Turning Time

Chapter 2

"Are you listening, Ron?" said a voice, coming from the stairs to the dormitories.

"Of course I am!" replied another.

"Quick!" whispered James, pulling them all back towards a wall. "Under the cloak!"

The four of them under the cloak, a boy with messy, jet-black hair and green eyes behind round glasses opened the door, a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead above his right eyebrow, who caught James's eye in particular, followed by a tall, gangling boy with red hair and lots of freckles.

"Well, what Hermione said is that they want Abby dead. I think they're trying to get rid of what's left of Sirius," said the boy-who-looked-like-James-but-wasn't.

"WHA--" started Sirius, but Remus stuffed a sock which he found on the floor in Sirius's mouth.

"Will you please be quiet, Sirius?" Remus whispered.

"I have a son!" whispered James dreamily.

"That goes for you, too!" Remus hissed at James. He realized his rudeness and then whispered calmly, "We can't get caught."

"But Harry," said the tall boy, "why would they want to kill her off? She's in Slytherin, you know. Slytherin is all-evil." This boy must have been Ron if the other was Harry.

"No," Harry said, in a serious voice, "it isn't. If Abby is evil, why is Callie friends with her?"

"Maybe Abby is a different case," Ron said thoughtfully.

"Ron," Harry said, shaking his head, "why do you think all Slytherins are evil?"

"Have you ever met a nice one?" Ron asked.

"Abby's pretty nice as she is."

"Besides her," Ron said.

"No, but just because someone's in Slytherin, it doesn't mean they're horrible," Harry said, almost defensively.

"Since when did you care so much about Slytherins, Harry?" When Harry didn't reply, Ron didn't say anything else on the matter of Slytherins being horrible. "Well, should we tell Callie? She's down in the common room."

"Yes. Maybe we should," said Harry. "I don't want to worry anyone at all, but someone needs to know... And Callie's the right person to tell Abby for us. She never tells secrets." Harry sighed. "Let's go."

"Well," James said, lifting the cloak off of them, "we know that this Abby has something to do with Sirius. And it's obvious that Harry's related to me. But what about this Callie?"

"I don't know," said Remus. Suddenly, he looked at James, who would be the one with the Time Turner around his neck. His eyes widened in surprise. "James," he said, "where's the Time Turner?"

"I thought you had it. I took it off from around my neck," came James's reply.

"Then, it should be on the floor," said Peter.

They all stepped back and looked at the floor around them. None of them saw the device. Was it blending in with the floor?

"Where is it?" asked Sirius frantically. Peter held a finger to his lips and hissed for Sirius to be quieter.

"Well," said Sirius, "let's go talk to Dumbledore--or whoever's headmaster right now. Let's hope he's Dumbledore. Dumbledore would understand."

"We'll need the cloak," said James. "We can't get out of here unseen if Harry, Ron, that Callie girl, and possibly some other people are in the common room. So here," he said, lifting up the Invisibility Cloak so that they could all get underneath it.

"Let's go," said Peter, and James headed the cluster out of the dormitory and down the stairs.

They could see that no one was in the unchanged common room than they knew. Callie was a girl with dark brown hair and amber eyes. Her face had a slight roundness, and her hair fell just past her shoulders. Upon her lips lay a sweet smile, showing she was enjoying the novel she read at the time. She was tall and slender, and her skin had a slight paleness to it. As well as having a slight resemblance to Daine, she reminded Remus of himself.

Harry sat down next to her, and Ron sat on the opposite couch, quite near the fireplace of leaping orange flames. Half his face was a dark shadow, much unlike the half lit orange by the fire. Callie lifted her gaze to look at Harry.

"Hi," she said in a soft, almost shy voice.

"Hi. Umm.... Callie? There's something I have to tell you, but it's a message for Abby, and Abby only, alright?"

She nodded. "Of course."

But the four boys were already at the portrait hole when Harry began his next sentence.

"It's just that... Well, Voldemort wants to kill--"

The Fat Lady closed the portrait hole behind them when they climbed through. "Who's there?" she asked, almost panicked. "Who just came out? Hello?"

The boys fled for the third floor office of Albus Dumbledore, or whoever was headmaster in the twenty-year future they found themselves stuck in. When they got to the entrance, after taking off the cloak, they had to wait, for there stood the gargoyle that kept intruders from coming into the office. "Why do we have to wait?" said Peter impatiently.

"I see I have visitors," said a voice behind them all of a sudden, making the foursome turn around. There stood Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall--a twenty-year older Professor McGonagall.

Upon seeing their familiar faces, Professor McGonagall dropped into a dead faint. Dumbledore slightly opened his mouth, but no words came out. Then he finally spoke. "Come," he said. "Come in." He looked at Professor McGonagall and took out his wand. "Enervate," he said, so softly it was almost a whisper.

Professor McGonagall regained consciousness, and looking at the boys, burst into tears.

"Professor?" asked Peter. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she sobbed. "I'm fine, Mr. Pettigrew. Thank you."

They all entered the office, bookshelves all around, a phoenix of beautiful scarlet plumage near the desk. Dumbledore sat down.

"So," he began in his same soft voice, "are you time travelers?"

"Yes," said Remus.

"What is your story?" Dumbledore asked.

The boys looked at each other, and none wanted to tell, afraid that they might get detention one way or another. Remus finally gave in and started.

"What it is, Professor," he said, "is that Sirius had a Time Turner. Well, not the one you can get from the Ministry of Magic. It's the rare sort on a silver chain that--"

"Ah," said Dumbledore, "I know what you are talking about, Remus."

"Thank you, Professor." Remus made a slight bow. "So, we all decided very foolishly to travel twenty years ahead of our time just to see what it was like. I warned them all of the risks that might change our lives or others' forever, but they eventually convinced me to come along. I know I shouldn't have, but if they had stayed long, I wouldn't want to be left at Hogwarts alone. You know that I didn't have many friends besides them back in my time."

"I know that well, Remus," Dumbledore said kindly. "Go on."

Professor McGonagall raised her square glasses to wipe a tear.

"Well, then, when we did arrive here, three of us, Sirius, Peter, and I, released ourselves from the chain, and we thought James had the Time Turner. But he claims to have taken it off, too. So it must have fallen on the floor, but it isn't on the floor."

Dumbledore thought for a second. "You and your friends have quite a situation, Remus," said Dumbledore, "for this sort of Time Turner is extremely rare and should always be handled carefully and kept a close watch on. You may be stuck here for a while. But you cannot use your own names as identities. Let's come up with names."

Professor McGonagall took out a handkerchief out of her small, invisible, green tartan pocket and blew her nose. "Should I disguise their identities, Albus?"

"As soon as their names are certain, Minerva," he said. "To make clear your sudden appearance just before the Christmas holidays as the fault of no big event, let us just say that you are transfer students from the United States of America who disliked the school over there. If students ask about your accents still English, then say that you were born in this country but moved to America when you were about.... ten, let's say, because each of you had one American parent. Remus, you will be Robert Lewis. James, you are Jonathan Parker. Remus, you are Robert Lewis. Sirius, you will be Samuel Bauer. Peter, you will be Paul Piper."

For a few minutes, the boys practiced calling each other these names so that they wouldn't accidentally call each other their real names, which Professor McGonagall pointed out were strictly confidential in this time period.

"Now for your appearances. On James, or rather Jonathan, let's get rid of this jungle on his head he calls hair, and then let's fix his vision so that he won't need glasses until he gets back to his original time. I'll give you the counter-spell for it, James," When James saw McGonagall pointing her wand at his head, he stepped back with a shocked look on his face, as if he wanted to keep his hair from being straightened out. "Mundus!" she said, and James's messy mop relaxed and neatened out. It was no longer dull and messy, as if he had just gotten out of a Quidditch game. It was now neat and shiny, like he was brought up in a very rich family that constantly worried about looking elegant. "Oculus Evidems."

In a second, James only saw blurry images through his glasses. He took them off, and the world was in focus. "I can see..." he said in a surprised whisper.

"You shall be able to see," said Professor McGonagall, "until I give you the counter-spell and you change back to normal," she paused, adjusting her glasses, "in your own time. Now, Sirius," she said. "Colocolus Versum," she said, and Sirius's eyes turned a bright blue. "That should do it. And we need the same on Remus. I'm afraid that for both of you, the eyes give away your identity."

She walked over to Remus and repeated the spell. His eyes turned a deep emerald. "I will give you two the counter-spell for this as well as James for his. And now you, Peter," she said, strolling over to where the pudgy boy stood with his eyes huge, like a child about to cry. "Coma Adglomare."

Hair sprang up suddenly on Peter's high forehead, lowering his forehead and giving him thicker hair.

"And now," she said, "we must also change its color, I'm afraid. Colocolus Coma," she said, and Peter's hair turned a shade of brown that was neither light nor dark.

"I think brown is more sophisticated on Paul," said Sirius. "Don't you, Rob? How about you, Jon?"

"Yes, I agree, Sam," said James. "He looks older."

"The names must be sinking in," Dumbledore said. "Well, Minerva, I think you should go get four more beds set up in the Gryffindor dormitories for these boys here. Remember that they're sixth years. If anyone asks, tell them that the American transfer students are being moved in."

"I shall immediately, Albus," Professor McGonagall said reassuringly. With that, she walked out of his office, and then Dumbledore turned to the four.

"Now," he said, "the four of you might see things done or heard words spoken that may change your lives. But you mustn't let it. Try to continue on as if you had never seen--or maybe heard--what you really did. Changing your future may be dangerous. Do you understand me?" he asked, with a rather serious look upon his face.

"Yes, Professor," said the four in unison.

"You may go, and the password to the Fat Lady's portrait is 'Foxburr,'" Dumbledore said. "Just make sure," He stared through his half-moon glasses. "you pay attention to what I said. It is extremely important that you do so until you are ready," he said, "for the journey."

"What journey, Professor?" asked Peter.

"Good night, Mr. Pettigrew," said the headmaster, and it was clear that Peter would not get an answer, so the four strode out the door, heading toward the common room.

***

When they arrived in the Gryffindor common room, Callie was sitting on the same couch, except she wasn't reading with a smile on her face. She stared at the carpet at her feet, a sulking, worried expression on her face. She had obviously gotten the news that this dark Lord Voldemort was after her friend Abby. She looked up when the boys came in, staring at them quizzically. They tried to get up at least to the bottom of the stairs without her talking to them on the topic of who they were, but their attempt was unsuccessful, as she spoke just when they had gotten around the couch opposite her.

"Excuse me," said her soft voice, "but who are you?"

"Well, we are the... err.... American transfer students," said James.

"Transfer students?" said Callie. "We hardly ever take transfers in the middle of term."

"Well, you see, our teachers were treating us badly, and we didn't exactly like it there," James replied.

"We'll be going now," said Remus.

"I still don't know who you are," Callie pointed out, a clever, yet sweet, smile on her face.

"I believe the question is," said Sirius in a fake Italian accent, "who are you?"

"I asked you first," she replied, the same smile still on her face.

Sirius rolled his eyes and quietly did a mimicry of Callie, and then Remus spoke. "I am Robert Lewis."

"Paul Piper," said Peter.

"Sam Bauer...." Sirius said under his breath.

"Jon Parker."

"Well, nice to meet you, Robert, Paul, Sam, Jon," she said. "I'm Callista Lupin," she said. "Callie. Now you may go to bed. Good night."

"Good night, Callie," Remus said.

"Are you a prefect?" asked Sirius.

"Before the beginning of last year I specifically wrote Dumbledore a letter telling him why I shouldn't be a prefect if he was considering me. Why?"

"Because prefects ruin all the fun. And I prefer not know you if you are a prefect," Sirius replied matter-of-factly with a matching smile on his face.

Callie stared around quizzically. "Alright. Good night," she said.

"G'night," replied Sirius.

***

Harry was awake when the four came into their dormitories. "Hello," he said. "You must be the transfer students McGonagall was telling me about. But what are your names?"

"Hi, Harry," said James. "I'm Jonathan Parker."

Remus elbowed James hard.

"Ouch!" said James. "What was that for?"

Remus grunted. "I'm Robert Lewis."

"I'm Sam Bauer," said Sirius.

"I'm Paul Piper," said Peter. "What's your name?"

Suddenly, Ron started talking as if he were half-asleep. "Who doesn't know the famous Harry Potter?" he said in his trance-like voice.

"Harry--Harry P-P-Potter?" said James, trying to emphasize his delight in meeting a celebrity. "Harry P-Potter?"

"Yes, I am Harry Potter," Harry replied, straightening his glasses on his nose. "And my friend over there," he said, motioning towards Ron, "is Ron Weasley."

Suddenly, Ron sprang up. "Somebody called?!" he said urgently.

"Hi, Ron," said Harry.

"Hi, Harry," said Ron, and when his eyes fell on the four newcomers, his eyes widened in shock. "INTRUDERS! FROM WHERE?!" he yelled out. "I AM A PREFECT! HOW DARE YOU INTRUDE! Hey, I've never seen you around before... Who're you four?"

Harry pointed them all out in the order they stood from left to right. "Sam Bauer, Jonathan Parker, Robert Lewis, Paul Piper."

"Oh," said Ron. "Ron Weasley." With that, Ron's head dropped onto his pillow.

"Pleased to meet you, too," muttered Peter.

"Well," said Harry, "you should be getting to bed."

"What about you?" asked James.

"I lost track of time until you four walked in and I was distracted from my reading. Now I'm going to sleep," he said. Harry was already in his pinstripe pajamas.

So the four boys dressed for bed and went to sleep, pondering what else there was for them to know about this time so strange to them.

***

Remus couldn't sleep. He went down to the common room. It was four o'clock in the morning. He had to get at least two more hours of rest, but it was impossible once he awoke. When he got down there, Callie was asleep on her couch, still in her robes, but when he sat down on the couch Ron had sat on, it made a crack, which echoed throughout the common room. She awoke and looked at him.

"What're you doing down here?" she asked him tiredly.

"I couldn't sleep," he replied. "Were you on that couch all through the night?"

Callie rubbed her eyes. "Mm-hmm," she hummed as a reply. When she saw a look on Remus's face that asked the very question 'Why?', she answered it immediately. "Two other Gryffindor girls were going insane with fragrances, incense, and perfumes.... Making air fresheners out of them--mixing them together. Cinnamon and lavender is not a very nice combination. I couldn't stand the smell, so I just came down here. The scents last a really long time."

"Really?" Remus said calmly, gazing at his daughter. They had the same eyes, same lips, same hair type.... Almost everything except the hair color.

"They can be really sickening sometimes," said Callie. "I'm going to try to get some rest now," she said, turning over on the other side to bury her face in the back of the couch. "'Night."

"'Night," whispered Remus, staring at Callie. How could she be so peaceful? It just wasn't possible. He headed back up the dormitory to at least try to get his rest.

***

Remus got up again at six o'clock, and there was Callie, except she wasn't the way he had left her two hours earlier. She was the way he had found her, turned to face whoever may be on the couch across from her, which he sat upon once again that morning, already dressed for classes.

A few minutes later, when he had dozed off slightly, a girl with bushy, brown hair came down the stairs in her robes and a book, kneeling down by Callie and tapping her. "Callie," she whispered.

"Hmm? Hi, Hermione," she said, almost dropping back off to sleep.

"Callie, were Parvati and Lavender doing it again last night?" asked Hermione.

"Yes, they were," Callie said. "That's why I'm down here."

Her glance fell upon Remus. "Hi, Robert," she said, and Hermione turned around to see who she was looking at.

"Hermione, this is Robert Lewis," she said.

"Hi," he said.

"I'm Hermione Granger," said Hermione. "Pleased to meet you."

"Hi, Hermione," he replied.

Callie sat up and slipped on her shoes, which were on the floor, walking over to a table to pick up her book. Then she walked up to the dormitories.

The three other boys came down after a minute or two and introduced themselves to Hermione. "Pleased to meet you all," she said. "Now, I'm off to the library to get a book before classes. See you later," she said in a slightly snobby tone. With that, she walked over to the portrait hole and climbed through.

"She's not the prettiest one, now is she?" said Sirius.

"She better not hear you say that," said Remus. "She's a prefect."

"I live to destroy the lives of prefects," said Sirius. "I won't care."

"Even my life?" asked Remus.

"That's different," said Sirius.

"No, it isn't," said Remus. "Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself."

"Well, prefects obviously never heard that phrase before," said Sirius.

Within a few minutes, Callie came down the stairs from the girls' dormitories with her robes straightened out and a quill stuck through a top layer of her hair, pulled into a knot, and she was carrying Numerology and Grammatica, and she walked out of the common room. "Callie!" said a cheerful voice outside the common room, and Remus caught sight of a girl with golden-brown hair and greenish-hazel eyes, wearing a Ravenclaw tie. She was jumping up and down excitedly.

"Hi, Chira," Callie replied kindly. The Fat Lady closed her portrait behind Callie.

"They're still in their common rooms, if you're looking for them."

"Anyway," said Peter, "let's get to breakfast!"

"You're just eager to eat," teased Sirius. "You're going to get fat. Wait, no! You're already fat. You'll get fatter."

"Hey!" said Peter, his eyes wide in complaint.

"I want to eat breakfast, too," said Remus.

"Yeah! I'm hungry!" said James.

"Well, you wouldn't go without me, would you? And I'm staying," said Sirius.

"Come on," said James. "Let's go. Leave him here to starve."

The other three started towards the portrait hole.

Then Sirius sprang up. "Hey! Don't leave me here all by myself!"

"Typical," said James.

***

In the Great Hall, Callie was sitting next to a girl with red hair and many freckles, who looked a lot like the Ron Weasley they had met up in the boys' dormitories.

The four sat down by a boy with deep blue eyes and hair of a sandy brown color that couldn't really be distinguished from a dirty blonde. "Hello," he said in his Irish accent. "Are you the transfer students from the United States?"

"Yes," said James. "And you are?"

"Seamus Finnigan. Pleased to meet you four. But first... what are your names?"

"I'm Jonathan Parker, said James, this," he pointed to each friend as he spoke their name, "is Samuel Bauer, this is Robert Lewis, and this is Paul Piper."

"Hello, everyone," he said. "Welcome to Gryffindor."

"Thank you," said Peter.

Chira of Ravenclaw, as Remus recognized her, walked over to the Gryffindor table and tapped Callie on the shoulder. "You look like you know a secret," she said.

"I do," said Callie.

"What is it? Tell me!" Chira said excitedly.

"Come closer," said Callie.

"Okay," said Chira, and she moved in closer.

"LIVE FROM LONDON!" yelled Callie.

"OW!" responded Chira, jerking back, her hand over her ear. "What was that for?"

"I haven't any secrets, Chira," she said.

A tall, blonde Hufflepuff with blue eyes came over to them.

"Hi, Liz," said Callie.

"Hi. Where's Abby?" she asked.

"You mean she's not at the Slytherin table?" asked Callie.

"No. I tried to ask one of the Slytherins, but none of them would talk. 'Why would you want to know, Hufflepuff?' he said to me. How rude!"

Suddenly, a young Slytherin, probably first or second year, ran into the Great Hall. "DUMBLEDORE!" she yelled. "There's some strange man in the Slytherin common room with one silver hand. He's trying to get to the girls' dormitories."

"Oh, my God..." whispered Callie.

Harry whispered something in Callie's ear that Remus couldn't understand, and then she nodded. Slytherin, go to the dungeons with Professor Snape, and prefects of other houses, lead your houses back to your dormitories. Do not panic. Classes will be canceled for the morning."

"What's going on?" Remus asked Callie.

"Voldemort's most faithful servant," she replied with a sigh, "is in the Slytherin common room."