Turns of Time

Disclaimer: all characters belong to j.k. rowling. No profit intended...

Chapter 24

Search party


He poured the blood on the pool, turning it red and back again. Carefully raising both his bloody hands, he clasped it around the Key, smearing it with blood. The beam of light shooting out of the pool and suspending the Key was pleasantly cool. With some difficulty he turned it to the knight on his left (past), the beam of light bent and pointed straight to the heart of the knight, animating it. After having done this to the last two knights, the light died down.

Closing the key and pocketing it, he walked out of the room, grinning manically. The knights trailing after him to the outside world.

He left without looking back, leaving the cold body of his brother lying in the corner.


Dumbledore stared at the class list, wearily. Taking a short rest, he took off his glasses and rubbed them vigorously agaist his robes.

"You should probably rest, Dumbledore."

The old man looked up and eyed the portraits, looking for the one who spoke. There, situated among to dozing and drooling headmasters, sat an old man in a squashy armchair. It spoke, "It's already well past midnight."

The current headmaster's office was still bursting with light. A trunk of old student files sat open just beside him and rolls upon rolls of parchment were stacked like a pyramid on top of his desk. The odd silver trinket working non-stop producing pillars and pilars of red and blue smoke.

"No, no. Snichet. I need to find those students." Dumbledore said, returning to his task.

"Maybe I can help. What's the surname?"

"That's the problem, I don't know..."


Ron spent the month of November avoiding Hermione. Talking to her only if necessary, which was during meetings when weaseling out of the nightly rounds with her.

Hermione on the other hand felt that she was always under death sentence everyday when she wakes up. It was like standing on a cliff, waiting for the time when Ron slips and Harry explodes. And spending each night until she drops off praying to every God out there.

Harry on the other hand was becoming more twitchy and moody.With an occasional rose or two for Hermione, otherwise, he was holed in God knows where.

Snow was starting to fall thickly in the Hogwarts ground. The golden trio could still be seen together most of the time but every one could sense that something was wrong.

Nobody paid much attention on Peeves withdrawing gradually, floating along doing nothing but faint ramblings about out-of-bound spirits.

Christmas break was fast approaching, and excitement was brewing among students. The christmas cheer was spreading and seeping into the minds and hearts of students, but it was avoiding the trio like a force field of doom was enveloping them.


"Peeves, I know you know something." Hermione coaxed.

The used-to-be feisty poltergeist was clutching a chandelier, looking straight down at the head girl.

"Come on, you can tell me." The poltergeist floated down warily, looking warily around.

As Peeves descended to her level, Hermione looked around. It was sunday and the snow was falling thickly outside. Everybody was outside enjoying the white landscape, waiting for Monday, when the Hogwarts express wil be taking them home for the holidays.

"There's something in the Professors office." Hermione whipped her head around. Peeves looked around nervously, then giving a frightened squeal, zoomed off and floated through the wall.

Hermione looked around and saw Professor Hay, leaning casually against an open door.

"Miss Granger? May I have a word with you, please?"

Hermione gulped, forcing her face to bare no emotion, she stated, "Yes, professor." and didn't move an inch.

"In my office." Hay stretched and started to walk away, when he felt that hermione wasn't following him, He paused and looked back. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, I just couldn't help bring up that, why go to your office when we can talk here." She look around casually, "There's nobody here anyway."

The Professor grinned and shook his head, "Hermione, Hermione, Hermione... I don't think you understand." He walk towards her, shaking his head. "You see," He raised a hand and started caressing her cheek, "When I say something you're supposed to do it." He grinned cupping her chin, the pressure increasing, causing her to wince in pain.

Hermione started to go for her wand but froze when she felt his wand poking her ribs. "Oh, no, no, no, no." He chuckled, "I can't just let you do that. Now go on..." He released her and pushed her ahead of him to his office.


"Harry?" Harry looked at Ron, who was sitting on the floor playing chess. "I-I need to tell you something..."

"What?" Harry asked looking back out the window.

There was no one left in the common room, everybody was down there playing.

"It's about Hermione..."

"Yeah? What about her?" Harry looked sideways at Ron. Ron was figetting.

"But you've got to promise not to burst."

Harry closed his eyes and calmed himself. "Ok."

"I-I saw her, with Malfoy..." Ron saw the look on Harry's face.

"Ron, they are both heads...so it's natural---" But Ron cut him off.

"No, you don't understand." Ron was now eyeing Harry warily. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

"Ron, spit it out." said Harry his tone rising.

"Maybe it would be better if I write it in a letter." said Ron, chuckling nervously.

"Ron..." He took this as a warning and recounted all of what he saw in one breath. After he had finished, Harry was rubbing his temples. "Why are you doing this?" his voice was barely audible.

When Harry looked up, Ron started to back away trembling. His eyes were showing off white-blue light and his head was cocked to one side. "Harry, what's happening to you."

Then an unearthly voice erupted "See, Harry, they're betraying you." Ron looked around the common room, trying to find the source of the voice.

"NO!" Harry answered back, but his glowing eyes were locked on Ron. Standing up, Harry slipped his hand into his robe and pulled out the dagger.

"Harry, t-think about what you're doing." Ron trembled, reaching for his wand.

Harry swayed on the spot and fell to his knees, then looking at the dagger on his hand, he threw it away. Looking back at Ron, his eyes were now back to emerald green. "Go", he whispered. "Get out of here now." then adding, "please, go."


Hermione nervously stepped into the office, her knees trembling. She stood with her back to him, waiting for the door to close. she heard him mutter something, and she found herself slowly losing conciousness. She dropped to the floor, and bashed her head hard against the floor. Her vision fading.

She awoke with a rather large bump on her head. SHe blinked her eyes several times, she couldn't see anything. Stuggling to right herself, she shivered as her bottom made contact with the cold floor. A small chink of grey light was coming from a crack on the wall.

"Awake?" she squinted at the far end of the wall and found the Defense professor sitting on the corner. His head resting on the wall, not looking at him. She struggled to say something but all that came out from her gag were muffled sounds.

"I'm afraid I have to keep you here...You see, you don't seem to be too keen to play my little game." He moved his head from side to side and sighed. Looking at her, she scuttled back until her back hit the wall.

Hermione looked around frantically, tugging at her ropes, on her hands on feet. She needed to get out of here. There was no way out except the door. The man seemed to know what she was thinking, and smirked,"Don't bother. I will be locking it, and either way, when they come looking for you they won't see anything but a blank wall." Hermione glared at him, he chuckled. "Now as I was saying. After a century of planning, I just can't have it all messed up now, can I?"

Chewing at her gag, she finally managed to move it. "You're hiding something."

The Professor smiled, "Ah, I see Peeves already told you about Kristine. That reminds me, I'm going to have to find her."

"Your keeping another student here? Let her go!" she ordered.

"Correction. Used to be student here. Now she's nothing but a mere essence. And she came to me by herself. Stupid girl, she really thinks I love her. She doesn't know that I'm just going to use her against her bestfriend."

"You vile, you heartless person! I'm going to kill you!" She screamed.

He stood up, whipped out his wand and pointed it at her. A second later, nothing came out of her mouth. Her eyes widened in fear as he strolled towards her.

"Now let's see..." he was smiling again. There was a manic glint in his eyes. "I always wondered how it would feel in reality." As he said that. She felt her clothes being ripped forcefully apart from her skin. She closed her eyes and readied herself for the inevitable. He had done this a number of times before, how bad could it be?

She could feel his every touch on her bare skin. It was like her very skin was on fire.

She let out a sharp intake of breath as he turned her over. Exposing her bottom to the air, her cheeks scraping the dirt floor. Feeling his fingers on her inner thighs, she shuddered and tried to force them together as he pried them slowly apart. He heard him chuckle behind her. She opened her mouth in a silent scream as he felt him dive into her.

The pain was three times worse.


Harry handed the Marauder's map over to Ron. Christmas was a time for celebrating, but what was left of the golden trio-Ron and Harry- were holed up together inside the Gryffindor common room staring at the map all day in hopes of finding Hermione.

They decided to launch a search party all over the school after Malfoy reported that Hermione hadn't returned to their dorm in almost two weeks:

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

Harry had Malfoy pinned against the wall. They were just beside the Fat Lady's portrait, who was already shrieking for help. His lower arm pressing against the Head Boy's trachea.

"Let...me... go..." Malfoy managed to gasp out, his wand jabbing Harry's side.

When the professors dashed in, there were staring at each other, their form bearing results of various jinxes.

They spent the last Half of the holidays searching high and low for Hermione. Each day, the area getting larger and larger in their attempt to find her. Tommorow, classes were about to begin and by now, the whole student body already knows about the disappearance of Hermione Granger.

And by the time Harry and Ron were walking to class that Monday, they already heard different speculations from different students. It even went as far as aliens abducting her:

"I heard they wanted to do an experiment--"

"--She was the brightest stundent--"

"--I heard a first year say that a light shone out of the sky and sucked her up while she was walking in the snow!"

Harry did a double take and Ron turned his laughter to a cough.


A/N: why oh why Delilah!

why oh why Delilah!

Samson

I really don't know where that song came from oh well.. Another new twist... at least I think it's a twist in the story. oh well...

I'm really depressed! one review per chappie? are you guys feeling alright? are you guys sick or something?

Kitty the concerened...