A/N June 16, 2005: This chapter goes from strange to totally weird. I just wanted to warn you. Oh, and Pansy is really, really, really OOC. She wouldn't go off and kiss a Gryffindor, but she's a bit nicer. I will explain later on about what Draco and her were thinking before this.
lucidity: Reviewer's response in my profile page. Thanks for readin' & reviewin'!
Turning Your Time Around
By: Cheelalaucha
Chapter dedicated to: My cousin Miriam who's in the hospital right now. Get better soon!
Chapter 22: "Welcome to Hogwarts"
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Seamus yawned and turned over. He nearly jumped through the ceiling when a shrill scream rang out around him. Drawing the hangings back, he leapt up. He went over to ask Dean what had happened when he saw the empty bed. "Wha?" he mumbled sleepily and headed for Ron's bed. When he found every single one empty, he practically flew to the common room.
He found Loony Lovegood standing by the fire, gazing intently into the burning flames. "What're you doin' here? You're not a Gryffindor," he said with a huff. The girl turned slowly to face him with intense eyes. He shifted on his feet, feeling uncomfortable at being stared at by a crazy Ravenclaw. "Did you scream?" He tried to get her to speak, but she just stood and stared with a slight smile.
After a few minutes, she raised a tiny hand and pointed at the portrait entrance. "I thought I saw an evil man." was all she said. Taking his hand in her's, she led the reluctant Seamus out into the hall and down toward the Great Hall. Something was strange about the way they took to the Hall, and it nagged at him the whole way down. If they'd gone to the right and then down the stairs, they'd have been there already. No student with a brain took the long way. Oh well, Seamus thought, she is Loony.
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"Harry, slow down!" Hermione yelled as she ran to catch him.
Harry didn't lessen his pace, if anything, he went faster. "We have to find him!" He shouted behind his shoulder.
"But Dumbledore said-" Ginny began, but was cut off by Harry.
"I don't care what Dumbledore said! He's keeping things from me again, and we all know how things turn out when he's secretive." They rounded a corner just as the voice of Seamus was heard from behind.
"Yeah, you go off and get someone killed!"
Harry stopped dead in his tracks and sped around so quick he was dizzy for a second. "What did you just say?" Harry demanded as he stalked up to Seamus, who was alone.
"It's not Dumbledore's fault that someone died - it's yours," Seamus said cruelly. "The hero killed someone."
"Why you-" Harry rushed forward to pounce on his fellow Gryffindor, but Dean caught him from behind and dragged him back.
"What are you playing at?" Dean yelled at his best friend as Harry struggled against him. Seamus shrugged.
Everyone turned around when a dreamy voice spoke up. "What's going on?" Luna asked with a far away expression.
Seamus noticed the girl wasn't wearing a pendant around her neck and swore under his breath. It was the real one.
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They made their way down to the Entrance Hall, but they stopped just short of the Great Hall doors. Instead, they headed for the way outside. Seamus pulled out of Luna's grasp.
"Where're we going?" he asked hesitantly.
"To help Neville." Luna grabbed his arm again and pulled him closer to the doors.
"Neville?" Seamus asked in surprise. "But, he's visiting his gran's."
Luna gave a tiny laugh. "No, he's not. Trust me." She tried to push him on but he wouldn't budge. "Don't you care what happens to your friend?"
It was Seamus' turn to laugh. Luna stopped and stared at him curiously. "What?" she asked.
"Somehow, I don't think I trust you," Seamus replied with a grin.
Luna let go of the Gryffindor's arm and still stared at him. "What do you mean?"
Seamus' face turned hateful, and he said in a low voice, "No one trusts Slitherins around here."
Luna's heart sped up. "I'm a Ravenclaw," she said although it was a bit on the uncertain side. Another laugh came at her, and she backed up, ready to run. "I am!" she insisted.
"Oh yeah, and me mam's married to Snape." Seamus stepped closer. "Tell me Pansy, how's Draco these days?"
Luna's eyes widened and she turned and ran as fast as she could away from him. She didn't get far as Remus Lupin stepped out in front of her, blocking her way. She skidded to a halt then turned to her right, only to see McGonagall standing straight and glaring. With one last attempt, she rushed to the left. That also was not going to work, she realized. Professor Dumbledore stood before her, arms at his sides, and his face tired. She sighed and gave up her escape plans. The headmaster walked up to her and gazed sadly at the Slitherin. Pansy Perkinson looked into the blue eyes of the wizard.
"How long until the spell wears off?" Dumbledore asked her gently.
She hesitated, but the headmaster waited patiently for her to answer. "About a half hour, sir," she responded softly as she looked away.
A hand came up to her chin and raised her head to look back at the headmaster. She blinked a few times but did not try to turn away again.
"Why did you do this?" the old wizard asked.
"Because. . ." she looked up at the headmaster with sorrowful eyes. "If we hadn't. . . he would have picked someone else to."
"And you want to be on your master's good side, right?" Seamus shot at her from behind.
"No!" she yelled back in a scared voice.
"Mr. Finnigan, please let her finish." Dumbledore waited for her to continue, but all he got was silence. "Why would it have mattered if he'd chose some other people to do this task?" he prodded.
"Bec-because then we wouldn't be able to save him," she blurted out.
"What?" Seamus, Remus, and McGonagall all said in unison. Dumbledore just smiled.
"Remus, please go get Mr. Malfoy and bring him to my office. I expect he's causing quite a mishap up there with the other Gryffindors. Minerva, you'd better go too."
Remus nodded, a bit unsure, but left to find the other impersonator together with McGonagall.
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"Nothing is going on. Just leave," Harry said, and he calmed down a bit.
"It doesn't look like nothing," Luna replied softly.
"Well, it is," Harry snapped back.
"Harry," Hermione said from beside him. "Stop being so snippy. How about we go back to the common room to see if Ron's there?"
Harry glared daggers at her and was about to reply when Remus walked right up to them. He cleared his throat and with a glance at 'Seamus', he said, "Mr. Finnigan, please come with me."
"Why?" Seamus asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Because the headmaster has a friend of yours up in his office." When the boy's eyes widened, he quickly added, "It's okay, he just wants to ask you a few things. There is nothing to worry about."
Malfoy highly doubted that, but he went anyway. McGonagall told the other students to head back to their common rooms. Harry needed to be pulled away slightly by Dean and Hermione. Ginny followed close behind them. Luna Lovegood, on the other hand, headed for her favorite place in all of Hogwarts.
She spoke the password and entered the dark room. Luna sat herself upon one of the brown chairs and sighed. Slipping her wand out, she pointed it at the small square window. "Newpondera."
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Dumbledore, Pansy, Remus, and Draco headed to the headmaster's office silently. Albus did not want to have any conversations where wondering ears could hear them. But it was difficult, seeing as what was happening around him. Pansy had said they were trying to save the Gryffindor, even if it seemed as if they were harming him.
When they were al in his office, Albus began the questioning. He asked about who had sent them: Voldemort. Who else was involved: other Slitherins. One question came out that he was nearly dying to ask, though his face showed no sign of it.
"Why would you two of all people want to go against an order given from Voldemort?" Albus asked interestedly.
Pansy glanced at Draco who was not looking at her. His blond hair shimmered in the candle light but she could not hold him now, she reminded herself. There were things to be done now. So, she answered for the both of them. "The Dark Lord said this would lead us all into the final battle. We got worried that if this whole kidnapping took place the. . . good side would stand no chance."
Remus raised an eyebrow. Dumbledore looked down, slightly saddened, but nevertheless glad that they had thought things through somewhat. It was the fact that the two did not realize the wrongs of the Death Eater's actions that troubled the headmaster. The children mearly wanted to be on the winning side? Well, don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Albus told himself mentally.
"A life with him as leader would be the same as an eternity in hell," Draco stated quietly but firmly with his head bowed towards the floor.
Dumbledore found there might be a chance to enlighten the two a little more. "Why would that be, Mr. Malfoy?" he questioned gently.
Draco's head came up and he gazed at the headmaster for a moment before answering, "He hates everyone."
Albus' eyebrows rose just a bit when he heard that. So maybe the young Slitherin understood more than he thought. Pansy looked confused and glanced between the two. Albus noticed this and said, "Care to elaborate, Mr. Malfoy?"
Without hesitation, he explained. "The Dark Lord treats his followers just about as bad as his enemies. He will eventually do away with every single person on the earth, and he will be left alone to rule his own way. If he wins, then it's not just the mud-" Dumbledore shot him a warning look, so he rethought his words. "-Muggle-borns that will be murdered."
Remus' eyes widened as she saw how true that was, and Pansy was somewhat the same. Dumbledore smiled again. He recalled hearing that same thing some years ago from the current Hogwarts Potions master. They were so alike, Severus and Draco, and they did not even know it.
"Draco, Pansy, we will have to take a few measures to secure your's and Mr. Finnigan's safety. Will you be cooperative?" Dumbledore asked them sternly.
The Slitherins nodded, but did not speak. What in all the universe had they gotten themselves into? But, unbeknownst to any of them, they would not get the opportunity to find out.
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Severus counted down from thirty in his head. There were only a few moments until he could try to apparate with Neville. Soon, he would be back to reality and he could take up ignoring Longbottom again for the rest of his life, and vice versa.
20... 19... 18... 17...
Back to teaching dunderheads. Back to watching out for the Golden Boy. Back to spying for the Dark Lord. Back to a life where everyone despised him. Back to a life of redemption.
16... 15... 14... 13...
Neville stood waiting for the time to come when he could finally get back to normal. He hadn't done the job Merlin had given him, though - he did not manage to get Lily together with James before he left. I should have said something! Idiot Neville, he told himself over and over again. Now what would happen?
12... 11... 10... 9...
Back to getting teased and laughed at. Back to getting yelled at by professors. Back to homework and grades. Back to a life where no one cared about him. Back to a life of no meaning.
8... 7... 6...
Dunderheads-Dark Lord-Golden Boy-redemption-enemies-darkness-evil.
5... 4... 3...
Professors-Merlin-Bivorio-meaningless-friends-dim light-nothingness.
2... 1...
Snape took Neville's arm and apparated, picturing the portrait of the three crows.
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Albus stood from his seat and motioned for Remus, Draco, and Pansy to follow him. They were at the Potions master's door in a matter of minutes. Albus knocked several times but got no answer. Growing concerned, he opened the door with a wave of his wand. When he saw no one there he turned to Remus who was over at Snape's desk looking down at the papers that lay on top.
"Where did you last see Severus, Remus?" Albus asked. (try saying that five times fast!)
Remus did not answer, but he took a closer look at the notes on the desk. "Albus, I think you should see this."
"What is-" Albus was cut off by a rumbling noise somewhere above their heads. The headmaster frowned as the noise came again, only louder. Then, with a jolt, he understood what was happening. "Oh no," he murmured. In a flash of light, Albus Dumbledore disappeared from the room, leaving some very confused people behind.
Albus appeared in the tiny space just as time itself crumbled and reformed.
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Both Snape and Neville fell to the floor of the dark room. Severus got up with a huff and brushed off his robes.
"Did we make it?" Neville asked nervously as he too stood up.
"We better have," Severus said dangerously as he took out his wand. "Lumos." Light shined around them from the tip of Snape's wand. Neville knew after a few seconds of studying their surroundings where they were. With a tiny sigh, he also took out his wand. When he raised it, Snape interrupted roughly, "Just what do you think you are doing?" It was obvious he still thought Neville was an accident waiting to happen.
Maybe this is my chance to get him back a little.
"Why? You afraid I'm going to blow something up, sir?" Neville asked with a glance at the glaring Potions master. "Newpondera," Neville said as he pointed to the window with his wand. The normal change happened: The five chairs turned to dark red, green, blue, purple, and one gray. The books were on bookshelves, and the dust was gone. The walls were light blue, and on each one there was a painting of a sun setting. Those were not the only differences.
"Professor Dumbledore!" Neville exclaimed as the headmaster stood gazing at them. "What are you doing here?" Neville asked him, lowering his wand and stuffing it in his robes again.
"I was wondering the same thing, Mr. Longbottom. I had not intended to end up here." Dumbledore walked closer to them and smiled. "I have not seen you in a while," he commented with a nod towards the young Gryffindor.
Neville grinned back at the wizard. "You're sure a sight for sore eyes," Neville told him.
The headmaster's smiled faded just a bit and he asked, "What have you been doing all this time, dear boy?" Even though he'd heard everything about Merlin from Ron, he still wondered about how Neville was doing in all his time gone.
Neville looked to the floor, regaining some of his shyness in front of the headmaster. It seemed like he'd been gone for ages, but in reality only a week had passed. That was one week without class, one week without meals in the Great Hall, and one week without sleeping in his bed here at Hogwarts. He never knew how much he really could miss all those things. A few times he had actually missed being around his gran who compared him so much to his father. Maybe he should have been happier before with his life.
"Mr. Longbottom?" Dumbledore brought him out of his thoughts.
Neville looked up again and said in an empty tone, "I think I should go get some rest before it gets much later. I've got classes tomorrow."
The headmaster regarded him for a moment then replied, "Perhaps that is a good idea. But, I will inform your teachers you will not be to class until after lunch."
"Thank you, sir." And with that, Neville turned and walked to the door. When he opened the door, he noticed for the first time that Luna Lovegood was sitting in one of the chairs. Without so much as raised eyebrow, Neville said, "Hey Luna." and walked out.
When he was gone, Snape looked at the headmaster with confusion. "What's going on?" he asked, not caring to beat around the bush.
"I haven't the faintest idea." was all the old wizard replied as he too walked out the door and up toward his office.
Snape stood there in silence for a moment then remembered the Ravenclaw was still there with him. "Get back to your common room. Ten points from Ravenclaw for being out past curfew."
Luna did as told, and the Potions master followed her out after a glance more at the room. They headed their separate ways without another word.
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Neville hadn't seen anyone as he made his way to Gryffindor Tower which wasn't surprising considering the time of day it was. That changed as he turned a corner and slammed into someone. The two fell to the floor with a high-pitched yelp from the person Neville had run into.
"Ow," Neville mumbled and rubbed the spot where their heads hand collided. Without warning, the other person grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet quickly. Neville swayed on his feet. "Whoa," he said as he held onto the wall to keep from falling over again. Closing his eyes, Neville tried to steady himself.
"Come on, we can't stay here!" the other whispered urgently to him. That voice seemed oddly familiar to Neville and he opened is eyes again to see the person. He only got a glance the boy's hair as he took off down the corridor. Neville followed him in a slight jog, trying to keep up but also not wanting to pass out from the dizziness.
He was grabbed yet again as he went past a classroom. He was flung in, and the door clicked shut behind him. "Hey," Neville panted, "could you stop do-d. . . ." Neville finally got a good look at the person.
"You shouldn't be out here! You'll get put in the infirmary for a week if you're out here this late!" the boy told him frantically as he paced in front of Neville. "How are we supposed to get back safely from here?" he asked, apparently to himself. All Neville did was stare in confusion. "Okay," the other said and stopped pacing to stand before Neville. "I'll go through the Professor's Passage then to the Gryffindor Tunnel. What house are you in?"
"I-I. . . Gryffind-dor," Neville stuttered.
He doesn't know who I am?
"Really? Must be a new one," the other said and pushed him over to the door. "You come with me then, and we'll try to get back to the common room without the Prat Pack seeing us. Potter must be going mad from not being able to catch anyone."
"What?" Neville asked the blond-haired boy in surprise.
"I'll tell you later," the boy insisted and put his hand out. "I'm Draco Malfoy, welcome to Hogwarts."
Neville reluctantly shook the sixth-year's hand, his stunned expression not wavering one bit. Maybe it was time to use his fake name again if things as strange as this were happening. "Neville Raymond."
"Good to meet you, Neville. Now, let's go - and be quiet." Draco opened the door and slipped out, not making a single sound as he did so.
Neville just stood there for a moment, too bewildered to move. He sighed and shook his head lightly.
I hope someone fed Trevor while I've been gone. He's prolly the only sane one around here anymore.
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A/N#2: The first part of this chapter wasn't as good as I'd wanted it to be. But, I had a hard time trying to get thoughts out right. Sorry 'bout that. If there's questions, I've no doubt there was something that was confusing in there, let me know please.
The next chapter will be about the "Prat Pack" - Leader: Harry Potter.