Amulet of Time 2: Two Worlds, Two Wars

Chapter 5: Research On The Ravenclaw Line

As soon as the group arrived back at the castle they went their separate ways to take their new school supplies to their dormitories. They had all decided to meet in the Gryffindor Room in half an hour so they could put the extra books in there with the ones they had bought in Hogsmeade during the holidays. Hermione had also decided on the long walk up to the castle that she couldn't wait to discuss the consequences of what Gallatea had told them before they left. She wasn't prepared to wait until the next day, so Harry agreed to tell them at their meeting.

Twenty minutes later found Harry alone in the Hufflepuff fifth year boys' dorm. Checking no-one was coming; he closed the door and placed his hand on the wall. Whispering, " Harry Potter, Harry's Room," he was astonished as a large red door appeared in the wall in front of him. Opening it, he quickly moved inside and closed the door behind him before any of his roommates could come back. Looking around he saw that he was the first to arrive. The room hadn't changed in the 950 years it had been unoccupied. Everything looked the same, from the stacked bookshelves to the practice mats on the floor. Moving over to the armoury, he took out his elven sword, which he had placed there before he left. They had all left their weapons in the room, despite their better judgment, as they didn't know what time they would end up in, and if the natives would have objected to children carrying swords and bows. Moving into the centre of the room, he started to swing the sword in a series of complex configurations. Practicing always released the tension he was feeling. He didn't notice the others entering the room until Ron's voice interrupted him.

" Harry? Are you ready to talk yet?"

The Boy-Who-Lived sighed, before taking his sword back to the armoury. When he came back into the main room he found the other three sitting in comfy armchairs in front of the fire. Hermione had summoned a tea set, and Ginny was arranging some biscuits on a plate. Sitting next to Ron, he sighed and looked up into his friends' expectant eyes.

" What do you want to know?"

" Is what Gallatea said true?" Hermione asked him.

" I honestly don't know. It was the first I heard of it. I don't see why she would lie, though."

" How did it happen?"

" I can't answer that, either…"

" Harry! You promised us answers, and now you're sitting there telling us nothing! We're supposed to be your friends..."

" RON! Stop, alright? I think you misunderstood. I can't answer that because I don't know for sure. The only time I think it could possibly have happened was on my birthday. Remember when we went back to Ravenclaw Tower blind drunk? We woke up the next morning in my bed, half dressed. Neither of us could remember anything past staggering down the corridor the night before. As we were still wearing underwear, we assumed nothing had happened. We must have been wrong…"

" Oh, Harry! How could you be so irresponsible?"

" It was an accident, 'Mione! We were drunk, and didn't know what we were doing."

" But…"

" Hermione, drop it! It was a mistake. We didn't know what we were doing. It's over and there's nothing I can do about it now. Can we just move on and try to figure out what happened after we left. Please?"

" Alright," Hermione said with a sigh, " I'll let it go. We need to find out the consequences of what you did. Do you know how much this could have changed time?"

" As I keep saying, 'Mione, I think everything that we have done was meant to happen. I'm not going to argue with you anymore about it, so let us just agree to disagree."

Ron, who had been quiet up until now, was about to suggest they start looking through genealogy charts when a loud cackling rang through the air. Seconds later, a transparent form came tearing through the room, sitting itself in one of the armchairs, laughing uncontrollably. The four friends watched in bemusement as the figure looked up and jumped, startled to see them there.