A/N: Sorry for the wait. If you check out my profile you'll find a reason why I never update, although I do have the next couple chapters filled out. I don't feel like explaining myself again. I have been thinking about this fic, and I must admit that I have absolutely no idea how long this will be. Chapter wise, it must be something like fifteen or twenty. But I am queen of short chapters, so that doesn't mean anything. And the next chapter will definitely have something worth going crazy overAnd if you can't tell (It hasn't been exactly obvious) this fic is during the fifth year.
Disclaimer: J K Rowling, please do not sue me for me writing this. You own all of the characters so far, and the idea for the Time Turner, and inspiration for this piece. But the plot is mine! Mine, I say! Mine! Don't take my money! Don't take my cat- he would scratch you and bite you and ruin you and then you would sue me again for giving you such a naughty cat! Don't take anything of mine, except for time to read your wonderful books. By the way, could this possibly be the longest disclaimer you have ever seen? And no, I am not locked up in an insane asylum and I do not belong there. Yet.
A couple days later Draco decided to try out the Time Turner. He was somewhere in a deserted corridor on the fifth floor. Nobody would find him. Draco turned back his Time Turner once and felt no different than before.
Unbidden images popped into his head. They were of Potter's Mudblood friend, Hermione Granger, of all people. Draco decided to clear his head with a walk. He headed down to the library without thinking. Only when he saw the tall shelves did he realize where he went. And, as usual, Granger was sitting at a table, with five enormous books on the table.
There was something about Granger that Draco didn't understand. She always was the one that Draco wanted to impress, more than her other friends. Maybe it was because she was a Mudblood, and Draco would have to make a lot more of an effort to befriend a Mudblood. She also seemed the one that would see through pretenses easily. Potter and Weasley were both too thick to see through glass. Winning Granger's friendship would be much harder than winning the other two's.
A part of Draco said, If only I was in Gryffindor, it would have been so easy to become close to her. Without realizing what he was doing, Draco went and sat down at Granger's table.
"What do you want?" she asked without looking up from her book.
"I don't really know, myself."
"Then get out of here. I have studying to do. And, by the way, nice Time Turner. Let me guess: your father got it for you. You're probably also traipsing around somewhere else, too."
"Don't bring my father into this; he has nothing to do with the Time Turner. And just because you read about something doesn't make you an expert, either!"
"Just because you have a Time Turner doesn't make you an expert, either! And for your information, I have used one several times." She gathered up her books and left as Madame Pince, the librarian, came over to hush the two.
I butchered that, Draco thought to himself. He thought about wanting to find out why he thought of Granger when he used the Time Turner. He started looking up stuff in the library, but found nothing useful. Several books talked about the uses and properties of Time Turners- some even said how they were created- but nothing talked about an effect like his.
Draco decided to talk to Snape about this. He had given Draco the Time Turner; he should know something about it.
*
Professor, I need to talk to you," Draco said to Snape in class.
"Of course, Draco. Tonight after dinner would be fine." And then Snape sped off to go yell at Potter and Weasley. Maybe they'd lose points or, even better, get a detention.
It turned out that not only did Potter and Weasley get points taken off for their shenanigans (A/N: This word reminds me of a kid in my homeroom. He uses it a lot. I guess it rubbed off on me), but Snape also gave Granger a detention for trying to stop him from punishing Potter and Weasley. Draco was in a good mood.
*
When Draco arrived at Snape's office, he found that Granger was there as well. She was serving her detention here, it seemed. Snape took one glance at her and told her to organize the student storeroom and write down if any supplies were low. "Draco, you wanted to talk. We can talk in the classroom, since I am obligated to watch Miss Granger so that she works diligently. Or if you prefer, you may come back tomorrow."
"Tomorrow I have Quidditch practice. Let's talk now."
"So you wanted to talk about the journal? What about it?"
"It's not that, Professor. It's the Time Turner." Draco glanced at the door to the student storeroom. It was closed, but faint sounds of movement could be heard. "When I used it, I kept on thinking about… someone."
"Do you have it with you?" Draco gave it to Snape, who studied it. "Nothing should interfere with such a magical object. Did it at least work properly?"
"Yes, sir. I just kept thinking about that one person until I got back to the right time."
Snape narrowed his eyes. "There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with this. I will see if I can look into it. But I have never heard of such an incident."
"Thank you, Professor." Draco turned to leave.
"Would this happen to do with a certain girl?" Snape asked.
"No," Draco said quickly. Inside he was going crazy- how could Snape have guessed so quickly?
"Come here tomorrow at seven o'clock, then. You can leave now, Draco."
"But I have Quidditch practice tomorrow! What about Thursday?"
"Fine, Draco," he said. "Miss Granger, I want this storeroom finished sometime before Christmas! Get a move on!"
Draco left the classroom and headed up through the school to somewhere on the fifth floor. There was a small, strange room that Draco had discovered a few years earlier. It had a small mirror in it that could show anything that was happening in the castle. He wasn't here for the mirror tonight, though. He was here to be apart from anyone else. The room had been dubbed the Outsider's Room, since Draco could see everyone else in the castle and hear their conversations without him actually being there. It was like he was on the outside looking in at everyone, being together when Draco was all alone.
Draco woke up, confused about why his bed was so hard. He realized where he was and that it was late at night. He didn't have the slightest clue what time it was, since he didn't have a watch. He used the mirror to spy on someone's watch. It said twelve forty-five.
Draco walked down toward his common room, but then heard someone's footsteps lightly treading on the ground. They rang out in the otherwise silent corridor. He was in the middle of an empty corridor, with absolutely no doorways, no place to run…except back. So he did run back from where he came. He came to a dead end. No. It looked like a dead end, but the wall on the left really was just pretending. It wasn't even solid. It was an illusion. He ran to it he ran into it and fell, with only one thought in his head:
Footsteps coming this way…
A/N: I hope you liked it. A cliffhanger! And you'll probably have to wait another couple days until I decide I have enough time to write the next chapter on the computer. Without the last part and the cliffhanger and all, this would have been a very boring (not to mention short) chapter. Review as if your life depended on it! And your family's lives! And why don't we throw in your friends at school? So please! It will become so interesting in the next chapter! Something very important to the story is going to come up in the fourth chapter, you mark my words! And I need to know if you like it or not so I know how to change what I've written to accommodate all you wonderful people out there!
Also, I've written a lot concerning author's notes this chapter.
I also used about as many exclamation marks today as I have in the past six months. Maybe even year…
