A/N: I am extremely sorry for the long wait... this chapter was written and ready for weeks. I just didn't have the guts to post it, though... decided to grow a pair and just hit the publish button today. Please leave a review?
Chapter 42: A Tear In Time
Unedited...
The mood in the room was formidable, palpable enough to make even Hagrid, the half-giant, squirm in his seat as the Headmaster listened on intently, his fingers pressed together in controlled rage. It didn't matter that the room wasn't traditionally inhabited by the school's staff alone this evening; it made no difference to him that tonight, they were surrounded by a bunch of people from outside the school, including half a dozen grim-looking Aurors, mean-eyed goblins from Gringotts, wiccans and warlocks from the Scrying Wolf Guild, loyalist witches and wizards from Dumbledore's secret organisation, important (yet dead) wizard figures in paintings, two Squibs, the Minister of Magic herself, and a phoenix — Dumbledore was enraged, and he wasn't holding back.
"... as I was saying... Hogwarts is not safe for students anymore..." the stout, young witch was muttering to the grim Headmaster, her voice bearing great dread and hesitance. "The magical community is — for the lack of a better word —" Molly Weasley gulped and shot a nervous glance at her husband before continuing, "— losing trust in your patronage, Albus... We... We've had a hundred and seventy two owls in just the last hour from parents demanding that we send the students back home —"
"— Thank you, Molly," Dumbledore held his hand up, his half-moon glasses resting precariously on the bridge of his nose, as he glared in the direction of Uradeus Drudalf, who was glowering back quite delightfully at the old wizard, his tiny little braid resting proudly on his shoulder. "I thought I left the school in charge of the Head Auror —"
"— Auror Drudalf was waiting for my orders, Albus —"
"— I wasn't speaking to you, Madam Bagnold!" Dumbledore roared, sending a shockwave across the room. More so because he had referred to his old friend by her title instead.
A burst of murmurs broke out in the room, as everyone around visibly shuddered in the aftermath of that outburst.
It took several moments for the occupants to collect themselves as they reeled under the death glares that Dumbledore and Bagnold were lashing each other with. Turning back towards a now slightly shaken Drudalf, Dumbledore quietly repeated himself. "I thought I left you in charge of my school and my students... Auror Drudalf..."
There was so much severity in his voice that anybody else in Drudalf's place would have suffered a fatal fit by now.
Bagnold looked murderous.
Drudalf, however, merely scoffed. "Do not fret much at the words of the unlettered, dear Minister," he said loftily, exchanging a hubristic smile with Bagnold. Turning back to Dumbledore, he said, "You may not be aware of the stipulated Auror Protocols, Headmaster, but it is standard procedure to wait for orders to come from the top before we make a move." His face bore a stony expression. " — Any move."
Someone snorted loudly from the side. "Is it also standard procedure to watch magical blood be spilled while you simply stand there, gawping, Auror Drudalf?" ground out, Abraxas Malfoy, his proud nostrils flaring in open abhorrence for the slimy-haired Auror.
"I was only doing my job, Warlock Malfoy!" Drudalf howled back.
"Your job is to PROTECT the lives of wizards, NOT PAINT YOUR NAILS WHILE FUTURE LORDS OF PUREBLOOD FAMILIES PRACTICALLY DIED UNDER YOUR WATCH!"
"THERE WERE NO CASULATIES TONIGHT!"
"EXCEPT MY SON NEARLY DID DIE —!"
"— THAT'S BECAUSE YOUR SON WASN'T EVEN IN THE DUNGEONS LIKE THE REST OF HIS HOUSE MATES WERE, LORD MALFOY!" McGonagall roared. "THE SCHOOL CANNOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE LIVES OF ITS STUDENTS IF THEY WILLINGLY CHOOSE TO PUT THEMSELVES IN THE LINE OF FIRE BY INDULGING IN ABSOLUTELY FOOLISH ERRANDS FOR THE DARK SIDE —!"
Malfoy swivelled wildly. "— I have NOT A CLUE what you're about —!"
"— OF COURSE YOU WOULDN'T!" Drudalf scoffed. "No Death Eater would EVER openly admit their allegiance to the Dark Side now, would they —?"
"HOLD YOUR TONGUE, AUROR, OR THERE WILL BE DIRE CONSEQUENCES —!"
Drudalf guffawed. "Yeah. Consequences, my boot!"
"Oh, there most definitely ARE consequences, Auror Drudalf, MOST DIRE!" McGonagall flinched, rising up to her full height.
"There will be no such thing inflicted upon my staff, dear McGonagall. Are you forgetting Hogwarts is now a Ministry-run institution?" Bagnold fired back.
"Hogwarts is my school, Madam," Dumbledore cut her, looking grim.
Nearly every head in the room swung around to face the formidable old wizard, his stoic expression making him seem even more frightening than Bagnold's death glare.
"As the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, the final word on any decision regarding the magical education of young witches and wizards will lie with me," the tall wizard continued matter-of-factly. "Hence, Hogwarts will always be under my jurisdiction."
"That is not up to you to decide, Dumbledore!" Bagnold snapped irritatedly.
"I am merely stating the facts, Bagnold," Dumbledore said quietly. "And in light of the recent events — which may I state are unpardonable and heinous to say the very least —" he said, looking directly at Drudalf, "I would have to assert my authority and deem that the crimes of tonight will not go uninvestigated."
As if struck by a thunderbolt, Bagnold stared back, a dangerous eyebrow rising up in her forehead. "Are you saying what I think you're saying, Dumbledore?" Bagnold started, inching dangerously close to the Headmaster's desk, her eyes boring a hole on his skull. "Are you honestly suggesting that the formal body of magical defence, the Department's Auror Force, is corrupt and has abetted the crimes of the Dark Side in tonight's incidents?"
"Yes," spoke three voices at the same — three most unlikely voices at that, because they belonged to McGonagall, Hagrid and Abraxas Malfoy.
The witch sitting immediately to the right of Bagnold squirmed uncomfortably in her chair, but everyone else was quite still and silent.
"Merlin's beard," Bagnold guffawed icily, looking around outrageously at her subjects and grinning in sarcastic disbelief, "You'd think as the Minister for Magic, I'd have some respect around here —"
"I think the Headmaster is merely trying to ensnare the Ministry with false accusations, Madam Bagnold," Drudalf said, crisply stepping forward as her faithful servant.
McGonagall's eyes widened. "That's untrue —"
"— Care to elaborate, Auror?" Bagnold cut her, shushing the old witch with her hand.
Stealing a glance at Dumbledore, Drudalf continued. "It is quite obvious that Headmaster Dumbledore was dissatisfied with my employment as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher to begin with, Minister."
A burst of murmur went up as most of the staff of Hogwarts exchanged confused looks with each other at this new bizarre angle.
"As it is quite widely known, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Warlock Albus Dumbledore, has never particularly conformed with the laws of Magic nor does he agree with the ways of the Ministry —"
The buzzing in the room was louder than ever now, as teachers and goblins displayed conflicting reactions of distress and jubilance at the same time.
"— and hence, was not entirely amused when the announcement of my appointment in Hogwarts reached him."
"Interesting, Auror," Bagnold mused, watching him with a manic 'Caught-Him-Red-Handed' look on her face. "Go on..."
Drudalf's eyes twinkled with glee. "Ever since I started here, the Headmaster has been most uncooperative and unresponsive to my suggestions, suggestions that may have helped instil a more reformed and safe sanctum fit for students, Madam Bagnold —"
Sprout nearly fell out of her seat as she attempted to jump up in rage. "There isn't a safer place on earth than Hogwarts, dear sir —!" she began, but Drudalf cut her off quite smoothly.
"— TONIGHT may not have even occurred had my changes been properly and timely implemented!" Drudalf roared, distressfully ignoring the pleas that the rest of the staff were making behind him.
"Do not listen to him, Madam Bagnold!" Professor Abolet yelled from behind.
"Yes! This school would not be in this state if the Aurors had simply done their job well tonight!" Flitwick appealed, amidst all the uproar that had broken out around him. And quite surprisingly, Dumbledore wasn't doing anything to contain the situation and simply maintained an impassive expression, closely watching Bagnold's paling expression on her face.
"The school's harbouring hopeful-Death Eaters right under your nose and are trying to pass the Billywig by questioning YOUR impeccable administration, Madam Bagnold!" Drudalf countered, causing the room to explode in agitation now.
"The staff of this school did NO SUCH THING, Headmaster!" Slughorn howled, looking shaken at the very least. "We do not foster Dark Magic —"
"ENOUGH!" roared Bagnold, finally bringing the tirade to a stop. "I think I've heard quite enough tonight and I must say, I am appalled that this school has been left at the hands of such inept leaders!"
"That I would agree with," Malfoy sneered, leaning proudly on his long, black stick. "As head of the Ivy Union, I condemn Professor Dumbledore's management! Never before have the walls of Hogwarts been breached so shamefully, nor has the name of wizard been dragged through the mud like this in the history of wizardkind!"
"Whose side are you on, Warlock Malfoy?" Drudalf barked impatiently. "You seem to be batting both ways!"
"Do I?" Malfoy sneered. "Well, then, perhaps I am. An incompetent Auror Force is a lot worse than an incompetent Headmaster, don't you think?"
"Says the hypocrite who secretly serves You-Know-Who and denounces the work of others —!"
"— Minerva..." Dumbledore hushed her, his voice only hinting at a trace of warning. Turning back to face the rest of the company, he adjusted his glasses and said, "Tonight's events will be investigated whether the Ministry sanctions it or not," he thumped the table lightly with an air of finality. "Perpetrators irrespective of their rank and position will be punished appropriately. Anyone who wishes to contest that may do so in the magical court of law tomorrow," he said quietly, looking specifically at a glowering Abraxas Malfoy.
Bagnold and Drudalf did not say anything and merely glared back at the undeterred old man. "Very well, then," Bagnold nodded coldly.
Drudalf swung his head around violently. "But Madam —"
"— Because I assume if you do go through with that decision," Bagnold continued, folding her hands across her chest, "you plan on sparing no one?"
"I think that goes without saying, Minister," McGonagall shot back before Dumbledore could even open his mouth.
"Including the students of Hogwarts?" Bagnold shot back abruptly, causing yet another startled stir in the room. "Why, thank you for clearing that up, dear Minerva, your sense of fairness has always shone through. I do gather that a bunch of students are still missing or are unaccounted for to this second..."
"Madam Bagnold, may I please interrupt you there —?"
"— You may not, Professor McGonagall, you made a fair point and I agree with you completely! All students of Hogwarts, whether missing or not WILL be tried and questioned formally right here in Hogwarts, presided by the Wizengamot and members of the formal Wizard's Council," Bagnold finished, snapping her fingers triumphantly at a completely unwitting McGonagall.
"Minister, they are Underage students! It is against the Law to try Underage witches and wizards in a formal court hearing —!"
"— Any student who is not able to sufficiently prove their innocence or their non-involvement in tonight's adversity will be subject to punishment and imprisonment analogous to adults who commit treason and treachery!"
"WHAT?" Hagrid boomed, his shaggy beard swinging from side to side in shock even as the room broke out in loud murmurs once again, everyone reeling in shock at this decree.
"Good day, everyone, but I must be leaving now!" Bagnold whipped around before McGonagall could even fully grasp what had happened. "And thank you for all your cooperation, it was a wonderful little 'chat'," she ground out acidly before stalking towards the fireplace and disappearing in a flash of green smoke, closely followed by her secretary and assistants, who seemed to scurry out of sight in pure fear of the staff of Hogwarts than anything else.
"Well, she's surely made sure I have my work cut out for me, hasn't she?" Malfoy snarled viciously, fury in his face. "I hope you're happy now, Albus? You're counting your days as Headmaster here, you know?" he barked.
"Send love to Vivienne for me, won't you, Abraxas?" Dumbledore said, smiling serenely at the hardened, red face of Abraxas Malfoy.
Without even bidding him goodbye, Malfoy swung around and nearly knocked Sprout of her chair as he stormed into the fireplace and disappeared in a thick, green smoke.
Before anyone could react or even wrap their heads around what had just transpired, however, something very strange happened. The Sorting Hat that was resting on the Headmaster's table started to glow brightly, drawing everyone's attention to it like a moth to a candle. After a brief few moments, however, the glow died abruptly and the Hat looked as innocent as it had just a couple of seconds ago. Dumbledore was eyeing it curiously, as did the rest of the room. Slowly, he reached out and lifted the Hat, noting the obvious rise in its weight as he did. He put his hand inside and swiftly pulled out a most ethereal-looking sliver sword set with rubies at the handle.
Everyone gasped.
"The sword of Gryffindor…" murmured Dumbledore almost to himself, even as Flitwick let out a strangled cry of surprise. "Why are we being presented with the sword of Gryffindor just about now...?"
"Mr. Dumbledore, sir," suddenly came a voice from under Dumbledore's table. Everyone looked around to realize it was a tiny, yet fierce-looking goblin who had spoken those words.
"Yes, Glodaḁt?" said Dumbledore.
"May I please take a look at the sword? Something does not seem right about it," said Glodaḁt.
Dumbledore nodded and handed over the sword to the goblin. The second the sword touched his hand, a sense of pride and covetousness washed over his pointy face. He keenly examined the sword, his pointy nose almost gliding against its smooth blade as he muttered strange-sounding incantations under his breath. A second later, however, his eyes flew open. The fingers that held the sword started to tremble. The expression on Glodaḁt's face was unreadable: it was a mixture of shock, surprise, pride and wrath all at the same time...
"What's the matter, Glodaḁt?" asked Dumbledore quite curiously.
"The sword… The sword! It's properties have been altered!" cried Glodaḁt, his eyes boring into the silver that shone back on his face. "It has been tampered with! BESPOILED! DEFILED!" he cried even louder. "How did this happen?! Who was responsible for this?!" he yelled at Dumbledore.
"Glodaḁt, old friend, I do not understand what you are talking about. The sword hasn't left the tower in more than a hundred and fifty years!" said, Dumbledore.
"Really, now?" spat Glodaḁt. "How then has the sword been impregnated… with basilisk venom?!"
An almost frustrated Dumbledore closed his eyes even as the room around him exploded in bewilderment; cries of horror filled the already stuffy room, making it difficult to breathe even.
"Minerva, fetch the Gryffindor students at once," he said, replacing his half-moon glasses on his sweaty nose.
"But they're getting treated in the Hospital Wing, Albus —"
"— Please, Minerva." Dumbledore looked straight into her face, his expression requiring no further elucidation whatsoever.
"Very well, then," McGonagall nodded curtly and left the room at once.
...
~oO Hospital Wing, Hogwarts
~ At about the same time... ~
The Obscorimagist kept shaking her head disapprovingly, her eyebrows squeezing together to form two major glabella lines of worry in her forehead. "She's not responding quite like she ought to," she whispered more to herself in frustration, as she continued to swirl her wand around a white-faced, unconscious Angela.
"What do you mean, Miss Pickerin?" Isabella asked, her hands clasped tightly together in mind-numbing angst. "But she was doing fine for so many months... Why is she sick now?" she gurgled, gulping nervously as she watched an eerie-looking ball of black smoke flashing in and out of sight around her sister, almost as if a storm is ready to spin out of control any second now.
"It could be several reasons, Miss Williams," Pickerin said, wiping the sweat off her brow and tirelessly repeating the incantation under her breath. "The extreme trauma that she encountered less than two hours ago must have made her self-defence system go haywire..." she said, swinging her wand quite violently from side-to-side now. "Or..." Pickerin paused and looked straight at Isabella, her breath hitching painfully in her throat, "she continues to sense danger around her now and her subconscious mind is trying to fight it off using her Obscurial form..."
Isabella frowned incredulously. "But... But... All the Death Eaters have left the castle," she stuttered, "there's no one here that could cause us any danger... Unless —" she paused, her heart pounding against her chest now, "— unless there really is a spy among us... So Remus is right...?" she whispered and looked around fearfully at the sea of seemingly innocent-looking students around her in the Hospital Wing this very instant. Every face she searched bore a desperate smear of helplessness, sending a slow trickle of dread up her spine.
"Merlin's beard, so this is how it starts, doesn't it?" Isabella muttered to herself, her eyes still scouting around the large room, consumed with manic paranoia now.
Pickerin, who was watching her keenly, nodded slowly. "Thus begins the era of perennial mistrust of one's own kith and kin..." she announced dramatically. "One can never know who of our loved ones have crossed over to the Dark Side... and who would hunt you down at night and kill you in cold blood because that was what 'their Master ordered them to do'..." she slurred, as if reliving a distant memory. And for a split second, Isabella nearly jumped up in fear at the fierce expression that Pickerin held in her face, almost as if she was the first person everyone ought to stay away from...
A second later, however, Pickerin snapped awake. "I'm afraid I need to take her to the Head Healer right away. There's nothing Healer Cyrene Widdershins can't heal," she said, although not sounding confident at all.
"You mean you're taking her to St. Mungo's?" Isabella asked, fighting off the tight knot forming in the pit of her stomach.
"I'm afraid so," Pickerin replied hastily, watching Angela shudder quite violently on her bed now.
"I'm coming with you then," Isabella stated flatly.
"— Miss Williams, I must assert that it is too dangerous to leave Hogwarts now."
"Miss Pickerin, there's no way I'm ever letting her out of my sight ever again —!"
"— You don't even have a guardian at the moment, Miss Williams!" The comment sliced her like a knife to a pork chop. "Add that to the fact that you're still Underage!" Pickerin continued, completely indifferent to Isabella's emotional state. "I am sorry, but legally, I am not at liberty to allow you to accompany me."
Blinking back tears, Isabella pressed on. "She'd be terrified out of her skin if she woke up all alone in a magical hospital, especially after having suffered through one's worst NIGHTMARE, Miss Pickerin!"
"Izzy...?" Isabella heard someone cry out worriedly from behind her.
"I am coming with you," Isabella stated firmly whilst nervously noting the feverish burst of sweat on Angela's forehead now.
"Izzy, is everything okay?" Sirius's voice came floating by from the back, followed by several pairs of feet jogging towards her now.
"Miss Williams, my word is final —!"
"What's going on? What's happened, Izzy?" James demanded, coming to stand beside her now.
"You can't stop me!"
"Her condition is worsening —!" Pickerin shouted when the double doors to the Hospital Wing flew open.
The noisy room went quiet at once as every head turned around to find a distraught McGonagall storming in, her lips thin as ever.
"All student from Gryffindor, sixth-year and above are summoned to the Headmaster's Office at once!" she stated crisply. "That is, those well enough to walk, obviously. Chop, chop now!" she bit out fiercely. It was quite evident from her tone that she disapproved the summons thoroughly but was forced to do it.
Pickerin triumphantly glanced back at Isabella. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have a very sick Obscurial to Heal!" she said, gathering up her things and pushing Angela's towards the fireplace to Floo out of.
"Where is she going...?" Isabella heard Sirius whisper feverishly to James while McGonagall busily collected the students who had been 'summoned' out of here, her breaths coming out in short bursts now.
"Miss Williams, will you get over here at once?!" McGonagall cried out sharply, making her jump up.
"Xeno!" Isabella shouted, startling the boy sleeping some feet away. "Go to St. Mungo's with my sister! NOW!" she shouted, pulling him out of bed and rushing him towards the fireplace where Pickerin had paused to grab a handful of Floo powder. "Keep a close eye on her till she wakes up! And please, oh please, don't lose sight of her, you hear me?" Isabella stuttered desperately, and before Xenophilius Lovegood could even properly nod his head in consent, she had pushed him into the green fire next to Pickerin, and just like that, before the Healer could even protest, the two of them along with an unconscious Angela in Pickerin's arms, had burnt and disappeared in a Blip!
"Time to go, Iz," someone said, strapping their hand around hers.
Jumping on the spot, Isabella turned around and realised all eyes were on her now, including McGonagall's, who looked torn between steely pride and sunken remorse for the fifteen-year old.
Spent and tired to her bones, Isabella let Sirius drag her out of the Hospital Wing with the rest of the crew.
~oO Dumbledore's Office, Hogwarts
A heavy mixture of confusion, bafflement and rage hung in the air; confusion coming from the students, bafflement from Dumbledore, and absolute seething rage from the goblins, who were now taking turns at examining the sword. No one knew what to say to make sense of anything that had been said mere minutes ago. The conversation that had transpired between the goblin and the wizard seemed to have robbed at least ten years of age from the Headmaster's face.
The Marauders, especially, looked beside themselves with angst, almost as if they were unravelling something that the none of the others were aware of. Because, while the Headmaster pondered over the most practical explanation there was to the current situation, James and Sirius, along with their equally naïve friends seemed to be considering all of the most impractical ways to tackle the situation at hand (one solution, obviously, was to move to Liechtenstein and never return!). The silence lasted an eternity before it was finally broken by Dumbledore himself.
"Basilisk venom...?" Dumbledore repeated, an unmistakeable ring of shock dancing in his eyes. "Why, that can't be... It's quite not… possible…" he said, looking thoughtful. "Hagrid…" he suddenly said, looking up at the half-giant who stood right at the back of the room. Hagrid jerked violently upwards, stunned at being spoken to directly by the Headmaster, and quite instantly, a most formidable pulse took over the room as everyone stirred uncomfortably, some even shaking their heads in disapproval.
"Pardon my interruption, Professor Dumbledore, but what could you POSSIBLY have to discuss with the rogue half-giant at a time like this?" asked Glodaḁt scathingly. "What profound explanation would an ex-convict be able to provide on matters far above the creature's basic understanding —?!"
"— Dear Glodaḁt, that is a member of Hogwarts's staff you are speaking of," Dumbledore cut him acidly. "I would appreciate it if you will pay Hagrid just as much respect as you would show me."
Isabella looked quizzically at Sirius who, for his part, shrugged back innocently, because the woman named Molly Weasley was scrunching her nose and shaking her head in complete condemnation now as Hagrid slowly moved his massive weight forward towards Dumbledore's table, completely aware of all the eyes that followed him icily.
Glodaḁt, the goblin, was obviously not pleased at being snubbed so publicly in this manner, while the other non-Hogwarts members in the seemed to clearly take the hint to hold their tongues about the half-giant too.
"Hagrid is an ex-convict?" Alice whispered in James's ear, who responded with a bewildered shake of shoulders.
"Is that why everyone's so repulsed by him?" Peter added.
Glaring back begrudgingly, Glodaḁt retracted. "I meant to ask how questioning a half-giant would be appropriate in this scenario while there half a dozen warlocks and goblins in the room with far superior knowledge on this relic..."
"Good question, Glodaḁt. As a matter of fact, there is an extremely close connection between the Sword of Gryffindor, Hagrid and basilisk venom," Dumbledore said, nodding at the vermillion face of Hagrid. "Aside from being the gamekeeper at Hogwarts, Hagrid also has expert knowledge on magical creatures and beasts, knowledge that neither you nor I even remotely possess."
"Headmaster Dumbledore, sir," mumbled Hagrid hardly looking up at the kind eyes that was surveying him through a pair of half-moon glasses.
"Hagrid, I am afraid, I am going to need your expert opinion on something," Dumbledore said, now looking at the crowd behind Hagrid. Several people moved impatiently in their chairs, while still others muttered under their breaths. It was apparent that very few in the room actually believed that Hagrid was innocent (as for the sixteen-year-old Gryffindors, they didn't know what to believe anymore, as they gaped at their beloved gamekeeper in shock).
"Anythin' ye need, sir," said Hagrid, hardly daring to look up as more murmurs burst through the room.
"Hagrid, Glodaḁt here, says that this sword has been impregnated… with basilisk venom. Now, would you know something about that…?"
Hagrid shot up a baffled look. He shook his mangy head fervently and flailed his dustbin-lid sized hands in an attempt to prove his innocence.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, sir!" he breathed, begging to be believed. "I had nuthin' ter do with it, sir! Nuthin' I say! I never lay me hands on dat sword! Please, sir, don't send me to Azkaban! I didn't do nuthin' with the sword, sir! I don't own a basilisk, they're too dangerous… even fer me, sir!" he said, even as a teardrop the size of a mug splashed on the carpet beneath him. Isabella could almost hear Hagrid's heart beating against his chest as he kept looking around at everyone in the room, trying to convince them.
In all his pleading, however, Hagrid had failed to notice Dumbledore putting his hand up, asking to him calm down. "Hagrid…" said Dumbledore again, this time waiting for him to pull himself together. "That was not what I was insinuating at all..." he said. Hagrid turned around to face Dumbledore and his face relaxed immediately.
"Yes, Pr'f'ssor, sir" said Hagrid, calming down a little bit.
"Hagrid, this sword, as my dear goblin friend here claims, has been impregnated with basilisk venom. And I can say with complete assurance that the sword has not left my room, let alone the castle in a very long time, which only means one thing: there's a basilisk living amongst us in this castle even as we speak."
The tremor that rumbled through nearly shook the castle giddy as everyone present held their breaths in absolute dread at the old wizard's words.
Dumbledore grimly nodded, the worry lines on his forehead getting more pronounced now. "Several years ago a similar concern had gripped the school where rumours were rife about a student who had slipped a monster into the castle for which, our gamekeeper, Mr. Rubeus Hagrid was accused of. Unfortunately, at the time, I didn't believe it, but I think I may have been mistaken —"
"— Pr'f'ssor, please! I have nuthin' ter do with this!" Hagrid boomed, his shaggy beard trembling in fear now. "I wasn't lyin' then and I'm no' lyin' now, sir —"
"— Yes, Hagrid, you are not," Dumbledore smiled reassuringly. "It is becoming exceedingly clear to me now that you truly did not have anything to with that incident, because in 1943 when Riddle accused you of smuggling in a monster, he had been referring to a giant acromantula, not a basilisk. But today, with the Sword's properties being altered with basilisk venom clearly reveals that the real monster that was smuggled in was a basilisk and the person for that is another of my former students, Mr. Tom Riddle, or as he has been widely known today as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
A shockwave rippled through everyone, and quite predictably, not everyone was happy to learn that the half-giant had indeed been innocent all along.
"Say, Hagrid. Could you tell us exactly how long it would take for a young basilisk snake to produce venom of deadly effects?" asked Dumbledore.
Quite intrigued by the question, Hagrid immediately seemed to relax a bit more and spoke more confidently this time. "A basilisk, eh? Why, i' would take about fifty years at least fer a fully grown basilisk ter produce venom that is this lethal, sir."
"It's been hiding here in plain sight then, right under our very noses, all along and we had no idea," Dumbledore said, almost as if he regretted not catching this earlier on.
"Is it still here, d'you reckon, Professor Dumbledore?" Abolet timidly asked, eyes wrought with fear.
"It's hard to say, dear Lorraine, but I can say with fair certainty that nobody's life is in danger tonight," Dumbledore said, prompting several sighs of relief from the staff members.
"Pardon the interruption, Professor Dumbledore, but I think we are wasting precious time tracking down the history of Hogwarts's scandals while not getting any closer to understanding how this relic can be fixed!" yelled Glodaḁt, while the rest of the goblins nodded in agreement.
Dumbledore, however, looked very preoccupied, but a hint of a smile could be seen on his face. "I'm sorry Glodaḁt, but Order members only from this second on," said Dumbledore with an air of finality. "We really appreciate all your help in Gringotts Bank, but now, I kindly request that you to give us some privacy," he said, getting up and walking up to the door for emphasis, a polite smile etched in his features.
The group of goblins looked stunned at being asked to leave so rudely and started filing out of the room instantly. It was clear their ego was hurt to such a point that their pointy ears were starting to shudder and quiver in distress, as they begrudgingly filed out of the room.
"Glodaḁt, the sword, please," said Dumbledore, stretching his hand out. The goblin looked at him with pure disdain before reluctantly handing over the sword back to Dumbledore. The Ministry officials followed the goblins too along with a majority of Hogwarts's staff, and the room was finally a lot emptier than it had been at the beginning of the council.
"Professor, what is going on?" Frank finally asked, watching the room clear around them.
"If I knew how to explain it to you, I already would have, Frank," said Dumbledore. "I honestly do not know how or where to begin to make sense of all this. However, I can tell you one thing: help is on its way, and this," said Dumbledore, pointing to the sword in his hand, "is the first of them all, I'd say," he said, smiling contently.
More confusion spread across the room. Teachers and students alike looked at each other with completely blank faces.
"We don't quite understand, sir," said Remus. "Where's the 'help' coming from? And what do we need help for…?"
"From the future, Remus."
Sharp intake of breaths could be heard from all around the room. Everyone's eyes widened, including the teachers'. This was getting unbelievably intriguing.
A bewildered frown cut Remus's face. "From the future?" he repeated incredulously.
"Yes, Remus. Something, mere minutes ago was taking place in the future the same time we were having this council right here, and, from the looks of it, the two timelines intertwined several moments ago to change the course of our future forever..." Dumbledore muttered, who seemed to continue to reel in disbelief.
"But, Professor... How are you convinced the Sword has returned from the future?" Remus pressed on.
"Because the beast that is supposedly locked away in this castle is not old enough to produce venom that is powerful enough to permanently alter the magical properties of a relic as complex as the Sword of Gryffindor, Remus. As Hagrid mentioned, it takes at least fifty years for the King of Serpents to assume its full power."
The only sounds that disturbed the stunned silence that prevailed in the room right now came from the rustling of the blankets in the portraits that lined the Headmaster's office where the inhabitants pretended to be asleep.
"So," Remus started, the cogs in his brain kicking into gear once again. "When you say something that happened in the future a few moments ago has entirely changed the course of our present-future forever, that should also mean that the future-past for the people in the future this very second has changed entirely too," Remus stated matter-of-factly.
"Evidently, yes," Dumbledore smiled.
Isabella looked around to see if any of the others were following all that was being said at the moment. When even Lily looked confused, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"I..." Remus started, his eyebrows permanently scrunched together now. "I don't understand, Pro...fe..." but he stopped dead in his tracks, revelation finally washing over his face as he continued to blankly stare back at their Headmaster. "Are you saying what I think you're saying? Are you suggesting there is a... a glitch in the fabric of Time, Professor...?" he asked slowly. "Has the Time-Turner caused this?"
Dumbledore looked genuinely taken aback now, as he stared back at Remus, his lips parted in amazement. "Very good, Remus," he nodded. "Yes. What you're witnessing right now is just one of the downsides to irresponsibly turning time in all its glory, I'd say. However... It's not entirely in vain as you can see how an unknown Guardian from the future has identified this little tear in time and has sent a possible 'weapon' that could save us all from absolute doom..."
The room had gone completely quiet now and a chill spread through them all.
"But, Professor…" said Lily, making Dumbledore and Remus break eye-contact at last. "Going by your theory, if the beast that is locked away in a secret chamber is in fact a basilisk, and it is here with us in this castle right this second, it is then, still NOT old enough to be venomous at all, according to what Hagrid said. The math does not add up! And… My point is… Only if something had already happened in the past," she said, pointing to her left, "can it reflect back in the future," she said, pointing to her right now, "right? So, only if the sword had been impregnated with the venom NOW, can it continue on in the future in its currently altered state. How is it travelling BACK in time to reach us in its currently altered state?!" she yelled the last few words out in complete frustration.
"And that's the difference between ordinary artefacts and magical relics such as the Founder's Heirlooms, Lily," Dumbledore said, "that, exactly, is the difference between other classes of metal, any metal, and Windsmere Gold.
"Magical pieces of relics, as powerful as the Sword of Gryffindor, behave quite differently. Once altered, Lily, it is altered forever. And by that, I mean not just in the future going forward, but in every other time period. That's how potent the curse of a fully-grown basilisk is, and that's how special Windsmere Gold is as it was able to withstand something as deadly. Any other object would have burst into flames with the mere touch of the venom…" he said, surveying the wide eyes that stared back at him.
"But Albus... About this beast..." McGonagall started, her face white as a sheet. "We need to do something about it, now that we know of it, don't you think? I mean... We cannot, outrightly put our students' lives in danger —"
"— Of course, not Minerva," Dumbledore said, already rolling a up a parchment that had written itself while the council had raged on in the background. "I am writing to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at once, to search the castle walls once more," he said, serenely rolling up the parchment and stretching his hand out only to have a large barn owl swoop into the room through the open window out of nowhere and land neatly on his robe-covered hand. Attaching it to its leg, Dumbledore continued. "I am also passing the motion to close the school for the next two weeks until we make it absolutely safe for students once more. Everyone's to return home until further notice," he said, nodding at the Deputy Headmistress.
"So, everyone takes the first train out of the country tomorrow morning?" Slughorn asked, looking bewildered, to which Dumbledore merely nodded.
McGonagall looked utterly disconcerted now. "But Bagnold just said —"
"— Minerva, if you thought I'd honour Bagnold's order and let her put my students through a formal trial for tonight's crimes, you do not know me at all," Dumbledore shook his head.
Flitwick flinched in panic. "But, Headmaster... The consequences of violating a direct Ministry order will be dire —"
"— That will be my prerogative, dear Filius," Dumbledore cut him. "The privilege of facing the Wizengamot's wrath for my choices will be entirely mine," he smiled twinklingly.
And a slight smile cut the old dwarf's face too. "As you say, Headmaster," he bowed, his head touching the floor.
"But Albus... I don't think I still quite understand everything you said about it moving between timelines," said Gideon Prewett from the very back, his massive physique completely shrouded in darkness.
"Time can be very confusing, Gideon," Dumbledore began, wiping his glasses on his robes before replacing it. "To put it simply, Time in itself is another dimension, and just like space, there are various facets to it. Which is why, in theory at least, several bends in time are possible. At least that's what I had thought until a few minutes ago," he said, running a long finger along the length of the razor-sharp edge of the sword. "To be very frank, the reappearance of the Sword of Gryffindor impregnated with basilisk venom has made me particularly concerned in all frankness. Because there could be more such happy accidents or absolutely tragic catastrophes in the future if wizardkind continued to use their fake Time-Turners like a playtoy."
"Well, why don't we get them banned entirely, then?" Arabella Figg stuttered, squirming nervously in her chair.
Arthur Weasley scoffed from his corner. "Because if we do, the Ministry won't make as much gold as it is now, would it?" he rolled his eyes sardonically.
At that very instant, something shiny caught Isabella's eye. To her right, in a half-open wooden casket on an intricately carved circular table, sat an innocent-looking object that was burning and glowing brightly all of a sudden.
"I don't know how many times I have raised concerns about commercialising the sale of these Time-Turner look-alikes...!"
Isabella was intrigued, her focus drifting. Because less than a month ago, she had read in the papers that Dumbledore had been slapped with a confiscation warrant to seize the Time-Turner, and yet, here it was, still in his office, warm and radiant under the candlelight.
"The Goblin Federation shuts us off every single time, and the Minister blatantly allows it," Arthur was saying in the background.
"Well, of course she allows it, she's making money through it, isn't she...?" Molly Weasley concurred stiffly.
The slow rhythmic thumping in her chest grew as she continued to resist looking at the brightly shining metal next to her, less than a feet away. She didn't know what about it, but something about the Time-Turner seemed to be calling out to her, almost as if it was trying to reunite with its rightful wearer...
"We're having a Warlock's Council at the Amarynth tomorrow. I shall formally raise the issue there as well and hope to resolve this problem once and for all," Dumbledore was saying, his voice reaching her as if through a bubble.
"Pardon, the interruption, Albus," McGonagalla cleared her throat, "but I think it's high time we send the students back to the Hospital Wing?" she said, still looking very distraught from everything that had transpired in the last hour.
"It is, Minerva," Dumbledore nodded absent-mindedly. "Please would you be so kind as to lead them out yourself?" he said, tiredly rubbing his eyes and smiling warmly at the students who looked delighted to be leaving themselves.
"Remus," Isabella nudged him quietly on the side, as the horde of students slowly marched towards the double doors. "I need to talk to you when we're alone," she whispered in his ear while allowing Lily and Alice to lead her out of the stuffy room.
...
The minute McGonagall left the Hospital Wing after making sure everyone who had accompanied her were back in their beds and fast asleep, Isabella opened one eye and turned to her left just as Remus noiselessly jumped out of bed and rushed towards her, collecting James and Sirius on his way — something Isabella was very, very happy about, because she had a million questions to ask. And some confessions to make too...
Signalling him to join her in the ante-chamber that Angela was resting in earlier, the four of them stole into the tiny room and burst out talking all at once.
"BLIMEY, what the fuck was that...?!"
"We have to leave Hogwarts tomorrow...?"
"There's NO way of knowing when we'd even come back!"
"We're not leaving Hogwarts."
"We really ARE NOT leaving Hogwarts."
"But we have to, Remus, you heard Dumbledore..."
"You don't understand, Izzy, WE CAN'T LEAVE HOGWARTS!"
"What do you mean, Moony?" Sirius asked curiously.
"Pads, remember all those nights when we'd see a strange name on our map floating about the castle, but we never saw it nor knew what it was...?" Remus started, shaking slightly.
Both James and Sirius went completely blank for a second, a look of absolute horror etched in their faces now.
"ȋValerso..." they muttered at the same time.
Isabella looked around, bewildered.
"What's that? What are you lot talking about?!" she whisper-yelled.
None of the boys said anything and looked at each other as if a veil had finally been lifted.
"Bloody hell, Moony, you did it again..." James whispered, his face twisted with shock.
And without anyone needing to say anything, revelation seemed to dawn on Isabella too.
Shaking slightly in fright, she looked from one to another. "That's the monster, isn't it...? It's here..." she whispered. "It really is here...? Walking around the castle with the rest of us...?"
"You mean 'slithering'," Sirius said, slipping his hand into hers, looking surprisingly unfazed.
Isabella didn't say anything and simply gaped back at their lost faces, having fully given up on life now.
"So, what are we going to do?"
James didn't say anything and wordlessly pulled out the Marauder's Map. And that was enough for the rest of them to know what he'd decided they were going to 'do' in this regard. "We don't see it always," he began, hastily spreading out the map on the floor and kneeling next to it. "But every time we do see it, it is somewhere around this place," he said, circling the girls' bathroom located in the second floor. "So, it is either coming out from here, or going back into someplace close to this area," he said, pushing his glasses up and looking at his friends.
Isabella sat down next to James too. "The actual size of the bathroom isn't as big as it is shown here, is it?" she asked, surveying the large empty plot surrounding the bathroom.
Sirius blinked curiously. "You don't suppose someone would create a secret chamber under a toilet, do you?" he said, looking repulsed.
"Someone would if they were Salazar Slytherin, no?" said Remus, his blue eyes staring at them unblinkingly. "Think about it. He chose to use the bloody dungeons to house his students, his mascot is a bleeding serpent, and he is obsessed with blood purity. When the chamber was opened thirty years ago, it was to 'cleanse' the school of 'Muggle filth'. It all adds up, doesn't it?"
James, Sirius and Isabella exchanged looks.
It surely did.
"So, that's where we're going now? To open the chamber?" Sirius asked.
"Not before you tell me what's behind the clock tower first, Sirius..." Isabella said, circling yet another large empty plot behind the clock up on the fourth floor.
The three boys looked blankly back at the map, evidently clueless about it themselves.
"Should we look there, first?" Isabella pressed on, excitement suddenly mounting in her chest.
Sirius regarded her curiously. "What's that look on your face? What do you know that we don't?" he asked.
Wordlessly, she put her hand inside her peach top and pulled out the heavy metal necklace that glittered brightly back at the boys, their jaws plopping to the floor at once.
"IZZY!"
"Where'd'you GET that from?"
"Bloody hell, you stole the Time Turner?" Remus bellowed, but had already cracked into a sly grin.
"I've a hunch," Isabella said, quickly tucking it back inside. "My mother had a secret and was dead against either of us knowing about it," she said, speaking really fast now, her emotions bubbling up once again. "I've a feeling she's not here with me now too because of that... So, I... want to find out what that is..." she said, not aware of how much she was wringing her hands together in agitation.
The three boys looked at each other, an air of wariness abounding between them.
"But... Baby," Sirius exhaled cautiously, "what does the Time Turner have to do with that...?" he asked.
Isabella swallowed painfully. "You'll see. Come with me," she said, grabbing hold of his hand and dashing towards the door, with James and Remus hurrying after them too.
The four of them surreptitiously squeezed past Madam Pomfrey and out of the Hospital Wing under the Cloak, before breaking into a run towards the Clock Tower. Thankfully they did not encounter any stray teachers or Aurors on their way to the fourth floor.
The four of them ran down the long corridor at break-neck speed, the large clock coming into view already, and skidded to a halt right in front of it, as James pulled out the Map simultaneously.
Isabella looked around nervously at two stone walls standing on either side of the clock, looking innocent and solid as ever.
"Now what? How do we find out where it is?" Sirius asked, while Remus stuck his ear to the wall on the right, as if wondering if it might be hollow on the other side.
Isabella pulled out the Time Turner and looked keenly at it. On the outer rim, were words etched in an ancient tongue. Waving her wand lightly over it, Isabella muttered a spell under her breath and at once, the gold metal started to melt and smelt in the heat from her fingers before remoulding back to its original form, except this time, the words were in English:
~oO GATHER YE ROSEBUDS WHILE YE MAY, TRUE HEIR TO THE THRONE NEED ONLY PRAY Oo~
Godric Gryffindor
"Izzy..." Remus said, but Isabella did not look up and continued to stare the words on the metal.
True heir to the throne need only pray... Isabella reread the words to herself.
"Izzy?" James probed again.
Isaballa simply looked down and stared at the dilapidated stone floor. There, less than a feet away from her was a large circular stone carving, one that she did not realise until this second that it looked exactly like the Time Turner she wore around her neck.
Breathing in deeply, she stepped forward and stood directly over the stone carving and brought the Time Turner up to her eye-level to realise it matched perfectly with the large clock behind it.
Squinting back at the bright gold that shone back at her, she opened her mouth. "Salvaria Tui Rubrumei Gemmaera..." she muttered, and turned the hourglass over once.
At once, the giant clock opposite to her clanged loudly, sending out an ear-splitting gong reverberating off the stone walls.
Everyone looked around stunned to their bones when both the large clock and the Time Turner in Isabella's hand started spinning dizzyingly fast. Magical green and white bands of light flew out of the clock into the vast expanse above and a great gust of wind slammed into the four students, giving them the sensation that they were flying backwards when they didn't, in fact, move an inch. A blear of lights and shapes whizzed past them until all they could see was the eye of a raging whirlpool that they were standing in this very second.
And before Isabella knew it, a blinding light had engulfed them all, throwing them into complete bewilderment — she had suddenly lost all sense of time. She didn't know where she was. She couldn't feel anything around her, including the floor beneath her feet. All that existed now was the unbelievably bright light that surrounded her, and possibly the three boys who had stood next to her until a second ago too.
And just when she thought she'd faint from staring into the extreme bright light that she was drowning in, everything disappeared in a Blip!
...
Remus, James, Isabella and Sirius stood rooted to their spot, completely paralyzed with fear.
Because for a split second, they did not know where they were. They hadn't moved an inch, and the walls still looked like it was Hogwarts, but something was so entirely different about it that it seemed foreign, alien even... The colours around were not as bright as it was a second ago, the trees did not rustle in the breeze, their own hands and face looked greyer than it had a moment ago, almost as if they had stepped into a 1950's movie screen...
Isabella looked around.
It was the same corridor, the same walls, the same large clock in front of her, but the floor was a lot less uneven, and the walls looked less yellow, and the intricate carvings on the pillars and the ceilings were more pronounced, and the hands on the giant clock in front of her were the same, except the time on it had reversed, as if it was the mirror image of the former clock that had stood in its place...
The castle grounds seemed eerily quiet now as a chilly wind blew over their faces making them shudder even more.
"Where are we...?" Remus asked, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"Dunno..." Sirius breathed.
"What's behind us?" James hissed, sweat dripping down his face now.
"Dunno," Isabella said, shaking almost in fear, because although they had been alone a moment ago, the corridor behind them didn't seem deserted anymore... Something big, very, very big was standing behind them, breathing and watching them like a predator on the hunt. And Isabella did not need to look at her friends to know that they were completely paralyzed with fear too, just like her, as she stood there fighting the pounding of her own heart.
"What do we do...?" Isabella whispered, as a low roar rumbled through walls around them.
"Run... I reckon?" Remus suggested weakly, panting on the spot now.
"— Tress...passers...?" a deep-pitched voice boomed from behind them, a hint of a growl swaying in its wake.
"Fuckin' hell... It talks," Sirius whispered, his chest heaving up and down in uncontained fear.
"But what is it...?" James yelped helplessly.
"Amadeus..." Isabella whispered, quite unable to believe they were only a few feet away from the regal beast that once ravaged the kingdom of Woldorin until Daerian defeated it and cursed it to serve him like a slave for eternity.
"Who are you humans...?" the terrifying voice boomed at them once again.
"Who is Amadeus?!" came Sirius's wrangled voice from Isabella's left.
"Blêoum me ðâgîet..." another hair-rising growl reached them, the voice getting louder as if the beast was inching closer towards them now, its every step thundering against the hard, stony floor.
"I cannot believe this is how I die..." Remus muttered shakily. "And I don't even know what it's saying...!"
"TURN AROUND NOW!"
Isabella's heart stopped beating entirely now, and a cold sweat broke out from her arms and neck.
Shakily, and furtively, she pulled out her wand and started to turn around, very slowly, lest she anger whatever it was that stood behind them.
"Amadeus..." Isabella stuttered, quivering uncontrollably now.
"Iz, I love you," Sirius muttered, staring glassily at the night sky having completely melted down in fear, "but please don't TALK to it...?"
"Amadeus," Isabella repeated, putting her hands out and cowering in fear in front of the massive, eight-foot tall creature in front of her now. "We... We're students... We're students from the House of Gryffindor. You're our protector..." she's breathed, and looked, for the first time, straight into the eyes of House Gryffindor's legendary mascot and guardian.
And what she saw was chillingly confounding: there, in front of them, stood a MASSIVE, fully-grown beast of a lion, nearly as tall as the pillar it was standing next to, prowling and growling and snarling at the puny fifteen-year-old. It's gigantic saber-teeth were so long, it was nearly as long as the sword of Gryffindor itself. Its menacing eyes were set in an enormous mane of a head, the size of a Bludger... The majestic beast stood there breathing fire, surveying the group with a low rumble that could potentially rip the air out of any who dared to even breathe the same air confront the lion.
"You seem awfully sure about that," Amadeus growled quietly, watching her distastefully. "How did you mere 'students' manage to enter my realm?" he snarled, baring its terrifying canines and inching closer on paws the size of mini trampolines.
"We..." Isabella stuttered, shooting her friends a furtive look, before turning back to Amadeus, "we used the Time Turner to... to get here..." she panted, "wherever 'here' us..." she said, as the giant feline regarded them like tiny mice caught in the act. "We came here to... to see you..."
"We did?" James hissed violently.
Isabella didn't respond, however, and rose to her full height, her fear fading away slowly as she continued to claw on to the beast's eye.
"There's a... A tear in Time, Amadeus... And we," she glanced at Sirius, before continuing, "we need you to... to fix it. Please?"
The fierce animal paused and simply stared back at her now, its sneer never leaving its eyes, but something in its demeanour had definitely shifted.
"If there is anyone who can stand before me without begging for their life..." Amadeus started, flashing the boys a glance before looking back at her, "they are either very brave, or stupendously foolish..."
Wisdom and grandeur oozed from the lion as he breathed down on the four. James and Sirius merely blinked back.
"Who are you, girl?" Amadeus snarled once again. Sirius stepped next to Isabella at once, unconsciously spreading his trembling hand in front of her as if to shield her.
To Isabella, however, everything she had read in the Rise & Fall of the Sacred Age came flooding back to her. She finally realised what was happening and excitement mounted inside her like molten lava.
"Several eons ago, it was foretold that there would be an intruder," Isabella recited, the words in the books tumbling out of her lips on their own accord. "An intruder, who would finally break into Woldorin's fabled fifth wall..." she stammered, breathlessly now. The massive lion's eyes widened in surprise. "...the wall that keeps within its confines, the secrets of our universe, secrets that the Slytherins would kill to unlock... The intruder would have with them the weapon smelted by the great Daerian himself, a weapon that embodies all of Time in its physical form," she narrates, shoving the golden Time Turner in the lion's astounded face now. "Going by that prediction, I reckon I am that intruder..." she finished, shivering uncontrollably, but also standing tall at the same time.
James, Remus and Sirius merely gaped at her in stunned silence.
The lion had stopped in its tracks too, a look of absolute incredulity washing over his face. And for the first time since they got here, the lion looked more like a human trapped in the animal form than otherwise, because his expression perfectly mimicked that of the three boys who watched this interaction in a bemused daze.
"So, the Time has come, indeed…" said lion, fuming down at Isabella. "The daughter from House Gryffindor has finally arrived, looking Death in the eye and taking on the Woldorinian wrath most unflinchingly…" the lion smiled, but his eyes still screamed murder.
Sirius shot a quizzical look in Isabella's direction, filled with shocked revelation. She nodded lightly and squeezed his hand, as if to say, 'Later.'
"Are my friends allowed to be here too...?" she asked, to which the lion nodded unblinkingly. "Any friend of yours is a friend of the House, my dear," said Amadeus. The four of them exchanged looks of dubiety at the sudden change in the beast's comportment. "Welcome..." he said, nodding at the boys this time.
"I… Er… Isabella Williams… Is my name," said Isabella, bowing back awkwardly at the large animal. "These are my friends, James Potter, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black… They are here to help me…"
"And I am Amadeus. Guardian and servant of the great King, His Highness, Daerian Gryffindor. Tell me, Isabella, what brings you to this realm after all this time?" he asked, thudding down on to the floor, his weight shaking up the whole castle.
Isabella shiftily looked over at Sirius who nodded his head fervently asking her to go on.
"Where are we... Sir?" Remus asked looking around at the eerily familiar place that none of them recognised. "Why is everything reversed in here?" he asked, looking back at the large clock behind that showed him the wrong time.
"Reversed, or simply the flipside to your reality?" Amadeus responded.
The three boys stared back stupidly.
"We are inside Woldorin's fifth wall, in a parallel world that rests alongside our world, Remus," Isabella said, recalling everything she had read in the book. "Our two realities exist next to each other, held together by the Time Turner..."
"And this is where I have been stationed for eternity by the High King, Godric Gryffindor, to watch over the children of his House and send help whenever their lives are in danger," Amadeus continued.
"But..." James began, his unruly hair looking absolutely dreadful now. "If you've lived for so long, you must be... like... really old..."
"Prongs!" Sirius hissed violently.
But Amadeus merely smiled. "I am ageless, James..." the beast announced. "Because where you are right now is a time bubble. It neither moves forwards, nor backwards... Just floats away with different realms..."
James opened his mouth to badger the beast once more, but Isabella cut in, saving her friend from definite death.
"I er… Amadeus...?" Isabella said, breathing heavily, a look of anxiety plastered on her face. "I don't know if you are aware, but our school was attacked..." she squeaked. "A Dark Lord has risen and plundered the school in search of the founders' heirlooms. And now... Someone has turned time wrongly which has caused a tear in Time, so wide, we are being contacted by our future selves, from nearly two decades into the future...!" The lion's expression was turning stonier and darker by the second as she continued. "Dumbledore thinks if this goes on, we might permanently change the course of our present and suffer from consequences we cannot handle... Please help us fix it...?"
Amadeus growled loudly at the sky before turning back to Isabella. "Things seemed a lot better in the other world… Not so much Darkness in there than there is over here..." he mumbled more to himself than to Isabella. "The heirs haven't met yet, and the Time still isn't right…" the lion continued on, sounding thoughtful.
Isabella turned towards Sirius and James with a confused look. Sirius merely shrugged and irritatedly pointed at Amadeus as if asking her to turn her focus back at the lion.
"Er… I don't understand... The 'heirs' haven't met yet? What do you mean…?" said Remus.
"Yeah. Whose heirs?" Sirius asked, uncertainly.
"And who are these heirs?" James added.
The lion still didn't look up and continued to stare at the floor looking very preoccupied.
"And what other world are you talking about?" Isabella continued on with a hint of urgency and irritation in her voice. "Less Darkness there? We don't understand… Amadeus, we don't have much time... We need to fix this at once."
The lion smiled. "A tear on a tapestry can be 'fixed'. It is not that simple with Time, however," he growled, shaking his wonderous mane in exasperation. "All wizards and witches across all realms, who have only known a life of spells and wizardry, do not understand the nuances and the ways in which Time can be handled. What would you say if I told you that YOU are, in fact, in someone else's past and the things that are taking place in the future right this second is, in a way, bound to change your future?"
James's eyes widened as he looked over at Sirius who continued to gape at Amadeus. Isabella simply stood rooted to her spot not understanding a single word of what Amadeus was saying.
"Come. I will show you," said Amadeus and jumped up on its hind legs, the floor beneath its paws groaning dangerously under its weight. Plodding on his heavy paws, he led the group inside an antechamber that stood on their left. It looked exactly like one of their classrooms, except all the chairs and table inside were facing north instead of south, as it is in their realm.
"The answer to your question, Isabella, lies in here…" he said pointing to a large mirror at the far end of the classroom, opposite to the door through which they had entered.
The four of them exchanged puzzled looks with each other before bounding down the long aisle and stepping in front of the large, ornate, rust-ridden mirror. Sirius squinted at his own reflection, while Remus tried touching the smooth surface of the mirror to see if it was indeed solid.
Nothing.
It was just a plain, old, mirror, standing there innocently in the middle of nowhere.
"A mirror?" asked Isabella.
"No, my dear. The reflection," said Amadeus, coming to stand behind them, his massive face towering above them in the mirror. "What you see in the mirror, is not just your reflection, as is universally believed, Isabella. You are, in fact, staring into the depths of another world; another universe with a plot and history of its own. A multitude of possibilities exist within our own world, and those possibilities are reflected back to you in several thousand ways," said Amadeus.
Remus and James looked at each other in complete incredulity, but decided to not say anything.
"Isabella, when you look at a mirror, you see your current world being exactly reflected back: everything that is happening around you, the voices, the movement, the people — everything. It makes you believe that you are seeing your own life being resonated back at you as it is. It is not. What you don't see in the mirror is what's different about the reflection... What goes on on the other side is something you may have never imagined; an alternate universe where things may be a lot better. What goes down in the history of time on your side of the mirror may not be the same as what happened on the other side. In fact what if you are, Isabella, stuck on the wrong side of the reflection...? What if, your destiny and reality is actually on the other side where your life is less messier and a lot less tragic than it is here...? What if, you are, in fact the reflection to your 'actual' reality?"
"What….?" started Sirius, with a look of absolute bewilderment on his face. Everyone turned to look at him. "So… She... We… We're not... This is not the right side of the world to… to… be in?" he said, looking thoroughly confused.
"No side of the universe is right or wrong, Sirius," said the lion. "This is, however, a far darker side than the one that is staring back at you... And somewhere in the tear, is a timeline where the unborn infant warrior and the destined vanquisher of the Dark Lord, would finally, and miraculously, survive the Elder Wand and rise up to challenge the Lord of Death himself..."
Isabella felt goosebumps rise on the back of her neck.
"So... Are you saying the tear in Time is what's going to save us all...?" she asked shakily.
The lion did not say anything for a moment and simply stared back at Isabella's reflection with kind eyes. "Save the world, if nothing else...?" he said, bowing benevolently.