TT chap6: Race Against Time
Hermione flew blindly through the night, Harry clutched tightly in her left arm, her right steering the broom. Tears blinded her vision. She was so worried about Ron, and Harry and Sirius, and what would now happen to them when they finally returned to their present time. She was the brains--- how could she let them mess up so bad?
Hermione was blown off course when a large gush of wind and loud honk erupted behind her. She screamed, she was in a nose dive straight for the ground. She pulled up at the last minute, but toppled off of the broom. She landed with a thud on her back, still holding Harry tightly. The broom clanked and rolled a few feet away. Harry had awoken, and was crying loudly.
"Sorry about that there, miss." Someone said behind her.
Hermione stood up and looked around. A young man stood on the steps of a huge purple bus. The Knight Bus. She remembered Harry telling her about it.
"It's okay," she said quickly. She checked her watch. Nine hours to go. She was running out of time. "Can you take me anywhere?"
The young man grinned. "At your service."
Hermione sighed. "Great. I need to get to 4 Privet Drive, and quickly."
"Right you are, miss!" he turned to the driver. "Got that, Ern?"
Ern nodded.
Hermione snatched up the broom and entered the Knight Bus. She found the closest empty bed and sat down. Soon, Ern had pulled onto the street again.
"That'll be five Sickles," the man said. "I'm Stan by the way."
"Hermione," she said, digging into the pockets of her robes with her free hand.
"Let me get there for you there," Stan said reaching for Harry. He started rocking him gently. "There, there now."
Soon, baby Harry had fallen back to sleep.
"Nasty cut on his forehead," Stan said.
Hermione's jaw flopped open. During everything, she had forgotten to look for the scar. "He has a cut!?" she exclaimed.
Stan nodded. "Peculiar shaped, too."
"You know babies," she said nonchalantly. "Get into everything." She reached up for Harry, clutching five Sickles.
"Ah, this ride is free," Stan said, handing him back to her. "Proud mum you must be."
Hermione only smiled. To tell him the story was way too complicated.
"How old is he now?" Stan asked.
"A year," she said, tucking him tightly into the bed so he wouldn't roll off. She bent down to examine the broom. Still in one piece.
By the time they reached Privet Drive, two precious hours had passed. She was now down to seven. Hermione bid Stand and Ern goodbye and walked up to the Dursleys doorstep. Harry was still asleep.
She pulled out a Quill and some parchment from her robes. She always carried spare with her, and placed Harry on the doorstep. Then, she put the Quill to the parchment:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,
Lily and James Potter have been killed. I didn't know where else to bring Harry. Please look after him as if he were your own son.
Regards,
A Caring Neighbor
"As good as it can be," she shrugged and stuffed the letter under the sleeping baby. "Oh, Harry," she whispered. "I love you. I'll always love you, no matter what." She leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Be safe, please." She knocked loudly on the door. Then she mounted the broom, glanced back and took off into the night.
Hermione flew back and forth in front of the Hogsmeade shops, trying to figure out what would get Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to love each other again. Finally, she settled on a dozen Forever Bloom red roses that were bewitch to never wilt. A little card attached said I Love You. Hoping for the best, Hermione raced toward the Burrow. Before she touched down, she could hear Mrs. Weasley's voice shouting something at Mr. Weasley. Sighing, she put the roses on her pillow. She then raced off on the broom, back to Sirius.
Five hours were left when she finally remembered her way back to Sirius. Her face fell when she saw Ron wasn't there. "You mean… he's not back?"
"No," Sirius said.
Hermione raced over to Harry, who was still on the floor. It looked like he had just awoken from a deep sleep.
"Hermione?" he asked sleepily. "What's going on?" he tried to move. "Why am I tied up?"
"It's a long story," she said. "Sirius, can you untie him please?"
Sirius aimed his wand at Harry, said a few words and Harry was free again. He stood up, rubbing his wrists. "Where's Ron?"
Hermione bit her bottom lip.
"Hermione, WHERE is Ron?" Harry asked again.
Hermione gushed and told him the story.
Harry stumbled back onto the couch. "We have to go there," he said.
Hermione checked her watch. "We only have four hours left! I'm worried about him too, but…"
"Go to Hogwarts. I'm going to Godric's Hollow." Harry said, walking over to Sirius. "Thanks," he said.
Sirius smiled. "Good luck, Harry. I'll be seeing you soon?"
"In fifteen years or so," Harry grinned.
"No, wait!" Hermione cried. "I'm going with you."
"No, it's too dangerous," Harry said. "Go on to Hogwarts. I'll grab Ron and meet you there."
"Harry…" she started.
"Look, we messed this up enough!" Harry said. "I'm not going to risk losing you, too."
Hermione blushed, but was defiant. "I won't let you go alone! I left Ron because I had to! I won't risk losing you either."
"Alright, alright," Harry said, shoving his hands through his unruly hair. "Just stay behind me. You always were stubborn."
"Yeah, yeah, let's move it Scar Boy," she said.
Back onto Sirius's broom, Hermione gave directions to Harry in his ear. He was flying like a maniac, his body pressed firmly to the broom as it accelerated through the night.
"Two hours!" Hermione moaned. "We should have been there by now! Owww!"
"What's wrong?" he asked her.
"The Time Turner… it's burning!" Hermione ripped it off of her neck. She began to breathe frantically. "You know what this means?"
"No, I don't…"
She began to cry. "Someone's died! Someone's died in the past that shouldn't have!!"
Ron. Harry pressed his body down firmer to the broom. "Where the hell is this place?"
"Oh, Ron!!!" Hermione sobbed.
"Hermione, CALM DOWN and HELP ME!"
Hermione took in a few hiccupping sobs and told him more directions. When they finally reached Harry's old house, they were shocked to see it as a pile of rubble.
"No…" Harry moaned, climbing off of the broom. "RON!" he yelled.
"We'll never find him in this," Hermione sobbed beside him.
"Help me dig," Harry urged. He pulled out his wand. "Wingardium Leviosa!" and a pile of debris raised a few feet.
Hermione was chanting the same spell beside him.
After about half and hour, tired and sad, Hermione crumpled to the ground in sobs. "He's not here…"
"He has to be!" Harry cried, lifting the last bit of debris up with his wand. "RON! Ron, where are you!?" he shouted.
Hermione's shoulders trembled as she cried.
Harry turned to her, his heart breaking. He sat down beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. She rested her head against his shoulder. "Where else could he be?" he whispered.
"I don't know!" she sobbed. "And we have to go back. We'll tell Dumbledore, we'll probably get expelled, but he can help us. I know he can!"
Harry was silent a moment. "There isn't anything else we can do… let's go." He rose to his feet and pulled Hermione up along side him. She stood there a minute, then buried her face in her hands.
Harry took her in his arms.
"Oh, Harry… what if he's…?"
"He's not." Harry said. "If there's one thing we know about Ron… you know, he never quits."
They stared into each other's eyes a moment, her amber and his emerald green burning with worry… and desire.
Finally, their lips met.
With half an hour left, Hermione and Harry raced up to the entrance hall. Getting lost in a sea of students, they managed to find Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. And who else was in it but… Myrtle, alive. She blushed when she saw Harry. "This is a girls bathroom!" she shouted.
But Hermione was quick. "Underutile" she said, pointing her wand at Myrtle and watched her as she fell into a fitful sleep.
"Good going," he said.
She smiled at him and checked her watch again. "Five minutes, Harry!"
Harry started pacing. Ron was alive, he knew it. He had to be… but the reality was becoming clearer by the second.
"One minute!"
Just then, the bathroom door burst open, and wounded, dirty was noneother than Ron.
"Ron!" Harry cried, thumping him on the back.
"get over here!" Hermione shouted, grinning.
There was a big flash, and the three of them were back in their own time.
They were shocked when a voice sounded behind them. "Welcome back."
"Sir!" Harry cried.
He shook his head sadly. "You three are the quirkiest bunch Hogwarts has seen since… well, since my day. Excluding your brothers, Mr. Weasley."
Ron didn't know what to say, so he remained silent.
"I hope you have all learned that you cannot change the past,"
"But Buckbeak!!!" They said in unison.
"Took place that same day," Dumbledore finished for them "his death wouldn't be in history books- Voldemort is. And so are you, Harry. Everyone looks back on that day- the day of your birth with great pride. You can't change that."
"But we did," Ron spoke up.
"Ah, that," Dumbledore replied. "Well, let's just say I took care of it. Put your energy into freeing Sirius now- in the present." He smiled. "And now, Ms. Granger, I must ask for the Time Turner, so I may keep it safe."
Hermione frowned and handed him the Time Turner. He nodded and walked out.
"Phew!" Ron cried. "Glad we're not expelled…. Not even punished."
"I think," Harry said. "What we endured was punishment enough."
Hermione found Harry sitting in the common room, starring out at the starry sky. "Hi," she said as she walked up to him.
He smiled at her, and moved over so she could join him.
She sat down and rested her head on his shoulder. "Whatcha doing?"
"Just thinking," he said, and put his arm around her.
"About?"
"My parents. They were so happy and full of life… and they loved me."
Hermione's eyes welled with tears. "I know you wished that you could have had a life with them, Harry… and I really wish there was some way I could have made that possible for you, but I can't."
"I know… it's not your fault. I just… miss them. I bet you think it's stupid, I mean, I was just a baby, but…" Harry sighed.
"It's not stupid," Hermione said quickly. "I think it's one of the sweetest things about you. You are so great. Your heart is so true. And, there's a reason why all of this happened. You may not understand it now, but there is. This is your story, Harry."
"My story," Harry repeated. "My story is of bringing down the bad guy when I was too young to even remember, and being hailed as a hero wherever I go. Some story."
"This is just the beginning," Hermione said. "There's many pages to fill."
"So, how does it end?" Harry asked.
Hermione gasped. "I wish I could say that you'll never face any more pain, or death, and the dark lord would just go away, but I'd be lying. However, with a story as great as yours, it's bound to have a happy ending. And me… and Ron will be there to make sure it does."
Harry smiled at her. "I want you with me, to the end,"
"That," she smiled as well. "is already a work in progress. Our life together, our story, is bound to be great."
He laughed and kissed her. Overhead, a shooting star whizzed past, sealing their dream of happiness.
The end
