A/N- * Looks cautiously around to see if any of her reviewers are around. Satisfied that none of them are lurking to pounce on her, she quickly submits the 18th chapter and runs away *
CHAPTER 18-
Somebody rammed into Harry, and he uttered a small "Oof!" His glasses fell to the ground and shattered.
Draco cursed and rubbed his head. "You certainly have a thick skull, Potter."
"Can't you watch where you're going, Malfoy?" retorted Harry, picking up his glasses & fixing them with a quickly muttered spell.
"Can't see even with your glasses on, Potter?" drawled Draco, watching him put on his spectacles. "Maybe you should get a-"
"What is going on here?" demanded a sharp voice, cutting off whatever it was that Draco was saying.
'Not him again.' thought Draco turning around.
It was Slytherin.
"What are you two boys up to? Eavesdropping?"
"No... Professor Slytherin" said Harry quickly. "We were-"
"We were experimenting if two objects moving very fast collided, they would be thrown backwards with the impact, or if they would just fall down." Said Draco, smothering a yawn. "Of course, it's purposeless, but Potter here insisted, so I humored him."
Helga, who was standing near Slytherin, looked bewildered, but Slytherin said, as if every word Draco spoke made the utmost sense to him, "Indeed? And what, may I ask, was the result?"
"Well, that depends on the nature of the objects, doesn't it?" said Draco, airily. "If they are 2 balloons, naturally they would bounce back, but if-"
"Ok, OK." Said Slytherin impatiently. "Go back to your rooms, and if I catch you meddling or poking your nose in affairs that don't concern you..." He left the sentence unfinished.
"Really Salazar!" Protested Helga. "They are not that kind of boys! I'm sure they wouldn't-"
But Harry and Draco did not stay to find out what Helga was sure they wouldn't do. They walked off quickly without a backward glance.
~*~*~*~*~
"Phew!" said Harry, once they were out of earshot. "What was THAT all about?"
Draco looked at him in surprise. Harry had spoken as if he was talking to Ron, or any of his other friends. Not as if he was speaking to his arch enemy. Before he could comment on it however, Fred and George had arrived on the scene.
"Harry! There you are!" said Fred.
"We've been looking all over for you!" This was from George.
Then they suddenly spotted Draco. The twins gave him a venomous stare.
"What are you doing with him?" asked Fred, gesturing deprecatingly towards Draco.
"Don't worry. I was just leaving. I don't want to be in your contaminating presence longer than necessary." So saying, Draco stalked off.
Harry looked at Draco's retreating back, with surprise. He was sure something was going on with Draco. Draco usually would have given back a much more insulting retort than the one he had just given. But he had no time to speculate on Draco's behavior, for Fred and George were saying something.
Harry peered at them suspiciously. "If you want me to be the guinea pig for any of your tricks-"
"Harry, Harry." Said Fred shaking his head. "Would we do that to you? And anyway, all our tricks have been left behind in the future."
George gave a sniff. "The tricks, which took us the better part of our time to achieve! All for what?"
"For Mom to find them and throw into the fireplace." Said Fred mournfully.
"Hey, wait!" said George suddenly. "Maybe Perce will find them and.." he trailed off, his eyes twinkling.
"Yeah!" said Fred twinkling responsively. "Remember the last time we 'accidentally' left our trick wands in his room, and he.."
Harry interrupted before those two were lost in reminisces. "So what do you want me for, if not as a guinea pig?"
"Harry, you won't believe what we've found!" said Fred excitedly.
"Just the very thing to complete the potion!" put in George.
"What potion?" asked Harry, baffled.
"Why, the time-turner potion, of course!" said Fred.
"What! You managed to invent a time-turner potion?" asked harry astounded. "But Professor Gryffindor said-"
"Naturally it doesn't really transport people backwards or forwards in time." Said George.
"Anybody who drinks the potion will have the illusion of being transported to a different time, whereas actually they would just be transported to a different place."
"Kind of like a port-key, you mean?" asked Harry.
"Well, no. A port-key transports people over long distances. This spell will just move them to another room, within the building."
"That is," said George making it clearer, "if somebody at Gryffindor common room drinks the potion, they would be transported to Ravenclaw, Slytherin or Hufflepuff common rooms, but they will be under the delusion that they have been transported to the past or the future, as the case may be."
"How long will this illusion last?"
"Well, we don't know yet." Admitted Fred.
"But once we finish making the potion, we can try it on someone and see how long it lasts." Said George grinning at Fred.
"Don't you think it's dangerous?" asked Harry doubtfully.
"Dangerous?" exclaimed Fred. "Whatever gave you the idea that we'd invent things which were dangerous?"
"Well, suppose the illusion lasted forever?"
Fred and George scoffed at the suggestion. "We'll be careful while making the potion."
"It will be a real riot." Said Fred laughing. "Just imagine, somebody from Gryffindor gets transported to the Slytherin common room."
"Yeah. He won't have any idea that he's in the Slytherin common room. He'd probably look at Malfoy and think he was a delicate princess, waiting to be rescued. And Crabbe and Goyle will look like medieval giants."
"But who are you going to try it on?" asked Harry.
"Malfoy would be the best person, don't you think?" they said, giving each other identical winks.
~*~*~*~*~
A/N-
I'm REALLY SORRY!!
The thing is, first there was my exams, and then, I was busy writing a story for a story competition. After that I think my creativity was really drained that I really couldn't continue my fanfic. So I had to recharge by reading a couple of fanfics. By the time I sat down to at last continue this fic. it had become more than a week since I last updated. I think I caught a rare case of writer's block. I actually thought of giving up this whole fanfic, when I got some of your reviews, which really encouraged me to continue.
Thank you for your support!
I'll try to be more regular in my updates, though I can't guarantee anything!
CHAPTER 18-
Somebody rammed into Harry, and he uttered a small "Oof!" His glasses fell to the ground and shattered.
Draco cursed and rubbed his head. "You certainly have a thick skull, Potter."
"Can't you watch where you're going, Malfoy?" retorted Harry, picking up his glasses & fixing them with a quickly muttered spell.
"Can't see even with your glasses on, Potter?" drawled Draco, watching him put on his spectacles. "Maybe you should get a-"
"What is going on here?" demanded a sharp voice, cutting off whatever it was that Draco was saying.
'Not him again.' thought Draco turning around.
It was Slytherin.
"What are you two boys up to? Eavesdropping?"
"No... Professor Slytherin" said Harry quickly. "We were-"
"We were experimenting if two objects moving very fast collided, they would be thrown backwards with the impact, or if they would just fall down." Said Draco, smothering a yawn. "Of course, it's purposeless, but Potter here insisted, so I humored him."
Helga, who was standing near Slytherin, looked bewildered, but Slytherin said, as if every word Draco spoke made the utmost sense to him, "Indeed? And what, may I ask, was the result?"
"Well, that depends on the nature of the objects, doesn't it?" said Draco, airily. "If they are 2 balloons, naturally they would bounce back, but if-"
"Ok, OK." Said Slytherin impatiently. "Go back to your rooms, and if I catch you meddling or poking your nose in affairs that don't concern you..." He left the sentence unfinished.
"Really Salazar!" Protested Helga. "They are not that kind of boys! I'm sure they wouldn't-"
But Harry and Draco did not stay to find out what Helga was sure they wouldn't do. They walked off quickly without a backward glance.
~*~*~*~*~
"Phew!" said Harry, once they were out of earshot. "What was THAT all about?"
Draco looked at him in surprise. Harry had spoken as if he was talking to Ron, or any of his other friends. Not as if he was speaking to his arch enemy. Before he could comment on it however, Fred and George had arrived on the scene.
"Harry! There you are!" said Fred.
"We've been looking all over for you!" This was from George.
Then they suddenly spotted Draco. The twins gave him a venomous stare.
"What are you doing with him?" asked Fred, gesturing deprecatingly towards Draco.
"Don't worry. I was just leaving. I don't want to be in your contaminating presence longer than necessary." So saying, Draco stalked off.
Harry looked at Draco's retreating back, with surprise. He was sure something was going on with Draco. Draco usually would have given back a much more insulting retort than the one he had just given. But he had no time to speculate on Draco's behavior, for Fred and George were saying something.
Harry peered at them suspiciously. "If you want me to be the guinea pig for any of your tricks-"
"Harry, Harry." Said Fred shaking his head. "Would we do that to you? And anyway, all our tricks have been left behind in the future."
George gave a sniff. "The tricks, which took us the better part of our time to achieve! All for what?"
"For Mom to find them and throw into the fireplace." Said Fred mournfully.
"Hey, wait!" said George suddenly. "Maybe Perce will find them and.." he trailed off, his eyes twinkling.
"Yeah!" said Fred twinkling responsively. "Remember the last time we 'accidentally' left our trick wands in his room, and he.."
Harry interrupted before those two were lost in reminisces. "So what do you want me for, if not as a guinea pig?"
"Harry, you won't believe what we've found!" said Fred excitedly.
"Just the very thing to complete the potion!" put in George.
"What potion?" asked Harry, baffled.
"Why, the time-turner potion, of course!" said Fred.
"What! You managed to invent a time-turner potion?" asked harry astounded. "But Professor Gryffindor said-"
"Naturally it doesn't really transport people backwards or forwards in time." Said George.
"Anybody who drinks the potion will have the illusion of being transported to a different time, whereas actually they would just be transported to a different place."
"Kind of like a port-key, you mean?" asked Harry.
"Well, no. A port-key transports people over long distances. This spell will just move them to another room, within the building."
"That is," said George making it clearer, "if somebody at Gryffindor common room drinks the potion, they would be transported to Ravenclaw, Slytherin or Hufflepuff common rooms, but they will be under the delusion that they have been transported to the past or the future, as the case may be."
"How long will this illusion last?"
"Well, we don't know yet." Admitted Fred.
"But once we finish making the potion, we can try it on someone and see how long it lasts." Said George grinning at Fred.
"Don't you think it's dangerous?" asked Harry doubtfully.
"Dangerous?" exclaimed Fred. "Whatever gave you the idea that we'd invent things which were dangerous?"
"Well, suppose the illusion lasted forever?"
Fred and George scoffed at the suggestion. "We'll be careful while making the potion."
"It will be a real riot." Said Fred laughing. "Just imagine, somebody from Gryffindor gets transported to the Slytherin common room."
"Yeah. He won't have any idea that he's in the Slytherin common room. He'd probably look at Malfoy and think he was a delicate princess, waiting to be rescued. And Crabbe and Goyle will look like medieval giants."
"But who are you going to try it on?" asked Harry.
"Malfoy would be the best person, don't you think?" they said, giving each other identical winks.
~*~*~*~*~
A/N-
I'm REALLY SORRY!!
The thing is, first there was my exams, and then, I was busy writing a story for a story competition. After that I think my creativity was really drained that I really couldn't continue my fanfic. So I had to recharge by reading a couple of fanfics. By the time I sat down to at last continue this fic. it had become more than a week since I last updated. I think I caught a rare case of writer's block. I actually thought of giving up this whole fanfic, when I got some of your reviews, which really encouraged me to continue.
Thank you for your support!
I'll try to be more regular in my updates, though I can't guarantee anything!