That was how Harry and Hermione found themselves in the middle of staircase roughly four hours earlier. Harry quickly unfastened the watch and slipped it into his pocket.
"I used an hourglass," Hermione said with a shake of her head. "It can only take us back two hours."
"You've tried it then?"
She shook her head again, motioning for them to go down the stairs. "I didn't want to risk expulsion. My calculations are infallible though. It would have been a very secure jump."
"I was wondering myself about multiple jumps. For instance, if we were back in time like we are now, could we jump again and go backward another four hours?"
"Too risky," Hermione inserted as they walked down the winding staircase. "Too many of yourselves running around and the second jump could easily tear your body to pieces."
"That's one hypothesis. I would personally like to test it out at another time when we could goof off and snog for all of them in a different broom cupboard--say number sixty-three through seventy-four, and not worry about rescuing my parents."
Hermione smiled warmly and grabbed his hand. "Since we are breaking laws, we might as well be thorough. Come on, we need to go to the clock tower and make sure we know when we are in time. After all when we're punished for this it should at least be accurate; no chance for screw-ups."
"If you want to screw, I'm up--" she threw him a nasty glare, "--for it," he finished with a smirk.
"Mr. Pot--"
"Shh!" Harry shushed suddenly, grabbing her waist and pulling her flushed against his chest as he fell backwards against the stairwell.
"Harry!" Hermione hissed, pushing his hands away.
"Shh," Harry repeated, tapping her head and then his with his wand. The cool discomforting feeling of an egg yolk dribbling down them accompanied his spellwork.
"What are you doing, Har--"
Harry clamped a hand over her mouth just as Daniel came traipsing down the stairs from Dumbledore's office. Hermione stopped struggling against him immediately, calming down to watch.
Daniel was pulling on his cuffs and smoothing down his robes as he went. On his face was a pompous grin, the mere sight of which made Harry's blood boil. He was ruffling his hair every few seconds, trying in Harry's opinion to make it look windswept.
"Poncy little bugger," said Hermione as she exhaled.
"Nancy boy," Harry returned, linking his fingers through hers and starting down the stairs after his twin. "What do you think he talked to Dumbledore about?"
"It couldn't have been rescuing you, that was the other night. Maybe it was something else?"
"He was puffed up like a bloody peacock."
"And how is that different from the rest of the time?" Hermione asked dryly, arching a brow at him.
Harry thought about it for a moment. "Okay, good point. Onto the clock tower, then?" said Harry as he offered his arm.
Hermione accepted his proffered arm as they walked through the castle to the south tower. The courtyard was surrounded by high moss covered walls, despite the chill of the December air and the softly falling snow. Water cascaded from a small fountain sprouting out of the back wall into a little pond filled with orange pumpkin fish and tiny metallic galleon fish. Steam wafted from the pond, misting the courtyard. There were no students around because of classes and the idyllic scene had Hermione sighing in delight.
"I love this courtyard," she murmured, letting go of his arm and rushing to the little pond to observe the fishes swimming in lazy circles. Silently, Harry canceled the disillusionment charms.
"It's two hours before dinner starts," said Harry, glancing up at the clock face. "I think the ward breakers will be starting on my parents' house around dinner, because Dumbledore will be eating in the Great Hall with everyone else and won't be easy to contact or alert."
"That's very clever," Hermione said, sitting down on the stone ledge while pushing her hair behind her. "He of course could still be reached but contact with him would be slower. The office is his hub."
Harry nodded as he sat down beside her. "I suppose we have a little time. Maybe I could use Hedwig to send a message to my parents."
"Would they believe you?" asked Hermione with a sad little frown creasing her brows together.
"If Dumbledore didn't, probably not, but I could still try."
"Maybe. But wouldn't it be better to alert the MLE?"
"I doubt the ministry would believe two seventeen year old kids not yet graduated from Hogwarts."
She let out a little huff. "I hate to say it, but you're right."
"I think we should find Serion," Harry said all of a sudden, looking back to the clock tower. "I mean, there's a chance he's still alive, isn't there?"
"Harry," Hermione said softly, reaching out to touch his arm. He glanced down at her. "Daniel said--"
"I know what he said," Harry retorted, his face screwing up in a look of absolute rage. "But the bastard was trying to impress you, so there's a chance he was lying."
Hermione removed her hand and replied easily, "Of course. How do you propose to find him?"
Harry paced three agitated steps away from her before abruptly facing the entrance of the courtyard. "Accio Serion."
"You can't summon living things, Harry," she told him gently. "If you could then You-Know… Voldemort would have been summoned ages ago into a cell at Azkaban. There'd be no need for law enforcement. There are other ways to locate your snake. Where do you think Daniel would take Serion? Maybe that's a better place to start?"
Harry spared her a glance and nodded at her words. Hermione seemed unsure of what to say to his tense and anxious figure, so she offered him the comfort of her hand, interlacing his stiff fingers with her own. As he was about to try again in Parseltongue something flew around the corner.
When Serion's body came whizzing through the entranceway, Hermione cried for Harry. Even from a distance the flopping of the snake's body wasn't a good sign. Tears poured freely down her cheeks at the look of anguish that settled on Harry's features as he gathered Serion's body in his trembling hands.
"Serion?" Harry questioned thickly, clearing his throat to break the lump that settled there.
"I'm so sorry, Harry," Hermione cried, crushing him in a tight hug.
"I'm going to kill him!" Harry shouted, yanking out of her embrace. "I'll kill him right now!"
"You shouldn't do anything rash, Harry!"
"Then I'll rearrange his fucking face," he growled, clutching Serion's body against his chest. "I'll break every one of his teeth! I'll cut off his nose and feed it to him!"
"Harry," Hermione pleaded.
"What Hermione? You think I should let this go? He killed Serion on purpose!"
"He didn't even seem to know you liked snakes much less had one as a pet."
"So that--what? Excuses him?" Harry sneered, his eyes itching. "I don't bloody well think so!"
Hermione approached him slowly and calmly took Serion's body from his suddenly limp fingers. "No, it doesn't pardon him for taking a life without purpose, but you shouldn't be talking about killing your brother either."
Harry turned away and scrubbed his eyes, cursing at himself--at his brother. "He needs to be taken down a peg."
"I don't disagree, Harry," she started, laying the snake on the stone ledge of the pond. She touched his shoulder, turning him around to face her. His eyes were bloodshot and dry when she met them with her own watery ones. "There are better ways to deflate his overblown head. Besides right now, you have other more important things to worry about. Serion's burial, your parents--"
"Oh, jeez," he muttered, closing his eyes and pressing his forehead against hers. Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist. She too closed her eyes and shed the last remnants of her tears, leaving them swollen and dry.
"There's still a little time left before we need to leave the school grounds," Hermione offered, rubbing the small of his back, before taking a step back from him. "We could give Serion a burial now."
"Where?" he asked with a shuddering breath, stepping back and collecting himself. "His favorite place to be was inside the castle and that isn't suitable."
"Out by the Whomping Willow?"
Harry shrugged mutely, feeling curiously blank compared to a moment ago. It was like the fight was knocked out of him, leaving him stunned, still absorbing the blow. Serion had been his best friend after Hedwig, maybe even closer after coming to Hogwarts and spending the term by him. He could still hear Serion's dry sarcastic voice telling him was being an idiot, exclaiming that he was worth ten Dumbledores, and declaring Harry his human; those had been Serion's final words.
The masochistic side of him wondered if Serion had greeted Daniel like he would have Harry, a friend, thinking the sight of him must mean that the trouble was over. He wondered when Serion figured out the difference, if he had pleaded desperately with Daniel or if he had been too drained of life to even raise a fang against his twin. Had he gone quietly, accepting his death? In his final moments, had he blamed Harry for not protecting him--not being there for him?
Hermione prodded him gently, startling him. Without noticing, they had left the courtyard far behind. The branches of the tree were stripped of leaves. To Harry it looked cold. He couldn't feel the wind against his skin but knew his robes were fluttering haphazardly in it. It had to be cold. It was December.
Handing Serion to him, Hermione took out her wand and conjured a small flat box. She strengthened it with a half-dozen charms to keep it sturdy and impenetrable. Numbly, Harry placed Serion in it, creating a few layers of coils before gently setting the snake's head on one of them. It looked like Serion was being lazy, taking a nap on his mattress in the afternoon sun. But Harry knew he wasn't. The imagery was just his mind trying to soften the horror of it.
Harry pulled his wand out and created a hole in the ground, well within the Whomping Willow's reach and flew the small box into it. With a final flick the dirt jumped into the hole, sealing his friend in darkness, the ache in his chest compounded, making it hard to breath once again.
"Keep him safe, would you?" Harry begged the tree, which trembled at his words, almost as if saying it would.
Hermione grasped his hand, drawing him away from the cheerlessness of the scene. "Come, Harry," was all she said, leading him out towards the AMAS just outside the castle wards.
"Why did he do it?" he asked, looking over his shoulder.
"I don't know," she said, sniffling and dabbing her nose.
Just before the tree was out of their line of sight, Harry spun around. § It's time to for you to meet the tall grasses. May we meet again. Farewell Serion.§ he hissed softly under his breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing, saying goodbye, that's all."
Harry turned away and dashed up to the winged-boar pillars guarding the entrance gate to Hogwarts. The road leading away from the castle was lined with tall trees on either side. Snow was falling heavier outside of Hogwarts, coating the path before them in a blanket of white. When Hermione stopped in front of him, Harry held open the wrought iron gate for her so she could get through, following her quickly and shutting the gate with an audible click.
The AMAS wasn't far now. Harry scuffed his shoe in the mushy snow revealing gravel. He kicked it watching the loose dirt scatter away from him. A slightly larger bit of rock a few feet away was toed loose and kicked ahead, landing in a tiny puddle. Harry noted it's location as did Hermione. She sent a sympathetic glance his way, her breath fogging the air between them much like his own.
They reached the rock and Harry kicked it forward again. He did it twice more before it skittered over into the snow covered grass beyond reach. The AMAS was now just around the bend, hidden in a pocket of grass. This one was cornered off on four sides by hazardous signs, all in keeping with Muggle preconceptions that Hogwarts was a rundown castle.
"Do you know how to Apparate?" Harry asked, looking up at her as he stepped onto the snowed in field.
She shook her head yes, accepting his hand as she crossed the magical barrier. "Yes, though I haven't been able to go get my permits. First, because I was with my parents in South America and then because of school."
"That's okay, I have a permit for Side-Along Apparition."
Hermione flashed a quick smile, pulling her hair into a ponytail to get it off her face. "What do I do?"
Harry placed the small hand he was holding around his waist and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Nothing. I do all the work; just relax."
She raised an eyebrow, a quirky smile creasing the corner of her mouth. "Of course, darling," she said cheekily. "Just don't go without me."
"I'll make sure you and I go at the same time, Miss Sassafras," he replied bemusedly. "Now hang onto your cauldron cups…"
To Harry the uncomfortable feeling of being squeezed through a tube made Apparation the worst way of traveling. In other words, it felt like the air was being sucked from his lungs while one of the rhinoceros' magical cousins, the erumpent, sat on his chest crushing him. Because this time he wasn't hopping through space alone, he had to concentrate on bringing her with him. His magic was surprisingly willing to help him with; ensuring that when they arrived it wouldn't be heralded by a loud crack.
When Hermione entered with him back into real space, it was with a small popping noise. It wasn't snowing in Ottery St. Catchpole, but it was still chilly enough for their breath to fog the air. With barely a glance around to acknowledge the new surroundings, Harry tugged Hermione over to a clump of trees. Peering through the underbrush, they surveyed the Potter property.
The Quidditch pitch across from them was silent, lit only by the smallest slimmer of a moon. Birds were chirruping in the surrounding thicket carrying on with their business. The Death Eaters hadn't arrived yet it seemed. Briefly Harry wondered if Hermione's appearance would trigger the alarms as he was fairly certain he was keyed into them himself, or if the wards would only react with the ward breakers' tampering.
The house itself was cheerful. Lights were on in the upstairs master's wing and all along the downstairs. Hermione silently pointed out the figures of his parents preparing a quiet meal in the kitchen. His mother was laughing at something his father said as they placed the food onto the small square breakfast table.
"Follow me," Harry said, ducking through the brush and scurrying toward the house.
Hermione followed, imitating his low crouch and rushed to the side of the house. They met up under the kitchen window pressed against the cool stone. Harry then silently cast several charms on himself and Hermione.
"What did you do?" Hermione asked, only recognizing the disillusionment charm.
"Silencing charm on our feet to keep us from getting caught, hear-me-nots on our larynxes with the added addition of us being keyed into each other, and a simple protection spell on our clothes. The protection isn't that great, but in situations like this it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it," he said, finishing with a what-can-you-do-shrug.
Curious, Hermione asked, "What does it protect against?"
"One standard dueling level Diricawl or Tadfoal spell."
"So like a tripping jinx."
"Basically," he said while creating two Portkeys out of bits of loose dirt and rocks.
Hermione arched an eyebrow skeptically. "Harry, we saw them casting Unforgiveables like they were passing out candy in Honeydukes."
Shaking his head, Harry handed her a Portkey while muttering sardonically, "Next time we fight Death Eaters it's on you to find a spell that will give us latent protection over Unforgiveables and when you do I'll let you do the layering of spells on us."
"Prat."
"The activate word is Hogwarts. You'll land by the gates. Come on," Harry urged, "We should get inside the house."
As they crawled through the hydrangea bushes to the side door they heard two distant pops signaling the arrival of the Death Eater ward breakers. Harry turned around to watch their progress. They were huddled against the woods, only visible because of their white masks glowing in the dim moonlight.
"If it wasn't necessary for them to break through the wards to alert Dumbledore of their presence I'd stun them right where they stood."
"Ward breaking is tedious if you don't want to trip booby traps or alarms," Hermione informed.
"Luckily," Harry said, nodding towards the Death Eaters, "They mess it up somehow."
"Well if Dumbledore really did do the warding, every minute they don't screw up is admirable."
"Yeah, admirable," Harry said, using his mother's unlocking charm and pushing open the door to the hallway separating the common room from the kitchen.
Slipping inside, the duo made their way through the house to the front hall and stairway. Hermione made a move toward the staircase when Harry stopped her with a warm hand on her arm.
"I think we should watch this area. We'll be able to see where my mother goes and watch my father duel."
"Sure," she said, sitting down on one of the padded chairs in the hall.
Harry glanced around, spying a ceramic vase just inside the doorway in front of a mirror on a side table. He walked over and opened the closet noting all the coats, goulashes, and umbrellas within. They could be used as projectiles if needed. He shut the door and paced back to Hermione.
"Dumbledore can sort of see through Disillusionment charms. I mean I think he can see the magic and the basic form of the person but not any details, so we should get a little more hidden than we are now."
"Can he really?" she asked with big eyes. Harry nodded. "Wow, that's just amazing. No wonder he bested Grindelwald!"
"Or it's just some sort of altered eye charm," Harry replied, walking over to the dinning room and peering inside.
Hermione frowned. "I guess," she said rather reluctantly.
"In here," Harry said over his shoulder, stepping fully into the dinning room. "We should be able to see what's happening and not be in the direct line of sight of anybody coming or going."
Harry leaned against the opposite wall, choosing the best view into the hall. Hermione looked around and walked over to the potted plant and faced the door, getting a slanted look out into the hall towards the kitchens.
A few minutes later they saw James and Lily laughing softly as they exited the kitchen. He was ruffling his hair, making it appear windswept before draping his arm around her shoulders and steering her toward the common room.
"Let's listen to the Wireless for a bit, see if that fellow--what was his name again dear?"
"Jasper Swishdil, you pea-brain," she said fondly, as they disappeared out of view.
"Right," James replied with a grin. "See if that Jasper fellow is on."
º«««º»»»ºEnd Chapter 21º«««º»»»º