Note: All characters, besides the ones I made up, belong to J.K. Rowling. Most of us, if not all, owe our thanks to her for telling us Harry's magical tale.
Also: This chapter is still in the presant time.

Turning Your Time Around

Chapter 6: "The Safe & Sound Approach"

(Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny & Luna go to tell Snape about the disappearance of Neville)

They made it as far as the door to the dungeons when they heard Snape yelling.

"I bet he's torturing someone in there," Ron said.

"Oh Ron, shut up!" Hermoine snapped back at him.

She pressed her ear against the dungeon door to hear what they were saying. Harry and Ginny did the same.

"Where's Professor Stole? What have you done with her!"

"For the last time, I don't have a clue as to what you're saying!" Snape yelled back at the Ravenclaw.

"What is that, a joke? You're not funny, you know that?"

"I-AM-A-TEACHER. YOU WILL SPEAK TO ME IN THE CORRECT TONE, OR YOU'll BE ON THE TRAIN HOME - EXPELLED." Snape's voice roared throughout the dungeons.

They didn't here anything for a moment until Snape spoke again. His voice had quieted slightly.

"Sit."

They heard the boy move around. He had calmed down a bit.

"Now, I don't know what you're talking about. I am the Potions Master of Hogwarts, Professor Snape. Professor Stole hasn't been here for nearly seventeen years."

"You-you're-you're who?" The boy asked, clearly very frightened.

"Professor Snape. Go back to your dormitory and get some sleep, you obviously need it. Well? Get going! NOW!"

There were footsteps on the other side of the door, and Harry, Hermione & Ginny rushed away down the hall. Ron and Luna followed close behind.

They peered around the corner at the end of the hall.

A boy dressed in his school robes walked out. His face had a look of horror on it.

"What's going on?" The boy whispered to himself.

"Come on, let's go talk to him," Harry said to the others.

They all followed him as he walked up to the boy. The boy stared at Harry, not knowing what to say.

"Hello," Harry said in a plain voice.

"Hello," the boy replied uneasily.

"Did you get in trouble with Snape?" Ron asked the boy.

"Uh, well, I don't know," he told them.

"Okay," Ron said slowly, raising an eyebrow.

Without another word, the boy walked passed them and down around the corner.

"What was all that about?" Ron asked.

"I don't know," Harry replied. "Come on, we've got to tell Snape."

As Harry and Hermione led the way, Ron, Ginny and Luna followed.

Harry knocked on the door loudly.

"Who is it?" Snape yelled in his normal angry voice.

But, before Harry could answer, Snape opened the door. He looked like he'd been thinking hard about something because he wasn't really looking at them. He was glancing off to the side.

"What do you want, Potter?" Snape snapped, still thinking.

"It's Neville, sir. He's missing," Hermoine told him.

"What are you talking about, Granger?"

"He's nowhere!" Ginny piped up.

"Well, he has to be somewhere, of he wasn't he wouldn't exist," Snape said to her.

"Please, sir, we can't find him!" Hermine pleaded.

"Look harder," Snape said simply.

Snape then went to shut the door, but a voice came from his fire.

"Severus, is Mr. Potter there?"

Dumbledore's head was floating in Snape's fire.

"Yes Headmaster," Snape replied glumly.

"Could you all join me in my office?" Dumbledore asked politely.

"Yes Headmaster," Snape repeated.

Dumbledore's head disappeared with a 'pop'.

Snape turned back to Harry.

"Hurry up," Snape ordered them.

They walked up to Dumbledore's office together and entered from the staircase.

Dumbledore was the only one in there, aside from the paintings.

"Please sit down," Dumbledore told them.

He was sitting behind his desk, looking over his half-moon glasses.

There was just enough seats for them all. They all sat there in silence until Dumbledore spoke.

"It had come to my attention that our Mister Longbottom is missing," Dumbledore said, not changing his tone of voice.

"Yes, sir," Harry replied.

"What makes you think this?" Dumbledore asked them.

"I looked on the Marauders Map and I couldn't find him anywhere on it. He's not in the castle, sir." Harry hoped Dumbledore of all people would believe him.

"Well, that is because he is visiting his Grandmother," Dumbledore said before getting out of his chair. "I must ask you to not go scaring any more of our professors, Miss Granger."

Hermione's face was turning slightly red. "Yes sir."

Ron looked over at Harry with a look that said "what the heck?"

Ron knew that Neville hadn't gone to see his grandmother. He had seen him, and then he was gone in an instant. What was Dumbledore trying to hide from them? Could he be scared, but not showing it?

Just then, a buzzing filled the room. Everyone looked around to see where it was coming from. Everyone but Professor Snape and Ron. They were looking at Dumbledore in a weird way, almost as if they were looking through him.

The others seemed to notice this after a few seconds.

"Ron? Are you all right?"

"Severus?" Dumbledore looked at Snape with curiosity.

A minute passed before both Snape and Ron came out of their trance. Ron shook his head slightly and Snape closed his eyes and rubbed them.

"Severus? Mr. Weasley?" Dumbledore looked from Snape to Ron.

Snape opened his eyes and Ron stopped shaking his head. They gave a quick glance to each other.

"It's really stuffy in here," Ron said, sounding a bit scared.

"Right," Snape agreed uncharacteristically.

Every one in the room was either looking at Ron or Snape, not knowing what to think. Dumbledore was looking Snape over, trying to find out what he was thinking.

"Yes, well.. About Mr. Longbottom, please stop worrying. He's safe and sound with his grandmother," Dumbledore said, never taking his eyes of Snape.

Ron shifted uneasily in his chair. "Erm, sir? Can we go now?"

"I suppose that's fine," Dumbledore said, now staring at Ron.

Snape and Ron got up at the same time, and then Harry, Hermione, and Ginny got up, not being able to take their eyes off them both. Though, Luna was looking at the paintings, not seeing the big fuss over Snape & Ron.

They left the room, Snape going one way and the students the other. About five steps down the next hall, where he knew Professor Dumbledore couldn't see him, Ron stopped.

"I've got to go somewhere, I'll see you in the common room," Ron told them, turning to leave.

Ginny grabbed his arm to stop him. "What just happened back there?"

"Nothing," Ron said, getting his arm free. "I'll see you later."

Ron walked quickly down the hall towards the main entrance of the castle. He was off to find that Ravenclaw boy.

And in the dungeons, Snape worked, reluctantly, on a way to get Neville Longbottom out of 1974 before he slipped further into the past.

A/N: In the next chapter, we take a very tiny look into Snape's past. It's just a small event, but it had much meaning to our great Potions master. Also, our new Ravenclaw gets the info on what happened, and "Team Merlin" learns that there could be more meaning in this whole thing that any of them expected.