The Young Phoenix Leaves the Nest

Chapter 2: The Lioness, the Witch and the Big Closet

If being alone and brooding was an art form Theodore Nott had perfected it. It was nice to get away from the world for a little while. People would ignore the loner Nott most of the time. Then there were times they didn't ignore him that drove him crazy. He could hear the whispers and feel their staring eyes on his back. Was it wrong to judge the son by the sins of the father? Theodore thought he had read that it was wrong to do such a thing but he couldn't remember were he read it.

Books were even better than brooding alone in the dark. Books offered escape from the life of a boy whose father was dying in Azkaban. Long before this mess started books befriended Nott. He had read every book in his home by the time he was six. Even the ones that were hidden by his father. The ones that gave him most of the forbidden magic which he still enjoyed using every know and then. Most of it wasn't Dark magic. You could say it was a bit dodgy magic. He even knew a spell that would allow oneself to absorb all the knowledge in a book with a mere touch. Bet Granger wish she knew that one. No sooner did he think of the muggleborn know-it-all than he heard the door open to his hiding spot.

Hermione Granger didn't walk into the room, she stormed into the closet without hesitation. She had little time to get this done. If she saved Sirius once with the help of the time turner maybe she could do it again. Harry had never been the same after Sirius died last year. Hermione would fix it. She would make it right or at least try to anyway. After setting everything up in a rush Hermione set a protective circle around herself to make sure if something went wrong everyone else would be safe. A moment after setting her wand down to make some last minute adjustments she could have sworn someone was whispering behind her. The next thing she knew Hermione's wand was gone.

"Just turn around slowly Granger. I don't want any trouble. That time turner you have there and the rest of those contraptions you set up equal nothing more than both of us getting blown up and sending our charred bits back to the stone age." Theodore said

"How dare you speak to me that way! You're talking to a Prefect, remember that! Now get out of here before I tell Dumbledore that your interfering with my completely legitimate school project!" Hermione yelled

"Did you really think that would work? I've heard trolls give more elaborate and convincing lies. You just came to a dark secluded room to do a bit a extra credit. Only one reason a little lioness like yourself would come down here to the shadows and it's nothing to do with school work. Now come on Granger lets just take a little walk to Snape's office. It's just down the. . .", Nott didn't get a chance finish because the door swung open again.

Luna Lovegood strolled on in as though as if she were coming into Honeydukes for a fizzy whisbie. The odd thing was see was holding what looked like an old piece of parchment.

"There you are Hermione. Harry has been very worried about you. He lent me the map to find you. Oh it looks like you are planning to go for a little trip. You really should pack a lunch. You might get hungry. By the way is that thing suppose to be glowing like that?" Luna asked casually

The Gryffindor and Slytherin looked at the time turner and saw it spinning madly on the small table. Both of them utter the same thing at once. Which was quite odd because if you asked either one of them they both would have said one had nothing in common with the other.

"Oh shit, the time slip sequence has been initiated!" Nott and Ganger said simultaneously

Both of them franticly tired to stop the device from powering up completely but their egos got in the way.

"Give me back my wand!"

"Hell no, you get into this much trouble without it I 'ld to see what you would do with it."

"Excuse me but I think I could help you two."

"There wouldn't be any trouble if you would have just left me alone!"

"Would you please stop yelling? I can't concentrate with you yelling at me the whole time."

"If the both of you would kindly step out of the circle I could fix everything."

"What is it Luna?" Hermione and Theodore yelled at the Ravenclaw together.

Luna had picked up a rather large book that was in pile by the door. She then lifted the book and smashed all the whirling gizmos on the table with it. If only Luna had waited for them to step out of the circle everyone would have been OK. Unfortunately, all of them were still in the circle so they all got swept up in the temporal blast.

There was a blinding light for a moment then everything came back in view. The room looked like it was the same shape but instead of being dark it was well lit. Instead of a pile of books there was a pile of dirty cauldrons and a boy snoring very loudly by the door. The boy woke with a start and looked a the three new occupants of the room. He saw a fellow Gryffindor girl, a Ravenclaw girl and a sour looking Slytherin boy. He knew just what to do.

"All right you snaky brute, leave these young maidens before I have at you knave." The boy said shakily

"Are you talking to be?" Theo asked barely hold in his laughter.

The boy just put up his fist in a very pathetic manner and came towards Theodore. Now Nott was just about to tell the boy he had no intention of fighting with him but the boy gave him a right cross. Both girls stood perfectly still waiting to see what would happen next. Nott didn't fall over as the boy would of hoped. Instead Nott looked annoyed at the skinny long nosed boy. Theodore Nott smiled and quickly punched the boy in the face. Now the boy did fall over right into the pile of dirty cauldrons causing a loud crash. A rather agitated looking female professor bursting thought the door.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore I sent you in here to clean these cauldrons. What the hell is going on in here?" the young Professor asked with a look that make Snape cringe.

Now many things happened at once. Hermione fainted for one. Luna started to help out by cleaning a few cauldrons. Albus started apologizing to Professor Binds and telling her it was all the Slytherin's fault. Professor Binds could only look at this boy who seemed so familiar but she was sure they had never met. Finally Theodore could only stare at this woman who he vaguely remembered could never forget. He wished he didn't say the next thing that came out of his mouth but it really couldn't be helped.

"Mother?" the Syltherin boy asked.

TBC