Author: Svelte Rose
Rating: K+
Title: Kill Time, Injure Eternity
Characters: Hermione Granger, Tom Riddle, Cygnus Black, Alphard Black, Abraxas Malfoy, etc.
Warnings: Time turner meaning clichés all about. Mweheh.
Date: December 28th, 2007
Note: Hopefully, the plot will start moving now. Thanks to my lovely beta, Nicole!
xxxxx
"Happy Christmas!" Came the excited grin of a red-headed boy as he handed her a poorly wrapped box with a haphazardly placed ribbon.
"From the both of us," chirped another grinning boy, this time with raven hair and bespectacled green-eyes as he watched her hold the box suspiciously.
"This isn't another one of Fred and George's products, is it?" She asked with a grimace, remembering last year the chocolates she had received and barely escaped consuming.
Both heads shook 'no' vigorously and she shook the box viciously with narrowed eyes at her grinning friends.
"Just open it!" The red-head pushed rolling his eyes good humouredly.
She stuck out her tongue at him and unwrapped the present, throwing the ripped tissue paper aside. Turning the small velvet box around in her hands, she shot her two best friends a confused look before slowly opening the lid.
A gasp and then a large grin blossomed on her face.
"Oh Merlin…this is…this is…" Tears came to her eyes as she pulled the item from the box.
"Told you she'd like it!" The raven-haired boy said with a triumphant grin, nudging the nodding red-head sitting next to him.
"Hmm…I still say we should have gotten the heart-shaped one. Girls always like frilly things like that…" The red-head mused as he smiled at the raven-haired boy.
"No," She said in a soft voice, placing the necklace around her neck and holding the crystal pendant up into the firelight, "This is perfect, absolutely perfect."
The two boys grinned at each other and threw their arms around the small girl.
"So…what did you get us this year?"
A series of clicks sounded throughout the empty room, followed by the creak of hinges in need of a good oiling. At the foot of a bed decorated with purple and blue coverlets, a slender witch with a thick head of curly hair fumbled through her sparse belongings. After a few minutes, her fingers finally brushed across a velvety surface and she felt around the edges just to make sure it was what she had been seeking. Then, plucking it from the trunk, she sat back down on the floor with a sigh of relief, hugging the small box to her chest.
It was about time she unearthed it.
A smile that was neither forced nor strained blossomed across her face for the first time in days as her hands deftly plucked the lid open and withdrew the delicate item sitting on its cushion. Long fingers hooked around the chain and pulled the necklace from its velvet bed before holding it up, letting it dangle in the rays of sunlight streaming in from one of the open windows. At the end of the chain, a simple tear-drop crystal spun, the center glowing with an iridescent silver light.
It had been their Christmas and this, their last physical gift to her. She was never one to place much hold on material things but when it was all she had left of the two people who meant the world to her…
The war had taken everything else. It had taken away her comfort, her morals, and pretty soon, her sanity would join the raucous bunch. She couldn't afford the last bit.
She had to stay in control. Control, control, control.
She wanted to just let go. But she couldn't.
She was too much of a coward to give up. She wasn't brave, she wasn't courageous, she was simply too scared to know what would happen if she finally did give in to the dark hole threatening to swallow her. Even though her situation was tumultuous at best, it was something she could deal with, it was something she could still control. And even though that bit of respite threatened to escape every now and then, at least it hadn't…yet.
But it would soon.
It was because of this realization that she also knew she would need every bit of weaponry that would help her maintain this control- this stupid semblance of some wonky normalcy her consciousness desperately sought to brush upon.
There was no other choice- there had never been another choice. She scoffed at the notion of free will. What was the point if the choices left all worked against the one who was doing the choosing?
As funny as it seemed, her sanity probably depended on this shimmering jewel dancing mid-air in front of her eyes.
Not that it was anything magically special. There were no special enchantments, charms, or protections, but strangely enough, just touching it already filled her being with a warming sense of calm.
…Because it had been given to her, filled with the loving intentions, innocent of two boys she knew she would never see again. There were no thoughts of the glooming war, no thoughts of the death surrounding them. For that moment, it was just the three of them, together, celebrating another day together. It was the last remaining symbol she had left of them, the Golden Trio. Memories just weren't enough anymore.
Time. It was all about time.
Her memories faded with time, her sanity slowly eroded with time- she could feel herself slipping with every second. She even dreaded waking every single morning because of the possibility that that was the day her sanity decided to take flight, disappearing in the after-haze of a dream she couldn't quite remember.
She always dreamt when she slept because it was enough that she lived her nightmare.
Reality was a brutal slap on the wrist and it was especially relentless against her.
"That's a very pretty piece of jewelry," Leonore's clear voice rang out in the dorm room.
The curly-haired witch quickly placed it around her neck and shoved it under her shirt, composing her features and turning to her roommate with a smile and a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders, "A gift from an old friend."
The brunette Ravenclaw walked over to the large armoire the four of them shared and picked up a brush, pulling it through her long, silky hair. Her strangely cold eyes watched the slender witch seated at the food of the bed in the reflection of the mirror, the silent air between them filling with the scraping of plastic upon hair. "It seems quite cheap…but I'm assuming its worth is weighted more in sentimentalities."
A muscle underneath the Hermione's eye twitched surreptitiously as she noted the slightly derisive note her roommate's voice held, "It is worth quite a bit in that aspect." She concurred.
"I see." Leonore responded lightly with a slight nod of her head.
She wondered why the brunette's tilted smile unsettled her so.
Hadn't she seen that smirk somewhere before?
Turning back to the opened trunk, she put back all the things she had withdrawn and then pushed the heavy lid to a close. With a wave of her wand, a series of clicks sounded through the room and then the locks disappeared altogether, leaving an unblemished wooden surface. Brushing off her robes as she stood up, she then headed towards the door. With a hand on the handle, she nodded to the brunette girl, a tight smile stretched out on her face, "I'll see you at the game then."
"Of course," Leonore threw the curly-haired witch a beatific smile.
Stepping outside the dorm and closing the door gently behind her, Hermione patted her chest and felt the bump of her pendant underneath the layers of clothing.
She had never wanted to leave a room so bad.
A troubled look crossed her face causing her to pause on the stairwell.
There was something off about Leonore. It was an unfounded statement and that much she knew. She had nothing with which to compare, having isolated herself so well at the beginning of the year. Though what she did know, was that her roommates all seemed harmless in one way or another…perhaps it was only their quirks that were coming out now?
In the midst of her ponderings, a loud gurgle sounded from her stomach and she immediately brought her hand to it, rubbing the offended organ. Her feet quickly picked up its pace once more, taking her down the stairs, through the common room and out the portrait hole. She remembered vaguely that she had not gone to the Great Hall for quite some time, subsisting on snack bars the castle elves left for the students in their rooms as a bit of sustenance from time to time. It was a miracle her stomach was only protesting now.
Unfortunately, she didn't really feel up to dealing with the noises of excited students at dinner in the Great Hall; she remembered avoiding it even back…then.
But there was no way her stomach would allow her to skip another actual meal. Strolling towards the direction of the Hufflepuff dorms where she knew the kitchens also resided, she wondered how she would persuade the castle elves for a bite without having to go to the Great Hall. There were still a couple of hours left before the Quidditch match. She might even have time to prepare herself a little bit of something if allowed.
xxxxx
A satisfied moan sounded from his throat as the chocolaty drink flowed down his throat, the warmth seeping into his very bones. "This is by far the best beverage I will ever partake in. Thank you so much, Letty."
"Letty is pleased." The small elf said with a happy grin before shuffling off to join her busy comrades.
He plucked at a place of fruit, already clad in his Quidditch gear as he quickly ran through a couple of plays through his mind. Though immersed as he was in his thoughts, it still did not cause him to miss the unmistakable bush of head poking into the kitchen with a rather hungry look about her face before she lifted her eyes and caught sight of him.
She lifted a hand to her mouth in surprise, the drop of her jaw correlating with her widening eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry," She mumbled through her fingers, "I didn't know anyone was here."
Glad for the company, he pulled out a stool beside him and waved her over, "Don't be so polite, come join me! I'm afraid I don't have anything offer but fruit, though I can convince Letty to make some of her delectable chocolate if you wish for a cup."
Much taller than the small witch, he was able to see her coloring cheeks from a certain vantage point as she took the seat next to him. She cleared her throat and nodded, patting her chest before turning to him, "That would be nice, thank you, Black."
"Letty, if you please? And bring something hot for her, she's far too thin for her own good." He plucked a juicy peach from the plate of fruits and licked his nectar soaked fingers, flashing a large grin, "All this propriety, Hera, and I'll mistake you for a Malfoy."
She blinked owlishly at him, never once noticing that Letty had just placed a mug and a plate of steaming, hot food before her. "Uh…" A discreet cough went into a cupped palm before she shrugged good-naturedly and offered him a crooked smile, "I'm not sure if I would be able to pull off his blond hair."
He snorted, "I doubt many people could."
She gave a gracious thanks to the elf, making the poor creature drop whatever she had been doing in surprise. Letty wasn't the only shocked one; he was fairly astonished himself.
Elves rarely, if ever, received any sort of respect for what they did. If they didn't receive complete disdain from the witches and wizards that governed them, then they were simply non-existent. This girl was obviously cut from a different cloth than the rest.
The witch in question didn't notice the slack-jawed look upon his face, so intent on her food in her hunger. She dug into it with a strange fervor; he would have called it fairly lady-like if not for the mountainous amounts that were being deposited in her mouth.
He smirked into his drink.
Oh, he couldn't wait to tell Cygnus about this.
Serves that kid right for running off with that buffoon, Crouch.
xxxxx
After parting ways with the eldest Black boy, her feet took her to the Astronomy Tower, her favorite place to think next to the Library. The sun had not set so there were no worries about catching couples in flagrant delicto; that sort of thing only happened after hours.
She could also avoid the unwanted appearance of a certain Prefect here unlike the library where he seemed to reside often.
Peering out the open windows, she noticed with chagrin a patch of storm clouds gathering in the far distance. A breeze blew through the open arches of the tower and she shivered at the chill that ran down her back. At the next breeze that blew in, she was filled with a sense of puzzling dread, wondering if it was only the seasonal drop in temperature that had her hackles raised so.
There was only one other reason that caused her body to react in such a negative way and he was currently in his dorms, last time she checked.
She grasped at the pendant around her neck and breathed deeply. She had promised she wouldn't let her paranoia get to her. It only created unwanted attentions for herself that she could ill afford. As long as she got through this year, maybe, just maybe, she would…
Thunder rumbled through the darkened sky and she narrowed her eyes. Players were already filling out onto the field. Some students were already occupying the bleachers. There was only half an hour left before the game.
The storm clouds would be here by then.
xxxxx
The long, blond hair that once shined with healthiness was dimmed by the days of grime and grease that shrouded it in clumps. A sneer marred his classically handsome face, features now gaunt from many days without food as he dragged the tip of his wand teasingly across his curved lips. There was a maniacal glint in his periwinkle blue eyes and the dark circles underneath belied how much he lacked in sleep.
The damp autumn wind blew past him and a few seconds later, he lifted his head towards the skies reveling in the sudden rain brought on by the thick, black storm clouds. Then, bringing his face back down, his eyes searched far into the distance. Tiny dots of red and blue zoomed all around the colorfully flagged poles while a small sound of cheering could be heard from the various others seated beneath them.
He drew the long, black wand from his robe and flicked it. To the naked eye, it seemed as though it was a simple twitch of the wrist; nothing seemed to occur at least within his immediate area.
About a hundred miles away, a pitiful wave of groans emitted from a large concrete complex. There was an explosion, an alarm, and then it disappeared under a cloud of black. The only things visible were the long, pearlescent claws resembling hands protruding from the sleeves of the floating black cloaks.
A laugh threatened to burst forth from his throat. Then, another cheer was heard from the colorfully clad crowd off in the distance.
He couldn't help but let the sentiment spill forth.
Xxxxx
She shivered under her thick robes as the rain pelted down on them. Warming charms had been cast but with damp robes, it was pointless to keep doing so. Sliding her shaking hands underneath her robes, she rubbed at the goosebumps littering her arms and looked up into the sky, just barely making out the players zooming around on their broomsticks. A cheer went up as Gryffindor scored another point and without any hesitation, her brown eyes moved to her House's seeker. They were still behind the Ravenclaws but only by a few goals. The snitch was still hiding somewhere and with the rain, it was practically impossible to find.
He was obviously frustrated, raven locks plastered to his fair skin as he floated above the groups, blue eyes searching for the elusive golden snitch as best as he could with the torrents of rain pouring from the skies.
"Come on, Alphard!" Shouted Deidre from her left as the girl shot up from her seat, cupping her mouth. Christine cheered alongside the girl as Leonore sat in her seat, a faint smile playing upon her lips.
"Yeah, Alphard!" Came the distinctly male voice from her right as the boy shot from his seat and pumped his fist into the air. Thick in the crowd as they were, she wasn't too surprised to find that he was practically on her lap as he jumped in his spot against the railing.
That was not on her mind. What did occupy her thoughts were the ominous seeming storm clouds.
Was it normal for them to be that black?
She caught the poor boy just as he stumbled and was rewarded with a charming smile, bright blue eyes twinkling as she gripped him around the waist to steady him.
"My heroine." Cygnus fluttered his abnormally long eyelashes at her in a mock-feminine fashion as he did sit on her lap.
She couldn't help but roll her eyes and shove him gently away before standing up herself, red splashing her cheeks.
Alphard zoomed past them and close on his heels was another Seeker, this one clad in red-robes.
Black hair, green eyes…She gasped, her hand coming right to her mouth as her eyes widened considerably. No, no…it couldn't be…it was just a fanciful notion of hers to see what she wanted to see and not what was really there.
And then…
"Come on, Potter, let's go!" Was the rumble from the other stands as a bunch of Gryffindor students stood up and cheered. This spurred on the Seeker even more as he was now, neck-to-neck with Alphard with an indistinct golden blur darting but a few feet in front of them.
She closed her eyes and her mouth formed a grimace at the tight pain in her chest. A burning sensation grew at the corners of her eyes as her lips opened to take heaps of deep breath.
She could not bear to open her eyes.
"Hermione!" He yelled as he jumped down from the broom and ran to her at a break-neck speed.
A large grin broke out on her face as she pushed through the crowd and leapt at him, laughing all the while as he spun her in a complete circle.
"Did you see? Did you see? I caught it! I caught the snitch!"
She looked into his immensely happy green-eyes and hugged him even tighter, "I saw! I'm so proud of you! Congratulations!"
"Hey, what about me!?" Came the seemingly insulted shout of a red-haired boy as he gathered the both of him in his arms and picked them up with a surprising strength.
She squealed while Harry's laugh was muffled by the tall, red-headed boy's robes.
"Oh dear, Circe! Look at them go!" Deidre gasped as she took the curly-haired witch's arm in a death-like grip causing the girl's eyelids to shoot open.
The witch's attention was summoned immediately to the two Quidditch Seekers as they zoomed up into the sky after the snitch, disappearing into the thick of the storm clouds.
Another painful memory of her third year played out like a bad film. Just like before, the crowd hushed, waiting in anticipation as the seekers jetted after the elusive golden ball. Below, the beaters, chasers, and keepers kept their fight against each other with the bludgers.
She couldn't shake the chill from her shoulders. It was like death breathing down her neck.
Just like last time.
There was a short cheer from the Gryffindor stands when a dot of red could be seen reappearing once more from the sky.
Her eyes narrowed before widening in fear. A crack of lightening lit up the storm clouds and for a scant second, they could make out the outlines of several hooded figures floating without any devices.
Just like last time.
Then, pandemonium exploded from the benches the professors occupied.
She was already feeling around for her wand.
"What in the name of Godric were those?" One professor cried, squinting into the dark storm clouds.
Fear filled her entire being and adrenaline immediately pulsed through her body, her hands wildly grasping at her heavy robes for the slender piece of wood as she pushed her way through the confused throng of Ravenclaw students in her search for the stairs. There was much displeasure at her persistence to reach the exit but she gave no regards to any of their cries.
"HARRY!" She screamed out in a hoarse voice as she darted down the stairs and onto the field, the falling figure horribly still as he depressed towards the ground at a swift speed.
"What the bloody hell are you doing, Hera!?" She heard Leonore scream with displeasure behind her. Cygnus was already dashing down the stairs, hoping to catch the wayward Ravenclaw so intent on her destination.
He whipped out his wand, his robes flapping all around his legs as he sprinted after the dashing girl. She could not go out on the field! One wrong hit with a bludger and…well, bloody hell! What was she doing!?
The curly-haired witch paid them no mind, her legs carrying her quickly to the middle of the pitch.
"Ronegn!" One of the professors shouted. All were standing up, very confused at the strange display of the new transfer student. Foreign or not, one simply did not dash out into the middle of a sports game for no reason and a bloody Quidditch game at that!
Apparently, they hadn't realized the Gryffindor seeker was without his broom.
She jerked to a stop and in a matter of seconds, had her wand held out above her head. A robed figure was heard shouting colorful oaths as he very nearly hit her, swerving just in time to avoid her still figure. She took no notice; her mind working furiously as she quickly sorted through her various memories, intent on finding the one that would aid her in her spell. At the same time, a burst of royal blue robes came forth from the clouds, flying vertically at the ground in an indistinguishable speed, arm held out as he closed in on the unconscious Gryffindor seeker.
Behind him, a cloud of black parted the clouds briefly, claws outstretched like he with his arm as their hoods fluttered against the wind of their downward fall. Ghoulish mouths could be seen in an open scream when someone shouted out, "Dementors!"
All hell broke loose as the students shoved and pushed each other out of the way to get to the stairs. The capabilities of these foul creatures had not been lost on the students and even though many had been taught the Patronus spell, none were willing to stay behind to test out how capable they were with the spell.
"Come on, Cygnus!" A pretty raven-haired girl tugged at his arm.
He shrugged her off and pushed her towards the students dashing away, "Just go, Walburga!" A dash of a silver light glowed above them, blocking a stray Dementor intent on catching a prey or two. Around them, glowing animals attacked the hooded creatures in a sort of fervor resonant with professors desperately trying to protect their students.
Out on the field, the curly-haired witch ignored all of their screams and instead, locked eyes with the frantic blue ones of the eldest Black heir before sending her best, reassuring smile. Her brown eyes flickered quickly to the right and for a moment, he was unsure of what she wanted him to do before realization settled upon him. His mouth pressed in a thin line, he pushed forward with the last of his strength and closed his fingers around the padded arm of his opponent. Immediately, he swerved to the right, clearing the field between the slender witch and the cloud of Dementors bearing down on her.
She could not tell whether or not tears were streaming down her face, drenched in the rain as she was. She was, however, just vaguely aware of her wrist flicking violently as she dropped her jaw and in a voice filled with desperation, she hollered,
"Expecto Patronum!"
xxxxx
A set of footsteps hurried down the strangely absent hallways, their owner's faces filled with grimness as their Ministry badges flashed under the enchanted lights. Stopping before a stone statue, the man standing at the front stepped forward and spoke,
"I am the Head Auror Gower, please inform the Headmaster of our presence."
The stone statue immediately swung open and allowed their entry. The group hurried up the stairs in a single file and quickly entered an already half-filled chamber of Hogwarts professors and staff members. At the forefront of it all stood an auburn-haired wizard and a weary Headmaster wiping at his sweat-drenched forehead.
Before the new attendants could get a word in anywise, the auburn-haired wizard pointed a quelling stare at the Head Auror and in a grave voice, asked, "What happened at Azkaban?"
Head Auror Gower pressed his lips in a tight line as bowed his head in apology to a wizard he clearly respected. Without any hesitance whatsoever, he answered in a similarly weighty tone, "It was Grindelwald, sir. He's officially declared war."