The Dragon and the Angel - [Draco/Hermione]

Chapter Eighteen - Turning Time

Chapter Eighteen – Turning Time

The scene would have looked very odd if anyone had walked in. Kingsley, Harry and Ron were huddled around Hermione (not that they had much choice; the thin chain constricted their airways if they moved away from each other), watching with rapt attention as she slowly and carefully turned the little golden knob of the Time-Turner. Minutes slipped by until finally, Ron grew impatient and loudly said, “Oh, move over, Hermione, let me do it!” grabbed the Time-Turner from her hand and twisted the knob as hard as he could.

The Minister’s office slowly melted away and the Golden Trio and Kingsley were thrown into a vortex of time and space, their feet temporarily lifted from the ground.

They landed with a thud again. Nothing appeared to have changed, but with the experience they had had, Harry and Hermione knew better. Hermione quickly glanced up at the clock hanging on the wall.

“Well done, Ron!” she congratulated him happily. “We’re exactly eleven minutes ahead of schedule. Shall we Apparate outside of the grounds now and walk in?”

They all took hands and closed their eyes. Hermione said she would lead, unless the Minister wanted to, of course, but Kingsley insisted she’d do it and they were off, saving lives just like they used to.

***************

“Make sure not to be seen, now.” Hermione was saying as they crept across the grounds. “We have to make it to Gryffindor tower–” (a few hundred feet away) “– in six minutes and get on the roof. Bellatrix might already be there, so we have to steer clear of the window.”

Kingsley had trouble not rolling his eyes.

“Now, no offence Kingsley – or should I say, Minister,” Kingsley flinched at Ron’s sudden anger and the venom with what he said the word ‘Minister’, “But we wouldn’t have gone through all this bloody trouble if we weren’t sure we had seen Bellatrix Lestrange up in Gryffindor tower two nights ago, so I’m going to have to ask you to believe us until we’re proven wrong, thanks!”

“Ron,” Harry warned in between gritted teeth. “We’re doing this for Draco.”

“Never liked him much.” Ron admitted tartly. “Only being nice to him ‘cause he’s bearable now, and you two seem to be all buddy-buddy with him.” He nodded towards Harry and Hermione.

“Fine then, we’re doing this for Hermione.” answered Harry, who had grown to like Malfoy. He didn’t care much for him, but he refused to let the bloke rot in Azkaban for doing the right thing. The only thing Harry could say that was negative about Bellatrix’s murder was the fact that he wished he had been the one to do it. He smirked rather darkly.

Harry barely noticed that they were now standing under Gryffindor tower and were facing the nearly impossible task of having to scale the wall. His smirk had slid right off his face as he gazed with terrified eyes up at the wall. His scar prickled, so lightly he barely noticed it. It was a bit like an irritating fly landing on his forehead, but he didn’t move to wave the invisible fly away. Kingsley was watching him closely, and Harry didn’t reckon the Minister needed anything else to worry about.

“Here, we’ll levitate each other.” Kingsley said, tearing his gaze from Harry’s face and taking charge of the situation. He levitated Hermione up first, as she was lightest. Harry went next, then Ron. The Golden Trio then levitated the Minister up to the roof, where they all sat, a minute ahead of schedule and waited.

“Soon, a witch or wizard from the Prophet should appear and snap our picture.” said Hermione. “Kingsley, you mustn’t forbid them to publish it in two days – I mean today – wait…” Hermione trailed off, looking horribly confused.