A/N: This chapter is in the present and the exact date is told in this chapter. I hope you like the new bit!
DarkLordLongbottom: About Dumbledore, no one knows his real motives (except I tell his feelings most of the time) characters don't ever know what's goin' through his head, and that's what makes him so dangerous. I won't deny he makes me angry all the time in the books, but I still think everyone's got a good side.. a few exceptions... Yes, Snape's gotten a spanking! Um, Voldemort (AKA Tom) was the one who did it. He must be getting on the smart side.. he's thinkin' someone's spilling his plans to Subla (Albus). Merlin's sure going to take advantage of that to get on the other's good side. After you read this chapter, though, we'll find out who is gonna be conning whom. Heh heh... Ah ha! I'm glad ya picked that up about the memory problem! There is something else hidden in the story, I don't know if you've seen it already, but if you haven't I hope it's a great surprise that was staring you in the face the whole time! Evil laughs... Oh geez, I'm turning into you! Nooo! j/k :)
Ohh yes, Ron did have quite a bit nagging at him- you find out just how much in this chapter! I read a new chapter today of a Snape & Harry story and I realized that there was still something that I needed to get out about Ron. I'd thought about it after I read book five, and I think there had to be something that lingered from the Battle at the DoM (don't count Harry loosing Sirius). Something strange- Neville found time to carve that message, but he forgets something else that he will be regretting for the rest of his life. Poor Nev...
I get a feeling you might not like this chapter (though you very well may, I dunno) only because of the crying thing. If you wonder why I think this, well, I just read what you have on your profile page. When you say 'THATS WHY HE WILL DESTROY ALL OF YOU LITTLE FOOLS. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. BOW TO DARKNESS YOU FOOL.' I don't know why, but I think ya might not like the cryin'. So sue me:) Enjoy-I hope-! I think I made up for it with Filch's bit, did I? We'll see...
Turning Your Time Around
By: Cheelalaucha
Dedicated to: Everyone who has read a Snape/Harry (non-slash) story.
B; Chapter 16: "The Caretaker of Hogwarts"
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November 14, 1999: (night)
"Harry, we saw Uranus up close," Ron mumbled in his sleep, turning over and wrapping the covers tighter around himself. He continued to whisper softly as he slept, dreams bouncing around in his head. "We saw Uranus- -ha ha ha- Loony Lovegood- ha ha ha-"
Ron's voice grew quieter still as his dreams took a different turn. "Brain... Accio... no, I don't... I don't like it... no no no..." Ron snapped his eyes open, and went rolling off the bed and onto the floor. He had been trying to get away from the brain in the Department of Mysteries and had woken up at the same time. Or, it looked like he was awake- his eyes were open and he was moving his head back and forth.
The dormitory was dark, it was probably close to midnight. He rubbed his hurting arm which had acted as a pillow for his head against the stone floor.
"What's going on?" Dean asked as light brightened the room from a candle in the corner. Within a minute, all the sixth year Gryffindors, apart from Neville who had been MIA for a few days, were awake and looking around for signs of danger.
Harry got up from his bed, trying not to think about the fact that Madam Pomfrey had been in the dungeons when he had got for detention, and moved over to Ron's bed where he could hear movement on the floor.
"Ron, what happened?" Harry gasped as he knelt down to him. His hands were now covering his face as he rolled back and forth on the floor.
"Don't show me any more! I don't want to know!" Ron shouted and gave a tiny sob into his hands.
"Ron! Ron wake up!" Harry yelled at him as he realized shaking him was getting nowhere.
Ron stopped moving at once and his hands slipped away from his face. In an instant, he was on his feet and at the dormitory door.
Harry watched his best friend bolt for the door and run out without even saying a word. He turned to see the other stunned sixth years Seamus and Dean.
"What was that all about?" Dean asked in a low voice, still looking at the door in horror.
"This place's weird," Seamus muttered and followed the other two out of the dormitory and into the common room. Harry looked around frantically for Ron, but found no one. A couple of chairs were knocked over but that was about it, or that all he had seen.
Right then, Ginny and Hermione came down the stairs to the girl's rooms, both looked sleepy but frightened.
"What was all that noise down here? This place is a mess!" Hermione said, directing her words to Harry.
Harry took a better look around, and found she was right. He hadn't noticed the corner bye the fire. Paintings had fallen from the floor and a table was overturned.
As Hermione came over to Harry, she noticed the wide eyes he had and asked, "Harry, what's wrong?" She wasn't prepared for his answer.
"It was Ron," Harry said, almost not heard since his voice was so low.
"What?" Harmione asked, her eyes as wide as Harry's.
"It was Ron," he repeated, still shocked that what he was saying was the truth.
"He started babbling about not wanting to see something and when Harry tried to snap him out of it, he just up and left," Seamus supplied bluntly.
"Thanks," Harry snapped with a scowl.
Seamus backed off and Harry spoke again. "We need to find him."
With that, Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Dean left through the portrait hole. Seamus yawned and walked sleepily back to the dormitory and fell asleep in his bed.
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Ron kept running until he was far, far away from Gryffindor Tower. He found a deserted corridor and leaned against the wall, then sliding down it to sit on the floor. He put his hands over his face again and sighed with relief at being out, away from his bed and Harry. Every time he saw him, he remembered the night in the DoM.
Ron brought his hands down from his face, only to hit his forehead with a fist. He hastily wiped away the stray tears on his face and rested his head on a hand. I'm a sixth year- -I'm sixteen, I shouldn't be scared of a little nightmare! What would Fred and George say if they saw me like this! Don't be a wimp, Ron it's only dreams! Ron's thoughts and reprimanding of himself were fled away and replaced by a bit of fear when he heard a familiar voice from the left.
"Mr. Weasley, may I ask what has gotten you so worked up?" Dumbledore's twinkling eyes met his and he immediately looked away, fearing he would know about Merlin and all the planning against him.
The Headmaster noticed the boy's fear and frowned. "Mr. Weasley," he spoke the young one's name to get his attention, which worked, though there was a moment of hesitation as the boy looked up. "Is there something you wish to tell me?"
Ron held the Headmaster's gaze for a few seconds before looking back down as his hands.
Dumbledore could see he was not going to get much from asking these questions, so he tried a different tact, wondering if his theory had been correct about the youngest male Weasley. "If I said: 'The morning sun raises in the clouds but does not shine'-"
The Weasley's red head shot up at that, his eyes wide with horror. "I would say: 'The world has ended but the creatures are still alive.' How-" The boy's voice cracked and he swallowed, but did not say more.
The Headmaster's face softened as understanding swept through him. His theory had been right, but that did not make him feel any better. This poor child, he thought.
Ron watched with the same expression as Dumbledore walked closer and sat down slowly next to him. The Headmaster wasn't looking at him, but he still felt as if he were. Ron reminded himself that the man sitting next to him was the one he was trying to fight and he should not fall for any of his tricks. But, a small part of him was saying he should trust this man- he had, after all, protected him and countless others for years inside the school.
"I suppose I should have asked you about this last year, but I wasn't sure if it had affected you very much. You must have been wound up with that thing for a long while." The Headmaster took a quick glance at Ron, his long beard moving over his body gracefully.
"The brain, sir?" Ron finally spoke again, though it was quiet and scared-sounding.
"Yes," Dumbledore replied, and after a pause asked another question he wasn't sure would get an answer. "How long have you been having dreams, Mr. Weasley?" He didn't have to specify which ones he was talking about, Ron knew exactly what he ment.
"On-only wh-when I've got a lot to think about," Ron said in a sad tone, and a shiver ran through his whole body. No, you're not going to cry- you little scaredy cat! No- don't listen to him, Ron, he doesn't know anything! Yes! You know the man next to you is bad- kill him where his stands, he's old and one good punch-
Ron could not take it any longer, especially after thinking that. He was good ol' Ron, the little Weasley boy- he couldn't be thinking these horrible things! Ron turned his head away from Dumbledore and tried to blink away tears that came to his eyes. He didn't care if anyone saw him, so what? A whole summer of thoughts like that punching one was enough, and he could not take what it was doing inside him. Those were not ideas (hurting friends, his parents, people he didn't even know!) he'd had before, and he didn't want them anymore.
A gentle hand rested on his shoulder, and Ron turned back his head to see Dumbledore. He was losing his fight against crying. A tear from each eye came down, and he moved to brush them away, but Dumbledore's hand stopped him and he put his hand down. Dumbledore raised his hand to the boy's face and dried the tears himself. His expression was one of deep sadness, but also there was a loving glow in his eye. He loved all the children in his school and could not bare to see so many unhappy.
Dumbledore moved closer to the young Weasley, hoping to make the boy feel safer to talk to him. It defiantly did.
"I don't mean to think it!" Ron blurted out, slightly edging on the panicked side. "I don't mean to think any of it!"
Sensing the next things to come, the Headmaster put an arm around the boy gently. It took only a few seconds for Ron to totally break down and just lean his head on the Headmaster's chest and cry.
Dumbledore hugged the Gryffindor tight which reassured him it was alright to just cry. Every one cries sometime, no matter what the age. He could tell the boy had tried his best not to let it happen, after all, what would happen if someone had come along and seen him? If the young Malfoy had seen him, he knew there would be hell to pay and he'd never let anything out again. The only exception to 'everyone cries' might be Voldemort. He was hardly very human-acting.
After ten minutes, Ron was quieter but he still had a few tears falling silently. Ron's red eyes peered up at him. He could sense hesitation in what he was going to say.
Between sniffles, Ron gasped out, "Head-headmaster Dumbledore.. He's after you.. He wan-wants to get you out of the s-s-school..."
"Who?" Dumbledore asked the young one, but made sure not to move from his comforting position.
"M-m-mm.." Ron tried, and failed to say his name and took a moment to get himself settled before he said the name steadily. "Merlin."
Ron waited for Dumbledore to move away from him and start yelling at him for answers, but the man didn't move. He did however get a look of deep thought from him. Ron moved his head down again, hoping they could just stay there for a little while.
The Headmaster could feel the need for company still coming from the boy, so he stayed in place and held him close. On the outside he looked calm, but the old wizard's mind was going through idea after idea about how in the world Merlin of all people would be after him, and how this sixth year Gryffindor could have possibly known about it. He had been right in suspecting something was wrong, and now, the Headmaster sure felt his age.
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Argus Filch walked the halls of Hogwarts, following his cat, searching for any stupid child that dare come out at night. Oh, how he loved punishing them. He'd love it a lot more if he could hang them by their thumbs and listen to the music (screaming) that they made. They were all so lucky to have the chance to get everything they wanted from their magic. Just let 'em rot, for all he cared!
And that Potter was the worst of them all, he was sure of that. He had fame, money, family, and had the Headmaster watching out for his well-being around the clock every night he could spare. What a bunch of idiots. He was looking forward to the end of that Potter's school years. A secret party had been set up at his graduation to celebrate. Snape, the Bloody Baron, and Peeves had all agreed to come and throw darts (since Filch couldn't use magic spells) at Potter's picture. The one who gets both eyes gets the chance to torment him first on his last day. It wasn't much, but what else did they have to do? Anyway, Potter's going away was a great cause for a party.
As he continued on he hit a brick wall with a thud and fell backwards. He'd been thinking too much about that Potter and hadn't looked where he was going. Damn that Potter yet again. I wish I could just-
But, he'd just looked at where he was. Not five minutes ago, he'd come this way and all the torches had been lit. Not a single one was burning now. Why was that? Argus could feel his leg twitching- a sure sign that there was going to be trouble. That was probably the only bit of magic he had in him, he could tell when dark magic was lurking. But, knowing something was hunting him did not ease his mind. Why would it?
He moved only his eyes to look around, fearing the second he moved a hand or something, he'd be dust. He saw nothing out of the ordinary, apart from the torches not being lit. His leg twitched a little more and he knew it was only seconds before something was going to pounce on him. Like a flash of lightning, he was on his feet and running down the hall. A flash of red light wizzed over his head. That one had almost gotten him. Gotta move! Filch thought.
He ducked behind a statue of the first caretaker Hogwarts ever had, and just narrowly missed another red light. He was gonna die, he knew it. But, wasn't green light the Killing Curse? He'd heard of it so many times from wizard's books. He hated reading some of those, but that was the only thing in the library that gave even the slightest of interest. Not only was he doomed to live in this place, there was no decent reading available for him! What a hellhole.
Uh great, he'd done it again! He'd gotten caught up in his thoughts and he was going to pay for it again. BOOM! The statue exploded into pieces, and another red light shot at him. He crouched low and was able to miss it. You learned to be quick in this castle. But, one thing remained a disadvantage.. this place was Hogwarts, and anyone who set foot in there was put onto the bottom of the foodchain. Doomed for life, was his last thought as yet another red light shot from before him, and he fell over, unconscious.
No one cares for the caretaker.
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A/N: OH yay! Another out for ya! I LOVED writing this chapter! I'm just strange that way, you know.
What will happen with the Ron/Nev/Merlin/Albus/Rotiart/Snape/Chapin/Zudan thing? Who should you believe? Humm, well, 4 out of 8 are good guys, 3 others are semi-good, and one is totally dark. Does that help at all? I hope you are mad at the vagueness of that!
About Filch's future- I could surly make a spin-off of what happens to him, cough-he teams up with the world's greatest brat Dudley-cough, but I don't think anyone would read it. We all know how much Filch loves Potter, imagine Dudley as a cellmate. Ohh my goodness! Perhaps a one-shot bit? Let me know what ya think.
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Next chapter/coming soon:
"Ron stood up in anger and walked to the middle of the circle.
'He's after us,' he stated, getting the attention of every person. 'He is trying to destroy us all and this school by tricking us into believing the people around are on the Dark Side. We can't let him do that. Who agrees?'
More than one hand raised, and Ron sighed, glad to have gotten through. His happiness was short-lived as just then, a buzzing filled the room. Not now!
'Professor!' Ron said in a panicked voice to Snape.
'Sweet Merlin, here we go again,' Severus muttered under his breath."
