Broken Fate

Chapter Four ~ The Journey to Hogwarts

"It's time for Shay and me to go meet the train," Will said, poking his head into Jamie's room. The month of August--and Will's sixteenth birthday--had come and gone more quickly than Jamie had expected.

"I know."

"Are you sure you and Molly will get to the Shack all right?"

"Will, would you stop worrying? Molly and I will be fine. You should be worried about yourself," Jamie replied exasperatedly.

"I am. I'm more worried how Molly will be, though," Will said.

"Will, I'm sure you and Shay will come see us. It's not like you're abandoning her or anything. Besides, you trust me. It's sure not the first time I've been alone with her." Jamie flashed him a smile.

Will offered a slow smile in return. "I know. Here. This should get you to Hogsmeade. Shay or I'll bring you food soon. Meanwhile there's a parcel downstairs that has food in it. It should last you a few days." He gave her a handful of their wizard coins.

Jamie pocketed them. "Thanks." She took him by his shoulders and turned him around, then gave him a push. "Stop acting like it's the end of the world. Get going." Her words brought the hollowness that was always inside of her to a crystal clear clarity. It was the end of the world that they faced. The end of what was good and just.

Will's smile became wistful. He turned back around and gave Jamie a tight hug, then left the room.

"Hey! Jamie!" Shay yelled up the stairs.

Jamie rolled her eyes. "Yes?" she called.

"Don't go getting yourself killed or anything. I'd hate to try to bury you--it would blow our cover."

Jamie stuck her head out the door and glared down the stairs. "Thanks for the concern, Shay," she said sarcastically, fingering her wand and thinking, maybe I could just curse him once before he goes...

Will finished saying good-bye to Molly, and then he and Shay Apparated with two loud bangs. Molly stared at the place where they had been standing.

"It's all right, Moll. We'll see them soon." Jamie held out her hand to her little cousin. "Come on. We have to leave, too."

~*~

"Ginny! Ron! Hermione! Harry, dear! Time to leave, or you'll miss the train!" Mrs. Weasley called.

The four of them were just finishing up breakfast. They stood to their feet and moved into the hallway.

"Your bags are already outside. You'll be taking the Knight Bus, dears. Arthur and I have business to attend to this morning, so you'll be going alone." Mrs. Weasley frowned at them worriedly. "You will be all right, won't you?"

"Of course we will, Mum," Ginny said, kissing her mother on the cheek.

"Good-bye, Ginny dear. Be careful." Mrs. Wesasley pulled Ginny into a hug, then moved onto Ron. "And you behave yourself," she told him sternly.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Of course, Mum."

"I don't want any owls saying you're in trouble," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Mum, I'm a prefect," Ron reminded her.

"Yes, well..." Mrs. Weasley studied him fondly for a minute, then turned to Harry. "Be safe, Harry. Let us know if you need anything." She gave him a tight hug, then embraced Hermione. "You keep safe too, Hermione. Watch out for yourself."

"I will, Mrs. Weasley. You take care." Hermione stepped forward and stuck out her wand. With a loud pop, the Knight Bus appeared, swerving around a mailbox.

~*~

Jamie listened to the Knight Bus popping in and out to pick people up, but she paid it no mind. She was laying on one of the beds--which was sliding all over the place, of course--half asleep. Molly was completely asleep beside her.

She heard the voices of new passengers on the deck below her--she had taken Molly to the third floor of the bus to avoid as many people as she could. The voices sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite identify them. They quieted down, and she shifted on the bed.

A short while later, she heard Stan Shunpike call, "King's Cross Station!"

Jamie looked at her watch. 10:43 AM. Will and Shay should already be boarding the Hogwarts Express. There must be Hogwarts students on here, getting off to catch the train back to school.

Moments later, the bus was on its way again. When she finally heard the call, "Hogsmeade!" she grabbed her small parcel, scooped up the still-sleeping Molly, and exited the bus. She had a cloak pulled up over her hair, shadowing her face, so hopefully she wouldn't be recognized.

She made her way through Hogsmeade until she located the Shrieking Shack. Most people thought it was haunted by angry spirits, but she knew better. Right now, it would be the perfect hideout, and it would be close to Hogwarts.

She reached the Shack and looked around to make sure no one was watching. Making her way to the back of the Shack, she pulled out her wand and pointed it at one of the boarded up doors. "Abrelos," she whispered. The wood fell off the door, and she pushed it open. Turning back, she pointed her wand and murmured, "Cerre," and the wood jumped back into place.

Satisfied, Jamie took Molly upstairs to get to work settling things in a bit. The place was a torn down wreck, but it would work just fine for her purposes. She knew there was a path leading from here to Hogwarts grounds--it came out of the Whomping Willow tree. She had never used the path before, but had heard stories from her Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione.

Looks like this is home for now. Not nearly as bad as some of the homes I've had.

~*~

Platform nine and three quarters was packed with students and parents. While there were still cheerful shouts and greetings going around, Will couldn't help but notice that there was also a somber air to the gathering. Parents especially were looking over their shoulders, or hugging their children tightly. Of course...they had just found out that Voldemort had risen again. They would have known the previous year, if they had listened to Harry and Dumbledore. It had taken the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, an entire year after Voldemort's rebirth to actually accept that he had come back.

It made for a very wary wizarding world. With Voldemort loose and the Death Eaters free again, they had to be careful.

Just wait, Will thought grimly. This is nothing compared to my world. He and Shay blended in with the students. It helped that the school was so big, and so the students didn't know everybody. No one paid them any attention. They stashed their trunks and quickly found an empty compartment on the train.

It didn't remain empty for long. "Hello!"

Will's stomach lurched. Oh, please, not them...anyone but them... He glanced toward the door, where Hermione stood, Ron peering over her shoulder. "Is this compartment taken? May we sit with you?" Hermione continued.

Will opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. Oh, come off it, Will! You'll be seeing a lot of them; you have to get used to it!

Shay waved his hand. "There's plenty of room." He shot Will a look, and Will took a deep breath, forcing a smile to his face.

"Thank you," Hermione called, "Harry! Ginny!" and entered the compartment, Ron close behind.

Moments later, Ginny and Harry came in. It was the first time Will had seen Harry since arriving in this time. "Harry, this is Shay and Will. I'm sorry, I don't know your last names," Hermione said apologetically.

"Warren," Will managed. "Will Warren. Shay Long." He jabbed his thumb in Shay's direction.

"Hello." Harry nodded. "Hermione said you're tranfers, right?"

Shay and Will both nodded.

The arrival of another person kept anyone from asking them any questions. "Oh, hello," a dreamy voice came from the compartment door, and a blond-haired girl with big, wild eyes entered.

"Come on in, Luna," Hermione waved at her. There were more introductions. Will vaguely remembered hearing of Luna Lovegood--he was pretty sure she was a Ravenclaw, and he knew that she had helped his parents during their last years at Hogwarts. Other than that, he didn't know much about her. She had disappeared from the wizarding world before Will had been born.

"How was your summer, Luna?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, fine," Luna said vaguely. "Father and I didn't find any Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, though." She settled herself into the corner of one of the benches, pulling out a copy of The Quibbler.

Hermione gave a tiny snort. "I wonder why they didn't find any," she muttered sarcastically under her breath.

Either Luna didn't hear her, or she chose to ignore her.

As the train started up, beginning it's journey to Hogwarts, Will allowed himself to relax a little bit. He was still as watchful and wary as ever, but he told himself that if he had to look like a normal student. How hard could it be?

The first part of the trip was quite uneventful, though Will was still having a hard time getting used to the idea that he was in a compartment with his parents. The temporary peace was interrupted when a loud BANG! sounded outside the compartment, and a little ways down the corridor, followed by shouting.

Everyone in the compartment--excluding Luna, who was still staring dreamily at The Quibbler--jumped to their feet and hurried out of the compartment. Will squeezed in between Ron and Harry--he was too short to see over their heads--and looked at the commotion down the hall.

A mousy-haired, round-faced boy was breathing heavily, standing with his wand drawn, facing two bulky kids. A third student was lying against one wall, chin on his chest. It appeared that he had been blasted there by the mousy-haired student, which would have explained the bang they had heard.

It took a moment for Will to realize just who he was seeing. Neville Longbottom, he realized, staring at the boy who held the wand. He glanced over his shoulder at Shay, and their eyes locked. Shay nodded once, to show he, too, realized who he was looking at. His father.

Shay had never known his father--Neville Longbottom had been been killed when Shay's mother was pregnant with Shay. He had only ever seen pictures and heard stories about him. Looking at the two of them, Will realized that the pictures hadn't lied--Shay looked almost nothing like Neville. Their looks were night and day. If he hadn't known any better, he would have said there was no way they could have been related.

As far as the three people in front of Neville--as soon as the boy on the floor looked up, he knew at once that he could only be Draco Malfoy, which meant that the two goons still standing were Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Draco had several spider legs sticking out of his cheeks and nose.

"Just what is going on here?" a voice demanded. A witch with her gray hair pulled back into a severe bun had entered the scene.

"Professor McGonagall, Longbottom attacked me," Draco Malfoy said at once, pushing himself to his feet. The spider legs wiggled, and Draco's hand clenched his wand.

"Mr. Longbottom?" Professor McGonagall turned to Neville.

"He provoked me, Professor!" Neville gasped.

"I don't care what he did; you should know better. Return to your compartment at once. As for you, Mr. Malfoy, you are a prefect. You should definitely know better than to behave in such a manner. You--"

The rest of what she was saying was drowned out when Hermione stepped forward and grabbed Neville's arm, pulling him toward their own compartment. Luna barely glanced up when they came in, taking their seats again. Neville was the only one who remained standing. He leaned against the wall, glaring at the door.

"What did he say, Neville?" Hermione asked.

"He was talking about my parents," Neville said stiffly. "He--" Then he noticed Will and Shay, and he abruptly stopped. "Who're you?"

"I'm Will Warren. This is Shay Long," Will introduced. "Neville?"

Neville nodded. "Neville Longbottom."

"That was great, Neville!" Ron exclaimed. "But all those spider legs..." Ron shuddered. "Before last year--" He caught the look Hermione was throwing at him and swallowed his words.

"I learned a lot last year," Neville said softly.

"I wonder what Professor McGonagall was doing on the train," Hermione wondered. "Maybe because of everything going on, they're putting teachers on the train now?"

Ron shrugged. Neville let out a deep breath and finally sat, his eyes landing on Shay and Will curiously. "You're not just starting Hogwarts, are you? I've never seen you around before, though..."

"We're transferring from Norway," Shay explained, showing no emotion, not even a hint at what he might be feeling talking to his father, in his voice.

"Wow. I've never known anyone to transfer to Hogwarts. I wonder if Dumbledore'll put you in the Sorting with the First Years?"

Will shrugged. Truthfully, he was wondering the same thing. The Hogwarts Sorting was legend. As Hogwarts didn't exist as a school in his time, he had never been to school, but he had always wondered which house the Sorting Hat would have put him in. Now, maybe, he would finally find out.

~*~

The carriages leading to the school were pulled by thestrals, which Shay looked at with interest. He had never seen them before, but knew what they were. "Interesting, aren't they?" Will said from behind him.

"You can see them?" this came from Hermione, who was watching them curiously.

Shay and Will exchanged glances, then nodded. Hermione looked as though she wanted to ask more, but she didn't. Instead she said, "You'd better grab a carriage." She hopped into one that was already almost full. Shay saw Neville get into another carriage, and studied him for a moment before turning his eyes away. The truth was, he was not sure what to think about his father. He wasn't sure what to feel about having finally met him.

Shay and Will got into a carriage that was full of Third Year students. Once the carriages were full, they made their way through the gates to the Hogwarts grounds, and there, Shay had his first glimpse of Hogwarts as it was when it was a school.

He had been here in his time, only recently, of course. It had been here that the Time-Turner had been kept, and here that he and Will had to sneak into to get the Time-Turner. That was why they hadn't been able to Apparate out to avoid the Death Eaters. It wasn't possible to Apparate onto or off of Hogwarts grounds.

When they exited the carriage, they were stopped by Professor McGonagall. "Professor Dumbledore would like to speak with you. Please follow me." She led them into the castle, to a small side room, where Dumbledore himself was standing in front of a window.

Despite himself, Shay was in awe of the old wizard, and it was hard for anything to awe Shay. Dumbledore was the wizard. He was the one who had held Voldemort in check. It was because of Dumbledore that they were at Hogwarts right now.

"Thank you, Minerva. I will send them to you for the Sorting ceremony in a few minutes," Dumbledore said. He turned to face Shay and Will as Professor McGonagall nodded and left the room.

Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes peered over spectacles as he gazed at Will and Shay. "Mr. Weasley and Mr. Longbottom."

"Just how do you know who we are?" Will spoke before Shay had the chance to open his mouth.

"There are ways of knowing when a witch or wizard appears in the world," Dumbledore said quietly, his eyes twinkling even more. "How do you think we locate students who have the potential to learn at Hogwarts? In the same way that we locate them, we discovered you when you appeared in this time."

"So you know who we are," Shay stated.

"Not completely. I know you are from a different time. You see, Time-Turners are registered. When one is registered to a user, they are free to use the Time-Turner. I was alerted to the use of an unregistered Time-Turner on the morning of August second. It was not hard to put the pieces together," Dumbledore said.

"Then why send us the Hogwarts invitations?" Shay asked suspiciously.

"Because I learned your names, as I do with all possible magical students in this area. William Weasley and Seamus Longbottom. Interesting, don't you think? There was also a Jamie Potter, who I see did not accept my invitation. I am not sure how you are related to the Weasleys or the Longbottoms or the Potters, or how far into your past you came, but I know the names of the families quite well. It is my belief that you have come here for a reason, and so I offer a safe place for you to be while you are here," Dumbledore said simply.

"You're just going to...trust us?" Shay asked, even more suspiciously.

"In essence...yes." Seeing the disbelieving look Shay was giving him, Dumbledore said, "I do not trust without reason, Mr. Longbottom."

Shay decided that Dumbledore knew more than he was explaining, but chose not to press the issue.

"So how is this going to work?" Will wanted to know. "We've been telling people we're Sixth Year transfers."

"Then that is what you shall go to the Sorting as. I assume you have changed your names as well?"

"Will Warren and Shay Long," Will confirmed.

"I will let Professor McGonagall know," Dumbledore said. "Now, I think, it is best we begin the Sorting. I'm sure the other students will appreciate it when the Sorting is over. They always seem so anxious for the feast to begin." With a wink, he led them out of the room.