Only Time Will Tell
Chapter 22
Harry's Tirade
"You see, I only set up the Time Elevator for three trips, and would have to reset it completely to set up any more." Dumbledore told the now very stunned group. "You four have already used it twice, but there is only one trip left and two times to go to."
This did not sound good to Harry. Ginny, James, Sirius, Ron, Peter, and Harry looked horrified by the news, but Remus and Hermione didn't seem too phased.
"What if you just sent us all into one of the times, and then from there the others left for their own time?" Hermione asked, and Remus nodded.
"Yes, that could work, but are you positive that there will be a way to your own time from the time you go to?" Dumbledore asked, and neither Remus nor Hermione had any idea of whether there would be another way for them to travel through time.
"1971." James said suddenly, surprising them all. "There's a definite way in 1971."
"James, don't you remember? We don't know where the book is!" Remus reminded him.
"No, he's right, we don't need the book, there's another way from 1971." Harry exclaimed, remembering what James was talking about. "James and I left 1971 from the Time Elevator, and Dumbledore didn't say that there was a limit then. The Time Elevator was broken the last time we were in 1996, well, it was Alternate 1996, but as far as I know, 1971 hasn't changed."
It was agreed then, that the group would take the Time Elevator to 1971, and from there Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny would use it to go to 1996. Assuming, of course, that they had fixed 1996. And also, that 1971 hadn't changed in any way.
Everyone loaded into the Time Elevator, and Dumbledore began setting knobs and dials. Hermione, however, yelped suddenly.
"What about Dumbledore? What about his memory of all this?" She exclaimed.
Another thing that needed consideration: Dumbledore hadn't remembered Harry in the year 1971, nor had he ever mentioned this time adventure to any of them while they had been at Hogwarts. Even Dumbledore agreed that it would probably be better in the long run if he underwent a memory charm, too. However, Hermione in all of her cleverness put a special memory charm on him: as soon as they were out of sight he would forget the entire experience, therefore he would still be able to run the Time Elevator. Also, as soon as one of them told him about the experience, he would be able to remember it all. This seemed to be a good plan of action, and so it was carried out.
"It was, well, very interesting meeting you all." Dumbledore smiled at them as they all got back into the Time Elevator. He bent over the knobs again, making adjustments. "I'm sure that you will all have many more unique experiences during your times at Hogwarts, and I can't wait to meet you all again in the future!"
And with that, he pulled the lever, and the familiar sensation of being sucked upwards by a tornado soon carried them away in a whirl. Faster and faster they spun, Harry was beginning to feel slightly sick. Ron kept knocking into him: it was very crowded with eight people in the Time Elevator. Finally, the spinning began to slow. Harry couldn't really see anything, as Hermione's hair was partially obscuring his view, and Sirius was squashed in front of him. But when Hermione smoothed her bushy hair down, it was almost an ironic scene that they had arrived in: Dumbledore, hunched over the controls of the Time Elevator.
"Oh God, it didn't work!" Sirius moaned at the same time Dumbledore did.
"Where did all these people come from?" Dumbledore asked, looking startled and bewildered.
"But we just left! You just tried to send us to 1971!" Ron urged, sounding worried. Something clicked in Harry.
"Guys, I think we're in 1971, and this is the Dumbledore of 1971, right where James and I left him after he accidentally sent us to 1943." Harry exclaimed, comprehension dawning on him. James nodded vigorously.
"I thought I just accidentally sent you through time! Why are you here again? And where did all these people come from?" Dumbledore asked again, confused.
"You did just accidentally send us through time, but in 1943 we met up with our other friends who had been accidentally sent through time in various ways, and in 1943 you sent us here." Harry clarified for Dumbledore, and as soon as he had said it, it was evident that the memory charm that Hermione had put on him had been lifted.
"Oh, fantastic! That's amazing, you know!" Dumbledore beamed at them all, opening the glass door for them to get out. "I tripped on that switch, it was stuck, and then before I could stop it, you were gone! Very strange!"
"It's been a strange couple of days, or well, strange recent events." James said, frowning as he did, unsure of whether he made sense or not.
"Now can you send us four back to 1996?" Ginny asked hopefully. Dumbledore didn't say anything, but was carefully examining the glass of the Time Elevator. "That's the only reason we all had to come back here, because you would have had to-"
"No, I remember, but you won't be able to go back just yet." Dumbledore sighed, and everyone groaned.
"What could possibly be wrong now?" Peter asked, looking mournful on the behalf of the others.
"The Time Elevator is broken, like I said, I tripped on that switch, and now it's jammed." Dumbledore informed them matter-of-factly. "It will be about a day before it is repaired, unless of course, you want to go back to 1943, the switch is pointing there."
Everyone agreed that they would rather wait a day in 1971 than ever going back to 1943, and this actually made Harry quite cheerful. Not only did it mean another day with the Marauders, but also another day with his mother. Dumbledore promised that the Time Elevator would be ready by the next morning, and that the Hogwarts Guest Rooms would be accommodating. As they left the Time Chamber, Remus commented on trying to find that book he had lost, and Hermione agreed to help him, while Sirius and Ron planned on some chaser-on-keeper practice, as Ron had informed Sirius that he wasn't very good. James mentioned something about trying to find Lily, and Harry and Ginny volunteered enthusiastically to go with him. And Peter tagged along.
"Lily reminds me a lot of you, Ginny." James told them as they began to look for Lily. "Besides the red hair, she's very level headed and doesn't panic in tough situations. Though at least you don't bite Harry's head off every time he talks to you. That's definitely a plus for you."
Harry and Ginny blushed at his words, but James didn't seem to notice. He rambled on about Lily for a while longer, and Harry thought it was nice that James thought so highly of Lily. Spending this time with him had really helped to reconcile the image of James Harry had formed from the scene in the pensieve last year.
"HARRY!" A squeal rang out from nearby, causing the group to look for the source. It was Lily, who had spotted Harry, and who was now rushing over to them.
"I couldn't find you, I was afraid that you had already left without saying goodbye!" Lily beamed at him, and James scowled, wanting to be noticed.
"Good to see you, too, Evans." James said, but Lily ignored him.
"Er, well, I thought I was leaving, but I really am not leaving until tomorrow morning, so-" Harry left his sentence hanging. "This is my friend Ginny, by the way. She's my other, er, cousin."
Ginny and Lily smiled at one another, and James mentioned how hungry he was. Harry couldn't have agreed more: he hadn't eaten since Alternate 1996!
"But, you two just ate dinner a moment ago! I brought Harry to dinner after his tour, and then Dumbledore came to talk with you!" Lily reminded them, and Harry struggled to think back that far.
"Oh, right. I forgot." James mumbled, looking disappointed.
"And why are you all so dirty?" Lily asked, now scrutinizing them. "And you've changed clothes, Harry!"
James supplied Lily with an elaborate tale of them being bombarded by Peeves with dirt and stuff, and Lily didn't look too convinced, but she let it drop. The rest of the evening was spent in her company, and Harry felt an ache every time James made Lily laugh. He was going to miss that so much. His mother really did have a pretty laugh; she sort of wrinkled her nose when she did. He was going to miss them all, his father with his outgoing personality, his mother's kindness and heart, Sirius and his comments, a less worried Remus, too. Though Peter, well, Harry tried to block Peter from his mind. If he got rid of Peter now, however…
"Harry, Dumbledore's got the Guest Rooms ready for us." Ron interrupted his thoughts. Ron, Sirius, Hermione, and Remus had just arrived. Harry nodded before saying goodnights to his mother and the Marauders.
"We'll come by later tonight with some food." Sirius hissed in a low voice as they left. Even Hermione was enthused by this idea.
"I didn't know Hogwarts had Guest Rooms!" Ron exclaimed as Harry and Ginny led the way.
"Honestly, Ron! Aren't you EVER going to read Hogwarts, A History?!?!" Hermione cried in exasperation. Ron gave her a puzzled look.
"Er, well, no." Ron grinned sheepishly, but Hermione chose not to snap back.
They had arrived at the statue of the Troll in a traveling cloak, and Harry stuck his wand in the troll's left nostril. It reminded him a lot of the troll they had knocked out in their first year, with the wand in the nose, but the passage way opened up, and Ginny led them in. Hermione and Ginny went into the room on the left, Harry and Ron in the room on the right.
Harry didn't feel much like going to bed just yet, his hunger was too distracting. Also, he was brooding on the fact that this time he might be saying goodbye to the Marauders and his mother forever. Ron sensed what was going through his mind.
"There's nothing you can do. At least you got to spend this time with them, Harry." Ron said quietly, sitting on one of the beds. Harry's eyebrows raised, and Ron looked worried.
"There is too something I could do, that would change things." Harry replied, in a bitter tone.
"It might change the wrong things though, there's no way we could know if-" Ron gently tried to remind him, but Harry was angry now.
"YOU'RE GOING TO LET IT ALL JUST HAPPEN?" Harry roared, and Ron flinched.
Outside of the room, in the hallway, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter approached the door. James reached forward to turn the knob, but heard Harry shouting and stopped to listen.
"Well, we have to-"
"SO IT'S OKAY THAT SIRIUS IS GOING TO SPEND 12 YEARS IN AZKABAN?" Harry asked him, furious.
"I don't like it either, but-"
"AND FINE THAT JAMES AND LILY ARE GOING TO BE MURDERED?"
"Harry, I-"
"I'LL LIVE WITH THE DURSLEYS FOR 15 YEARS, AND THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE OKAY?"
"No, but-"
"NEVER PLAY QUIDDITCH WITH MY FATHER? NEVER HAVE MY MUM KISS ME GOODNIGHT?"
"Harry, you know I-"
"I SHOULD JUST LET JAMES AND LILY DIE BECAUSE ONE OF THEIR BEST FRIENDS IS GOING TO BETRAY THEM? IS THAT WHAT I'M SUPPOSED TO DO?" Harry hollered, and Ron was positively cowering by this time.
In the hallway, the Marauders remained stationary in stunned silence. Hermione and Ginny came out in the hallway and saw them standing there, and looked at them questioningly.
"HE WAS THEIR FRIEND! AND HE KILLED THEM!" Harry continued his tirade, and Hermione gasped. She pushed through the stunned Marauders and opened the door.
Harry and Ron's heads whipped to look at who was coming in. Seeing the pale, shocked faces of Hermione, Ginny, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter framed in the doorway made Harry and Ron go stark white as well.