Author notes:
(Excuse me, but I just have to explain that this story has been published a year ago. It had a different name, and some of its contents has been changed, but literally it's the same story published by the same author. So, please don't be surprised if you have read it before. Thank you.)
A turn in time
Part 1
(Remus, Jane, Sirius and James proudly present the story.)
[The year 1994]
Albus Dumbledore was wandering around in his office with a sherbet lemon in his mouth.
A knock on the door broke the silence.
"Come in, please."
He swallowed the candy and sat down. Two twin boys with flaming red hair came in.
"Good afternoon, professor."
Dumbledore waved his wand and sent two chairs gliding towards them. The boys sat down and looked nervously at their headmaster.
"What is the matter, Fred and George?"
The boys looked at each other for a moment and said together, "We have something for you, professor."
Fred searched his pocket, pulled out a silver necklace and handed it to Dumbledore.
"A Time-turner-" Dumbledore muttered with a frown.
"Our father brought it from the Ministry, and we found it in his desk drawer. It's one of the last Time-turners." George said.
"We put a few spells on it to make it accurate to minutes." Fred said.
"After we turned it once, instead of going back through time one minute as we intended to, it took us backwards about a week!"
"We are really sorry, professor. It was really lucky that we only turned it once because it seemed to be able to take us across time and space in a large span. What is more, we are quite sure that it can take us backwards a few years if we turn it around a hundred times."
"I have already told you before." Dumbledore said calmly. "Never meddle with time. The people who played with time often got into dangerous situations. I will hand it back to the Ministry of Magic where your father works and tell him about this too."
The boys handed the necklace to Dumbledore and left the office with their heads down.
During the Second War, the last Time-turners were lost in the chaos. Later, one of them was discovered by Mundungus Fletcher in a corner of the Great Hall in the Ministry. He thought it was broken, and the Time-turner was sold to an antique shop in England as a common silver necklace.
[2021/8/30, 7 p.m.]
Decades went past. Miles away, in an Asian community, it was the end of a long summer vacation. The sun set slowly at a very late hour, and only then did everything gradually become less noisy.
When she was cleaning the dining table, Jane suddenly spotted a silver necklace in a box. It was very beautiful. Connected to the end of the necklace were two concentric circles with a thick sheet of metal which had an hourglass-shaped cutout at its center. There was also a note beside it, which said, "My mother bought it in England a month ago and I hope you will like it. Wish you a nice term in England! Best wishes from Betty." Jane looked at the note and smiled. She was going to study in an English middle school this year. Although she was going to be away from her friends for a long time, she would never forget them.
[10:00 a.m.]
On the first day of September, Jane arrived at King's cross with her parents. Her uniform and school supplies were in her trunk, and the necklace was on her neck. After she said goodbye to her parents, she sat down on a bench and waited for the train alone. Fifteen minutes passed and she began to feel bored. Impatiently, she turned the necklace around and around between her fingers.
After letting go of her necklace, it didn't stop spinning as she had expected. Instead, it began to rotate automatically faster and faster. After spinning around for about a hundred times, it finally slowed down. Then everything began to go backwards rapidly. She could neither see anything clearly nor feel her own limbs. They were stiff and seemed to be made of cold metal. Her face turned pale and her legs began to tremble unconsciously. I shouldn't have touched that necklace, she thought. If I could see Betty again- suddenly, her mind went blank. With a big bang, everything disappeared in a cloud of smoke and ashes.
When everything became clear, passers-by were surprised to see a girl sitting on a bench with her eyes closed suddenly appear. In fact, Jane just fell asleep. When the whistle sounded, she woke up with a start.
"What just happened?" she said to herself. "Did I have a nightmare or something?"
She stood up and continued to wait for the train. As she waited, she became more and more impatient. Finally, she went to ask the porter about the schedule. The man looked suspiciously at Jane before telling her that there wasn't such a train.
"My parents must have made a mistake!" Jane muttered, annoyed. "The next train won't arrive in an hour, so maybe I can take a walk."
She started to walk towards the nearby platforms.
When Jane suddenly saw a black-haired boy disappearing in front of the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, she nearly screamed in surprise. After wiping her eyes, she put on her glasses and stared at the barrier. After a while, a red-haired girl and her family came near while talking happily. Jane immediately stepped forwards to listen to their conversation.
The girl was holding a train ticket in her hands. "How can I reach platform nine and three quarters?" she said to herself.
Jane was stunned. Platform nine and three quarters? Are you kidding?
Before she had time to think, the girl noticed her and came near.
"Do you know how to reach platform nine and three quarters?" she asked.
"Sorry, I don't know." Jane answered politely. The girl went back to her parents in disappointment.
"I know it's too strange to be believed by anyone else, but I really saw a boy disappear in front of the barrier a few minutes ago." Jane said to herself. "It must have something to do with the barrier, doesn't it?"
She approached, reached out her hand and touched it. Her finger sank into the barrier easily, as if it was made of air.
This is just like magic! Jane thought, and tried again. This time, she pushed her right arm inside the barrier successfully. She immediately came to the girl to tell her what she had found.
The girl smiled happily and said, "Thank you for helping me. The barrier must be the entrance to the platform." Then, she pushed her trolley towards the barrier.
Before Jane could say anything, the girl was out of sight.
It's quite usual for an abnormal platform to have an extraordinary entrance, Jane thought. After staring at the barrier for a few moments, she ran straight into it, pulling her trunk behind her.
Jane was really amazed when she emerged on the other side. Looking up, there was a sign hanging overhead that read "platform nine and three quarters". An old steam train stopped next to the platform, with a plate carved with the words "Hogwarts Express" on top. Jane had never been to such a strange platform before, nor had she ever heard of Hogwarts.
The girl's family came through the barrier to say goodbye to their daughter. Jane quickly ran after the girl to ask where she was going, who replied that she was going to a boarding school called Hogwarts. Finally, she said goodbye to everybody and boarded the train.
A moment later, a porter went off the train to ask Jane how old she was. Jane answered that she had just turned eleven in March. Hearing this, the porter quickly lifted her onto the train.
"Wait, I'm not going to Hogwarts!" Jane said angrily.
"The train is about to leave, child." the porter said as he gently pushed Jane down the hallway and closed the door from behind. No sooner did she realize what had happened than the train started.
"Let me go!" She cried desperately, but nobody came to help her. Meanwhile, the train was running quickly away from the platform, onto the vast fields of England and out of sight.
Jane finally managed to calm down. She found the girl whom she had met before and sat down beside her. They got to know more about each other and became friends. The girl was called Lily Evans, and she was very kind to everybody.
There were also three boys in the compartment, who were called Severus Snape, James Potter and Sirius Black. Severus was a good friend of Lily's.
"Here we go!" he said with uncontrollable joy in his voice, "That's right! We're leaving for Hogwarts!"
Lily nodded, and couldn't help smiling.
"You'd better go to Slytherin," he added.
A boy sitting in the compartment turned his head when he heard the word "Slytherin".
"Who wants to go to Slytherin? I don't want to stay there, what about you?" James asked the boy sitting leisurely in the opposite seat.
Sirius did not laugh.
"My whole family is from Slytherin," he said coldly.
"Oh Merlin!" James exclaimed. "I thought you were fine!"
Sirius grinned. "I guess I'm going to break the tradition. Where would you like to go, then?"
James held up an invisible sword. "Gryffindor, of course. There is courage buried at the bottom of my heart, just like my father!"
Severus snorted scornfully, and James turned to look at him. "Is there anything wrong with you?"
"No," Severus said with an arrogant sneer, "Gryffindor is indeed the best choice for you if you would rather be muscular than brainy."
"So where do you want to go? It seems that you are neither developed." Sirius suddenly interrupted.
James laughed loudly. Lily straightened up and looked at James and Sirius in disgust.
"Come on Severus, let's find another compartment."
"Oh, oh, oh-" James and Sirius said together, imitating Lily's voice. When Severus walked by, James deliberately tripped him with his legs.
"See you later, Snivellus!" Sirius shouted, as the door of the compartment slammed shut.
Jane felt sorry for Severus and Lily. She doesn't want to sit with the boys either, and decides to leave.
She opened the compartment door and went outside, but surprisingly all the other places were full. She had no choice but to go back. This time, she saw a brown-haired boy sitting with James and Sirius whose name was Remus Lupin. The boys had changed their clothes while she was away, and now they were wearing black robes.
"Are you wearing your school uniforms?" she asked as she sat down again.
"Yeah, of course." Sirius answered without looking up, "You can change into yours too."
Jane hesitated. Then she took a deep breath and said, "I am not going to your school. It was really an accident that I got on the train."
"Are you a muggle?" James asked curiously.
"What is a muggle?" Jane said, confused.
"A muggle means a 'normal' person." Sirius answered, laughing.
"Of course I am!" Jane said furiously. "Do you think I look abnormal?"
"Cool!" James said. "Would you like to tell us something about your world?"
"My world? Aren't we in the same world?"
No sooner than she had spoken, Remus glared at James and Sirius and whispered, "Shut up!"
Then, he looked at Jane sincerely and said, "Please ignore them. They were just joking."
Jane looked at him suspiciously. "I don't believe it. Tell me, who exactly are you?"
The boys looked at each other hopelessly.
James sighed. He gave up and answered, "We are wizards, Jane."
Jane stared at him in shock.
"We are really sorry, but your memory has to be modified after we get off the train." Sirius added quietly.
"Modify my memory? Are your identities unknown to "Muggles" like me?" Jane asked.
"Sorry, but I'm afraid you are right." Remus said. "It's a secret."
"I'd prefer to keep my memory, Remus. I'm serious."
"You are not Sirius, I am." Sirius said. "By the way, how did you get onto the platform?"
Jane told them what just happened. "On the platform, a porter asked me about my age. I told him I was eleven, then he lifted me onto the train. Why did he do this?"
"You were wearing robes and carrying a trunk. He must have mistaken you for a student going to Hogwarts." Remus said calmly. He was right. She was wearing a set of blue robes.
The train drove on. The boys talked happily about their future school life while Jane sat in a corner of the compartment quietly. She found that her shoelace was loose, so she bent down to tie it up. While she was tying up her shoelace, her necklace slipped out.
"Jane, what is that on your neck?" Sirius asked.
"You mean my necklace? Here you are." Jane said as she handed it to him. Sirius looked at the necklace for a moment and his mouth widened.
"Are you sure you are non-magic? You are wearing a Time-turner on your neck!" he exclaimed.
"My necklace is what?!"
"A Time-turner. It enables people to travel backwards through time."
Jane was too shocked to speak. Her favorite necklace turned out to be a magical object!
She took a deep breath. "What date is it today?"
"Wednesday, September the first, 1971." Remus answered.
"Are you kidding?" Jane said in surprise. "The date is September 1, Wednesday. But it's definitely not 1971. I'm from the year 2021, exactly 50 years later!" she replied, trying to stay calm.
Then it was the boys' turn to be surprised.
"You must be joking! This is absolutely impossible!" they exclaimed.
"If what you said is true, then you are the first person to break through the time limit. Brilliant!" Sirius said as he reached out his hands to give her a high-five.
"Hasn't anyone tried to break the limit before?" Jane asked, laughing. "I mean, it's cool, isn't it?"
"Well, they all got blown up while trying to do so." James said in a matter-of-fact way.
Jane's smile froze. Indeed, there was an explosion, but how did she manage to survive?
"You must be a witch. Muggles can't make it." Remus said seriously.
"Had anything unexplainable happen to you before?" Sirius asked.
"I am not sure." she said.
"Please tell us about it. If you can prove that you are a witch, you can keep your memory." James reminded me.
Jane took a deep breath, and some of her memories came back to her. "After I was born, my parents installed a fence beside my bed to prevent me from falling out. However, as they came back from work one day, they were surprised to find me sleeping on the floor. They came to the conclusion that I had fallen out of bed during their absence, but I could not even climb at that time. So, my parents checked the monitor (which is a Muggle device) and saw that I seemed to float upwards away from the bed and go over the railing supported by an invisible force. I'm pretty sure my parents thought there was something wrong with the monitor."
"How old were you when it happened?" Sirius asked.
"I was only two." Jane replied.
"Great!" Sirius said exaggeratedly. "The earlier, the better. It means that you're a witch with great talent in magic."
"I think you can keep your memory now. " James said with a grin.
"But I don't believe it myself - what if it's just a rare ability?" Jane asked calmly.
"No way. Believe me, you are a witch." Remus said. "Welcome to the wizarding world, where you truly belong."
"We are going to arrive at Hogwarts at five o' clock in the afternoon." Sirius said, clapping. "Are you ready?"
"Am I really going to Hogwarts?" Jane said hopelessly. "I haven't prepared anything yet!"
"Do you want to learn magic or not?" James asked with a sigh.
"Of course." Jane replied. "I'm very interested in it."
"Then no problem. The school will try its best to help you prepare everything, so you don't have to worry. Our headmaster is very kind. Just write a letter to him and explain everything, and I bet he will let you inside Hogwarts without any hesitation." he answered confidently.
Jane took his advice and thanked him.
"My owl will send your letter to him." he added after Jane folded up the letter. Jane looked up in surprise.
Owl post? The wizarding world is indeed an interesting place.
After sending a letter to the headmaster, Jane started to chat with the boys. They told her a lot about Hogwarts and the wizarding world. When the lunch trolley arrived, the boys shared their snacks with her generously.
The headmaster's letter arrived a few minutes later. Albus Dumbledore agreed to let Jane study in Hogwarts, but he also reminded her to hand in the Time-turner when she arrived. After all, leaving an out-of-control Time-turner in the hands of a student wasn't an appropriate decision. Professor McGonagall would meet her in the Great Hall on Friday and take her to Diagon Alley to buy her school supplies. Together with this letter, Jane was given a formal acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Her heart was filled with joy, for she was sure she would have a great future.
At five in the afternoon, they finally arrived at Hogwarts. The four of them followed the other students to the Black Lake surrounding the castle. After that, they got into a small boat which sailed automatically towards the bank. As they went near, Hogwarts gradually appeared before their eyes.
"What a big castle!" Jane said in surprise.
"Only wizards can see Hogwarts." James replied. "We told you so, but you didn't believe us."
After going ashore, the first years followed Professor McGonagall into the Great Hall. The sorting ceremony is about to begin. They had to put a talking hat on their heads, which would tell the student which house they belonged to. According to Remus, Gryffindor stands for bravery, Hufflepuff stands for kindness, Ravenclaw stands for wisdom and Slytherin stands for ambition.
Professor McGonagall started to read the list of names.
"Jane Lee!"
Jane went forwards and put on the Hat nervously.
"You are a witty, straightforward and adventurous person. Gryffindor!" the Hat said loudly.
Jane breathed a sigh of relief and sat down at the Gryffindor table. Turning around, she saw her friends smiling at her and clapping their hands!
"James Potter!"
James went forwards. "Gryffindor!" the Hat shouted without hesitation.
Lily became a Gryffindor too. To her disappointment, her friend Severus was sorted into Slytherin.
"Peter Pettigrew!"
A stout boy walked nervously onto the stage. Jane patted her friends on the back and reminded them to watch. When Peter noticed everybody looking at him, he became so nervous that sweat appeared all over his forehead.
"Slytherin!" the Hat announced.
The last students on the list were Remus and Sirius. Remus became a Gryffindor without doubt, but to most people's surprise, so did Sirius. "You really broke the family tradition! Nice one, Sirius!" James shouted happily.
After a huge welcoming feast, Jane went to the headmaster's office and handed over the Time-turner. Then she and her friends went to bed.