No way. Nuh-uh. I was not crushing on Ron. There was no possible way that I could be falling for a story character! None. Zip. Zilch. I deny thinking any of those thoughts”
“Lara! I asked you a question.”
I blinked rapidly, brought back to my Runes lesson. Hermione repeated her question, but it wouldn’t process. I shook my head. After thinking for a few days, my head was as clear as a mud puddle. I still didn’t know if I liked Ron, but it was obvious; I get butterflies whenever I think about him, I can barely speak in front of him now, and I get embarrassed easily. It was getting better, but it still sucked. On top of that, we were now covering the symbols of ‘love’ in Runes.
“I’m sorry, Hermione. I just can’t do it,” I told her with a sigh. “I’ve just got too much on my mind to think.”
Hermione closed up the books sprawled out on her bed. “Is something wrong?” she asked with a worried look on her face.
I looked at her through the corner of my eye. Am I completely mental? Apparently so. “Can I trust you?” I implored quietly. “I’m not even sure it’s definite yet…”
“You know you can trust both me and Ginny,” she assured me.
“Well, just promise me you won’t get mad, okay?” I had just realized that Hermione probably liked Ron, too”after all, I was a Heron shipper, and that just had to be right. It probably wasn’t very smart messing with someone else’s creations and story line, come to think of it. But since when has Lara Winston been smart? Never.
Hermione raised her hand, almost scout-like in appearance. “Promise. Just between us girls.”
I took a deep breath. Things were about to get interesting. “I…I think I may like a guy…who’s in this house,” I started. There, nothing suspicious about that, it could be one of four guys. “And…I don’t know if I should…” I paused. No, surely not. There was no way I could say “I like Ron”. Especially not to Hermione! That’s suicide right there.
I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Hermione,” I said again, picking up my books and heading for the door. “I need to find Spotty first, anyways. It just doesn’t feel right without telling her first.” Again, not a total lie. I had yet to talk to Spotty about the situation earlier that week that Mrs. Weasley found her and Crookshanks in.
Hermione nodded, probably feeling hurt that I didn’t trust her all that much. Really, who would, with such a secret? She has been known to explode (primarily at Ron) and I’d much rather not be on the receiving end. “Okay, then. I understand how talking to animals makes you feel better about some things. It’s almost like they understand.”
“Yeah, I know,” I muttered. As I left, Crookshanks came trotting in, tail held high. “Keep away from Spotty, Crook,” I told him in a sharp whisper. He merely smiled a fangy grin.
“Whatever you say,” he meowed with a stiff nod. I raised an eyebrow at him, and he laughed a rough, rumbly chuckle.
It wasn’t until just before the Order meeting that night that I got a hold of Spotty. She had been hanging out upstairs with Buckbeak, as was Sirius. Sirius was spending more and more time up there. He worried everyone, though I thought me especially. I had a secret far more dangerous than a crush in my head.
She was just coming down the stairs when I grabbed her. She yowled, hissing, and tried to wriggle her way out of my over-tight grip. “What?” she spat at me.
“What were you doing on Mr and Mrs Weasleys’ bed?” I hissed at her menacingly. Why was I discussing sex with my cat again?
“None of your business!” she hissed right back. “It’s my life, not yours, so butt out!” She squirmed out of my hands and plopped to the floor. “I can do whatever I want. I’m four years old and I’m not going to be young forever, you know!”
I let out an exasperated groan. “Just as long as you don’t get pregnant again, I’m fine with it,” I said sternly, fully comprehending the ridiculousness of the situation.
Spotty glanced away and shuffled her paws on the hardwood floor. More groaning on my part.
“Spotty! I can’t believe”I leave for school in a month--” I sputtered angrily. “Ugh! We’ve already done this. Are you sure? You aren’t just pulling my non-existent tail?”
Spotty nodded. “It’s not a definite thing yet, but…I feel different, and I’m sure. I’ve already told Crooky, and he’s extremely happy about it.”
I bet he is. “We’ve talked about this, Spot. Remember Rollo? He left you after two days”two days, Spotty! How do you know that Crookshanks will want anything to have to do with however many kittens you have?” I put my hands on my hips, feeling like the mother of a teenager.
She flicked her tail. “We’ve never had a talk about me and my toms, Lara.”
“I know.” My hands went to my face and ran down it. “Come on, then. Let’s get to my room and have it, now.”
As we walked down the stairs, I glanced back at Spotty. She didn’t look too happy. I didn’t contemplate it at the moment, though; I had my own problems to worry about.
*~*~*
I had a very long talk with my cat. She sat there and listened for the most part; we had our disagreements, such as does she stay at Grimmauld Place or come with me to Hogwarts, but we worked them out. Much to her dismay, she’s coming with me.
I sent Spotty on her way when Ginny came in. She had a quizzical look on her face.
“Everything all right, Gin?” I asked.
She pointed her finger at me, not jabbing-pointing, but more like a confused pointing. “You…just held a conversation…with a cat?”
I laughed at her right quick. “Really? You heard that? Wow. Sure, I did. Do you think I understood the other half, though?” I laughed again. Ginny sighed with relief.
“Okay, I must be hearing things, then.” She sat down on the end of my bed. “Hermione told me,” she said quickly.
“Oh. I thought you might want to talk about that.” I took a deep breath. I was more comfortable with Ginny than I was with Hermione by far. Could I manage it, though? “I’ve really backed myself into a corner, Ginny,” I explained slowly, almost complaining. “I could tell either you or Hermione and…I could be blowing this way out of proportion, but it could make either of you equally mad.”
Ginny crossed her arms, eyes narrowed. “How so?” she asked.
“Well, depends on who you think I like. It’s not Harry, by the way,” I added. I rolled my eyes at her red face. She had to make it obvious. “But…it’s someone just as close.” I twiddled my thumbs together.
“You can trust me, Lara.”
“I know I can.” I repeated what I had said to Hermione, ensuring that Ginny wouldn’t explode on me, and then told her.
At first, it seemed that she was shocked. Her eyes were wide and she was staring at me like I had lost half my face. I waved my hand in front of her face. “Earth to Ginny. Are you still alive in there?”
And then she laughed. More like a guffaw, really. One extremely loud guffaw.
“Not the reaction I was hoping for,” I said in a hurt voice.
Ginny ceased almost immediately. “Oh. You’re serious?”
“No, I’m really in love with Buckbeak,” I scoffed sarcastically, trying out my British accent. Ginny giggled.
“That accent is horrible!”
“I thought et waz wonairful,” I replied, switching to a French accent. I had studied French since fourth grade, and it came much easier than the British.
“That’s really good.” Ginny smiled. “How’d we get to talking about accents? I really am sorry I laughed, Lara.”
I shook my head. “That’s quite alright. I guess you can’t see anyone crushing on Ron, can you?”
“Not really.”
“I’m glad I told you first,” I confessed after we were done with another bout of giggling. I had forgotten all about telling Spotty. Ah well. “Hermione likes Ron, too. That’s why she got mad when he thought she didn’t have a date for the Yule Ball.”
Ginny shook her head in disbelief. “I’ll never get used to that. How could you know something from last year, when you weren’t even there?”
My hearing must be going. “Did you say last year?” I sputtered.
Ginny nodded slowly. “Yeah. Christmas 1994.” She raised her eyebrows. “Is something wrong, Lara?” she asked, but I was already out the door. I careened down the stairs, sending Mrs. Black into a screaming frenzy as I slammed the kitchen door open.
“Where’s Dumbledore?” I yelled.
Calmly the old Headmaster stood from his spot at the head of the table. I hardly noticed the whole of the Order was there. “What would you like, Miss Winston?” he asked in the same agonizing calm that he had stood in.
I stormed into the kitchen, pushing through dark-skinned Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mrs. Weasley, and Tonks. “Wotcher, Lara,” she murmured, more as a warning than the usual spunky greeting. “Did anyone plan on telling me that we changed years?” I growled, a foot from Dumbledore’s blank face. “I can understand time zones, Dumbledore, but years? When were you going to tell me that tiny little detail, eh?” I pushed my thumb and index finger together for emphasis. “Trying to learn all of this before September is hard enough”but having you not care about my life? My family, my friends, Dumbledore”what happened to them?”
I stood there, breathing hard, heating up under the stares of the room. I greatly regretted my outburst not five seconds after I was done. Dumbledore clasped his hands together.
“Let’s head upstairs, Miss Winston. It appears that we need to have a talk.”
Still seething, angry at now being told hardly anything, I followed him back upstairs. Ginny was still in my room when we got there. Dumbledore dismissed her, before I interrupted. I was only going to tell her late on, so she might as well stay. Dumbledore consented and Ginny sat back down.
“Now, Miss Winston,” Dumbledore began, “I did not want to explain such matters in our last meeting for the simple reason that you may not be ready for such information.
“I confess, I did not think that you, clever enough as you are, would figure it out so quickly. As it is, I find it right to guess that you had some help.” He smiled at Ginny, who blushed a bright pink. “I do not begrudge a fact that I made a mistake keeping secrets. But, alas, it is far too tempting for a soul like mine.
“As you have found out, we did, indeed, bring you to another time. Another world, if you may. Not unlike your own, just with that little element of magic conjured up by dear Miss J.K Rowling. This “Harry Potter” World, shall we call it?
“I have already told you that Voldemort wants you, for reasons I shall not disclose at the moment. Do not question me on this, Miss Winston,” Dumbledore said sternly at my look. “I am sure you are not ready to hear why he needs you, at such a time.”
“How did we get here, then?” I asked instead.
“A Time Key,” explained Dumbledore, as if it was common knowledge. “It is an invention of mine I created once I discovered Voldemort knew about you. We sent you to live with your grandparents to keep you safe and out of his hands, through some help from your grandparents as well; they did not want you going to Hogwarts in the first place, very much like Harry’s own aunt and uncle. I will explain that,” he added to my ready question, “all in due time.
“A Time Key is a fusion of a Time Turner and a Portkey. There is only one, and, as it is, it is unregistered with the Ministry and therefore unauthorized. It has the exact timing of a Portkey to a specific place, and the inner workings of a Time Turner.”
“May I see it?” I asked, politely, to make up for my outburst.
Dumbledore shook his head. “As with everything else, I will it explain it--”
“All in good time,” I finished.
Dumbledore smiled. “You have your mother’s wit, and your father’s humour. Now, as for your friends and family, everything that happened in your world has been moved back some years to accommodate ours.
“I suppose that covers everything?”
I nodded. “For now. Thank you, Professor.” He stood to leave, and as he was going out the door, I had a thought.
“Wait, Professor.”
Dumbledore stopped.
“My mom…is she…?”
Dumbledore shook his head. “I am sorry, Miss Winston. The dead are dead in both worlds, even if one has magic.”
I thanked him, if a bit sadly, and he left. I turned to Ginny; it was her turn.
“Did you know anything about this?”
Ginny shook her head. “I thought we were using a Portkey,” she replied. I knew she was telling me the truth. She wouldn’t lie to me.
Muggles can't be Witches! by Wand_Waver2006
Chapter Notes: Sorry it's been a while for me to update; I hope everyone enjoys this chapter as much as I did writing it! Thanks to Snape's Talon for being a great beta; KateH, you're getting Chapter 8 first next time, I'm too excited at the moment to get it looked over by another person. XD Enjoy!