broke free. "Goodnight, but not goodbye." She whispered, and let go, slowly climbing up the stairs once again. He did the same.
"Lavender, are you coming? We should open this together! I hope they restored all that they could!" Hermione called. Lavender raced up the stairs, and they pushed open the door together.
Hermione gasped. It was almost exactly like it was before the fire. It was almost perfect. Rummaging through her drawers, she found her diary, good as new, and a bunch of her makeup.
Hermione turned to look around, and gasped.
"Lavender…" She said shakily.
"What?" She turned around.
"Look." Hermione demanded, pointing towards Parvati's bed.
Lavender gasped.
"Is it…?" She asked.
"Yes." Hermione nodded.
In Parvati's bed, was a sleeping ghost.
"It's Parvati."
A/N: So did you like it? I hope so! Well, part eight will be the beginning of the end… I hope to finish by around part ten! So tell me what you think, by REVIEWING! Thank you ever so!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Co. belong to J. K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Press. Don't sue!
Turning Back the Hands of Time Part 8/?
A/N: Don't get me wrong, I don't necessarily want to get hooked on this, but I am finally free from the bindings of my expressions: writers block. Yeah, it's been 5+ months since I've written part of this, so you BETTER LIKE IT! No, j/j, but if you read it, review it! It's not that hard and it brightens my days! Thanks!
The ghost slept peacefully, obviously reenacting the scene where she died, except there was something different about her… besides the obvious transparent thing. She clutched something in her hand. Hermione went closer.
"Parvati all right. Knew the bugger would come back and see us!" Lavender said, moving towards the ghost.
Hermione and Lavender inched closer, until they were only a foot away. At that moment, Parvati yawned loudly and rolled over, a scroll tumbling out of her hand onto the floor.
"Oh my god!" Hermione said, grabbing the scroll. Upon opening it, Parvati vanished, her purpose complete, to go on to heaven.
A magnificent glowing white parchment unfolded in Hermione's hands, and writing began to appear gracefully on the paper in black ink. She and Lavender read it to themselves, slowly, for comprehension. It read:
Danger lies before you,
Betrayal lies behind,
You have no choice, just take my word,
Turn back the hands of time.
Cannon fires and sorcerers
Amidst the encircling gloom,
Turn back the hands of time, m'dear!
Your other clocks strike doom.
So when all seems like chaos,
And plans have gone astray,
Turn back the hands of time, m'dear!
And yesterday can be today.
"What the he-" Lavender started, but Hermione elbowed her sharply.
"Don't you see?" Hermione asked, eyes wide.
"No." She replied simply.
"It's a warning sent from heaven! Something bad is going to happen! I'm beginning to guess war… But besides that, it's confusing. I'll save it-" At that second, the scroll folded itself tightly, wrapped itself in a red ribbon, and vanished promptly. "Nevermind then." She sighed.
"Wait a minute… did you say war?" Lavender asked.
"Yeah." Hermione said. "Probably between dark and light sides… oh my gosh. My visions!"
"Exactly." Lavender replied.
"Did ye hear?" The man said to the other. He was on his twelfth shot of rum, with haggard black eyed and red scraggly hair. His nose seemed abnormally large on his round face, creased with lines of age. He chuckled heartily when the man sitting next to him looked around in confusion.
"Yes, you!" He slapped the other man's back. "Did ye hear? BLAH-snuffle-abudabuh-CHOO!" He sneezed the oddest sneeze anyone in the bar had ever heard. "'Scuse me. Anyway, go on."
"Hear what?" The other man replied warily.
"'E dark lord! 'E's back! Mo' pow'rful than evah. I'd watch yer back if I was you." He whispered.
"Dark lord? You mustn't mean-" The other man gasped in shock.
"He-who-must-not-be-named? Sure do! Haha… He's out to get them all. All of them… all of them…" That was when the poor drunkard passed out.
Fool! The other man thought, must think he's in the seventies or something. The Dark Lord is dead. He glanced at his rum. Or was a potion in the drink? Nah… He left briskly, leaving a small tip for the bartender, and never telling a soul what he heard. He never had the chance.
In the shadows, a-creature was a-lurking. This would be the perfect one: a strong, muscular mage. Yes, yes, this would be the one.
Like a hawk, the vixen swept past. No physical fighting could take place, the vixen would definitely lose, but she looked at him directly, and to his mistake, he looked back. He fell backwards and hit his head on the log behind him. Oooh, she thought, double-stuff knock out.
She snapped her fingers once, twice, thrice, and three men appeared next to her. No words were exchanged; they understood. In a flash they were gone, leaving no trail behind them, shooting through space like no other.
One person saw them leave, but don't assume this boy was all good and kind hearted. No, not at all. In fact, he might just go and join them.
"What," She snapped, "is your name?"
"Dear lord, you know bloody well my name. I don't see why you've got me here. Are you going to turn me over to the ministry or not?"
"An enemy to the ministry? Damn!" She swore. "Not good, not good!"
She whipped around to face him again. "What," she snapped, "is your quest?"
"What the heck? You going to start asking me about swallows next or something?" He twisted his face with sarcasm.
"Ooh! African or English?" She replied with all seriousness. To her surprise, he laughed aloud.
"Funny, funny. Now am I supposed to say 'I don't know!' and you'll throw me into a pit? Please. Just call the ministry, this is pointless. Not saying I want to be turned in, but all this questioning is no fun."
The red-haired woman turned around and walked out the door, slamming it behind her. She faced her co-worker.
"Now who is he? He says he's an enemy of the ministry!"
"Oh, him? Him? You just had to pick him didn't you? If he is slaughtered, the world will rejoice! Let him go."
"But-" she sputtered.
"You didn't tell you who you were, did you? Please, we don't kill for fun, we kill for politics."
"Fine, dark lord, you'd best be right." She came back moments later, the prisoner gone.
"Well who was it?" She asked.
"Our prisoner? That was Sirius Black, Aurora. Sirius Black."
"But now I'm strong-er than yesterday!" Lavender sang at the top of her lungs.
"Lav, would you please?" Harry asked. "Everyone is staring at us!"
"My loneliness ain't killing me no more! I'm… I'm… STRO-NGER!" She sang even louder.
"Good God, Lavender! Are you stronger than two full-grown seventeen year olds?" She stopped abruptly. "That's what I thought."
"I thought you had three homework assignments to get finished anyway! You don't have time for that kind of thing!" Hermione said in all seriousness.
"Finished!" She chirruped.
"Me too." Hermione put down her quill. "It's almost time for dinner. Must get ready." She pushed back her chair with a squeal. Lavender did the same.
Once in their dorms, Hermione was reapplying mascara and eyeshadow. Lavender decided it was a good time to ask… if she got too mad, she would screw up her makeup.
"Hey Herm?" She asked tentatively, "Did you ever talk to Cho about… the incident?"
"Heh heh heh…" She smiled malevolently. "I told her, 'I know you just can't wait till I'm away from him! Instinctively, I know what you're thinkin'! You'll be giving him an open invitation- that my baby won't be takin'!" She sang, then turned to her, "Oh, then I cussed her out. And you wondered how she got the black eye?"
Lavender gasped, "You didn't!"
"You're right! That wasn't me!" she smiled. "That was Ginny. Violent, really…"
Lavender giggled, then recomposed herself. "Have you told Harry about the parchment? It's pretty serious. He would know all about that."
"No, not yet. I'll tell him tonight, probably. Life is just too good today to ruin it." She popped up and reached for the door, then stopped. "Anything else?"
"No, no… Just a bit worried, that's all."
"Okay then." She left her there.
Hermione walked down the steps and through the portrait hole. Only three feet from the exit, a tall, open window stood on an outside wall. Glancing briefly outside, she saw a flash of hundreds of women, all with red hair. Looking more carefully, they were gone.
"Hermione," she said to herself, "No more Britney Spears songs in your presence while you're hungry."
No, Britney Spears wasn't the cause of this one (though I do believe she's actually a walking plastic Barbie doll created by the government to raise money so they can lower taxes). Something much more supernatural was amidst, she just hadn't realized it.
Haha! Publishers, you know the drill. It sure isn't mine! (It sounds like I'm talking about a baby… lol)
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