Chapter Thirty-Two
Time Bandit
It took a few days until Severus suspected that something suspicious was going on. The only tell-tale sign was that he had a headache that he couldn't seem to get rid of. He went to Sagittari to have his spectacles replaced, thinking that was the culprit... it wasn't until he was lying in bed with his head still pulsing that he realized that it wasn't a normal headache at all. Rather, it was his magic senses working overdrive to warn him that there was time manipulation going on.
He jumped out of bed much too quickly... after a moment of pain, he managed to get dressed and hurried into the Study.
"Armando, remind me to tell Albus that I need to work on distinguishing mental warning signs so that I have more of a hint than a persistent headache. Something is going on... someone is manipulating time in my castle. Did Jennifer take the Time Turner this morning?"
"Yes, Severus," Armando replied calmly. "You gave her permission to borrow it because she had a tight schedule today."
"Yes, I recall. She needed to go to the Auror department this morning and needed to teach at the same time. Where is she now?" Severus asked.
"In class, Severus," Armando replied.
"Is there more than one of her in my castle?" Severus asked.
"No, Severus," Armando replied. "She hasn't used the Time Turner yet. She plans to teach her classes up until lunch before going back to meet Harry."
"So this time shift has nothing to do with her," Severus concluded.
"Not in the slightest," Armando agreed.
Severus frowned at the painting, who gazed calmly back. Next to Armando, the Dumbledore painting had a quill out and seemed to be taking notes.
"Exactly how are you so certain that this isn't Jennifer's doing? Do you know something about this that I don't? Is this something I might have done myself?"
"You do play a part in it," Armando acknowledged.
"Then why are you just now mentioning this to me?" Severus snapped at him.
"You asked me not to tell you until you brought it up," Armando explained. Albus nodded in confirmation of that fact.
"When did I do this?" Severus asked.
"Earlier this morning," Armando said.
"That was this morning, fine, but this pressure has been building all week. Why didn't you tell me before today?" Severus asked. Armando glanced past his shoulder. Severus followed his gaze over to the Sorting Hat, who looked so disinterested that it wasn't hard for Severus to make a foregone conclusion.
"Quintin... the current timeline Quintin. He has something to do with this, doesn't he?" Severus asked, quite annoyed that he even had to stipulate which Quintin he was referring to.
Without waiting for an answer, Severus pulled open the drawer to find his Time Turner. It was in its box, but the chain was in a lump and it was facing an odd angle as if it had been hastily deposited in his drawer.
"This Time-Turner shouldn't even be here, considering that Jennifer is currently wearing it around her neck. Just how many times has Quintin been in here today, Godric?" Severus asked, staring at the hat sternly.
"Four," Godric admitted.
"And over the past few days?" Severus asked.
"Twenty-four, perhaps?" Godric guessed.
"Twenty-six, if you count the times that you went with him to do research," Armando corrected.
"Oh, right. Twenty-six," Godric agreed.
Groaning at that, Severus put on the Time-Turner and stashed it away, striding towards the door.
"Yes, but don't kill him," Godric advised.
"I'll just stuff him in a hat instead," Severus replied before slipping out the door.
It had started that weekend at the football game.
Normally Broc and Zelda were on the team, so Slytherin were breaking in new alternates. Even with two missing players, Jay was at mid and Ella was a powerful forward, so this was not a team to be trifled with. Stephen was playing as well, ready for any opportunity to steal the ball. All things considered, the Dusthorns were a very young team and didn't have the reach or strength that their upper classman did.
Quintin knew that as well, watching with a pained expression as Slytherin dominated the pitch. He stopped what balls he could but wisely got out of the way when Ella Hauk kicked from an angle that'd likely break something if he had tried to block. Pete, of course, was making a valiant effort, and after a penalty was able to bring their 3-2 score back to 3-3.
"A tie is probably the best score we can get out of this game. Think we can hold it?" Quintin asked from his position at defense.
"In your dreams," Stephen informed him as he jogged past.
"Gloat much?" Jeremy retorted, but then became alert as the ball came towards them again and he had to help Oscar and Oz keep it from getting any closer. "How much longer til left in the game, Quintin?"
"Not long enough if they score again," Quintin snapped.
Jeremy then noticed Jay moving up. He rushed over to block him only for Jay to pass to Ella at the last minute. Quintin whirled around to block but it was much too late; the ball was already whizzing past his other shoulder and into the net. The whistle sounded and Quintin sighed, attempting to ignore the fact that they actually had a half a second left in the game.
Realistically, not much could be done in half of a second.
"Well... we couldn't have played better than we did," Jeremy said after he stopped to catch his breath.
"We have other things to do today anyway," Quintin reminded him.
"Like playing research catch up? Good luck with that," Stephen told them, only make a pretense of shaking their hands before hurrying off to join the rest of his team.
"What did he mean by that?" Jeremy asked. He glanced over at Quintin, who stared after Stephen with a frown. "Did you pick up anything from him?"
"His mind is fuzzy for some reason, but it's got something to do with him feeling like the Maxens are ahead of us on the research project."
"Impossible. We've been working on it for weeks now, and they just got approved a few days ago. Besides, we've been doing this research thing from the day we came to Hogwarts and they've never done anything like it," Jeremy pointed out. "Ignore him! He's just on a high from their team winning the game, that's all."
"Maybe," Quintin said unsurely.
"Come on, Quintin, let's get out of the cold," Jeremy insisted, hurrying to join the rest of the team.
Now that they weren't playin, the team had suddenly noticed how cold it was, complaining to each other and expressing how glad they were it was the last football game until spring.
"Just one more Quidditch game left, and we're done until after the holidays!" Duncan added with anticipation. "It won't be long before it snows now. I can't wait to try out that new cocoa they got from Mr. Tinker's for the Snow Festival. Jack, do you still need help putting together booths?"
"Hopefully we can get everyone to help. We have less than two weeks," Jack told him. "Essie says it's going to snow the weekend after next, and some of us will be gone for a couple of days for American Thanksgiving. We're on a time crunch, that's for sure. It's going to take up any free time we have left if we want to put up all the booths we have planned, you know."
"I guess we're going to have to put the research on hold for a bit, Quintin," Jeremy noted. "Especially considering you have forms with your grandfather and Quidditch to worry about, along with Auror Club and everything else."
Quintin stopped dead in his tracks.
Twelve seconds later, Jeremy turned around to look at him.
"Come on, Quintin! Let's get in before it gets any colder! What's wrong with you?" he asked.
"We're in trouble," Quintin informed him.
"What?" Jeremy said in confusion.
"We're in trouble," Quintin said again as he hurried forward. He didn't change his pace when he caught up to Jeremy, forcing Jeremy to start walking faster to keep up with him.
"Explain," Jeremy demanded.
"Bonnibel and her research group are all restricted from doing any school activities this year, including all sports and school trips and the like. That's why Stephen thinks we're falling behind on research... he's the only one of them that had any sports left. They also don't have to worry about Order of Owl fundraisers or parents forcing them to do forms every morning. That means they have a lot more time than we do to work on their research...likely two extra hours on weekdays... and four to six hours on weekends... maybe even more depending on how much of a homework workload they have, since they'll vary depending on their majors and their school year," Quintin informed him.
"Come to think of it, I don't think any of them are even on the newspaper," Jeremy added. "Do you think Stephen has been using the Research Library yet? Maybe we should ask Boulderdash."
"Boulderdash would probably tell us to mind our own business, and this time he has a point. We need to find more hours for research," Quintin decided.
"Scheduling is your department, not mine. If you find a way to squeeze in more research time without sacrificing our homework or losing too much sleep, I'm game," Jeremy assured him.
"I'm going to have to quit the tennis club," Quintin grumbled.
"It's too cold for it now anyway," Jeremy reasoned.
"Is there anything else you can give up?" Quintin asked.
"I quit all of my other activities, remember? The only thing left now that soccer is done is the newspaper, and I'm not giving that up," Jeremy informed him. "I spend most of my free time in the Owl Room or the library proper already. I need more hours in the day."
Quintin suddenly slowed down again.
"What a brilliant idea," Quintin declared.
"What is?" Jeremy asked.
"Go get changed and meet me in my room in fifteen minutes. I have a solution," Quintin said, picking up the pace again. Jeremy nodded and hurried to his room, curious as to what Quintin had in mind. Letting himself in, Jeremy sat on the bed and waited until the door to Quintin's parents' rooms opened and Quintin stepped in wearing the Sorting Hat.
"And just how is the Sorting Hat going to help?" Jeremy wanted to know.
"That part wasn't my idea. He insisted on coming along," Quintin explained.
"Sorry, but now that the Headmaster is aware that I'm a ghost as well as a Hat, I no longer have the luxury of looking the other way when students come into the Study to pilfer things out of the Headmaster's desk. He will confront me the moment he finds out about it," Godric informed them. "Sometimes a Hat has to protect its own brim."
"Pilfer? You swiped something out of your Dad's desk?" Jeremy asked Quintin.
"I just borrowed it. I'll put it back a half a second after I've taken it so that there's no chance of him ever finding out about it," Quintin assured him. "I already know when the room is empty or I wouldn't be able to take it in the first place, so I can easily get it back before he notices. He'll never even know."
"Do you want to place a wager on that one?" Godric challenged him.
"You're not going to tell him, are you?" Quintin asked, looking up at the brim.
"Of course I'm not going to tell him, but I don't think I'll have to," Godric warned.
"Why would he even care? We're just going to use it for research purposes," Quintin argued.
"In that case, why don't you ask for permission?" Godric challenged him.
"Well, because my father gets strangely fussy when it comes to me being around time devices o any kind, if you want to know the truth. It's like he's afraid I'm going to end up getting hurt or something, which is pretty ridiculous considering the fact that since I always know when I am. I have more control over them than anyone," Quintin said proudly.
"Woah, back up! I'd also like to be a part of this conversation. You swiped a time device? Okay, fine, you borrowed a time device, don't look at me like that," Jeremy protested.
"We need more time to research Bedivere O'Lauren so that the Maxens don't get ahead of us. It's the perfect solution," Quintin explained. "We can simply borrow two hours of time a day, and then go back in time when we're done and continue our day right where we left off. I can literally put this back the instant I leave this room by taking a different door to Dad's office. He won't even miss it."
"Well, that might work for day or two, but how long before we get worn out?" Jeremy asked.
"We're just going to do it long enough to get ahead... and to make sure that those Maxens can't catch up," Quintin said.
"You're assuming that they already haven't caught up. They may have already," Jeremy said.
"All the more reason for us to try this," Quintin pointed out.
"Okay then, how does it work?" Jeremy asked with a sigh.
"Simple. We put the chain on and I twist a knob that sets us back to an earlier point in time," Quintin said, taking it out.
"That's a necklace. I think that'd violate my personal space," Jeremy said flatly.
"You don't need to worry about that. My mother adapted the chain so that it can be twisted into bracelets, and the chain is long enough to accommodate several people," Quintin explained. He pulled on the chain, which seemed to increase in size. "It used to work like a necklace, and it still does for one person. But after my parents became Rus and Jay's legal guardians and Seren was born, trying to fit all of us inside the same chain became impractical no matter how long the chain is. Not only that, but it's a lot safer twisted into bracelets because there's a lot less risk of it falling off the person using it which is the whole reason that the Time Turner is on a necklace anyway. You wouldn't want to get lost in the past, would you?"
"We'd catch up eventually," Jeremy pointed out.
"Besides, if you came back without the Time Turner, it causes a time paradox, because you no longer have the item that sent you in the first place," Quintin said.
"Oh, yeah. No, wait. What?" Jeremy asked, confused.
"It's complicated, and it's not really important at the moment," Quintin said impatiently.
"I have a complicated question as well. Will it work on a ghost?" the Sorting Hat asked.
"On a normal one, I should say not. But since you're also a clothing item, it should work. I've never arrived anywhere without my clothes on, after all," Quintin pointed out.
"Well, that's reassuring," Jeremy replied dryly. "Maybe we should just do a dry run to make sure it's going to work the way you say it does. After that, you should put it back before you get into trouble and we can plan this out."
"Good idea. We're going to need a tight schedule to pull this off," Quintin agreed. "Fortunately, tight schedules happen to be my specialty."
"So what's the best way to test it?" Jeremy asked. Quintin pondered it for a moment.
"We'll go back an hour from when we entered this room then slip out through the back door and find somewhere out of the way to study," Quintin decided.
"Study? Can't we do something more interesting since it's just a test?" Jeremy complained.
"We can't be seen while we're doing this. It'll create all sorts of problems... and we're more likely to get caught. We need to go somewhere quiet until time catches up. Besides, the entire reason we're doing this is to give us more time to research. Getting our homework out of the way frees up more time for that too," Quintin explained.
"I guess you have a point. As long as we do something productive and apply that time to research later, it doesn't matter what we do," Jeremy agreed. "Let's try it."
Quintin nodded and pulled out the chain, looping it around each of their wrists before carefully looking over the dial. A bit nervous because he hadn't done it on his own before, Quintin turned it carefully, stopping on instinct. There was a bit of dizziness... a hiccup of sorts, and he held onto his ears as he suffered from a moment of vertigo.
"Did we do it? What time is it?"
"I... give me a minute," Quintin protested. "Are you alright, Sir Hat?"
"Clear and present," the Hat reported.
"You know, it'd be easier for me to check the time if you had a clock in the room," Jeremy complained.
"I've never needed a clock," Quintin said. He then glanced outside at the sunlight, feeling his head clear. "Wait... I know when we are now. We are precisely an hour before we walked into to this room."
"Forgive me for checking anyway," Jeremy said dryly, ducking out long enough to go to his room and bring back a watch. "You're right, it's an hour earlier. I saw the soccer game still going on outside the window! That means we're still down there. Freaky!"
"You knew what we were planning," Quintin said, rubbing his forehead. "I feel better now, but it did take me a few seconds longer to adjust to the time difference doing it myself than when my parents do it for some reason."
"Maybe it's a one time thing because you haven't done it on your own before," Jeremy suggested. "Either way, it makes total sense that it'd take a minute for you to adjust from that. Just how do you adjust to it, anyway? I've never thought about it before, since you've always done it."
"Father believes that I can sense the native time stream and tap into it. He says that I developed my sense of time as a survival instinct so I could tell between our time stream and the Otherworld's time stream, since Mum with pregnant with me while I was over there," Quintin explained.
"So you can tap into the other time stream too?" Jeremy asked curiously.
"Theoretically. There's no way of knowing unless I go there someday, but Father told me that it's too dangerous of a place to go over unless you have a very good reason to go," Quintin explained.
"So why do some folks go back and forth like it's a tourist destination?" Jeremy asked.
"Considering that most of them live there now, I think it's this world that they think of as the tourist destination," Quintin decided. "Except for Minerva, that is. She's never gone for more than a year because she's a member of the school board."
"It sounds just like your mother going back and forth to Whitebridge," Jeremy said.
"It does, doesn't it? Maybe it's even for the same reasons," Quintin conjectured. "I've asked my Mum why she does it, and she says it's because she has a vested interest. Minerva probably feels the same way about Hogwarts. Even so, I get the feeling it's a lot more complicated than just wanting to make sure the two schools get on all right, but I'm sure whatever their reasons are, they both have good ones. Anyway, that really doesn't have anything to do with us, and I personally have no interest in going to the Otherworld when I haven't had a chance to explore this world yet. Come on, we shouldn't linger here too long or we run the risk of bumping into someone who knows we're supposed to be at the game."
"Where to?" Jeremy asked, gathering up his work.
"Let's head over to the back grounds near the greenhouses. We can transfigure some empty barrels and sit around the corner where no one can see us from the castle proper," Quintin said.
"Alright," Jeremy agreed, and the two of them hurried down to the key tower and out the one-way door. In no time at all, they were settled in place. It wasn't long before the Elf Willow plowed its way over, watching curiously and providing shade against the glare while the two boys worked. Every now and then one of them would get stuck on their homework, but after a bit of coaxing, the Sorting Hat gave them a hint to lead them into the right direction. In fact, the Hat had been helping out so much in the end that they managed to get a great deal of work done by the time the hour was done.
"It should be safe now. There's only the two of us again," Quintin said at last, finding a stopping place. "I don't know about you, but I'm glad it's finally lunchtime."
"Let's head to the library," Jeremy agreed. They checked their books to make sure there wasn't any dirt on them before saying goodbye to the tree and taking the door closest to the back stairs.
When they stepped into the Owl Room, Gloria looked up in surprise.
"You two sure got changed fast," Gloria said, seeing they were out of uniform.
"We were really hungry," Jeremy explained. "Where's everyone else?"
"Sissy's in the main library getting some books for her next paper, while Mindy has Kitty and most of the Hufflepuff girls in the laundry room dying wool for more mittens. It's supposed to snow soon, you know," Gloria reminded them.
"Just what we need! Another time obligation!" Jeremy said with exasperation.
"What do you mean?" Gloria asked curiously.
"We realized that the Maxens have a lot more time to work on their research project than we do, that's all. But we'll manage. Isn't that right, Jeremy?" Quintin said.
"Not a problem," Jeremy decided, loading up his plate even higher than usual.
"Are you really going to eat all of that? I don't want to waste our research time in here eating, you know," Quintin scolded him.
"I'll eat fast," Jeremy assured him.
"Do you need any help with your research?" Gloria asked curiously. "The two of you seem serious about it today."
"What makes you say that?" Quintin asked, but her glance upwards was as revealing as her expression.
"You're wearing the Sorting Hat," she explained.
"He's going to help us with our research," Quintin confirmed. "After all, he was Godric's hat, and Bedivere was Godric's apprentice, so he has a vested interest. Right, Sir Hat?"
"Of course," the Sorting Hat agreed.
"Let's head to the Research Library. And Gloria, the best way anyone can help us at the moment is to keep an eye on those Maxens. They have a lot more time to work on this than we do, and they're going to catch up if they haven't already," Quintin explained.
"I can do that. They still talk to me sometimes... they think I know something about what happened to Culver that they don't for some reason," Gloria explained, laughing awkwardly.
"Let us know if you think they've gotten ahead," Jeremy agreed, and the two of them went to the Research Library.
Fortunately, it was empty at the moment, allowing them to sit and take up as much room as they wanted at the table.
"I hope Douglas doesn't come in here while we're researching... Stephen, I mean. I can't get used to that. Why did he change his name?" Jeremy wondered.
"Who cares?" Quintin replied, then stepped over to the cubbies to get their books. "Even the cubby here has Stephen engraved instead of Douglas."
"He has a shelf now? Anything on it?" Jeremy asked with interest.
Quintin glanced thoughtfully at the heavy leather-bound book in Stephen's cubby and pulled it out to see what it was.
"It's just a latin dictionary," Quintin said in confusion. "I wonder why he'd need that?"
"Maybe one of those books he was looking out lost its translation charm," Jeremy suggested.
"Maybe, but most of the books we've run into having to do with the school have been in Old English or Celtic," Quintin said with a frown.
"True, but it was quite common to use Latin as a second language in those days, and the monks most certainly used Latin when speaking to each other," Godric offered.
"Does that mean they found something in the Scribe's Quarter after all?" Quintin wondered.
"I suggest that the two of you stop worrying so much about their research and focus on your own. You have a lot of friends who will be more than willing to keep an eye on those pesky Maxens, but it won't make a difference if you are so distracted that you're not getting your own work done," Godric warned.
"He's right. We'd best get to it," Jeremy agreed, pulling the rest of the books off of his shelf.
It was easy enough to acquire the Time Turner during the weekend, but Quintin soon realized it was going to be trickier on the weekdays.
"The best time to borrow it is going to be when my Father goes down to the daycare room to pick up Seren for the evening," Quintin explained. "Other than breakfast, it's the only time we can guarantee that he'll be out of the Study."
"I'd rather not go if that's when you're intending to do your research," Godric protested. "After a busy day of nosing into what the Headmaster is up to, I like to use that time to stretch my brim before my evening with Seren. I won't be fit to wear if I'm wound up having to spend two extra hours of borrowed time in that library. As much as I'd love to see Beddie's Box found, it might be wiser to schedule these little time excursions of yours on the weekends. It's bound to affect your marks if you do it for too long, you know."
"That's not nearly enough time to catch up," Jeremy protested.
"We'll be fine. I haven't been feeling tired at all," Quintin assured him.
"Agreed. No problems here," Jeremy confirmed.
"Maybe for now, but I hope you have enough sense to stop if it begins to catch up with you," the Hat replied.
"We'll be fine. I'll leave you in the Study unless it's a weekend, Sir Hat. But I still think it'd be better if we tried to get an hour of two of research done after we've finished school and homework for the day," Quintin decided.
"Yes, I agree. I'm still in charge of this project even if you have found a way around your obligations," Jeremy said defensively.
"I never meant to imply otherwise. Since I have to deal with my Grandfather and sparring and Auror Club..."
"And Quidditch," Jeremy added with more annoyance.
"It means that you still have more time than I do. I'm counting on you to keep comprehensive notes on your progress and direct me to what books you need me to glean through to help get you the information you need," Quintin said.
"You've got it," Jeremy replied.
"Then let's finish our lunch so I can get the Hat back for the night now that we have a plan," Quintin said.
The two of them had eaten in the Great Hall that Monday, taking the far end of the table so they wouldn't be disturbed. After they finished, they had just enough time to get back to their rooms so that Quintin could drop off the Hat and they could get ready for their next class.
Down in the library, Stephen wasted little time taking advantage of his free hour, skipping his lunch altogether.
"They decided to eat in the Great Hall," Bonnibel reported, catching her cousin in the corridors.
"Jeremy and Quintin were both there, and Quintin was wearing that ruddy school Hat just like he did when he was researching the four founders a couple of years ago."
"So they still have an edge on us," Stephen frowned. "They have access to that Hat and we don't."
"They still don't have the time we do... and they don't have your cleverness as much as they boast about it. Have you gotten a translation for that inscription yet?" Bonnibel asked.
"I'm going to try and get it right now," Stephen promised, not even bothering to take his books. Instead, he went straight to the Research Library, pulling out the latin dictionary and a scrap of paper along with a much smaller dictionary he used in Charms class.
He had been so intent on his task that he didn't spend time looking around to see if anyone else was in the Research Library already; he already knew that Quintin and Jeremy were in the Great Hall.
"Oh, hello, Stephen!" greeted Professor Craw from behind, making him jump in surprise. "I'm so sorry, that was my fault! It is very quiet in here. That was much too loud," Craw whispered dramatically as she brought a large tome to the table. "You don't mind if I sit here, do you?"
"I... well..." Stephen hesitated. She sighed with exasperation.
"I have no intention of telling anyone about what you're researching, most decidedly not Quintin or any other students. It's important for you to do your own research and make your own conclusions, and as your teacher, it's my job to encourage independent thinking. You have nothing to be concerned about," she reassured him firmly. "If you need any help with anything, feel free to come to me regardless of relation. I am the Items Specialist here, after all, it's only natural for you to have questions and I take student confidence quite seriously, you know."
"I see," Stephen said, still debating whether to trust her or not. "What are you working on?"
"Puzzle Boxes, actually! Hermione recommended this lovely book in the historical section going into extensive detail about how they've been used and developed over time. It's all quite fascinating," Professor Craw said enthusiastically.
"Puzzle Boxes? Like the ones we use to store volatile magic items in?" Stephen asked.
"While that is its most common use in modern times, that is just one use case of many," Jennifer explained, opening her book. "They've been used my wizards since ancient times to protect magic secrets from prying eyes in societies they weren't welcome. In societies where magic was more accepted they were used in rituals... and also to keep fellow witches and wizards out of their belongings since we have a tendency to develop more and more advanced spells for opening things. Putting something in a Puzzle Box created an extra barrier, because unless you met certain conditions and knew the trick to opening it, you weren't likely to do so."
"Met certain conditions?" Stephen asked.
"A lot of puzzle boxes are designed with a special occasion in mind," Professor Craw explained. "Puzzle boxes can be designed as gifts during life events like weddings, birthdays, and coming of age celebrations..."
"Oh, do you mean like Pandora's Box? Could that have been a puzzle box?" Stephen asked with interest.
"That is what I'm looking into, yes," Craw confirmed with amusement. "After all, we know it had powerful magic that needed to be kept in, and it was given as a gift. It ticked off the right boxes... so to speak... so, I thought I'd go over the history and types of containers that have been discovered over the years to see how likely it might have been."
"Huh. I wonder if Bedivere's Box is a Puzzle Box too?" Stephen pondered, glancing at the latin dictionary.
"I have no idea, but I'm sure it'll be interesting to find out. I rather have my hands full at the moment... oh, but if you need any help, just ask," Professor Craw added.
"And you won't tell Quintin," Stephen said.
"Of course I won't. Your research is a student matter, and I treat all my students fairly," Craw informed him, wearing an expression as if she had been slightly insulted by the insinuation.
"Well, what I really need is a better latin dictionary," Stephen admitted. "You see, the Silver Box has an inscription, and I need to translate it. The dictionaries we use for Charms class only cover the basics needed for spell casting, and this one doesn't list all of the conjugations and such needed to translate written language."
"The box has an inscription? I didn't know that!" Professor Craw exclaimed with surprise.
"Professor Boulderdash was teaching us about taking inventory in our Magical Industries class," Stephen explained. "He told us that even if we didn't go into business directly, we needed to know how to take inventory for insurance purposes, or if we're holding long term property, like the Ministry of Magic does. So I got to wondering if the box might have been listed on a school inventory list."
"I didn't even know you had access to those," Craw admitted.
"Well, we don't have access to all of them. Professor Boulderdash told me that the list that the school reports to the Ministry are classified for at least two hundred years for security reasons, and even then, some of the public lists have items are listed as stuff like "security painting number one," for example. He told me that anyone working in the castle would know what items they are even with the obscure name."
"I do know that one," Professor Craw agreed with amusement.
"Anyway, I went back far enough to find a time when that box appeared on the list. To be fair, Boulderdash did most of the work for me. He showed me what to look for and helping me track down the right inventory scroll," Stephen admitted.
"It's quite alright that he helped you. As we told you from the beginning, staff are allowed to help you find the resources you need when you're stuck," Craw reassured him.
"He wouldn't help me with translation, though. As far as he was concerned, showing me how to dig through inventory scrolls was doing his part and he told me to get the translation myself. But it's not proving to be as easy as I thought it would be," Stephen admitted. Professor Craw smiled in understanding.
"I believe I have a better dictionary for you to use. Wait right here," she said, stepping out of the library.
Curiously he looked over at what she was reading, and it was indeed a section focused on Puzzle Boxes charmed to keep people from unlocking them until a special event occurred.
Stephen was pretty certain that Bedivere's Box wasn't like that. If there was any sort of special way to open it, it wasn't tied to any event and just meant to protect what was inside. Of course... the Headmaster asked them not to open it, so did it really matter how to unlock it? Still, knowing the answer might give him a clue as to where it might be hidden at.
The door opened, and Professor Craw came back in with a worn but well mended cloth book.
"Here we are! You may borrow this one," she said, holding it out for him. "This is from my personal collection, and you may take it with you if you like. You'll find this one especially helpful, because all of the tricky grammar rules are listed in the indexes in the back."
"Really? Thank you," Stephen said sincerely.
"Quite alright," Professor Craw said with a smile. "Just take care of it and return it to my class once you are done, just in case someone else wants to borrow it down the line."
"Yes, Professor," Stephen promised, putting the other dictionary back where it belonged before gathering his books and leaving her alone to do her research.
By the time Jeremy got back to the Research Library that day, it was empty. He grabbed his books off the shelf, then noticed that Stephen's shelf was as empty as the library. Jeremy frowned and suddenly became suspicious, taking a moment to glance through his books to make sure all of the bookmarks in place. Just to be safe, he decided to put them away in a particular order, writing them down on a piece of paper so he could check it the next day. That night, he went up to Quintin's room to find him dozing on his Transfiguration homework.
"Oh hey. Find out anything interesting?" Quintin yawned.
"No, but I'm starting to smell a rat," Jeremy said, sitting down beside him. "There weren't any books in Stephen's cubby in the Research Library. Not even that latin dictionary he had was on his shelf."
"So?" Quintin said.
"So what if it's because he's using the same books we're using? Everyone's allowed to use books on the shelf as long as they don't..."
"Move the bookmarks!" Quintin finished his sentence, waking up entirely. "So not only does he know what books we've been looking at, he even knows what passages in the books we've been reading! He's stealing our research!"
"Well, we can't know for sure if they're doing that, of course. But I put all of my books in a specific order to see if I can't trip him up, just in case they are," Jeremy said.
"That's all well and good, but did you move our bookmarks?" Quintin asked.
"Well, no," Jeremy admitted.
"Then let's go remove them. We still have nine and a half minutes before Boulderdash clears the library for the night," Quintin said, leaving his books on the table.
The two scrambled down, Quintin using his Doorlift privileges to make certain they got there in under three minutes. But when they got to the door of the library, Quintin pulled Jeremy back and they peered inside. All of the Maxens were sitting at the main table except for Zelda, who was stuck doing her homework at a small table with Ella Hauk.
"Great. If we go in there, it'll be totally obvious what we're up to," Quintin said.
"So? It'll let them know that we're onto them," Jeremy pointed out.
"It'll also let them know we're worried about their progress, and we don't want them to know we're worried," Quintin replied, turning back to the secret passage. "We'll either have to come back after curfew or go back in time and fix it before this point."
"Fine," Jeremy said, following behind. "So which one's the safer option, you think?"
"Going back in time is much safer, obviously. I don't want to be caught out after curfew," Quintin said. "Mum goes to Whitebridge Monday nights and Father takes Seren back early. It won't be a problem to borrow enough time for us to go back to the library when they're not there and fix those bookmarks."
"It'll make for another long day, though," Jeremy said.
"Maybe, but at least it'll be one less problem to deal with," Quintin said, the two of them walked back to his room.
The next day, they were both quite tired and doubled up on morning buns when they came into the Owl Room for breakfast. Unfortunately, quite a number of their order mates were there and had noticed their absence over the last couple of days.
"Come on, Quintin. You're the Owl Chairman, and you haven't been helping out at all. I'm sure you can at least stay until your next class," Mickey scolded him.
"Fine, I'll stay and help," Quintin said with a sigh, turning back to his food.
"Yes, and don't you dare slow down eating those to milk the clock," Mindy said sternly.
Quintin stopped and stared at her.
"I never milk the clock," Quintin said indignantly.
"Then get to work already, Unc," Mickey said sternly.
Quintin did as he was told, finishing his sandwich and getting another cup of coffee to make certain he didn't drop stitches.
Not long after lunch, Quintin hurried back to the Study to borrow the Time Turner again, meeting up with Jeremy and sending them back a couple of hours. Between scheduling and avoiding their other selves, they weren't able to meet up again until after dinner.
"I decided to go study in the back corner of the library so I could see if Stephen was using the library during lunch," Quintin told Jeremy.
"A bit risky, considering you were in the Owl Room next door," Jeremy said.
"I came to the library an hour earlier and left an hour later, it really wasn't any risk at all," Quintin told him with a note of exasperation. "As I suspected, Stephen did go in there, and he had a completely different latin dictionary than the one that was on his shelf before yesterday."
"So?" Jeremy said with a shrug.
"I recognized that old book... it's out of my mother's library. It's a latin dictionary she uses anytime she gets stuck on an old latin inscription," Quintin said.
"He borrowed a latin dictionary from her? Did he find a latin tome somewhere with information about the box?" Jeremy asked, a bit confused.
"I didn't have time to check at that point. I went back to the Research Library after dinner and went through every book on our shelf, but none of them were originally in latin."
"Did Janus write in old latin?" Jeremy said.
"Sometimes, yes, but mostly he wrote in Old English, and that was only in his journal which had absolutely nothing written about Bedivere's box. Whatever that box is for, it has nothing to do with Ick's prophecies about Voldemort, or we would have stumbled onto it before now," Quintin said. Jeremy snapped his fingers.
"I know, let's check our formal references page. We had to write in what the original languages were of all the references we used, so if there was a latin book in there, it would have listed it," Jeremy suggested.
He pulled out a fire-resistant box full of his different articles, neatly categorized. Pulling it out of its protective sleeve, Jeremy set the back page on the desk so they could both read through it. Quintin adjusted his glasses and focused on it, carefully reading each and every line.
"Nothing," Quintin said. "We only had to note the primary language... we didn't have to say anything about Greek and Latin quotes that might be used inside."
"True, but most of them were gratuitous to make a point, and they didn't need some special dictionary to translate," Jeremy said.
"Nearly all of the books already had a translation charm on them. But when they weren't translated, I typically asked Alex or Mum to help me," Quintin said.
"So it's no big deal then, right? If we run into the same problem, we can just ask her to translate it for us, and we're even. Of course, that does mean that we're still playing catch up. They still know something we don't, and whatever it is, it's in Latin," Jeremy noted.
"Let's go through the school founding section in the Research Library to see if there are any books written in Latin we might have missed," Quintin suggested.
"It's going to take us until curfew to do that," Jeremy warned.
"We have ten minutes less now. Better get moving... and bring a snack to eat on the way," Quintin suggested. Jeremy nodded in agreement, and the two of them raided the candy stash before they hurried through the common rooms, completely missing the confused looks they were getting.
"Why do they keep going back and forth like that? Are they really that forgetful?" Oscar wondered out loud.
"Maybe we should get them a Remembrall for Christmas," Ozzy suggested, watching as the two of them stepped into the Fluffy Room and through the Doorlift.
Peeking inside to make sure no one was there, the two of them stepped into the Research Room and stood at the right bookcase, going through them. Finding nothing of interest, they went out to check the Restricted Section, which took much longer than either of them expected.
"We don't have that long before Boulderdash starts chasing everyone out of the library," Quintin warned when Jeremy stopped to look through the history section. "Are you sure we should even be looking in this section? We can save time by splitting up. I'll go to Artifacts and Magical Items and you stay in Wizard History."
"Right," Jeremy agreed, and they began pouring through the books, looking frantically for any that could have been written in Latin.
Quintin was painfully aware how long it was taking them to scan so many unlabeled books, and it came to no surprise when Boulderdash appeared between the bookcases.
"Whatever you're looking for will have to wait until morning, Mr. Snape," Boulderdash informed him. His black eyes squinted at the other end of the row and fixed his gaze on Jeremy as well.
"I found a book," Jeremy declared expressionlessly.
"Then bring it up to the counter so that the two of you can be on your way," Boulderdash said.
Quintin glanced searchingly at Jeremy. Although he did find a book that was useful to their research, it was about conflicts between Wizards and the Giants and it wasn't in Latin.
"I was thinking that Gryffindor and Bedivere might be mentioned in here, considering what we learned last time," Jeremy explained to Quintin quietly.
"They might be, sure, but I don't think that box was something he took with him to war or anything. Rowen Ravenclaw gave it to him after he became Chancellor," Quintin said, not helping his friend's case at all.
"We don't know enough to say whether it's involved or not. He may have found something powerful on his journeys and she simply gave him the box to safely store it in," Jeremy reasoned as they walked towards the counter.
"Okay, you have a point," Quintin admitted, then glanced over as Boulderdash stepped over to sign out his book.
"Even if you're skeptical of his hypothesis, it is better to eliminate every possibility when doing this sort of research," Boulderdash said, stamping the card and writing Jeremy's name in.
"Thank you, Professor Boulderdash. Good night," Jeremy said, taking the book.
"Good night. And no sharing that with unauthorized students. Don't forget which section that book came out of," Boulderdash reminded them.
"We know, we know," Jeremy protested as the two of them walked towards the door. "I don't even know why any history books deserve to be in the Restricted Section, really. I'm pretty sure Professor Scribe doesn't think so either considering how quick as she is to give permission to look for references in there."
"Did you notice any latin books at all?" Quintin asked.
"Nothing obvious. Lots of other languages common in the eleventh century. Hey, I know...a lot of the religious books would still be written in Latin, wouldn't they?" Jeremy suggested.
"Obviously, but so what?" Quintin said.
"Well, maybe it's a religious artifact," Jeremy said. "Didn't the Villins and Maxens get in trouble for trying to desecrate an altar or something? Maybe they know already."
"Maybe you're right. We'll have to find out if Bedivere has any religious convictions, but it'll have to wait for tomorrow. Don't forget we have an early class," Quintin said.
"I think I'm going to have to set an alarm to get up on time," Jeremy moaned. "Putting these extra hours in every day are starting to catch up with me."
"Don't worry, I always get up on time. I'll get up a few minutes early to wake you up," Quintin promised.
"Make sure you're nice and loud about it," Jeremy advised, and the two boys went to their rooms.
Quintin couldn't help but admit that Jeremy looked quite tired by the time they walked down the long corridor to the Wizard's Quarters, but he didn't realize how tired he himself was until he got inside and sat on the bed. He barely remembered to take his glasses off as he laid down, kicking off his shoes and not even bothering to change as he pulled the covers over his head.
It wasn't long before he was in a deep dream.
He was with his father on some adventure, and he was older... perhaps even out of school, although his father seemed to be treating him as always. His father was exasperated, wondering how Quintin had gotten himself into such a predicament. And where was Jeremy? Jeremy was... somewhere else... out of reach... he had made a life changing decision and had gone in a direction that kept them from seeing each other short of an occasional beer at the pub. Quintin often missed his friend, and he wondered where he was at...
"Quintin!" Jeremy's voice blasted harshly through the dream, throwing Quintin into a confused state. It had seemed so real for a moment.
"Quintin, wake up, you idiot! Don't you know what time it is?" Jeremy yelled at him.
"I always know what time it is," Quintin murmured, wincing from the light. "It's-" he abruptly sat up. "Bloody craters!"
"If that's your way of saying, 'oh shit' then I agree! We've slept through our first class and even part of the second! I thought you said you were going to wake me!" Jeremy scolded.
"Sorry! It was an accident! I guess we've been overdoing it lately with the borrowing time thing. I was really worn out," Quintin admitted. "In fact, I'm still tired. Maybe we should just sleep ourselves out so that we're thinking straight, then I'll borrow the Time Turner and we'll go to class after we're fully awake."
"We can't do that! I told myself that I shouldn't!" Jeremy informed him. Quintin stared at him, then finally put on his glasses to see his face clearly.
"What?" Quintin asked.
Jeremy showed Quintin a folded paper in his hand, then he opened it and read it.
"Dear Jeremy," Jeremy read. "'Whatever you do, do not go back in time today, or it's going to cause a big mess. You're better off just admitting to your professors that you overslept and facing the music. P.S. Don't touch the Time Turner. Sincerely, your older self, Jeremy.' There, you see? I can't go back. I wouldn't have told myself that unless I really meant it."
"How?" Quintin asked flatly.
"How what?" Jeremy asked.
"How can you tell yourself that unless you use the Time Turner to go back in time and leave yourself that note to find in the morning?" Quintin challenged him.
"But that means the other me knows what's going to happen, and that's exactly why we need to take his advice and not do it," Jeremy insisted.
"We don't have a choice now! If we don't go back at some point, you'll never send yourself that letter, and that means you'll have created a Time Paradox! Remember that thing that goes boom?" Quintin said. Jeremy thought about it for a moment.
"I don't think that's how it works," Jeremy decided. "I'm going to trust myself to know what I'm talking about. I'm going to get ready for class."
"Fine! I'm going to go back to fix this," Quintin snapped in irritation.
"Alright then! Well, since you're going back anyway, why don't you put this letter on my desk before I wake up? It might fix that paradox you were worried about," Jeremy suggested, handing it to to him.
"But you haven't written it yet!" Quintin protested.
"I don't see why I need to. It's there already," Jeremy said with a shrug. "I'm going to get ready for class. Later."
Growling softly, Quintin waited until he left before he got up, too angry at his friend to even think of going back to sleep. He glanced out the window to check the weather and got dressed, grabbing his coat and scarf in case he needed to slip outside to avoid detection.
Quintin peered out into the corridor and found it completely empty. Well, of course it was, Quintin thought to himself, stepping out with a sigh. Everyone in his house were lower half and it was second bell in the middle of the week, so all of them were in class. He strode into the corridor confidently, not becoming cautious again until he was ready to step into the main common room. Making certain he was alone, he slipped into the research corner where the painting of Bedivere was reading a book.
"Good, you're in your frame. Could you do me a favor and check to see if my father is in his study? Or if you're not willing to do so, could you ask Caprica to do it?" Quintin asked.
"I don't see why I wouldn't be willing. Did you want me to tell him that you're looking for him?" Bedivere inquired.
"No, it's the opposite! I need to make sure there's no one in the Study," Quintin explained.
"Oh, I see," Bedivere said, and stepped out of the frame. It wasn't long before he returned once more. "Caprica says that the coast is clear. Your father had business at the Ministry this morning."
"Great, thanks!" Quintin said, hurrying back to his room and cutting over to the other door. Pretty soon he was in the Headmaster's Study, and couldn't help but notice one of the Sorting Hat's eye folds opening.
"And just what are you doing here this time of the morning?" the Hat asked suspiciously.
"I overslept. I'm just going to borrow it long enough for morning classes," Quintin explained and opened the drawer. Then he frowned. "Where is it?"
"Where's what?"
"The Time Turner, of course!" Quintin said impatiently.
"Oh that! Your mother has it. She borrowed it so that she could work at the Auror Department this morning," the Sorting Hat explained. Quintin groaned. "Oh... but you asked me to tell you that the Time Turner will be in there at twelve-fifteen when you and your mother will have lunch in here. You'll be able to borrow it then."
"Wait, when did I tell you that?" Quintin asked suspiciously.
"This morning before dawn, when you snuck in to return the Time Turner," the Sorting Hat explained.
"I did what?" Quintin replied flatly.
"I think you told me because you wanted to make sure the Time Turner had been returned before your mother asked to borrow it," the Sorting Hat replied.
"Wait... why did I... how did I lose it? I mean... it doesn't make any sense. I haven't even borrowed it yet. I have to wait until twelve-fifteen to borrow it, and that's only to cover my morning classes. Why did I go so far back in time in the first place?" Quintin asked.
"As to all of that... I have no idea," the Hat said. "I suggest you find someone to hole yourself up until lunch just in case another Quintin happens to wander this way."
"I'd never run into myself, my sense of timing is too precise for that," Quintin assured him.
"It is always good to be confident," the Hat reasoned. "See you at lunch!"
"Okay," Quintin said unsurely, working his way out the back again.
Well, it was almost time for his last class before lunch. At least he would be on time for one class that day, he reasoned, grabbing his books from his room on his way to Charms class.
When he sat down, Jeremy turned around with a look of pure exasperation, thinking how glad he was that he hadn't gone along. It was a very strange expression... accusatory despite the fact that Quintin had yet to do anything at all. Next to Jeremy, Broc seemed curious as to what they were up to, but when he shifted his gaze from Jeremy to Quintin, Quintin decided to bury his face in his Charms book and wait until after class.
As they stepped out, Jeremy attempted to make some distance between them and Quintin had to job to catch up.
"Hey, are you miffed at me or something?" Quintin asked.
"I'm annoyed, if that's what you mean. Which one are you anyway? Two? Three?" Jeremy asked.
"What are you talking about?" Quintin said.
"If you don't know what I'm talking about, then I'm probably talking to One. I had to number all of you to keep track," Jeremy said.
"I haven't done anything! I haven't even picked up the thing yet. I'm meeting Mum for lunch," Quintin explained.
"In that case, how about you just not do it? You're going to be in lot of trouble, and I'm sure you're going to get caught. It's not worth acing your Defense test for, trust me," Jeremy warned.
"I ace my Defense test?" Quintin asked brightly.
"Haven't you heard a word I said? Don't touch the thing!" Jeremy told him firmly.
"But what'll happen if I don't at this point, considering you saw me do all of these things I haven't done yet?" Quintin asked.
"I don't know, I'm not the expert! Maybe it's time you asked your father for help," Jeremy suggested.
"What, are you crazy? He'd kill me! Or worse," Quintin said ominously.
"Yeah, well, good luck hiding it from him, especially since you're having lunch with your mother. What is she going to say? I am so glad I decided just to admit I overslept. A bit of extra homework is nothing to compared to this nonsense," Jeremy informed him and turned the corner to head to the Great Hall.
Quintin frowned, staring after him. Just how was he going to get past his mother, he wondered? Well, there was only one way he knew of, he thought with a sigh, using the time it took him to come up with a viable excuse. Once he got to his room, he took off his spectacles and put them away before stepping into the nursery, nearly tripping on his sister's stuffed rabbit on his way to the other side. He should have brought Ebony with him to act as a second pair of eyes, he mused, but it was too late now. He opened the door and peered in, but he was alone at first.
Quickly getting his drink and setting it on the table, he took off his glasses and put them away, waiting patiently for his mother to arrive; it wasn't unusual for her to be a few minutes late to the point that sometimes his lunch would appear before she even arrived. In a flurry the door opened and she came in, pulling off her cloak as she did so.
"Oh, you're here already, Quintin! Sorry if I'm late, but I had business at the Auror Department today," she explained. She went over to the Headmaster's desk, slipping something blurry inside that Quintin could only guess was the Time Turner. "I must apologize in advance for having my spectacles up, but I'm in the middle of a delicate case and... come to think of it, where are your spectacles?" she asked curiously.
"Oh um... they're loose on one side," Quintin explained hastily.
"Simple enough! Let me get my tool kit for delicate work," Jennifer said, going into the back room.
Quintin did a quick scramble to retrieve the Time Turner. He put it on and disappeared only to be dash through the doors ten seconds later. After attending his first two classes of the day, he tossed it back in his father's desk, pulling his glasses off and putting them in his pocket.
The paintings of Dippet and Dumbledore both shook their heads in disapproval. Even the Sorting Hat was shaking his brim, but the three of them were too far away for Quintin to see clearly.
Jennifer came back with the small velvet bundle, unrolling it and picking out the appropriate screwdriver.
"Here we are! Do you want me to adjust them for you?" she asked.
"I've got it, Mum," Quintin said. "You showed me in Items class, remember? It's close enough work that I can see it clearly."
"Yes, alright," Jennifer said, handing the kit over to him. "Let's have double sandwiches and roasted pumpkin salad! I'm quite hungry after pulling so many extra hours today. It's a shame your father couldn't be here, but he's at the Ministry on school business attempting to get some of the budget altered before we go on winter holiday. We need to fix part of the castle roof."
"For the Scribes Quarter above the chapel?" Quintin guessed.
"That's right. It'll get approved, of course, since leaks of that sort are a nasty business that can damaged lower floors and even the foundation, but since it goes above and beyond normal maintenance costs, it means he has to negotiate for a budget extension," Jennifer explained.
"Why not just have some fundraisers like you normally do for this sort of thing?" Quintin asked.
"Because this isn't some freak accident like the lab blowing up or a boy being Sorted into a house that doesn't exist," Jennifer said, and Quintin smiled sheepishly at that. "This is the sort of thing that really should be covered in the budget, it is simply that we didn't know we'd need money allocated to that in September, so it wasn't. Petty politics and budget haggling is just as much a part of being Headmaster as the rest of it, I'm afraid...Hermione and Boulderdash are the ones who do the lion's share of getting the budget to balance, of course, but it's part of Severus' job to sell it to the board, along with any changes that need to be made after the fact," she explained. "There's a lot more to it than just approving teacher projects and setting agendas, after all."
"Yes, I know," Quintin said with a nod. "Does the board know the real reason Father's is renovating the Scribe's Quarter yet?"
"I take it that means you do," Jennifer noted. Quintin nodded with a smile. "I believe Eric has his suspicions. I have a feeling that when the roof is done and he comes to inspect the improvements, he'll probably be certain. Fortunately, Eric was the one pushing your father to add more houses, so he isn't likely to be sore about your father's preemptive strike. He won't even question why we're doing this without the board's input; he knows perfectly well that board negotiations slow things down, and this isn't the sort of thing that we ought to wait on bureaucracy for. How is your research coming on Professor O'Lauren, by the way?"
"It's not going as quickly as I'd like... especially since the other team is getting outside help from professors," Quintin said, growing irritable at the reminded.
"Now, you know perfectly well that research projects of this kind includes whatever resources the school can provide to get the work accomplished, including professor input," Jennifer chided him.
"But you're helping them!" Quintin protested.
"They're my students just as much as you are. Of course I'm helping them as well. It's my job," Jennifer informed him. "You really didn't think you'd have exclusive rights to certain professors because you're related, did you? Would that truly be fair to the other students in the school? They have just as much of a right to ask as you do, you know. In fact, I think it's obvious you've been taking us for granted lately, Quintin. Your family goes above and beyond when it comes to making sure that you are taught the skills that you need to thrive and to survive in this world, and when you're not doing your best, it's an insult to those efforts because you're wasting their time. Surely you can appreciate that, can't you?"
"I am doing my best. In fact, I aced my Defense test today," Quintin declared proudly, glad that he went back when he did so that he could say it with sincerity.
"Yes, but what about what happened with your grandfather this morning?" Jennifer asked. Quintin froze. He had completely forgotten about his early morning defense lessons. Had he actually left his grandfather standing in the indoor gym waiting for him to arrive before breakfast?
"Was he really upset?" Quintin asked meekly.
"To put it mildly. You know what your grandfather is like, and he made a point of complaining to me about it at breakfast when I was attempting to get ahead of my classes since I knew I had an extra long day today."
"I'm so sorry, Mum. I'll make it up to you, honest!" Quintin replied in a fluster.
"Make it up to your grandfather by doing your best from now on instead of wasting his time like that. That's the best way to make it up to him, but I warn you, he's not about to go easy on you for quite some time," she warned, shaking her sandwich at him.
Quintin grimaced at that, nibbling on a sandwich. He was likely to make Quintin's life a living hell for a while, he thought ruefully. How could he have been stupid enough to have forgotten to show up for forms? Then again... he suddenly recalled that the Hat mentioned that had supposedly gone back even earlier at some point. Could that be why? Could he have been going back to show up for his early morning forms? Then why was his grandfather still angry with him?
"Quintin, are you listening at all?" his mother suddenly asked, bringing Quintin's attention back to the room.
"Oh, um... I was thinking about how I was going to manage the rest of my time today, actually," Quintin said carefully.
"All the more reason to listen to me when I'm letting you know where I'm going to be. You seem to be offended when I help out Stephen with their project, even though you have yet to come to me when I do make myself available. I'll be in the research library before dinner to work on something of my own, and since Stephen is likely to be in there as well, I hope you can be civil to one another if you or Jeremy decide to come. It wouldn't hurt for you to consult with one another for advice, you know... you can cooperate with each other and still main the integrity of your opposing viewpoints."
"What? No! Not after everything they've done to discredit our last research project. I don't think they deserve the right to cooperate with us," Quintin said.
"Everyone makes mistakes, Quintin, and everyone has opinions that down the road they change their minds on and even come to regret. But it's still important to respect those opinions, even when you don't agree with them... even when you know they're wrong," Jennifer informed him. "It's also important to accept the fact that there are times when you might be wrong as well. No one is perfect, and the sooner that you accept that you are not, the sooner you'll be able to accept that in others... not only in the people you care about, but the people you don't. Come now, finish your lunch. I still have a great deal to do before my next class thanks to this morning's interruption by your grandfather."
At the reminder Quintin finished eating. Just before twelve-fifteen, his mother left to get the Potion Lab ready for her next class.
"I did say that I'd be borrowing the Time Turner at twelve-fifteen," Quintin reminded himself out loud. "I need to borrow this again, Sir Hat, and I know why I have to go so far back. I need to meet up with my Grandfather."
"Before you use that blasted thing again, might I suggest attending your afternoon classes first? If you don't, things might get a bit messy," the Sorting Hat warned.
"I don't know what you mean by that, but to be perfectly honest, I would rather get those over with first," Quintin agreed. "Then I'll be able to meet up with my grandfather and sleep through the rest of the time until I'm all caught up."
"Yes, well, good luck with that," the Sorting Hat said.
"You don't have to sound so skeptical," Quintin said, grabbing the Time Turner and putting it on, hiding it under his collar.
Then he shuffled down to the kitchen for a quick cup of coffee on his way to his afternoon classes. As he came out, his father was standing in the corridor with his hands crossed and looking very, very annoyed.
"That way," his father said flatly, pointing him in a different direction.
"What?" Quintin asked in confusion.
"I am not telling you again. You will go up the back stairs to get to your next class, not the front. So march!" Severus ordered, turning Quintin's shoulders in the right direction. More than a little confused about his insistence, Quintin did as he was told.
Shaking his head, Severus turned to watch a second Quintin walk towards the library before putting his hand around his neck and disappearing.
It was dawn. The corridors were quiet... so quiet that he could hear the crackling of torches, and as Severus strode towards down the long corridor towards the other side of the castle, birds began to wake up one by one.
By the time he got to the Indoor Gym, it had gotten quite loud.
"What are you doing? What sort of footing is that? And what's with the lack of energy? I've never seen such imprecise forms... at least not from someone in my family!"
"No, Grandfather. Sorry, Grandfather," Quintin said.
Thomas tried his best, but after Quintin stumbled and fell on his front on a basic turn into a defense stance, Thomas finally gave up.
"Enough! I don't know what's going on, but you're obviously too tired for forms and not paying attention to instruction. What did you do, stay up too late for a class?" Thomas barked at him.
"Oh... I um... I'm trying to ace my Defense test..." Quintin said.
"DEFENSE TESTS DON'T MATTER IF YOU CAN"T STAND UP!" his grandfather shouted at him, causing Quintin to shrink back. "Never mind! I'm going to have a word with your mother. And I expect you to be here bright and early tomorrow and FULLY awake. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Grandfather," Quintin said meekly.
As Thomas huffed down the hall towards the back stairs, Quintin peered out tentatively and decided the wisest thing to do would be to walk in the opposite direction.
But as Quintin passed the Trophy Room, someone snagged him by the collar and pulled him in.
It was his father.
"What are you doing here?" Quintin stammered.
"Were you expecting someone else?" his father asked curtly.
"I... thought you had to go to the Ministry."
"I will go to the Ministry today, but not until I've cleaned up this mess you've made," Severus said, pulling the chain off Quintin's head. That's when Quintin realized that his father was wearing the same one.
"Wait. How do you have the Time Turner if I have it? I don't understand..."
"That much is obvious, and don't think you're going to be getting off lightly for this," Severus snapped. "First we need to get this device upstairs so that your mother can borrow it. Unlike you, she actually asked permission first," Severus said, pushing Quintin through the nearest Doorlift and stepping out near the Headmaster's Study. "Here, take this inside and return it. I don't want to risk running into myself by blundering in there as you are putting the thing away."
"Okay," Quintin said, walking inside.
Everything was quiet, so Quintin hurried over to the drawer. But as the door rattled open, the Sorting Hat stirred with a hrummph.
"What are you doing in here so early?" he asked suspiciously.
"I'm just returning the Time Turner so my mother can find it," Quintin replied.
"Hm? Why so early? What have you been up to?" the Sorting Hat asked.
"I'll tell you about it later. If I come back looking for it and it's not here, let me know that I am going to borrow the Time Turner at twelve-fifteen when I'm having lunch with my mother," Quintin informed him.
"Yes, alright," the Sorting Hat said.
"That took you longer than I expected," Severus said sternly.
"The Hat woke up. But don't worry, I think he was supposed to," Quintin said when his father squinted at him. "I remember him telling me all about about it, so I just repeated what he told me I told him."
"Nevertheless, it is not your place to say what was 'supposed to happen.' It has happened now, that much is certain. In fact, it's the only thing that is certain at this point," Severus replied sternly.
"I don't understand," Quintin admitted.
"What room are you using for your staging room? Where are you holing up during time when you don't need to replace yourself?" Severus asked.
"Sometimes my bedroom and sometimes Jeremy's," Quintin said, and Severus squinted.
"Is there more than one Jeremy running around as well?" Severus asked, glancing at the map once more.
"No," Quintin said somberly. "He sent himself a note from the future telling him not to use the Time Turner today, so he decided not to get involved."
"How intelligent," Severus replied.
"But he never even wrote the note! It just appeared and then sent me back to deliver it, but since he never wrote it, it's a paradox!" Quintin blurted out.
"And how many of them do you think you have caused today, Mr. Snape?" the Headmaster asked sternly.
"None!" Quintin said proudly. Snape stared at him. "Because I always finish what I start! Or I will, if I haven't finished it yet!"
"I assure you, Mr. Snape, that you are quite finished," the Headmaster informed him. "Into the Doorlift. Now," he snarled dangerously.
Quintin went inside and was surprised to come out in the Hospital Wing, glancing around with confusion. But the Headmaster was already on the move, striding over to the private room in the back and opening the door, gesturing inside.
"Don't just stand there, get in and lay down," he snapped.
"What? I'm not sick," Quintin protested.
"Of course you're not," Snape said sarcastically. "Do as your told, or you'll be finding yourself at St. Mungo's instead!"
Deciding that humoring him was the safest option, Quintin went inside, conscientious about the fact that the Headmaster stood at the door with his arms folded until he reluctantly laid down in the bed. It was remarkably comfortable for a hospital bed. Or was it because he was so tired?
Snape shook his head. By the time he turned around and shut the door, Quintin was already fast asleep. He then walked over to the clipboard to check to see who was on duty that morning. But before he even found her name, Ginny stepped into the room.
"Oh, hello! Sorry if I'm late, I had to drop Maggie off at school because the Headteacher needed to speak with me again about her behavior," Ginny admitted sheepishly. "You know how it is."
"Most decidedly. In fact, you have a patient in the back room but I suggest you allow him to sleep himself out before dealing with him. Quintin has managed to get himself addicted to a magic item," Snape said with obvious annoyance.
"Really? What device?" Ginny asked with widened eyes.
"The Time-Turner," Snape replied flatly.
"Oh! The Time-Turner... the Time-Turner and Quintin. That is a really bad combination," Ginny agreed sympathetically.
"I couldn't have said it better myself," Snape said. "Excuse me. I need to spend the rest of my day making sure he doesn't run into himself before the time line sorts itself back out.
"Are you sure you brought me the right one?" Ginny asked.
"If he disappears in an hour, let me know," Snape said dryly, striding out of the ward.
Ginny watched him go and picked up the clipboard, peering into the back room to make sure Quintin was still there before officially signing him in.