Time Told

Tears in Paradise

As the months moved on at Hogwarts, everybody fell back into their normal post, with very few exceptions. Hermione, who had cooled down a lot during her fourth year, was starting to get strict again under her new perfect role. Ron was spending more time on his schoolwork, to spend time with Herm, and was discovering the wonders of a bit of studying. Lets just say all the teachers were pleased with the positive influence from Hermione.

So while Hermione and Ron were in the library, George, Fred and Harry were out on the Quidditch pitch, working their brains out under the rule of their crazed captain, Katie Bell. The practice was paying off, but the boys were worried that Maddie would start getting bored at nights. They shouldn't have.

At this point we find our heroine deep in a lesson on the Melodicia theories. After a few conversations with Professor McGonagall, she had decided that it would be a useful skill to know, and a good way to keep her voice up to par. They weren't incredibly complex within themselves, but the amount of voice quality they required forced the student to be very focused and regimented. It involved learning how to create a harmony from music that was already playing, and draining your spell power into that, putting your power into a song that you sang yourself, and actually creating alternate sound waves without using your vocal cords. Though it was hard, Maddie was thriving under the training conditions, and Professor McGonagall seemed especially pleased with her progress.

"Do, ray, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do, do, ti, la, so, fa, mi, ray, do," Maddie sang in a high, clear voice. She looked up, shocked to see that through this simple scale she had been able to form an electric blue coat button in front of her face. She hesitantly reached up and plucked it from the air, and turned to see Professor McGonagall giving her another one of her rare smiles.

"Beautiful work, dear. Excellent, really. I'm so proud that you were able to do this after only three lessons. Tomorrow we're going to work on more complex spells. Not conjuring things up, but blocking bad spells, defensive spells...oh you'll see." She sent Maddie off to her common room with a package of Every Flavor Beans, and a smile. Maddie wandered through the halls, singing happily under her breath. She was just rounding a corner on the third floor when she saw something outside that snatched the song from her lips. Rain was pattering against the windowpanes, gaining intensity by the second. Oh no, please don't let the lightening start. Please, please, please no thought Maddie. She stuffed the beans in her pocket and picked up her pace, nearly running to the common room.

"Hey Shortyfries! Over here!" It was Harry, curled up in a seat by the fire. Everyone was around him, perched on seats or sprawled out on the floor. Not tonight. I can't tonight she thought, but she still went over and sat cross-legged on the arm of Fred's chair.

"Did you go singing again tonight?" asked Hermione. The question ripped Maddie's eyes away from the gathering storm outside, and she brightened a bit.

"Yeah, look what I did!" She dug the wildly colored button from the pocket of her robes and passed it to Hermione, who looked impressed. "All I had to do was sing a scale at the same time as thinking real hard on the spell to change a beetle to button. And it just popped into the air in front of my face."

"Good job! Wow, I have to admit that I didn't think much of this 'magic through music' nonsense at first, but hey, you did something. Very good! Now you just have to prove that you can do magic without the music!" George grinned teasingly as he ducked the pillow chucked by Maddie.

"Leave her alone. You can't say anything at all with your Potions grade." Hermione was getting that lecturing look in her eye, and Ron decided it was time to change the subject.

"Hey, hey, hey. We're all friends! So what do you guys think about the Hogsmeade trip next weekend? You all game?"

"I don't know," began Hermione, "I have an Arithmancy test that Tuesday..." Ron tightened his grip around her waist and twisted her around so she was staring into his eyes.

"Hermione Mathilda Granger, you are coming with us. And you are going to have fun. In fact you are not allowed to open a book that entire day." She stared back at him, trying very hard to meet his intense gaze. Finally she let out a little scream of defeat and buried her head in his shirt.

"Fine, whatever, you win. But you cheated! You used your eyes...no fair," she mumbled, and Ron sat back with a satisfied smile on his face. George laughed and turned to Fred.

"Well, I'm sure there. We need to stock up, old buddy. I think Maddie here is going to make us run out, with all her tricks." He turned to share a laugh with his little friend, but she was staring pensively out the window behind him. He turned around and followed her eyes.

"Looks like it's gonna storm," Fred commented with a grimace, and Harry's face followed suit.

"You know what that means. Super-mud Quidditch tomorrow. But we need it- Katie has to teach us that final maneuver before the game against Hufflepuff on Wednesday, or we're toast." Harry said with a tone of panic.

"You sounded like Oliver Wood for a second there," commented Fred thoughtfully. Harry brightened.

"Really? Oh wait, was that a compliment?"

"Take it as one anyway," suggested George, and Harry nodded. There was a little bit of silence for a moment as they watched the clouds roll about outside. A low rumbling started, and Harry noticed Maddie begin to shiver. After a few more seconds, a loud scream pierced the silence. Everyone turned, shocked, to a perfectly calm Hermione.

"What! Are you OK?" said Harry, leaning over his chair next to her.

"Of course," she said, examining her nails. Harry and Ron exchanged a glance.

"Um, darling, why'd you do that?" Ron pulled her back so she was facing him again. She shrugged.

"It was too quiet." George, Fred, and Harry erupted in laughter. Ron just shook his head.

"If it's not one extreme, it's the other," he muttered under his breath. Hermione wriggled out from under his arm.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

"Nothing, honey," he said dismissing her comment and reaching for her.

"Don't 'nothing honey' me! What did you mean by that? God, you want me to lighten up, and then you want me to calm down. I'm so sick of this." Hermione stomped away and began working on some homework at a nearby table. Ron just put his head in his hands and sighed. Then he sat up, rolled his eyes, and started talking to Harry about- what else? - Quidditch.

Outside, the storm was getting worse and worse. The trees were furiously whipping back and forth, and rain was driving in sheets, clouding any view out the window. The clouds were boiling in the wet sky, and the moon was nowhere to be found. Then, just as the rain climaxed, a blast of light flickered and a crash followed. Everyone jumped a little, but Maddie screamed a loud, terrified sound and tumbled into Fred's lap.

"Oof! Maddie? S'ok, just a little lightening. Somehow I thought it would take a lot more than that to scare you," he chuckled, but Maddie pulled herself up and ran as fast she could up the stairs and away from the group. Fred stared after her in amazement, then turned to the others, who looked equally baffled.
Hermione pushed back from the table and looked worriedly up the stairs.

"I'll go check on her," she called to Fred, who was now looking a little uncomfortable.

"I was just making a joke," he insisted, and Harry nodded slowly.

"Something tells me that it was more than your comment. She was quiet all night." Another pregnant pause followed.

"Well, we got rid of the women, let's party!" Ron looked around at the blank response to his crash-and-burn joke. "Fine, let's go with Gobstones." The boys shuffled into a circle, somewhat subdued. As Harry pulled out his set of the liquid-squirting marbles, he felt a chill go down his spine. Why was everyone acting so weird?

(*)

Hermione walked up the stairs, a hand pressed to her pounding head. This damn headache. It's been bothering me all day she thought tiredly, rushing a little bit to check on Maddie. She was so very tired of feeling sick, but she simply didn't have time to get it checked out. She had busy schedule, what with friends, prefect duties, and of course her ever-perfect school work. But she had already promised herself, and Ron and Harry, that she wouldn't "pull another Time-Turner". She knew that she was in danger of overload, but she had it all under control. Sure Herm. Keep telling yourself that.

As she entered the dorm, she saw that a few third years were already asleep at the early night hour. Walking cautiously towards Maddie's bunk, she saw that the curtains were drawn and heard sniffling noises from inside.

"Um, Maddie? Are you in there, Hon?" Hermione tried to keep her voice soft, but she saw Lavender's head pop up interestedly.

"Hermione, thank you, but please, I'd rather be left alone," came the muffled voice from inside the thick red curtains.

"Are you sure?"

"Quite."

"Well, is there anything I can get you?"

"Please tell the guys that I don't want to talk about this. No questions. Do you think they'll understand?" Hermione could hear the desperation in her friend's voice. She smiled a slight smile.

"I'm sure they will. Are you su-"

"Thank you, Hermione. Please tell them."

Hermione bit her lip and nodded to the thick curtains, then turned to go back down the steep steps to the cozy, fire-lit room. She looked longingly towards her inviting bed as she shut the door, but pushed herself down the stairs with a determination she had down to an art. Schoolwork to do, messages to deliver, headache to ignore. There was always the list. And it always gets done she thought with grim satisfaction as she reached the boys. It always gets done

(*)

The next day George woke to the sounds of Fred and a third year named Michael Parker fighting over the showers. He groaned and pushed his head underneath the feather pillow, but it was no good. He was up, and up was he.

"WOULD YOU HUSH?" he screamed irritably to Michael, who was arguing that the fact that he had had a nightmare and therefore had woke up sweating made him dirtier and in more need of showering. Michael stopped with his mouth open.

"Not a morning person," confided Fred as he slipped through the door and slammed it in Michael's face. George riffled through his pile of robes at the foot of his bed and pulled the cleanest looking ones on. He reached in the pockets and was overjoyed to find a small container of Disappearing Ink. Walking around the room he tripped on empty food trays, containers filled with intriguing brown muck, and somebody's retainer. He sighed and sat back to wait for Fred. Then he heard a faint sound, like someone yelling. He walked over to the door and leaned out into the hallway.

"GEORGE! FRED! ONE OF YOU ANSWER ME!" He grinned. She was giving them a yell.

"MADDIE? WHAT?"

"I need some Gofhubber, I just ran out."

"Some WHAT?"

"GOFHUBBER! You deaf?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"OH MY GOD! Tell me your lying. Tell me your delusional. Meet me on the landing, stat." He heard her clattering down the steps and vaulted the banister to beat her there. He looked her, robes half-buttoned, hair snarled and everywhere, and considered saying something about last night, but then he remembered Hermione's words.

Guys, she asked me to tell you not to mention this again. I think we should respect that. If we treat her as she wants to be, we'll gain trust, and maybe she'll tell us eventually. So just don't say anything, ok? He reached across and buttoned the top buttons of her robes as she pulled on a pair of striped socks.

"So you're telling me that they don't have Gofhubber in Britain?" she began.

"Maddie, I have no clue what it is. I don't even know if you eat it or wear it..." he trailed off under her stern glare.

"I'm going to explain, if ya let me. Ok, I can probably scrape some out of the bottom of this tube." Maddie rummaged in the pocket of her robes and pulled out something that looked like a bright blue toothpaste tube, crumpled and flattened within an inch of its life. "This is Gofhubber. The most wonderful invention ever to grace this Earth. Yup, I got some out. You got any firecrackers on ya? Oh, never mind, I have one." George watched with interest as she rubbed the yellow cream along the fuse of a Filibuster's. The fuse began gently waving back and forth, and making the slightest humming sound.

"You ready for the show?" asked Maddie with a tone of great mirth. She dashed up the steps, pulled open the dormitory door, and chucked the firecracker with all her strength. George heard a high voice scream, "INCOMING!" and heard a series of shrieks from the room. Then there was a deafening blast and a network of purple smoke wafted into the hall. Out of the whole mess darted a little figure- Maddie- with a huge grin, doubled over from laughing.

"MADISON WELLS! Get back in here you little witch! I know it was you, you little rugrat, you little brat! UGH!" Out into the hallway ran Lavender Brown, her hair was sopping wet from a recent shower. She stopped short at the sight of George, standing outside the door with his arm protectively around Maddie's shoulders.

"Oh, um, George. I didn't mean to scream-" She suddenly realized she wasn't wearing a scrap of make-up and threw herself back in the room, giving Maddie a glare as she went. Through the open door, one could hear her belt out a frantic scream "HE JUST SAW ME IN MY BATHROBE WITH NO MAKE-UP ON!" Maddie was shaking with laughter, and she stepped away from George to look him in the face.

"And that is Gofhubber. See ya at breakfast!" With that, she disappeared into the chaos that had been a happy little dormitory a few minutes before. George stood for a few seconds, stunned at the rapid speed that the events had transpired.

"Oy, George!" He looked up to see Fred hanging over the banister. "What just happened?"

George grabbed the forgotten tube of Gofhubber and followed Fred down into the common room. "I really haven't a clue."

(*)

The Gofhubber incident had two large impacts; Lavender's loathing of Maddie grew, and the boys admiration of the her increased, as well. They wouldn't stop bugging her until she promised t write her aunt and have some more sent to her. Hermione was torn between total disapproval and total interest, finally settling a point leaning more towards the latter. The twins were delighted with their new partner in crime, and Maddie wasted no time in teaching some of the tricks she knew, and they reciprocated. All of her free time was spent working on a combination of homework and Dungbomb mixes. Whenever her best friends were off playing Quidditch, Maddie was off in voice lessons. There was just one thing...

It was the fall, and thunderstorm season was particularly stormy. To Fred and George, this only meant that Quidditch practices were more squishy than normal, but for some reason, Maddie couldn't stand them. On normal occasions, Maddie stayed up late, talking and cracking jokes with her friends, but whenever a thunderstorm came up, she would disappear in her bunk for the night. Everyone was dying to question her, but they remembered her request, and faithfully kept their mouths shut.

One night, Fred and Harry where racing around the Quidditch field after practice when a lick of lightening forked the sky. They quickly shot down and headed towards the castle on the hill.

"You know, I'm really getting sick of all these storms," commented Harry as rain began to slick his hair down.

"You're telling me! I'm constantly wet, muddy and wrinkled. Plus, Maddie becomes a memory every time one of them rolls around." Fred shook his head and swung his broom over his shoulder. Harry nodded.

"I wish we could ask her what was wrong, but Hermione would probably kill us and use our heads to learn more about the human brain." Fred snorted with laughter as they entered the school and jogged up the staircases to the portrait entrance.

"Purple Porpus," Harry said to the Fat Lady, and he jumped into the warm room enthusiastically. Fred followed and together they raced up the steps to the showers, nearly flattening George on their way.

"Hold up, we'll be right there," said Harry over his shoulder. True to his word, he showed up no less than ten minutes later, with fresh robes and dripping hair. Fred joined them and they hurried down the steps, in search of their friends. Harry's eyes wandered over the students laughing, doing homework, playing games, and crying their eyes out- crying their eyes out? He sharply nudged Fred and George, who looked horrified to see Maddie, curled up on the couch in the back of the room, sobbing all over the text book she'd been reading. They went to her quickly.

"Maddie?" said Harry softly, and she looked up with a start. Her yellowish eyes were red around the rims, and she was shivering uncontrollably. "What happened?"

"Nothing. Nothing, I'm fine!" She gathered up her books and tried to push her way to the staircases, but Harry put his hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"No, you're obviously not. Why do you keep running away?" She looked at him, her eyes pleading with him to let her go, to let her out of the sight of everyone. As much as he hated to see her so upset, he was tired of pretending he didn't see every time she ran, terrified, up to her room. He was her friend and he was going to get some answers. He increased the pressure on her arm, and she fell back onto the couch, letting her books fall to the floor. She drew her knees up and buried her face. Just then, Ron and Hermione walked over, soaking wet.

"Hey guys! We were taking a walk by the lake, but then it started raining and we had to run back-" Ron broke off as Maddie lifted her face. She had stopped crying, but the tears hadn't all dried yet, and her face was almost as wet as his.

"Maddie, what happened?" She drew a shuddering breath.

"Fine. You want the story? You'll get the story, and all the details besides. Sit down, friends, you're in for an interesting evening." She spoke bitterly as her friends gingerly sat down around her. She wiped her face, stretched out her short legs, and began.

"I never told you exactly why I transferred here, did I? Well, that wasn't a mistake. I guess the whole thing started about five months ago. No, it actually started 15 years ago, the first time my dad held me. I loved my dad. He was the greatest guy in the world- Father of the Year type. He loved to laugh, with everything in him. It was impossible for anyone to feel uncomfortable around him. He loved kids, he loved adults. He was a huge prankster. I got my 'wild streak' from him. Whenever there was an awkward silence, he would break into monologues using cartoon character voices, making even the most serious person break into giggles." She paused for a second and Harry realized with a jolt that she was talking in the past tense.

"Me and my dad were very, very close. I'm Muggle-born, and when I was in elementary school, he would wake me up and serve me breakfast. All I would do was sit at the breakfast bar, and he would treat me like a little princess. He would flick the radio to an oldies station, and we would dance around, lip-synching. Every morning."

She wrapped her arms around herself, as if trying to hold in the emotion that was tearing at her voice. "Last year, in May, there was a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at my school. That's a Muggle play. I was the Narrator, a huge part. I was so excited and nervous, and practiced my lines and songs constantly. And you know what? I was really, really good. Anyway, opening night came, and I was ready. I had sent an owl to my parents, and they promised they would be there. They lived close enough to drive, and so I knew that they'd be there for me. On the big night, I was peeking out at the audience, and saw my mom, right in the front row. But my dad wasn't there. I thought he was just running late. But the curtain opened, and he was still not there. I sang that whole play to my mom, sitting next to an empty seat that shouldn't have been empty. At the end, people where cheering and congratulating each other, but I just ran to my mom and asked her where dad was. She had no clue. Then I saw him, running towards me with a terribly sad look on his face. 'I'm sorry baby,' he said, 'there was a big accident on the highway. Four-car pileup. I wanted to be here...' But I didn't hear the rest. I was so upset. He missed my entire play, sitting in a car? I was to shook up to think straight, so I did the first thing I could think of. I ran. I ran out of the school, through the parking lot, and right into a huge forest on the grounds. It was raining, and I remember thinking that it was just perfect, one more thing to go wrong. But soon it got cold, and I had had enough of rebellion. I wanted to go home. I tried to find my way back to the parking lot, but it was no use. I was hopelessly lost. I sat down on a stump and began crying." She was crying in real life, as well. Tears ran down her face and gathered at the point of her chin, unheeded.

"I sat there three hours. Just when I was sure I was going to die out there, I heard someone calling my name. I looked up to see my dad, soaked to the bone and nearly crying. 'Baby! I was so worried!' And he started to come over to me, holding out his arms to give me a hug. I never got that hug. At that exact moment, a huge fork of lightening struck a tree behind him. The tree cracked in half and started falling...it- it fell- right on him. He was dead in seconds. Right behind him came a troop of police, with blankets and flashlights. But I don't remember anything after the point where a policeman came over and swept me up in a blanket, telling me he was gone. I woke up the next day in a hospital." By this point, Hermione and Harry were both crying gently, and Ron, Fred and George looked stricken. She looked at them with surprise, as if it was the first time she'd ever seen them all.

"That's why I'm here. My Aunt Rachel came up for the funeral service, and she knew I couldn't live at home anymore. To many memories, painful, painful memories. So she enrolled me in her childhood school, gave me a room in her house. Things got better instantly. But whenever there's a storm...I can't help having flashbacks. It's even worse because of you." She pointed to the twins and they stared back in shock. She smiled, a tiny little thing.

"You remind me of him more than you could even imagine. Your laughter, your constantly light attitude about life. Sometimes, I'll be talking with one of you...and I'll find myself thinking you're him, and it's so scary." Her voice cracked and she swallowed a large lump in her throat, still staring at the twins. George shifted to face her and help out his arms.

"Come here, Maddie," he whispered, almost tearfully. She crawled into his lap and let the floodgates break. She sobbed into his chest, not saying a word, just letting all her pain and sorrow pour onto his robes. Fred leaned over, putting his arms around her back, and Ron put his arms and his crying friends on the floor. For a moment, the six people were the only ones in the entire world, every heart beating to the same rhythm. In those few short minutes, a lot had changed. It's been said before, and I'll say it again. There are some things that are impossible to go through without becoming best friends. And this was one of them.

FIN