Amulet of Time 4: There and Back Again

Chapter 3: Flight to the School

The other occupants of the carriage stared at Hermione as they let this new information sink in. The twins hadn't known, and didn't know the relevance. However, the time travellers did. In all honestly, Ron, Harry and Ginny had all forgotten about Malfoy paying his traditional visit before they had left. Now, though, they realised that it could be a problem. If, for some reason, Dumbledore didn't want Voldemort and the rest of the school to know the truth, then the blond boy could make life very difficult. He would surely tell his father, who would then take the information to Voldemort. This could be dangerous for a number of reasons. Most importantly, it could jeapardise Severus' position as Dumbledore's spy. If Lucius Malfoy went to the Dark Lord with the information before the Death Eater that was actually stationed at Hogwarts, Sev's loyalty would undoubtedly be questioned.

" We could obliviate him," Ron finally suggested.

" We can't guarantee that'll work," Hermione countered, " I mean, Crabbe and Goyle were there as well, so we'd have to alter their memories too. The problem is, we don't know if they've mentioned their visit to any of the other Slytherins. If they happened to mention anything about our appearance to anyone else, and then they suddenly can't remember it, whoever they told would become suspicious and might be able to break the memory charm."

" Who's to say they mentioned it to anyone," Harry pointed out.

" Who's to say they didn't," Hermione retorted, " We've no way of knowing. I think we'll just have to leave it for now, and see what Dumbledore says. If it's a problem, we'll worry about it then."

The others nodded in agreement and the group lapsed into silence as each of the seventh years became lost in their own thoughts. Several minutes later, a frown wrinkled Fred's brow as he spotted something in front of the window.

" Is that Scabbers?" he asked as he pointed to the fat grey rat encased in a glass jar. The eyes of the time travellers widened as they realised they still had Peter Pettigrew in captivity. Over the course of the last three years, they had forgotten a lot of the specifics of their lives before they left, this being such a thing.

" Peter!" Harry exclaimed, " I forgot we had him!"

" Who's Peter?" George asked in confusion.

" The rat! It's really Peter Pettigrew."

" Isn't he dead?" Fred asked, just as lost by the conversation as his twin.

" No! He was the one that blew up the street of Muggles, and the one who betrayed my parents and framed Sirius," Harry explained. The twins' eyes grew wide as they heard this.

" Sirius?! You mean Sirius Black, the escaped murderer?" George exclaimed.

" Yes, he's my godfather. And he didn't murder anyone. He was set up."

" Are you sure, Harry? I mean, have you actually spoken to him?"

" Of course. We met at the end of my third year, and he visited during the Triwizard Tournament. We write to each other as often as we can as well, but sometimes it's difficult as he's on the run."

Fred turned to the other three and sent them questioning looks.

" It's true," Ron said, " I've met him too, and so has Hermione. He's really nice when you get to know him, and very protective of Harry."

" I've not met him," Ginny told her brothers, " But Harry's told me all about him."

" I think you'd get on with him as well," Harry said with a grin, " I'm sure Padfoot would like to meet the new terrors of Hogwarts."

The twins gaped at him and nearly fell out of their seats when they heard what Harry called Sirius.

" Padfoot?! Padfoot from the Marauders?!"