Scorpius felt water drip into his eyes as he and his Grandfather’s chosen three stood in a room full of pipes. The warm room smelled of mold, and he had to fight a strong urge to sneeze. Standing in front of him, he saw an old man dressed in a security uniform holding a wand extended towards them. The old man stood stoned faced and did not move as Ares Pyter approached him.
Pyter pulled out his wand from a Muggle black leather jacket and shouted, –Avada Kedavra!†A bolt of green light flowed from the stick and the gray haired old man crumpled to the floor. The assistant's drug the body to the side and the minion called Bowes, waved his wand over the corpse, and it changed to look like just another piece of rusty pipe.
Scorpius wanted to shout. He wanted to attack Pyter, but he could not find the will to move. The lack of will had started when he entered the loo back in Hogsmeade to find Pyter and his three men waiting. They held his arms while Pyter used an emerald to activate a spell of his Grandfather.
–Follow me,†Pyter said, and Scorpius found his legs moving forward following the man that he so wanted to hurt for the thoughtless and needless death of the old man.
Pyter waved his wand, and his looks change to that of the man he had just killed. The other two men with them looked different. He wondered what he looked like, but he did not have permission to look at himself or talk. Pyter took his hand, and they began to walk up the ramp towards the lifts.
The empty lift opened, and they all entered. Pyter, his voice high and shaky, spoke to the ceiling of the lift car. –Department of Mysteries.â€
At the command, the car jerked back and began quickly rising. The next stop was a stone passageway that led to a door with a round doorknob in its middle. Bowes walked up to the door and touched the knob. He said to the center of the door, –Horace Fulton and three co-workers.†He turned the knob and the door opened revealing to Scorpius a large dark room that was jet, black tile due to the tiles that were on the floor, walls and ceiling.
As they walked in the room, the one member of the party that Scorpius didn’t know slipped something into Scorpius’ cloak pocket. Scorpius let his hand drop and found a silken bag with a stick in it. Excitement filled him; he had a wand (maybe his wand), and he was not defenseless.
The doors on the walls surrounding them began to spin, and when they stopped, Pyter shouted to the ceiling, –The Arch of Eternity Room.â€
A door to the group’s right opened, Bowes and Pyter put their wands at the ready and entered the door first. Scorpius expected the other man to push him through the door, but he walked past Scorpius and closed the door. As the doors around him spun, Scorpius plunged his hand into his coat and found his wand and a piece of parchment. He lit his wand and looked at the parchment. All thoughts of escape left him as he read the note from his Grandfather.
He looked up to the ceiling and shouted –The Department of Time.†The door slightly to his left opened and he walked over the threshold and into the room. As he shut the door behind him, he heard Ares Pyter shouting a curse from the room behind him. Scorpius was alone, and he had a mission to fulfill.
Scorpius walked through the hallway and walked into the office on his right. He knew what to do like he was reliving a dream, and he had taken every one of these steps before. He walked around the first desk to a blank white wall.
Raising his wand, he spoke in a flat, lifeless voice, –Specialis Revelioâ€.
The wall glowed brightly, and a safe appeared in the wall. Scorpius smiled the information that his grandfather got from the Unmentionable was correct. Since the old head of the department had died, Fulton had become one of only two secret keepers of the safe and its contents. Once Lucius captured Fulton, Pyter had killed another woman who also knew of the existence of this safe.
Like he was reading a textbook; Scorpius spoke spell names and moved his wand in ways he didn’t understand. After the seventh spell, the safe cracked open, and he reached into the safe and pulled out a small case and a small bag which clinked when he lifted it out.
Suddenly alarms sounded, and a magical voice sounded from the ceiling, –Intruders in the Arch of Eternity Room! Intruders in the Arch of Eternity Room!â€
Scorpius ran to the door and with purpose walked into the door at an angle so that he banged his forehead above his right eye. He next walked back up the hall towards the door which would lead him back to the entry room. As he walked into the room and its doors spun someone else open the door. Entering the room with their wands drawn Aurors Sterling and Smythe enter and saw Scorpius.
Sterling looked at Scorpius’ forehead that was now throbbing and shouted over the din, –What happened? How many?â€
Scorpius grabbed his head and told the concerned Auror. –They kidnaped me. They wanted me to do say some spells and use a special rope to reach through an Arch to bring the Dark Lord back. I refused, and Pyter struck me. The alarms went off, and I ran. There are only three of them, Pyter, Bowes and some other guy.†Scorpius grabbed his head.
Sterling shouted again. –Get to the lift and go up to the Auror’s office. You’ll be safe, and we will get you back to your family. Okay?â€
Scorpius nodded his worthless nod. He was leaving, but the Auror’s office was the last place he was going to go. Scorpius entered the lift and without emotion said, –Atrium.†The gates clanged shut; the lift jerked, and he began to rise.
Draco, Harry, and Ron Weasley burst out of the gates of the lift and with Ron leading the way entered through the door to the Department of Mysteries.
Ron shouted, –Arch of Eternity Room.â€
Draco shouted, –No! The Department of Time!â€
Ron turned on Draco and said, –I’ve got people in the Arch Room fighting for their lives. You let me go where I need to, and you go with Harry. Harry, I deputize you to an apprentice Auror, and you have total responsibility for him.†Ron jerked his head toward Draco.
Harry replied, –I accept the appointment.â€
Draco glared at Weasley wishing him dead or gone or both. A door slightly behind them on the right and Ron ran through.
As the door closed, and the room spun, Harry spoke to the ceiling, –The Department of Time.â€
The door straight ahead of the two men opened, and they ran through with Draco in the lead. Draco stopped just inside the door and looked towards Potter. Harry placed his index finger to his lips and began to stealthily walk down the hallway. Harry was consulting a quickly drawn map of the office layouts of the section where Fulton had worked.
The pair walked through the door and froze just inside the room. A safe door was open. Harry reached inside and pulled out some ancient documents and a list of magical processes and spells for the creation of time turners. They looked at each other.
–We’ve got to find him,†implored Draco knowing that neither of them knew where he was.
Potter nodded and said, –If he’s been here then he’s going to see Lucius and the only three who know there are Lucius might be are in the Arch Room.â€
Draco shook his head. –They’re nothing but cast pawns. He sent them here to die or to rot in Azkaban. They’ll know nothing about his real plan or where my son is.â€
Scorpius looked out of the window as Downtown Glasgow flashed by outside of the bus window. He had bought a ticket to Holyhead. However, the conductor, Caleb, had told him five passengers were ahead of him. The Glasgow stop was stop number three. Scorpius sat quietly as Scotland disappeared outside of the window, and the familiar village of Hogsmeade appeard. As he recognized the Three Broomsticks, he tried to stand up and exit the bus. However, he could not move. He wanted to shout out for help, but he was mute. The frustration grew inside of him as a chubby old witch waddled off the bus and toward the pub. The bus rocked, shooked and rattled, and Hogsmeade disappeared and the bus was now letting a family of five out into a small village located on a river.
The world outside of the window flashed, and Caleb called out, –Holyhead, Wales.â€
Scorpius stood and walked towards the exit. As Scorpius walked past Caleb, he shouted, –Oy! The wind’s nasty from off of the sea. Ain’t you got a cloak, boy?â€
Scorpius silently turned and went down the steps to the sidewalk. He waited for a few moments until the big purple bus disappeared. He turned towards the sea breakwater, when a man appeared in front of him and enveloped him with a warm cloak and the pair disappeared.
When the cloak opened, he found that he faced a white panel siding two story building. A black sign with white painted lettering read, ‘The White Eagle’.
The raspy voice of Lucius cut into the howl of the wind. –Get inside the Pub, Scorpius. You can give us what you have; I do what I must, and we’ll get you back home.â€
As he walked through the front door, past the hostess and into the back of the Tavern, he could feel his mind clearing from the effects of the spells they had used on him. He continued to walk to towards a table and found already sitting there was Narcissa Malfoy. Scorpius, who had not seen his Grandmother since they moved out almost two years ago, was surprised by how much she had aged. She looked unwell.
–Grandmother, are you all right?â€
Narcissa smiled and patted his left hand in reply. The patting of the hand was a weak thing, and it concerned him. He may not like his father’s parents, but they were family and she had always been kinder to him than his Grandfather.
In a weak voice; Narcissa nodded towards Scorpius’ head, –Lucius, take care of that.â€
At first, Grandfather looked annoyed at what she had asked of him, but he quickly hid it. He pulled out his wand and hid it in his napkin. He made a flourish with the cloth waving at Scorpius, and the ache in his forehead suddenly left. Lucius placed the wand back, and he reached over to pat her hand and kiss her on the cheek.
Scorpius had never seen such affection from his Grandfather to another other than himself. Lucius noticed him watching, and his sneer returned.
Lucius having been caught acting ‘human’ and he did not seem to like it. With no warmth and an air of command in his voice, he said, –Give me the pouches, boy.â€
Scorpius, watching his Grandmother, reached into his pocket and pulled out the two pouches. Lucius greedily opened the first one and pulled a small, delicate pieces out of the pouch one at a time. The old man raised each to the light inspecting them before he put them on the plate. A heavy set waitress came over to the table to take down Scorpius’ order, but his Grandfather spoke first.
–He’ll have the sea bass, the rocket salad and…†Lucius trailed off at the drink order.
–Tea?†asked the boy of the waitress.
She nodded and so did he. Scorpius noticed that the middle age woman was fascinated by the small pieces of silver and gold lying of Lucius’ plate. He feared for the woman’s safety if she got too curious at what Lucius was doing. He quickly added, –Grandfather is trying to fix an old pocket watch to give to my father for a Christmas present. It’s a family heirloom.â€
The lie seemed to satisfy the server, who read back his order, and she went to a nearby table to refill the coffee cups.
Lucius ignoring the waitress and his grandson turned towards his wife and said, –It’s all here. I’d say two day's tops-– He stopped and looked across the table and fixed the boy with an icy stare.
Scorpius involuntarily gulped. The reflex seemed to make Lucius happy. However, his Grandmother coughed, the cough had a rattling sort of sound to it. Lucius turned concerned and touched his wife. –I’ll work overnight, just hold on my love.†The old man stared at him and said to him, –And you will help me, boy.â€
The house that they occupied in Holyhead was boarded up to protect the windows from the storms blowing in from the Irish Sea. When they first got to the house, his Grandparents disappeared leaving his in a room with a roaring fire and four very cushy chairs surrounding a low table. He tried sitting in the chair that looked into the fire, but he could not be still. He popped out of the chair and wandered over to the mantle. He looked above to fireplace to a painting that hung on the wall. The portrait was of two women who must have been his parent’s age at the time of the sitting. Scorpius looked at the bottom of the frame where a little bronze plaque was inlaid into the wood. The plaque read, –Ada and Vonda Clifford.â€
As Scorpius looked up at the portrait, Lucius appeared behind him. He wore a small glass in his left eye and was carrying a serving tray which held all of the small items from the stolen pouches. Lucius picked up two small pieces and waved his wand over them. They magically moved together and sealed as if they were one item.
Lucius ordered Scorpius to levitate the pieces of the device to into place. He was angry with his grandfather for making him do this. He could have moved the pieces by himself. Why does he need me? About half past ten, Lucius told him that he didn’t need him for now and told him to sit in the overstuffed cushioned chair across the room.
At midnight, Scorpius awoke in the chair. His Grandfather was, with his left hand, holding two small devices on their long chains up to the light. Sitting next to him also eyeing the little hour glass shaped piece of jewelry, his Grandmother also sat. He noticed that her left hand rested upon his right hand. He had never seen them touching before. The sight almost made him see Lucius as human. He had never seen a man in that light. Lucius had always been a monster. Scorpius shook his head and saw the image of the old Security Guard being murdered. The man sitting across the room had ordered his murder just like a pawn that Scorpius moved a piece upon a chess board. The old man was a monster.
Lucius placed the devices into separate pouches. He leaned over to kiss his Narcissa on the cheek, poured wine into three glasses, and floated a glass toward him.
–Are you going to tell him or am I?†asked the old woman as she spoke to her husband. The tone of voice was not the soft voice she had used to them earlier. The voice was the commanding tone that Scorpius had heard her use with his mother hundreds of time. The voice left no room for argument.
He saw his Grandfather raise an eyebrow to the old woman. Finally, he sighed and turned toward him.
–A week ago, I and my chief Lieutenants were discussing what occurred earlier in the Ministry. While we were having Brandy to toast our future success, my dear, Narcissa entered the room. She was, as always, the perfect hostess. I was laying out, for the first time, how my plans had come together and how we were going to rob the Ministry. The fools, of course, we quite impressed with the plot and greedy for the payoff. We finished and were about to toast our success, when Narcissa notified me that a message had arrived from my contact in America. The message was about Potter’s deal with the Americans. When I came back into the room, Narcissa was refilling my glass. I kissed her on the cheek and dismissed her from the room. I relayed the news and moved up the time table. When I finished, I saw that Pyter was sweating quite noticeably. I assumed he was afraid of Potter. I was wrong.â€
Scorpius saw his Grandfather look to the woman seated next to him. Narcissa continued the story.
–It was a slow poison. As I prepared for bed, I became sick. Lucius sent for a healer who has worked with him for years. He was able to detect the source. I am dead; it is just the time and date of the actual event that is in question.â€
Scorpius saw Lucius darken in anger like a cloud ready to release its storm, but when his wife turned towards him, he brightened and nodded his head.
–And that is the reason; I changed the plan and used your contingency.â€
–My what?†asked Scorpius. He knew the word, but not how it concerned him.
For once his Grandfather did not respond to one of his questions with one of his sneers or rolling of his eyes. Lucius leaned forth as if to pass a secret to the boy. –I know you play chess. A player who thinks about what he wants of each piece is a good player. A player who has a plan for each piece no matter what the other player does is called a Master. If you want to thrive in life and business do not settle on just being a player. The world only rewards those who become masters.â€
He found his head nodding in agreement with the old man’s statement. He had crushed Jimber in chess because Jimber reacted to the moves of his opponents. Of his friends, Rose was the only one who seemed to have backup plans.
–So, I sent Pyter to his death in a battle in the ministry that served as a diversion for your mission. You have recovered the parts needed to create a ‘time turner’. And thanks to Horace Fulton, I have the only two working devices in the world.â€
Scorpius was confused, –Time turner?â€
–Yes. Thanks to you, I will be able to save your Grandmother with this. Lucius held up a vial of bright blue liquid. A little known consequence of changing the time stream is that the time turner used to go back in time shatters and is useless.â€
–Why?â€
–If I were to go from today where Harry Potter is alive into the past and kill him. I will have changed the past of that future. The future I want to return to doesn’t exist. Luckily, I have two-time turners. Normally, they did not recommend moving into the past for than a hand full of hours, but I am not a normal man. And my mission is not a normal mission.â€
Scorpius looked over at his Grandmother.
–We will also go an isolated spot to activate the time-turner, so if the ripples of the change becomes too much, you will not be affected.â€
–So what happens to me?†asked Scorpius.
–You will be awake inside the bar of the Three Broomsticks to be questions by the fools who work for the ministry.†Lucius talked with the air of superiority that he disliked so. –You can tell them whatever you want. It will be too late for them.â€
–To success,†Lucius said and he raised a glass in the air.
He saw his grandmother’s shaky hand clink her crystal fluted glass with her husband’s cup. They all drank to the toast and suddenly the around Scorpius room began to spin and grow dark. He slid back into the chair.