Harry Potter and the Time Fluke

The Run Down

The journey back was uninterrupted, seeing as how Harry was the only one on the path, and instead of going to his common room, he wandered up to the library. Again, this was for his protection. If Aquila was in the common room, she might kill him for acting the way he did to her, and he really didn't wish for another confrontation that day.

Another reason why he didn't want to visit the common room was the chance that he might run into his friends. If they had returned from Hogsmeade early, or not gone at all (which was highly unlikely), they would surely be in the common room, enjoying the petrified looks shot their way by first and second years. And Harry didn't want to receive the third degree as to why he'd returned early and alone. In fact, he wanted to keep the situation as under-wraps as he could.

However, fate seemed to enjoy stringing Harry along like a bunny chasing a carrot, making him believe one thing and then throwing something completely unexpected his way. He walked in and immediately saw, at a small table in the corner–hidden away but completely visible from the door–Orion, Abraxas, and Dmitry.

Just slowly retrace your steps. They won't even know you were here. One, two, three-

"Harry!" Damn, so close!

Harry gave a half smile to Dmitry, who was waving enthusiastically at the raven-haired boy. Unfortunately, that meant that the other two Slytherin boys also became aware of his presence. Harry sighed. No way to get out of this one...He slowly walked over to his friends and sat down in one of the hard, wooden chairs.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" Harry didn't miss the worried glance Orion sent towards Abraxas or the stern glare the blonde returned.

Definitely suspicious.

"Uhh, not much," Orion answered with a shrug and an easy grin. "Just homework, you know."

"Right," Harry said slowly, not believing a word. He and his friends never had to take extra time in the library on weekends to finish their assignments. That was the beauty of being friends with Tom. The elder boy was willing to answer any questions they had, and his brain was similar to a database of infinite information. "And what about Hogsmeade, hmm?"

"We went, for a bit. Hey, wait a minute!" Orion quickly changed the subject. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be out on a date?"

Harry groaned and let his forehead land on the table. Just the conversation he'd been trying to avoid. "Don't remind me. Please. Don't."

Dmitry chuckled evilly. "Oh, I've got to hear this. Anything to elicit such a reaction from poor Harry over here must be filled with juicy information. What happened?"

"You're worse than some of the girls, what with the way you thrive off of gossip, Dmitry," Harry said, scowling. "And nothing happened. Nothing worth mentioning, at least."

"If it was nothing worth mentioning then you wouldn't be back here, with your head on the table, and groaning about it," Dmitry replied with a smirk. "Just tell me. Maybe it will make you feel better? Share your load with the rest of us."

"Yes, I'm positively quivering in anticipation to know how your lovely outing went."

"Don't be such a sarcastic git, 'Raxas," Orion scolded. "Just because Aquila wanted to accompany Harry rather than you–"

"Hold on!" Harry shot up, the momentum causing his chair to tip back and him to wave his arms wildly in a circular motion until all four legs were steadily back on the ground; an action that had all the table's occupants chuckling at him. "You what?"

"Abraxas has had a bit of a crush on Aquila for a year now," Orion said, jerking his thumb towards the boy next to him, who happened to be glaring at the offending appendage.