There had been an added crispness to the usual cold of his Slytherin dormitory, so he remained in bed, enjoying the warmth a little longer than normal. He felt entitled, since it was a special day. He was now seventeen, an adult. Blaise had been surprised when his mother had insisted that he stay at Hogwarts for his birthday as they had always spent them together. She felt he should enjoy his new freedoms among his peers.
Blaise remained on the ground, feeling the chill of the grass on his back, but unsure of what to do next. His thoughts floated back to breakfast. He was sitting in his usual chair, engaging in small talk, when his mother’s bird had appeared. His mother’s birds were astounding to the other students since they always had strange plumage, or would be of enormous size, but this bird was even stranger than usual. Even Blaise was dumbstruck, unable to think what habitat could have produced such an unlikely creature. He tried to act nonchalant as he accepted the trinket tied to the leg off the bird, giving it some bits of pastry and idly watching as it disappeared amid the standard Hogwarts owls. The present was wrapped in a note, which read:
My Darling,
This is my special token to you. Please save it and open it at 7:00 PM, the hour of your birth. I am aggrieved to miss this monumental occasion, but my motives will soon be clear. All of my love and heartfelt best wishes to you, my most cherished one,
Mother
Blaise put the small box into the pocket of his robe. He joked with Draco and his cronies, all of them anticipating the night’s activities. Slytherin seventeenth birthday parties were huge events. Blaise remembered being mildly surprised by Draco’s attentiveness, as he had been aloof of late, but wrote it off to Draco’s succumbing to the rigors of being in their sixth year of school.
Finally, through an act of extreme will, Blaise was able to sit up. He closed his eyes; fighting the pain enveloping his head, and he resumed retracing the day.
Professor Snape’s Defense Against the Dark Arts Class had been pretty usual. He enjoyed the man’s hands-on approach and felt like he had learned more this year than in the previous five combined. Blaise had a better grasp on the subject matter than the other students because his mother had insisted on his being tutored in all aspects of Magic since early childhood. It had been strange, though, when after class, the Professor had stopped him in the hallway.
“Happy returns of the day, Mr. Zabini,” he had said in his usual terse manner. “I take it your mother has sent along a remembrance?”
Blaise had smiled at the older man and showed him the box. “She told me to open it later, around the time I was born.”
“A very womanly sentiment,” Snape remarked coolly. “May I suggest that you do so in private. Some of your fellow Slytherins may find your mother’s affection amusing.”
Blaise managed to stand. In the light of the full moon he could see his wand, lying on some shrubbery. He picked it up and whispered “Lumos.” A soft light illuminated the end of his wand and he slowly moved it looking around him. He saw a small satchel lying in the shrubbery as well, close to where he had found his wand. He opened the satchel and found a map, a book and a strange device he had never seen before. He moved his wand around some more. A piece of parchment, lying near to where he had woken up, caught his eye. He saw his name written on the outside of it in his mother’s exquisite handwriting. Suddenly, his mind returned to 7:00 PM.
He was newly showered and dressed in his Hogwarts’ robe. He had checked himself in the mirror, happy with the results. Blaise took the small box and opened it. It was a platinum ring, shaped like a ram’s head, his family’s emblem. He took the ring out of the box. Suddenly, he felt himself being pulled in the middle of his body. Blaise somehow managed to put the ring on his finger.
The ring was a Portkey! Of course, that would explain his being so banged up. If he had known he was going to be transported, he would have been able to anticipate the landing, but to be whisked away unaware would lead to a dreadful fall. Blaise picked up the parchment, opened it and began to read.
I am sorry to have been so secretive, my beloved son, but I have only recently been apprised that you are in grave danger. There is an organization called the Death Eaters. They had plans to force you to join when you reached your majority. I have gone into hiding and have hidden you well. The items I have given you will serve in keeping you safe. The Magic Device is a Time-Turner, the only one left. The book is a History of Magical Devices, which will explain its use. The Map will lead you to me when we are no longer in peril. Keep in your heart how much I love you.
__________________
Death Eaters, Blaise thought his mother naïve to think he didn’t know about them. There were vague whispers in the dorm about whose parents were and weren’t involved. As a full-blooded wizard from a prominent background, Blaise could see why he would be a candidate, yet it seemed ludicrous that they would want to force him to join. His family stayed neutral when it came to politics. That had been his mother’s whole point in amassing great wealth. Blaise had seen enough of the follies of the Ministry of Magic in his own, admittedly sheltered life, to see the wisdom of that approach. Yet, his mother’s insistence on his learning everything magical had bordered on the paranoiac.
Magical! Blaise had forgotten the little device. He reached into the satchel and pulled out the Time-Turner. He put the chain around his neck and flicked the hourglass suspended in it. The whole world began to move around him very fast.
Oh- oh, He thought, wondering how he could have been so careless.
By now, the sun was coming up, and he was beginning to feel hungry. He took off his robe, performed a Scouring Charm to cleanse it, and put it in his satchel. Wherever he was, his school robe would not fit in.
“Posudio,” He called softly as he turned slowly around with his wand outstretched. He could feel a slight tugging from one general direction and walked forward. Soon he came to a small dirt road, knowing this would lead him to the nearest village. As he walked, he noticed the strange devices in the fields. Admittedly, He didn’t know a lot about Muggle tools, but these were obviously primitive. He realized that he was no longer in modern day Britain, but that the Time-Turner must’ve made him travel back in time.
He cautiously made his way to a nearby farmhouse. He wondered vaguely if his heritage would allow him to fit into this society as he stared down at his clothing. Hopefully, wherever his mother had sent him had a diverse population in its history. He carefully walked in the front door.
“Protego Totalum,” Blaise whispered, making his parameter as safe as possible.
He saw a cloak lying on a small wooden chair and took it. It had a hood attached, which would at least cover his face. He also saw some gloves laying on a small table and some muddy boots under it. He took those too. He saw a closed door which must be the bedroom. A Muggle couple was asleep in the room, but he saw a pair of pants and a shirt on the ground by the bed and silently stole these too. He carefully shut the door, changed and left the small farmhouse behind.
Blaise made his way back to the road. He hadn’t walked twenty feet when he heard a strange pop. Funilla, the Malfoy’s house elf, had appeared in the road ahead of him. He’d seen the creature on various occasions at the Malfoy Manor, as well as once or twice at Hogwarts. He wasn’t one to notice house elves, but poor Funilla was always getting kicked or yelled at, so he was memorable. He couldn’t fathom what Funilla was doing here, but Blaise knew one thing for sure. He was in big trouble!
By now, the hunger in Blaise was becoming all consuming. He needed to get food. The house elf was unnerving, because it had obviously been sent to find him, but it was still just a house elf. Blaise needed food. He thought about how much magic he had already performed, and if he could just Apparate into the village and be done. Three simple spells. The appearance of a house elf had to be more unsettling to any wizarding authority, if it existed, than the pittance he had used.
He hesitated to do anything rash, as the Muggle couple he had seen sleeping hadn’t settled any underlying problems he had about his outward appearance. He decided to move off of the road, and Disapparated into the village.
pop. Blaise found himself on the outskirts of the village. He carefully adjusted his hood and his gloves, acutely aware for the first time ever that he had no money. He needed to find food and shelter, so he could figure out the device had had misused. He also needed to scope out the map his mother had given him, as well as keep his distance from Funilla. He needed a plan to fit into this society just long enough to extricate himself from it. He walked slowly, looking around for a likely place.
Blaise saw a small Inn. He had no choice. He had to take his chances. Unfortunately as he was striding towards the inn, a small child noticed a flash of dark skin. The boy, in his innocence, called the attention of it to his mother. Suddenly, gawkers confronted Blaise. He tried to pull the hood down, but suddenly, didn’t care. He pulled the hood away from his face and stared at the growing crowd. This was a moment he would never forgive or
forget.
Blaise reached for his wand. He didn’t want to hurt anyone but he wasn’t about to go down without a fight!
“You got it all wrong, son,” a voice behind Blaise said. He turned swiftly and saw a small, old man.
“These people don’t mean you no harm. It’s just. . .,” The man stopped speaking and leaned in close to Blaise’s ear, continuing in a barely audible whisper, “you came by a couple of hours ago. Same exact thing happened. You can imagine their surprise to see you out here again when you’re supposed to be in there.”
Blaise looked at the man not understanding what he was saying. The man touched the Time-Turner around Blaise’s neck, as he pointed to a pub across the street. Blaise wished he had taken the time to learn about the Time-Turner, as he couldn’t understand how there could possibly be two of him.
“There’s a bloke in that pub, the barkeep,” the man continued. “He’ll be able to help you. Just tell him ‘the spider doesn’t always get the fly,’ he’ll understand.”
Blaise crossed the street and cautiously entered the most dodgy, filthy pub he had ever seen. Blaise repeated the expression and the man leered at him, reaching under the counter for a wooden box.
He shoved the box at Blaise, and then he pointed at the time turner around Blaise’s neck, whispering gruffly, “two turns should do it.”
Blaise sheepishly turned the device, and felt the same strange feeling of the world whirling at incredible speed. He found comfort in the fact that he would not have to meet himself. The barkeep handed Blaise a plate of cheeses and bread, and Blaise ate heartily. He then opened the box the man had given him. Inside were hundreds of strange looking coins, and another note from his mother.
As you have probably guessed by now, the ring has sent you back in time. This place is an old wizarding community where you should be safe. You must, however, follow the instructions of the kind old man who gave you the passwords. He is in my employ and has sworn an Unbreakable Vow to protect you unto Death. I hope you can understand my motives, and forgive my deception. With all my love,
Mother
The old man suddenly appeared beside Blaise and gave him a small smile. He sat down beside Blaise and ordered two meads, handing one to Blaise. Blaise’s mind was swimming with questions, but before he could speak, the old man put his hand up to silence him.
“There is a Library at the edge of town which holds the secret of the ring your mother gave you. It is an old heirloom of your family and contains much powerful magic.”
Blaise looked at the old man and nodded, the Time-Turner disaster fresh in his mind. They finished their drinks and Blaise followed the old man to the decrepit old building on the edge of town. They arrived at an ancient repository of knowledge, filled with scrolls, but they were in complete disarray. Blaise’s heart sank at the impossibility of the task his mother had given him.
He was just deciding what possible spell would work to make sorting through this mess faster when he heard a sound behind him. He turned around, wand at the ready, not sure what to expect next.
He turned around, wand at the ready, not sure what to expect next, when the room went dark. He attempted to cast ‘Lumos, but nothing happened. Confused, Blaise attempted other spells, but his magic did not seem to be working. He frantically felt about with his wand, exploring the room as best he could. Finally, he found the door, but it seemed to be locked. He stood with his back to the door, trying to figure out his next move when he realised the room was not as empty as he’d thought. Someone else was in there in the darkness too, and he was certain it wasn’t the old man
.
“Who’s there?” Blaise yelled, his voice echoing off the walls of the large dilapidated room.
No one responded. Blaise could not understand how someone could have sealed off the room and taken away his magical powers so easily. He racked his brain for some sort of a maneuver to gain some control over the situation.
Of, course, Blaise thought as he put his wand into his pocket and closed his eyes. They had learned about spells like this in Defense Against the Dark Arts. He focused all his of his faculties, concentrating his powers on an image of a beam of light. He opened his eyes and stared intently at a spot above his head. Suddenly a small point of light appeared on the ceiling and it quickly illuminated the whole room. Blaise looked around, seeing the old man slumped beside a wall, and, amazingly, Professor Snape, almost smiling at him from the middle of the room.
“Impressive display of wandless magic, Mr. Zabini.” He drawled. “Glad to know one of my students has mastered the practical application of his lessons.”
“How did you get here Professor?” Blaise asked, unable to comprehend how what he had been taught to think of as an immutable law of magic could be so easily foiled.
“When your mother came to me with the idea of sending you back in time with your father’s ring, we had naturally assumed that this was the safest place for you, as time travel is virtually unheard of. Unfortunately, I foolishly underestimated the Dark Lord’s growing strength. He has mastered time travel as well, and sadly sent many to find you.”
Blaise told Professor Snape about seeing the Malfoy’s house elf in the road. He also told him about how he had inadvertently used the strange device his mother had given him, causing two of him to occupy the same time and space. The Professor looked intently at Blaise, saying nothing. Blaise continued, telling him about the strange man in the bar, and finally, pointing at the comatose old man, about the box and his mother’s last note.
“I need to find the parchment which explains the ring’s powers.” Blaise said, at last finishing his tale.
Professor Snape continued to look hard at the young man. “I believe our first step, Mr. Zabini, is to go over all the tools you have at your disposal. We haven’t a great deal of time, but I have enchanted this building with enough safeguards to buy us a little.”
With that, Professor Snape reached for the satchel, still slung across Blaise’s shoulder. He pulled out the map, the History book and the wooden box.
“Of course, the box is filled with currency, whose uses you doubtless recall. The map is of this place during our time and will lead you to your mother.” Professor Snape stopped looking purposefully at Blaise. “We just need to survive for a few days.”
Professor Snape put the items he had explained back into the satchel and picked up the History book. “Obviously, this explains in greater detail how that little object works.” He continued quickly, pointing at the Time-Turner dangling from Blaise’s neck. “I believe you have pretty good working knowledge of it already, so you can read this at you leisure.”
Blaise looked at his Professor, still amazed at the man’s talent for being disdainful and helpful all at the same time. Professor Snape handed him his book, and Blaise added it to the other items in his satchel. The man then held out his wand, muttering an incantation too quietly for Blaise to catch the words, and several parchments jumped into the Professor’s arms. He opened them up, taking empty parchment from a nearby shelf, and copied the information using small wand strokes. When he had copied the documents the originals floated back to where they had been lying on the floor. He carefully rolled up all of the parchments but one, motioning at Blaise to put them in his satchel. He held out the remaining parchment, which Blaise took from him.
“Always remember, Blaise,” he said quietly. “You are in the past. Whatever you do could conceivably alter the future, so those documents need to be here in case someone who needs them between now and our own time can find them.”
Blaise looked at his Professor. He had a decent relationship with him, in fact he was easily his favorite teacher as Blaise could see the value in what the man taught. But he couldn’t remember him ever using his first name. Blaise breathed in quickly, putting his thoughts back to the parchment. The language on the parchment was obviously English, but it was written to fool the reader.
“That text is written as an alchemic riddle. Most alchemy is handed down orally, but apparently whoever wrote this was afraid of his passing before he could explain the ring’s usage. The basic message is that this ring works as a portal, only between time passages, as well as distances. The other parchments are regarding you family and may prove to be valuable.”
Snape then performed more quiet incantations. The old man awoke, and Snape Disapparated.
Blaise looked around him. The room was back to normal, so obviously, the enchantments had been removed. He rolled up the final parchment and put it into the satchel. He has mastered time travel as well, and sadly sent many to find you. He wished the Professor had stayed long enough to offer some advice on how he could elude them. Clearly, they were not safe here and they needed to go quickly. His mother had put a lot of trust into the old man, who was still sitting against the wall, groggily eyeing Blaise with apprehension. Blaise sat down in front of him, staring intently at the old man.
“Look…” Blaise stopped, sheepishly, “I’m sorry, I never did get your name.”
“Parthalán, young sir.” The old man said, shyly.
“Right, then, Parthalán,” Blaise smiled. “We need to find a safe place to hide for awhile.”
“Of course, sir,” Parthalán answered, looking confused. “That is my job, to keep you safe.”
Blaise could sense he had hurt the older man’s feelings, but at this point, he didn’t care. He was growing tired of the niceties. They needed to move and figure out how many were after them. Both men stood up and the older man took hold of Blaise’s arm. Pop