A Hogwarts Legend: Changing Paths [3]

Chapter Thirty Five

Unedited

Chapter Thirty Five - "I'm going all James Bond on this shit."

I'm standing next to Hermione and Harry in the deserted Entrance Hall and a stream of golden sunlight is falling across the paved floor from the open front doors. I look wildly around at Hermione, the chain of the hour-glass cutting into my neck.

"Hermione, what -?"

"In here!" Hermione seizes Harry's arm who seizes my arm, and drags us across the hall to the door of a broom cupboard; she opens it, pushes us inside amongst the buckets and mops, follows us in, then slams the door behind us.

"What - how - Hermione, what happened?"

"We've gone back in time," Hermione whispers, lifting the chain off Harry's neck, then mine, in the darkness. "Three hours back ..."

I find my own leg and give it a very hard pinch. It hurts a lot, which seems to rule out the possibility that I'm having a very bizarre dream.

Well, you know, there is a thing called, I don't know, magic?

Sarcasm not appreciated.

"But -"

"Shh! Listen! Someone's coming! I think - I think it might be us!"

Hermione has her ear pressed against the cupboard door.

"Footsteps across the hall ... yes, I think it's us going down to Hagrid's!"

"Are you telling me," Harry whispers, "that we're here in this cupboard and we're out there, too?"

"Yes," says Hermione, her ear still glued to the cupboard door. "I'm sure it's us ... it doesn't sound like more than four people ... and we're walking slowly because we're under the Invisibility Cloak -"

She breaks off, still listening intently.

"We've gone down the front steps ..."

Hermione sits down on an upturned bucket; looking desperately anxious, I want a few questions answered.

"Where did you get that hourglass thing?"

"It's called a Time-Turner," Hermione whispers, "and I got it from Professor McGonagall on our first day back. I've been using it all year to get to all my lessons. Professor McGonagall made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone. She had to write all sorts of letters to the Ministry of Magic so I could have one. She had to tell them that I was a model student, and that I'd never, ever use it for anything except my studies ... I've been turning it back so I could do hours over again, that's how I've been doing several lessons at once, see?"

"Wait, didn't you have your Arithmancy class at the same time as Elinor?" I ask. "How come she didn't notice you?"

"She's externally unobservant," Hermione sighs. "But ..."

She pauses before continuing.

"I don't understand what Dumbledore wants us to do. Why did her tell us to go back three hours? How's that going to help Sirius?"

I stare at her shadowy face.

"There must be something that happened around now he wants us to change," I say slowly. "What happened? We were walking down to Hagrid's three hours ago ..."