Never Alone
Chapter 21
Cnorth
Disclaimer: All HP characters belong to JKR.
A/N: The end is sneaking up on us fast folks…be sure to check out all the other stories in this series that are coming out, and keep an eye on this one, cuz the evil villain will be showing its face sooner than you think. Also, this chapter should be a warning about meddling with time…provided its even theoretically possible.
Joe shook his head in disbelief. He could have sworn that just a mere second before there had been a body on the floor in front of him. What a joke. There hadn't even been dead bodies in Hogwarts since Moaning Myrtle died. With Voldemort defeated by the great Queen Robin, the Wizarding World had been at peace since almost before he was born. He swept down the hall, his teacher's robes billowing slightly behind him. Since Professor Snape had retired the previous year, he had taken over as the Potion's Master, having been the man's best student throughout his entire seven years of schooling.
It was somewhat amazing that he had even ended up going to Hogwarts-apparently he had been overlooked for a while by the American schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but Professor Dumbledore, brilliant man that he was, had noticed the students who had been overlooked, many of whom had joined him on staff either the past year, or this one. Whitney Volin, the healing teacher and infirmary matron, had been in his year. Ashley Crawford, the herbology teacher, and Shaylin Dutton, the care of magical creatures teacher, had both been in the year lower than him. While he didn't know any of them that well except Whitney, since he had an extra year to get to know her, he and Ashley had been flirting slightly in the past few months and he hoped to ask her to dinner sometime soon.
Again he shook off a slight feeling that something was wrong. How could anything be wrong when everything was so…well, right?
POV CHANGE
Lucius and Severus eventually "escorted" the newcomers up to the castle, where Professor Dumbledore stood. Draco's eyes widened, as did Harry's. Seeing his mentor alive again shocked the stubborn Gryffindor. Maybe he could warn the older man about his fate. Before he could move forward however, Hollie and Stacy each grabbed one of his arms. They were here to test a theory, not to change the course of human events, no matter how much they wished the former Headmaster was alive.
"Mister Snape, Mister Malfoy…you have visitors from off grounds, I take it?" the Professor asked, his twinkling eyes taking in the situation quickly. Not for a second did any of the girls believe that he thought they had come to visit the two Slytherins.
A tall man that none of them recognized paced up next to the headmaster. "Who are these people, Albus?" the man asked, looking down his nose at the closely clustered group of giggling girls and befuddled boys.
"Messrs. Snape and Malfoy have guests, Tom. Can you ask Minerva to set up some rooms for them? I think eight shall be enough." The dark haired man the headmaster had referred to as Tom stalked off, muttering under his breath about Slytherin being the only house that ever was allowed guests.
"Who was that, father?" Draco asked innocently, his eyes wide as he took in all the differences between Hogwarts in this time and his own. For one thing, the Quidditch pitch was far less tasteful, with graffiti covering the posts that in their own time were hidden by the house colors. For another, the Whomping Willow, which at this point was a very young tree, was even wilder than before.
"Oh that? That's Tom Riddle...he's the Potions Master." Lucius answered, still slightly distrustful towards the other blonde boy, but seeing no harm in sharing this information. Immediately, seven pairs of eyes were on him in shock.
"Tom Riddle? As in Lord WalMart Tom Riddle?" Hollie quipped, using one of the many names Chelli had come up with to demean the Dark Lord.
"If you are referring to that idiot who is calling himself Lord Voldemort, then no. His name is Peter Pettigrew." Eyes grew even wider around the closely formed circle who had gathered around the platinum haired Slytherin, to the point where it looked like several people were cartoon characters their eyes had bulged so far.
"You have GOT to be joking me!" Stacy mumbled, her face turning the color of a ripe plum as her laughter ceased her breathing temporarily.
"Dark Lords, no matter their name, are no joking matter, miss...?" Dumbledore sniped, slightly irritated at this reaction to the fact that the wizarding world was at war, and searching for a name from the girl.
"Bond. James Bond." Stacy smiled sweetly as she completely blew off the man, seeing as he WAS an authority figure, after all. Can't let their egos get too big. After all, it's not like he was alive to remember it in her time, right?
Lori rolled her eyes, and then with a look of inspiration, shouted, "I've got it!" Everyone turned to her, expectantly. "The name of that song I couldn't remember!" she grinned, as her friends sighed. Absent minded was one thing, but that was just cruel.
"Ooooh, which one?" Hollie asked, genuinely curious, oblivious to the fact that they had just been let down. She didn't even remember Lori listening to music in the last few days, but maybe that was because she was so busy engineering her little plot.
"Black Velvet...what other song had I forgotten the title of...oh wait, that was while you and Stacy were sequestered. No wonder you don't remember."
"So, if Peter Pettigrew is the Dark Lord, then...wow. That makes things weird." Sam muttered, before stalking away from everybody to think, completely unaware that she was being glared at from a window high in the castle.
Her footsteps took her all the way to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where Hagrid's hut sat in their own time. "This could really put a kink in my plans...that oaf Pettigrew is too weak to use as a figurehead, even. Riddle I could at least manipulate to my will. Perhaps it is time for me to make my move..." she hissed, anger taking over and literally exploding magic out of her body, causing several nearby trees and half of the pumpkin patch to get blown to bits.
She had left Blaise Zambini, her "boyfriend" (otherwise known as her second in command), in charge of watching the present for her. As if she trusted him further than she could throw him...he had been plotting behind her back since the day she took over from the now deceased Dark Lord Voldemort.
She knew that somehow Pettigrew had access to time travel, because every time she had "borrowed" Jenny's powers, as was a talent of hers, the man had been where she was headed, including sometimes before either of them were even born. But if she could get rid of him in this time, perhaps he wouldn't cause so much trouble in the future. Or the present. Or whatever it was. She headed back up to the castle, her face coolly schooled to look sweet and innocent as an angel.
Sam rejoined the group just in time to hear Professor McGonagall whispering, almost out of her hearing range, to Professor Dumbledore. "We have Pettigrew in custody, Albus. The Order caught him a few hours ago. I couldn't find you before, or else I would have let you know," she whispered. Sam perked up. This could very well be the break she was looking for.