Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me.
Chapter 12
The moment Harry reached the dormitory, he changed out of his blood-stained pajamas and into the robes he had worn when he went through the door that brought him to the past. He then started packing up the books and the other clothes Dumbledore had given him. When he was done, he crept into his bed and lay down. Even though he was tired, he couldn't sleep. He knew that it was time for him to go back. He felt torn somehow; he wanted to go back so he could see Ron and Hermione again but he also wanted to stay, so that he could be in the company of his parents. But Harry knew that he had no choice. If he stayed in his parents' time, he would risk messing up the future even more than he already had.
The dormitory door opened and Harry lay still. He had his back turned from the door and he could hear whispering as three people got into their beds. Harry stayed quiet, but didn't fall asleep. Hours passed and still Harry remained stubbornly awake. The moment that a bit of light shined through the windows, he got up quietly from his bed, picked up his wand, and muttered a spell. His trunk rose from the ground and Harry levitated it toward the door. He opened it and stepped out.
Harry reached the Headmaster's office without a hitch. The sun was just rising, enveloping the castle in a soft, golden glow.
"Ice Mice." Harry said, and the gargoyle sprang aside to let him pass. He stepped onto the moving staircase and in moments, was standing in front of the door that led into the office. He raised his hand and knocked three times. The door opened and Harry stepped inside. The office was empty, with the snores of some of the past headmasters and headmistresses punctuating the silence in the room. Harry set his trunk down and walked toward one of the chairs before the desk. He was sitting for only a few minutes when Dumbledore made his appearance.
"Good morning, Mr. Potter. What brings you to my office at such an early hour?" he asked. The headmaster was already dressed, in deep purple robes with a smattering of stars on the fabric. He didn't seem the least bit surprised to find Harry in his office at the crack of dawn.
"I think I know a way to get back to my time." Harry said immediately, standing up.
"And what way is this?" Dumbledore asked, giving Harry a small smile from behind his beard.
"Well," Harry hesitated. "You're not really supposed to know about it until my fourth year." He said apologetically.
"I understand. But are you quite certain that you will reach the future without any problems?" Dumbledore asked seriously.
"Quite certain… yeah." Harry said lamely. Now that he thought about it, would the Room of Requirement even work? There was no reason that it wouldn't, Harry thought, giving himself some reassurance.
Dumbledore gave him a piercing look then said, "Very well. Are you prepared to leave now?"
"Yes." Harry said determinedly. "And, well, I thought I should return these." He added, pointing to the trunk on the floor.
Dumbledore nodded and waved his wand; the trunk disappeared.
Harry looked at Dumbledore, for what he hoped wasn't the last time, and left.
"Good luck, Harry." Dumbledore said under his breath.
Harry made his way up to the seventh floor and into the corridor with a large tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy training trolls for the ballet. He faced the wall opposite it and muttered under his breath: "Here goes."
Harry started walking past the wall, thinking hard.
I need a way to get back to my time…he thought. A way to get to the future… to the exact time I left.
He wheeled around and kept on thinking the same thought over and over, until, on his third walk past, a polished door appeared in the wall.
Harry stopped and placed his hand on the cool doorknob. He closed his eyes, bracing himself, opened the door and walked in.
Nothing happened; no force was pulling him in like the last time. Harry opened his eyes and his jaw dropped. He had walked into a medium-sized room with torches burning on the walls. A single window let in some sun, and a grandfather clock beside it showed the time. But what had caught Harry's attention was a strange-looking contraption in the center of the room. It was unlike anything Harry had ever seen before. He walked slowly toward the chair in the middle of the machine and sat down. In front of him were three brass levers and some dials. There were numbers displayed on the dials and Harry peered at them curiously. Harry realized that the numbers showed the date of the day he had left the future and also the time.
The Room of Requirement had provided him with a time machine to get back to the future! But now Harry was faced with another problem: how to work the machine. He peered at the levers beside the dials and guessed that they were used to set the date and time. The last lever, the biggest, didn't have a dial beside it. Not knowing what else to do, Harry pulled at it.
The machine started humming. Harry waited, anticipating a bang or maybe even a flash of light that would transport him to the future. But nothing of the sort happened. The machine simply stopped humming after a few seconds and everything was quiet. Feeling disappointed, Harry wondered if he had done something wrong. He sat there thinking before he realized that something wasn't right in the room. It was darker than it was a moment ago. He whipped around to look at the window. There wasn't any sun shining in and Harry caught a glimpse of stars. He then moved his gaze toward the grandfather clock. It read 11:59.
Harry jumped down from the chair and opened the door. It was definitely night time. Feeling excited, Harry ran all the way to Gryffindor Tower, not once running into Filch or Mrs. Norris. He reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, panting.
"Password?" she asked.
Harry took a deep breath and said, "Pumpkin Juice.", hoping with every fiber of his being that it was correct.
To his immense relief, the Fat Lady nodded and the portrait swung forward. He really was back! Harry ran into the common room and was overjoyed to see Ron and Hermione, fast asleep on two armchairs by the fire.
"Ron! Hermione! Wake up!" Harry yelled. Both of them jumped.
"No need to shout, mate." Ron said, rubbing his eyes.
Hermione yawned. "How was detention?" she asked sleepily.
Harry ignored her question and enveloped his two best friends in a big bear hug. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you both." He said happily.
Ron and Hermione exchanged a look over Harry's shoulders.
"Detention couldn't have been that bad, even if it was for Snape. Could it?" Ron asked, confused.
"I haven't seen you guys in ages!" Harry replied, refusing to let go of them.
"But Harry, we only saw each other a few hours ago." Hermione said.
"Try a few days." Harry said, finally releasing them.
"What are you talking about?" Ron said, clearly wondering if his best friend had gone mental.
"You are not going to believe what happened to me." Harry said, and proceeded to tell them the whole story.
A/N: School is starting here in the Philippines so I have no idea when I can get the next (and last) chapter uploaded. But don't worry; I'll do my best to finish this story within the week. For everyone who reviewed so far, thanks a bunch! Reading your reviews are the best part of my day!