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Chapter 8: A Tiny Change Today . . .
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They were standing along the edge of the Forest, several metres back from the scorched blackthorn bushes. Harry was holding the Invisibility Cloak, while Ginny looked over at the torn earth where it had happened.
It was still bitterly cold.
"All right—so we need about—" Harry looked at his watch. "Four hours. It happened a little over three hours ago now—we take the extra bit so we have leeway. Then we can get set up, go through with it and get out of there, hopefully without really screwing everything up in the process."
Ginny nodded. "Four spins. We go back—we'll be in the same place we are now—I cast a Locking Spell on the Turner, so it won't move us back to where we were four hours ago." She looped the chain around both of their necks, steadying the tiny hourglass to keep it from sending them back just yet.
"So we get back—we get under the cloak— and remember to keep the burned part clenched tight, or it won't cover anything. We sneak around back behind where the Death-Eaters are going to be and then we split up. You take the cloak and get ready to grab Hermione when she gets out there, but before she gets hurt. The past me will be able to still get Ron. I'll distract them—I'll use my Patronus and that should confuse them, hopefully long enough for you to clear Hermione out of there. Then, before the Patronus dissipates, I'm going to make a break for the woods—that's why I'm going to be closer to the forest, so I have a chance to get back in and hide."
"I don't like that part, Harry. I don't like that you're going out there without the cloak."
Harry sighed. "Look at the burned part, Ginny. The cloak's not going to help if anything comes your way either. It's just an illusion. It doesn't matter. I'll be fine." He hoped that was true. Ginny didn't seem very reassured, but she went on.
"Then I'll meet you there with Hermione, you get under the cloak with us and we'll dodge them in the woods. She should still be conscious, so we'll be able to get to the Whomping Willow pretty quickly." She shook her head. "But, Harry, I don't understand. What can we do at the Willow?"
"We can go in." She looked at him incredulously. "Don't ask, just trust me. Then in through there and we stay there until tomorrow morning." Harry took a deep breath and exhaled. "Right. Are you ready?" He held out his hand, still almost hoping she wouldn't take it, that she wouldn't be willing to go this far.
But Ginny clasped his hand. "Ready." Then it was settled. They were going to go. They were going to do this.
"Prrow?" A form shot between their legs. Harry nearly fell, but he stumbled into Ginny, who steadied him. They came very close together, again, a little too close for Harry, who blushed. The chain, which had been relatively tight around their necks, loosened.
"The hell was that?" he said. Ginny shook her head.
"I don't know." Her eyes were wide. Their proximity appeared to be embarrassing her, too. "Let's go, all right?"
Harry watched the Time Turner tip over in Ginny's hand, once, twice, three, now fou—but something jerked the chain tight and the Time-Turner never finished the fourth spin. The world dissolved and came back into view. The tension on the chain proved too much and it snapped, sending the Time-Turner rolling into the grass beyond the forest. It glittered in the open field, metres away, shining in what little light the moon was giving.
"It didn't finish the fourth spin! What happened?" Ginny looked as startled as Harry felt.
"We're not back far enough. We need to get another spin to set up!"
Harry felt something spin him around roughly. He looked up at a very tall, very angry figure.
"What the hell d'you reckon you were doing?" Ron was livid, but spoke in an undertone. "Going to tell me about this later, were you? Just leave me there and hope it all worked out? If I hadn't had to chase that damned cat, I'd never have known about this."
Ginny jumped in. "Ron, it wasn't like that. You were—" He turned on her.
"And what the hell are you doing here, anyway? It's too damn dangerous for you to be out here." Ron's arms were crossed. "What were you thinking, Harry, letting her come? Didn't think the Death Eaters had done enough damage for one night? Thought they might like to kill my other best friend and my sister, too?"
"NO, Ron. No. I said I was going." Ginny dug in her heels and glared back. "I took the Time-Turner. And I'm here now. There's not time to argue it out now." The two siblings seemed on the point of a blow-up, when Harry stepped in.
"She's right," he said. "Argue later." It was a tone of voice he hardly ever used, but it was one that didn't stand to questions. The sound was frighteningly cold emanating from a fifteen-year old boy. "Just put the cloak on. We've got to get that Time Turner back." Silently, though Ron still wore an expression of righteous anger, they slipped the cloak over themselves. They left the edge of the forest and crept quietly towards the Time Turner. A voice cried out, catching their attention. They froze, and Harry tried to see what was happening.
He squinted at the field. The Death Eaters were already there. He just barely made out a lanky form across the field when a figure dashed past, coming within a hair's breadth of bumping into them. The figure kept running, long hair flying. They caught a few muttered sentences as she ran
"—get my hands on that REDheaded son of a . . .kill him myself . . . would have set an absolute RECORD for O.W.L.S. . . . please do this Harry, please . . ."
Hermione.
"Ginny! We need that Time Turner NOW!" he hissed. "Do you see it?"
"Harry . . ." Her voice was a horrified whisper. He looked to where the Time-Turner had landed. Pieces of glass sparkled in the moonlight where Hermione had stepped on it. And they heard Hermione yell out
"Come on, you bastards! Wouldn't you rather take a Mudblood?! Or don't you think you can defeat someone Muggle-born?"
Harry's heart stopped. He could hear his past self gasping as he ran. He must have been very close to where they were crouched. Ginny's grip on his robe tightened.
"We're too late." Harry said. "This—this is," His voice broke. "There's not enough time to do it, Ginny."
"No . . ." Ginny breathed.
"Not enough time?" Ron's voice was hushed. "What do you mean not enough time?"
"There has to be something we can do. We're not going to just give up, are we?" Ginny sounded determined. Voldemort's words echoed across the field.
"Where's the boy, girl?"
"No." said Harry between clenched teeth. "No, we're not." He searched his memory. What could possibly help them now? Oh, Hermione, he thought. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
"—better than death, little girl."
Hermione's lofty, defiant tone carried over to them.
"—to whom you are referring." That superior attitude again—the stuck-up manner of the best student in the year. As though her constant studying could save her—like exams would really help her out in life-or-death situations.
(Honestly, Harry, don't you ever READ?)
It hit him. He knew what he could do. Harry wished that Hermione could be there to help him now. All that blasted tutoring and it finally came down to this.
She was obnoxiously right sometimes.
"I've got it. I know what we can do. I don't know if it will work, but—" Voldemort's voice overran his words.
"Really. Tell me where Potter is."
The field was silent. None of them could move. Harry's entire body seemed to shudder with the memory of what was coming. This time it was the sheer flippance of the command that sickened him.
(Kill the spare . . .)
"Crucio!"
Hermione's scream was as haunting as Harry remembered it to be. It took all of his effort not to run out there and try to pull her away. But he couldn't. He had to stay where he was, until—
"Well, we can't just keep sitting here." Ron's voice was rough. Unnoticed by the newly occupied Death Eaters, his past form on the field disappeared.
"We're not going to. When I say go, we're going to run up there. Whatever you do," and Harry grabbed Ron's shoulder "don't touch her. No matter what you hear or see, don't touch her, or they'll know we're there. They can't notice us, or we're . . ." Harry didn't have to finish the thought. They understood, waiting, almost spellbound by what was unfolding in front of them.
"Go!" whispered Hermione hoarsely to nowhere. "just go. The two of you—go."
(Lily, take Harry and go.)
Harry's legs tensed. "Ready?"
(I'll hold them off.)
"GO! HARRY, GO, GET OUT OF HERE! NOW! Detonius!"
"NOW!" Harry hissed. The three of them ran, hearts pounding, towards Hermione. The exploding earth rained down on them. They stopped near the shaking figure.
"You won't get away with this," Hermione cried out, staggering. They were barely a body's length away. This time Harry could see everything she was struggling to keep back. He gritted his teeth.
(Stand aside, you silly girl.)
"Harry will never let you . . ." She gasped and continued. Sobs of pain were stifled behind her words. Blood ran from the cut on her lip. Behind him, Ginny was crying, too—Harry could hear her breath catching in her throat. Hermione kept talking "I won't let you . . ." And he realised he hadn't heard her say that before. She must have said it too quietly to carry over to him when he was pulling Ron. Then abruptly, her head snapped up and she shouted angrily.
"You're all nothing but a bunch of pathetic idiots terrified that—that you're going to lose. I'm not scared, d'you hear that, Death Eaters? A Mudblood who doesn't give a rat's arse about you!" Hermione was down on her knees again, breathing raggedly.
Harry would have given anything in his possession not to live through this twice. She glared up at the Death Eaters.
"I'm not scared of y—"
"Avada—"
She closed her eyes, resigned. Her head bowed.
This was it.
Get ready, Harry. You have one shot.
"Oh God—"
Ron made a strangled noise and Harry felt him move, but Ginny grabbed her brother from behind and clapped her hand over his mouth. They heard "Kedavra!" start to ring out and Harry pointed his wand,
"Scopolamia!"
There was the rushing noise, the green light and as though she had been shot, Hermione toppled sideways from her knees and rolled over. She lay unbearably still. For a second, none of them even breathed. It didn't seem real. Everything was quieter than Harry remembered.
Then they saw a pair of feet, an arm and then almost all of the past Harry running. He flickered like a projected image. He swept the cloak over Hermione and they both vanished, and then became partly visible again as the cloak flashed around them.
The Death Eaters' voices grew louder and the angry chorus of curses began to echo from their ranks. Harry grabbed Ginny's arm. "Follow me—him." He pointed after his past self. "Go to that ruined wall!" The three of them sprinted for the wall. It was already shaking under the burden of the attacks. They saw fire explode from the crumbling chimney. Cobbles began to fall from the wall. It was collapsing. No time, Harry thought. They swung around the wall, where the last traces of magical flame were expiring.
Harry reached into his pocket, as he had before. The packet was gone. He must have dropped it in the original escape. Blast.
"Look for a blue packet on the ground. The powder's got to be here somewhere." Assuming, he thought grimly, that it wasn't in the fireplace and burned to ashes. They scrabbled through the debris, searching in the dark. The wall was steadily falling apart. Ginny was hit with a stone. Harry heard her cry out. They had to go now.
"Got it." Ron said sharply. Harry felt him press the packet into his hand. Ginny shouted "Incendius!" The flames revived in the open air, the last of the chimney gone now. Harry threw in the entire packet, pulled his friends into the fire and shouted "Hogwarts! Great Hall!"
They vanished.
