If I Could Change Time

"WHAT DID YOU DO?! I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH ANYTHING!"

"I didn't mean to!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN? YOU DIDN'T MEAN TO?" Harry turned away from Ron and ran an irritated hand through his hair.

Hermione tapped Harry lightly on his shoulder, "H..Harry?"

"WHAT?" Harry responded, a little louder than he meant. "Sorry, Hermione."

"Oh? So you shout at Hermione and then apologize, but you don't apologize for spitting in my face?" Ron said heatedly. Harry spun around to face the redhead.

"Hermione didn't touch things she wasn't suppose to touch back in that room with the dark-veiled arch! What did you touch? Ron, why do you always - "

"Stop it! Stop it you two!" screamed Ginny in frustration. "Whatever Ron did, I'm sure he didn't mean it Harry, so stop jumping down his throat! What we need to figure out is where we are now, because we sure aren't at the Ministry of Magic looking for Sirius!"

"Ginny's right, but where do we look?" asked Neville, nervously.

"Well, opening that door in front of us would be a start," said Luna, waving her hand in the general direction of the door, talking as if what had happened was a normal occurrence. Hermione marched over to the door and grabbed the doorknob. The door didn't move.

"Alohomora!" The door sprung open. The six confused and dejected teenage witches and wizards walked into the opening. "We're back in that circular room with the moving doors!" exclaimed Hermione. "Maybe we didn't leave the Ministry after all! Maybe we were just transported to another room!"

"Yeah, maybe." said Harry, darkly. Hermione turned to face him and began lecturing, "Look, Harry, everyone is just as depressed, worried and scared - " ("I am not scared!") " - as you are, so stop acting like everyone's against you because your attitude is not helping with anything! If you're going to say something, let it be useful in this situation and we might save some time and find Sirius quicker!"

Harry looked at the feet for a moment feeling slightly ashamed and then looked up at his friends who had stuck by him all along, who had jumped in to help him find Sirius after he told them about the dream he had during his OWL exam, who were risking their lives with full knowledge that Voldemort could be anywhere... "Sorry guys."

"That's better. Let's start again, shall we?" Harry nodded. The sextet began to try opening the various doors encircling them. "Harry! You think this is the way back out?" asked Hermione excitedly.

"Looks like it, let's go." Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna and Neville set off in a quiet jog and then, when they felt more comfortable with the dark corridors, broke into a swift run. They ran through dark corridors and up dank staircases until they reached the second floor, Neville stopped them.

"Loo..look, you guys...d..d..day light!" Neville panted.

"What about it?" asked Ron, tilting his head at Neville and clutching his side attempting to ease the painful jabs from the stitch.

"Well, the sky was getting darker when we first arrived, so naturally, it would be odd that it is now daylight and we've only been here - " Luna looked at her coke-capped watch " - my watch stopped." she announced dreamily - she seemed to be the only one who wasn't out of breath.

"Fo..for two hours." Ginny finished, breathing hard.

"Maybe it's an enchanted window or something," suggested Harry. "They have those here - Mr. Weasley and I walked passed one on my way to the hearing earlier this year."

"WHY are we standing here pondering about whether some random window is enchanted or not?" scoffed Hermione. "Don't we have something to do or somewhere to go or someone to save?" At that Harry began walking at a decent pace again. When they reached the lobby and had just walked past the front desk, a shriveled old man called out to them, "Oi, you kids there! Watchya doin' around the Ministry at this time of day?" The sextet stood there, stunned. None of them knew what to do and naturally turned to Harry.

"Well," Harry began. "We're here on important business." The old man peered at them over his glasses carefully.

"Shouldn't ya be in school or somethin'?" While Harry was conversing with the receptionist, Hermione was looking around, gradually growing more and more suspicious. When she could no longer hold her suspicion any longer she tugged at Harry's sleeve.

"Harry!" she whispered.

"What?" Harry responded at the corner of his mouth but then returned to the receptionist, "Excuse us for a moment." Harry motioned the rest over into a corner, out of the receptionist's earshot.

"I...I think something is wrong."

"Well spotted." Ron interrupted sarcastically. Hermione ignored him.

"I mean...there are extra portraits around!"

"So?"

"Think about it! We're in the wizarding world ("Really? You think?" said Ron.), two hours ago - according to Ginny's watch - the sun had set and now it's day time...and there are more portraits! Don't you think that's kind of fishy?"

Again Ron interjected, "How do you notice these things? Extra portraits and stuff? I mean we were running to find Sirius - "

"Wait...so you think we're...in a different time period...or something like that?" Ginny asked, her eyebrows furrowing. Hermione nodded.

"So does that mean we're in the past or the future?" Harry asked quietly.

"We'll just have to find out, don't we?" Hermione strode up the front desk. "Sir, can you please tell me what the date is?" Hermione asked confidently.

"Why, yes Ma'am, 'tis June 29^th."

That's today's date! "What...what year...what year is it?" Hermione stammered, holding her breath. The others seemed to do the same because it suddenly grew quieter. The receptionist stared at Hermione in surprise wondering if she was pulling his leg but her question and current facial expression got the better of him and he burst out laughing.

"What's the date she asks! Ha ha! What's the date? 2010! 2010, ma dear! Where have yeh been? And yeh still haven't answered me: what business dae six children have here at the Ministry - during school season? Eh?"