Turn Back the Clock

1: Less than Joyous Reunion

Just saying you'll probably need to read the book to have any idea what's going on.

Paige sat at Aberforth's table watching the picture of his and Dumbledore's sister walk back towards them with a someone following behind. It was a strange journey to get where they were now, following a hunch for horcruxes that could cost their lives. There wasn't really a choice though considering Paige was doing this with her best friends so they could save the world from the dark wizard Voldemort. Even if she had the choice of complete safety or this, Paige would stay. She couldn't leave them, especially Harry.
The two figures came closer and closer through the painting to where faces could be made out. It couldn't be... The Portrait swung open and Neville struggled through the painting. He shouted with delight,"I knew you'd come! I knew it Harry!"
"Neville - what the - how - ?" Harry sputtered when the group saw Neville step through the portrait hole. Paige gasped as he began giving them a round of hugs. Neville looked terrible, his face swollen and cut, robes torn all over, and an unkempt haircut that Paige doubted his grandmother would have allowed. He looked absolutely thrilled at the sight of them all though and couldn't stop bouncing around in excitement. "I knew you'd come! Kept telling Seamus it was a matter of time!"
Harry being the dumb bloke he was just gawked and said,"Neville, what's happened to you?"
Neville rose his eyebrow a bit confused like his injuries were a normal thing,"What? This?" He gestured to the aforementioned cuts and bruises and waved them off like a fly. "This is nothing. Seamus is worse. You'll see. Shall we get going then? Oh," he addressed Aberflorth,"Ab, there might be a couple more people on the way." He didn't really appreciate this.
"Couple more? What d'you mean, a couple more? There's a curfew and a Caterwauling Charm on the whole village!" He replied. Neville reassured that the people would be Apparating inside the building. All he needed Aberforth to do was send the people through the portrait hole. Neville thanked him and held his hand out for Hermione and Paige to step through the passage.
Harry turned to Aberforth,"I don't know how to thank you. You've saved our lives twice." Paige smiled at his thanks. It must be hard to get over his anger at the Dumbledore's situation. Aberforth gave a gruff answer, warning him and trying to seem like he didn't care.
Paige knelt with Neville helping Harry through the hole Behind Ariana's portrait. She looked at the painting a bit sadly, wishing that Dumbledore's sister could have lived a better life than this then slowly turned around and set off down the tunnel with her friends.
"How long's this been here?" Ron started,"It isn't on the Marauder's Map, is it, Harry? I thought there were only seven passages in and out of school?" Paige grabbed the map out of Ron's hand and looked at it as well earning a glare from him. He was right, only seven shown here.
Neville shook his head,"They sealed all of those before the start of the year." He explained how they had no way in or out with Death Eaters and Dementors guarding all exits while walking backwards, grinning ear to ear as he stared at all of them. "Never mind that stuff.... Is it true? Did you break into Gringotts? Did you escape on Dragon? It's everywhere, everyone's talking about it, Terry Boot got beaten up by Carrow for yelling about it at the Great Hall at dinner!" Paige smiled as she remembered the thrilling ride on the dragon, only fun part about the whole thing. She wondered about who the Carrows were though, some Death Eaters?
Harry shrugged,"Yeah, it's true."
Neville laughed invigorated.
"What did you do with the dragon?" He asked. Ron acted nonchalant going on about Hermione's want to keep it before she cut him off.
"Don't exaggerate Ron-" She got cut off herself.
"But what have you been doing?" Neville asked. Apparently people had thought they were on the run, which was partially true, but it still bothered Paige. Harry was the wizarding world's chosen one, and they only assumed he was hiding out. Thankfully Neville believed in them. Harry reassured that they were doing something important, but he wanted to know what was going on with Hogwarts.
Neville's brightness dimmed,"It's been... well it's not really like Hogwarts anymore. Do you know about the Carrows?" Good he was going to answer her question.
"Those two Death Eaters?" She asked. Nevilles smile completely left and he grew a haunted appearance.
"Yeah they teach- well they do more than teach. Like to give punishments, The Carrows. Make Umbridge look tame. Teachers are supposed to report bad behavior, but they try not to. You can tell how much they hate them as much as us students." He gulped.
"Amycus, they twin brother, he teaches Dark Arts, no defense involved. We're supposed to use the Crusiatus Curse for self defense practice on people who've earned detention—"
"What?" The fours united voices sounded through the passage. Neville just shrugged dejectedly.
"That's how I got this one,"He pointed to one of the larger gashes on his face. Neville continued to explain the practices of the twins. The sister who teached Muggle Studies, Alecto, talking about muggles as if they were animals, the sadistic students who excelled which really angered Paige. She had a muggle mother after all. What was really surprising was the surprisingly smart mouth Neville had grown similar to the one Harry woned. Ron tried to warn him, but Neville shrugged him off.
"You didn't here Alecto,"he said,"You would never have stood t either. The thing is, it helps when people stand up to them, it gives everyone hope. I noticed it when you did that Harry, mostly during 5th year." The year after Voldemort's return. That witch Umbridge took the whole school over, hurting the students who believed his story from the Tri-Wizard Tournament. It didn't stop Ron from contradicting. Neville did look terrible and the a passing lamp shone his injuries into even greater prominence.
He just waved it away again,"Doesn't matter. They don't want to spill too much pure blood, so they'll torture us a bit if we're mouthy but they won't actually kill us." Paige put her hands over her ears not wanting to hear any more. She breathed heavily trying to keep the thoughts of her best friends dying. Harry put his arm around her and gave a sharp look to Neville. He quickly gave the information of Luna's reasoning for capture and turned to Paige.
"Sorry Paige, I know you don't like to think about this stuff," he apologized. Paige shook her head, angry that she was acting so ridiculous. Of course people were going... She sighed. How could she even be a Gryffindor when she cowered at the thought of sacrifice?
"It's fine Neville. I'm just worried about all of you... Everyone's still alive and well right?" He kept his mouth closed. "Neville?"
He gave in,"Everyone of our friends are fine but... Some of the ones we didn't know as well, they couldn't take it anymore. They just... gave up." Hermione covered her mouth in horror and Paige felt tears well up in her eyes. Harry hugged her tighter. They quit talking of death moving on to better things, like the survivors and all the newly reformed Dumbledore's Army was doing. Soon they had made their way to the end of the portrait hole.
"We're here."
The painting swung open and Neville climbed down calling out to the people below,"Look who it is! Didn't I tell you?"
Harry came out first followed by Paige holding onto his hand. Several screams and shouts came: "HARRY!" "It's Potter! POTTER!" "Paige!" "Hermione, Ron!" They were bombarded by people as Paige looked around trying to take in the the shape The Room of Requirment had taken on this time. What she got were mange things hanging on the walls, from banisters, and the roof; many lamps; and the group of faces around them.
For the next few moments, the four were overcome with hugs, pats on the back, hand shakes, hair ruffles. Like they had already defeated Voldemort.
"Okay, okay, calm down!" Neville shouted, and the crowd moved back. Paige quickly surveyed the room covered in house banners, sleeping hammocks, doors with separate signs for male and female, closets, everything. Reminded Paige of her dream treehouse from her childhood.
What she really cared about was finding the people she loved. Paige immediately ran over to Ginny, hugging her to death. They had grown quite a strong bond-or competition- as little girls in their first couple years of school talking about Harry like the boy obsessed kids they were. Ginny gave up on him around fourth or fifth year, but they stayed as close as ever helping each other with the their problems when they were too private even for Hermione sometimes. Dreams, insecurities, fears. It had killed Paige to have to leave her, but it was for hers and their safety.
Paige sat down beside Ginny when Harry asked,"Where are we?"
"Room of Requirment, of course!" Said Neville,"Surpassed itself hadn't it?" He explained how he had to find a place to hide from the Carrows as they chased him. He opened the Room with only one Hammock inside and a Gryffindor banner hanging.
Seamus cut in complimenting Neville's ability to use the Room perfectly. Paige was surprised to see how he looked. He was worse than Neville, barely recognizable. They continued talking about how they had ended up here. A tunnel to Aberforth's restaurant when they needed food. A nice bathroom opening up when the girls started arriving which Paige found quite amusing. Lavender Brown piped up to add on to that. The DA finally got tired of explaining and asked the group about their journey.
"Tell us what you've been up to though," said Ernie Macmillian. Paige remembered him as the slightly arrogant kid,"There've been so many rumors, we've been trying to keep up with you on Potterwatch," he pointed to the wireless radio reminding her of the secret radio show that tried to inform about the battle against the Dark wizards. "You didn't break into Gringotts?"
"They did!" Said Neville proudly as if he accomplished the feat himself,"And the dragons true too!" This was followed applause and some cheers. Ron bowed and Hermione, Ginny, and Paige rolled their eyes at his antics.
"What're you after?" Seamus questioned. Before any of the four could comment, Harry collapsed in pain. Paige jumped up running o er to support him through what she assumed was a vision. Soon, he rose with sweat running down his face. Neville tried to help but he refused.
"We need to get going," he stated looking at his friends to see if they understood. Paige nodded her head, they needed to find the next Horcrux fast.