A Stitch in Time

Chapter 26

Albus sighed as he watched Scorpius and Rose giggle with each other as they were walking. He would talk with Teddy, but Teddy was growing impatient and wouldn't talk about anything for more than 3 minutes. Unless it had to do with James of course.

He turned around in the hallway and he saw a glint of gray staring back at him. Didn't I see that glint of gray like 10 yards ago? He thought.

Albus shrugged it off, and kept walking, trying not to be annoyed by Scorpius and Rose.

Teddy and Snape were leading them, matching stride by stride with each other.

The group walked out of Hogwarts, and started walking towards a fence that seemed to be put up there so people would avoid the tree. It was at least eight and a half feet tall. The Whomping Willow was at least 200 feet away from the fence that guarded it.

Snape and Teddy stopped, waiting for the trio catch up. Albus arrived first, the other two lingered on with each other in the back. Another glint caught Albus' eyes. He stared at it closely and realized that it was a pair of gray eyes, staring back at him!

Just before Albus could be sure, the eyes disappeared.

"Hurry! No time to waste!" Snape said, gesturing towards the fence. Teddy swiftly jumped the fence to reach the other side.

Scorpius looked nervous. "Sir, I don't know how to jump fences."

Snape looked at him funny. "Stop talking nonsense boy. How did you spend your childhood? You haven't jumped one fence?"

Scorpius thought about it for a minute. "Well, no. But I was one time because me and Father got in a very big fight. I was going to run away and never look back, but Mom talked me out of it. But I was going to jump our fence and run away! I really was!"

Snape snorted. "I am sure you would have gotten very far on your own too, Scorpius, its a shame you didn't. So you have no clue how to jump fences, any of you?"

Albus looked shocked. "Daddy says that only trouble-makers jump fences, and people who have to hide!"

An impatient noise was heard from the other side of the fence. Teddy climbed the fence back to the group looking very irritated.

"What is taking a century? Just jump the darn fence already!"

"We don't know how, Teddy!" Rose cried.

"Whaaaat? You people have never done that before?"

Snape nodded. "What do you expect? Why would they ever want to jump a fence!? Not that they ever needed to escape from someone."

Teddy and Snape shook their heads in disgust.

Snape snorted. "I will show you one time only, that's it!"

Snape swiftly jumped the fence in one graceful move.

A large nose peeked from the other side. "Now its your turn."

Teddy jumped the fence first, as the trio watched.

Scorpius tried to get his leg up and then fell in a heap. "Do you just, I mean like, do we need magic-"

Snape jumped from the other side. "You know what?" He leaped up,grabbed the three, then jumped the fence again, joining Teddy on the other side.

Albus and Rose rubbed their legs and tried to sit down for a break, but Teddy pushed them from behind. "Lets move it! James could be destroying half the world by now!"

They all ran towards the Whomping Willow. Snape suddenly hushed them, and pushed them onto the ground.

Scorpius tried to say something, but Snape covered his mouth. "Shh... I see someone." He whispered.

They all watched. The most peculiar sight came in front of them. A large black dog was dragging Ron Weasley towards the Whomping Willow, and there appeared to be a rat in his hands. Ron was shrieking, screaming, and twisting to try and get away from the dog, but the dog seemed intent on pulling Ron towards there.

The four looked at Snape, whose eyebrows were knit in concentration. "What is a dog...especially now... Black... Weasley...Lupin? Accomplice in castle..." He muttered.

Teddy shook Snape. "We need to go there! Remember, James?"

Snape glared at him, and pushed him back down again. They sat like that for five minutes. Snape kept peering out into the forest, as if to look for something.

Finally, two more figures appeared. They looked like they had been running for a long time. It was Hermione and Harry!

Rose turned to Albus. "Al, our parents look like they are in danger! We have to help them!" Rose tried to stand up, but Snape shoved her harshly onto the ground, as he had done with Teddy.

"You will do no such thing." He hissed.

Everyone was growing impatient with Snape.

"Then what can we do?!" Scorpius asked in exasperation.

Snape didn't answer. He continued staring at the Willow. They sat there for 5 more minutes, when suddenly Snape sprinted to the Willow. Everyone hustled after him.

"Ooh, what's gonna happen?" Rose said to Albus and Scorpius as she jogged along with them to the Willow.

Al shrugged, and continued following Snape.

Suddenly, Snape stopped. He put an arm out to protect the children.

What little patience Teddy had before, was officially gone.

"ARE YOU CRAZY? WE HAVE TO SAVE JAMES! I DON'T THINK YOU PEOPLE REALIZE THE EXTENT THAT JAMES-"

Snape yawned loudly. "If we are done now, I would like to save your friend with caution. And if certain people are going to scream, shout, and throw little tantrums then we are going to be caught in no time."

Teddy made a murderous face.

Snape ignored him and ushered the children around the Willow. "Albus, can you walk the perimeter of the tree to make sure-"

There was a loud scream piercing the air. Everyone swung around.

It was only Scorpius, who got hit by the tree. The four glared at him.

Snape found the opening and quickly stuffed the children in there.

"OWW!" Someone screamed

Teddy screamed, "SHHH!" at them.

Someone let out a loud frustrated sigh.

"Hey guys! I can see a light at the end of this tunnel!" Said a muffled voice, possibly Albus or Scorpius.

"GOOD! NOW HEAD TOWARDS THERE SO WE CAN GET OUT OF THIS STUPID, WORTHLESS TUNNEL AND GET ON WITH OUR PATHETIC, MISERABLE LIVES!" Teddy's voice hollered back.

"Okay, Teddy!"

Finally, after a long time with pushing, shoving, and screaming, someone was tossed out of the tunnel and towards the light.

"Come on out, guys!" It was Scorpius.

Rose crawled out of the tunnel, followed by Albus, Teddy, and Snape at the end.

"Guys! You'll never believe this! We're in a shack!" Albus exclaimed.

"I wonder what got us here?" Rose wondered.

Scorpius was about to say something, but then suddenly he screamed bloody murder, as if he was being attacked.

Everyone looked confused at each other. They turned around to see what had scared him that much. As soon as they turned around, their eyes meet a pair of maniacal, gleaming, insane red eyes that stared back, wide and unblinking like a corpse's.

It was James.