Three months earlier…
It was very rare that any noise came from the Department of Mysteries. As far as most were concerned, that was a Department haunted by silence. It may have been mysterious, but there never seemed reason to be concerned.
Today was different.
Today, the Department of Mysterious was in a panic.
Department ministers and employees were in a huff running around anxious and flustered. Rumours spread about a cataclysmic event occurring, but no-one knew anything more than suspect stories, each more outlandish than the next.
By the evening, the Minister of Magic had been summoned to a secret location and the rumours were in agreeance that an apocalyptic event was about to destroy the world.
However the truth was much less heartening. It was not merely the world in danger, but the entire timeline.
Those men who studied its working knew how little of how time worked, but they knew enough to know that meddling with it was tantamount to suicidal in the majority of cases. Time had rules, and if you tried to go against them, you paid for it.
And someone somewhere had incurred a debt.
With what they knew, they could guess someone had created an unstable timeline. A timeline that logically couldn't exist. A timeline that defied the path that some unknowable deities had long planned out. A timeline said deities would be rectifying.
This would have been fine enough if that were not to come at the expense of the existence of everyone in the unplanned timeline. As such, the existential implications were swept under the rug along with the rest of the divergent events that unfolded, claiming the very existence of everyone in the original timeline.
While this was all very horrifying, at least the deities watching the events of the universe unfold were no longer filled with displeasure and rage.
Hermione was standing outside the Room of Requirement. She had been thoroughly searching the Hogwarts grounds all night, avoiding the dormitory and specifically Lavender Brown. She had even borrowed the Marauder's Map which had helped to no avail.
The Room of Requirement was one of the few places left. If someone had stolen Mrs Norris, this would be a great place to stash her.
I need somewhere to hide a cat, she thought.
A door materialised and almost immediately Hermione began to hear the wail of a cat on the other side.
"Mrs Norris, are you in there?" she asked as she slowly began to open the door slowly.
The door knocked against the wall and there was a great, ear shattering crack. Hermione's eyes widened as she watched the floor of the Room of Requirement collapse into a swirling abyss of unrecognisable colours and geometry that defied comprehension beneath a shrieking Mrs Norris.
She took the only appropriate action and screamed.
As Ron slept peacefully in his bed, Harry sat up and stared at him from across the room, as though he could somehow discern what Ron was hiding from him by reading it in his face.
His unbreaking glare was broken when the entire castle began to shake.
Neville and Seamus were both roused from their sleep as a dull rumble began to reverberate throughout the castle.
"Wassat?" inquired a bleary eyed Seamus as he began to sit up in his sheets.
Neville's eyes darted around the room, "Issit an earfquake? We'd better take cover."
"A simple Protego spell would prevent us from being crushed if the roof collapses," mused Harry, "Besides Hogwarts is magical isn't it? I doubt they didn't prepare for the possibility of geological phenonemen."
"What the hell is geological phenonemen?" asked Seamus, over Ron's loud snoring, "Is that a Muggle belief?"
Harry rolled his eyes, "Bloody Hell Seamus, it's basic geological science? How can you not know that?"
"I didn't learn much outside of how to use magic," shrugged Deamus bashfully.
"Wait really? You didn't even learn algebra or anything? Physics? Chemistry?"
"Not really," admitted Seamus to Harry's bemusement.
"Blimey," Harry said, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "That seems like a real issue with the education of young wiz-"
"Bloody Hell!" Ron yelled out of nowhere, apparently having stirred from his deep slumber for that bizarre contribution.
"He can sleep through an earthquake but not a criticism of the Wizarding Education system?" scoffed Neville, "Man screw this, I'm going back to sleep."
To Be Continued…
Author's Note: And now we get back on with the story proper. Sorry to all those who find the last chapter to be in poor taste. I can assure you that if I do end up killing Ron, I will allow him a little more grace and dignity than an offscreen death.
Hope you enjoy reading, I would appreciate any reviews and criticisms!
