Turns of Time

important: just to make things clear. um.... how do I put this....lets see there are two stories woven into the plotline they kinda happen at the same time... Harry's time or present and the ghost's story or the past. i'm soo sorry if i got you guys confused by this. because some of you thought that Hermione was the one engaged. well she isn't. next time to make things clearer i'll make the flashbacks in italics.... ok?

Disclaimer: all the character's you recognize are from the hp books to profit intented here... just palin ol hobby and fun

chapter 14

dreams laxatives and mists

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The day passed on slowly. Hary and Ron spent the earlier part of the day comforting Hermione and trying to make her cough out the reasons of her peculiar behavior. Meanwhile, Hermione just brushed the two boys off, telling them that it was nothing, that it was just her, stressing over the piles of homework.

Hermione struggled to do much of her delayed homework in her free time, which also meant that she spent lunch, breaks and dinner in the library. She ate her lunch, a turkey sandwich, on her way to advanced transfiguration with her two bestfriends trailing after her; Harry carrying her bag.

"We will continue with our lesson." McGonagall wave her wand and the irregularly shaped rocks that was piled high on her desk, began zooming safely across the room and landing infront of students. "After last meeting's fruitless results, I expect some kind of improvement." the professor pursed her lips and looked down upon them. Her eyes sweeping across the room, "Although I doubt it." she added.

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"Hermione?"

They were sitting at the Gryffindor common room. Ron was sitting on a moth eaten armchair near the fire, his gangly long arms spilling out of the sides. Harry was on the worn carpet, pointing his wand on a quidditch diagram, while Hermione was on wooden chair, her books laid out on tables that she pushed together.

It was nearly midnight and only Ron was showing signs of sleepiness. Harry was drowned in the world of quidditch. He seems to have inherited Wood's squiggly diagrams. Hermione on the other hand was catching up on this week's and last week's homework, not to mention next week's.

"Hmm?" Hermione replied not taking her eyes off her book. Her hand was swiftly gliding through the parchment like a typewriter.

"Harry?" Ron looked over to his other friend.

"What?" Harry replied. Squeezing his eyes shut, he opened them again to stare at the diagrams.

"Never mind."

When it was already half past midnight, Harry was already up from the carpet and had joined Ron on the hearth; however, Hermione showed no signs of letting up.

"Hermione?"

"Hmmm..."

"Aren't you going back to your room now?"

"Ron!"

"What?" replied the red haired boy. He looked at Harry first before adressing Hermione again. "As much as we'd like to keep you company. We need and want to sleep."

Hermione finally looked up. The two boys were looking at her with drooping eyes. She didn't want to go back and risk facing Malfoy who may also be pulling an all-nighter in their common room tonight.

"Yeah, 'mione. You know that I would love to stay up with you, but the sandman's winning over me."

Hermione smiled and closed her books. Yawning, she gathered up her things and threw the balled up parchments into the fire.

"No need for sweet words, You're throwing me out, I get it." She slung her bag over her shoulder and proceeded to walk out.

"I'll walk you. Just promise me you won't duck points. Promise?" Harry offered.

"Promise." She held out her hand like a girl scout and giggled.

"Bahh! Hambug!" Ron exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air as if surrendering, while he climbed up the stairs to the dormitory.

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They spent the walk towards her quarters in silence. Hermione was staring ahead, and Harry had slung her backpack over his shoulder and stuffed his hand inside his jean pockets.

"Um..." Harry started but closed his mouth, thinking better.

"Yes?" Hermione stopped and glanced at Harry.

"Do you think maybe...sometime..."

"Yes?" she prompted.

"Nothing." he replied as he started walking again, his face set comically and his movements stiff.

Hermione stiffled a giggle. She jogged and caught up with Harry. "Tell me, while you were with Cho. Are you.." She gestured toward him. "always like this when you're confronting girls?

"W-what?" Harry rasped out. He looked at Hermione and stared straight down at his feet.

Under the moonlight, filtering through the arched windows of the corridor, she could see his face flushing.

"Don't know what you're talking about." he muttered.

Her laughter rang out. Harry looked at her, smiling as well.

When they reached the tapestry. They both stared at it mutely.

"Well, thank you." Harry arched his eyebrows.

"For walking me here---and for this morning."

"Oh, that...I-I better get back."

Hermione nodded; Harry turned around. She watched as Harry walked away, then she realized that her backpack was still on his shoulder.

"Harry, wait." She jogged toward him. "My bag."

"Sorry. Here." He handed the pack back. "Well, goodnight." He leaned in, but thought better. He straightened up, "Sorry."

Hermione smiled at him. She stood on tiptoe and give him a small peck on his cheeks. "Good night."

She closed the door behind her. A smile was pasted on her lips as she relived the moments out there. Sighing, she hoisted her bag up and walked towards her room. She stopped and looked around, she saw something in the corner of her eye.

Draco was sitting on the couch, he was holding sheaves of parchment on his hand; he was sleeping. Hermione sucked the inside of her lowerlip, thinking. She entered her room, dropped her bag and grabbed a spare blanket, she walked back out. She was on the verge of draping the blanket over him, when she stopped.

The darkness floated across her mind. She drew back and just stood there, looking at his sleeping figure. Surely it wouldn't hurt, she thought. It was just a blanket, but then that would also show that she cares.

Without her noticing it, she was wringing the pink comforter in her hands. She was hating reality now, little by little. She blinked back the tears, the room looked blurry now. She felt like a laboratory animal, trained to be a perfect specimen: pain if she was doing something against his will; peace if she wasn't doing anything against.

Slowly, she walked backwards, tears spilling. She just couldn't risk it. "Sorry." She hit her lower back on a drawer, she bit her lip as momentary pain shocked her system. She stumbled into her room, closing her door as quietly and as qiuckly as she could.

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Draco sat up, looking at the closed door. He was feigning sleep and was rather deeply disappointed when she hesitated. He ran his hand through his hair, clutching it tightly until he could feel pain.

What was bothering her? He couldn't understand it, it was like they were back in stage one: enemies. She wouldn't touch him with a ten-foot-pole.

It had been much better when she was out cold, at least, there he could talk to her and touch her.

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The moon was shining brightly. Harry stopped walking and listened intently, someone was on the other side of the corridor. He peered around the corner, he squinted and rubbed the lenses of his glasses. It seems like there were people on the dark side of the corridor. He stared at the scene a little longer letting his eyes adjust. A boy and a girl were snogging. He felt himself blush. He squinted again, something was moving in the darkness beside the couple.

A line of white, he strared at the scene and looked harder. Realization dawned on him, it was a weapon, like a large ax.

It swung back. It looked like it was aiming for the boy's back. Something inside of Harry sprung alive. He wanted to see the boy die, it seems like he deserves it. He shook his head.

The ax, as if in slow motion, swung slowly down. "NO!"

His voice echoed in the corridor. He had stepped out and had found that the adjacent corridor was empty. He looked and ran toward the place at the end of corridor. Groping around, "Hello?" His voice once again rebounded on the stone walls. There was absoluely nothing in there.

He massaged his temple. He was fearing for his sanity.

He started to walk back, out of the darkness. Bumping into something, slowly, he turned around, expecting a bucket of sermons, but instead of a teacher, there was the bloody boy again. He backed away from it. It was staring at him with those eyes again.

Its head cracked to one side, and continued to look at him. A grin was slowly spreading across its face. He didn't want to see that grin again. Harry broke into a run and ran past it not looking back.

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"We're engaged!" she squealed, shoving her hands to his face. The diamond on her ring was blinding him.

She was very happy. He could see it on her face.

'If she were to be with me, would she be this happy?' he thought. He knew the answer. It was never. But you could make her, urged a voice inside him.

He bit his lip and forced himself to nod. He looked around the common room; everybody was doing their own thing, not a single soul was paying attention to them. He glanced at her face again.

"We've set it immediately after graduation." she had that glazed look on her eyes while clutching her hand. She was so radiant, he felt guilty.

"We already agreed on it, you're going to be our bestman!"

He stared into her spakling eyes. Trying to see if it was just another joke. They wanted him to be their bestman. Someone to be trusted.

He looked at his hand, he could almost see the silver blood on it. He quickly hid it behind his back. She was looking at him, her eyes asking for a nod.

"Bestman?" he croaked out. His voice seemed different.

She nodded, smiling. She took his hesitation as a yes and hugged him

He swallowed. Feeling weak at the moment. All his scheming died out the moment her arms enveloped him.

"I'm so happy." his body stiffened.

"I love him so much, I can't believe this day finally arrived." she realeased him wiping her eyes on the sleeves of her robe.

They are traitors, they don't care about you. All they care about is their happiness. You mean nothing to her. He slowly edged away from her. His heart full of rage.

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"Break it up, now." Ron roared. The crowd didn't budge. All of them, fixed there. Staring at something on the floor. A few first years pushed him aside, causing him to reach out to the wall for support.

"Prefect here! Budge it!" he shouted over the buzzing heads, trying his best Percy-like voice.

"Should have known it wouldn't work." he muttered. The classes were about to start.

"Come on move it!" he tried again."Please?"

He sighed. Walking backwards, he eyed the crowd. If he couldn't talk them out of it, he's going to use force.

Face set, he ran full speed towards the crowd, "Aaargh!" he shouted, charging. Just then the bell rang, the crowd immediately dispersed, knocking him off balance.

He groaned and rubbed his behind. "Damn, midgets." he muttered, standing up. He pushed away the remaining first years and stared at the "magnificent spectacle". His jaw dropped.

Harry was lying, prone-like on the floor. Probably unconcious.

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"Harry." Ron shook the unconcious Harry gently. He was still wearing his school robes.

"Harry." His shoes were caked in mud.

"Harry." he began shaking his friend violently.

"HARRY!" Ron shouted on his ear.

He raised his hand to slap the dozing boy, when Harry moaned. He slowly dropped his hand.

Ron stood up, extending his hand down. Harry looked at it before taking it.

"What happened?" he asked as he helped Harry up.

"Don't bother." Harry croaked out.

"Hospital wing?"

Harry shook his head, "Go on get to class, I'll catch up."

"Suit yourself." Ron mumbled, eyeing his dishiveled state. "What's that?" he pointed at the silver splatters on Harry's robe.

"Paint, I s'pose." He looked at it. It couldn't be blood, can it?

Ron shrugged. "Just hurry up."

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Harry ran down the corridors and up the stairs to the fat lady, all the time trying to piece the fragments of memory that were quickly fading away.

A dagger, the box and the moon.

Dumped the contents of his robe pockets on the bed. Did he go to sleep? He brushed the thought aside, a dagger was sitting on his bed. It was clean. He raised the robe and studied it slowly. There were no signs of him wiping the dagger clean. Hesitating, his hand reached out and his fingers wrapped around it. A feeling of power surged through him.

He quickly dropped it.

Grabbing his dirty shirt, he used it to wrap the dagger and stored it under the matress.

"Ah Mr. Potter, was it a success?" the whole class erupted in laughter as Harry entered the dungeons. He was nearly half an hour late. He looked around and spotted Ron.

Dragging his things, he sat beside him and asked, "What did you tell them?"

"Well, you see, I told Snape the first thing that came into my mind and--"

"Oh Harry, are you alright?" Hermione interupted, she sat beside him. He was expecting her to reach for his forehead and was mildly shocked when she placed her hand on his abdomen.

"Um, Hermione," he took her hand and glanced at Snape who was inspecting and criticising Neville's potion. (It was turning in to a mud-like substance instead of a cloudy effect.) He didn't know how to explain his predicament to her. "Peeves just probably---"

"Peeves?"she whispered, scooting closer. Harry blushed. "How did he smuggled the laxatives out?"

"Oh, he probably...Laxatives?" Harry's voice weakened. His face which was already flushed went even brighter. He rounded toward Ron who was hastily mashing the dried scarabs to powder, purposely avoiding his eyes. "You told them---we're going to heve a talk later."

Harry slumped down to his seat.

Laxatives?

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"Sit down."

Harry and Ron scouted for a grassy patch on the classroom floor and sat down. Firenze started the lesson without much ado. (They were taking Firenze's divination class on their second semester.) They laid down on their private patch and started as the centaur pointed out the positions of the stars and vaguely explained it to them.

Harry took this time to take a little nap. He was feeling particularly sleepy after a hearty lunch and after Hermione's long and beautiful speech about sleeping on the floor. Apparently she found out about the "sleeping incident" from the Creevy brother's.

The class was four hours long and they had astronomy later that midnight.

He yawned and placed his arms beneath his heavy head, a minute later he was breathing deeply, without a doubt, fast-asleep.

Harry appeared to be running through the castle, everything on his either side was a blur. He could vaguely see people walking around. He could hear wailing and cries of pain and anguish.

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He was walking through the castle. Everyone was dressed in black. Ron looked around bewildered. Everyone seemed to be mourning. Even what he suspected were teachers were looking somber, some had black veils that hung over their heads.

He felt strangely out of place.

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Harry stopped on a familiar dark corridor. It was roped off and blood splatters were everywhere. A few students stood in front of it mutely. Their eyes glazed over. The wailings seemed to be coming out from the blood splattered walls and floor. A wierd bubbling sensation erupted from his stomach. The place where Hermione had touched was burning. He could taste bile.

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Ron felt himself being drawn. He walked silently, without realizing it, he was already hugging himself. He found his feet stop in front of a small crowd. The area was roped off. Blood was everywhere. He looked at the student's faces and found Harry's. He looked sick, clutching his stomach.

"Help us! Please!" Ron watched as an elderly man grab Harry's robes.

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"The heavens are showing us a pattern..."

Harry's eyes shot open and found himself leaning to the other side and retched.

Ron slowly came back to reality. Harry was retching and gagging beside him. He looked around a few of the nearby students were starting to look. He sat up and rubbed Harry's back.

Firenze stopped his lecture and clopped towards them, bending down, he picked up a dark leafy plant and crushed it with his palm. He handed half of it to Ron and said, "Let him eat it."

Ron looked at the crushed herb and waited for Harry to relax before placing it inside his mouth. Harry swallowed it with difficulty. Firenze passed the remained herb under Harry's nose and promptly pressed it on Harry's stomach.

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"Someone's going to use you."

Harry's head snapped back to the centaur. Ron looked up.

Firenze was staring into the herbal fumes in front of him, once in a while looking up to the stars. Harry was still clutching the crushed herbs to his stomach, easing the pain.

"Take heed, Harry Potter, for a new uncontrollable power is in you hands. Guard it well, with your life."

Harry felt shivers run down his spine.

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Hermione slumped backdown to her seat. Laying the quill down, she looked at her notes proudly. She looked around the classroom.

She hadn't realized it, but almost all the students have also left the room, even Professor Vector. But still, a few students were inside laboriously copying every word and fromulas scribbled neatly on the blackboard. She cracked her knuckes as quietly as she could and started gathering her things.

The door opened and she heard soft footfalls. Tired, she didn't even try to look who the new comer was.

"Her-Granger."

She looked up and saw Draco Malfoy standing behind her. She quickly looked around and discreetly scuttled a little bit farther from him. The blond boy could distinctively see fear in her eyes.

His heart dropped and he stepped back.

"Don't suppose, it would be much of a bother if I borrowed the notes." His eyes moved to the stack of parchments on her desk. His voice was toneless.

"Why?" she asked, as her hands picked the parchments. Grabbing a ribbon from her bag, she tied the parchments together. Draco's hand immediately shot out but Hermione held it closer to her chest. Hesitating, she finally gave it to him.

She was nervous. Asking herself, if the gesture was of caring. Draco nodded silently and slowly backed away, his eyes trained on her asking her. Why?

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"Oohh! Pretty picture!" The picture was of a woman in her early twenties. She was seated on a chair and was smiling shyly. blinking occsionally.

Peeves crackled, he swooped down, low on the desk and passed through the small gilted picture frame on the desk. It toppled over, "Ooopsie, Peeves baddie." but nonetheless continued laughing.

The poltergiest stopped abruptly and looked around the room silently. The room was dark, curtains on one side of the wall draped over the window. Slowly, Peeves floated to the other door opposite the entrance door. Poking his head through the wood, he looked around and let out a low whistle. The walls were filled with bottles of potions. It was a narrow room a cauldron was at the center. Peeves let out a low whistle and laid on his back, looking at the ceiling.

What he saw made him whimper and pull his head back out. A swirling shimmering mist was hanging on the ceiling. It swirled rapidly down. On its way down it formed a face and began to suck in air, drawing peeves's essence in.

Peeves pulled himself out of the room with much difficulty, his essence was being sucked in, Once he was free, he zoomed out, wailing "sorry" all over.

"Peeves."

Peeves stopped and stared at the professor who was standing in the doorway, with utmost fear. "Peeves knows what you're keeping in there, stay away from me." With that the ordinarily mischievous poltergeist zoomed off shaking.

He entered the room and looked up.

"He was messing your office." a voice echoed from the mist.

The man shook his head, the mist went down and swirled around him. He let out a pleasured sigh and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry" it echoed.

He nodded, "Forgiven."

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A/N: hi bunched what used to be chaps 14 15 16...... anyway... Trina just gave me a wonderful tip.... use another name to review... that is if the computer says that you have already reviewed for the chappie... ok?