A/N: Please see part one for disclaimers and other info.
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Hermione and Ron landed on solid earth with a resounding thump. Hermione closed her eyes against the rush of pain flooding her body, and as she rolled onto her back she was quite certain she would soon be covered in bruises.
"Mione..." Ron muttered, and she opened her eyes just enough to look over at him. He was also lying on his back, a defiant red scrape on his cheek, highlighting the spot where his face connected with the ground. "What happened? Are you okay?"
Hermione looked up, hoping to see the crimson canopy of her bed, hoping it was all a dream, but instead she saw an inky black sky. Not an enchanted ceiling, either, but the true sky and stars. They were outside.
"Am I okay?" she repeated. "I think so." She then reached over and punched Ron in the arm.
"Ow!" he cried. "What did you do that for?"
"Do you have any idea what you have done?" she exploded, blinking away pain as she leapt to her feet. She brushed dirt from her robes and looked around. They were at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Hogwarts glittered, almost as if it were alive, against the night sky.
Ron stood on shaky legs. "Well..." his voice trailed. His expression was so helpless that Hermione would have felt bad for him had she not been so absolutely furious.
"Well!" she repeated. "You've sent us back in time!"
"Maybe only a few hours..."
"Yes, maybe only a few hours, but maybe days, maybe weeks! There is no telling, not with the way you were shaking that ruddy Time Turner! Where is it?"
Ron seemed quite frightened by her snapping, and with good reason, as Hermione was angrier than she had been in a very long time. He felt the pockets of his robes and looked desperately around, to no avail, until his eyes landed upon something that made his face fall.
"Oops..."
Hermione followed his gaze and let out a small shriek. The Time Turner was shattered into a thousand pieces, its sand already disappearing into the surrounding soil.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no," Hermione moaned, falling to her knees and attempting to gathered what remained of the object. "Oh, dear, no, no, how will we ever get back now?"
"I'm really sorry, Hermione," Ron begin, but Hermione rounded on him, eyes flashing. She shoved what was left of the Time Turner into her pocket.
"You...you...you...foolish boy!"
Ron blushed scarlet.
"Come on!" she snapped suddenly, turning and charging toward the castle. "We have to figure out when, exactly, in the past we are, and we have to do it without being seen and without altering anything. So keep close, do not touch anything, and keep quiet!"
Ron followed after her, finding it odd that she had instructed him to be quiet when she kept angrily exclaiming, "Oh, oh, oh!" and "Ron!" but he dared not mention this to her. He simply hoped she did not think to draw her wand on him and curse him as she cursed Malfoy.
Not that she would ever do that to him...right?
As they made their way up to the castle, they passed a familiar cabin near the edge of the forest. Smoke was billowing from the chimney.
"Mione?" Ron whispered.
"What is it?" she hissed.
"Um...wherever in time we are...um...Hagrid seems to be home. Maybe we should ask him for help."
"No! We cannot be seen, Ron, by anyone, at least not until we know more about where...when...we are."
"And how will we do that?"
"We have to find ourselves. After we see where we are and what we are doing, we'll know." She sighed again. "I think it may be last night. We will have to make our way up to the dormitories. If I am wearing my checkered pajamas, then it is last night."
"But we can't be seen."
"Exactly. So hush! Please!" A strange look fell over her face, and when she spoke again her voice was calmer, more resigned. "We have to work together to do this right. Okay?"
He nodded, smiling, immensely pleased that she was neither screaming nor hissing at him, though she was still trembling with restrained tension. And then, without warning, she reached down and took his hand. "Just stay close," she whispered.
Ron knew he was beaming like an idiot as she lead him toward the castle, just as he knew that he was not being as careful as he should be. But it was hard to think of anything but Hermione when she was clutching his hand like that. He could do nothing but watch her lush hair bouncing atop her head and grin.
"You should wear your hair up more often, Mione," he sputtered, noticing suddenly just how graceful her neck looked.
Hermione could not believe her ears. "What?"
"I said..."
"I heard you! Oh, Ron, is this really the time? Just be quiet," she said, dumbfounded that Ron would choose this of all moments to flirt with her.
She slowed their pace as they approached the main entrance into Hogwarts. It was imperative that no one heard them trotting through the Entrance Hall. She wished they had the Invisibility Cloak. She would even accept an Invisibility Napkin if such a thing existed...
She ascended the first step and then stopped, staggering backwards, collapsing into Ron. "Oh no...no, this cannot be happening, it simply cannot be happening!"
"What is it?" Ron asked, trying to hold her steady, though her legs seemed to have given out beneath her. She dug her fingers into his robes and continued to mutter, "Oh dear...oh, what will we do...oh no..."
"What?" he repeated. Hermione raised a shaking hand and pointed to the enormous doors that led into their beloved school.
Ron let her collapse into a heap on the ground as he moved closer to the doors. A small sign greeted him:
In celebration of Albus Dumbledore's Fifth Year anniversary as Headmaster, an outdoor banquet and fireworks display will take place on the evening of 19 September, All students and staff are invited to attend.
"The nineteenth of September," Ron read, "Your birthday, Hermione, isn't that strange?"
Hermione was somehow hyperventilating, shaking her head, and glaring at him all at the same time. "Ron," she gasped, "Dumbledore's fifth anniversary as Headmaster? Do you have any idea what that means? Really, Ron, do think!"
Ron sat down beside her. "Just calm down a bit..."
"Calm down? How can I calm down? You brought us all the way back to 1975!"
Ron went quiet for a long time. He finally managed to sputter, "Are you sure?"
She nodded. "Dumbledore became Headmaster in 1970, Ron. If this is the year of his fifth anniversary, than it has to be 1975! What are we going to do?"
Ron had absolutely no idea. Hermione was the one who should know these things; she was the clever one. All he was capable of was making things worse. Not that things could be worse...
As if on cue, the great oak doors opened and light from the Entrance Hall poured outside. Without thinking, Ron grabbed Hermione and pulled her into the bushes alongside the stairs.
* * *
Breathless, clutching a stitch in his side, Harry arrived at the door to Snape's office. After a quick trip to his dormitory, he now stood under the protection of the Invisibility Cloak, consulting the Marauder's Map. The area seemed quite clear, and so he pulled his penknife from his robes. It was a gift from Hermione, a replacement for the one Sirius had given him that had been destroyed in the Department of Mysteries, and Harry found it fitting that he was now using it to attempt to save her.
He slipped the knife into the lock and opened the door with ease. Once inside, he locked the door behind him and removed the cloak, his heart ramming mercilessly in his chest. He drew his wand.
"Lumos."
Harry lit the torches positioned around the room. He then strode to the fireplace and took a large handful of Floo Powder. He threw it onto the lifeless logs, which immediately burned brilliant green.
Kneeling down, he thrust his head into the flames and cried, "Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place!"
He closed his eyes against the sudden movement, trying to keep from growing dizzy and ill. Once the movement ceased, he opened his eyes and found himself staring out at the kitchen of his late godfather's decrepit old home.
It was odd even seeing it, as neither his head nor any other part of his body had been at Grimmauld Place since Sirius died, and a rush of memories came back with such intensity that Harry almost forgot why he was doing this in the first place. For a moment he just stared at his surroundings and remembered Sirius.
But then Lupin appeared, coming down the stairs and crossing the kitchen in an obvious hurry, intense concentration evident on his lined face. Nymphadora Tonks followed after him.
"I left the notes here," Lupin was saying, sorting through the parchment piled on the kitchen table. "We can..."
"Ah, Remus?" Tonks said, a note of amusement in her voice. "We have a visitor."
She pointed to Harry and waved merrily. Lupin turned and knelt before the fire.
"Harry! What are you doing? What happened?"
Tonks knelt down beside him. "Nice to see you, Harry. Or maybe I should say, nice to see part of you."
Harry smiled. It was nice to see them as well, even if it was under these circumstances, as he thought Lupin and Tonks were two of the bravest people he knew. He only wished he felt as brave.
His panic must have shown on his face, as Lupin brushed aside pleasantries with a wave of his hand, "Harry, is something wrong?" he asked.
"I'm afraid so," Harry replied. He described what had happened with the Time Turner, and soon Lupin was shaking his head, disturbed, and Tonks was fidgeting; her hair color went from orange to green and back again.
"Oh Harry," Lupin groaned. "How many times did the hourglass turn? Did you notice?"
"I dunno. Maybe three or four."
"Three or four hours isn't terrible, Remus," Tonks said.
"Though Ron did shake it quite hard before it turned over."
A thick silence fell. Lupin and Tonks stared back at him, as still as if they had been petrified. Harry squirmed.
"Is that bad?"
"I would hate to panic without reason..." Lupin said.
"But you never, ever, ever shake a Time Turner!" Tonks finished. Her hair went bright red.
"No, it generally is a rather bad idea."
Harry felt his mouth go dry. "Why? What does shaking it do?"
"It just makes it difficult to discern how far back in time a person goes," Lupin explained. "Generally, three rotations would translate to three hours, but after the Time Turner was shaken, it could mean three decades, even three centuries."
"What?" Harry burst with a start, clanging his head against the side of the fireplace. He grimaced. "Three decades? Three centuries?"
"Now stay calm..."
"How am I supposed to stay calm? My best friends are lost in time! We have to get them back!"
"Yes, we do," Lupin said. "But I dare say I am not familiar enough with time travel to be of much help."
"Neither am I," Tonks added. "I think, for something this serious, you need Dumbledore."
"Is he there?" Harry asked hopefully. He glasses slipped as he begin to sweat from the heat and stress of his environment and situation.
"He isn't, Harry," Lupin said, his voice low as he reached forward to push Harry's glasses back up his nose. "And, unfortunately, we don't quite know where he is."
There was another heavy pause. Lupin and Tonks shared what seemed a significant look. "Harry, I don't want you to worry, really I don't, but things aren't going too well right now."
The was an uncomfortable lurch somewhere beyond the grate. "How do you mean? I haven't heard anything..."
"No, you haven't. Dumbledore has suspended deliveries of the Daily Prophet to the school. He doesn't want widespread panic." Lupin sighed. "Voldemort has made progress. His numbers are growing quite faster than we expected. The Death Eaters have made attacks on Diagon Alley. People have died."
Harry listened but could not bring himself to believe. "Is everyone...the Order...are they okay?"
"For now," Lupin replied.
"No news is good news, Harry," Tonks said in a would be cheerful tone, but Harry was unconvinced.
"So Dumbledore is missing?"
"Look, Harry, the very last person you should be concerned for is Dumbledore. He can more than handle himself. And though we do not know where he is, that does not mean he is unsafe. He is simply doing something that we cannot, or perhaps should not, know about quite yet."
It was all too much. Panic for the Order mingled with fear for his friends.
Ron and Hermione...this news would be so much easier to take if they were here with him. "And what of Ron and Hermione? We have to help them!"
"We will." Lupin took a deep breath. "Tonks and I must do something for the Order, but I'll have the other members work to find a way to get Ron and Hermione back. You should do the same. There may be some helpful information in the library."
"Professor McGonagall is here, Harry," Tonks said. "She may have some ideas."
"Okay," Harry said. "If you find anything..."
"We'll let you know. We can send an owl, or use the Floo network if need be. And if you find anything, you do the same."
Harry nodded.
"It'll be all right, Harry," Lupin assured him. "We'll get them back."
"I know we will," Harry said, trying to believe the words even as he spoke them. With one last look at Lupin and Tonks, and one more glance at Grimmauld place, he drew his head from the fire and sat back on the floor of Snape's office.
* * *
Hermione lifted her head ever so slightly as she peered over the bushes. The doors were now wide open, but no one had yet emerged. She thought she could hear footsteps...
Ron was holding onto her, trying to steady her shaking shoulders, and perhaps trying to cop a feel. Hermione was quite content to let him do so, if it kept him quiet and still, and allowed her time to think.
The door was open, and she heard rustling, but there was no one in sight. Maybe it was the wind, but no, that did not seem to make sense.
And then, all at once, like she had been hit in the face with a snowball packed in ice, Hermione knew what was happening. She stuffed her fist in her mouth to stifle a gasp.
"Wha...?" Ron started, but Hermione clamped one hand over his mouth and used the other to fish her wand from her pocket.
She performed a quick Disillusionment Charm under her breath and soon felt the sensation of cold trickling down her body. Ron must have felt the same thing, as he shivered and tried to protest from behind her hand.
Hermione looked down, satisfied that their bodies were suitably camouflaged with their surroundings. Ron was trying to get her hand from his mouth, but Hermione held firm.
The Hogwarts doors closed suddenly, slammed shut by an invisible force, and Ron stopped fighting her, straining his neck to see who had made the noise.
The answer came before Hermione could draw another breath. There was a laugh, so uncannily like a bark, and a tall young man with dark hair emerged from beneath what was undeniably an Invisibility Cloak. He spread his arms wide, and Hermione could see the gold and scarlet crest on his sweater.
"Sirius!" a voice snapped from beneath the cloak. Ron went slack beside her; Hermione felt his jaw drop like it was made of stone. It was not only the obvious shock of seeing Sirius, young, healthy, and alive, Hermione knew, that stunned him. It was the sound of that voice from beneath the cloak, so utterly familiar in its own right. She, too, felt as if she had been stupefied, as her mouth formed the word "Harry" entirely of its own volition.
"Sirius, you are begging for trouble!"
"Oh, James, it is the middle of the bloody night. Who could possibly see us?"
"You know Snivellus would just love to catch us out here. Get us another week or two of detention."
That laugh again. "Oi, Potter, are you really worried about oily old Snivellus? Let him catch us. We could duel in the dark."
The charisma Sirius threw off, even under the cover of darkness, was undeniable. Sirius, not yet touched by the horrors to come, seemed a rather enchanting presence.
"Take the cape off, James. It'll be difficult to practice with it on. All this time and all I can sprout is a tuft of hair and a swishy little tail. And you..."
"I've done all right."
"You get antlers and an attitude."
A tail and antlers...they were practicing turning into Animagus! Hermione did some quick thinking. If it was 1975, Sirius and James were in their fifth year at Hogwarts; they would accomplish that exceedingly difficult task this year. A glance toward the sky revealed the full moon obscured behind a passing cloud. Lupin would be transformed into a werewolf, hidden away in the Shrieking Shack. Hermione could imagine how much they wanted to keep their dear friend company.
A pause, and then James Potter threw off the Invisibility Cloak, and Hermione heard a loud cry of shock. It took her a moment to realize that the sound came from her, and Ron took the opportunity to repay a favor and clamp his hand over her mouth.
"Mione," he muttered, but she could not stop whimpering, the little echoes of surprise escaping her before she could think to silence herself. She was just too overwhelmed by the sight of James Potter, the father Harry would never know. Pictures did not do the resemblance between father and son justice; they could have been twins. The height, the slimness, the ruffled hair, the glasses; if she allowed herself she could truly believe it was Harry before her.
Hermione finally calmed herself and fell silent, but it was too late. Sirius and James both turned and stared directly at their hiding spot.
"What was that?" James asked.
"Sounded like a girl to me," Sirius replied.
"And if anyone would recognize the sound of a girl crying out, it would certainly be you."
Sirius lifted his wand playfully and sent a shock of sparks toward James. It was an easy, teasing gesture, not meant to scare or stun. Hermione saw Ron smile to himself out of the corner of her eye.
The smile quickly faded from his face as Sirius came closer, his wand still held before him. Hermione held her breath; beside her Ron did the same.
Oh please, let the Disillusionment Charm work, Hermione thought. Please, please, don't let them see us. Please...
"See anything?" James asked, though his interest in the matter seemed to have waned, as there was nothing terribly threatening about a small cry from an invisible girl.
Sirius was only feet from them. Hermione prayed that he could not hear her heart pounding against her ribcage. The seconds seemed to last forever as he stared at the bushes where they were tangled.
"Nah," Sirius said, slipping his wand back up his sleeve. "Probably some lovebirds out for a midnight stroll. Now let's get a move on, Potter. I want to see if I can get my fangs right tonight."
And with that, Sirius and James ran off toward the forest, laughing and teasing as they went, leaving Ron and Hermione alone.
Neither of them moved. They stared after the two boys for a long moment.
"That was..." Ron breathed, but what exactly the encounter was went unsaid, as Hermione turned toward him just in time to watch Ron faint dead away beside her.
Hermione and Ron landed on solid earth with a resounding thump. Hermione closed her eyes against the rush of pain flooding her body, and as she rolled onto her back she was quite certain she would soon be covered in bruises.
"Mione..." Ron muttered, and she opened her eyes just enough to look over at him. He was also lying on his back, a defiant red scrape on his cheek, highlighting the spot where his face connected with the ground. "What happened? Are you okay?"
Hermione looked up, hoping to see the crimson canopy of her bed, hoping it was all a dream, but instead she saw an inky black sky. Not an enchanted ceiling, either, but the true sky and stars. They were outside.
"Am I okay?" she repeated. "I think so." She then reached over and punched Ron in the arm.
"Ow!" he cried. "What did you do that for?"
"Do you have any idea what you have done?" she exploded, blinking away pain as she leapt to her feet. She brushed dirt from her robes and looked around. They were at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Hogwarts glittered, almost as if it were alive, against the night sky.
Ron stood on shaky legs. "Well..." his voice trailed. His expression was so helpless that Hermione would have felt bad for him had she not been so absolutely furious.
"Well!" she repeated. "You've sent us back in time!"
"Maybe only a few hours..."
"Yes, maybe only a few hours, but maybe days, maybe weeks! There is no telling, not with the way you were shaking that ruddy Time Turner! Where is it?"
Ron seemed quite frightened by her snapping, and with good reason, as Hermione was angrier than she had been in a very long time. He felt the pockets of his robes and looked desperately around, to no avail, until his eyes landed upon something that made his face fall.
"Oops..."
Hermione followed his gaze and let out a small shriek. The Time Turner was shattered into a thousand pieces, its sand already disappearing into the surrounding soil.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no," Hermione moaned, falling to her knees and attempting to gathered what remained of the object. "Oh, dear, no, no, how will we ever get back now?"
"I'm really sorry, Hermione," Ron begin, but Hermione rounded on him, eyes flashing. She shoved what was left of the Time Turner into her pocket.
"You...you...you...foolish boy!"
Ron blushed scarlet.
"Come on!" she snapped suddenly, turning and charging toward the castle. "We have to figure out when, exactly, in the past we are, and we have to do it without being seen and without altering anything. So keep close, do not touch anything, and keep quiet!"
Ron followed after her, finding it odd that she had instructed him to be quiet when she kept angrily exclaiming, "Oh, oh, oh!" and "Ron!" but he dared not mention this to her. He simply hoped she did not think to draw her wand on him and curse him as she cursed Malfoy.
Not that she would ever do that to him...right?
As they made their way up to the castle, they passed a familiar cabin near the edge of the forest. Smoke was billowing from the chimney.
"Mione?" Ron whispered.
"What is it?" she hissed.
"Um...wherever in time we are...um...Hagrid seems to be home. Maybe we should ask him for help."
"No! We cannot be seen, Ron, by anyone, at least not until we know more about where...when...we are."
"And how will we do that?"
"We have to find ourselves. After we see where we are and what we are doing, we'll know." She sighed again. "I think it may be last night. We will have to make our way up to the dormitories. If I am wearing my checkered pajamas, then it is last night."
"But we can't be seen."
"Exactly. So hush! Please!" A strange look fell over her face, and when she spoke again her voice was calmer, more resigned. "We have to work together to do this right. Okay?"
He nodded, smiling, immensely pleased that she was neither screaming nor hissing at him, though she was still trembling with restrained tension. And then, without warning, she reached down and took his hand. "Just stay close," she whispered.
Ron knew he was beaming like an idiot as she lead him toward the castle, just as he knew that he was not being as careful as he should be. But it was hard to think of anything but Hermione when she was clutching his hand like that. He could do nothing but watch her lush hair bouncing atop her head and grin.
"You should wear your hair up more often, Mione," he sputtered, noticing suddenly just how graceful her neck looked.
Hermione could not believe her ears. "What?"
"I said..."
"I heard you! Oh, Ron, is this really the time? Just be quiet," she said, dumbfounded that Ron would choose this of all moments to flirt with her.
She slowed their pace as they approached the main entrance into Hogwarts. It was imperative that no one heard them trotting through the Entrance Hall. She wished they had the Invisibility Cloak. She would even accept an Invisibility Napkin if such a thing existed...
She ascended the first step and then stopped, staggering backwards, collapsing into Ron. "Oh no...no, this cannot be happening, it simply cannot be happening!"
"What is it?" Ron asked, trying to hold her steady, though her legs seemed to have given out beneath her. She dug her fingers into his robes and continued to mutter, "Oh dear...oh, what will we do...oh no..."
"What?" he repeated. Hermione raised a shaking hand and pointed to the enormous doors that led into their beloved school.
Ron let her collapse into a heap on the ground as he moved closer to the doors. A small sign greeted him:
In celebration of Albus Dumbledore's Fifth Year anniversary as Headmaster, an outdoor banquet and fireworks display will take place on the evening of 19 September, All students and staff are invited to attend.
"The nineteenth of September," Ron read, "Your birthday, Hermione, isn't that strange?"
Hermione was somehow hyperventilating, shaking her head, and glaring at him all at the same time. "Ron," she gasped, "Dumbledore's fifth anniversary as Headmaster? Do you have any idea what that means? Really, Ron, do think!"
Ron sat down beside her. "Just calm down a bit..."
"Calm down? How can I calm down? You brought us all the way back to 1975!"
Ron went quiet for a long time. He finally managed to sputter, "Are you sure?"
She nodded. "Dumbledore became Headmaster in 1970, Ron. If this is the year of his fifth anniversary, than it has to be 1975! What are we going to do?"
Ron had absolutely no idea. Hermione was the one who should know these things; she was the clever one. All he was capable of was making things worse. Not that things could be worse...
As if on cue, the great oak doors opened and light from the Entrance Hall poured outside. Without thinking, Ron grabbed Hermione and pulled her into the bushes alongside the stairs.
* * *
Breathless, clutching a stitch in his side, Harry arrived at the door to Snape's office. After a quick trip to his dormitory, he now stood under the protection of the Invisibility Cloak, consulting the Marauder's Map. The area seemed quite clear, and so he pulled his penknife from his robes. It was a gift from Hermione, a replacement for the one Sirius had given him that had been destroyed in the Department of Mysteries, and Harry found it fitting that he was now using it to attempt to save her.
He slipped the knife into the lock and opened the door with ease. Once inside, he locked the door behind him and removed the cloak, his heart ramming mercilessly in his chest. He drew his wand.
"Lumos."
Harry lit the torches positioned around the room. He then strode to the fireplace and took a large handful of Floo Powder. He threw it onto the lifeless logs, which immediately burned brilliant green.
Kneeling down, he thrust his head into the flames and cried, "Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place!"
He closed his eyes against the sudden movement, trying to keep from growing dizzy and ill. Once the movement ceased, he opened his eyes and found himself staring out at the kitchen of his late godfather's decrepit old home.
It was odd even seeing it, as neither his head nor any other part of his body had been at Grimmauld Place since Sirius died, and a rush of memories came back with such intensity that Harry almost forgot why he was doing this in the first place. For a moment he just stared at his surroundings and remembered Sirius.
But then Lupin appeared, coming down the stairs and crossing the kitchen in an obvious hurry, intense concentration evident on his lined face. Nymphadora Tonks followed after him.
"I left the notes here," Lupin was saying, sorting through the parchment piled on the kitchen table. "We can..."
"Ah, Remus?" Tonks said, a note of amusement in her voice. "We have a visitor."
She pointed to Harry and waved merrily. Lupin turned and knelt before the fire.
"Harry! What are you doing? What happened?"
Tonks knelt down beside him. "Nice to see you, Harry. Or maybe I should say, nice to see part of you."
Harry smiled. It was nice to see them as well, even if it was under these circumstances, as he thought Lupin and Tonks were two of the bravest people he knew. He only wished he felt as brave.
His panic must have shown on his face, as Lupin brushed aside pleasantries with a wave of his hand, "Harry, is something wrong?" he asked.
"I'm afraid so," Harry replied. He described what had happened with the Time Turner, and soon Lupin was shaking his head, disturbed, and Tonks was fidgeting; her hair color went from orange to green and back again.
"Oh Harry," Lupin groaned. "How many times did the hourglass turn? Did you notice?"
"I dunno. Maybe three or four."
"Three or four hours isn't terrible, Remus," Tonks said.
"Though Ron did shake it quite hard before it turned over."
A thick silence fell. Lupin and Tonks stared back at him, as still as if they had been petrified. Harry squirmed.
"Is that bad?"
"I would hate to panic without reason..." Lupin said.
"But you never, ever, ever shake a Time Turner!" Tonks finished. Her hair went bright red.
"No, it generally is a rather bad idea."
Harry felt his mouth go dry. "Why? What does shaking it do?"
"It just makes it difficult to discern how far back in time a person goes," Lupin explained. "Generally, three rotations would translate to three hours, but after the Time Turner was shaken, it could mean three decades, even three centuries."
"What?" Harry burst with a start, clanging his head against the side of the fireplace. He grimaced. "Three decades? Three centuries?"
"Now stay calm..."
"How am I supposed to stay calm? My best friends are lost in time! We have to get them back!"
"Yes, we do," Lupin said. "But I dare say I am not familiar enough with time travel to be of much help."
"Neither am I," Tonks added. "I think, for something this serious, you need Dumbledore."
"Is he there?" Harry asked hopefully. He glasses slipped as he begin to sweat from the heat and stress of his environment and situation.
"He isn't, Harry," Lupin said, his voice low as he reached forward to push Harry's glasses back up his nose. "And, unfortunately, we don't quite know where he is."
There was another heavy pause. Lupin and Tonks shared what seemed a significant look. "Harry, I don't want you to worry, really I don't, but things aren't going too well right now."
The was an uncomfortable lurch somewhere beyond the grate. "How do you mean? I haven't heard anything..."
"No, you haven't. Dumbledore has suspended deliveries of the Daily Prophet to the school. He doesn't want widespread panic." Lupin sighed. "Voldemort has made progress. His numbers are growing quite faster than we expected. The Death Eaters have made attacks on Diagon Alley. People have died."
Harry listened but could not bring himself to believe. "Is everyone...the Order...are they okay?"
"For now," Lupin replied.
"No news is good news, Harry," Tonks said in a would be cheerful tone, but Harry was unconvinced.
"So Dumbledore is missing?"
"Look, Harry, the very last person you should be concerned for is Dumbledore. He can more than handle himself. And though we do not know where he is, that does not mean he is unsafe. He is simply doing something that we cannot, or perhaps should not, know about quite yet."
It was all too much. Panic for the Order mingled with fear for his friends.
Ron and Hermione...this news would be so much easier to take if they were here with him. "And what of Ron and Hermione? We have to help them!"
"We will." Lupin took a deep breath. "Tonks and I must do something for the Order, but I'll have the other members work to find a way to get Ron and Hermione back. You should do the same. There may be some helpful information in the library."
"Professor McGonagall is here, Harry," Tonks said. "She may have some ideas."
"Okay," Harry said. "If you find anything..."
"We'll let you know. We can send an owl, or use the Floo network if need be. And if you find anything, you do the same."
Harry nodded.
"It'll be all right, Harry," Lupin assured him. "We'll get them back."
"I know we will," Harry said, trying to believe the words even as he spoke them. With one last look at Lupin and Tonks, and one more glance at Grimmauld place, he drew his head from the fire and sat back on the floor of Snape's office.
* * *
Hermione lifted her head ever so slightly as she peered over the bushes. The doors were now wide open, but no one had yet emerged. She thought she could hear footsteps...
Ron was holding onto her, trying to steady her shaking shoulders, and perhaps trying to cop a feel. Hermione was quite content to let him do so, if it kept him quiet and still, and allowed her time to think.
The door was open, and she heard rustling, but there was no one in sight. Maybe it was the wind, but no, that did not seem to make sense.
And then, all at once, like she had been hit in the face with a snowball packed in ice, Hermione knew what was happening. She stuffed her fist in her mouth to stifle a gasp.
"Wha...?" Ron started, but Hermione clamped one hand over his mouth and used the other to fish her wand from her pocket.
She performed a quick Disillusionment Charm under her breath and soon felt the sensation of cold trickling down her body. Ron must have felt the same thing, as he shivered and tried to protest from behind her hand.
Hermione looked down, satisfied that their bodies were suitably camouflaged with their surroundings. Ron was trying to get her hand from his mouth, but Hermione held firm.
The Hogwarts doors closed suddenly, slammed shut by an invisible force, and Ron stopped fighting her, straining his neck to see who had made the noise.
The answer came before Hermione could draw another breath. There was a laugh, so uncannily like a bark, and a tall young man with dark hair emerged from beneath what was undeniably an Invisibility Cloak. He spread his arms wide, and Hermione could see the gold and scarlet crest on his sweater.
"Sirius!" a voice snapped from beneath the cloak. Ron went slack beside her; Hermione felt his jaw drop like it was made of stone. It was not only the obvious shock of seeing Sirius, young, healthy, and alive, Hermione knew, that stunned him. It was the sound of that voice from beneath the cloak, so utterly familiar in its own right. She, too, felt as if she had been stupefied, as her mouth formed the word "Harry" entirely of its own volition.
"Sirius, you are begging for trouble!"
"Oh, James, it is the middle of the bloody night. Who could possibly see us?"
"You know Snivellus would just love to catch us out here. Get us another week or two of detention."
That laugh again. "Oi, Potter, are you really worried about oily old Snivellus? Let him catch us. We could duel in the dark."
The charisma Sirius threw off, even under the cover of darkness, was undeniable. Sirius, not yet touched by the horrors to come, seemed a rather enchanting presence.
"Take the cape off, James. It'll be difficult to practice with it on. All this time and all I can sprout is a tuft of hair and a swishy little tail. And you..."
"I've done all right."
"You get antlers and an attitude."
A tail and antlers...they were practicing turning into Animagus! Hermione did some quick thinking. If it was 1975, Sirius and James were in their fifth year at Hogwarts; they would accomplish that exceedingly difficult task this year. A glance toward the sky revealed the full moon obscured behind a passing cloud. Lupin would be transformed into a werewolf, hidden away in the Shrieking Shack. Hermione could imagine how much they wanted to keep their dear friend company.
A pause, and then James Potter threw off the Invisibility Cloak, and Hermione heard a loud cry of shock. It took her a moment to realize that the sound came from her, and Ron took the opportunity to repay a favor and clamp his hand over her mouth.
"Mione," he muttered, but she could not stop whimpering, the little echoes of surprise escaping her before she could think to silence herself. She was just too overwhelmed by the sight of James Potter, the father Harry would never know. Pictures did not do the resemblance between father and son justice; they could have been twins. The height, the slimness, the ruffled hair, the glasses; if she allowed herself she could truly believe it was Harry before her.
Hermione finally calmed herself and fell silent, but it was too late. Sirius and James both turned and stared directly at their hiding spot.
"What was that?" James asked.
"Sounded like a girl to me," Sirius replied.
"And if anyone would recognize the sound of a girl crying out, it would certainly be you."
Sirius lifted his wand playfully and sent a shock of sparks toward James. It was an easy, teasing gesture, not meant to scare or stun. Hermione saw Ron smile to himself out of the corner of her eye.
The smile quickly faded from his face as Sirius came closer, his wand still held before him. Hermione held her breath; beside her Ron did the same.
Oh please, let the Disillusionment Charm work, Hermione thought. Please, please, don't let them see us. Please...
"See anything?" James asked, though his interest in the matter seemed to have waned, as there was nothing terribly threatening about a small cry from an invisible girl.
Sirius was only feet from them. Hermione prayed that he could not hear her heart pounding against her ribcage. The seconds seemed to last forever as he stared at the bushes where they were tangled.
"Nah," Sirius said, slipping his wand back up his sleeve. "Probably some lovebirds out for a midnight stroll. Now let's get a move on, Potter. I want to see if I can get my fangs right tonight."
And with that, Sirius and James ran off toward the forest, laughing and teasing as they went, leaving Ron and Hermione alone.
Neither of them moved. They stared after the two boys for a long moment.
"That was..." Ron breathed, but what exactly the encounter was went unsaid, as Hermione turned toward him just in time to watch Ron faint dead away beside her.