When Time Collides

Midnight Mishaps and Daytime Love

Harry left the bathroom and put his things away. It was 4:15 by now. He was pretty bored as well.

He could walk around the castle... yeah, that sounds nice. But curfew ended at 6am, so he would have to bring the map with him, maybe the cloak as well.

Harry smiled lightly to himself as he took out those two things. He said the phrase and the map revealed its contents.

He didn't want to go to the Astronomy Tower; that was too much of a walk and he felt like he went there too often nowadays. Something nice and simple should do the trick...

He would go down to the Quidditch Pitch later this day, so that would be no use.

You know what, how about I do something that isn't planned for once? I'll let myself go wherever I want, no precautions, no planning.

That sounded perfect. Harry took the cloak and the map and left for the Common Room, then out of the portrait hole.

Right or left? Harry decided to turn left. He would usually pick right. He turned a corner and walked down the corridor, running a hand on the cold stone wall.

He always liked doing that. It gave him a sense of reality that Hogwarts was real.

Even though he had spent 6 years in this school, it could sometimes feel like it was all in his head, that it was a dream and he would wake up any moment now at the Dursleys, either on the floor after a beating or in the cupboard under the stairs that was his supposed room.

Holding something — sometimes even someone — always made a tiny smile on his face. It was real, this was real, this was home. He knew it.

He continued to let his fingers glide across the wall, occasionally checking the map to see if the path was clear as he got absorbed in his thoughts.

It would be nice if someone were walking with him. Usually, when he was by himself, his thoughts got the best of him and brought him back to events he liked to forget.

When that happened, it mostly led to a panic or anxiety attack, but Hermione said it could also be a PTSD attack since it brought back memories. Harry was more sure it was Hermione's suggestion that fit his experiences the best.

But, all in all, he hated them.

He would get anxious and most likely cause a scene because of how terrible the memories were. Though he tried not to grab everyone's attention, it just somehow happened. He does something, and suddenly all eyes are on him, as if he were the most interesting person in the world, which he clearly wasn't.

Harry laughed as he was visibly able to see where his friends would bring him if they were with him right now on this mini walk.

If Ron were here right now, walking along with him, they would most likely be heading to the kitchens without even noticing. Cracking jokes and reminiscing Hogwarts would take up their whole conversation, maybe even Quidditch.

He and Hermione would most likely make it to the library. It was nice, peaceful, and quiet, factors that the two of them enjoyed. Their conversation would most likely be about muggle conversations, ranging from TV shows to muggle authors, it was never boring.

Blaise would probably go to the Black Lake with him. They both found that it was a nice place to talk and vent out about the most random things, from one topic to another, completely unrelated.

Pansy, however, was a different case. The girl always had something to say, whether it be 6 in the evening or 3 in the damn morning, she could talk. Pansy would fill him in on gossip going on in the school or just check up to see if he was doing fine. They'd probably go to the Quidditch Pitch because the sky looked pretty during the night.