Time Warped Special: Harry Potter Part 5

The mist swirled around Georgia and Conner, before fading. The two looked around. They were seated in a carriage on the Hogwarts Express with Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom.

“So,” Georgia said. “Third year! I wonder what’ll happen this year.”
“I don’t even wanna think about it…” Conner laughed.
“Did you hear – Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban!” Neville said, nearly falling off his seat as the train lurched.

The train came to a stop, causing Neville to give a squeak of fear. Georgia reached for Conner’s hand, and he squeezed hers comfortingly in his own.

“What happened?” Ginny asked, as the lights went out.
“I’ll go and find out,” Neville said, departing from the carriage.
“I’m going to find Ron,” Ginny said, leaving as well.

Ginny’s footsteps faded away, leaving Conner and Georgia in silence.

“I think we should go too,” Georgia said, breaking the silence. “This is creepy. Lumos!”

Conner nodded, and Georgia reached for the carriage door. But the door slid open before Georgia could reach it. Standing in the doorway, illuminated by Georgia’s feeble wand light, was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. Its face was completely hidden beneath its hood. And then the thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew a long, slow, rattling breath, as though it was trying to suck something more than air from its surroundings. Conner staggered, but the figure withdrew, closing the door as it went.

“What… What was that?” Conner asked shakily.
“A Dementor,” Georgia replied, helping Conner back into his seat.
“I heard my parents,” Conner said sadly.

Georgia hugged Conner, as the mist surrounded them. When it cleared, they were stood in the staffroom. Professor Lupin was at the front, talking about a creature called a Boggart, which would turn into your biggest fear. He beckoned Neville forwards, and whispered instructions in his ear.

“On the count of three, Neville,” said Professor Lupin, who was pointing his wand at the wardrobe containing the Boggart. “One – two – three – now!”

A jet of sparks shot from the end of his wand and hit the doorknob. The wardrobe burst open. Hook-nosed and menacing, Professor Snape stepped out, his eyes flashing at Neville. Neville backed away, his wand up, mouthing wordlessly. Snape was bearing down on him, reaching inside his robes.

“R-r-riddikulus!” squeaked Neville.

There was a noise like a whip-crack. Snape stumbled; he was wearing a long, lace trimmed dress ad a towering hat topped with a moth-eaten vulture, and swinging a huge crimson handbag from his hand. There was a roar of laughter; the Boggart paused, confused.

“Parvati! Forward!” Professor Lupin shouted.

Parvati walked forward, her face set. Snape rounded on her. There was another crack, and where he had stood there was a blood-stained, bandaged mummy.

“Riddikulus!” Parvati cried.

A bandage unravelled at the mummy’s feet; it became entangled, fell face forwards and its head rolled off.

“Form a line!” Lupin cried, putting a record on a dusty gramophone.

The class all stepped back, pushing to be in front of one another. Conner and Georgia were shoved to the front, just behind Seamus Finnegan, who was dealing with the Boggart, which had transformed into a banshee.

“What are you thinking of?” Conner asked Georgia, as Seamus waved his wand.

The banshee made a rasping noise and clutched her throat; her voice was gone. Seamus departed to the back of the class, and Georgia and Conner were pushed forwards.

“That’s it, confuse it!” Professor Lupin shouted. “It won’t know who to face!”

Georgia and Conner raised their wands, grinning in unison. There was another crack, and two bronze Daleks appeared. Georgia lowered her wand in terror. Lavender Brown emitted a shrill scream, and soon the whole class was running for the exit.

“Exterminate!” the first Dalek cried, raising its weapon at Conner, who dropped his wand.
“Ri – riddikulus!” Georgia stammered.

Feeble sparks shot from the end of Georgia’s wand, but the Daleks remained. Harry ran forwards, shoving Conner aside. With a crack, a Dementor appeared. Professor Lupin skidded in front of Georgia and Harry, and the Dementor changed into a strange, silvery, white orb, hanging in the air. With a lazy flick of his wand, Professor Lupin transformed the orb into a balloon, which floated around, before vanishing with a crack.

“I think you’d better go,” Professor Lupin said.

Harry, Georgia and Conner nodded. They were the only students left, and they quickly hurried from the room in silence. Hermione and Ron were waiting outside, and immediately addressed Conner and Georgia.

“What were those things?” Ron asked.
“What’s going on?” Hermione added. “Harry?”
“They were Daleks,” Georgia said. “They’re… Terrifying.”
“We have to go,” Conner muttered, grabbing Georgia’s arm and pulling her off, as the mist surrounded them and the scene changed.

When the mist cleared, Conner still held Georgia’s arm. He pulled her away from the massive crowd outside Gryffindor common room.

“Somebody get Professor Dumbledore, quick,” Percy Weasley said in a sharp voice.
“What’s going on?” asked Ginny, who had just arrived.

Next moment, Professor Dumbledore was there, sweeping towards the portrait; the Gryffindors squeezed together to let him through, and Georgia and Conner moved closer to see what the trouble was.

“Oh my God,” Georgia exclaimed.

The Fat Lady had vanished from her portrait, which had been slashed so viciously that strips of canvas littered the floor; great chunks of it had been torn away completely. Dumbledore took one quick look at the ruined painting and turned, his eyes sombre, to see Professors McGonagall, Lupin and Snape hurrying towards him.

“We need to find her,” said Dumbledore. “Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady.”
“You’ll be lucky!” said a cackling voice.

It was Peeves, the poltergeist, bobbing over the crowd and looking delighted, as he always did, at the sight of wreckage or worry.

“What do you mean Peeves?” Dumbledore asked calmly.
“She’s ashamed, your headship,” Peeves said happily. “Crying something dreadful, she was. Poor thing…”
“Did she say who did it?” Professor Snape asked, glancing slightly at Professor Lupin.
“Oh yes,” Peeves said, leaving a dramatic pause with a grin on his face. “He got very angry when she wouldn’t let him in, you see.”
“Who?” Professor McGonagall asked, already suspecting the answer.
“Nasty temper he’s got, that Sirius Black.”

Mist filled the air, and the last thing Georgia could see was a worried looking Professor Dumbledore. When the mist cleared once more, she and Conner were running down the steps of the castle and out into the grounds.

“What are we doing?” she asked Conner.
“Harry, Hermione and Ron are going to see Buckbeak,” Conner replied. “It’s the climax of the book!”

Georgia laughed, and they eventually reached Hagrid’s hut. The back door opened, and Harry, Ron and Hermione came running out. Georgia and Conner didn’t even have enough time to hide, as Ron had already spotted them.

“What are you two doing here?” he asked.
“I could ask you lot the same thing,” Georgia shot back.
“We were coming to see Hagrid – Buckbeak’s about to be executed,” Hermione sobbed.
“We know,” Conner said quickly. “We were gonna see if Hagrid was okay.”
“We haven’t got time to talk,” Harry warned. “Dumbledore and Fudge are coming.”

He led the way up the sloping lawn towards the castle. The sun was sinking fast now; the sky had turned to a clear, purple-tinged grey, but to the west there was a ruby-red glow. Suddenly, Ron stopped dead.

“Oh, please, Ron,” Hermione began.
“It’s Scabbers – he won’t – stay put –”

Ron was bent over; trying to keep Scabbers in his pocket, but the rat was going berserk; squeaking madly, twisting and flailing, trying to sink his teeth into Ron’s hand.

“Oh God…” Georgia muttered.

She pointed towards Hagrid’s pumpkin patch, where the unmistakable swish and thud of an axe filled the air. Hermione swayed on the spot, and Harry hugged her.

“They did it,” she whispered. “I d-don’t believe it – they did it!”

Suddenly, Ron cried out, dropping Scabbers. The rat darted off, and Ron began to chase after him. Without thinking, Georgia pelted after him, quickly followed by Conner, Hermione and Harry.

“Look!” Conner yelled. “It’s the Grim!”

He had turned around, and seen a large black dog racing towards the group. He pulled Hermione to the ground, and Georgia pushed Harry down as well. The dog leapt over them, and seized Ron by the leg, dragging him towards the Whomping Willow.

“Harry!” Ron gasped as he disappeared.
“Where did he go?” Hermione cried.
“There’s a secret passage underneath the Willow,” Harry explained. “No one’s ever gotten into it before…”

He ran towards the hole, but the Willow swung a branch at him, knocking him off his feet. Hermione screamed, as she and Conner were also knocked sideways. Georgia dived out of the way of a branch and leapt towards the hole. She felt a branch twist around her leg, but before she could even scream, mist filled the air, and the scene disappeared.

“Sirius!” Harry yelled as the mist cleared.

Georgia looked around, and realised she was a few metres away from where she’d just been. She and Conner were sat next to Ron, who was clutching his leg in pain. Sirius, still transformed into a dog, whimpered, and staggered down the slope towards the lake. Harry ran after him, and Hermione was quick to follow.

“Look after Ron,” Georgia told Conner.

Before Conner could protest, Georgia had whipped out her wand, and was chasing after Hermione. Conner turned towards the unconscious body of Professor Snape, which was floating just behind Ron.

“Look after Ron,” he told it, running after Georgia.

When Conner reached the lake, hundreds of Dementors had already converged, and were attacking the now human form of Sirius, as well as Harry.

“Expecto patronum!” Harry cried, feeling faint. “Georgia, help me!”
“Expecto patronum!” Georgia shouted.
“Expecto pa –” Hermione said feebly.

Pathetic white wisps shot from the end of her wand, and she fainted. Conner leapt in front of her, trying to gather a Patronus. A brief flicker of white showed that it was working, but it soon faded away. Georgia also collapsed, and Conner dived down to help her.

“Conner, leave her!” Harry begged. “Expecto patronum!”

Conner raised his wand once more, but the blackness came, and he too fainted. Mist filled the air, and the scene faded. When the mist cleared, Georgia was on her own, standing outside the castle grounds. She heard footsteps, and Conner emerged.

“Harry and Hermione made it,” he confirmed.
“What?” Georgia frowned.
“We’re back in time, remember?” Conner asked. “Hermione asked us to keep watch, stop anyone coming and interrupting them from saving Buckbeak and Sirius.”
“Oh,” Georgia nodded. “And Buckbeak’s okay?”
“Yeah, they’ve just flown off to rescue Sirius,” Conner smiled. “Wait, can you feel the mist?”

Georgia nodded, and the mist surrounded them. Suddenly, she collapsed to the floor, clutching her head.

“Wha –?” Conner began, before collapsing to.

The pair fell unconscious, and the mist engulfed them. Back in the real world, the Colossal was fitting on its metal bed. The Huntress injected something into his arm, and began chest compressions.

“What’s going on?” the Doctor cried. “What’s happening?”
“The Colossal is dying,” the Huntress explained. “We need to save it – before Conner and Georgia die.”

The Doctor folded his arms, and gulped. He ran over to look at a screen, and saw images flashing through.

“What can you see?” the Huntress asked, still trying to revive the Colossal.
“Harry Potter’s name has just been picked out of the Goblet of Fire,” the Doctor replied. “Georgia is watching him fight a dragon; she’s dancing with Conner at the Yule Ball; they’re watching the maze task; and they’re at Cedric Diggory’s funeral. That’s the whole of the fourth book!”
“We need to stabilise the Colossal quickly – they can’t afford to lose any more books,” the Huntress cried. “If they run out of books – they will die.”

End of Part 5