Keep it secret, keep it safe

By

MrsPadfootProngs

Chapter Three

Explaining it all to Dumbledore

DISCLAIMER – Yep these characters belong to me have a problem with it? Tough!

AUTHOR NOTE – Wow huge response again I have no problem in telling you that it's blown my mind, anyhow I'm glad you all like chapter 2.

            I know I said I would add in a run in but I've had an idea that I want to keep with so I had to change it slightly. You'll get that in the next chapter.

            Enjoy and I'll try and update sooner next time, no more essays due in except one meaning lots of time for updating.

THANK YOU – Go to your name and read your own personal response, don't you just love it!

Paradox 01 - I'm sorry that you didn't like the way they met but oh well hopefully this chapter will be better for you, and them being teachers? Never even crossed my mind, so there's no need to worry there!

Violingirl7 – Thanks I've tried my best at it… the response well she/he wasn't worth the effort really anyhow the showdown it will be good trust me!

SnapesEvilMistress – No it really won't be, two groups with contempt for each other at the moment should be good though!

YankeeTorp – That's my hope that you readers will like this story as much as I like writing it!

Tanya J Potter – You keep reviewing and I'll keep updating how's that for a deal?

Gryphnwng – So I wasn't as good updating this one, I do try though, hope you like this chapter as much as the other one

Penguin Lover 11 – Yeah Ron's one of my fave characters and it's the kinda thing I could see him saying so it had to go in ^__^

Unwanted Red Rose – Thanks! I'm glad you're liking the story and here's the update better late then never!

Geha  - You and you're slash what are you like, anyhow hope you like the chapter girl, you better updates yours soon though fairs fair and all

Siriuslyafanaddict – heehee got you hooked hey? My work here is done then, thanks for the offer but I'm cool now, hope you like this chapter as much as you liked the other one!

Tanydwr – They couldn't see his face properly due to mud that's why but they soon will, I'm not telling you anymore though, enjoy the chapter!

Moonlit seductress – Harry only did what any best mate would do, after all James did have a wand pointed at Ron! Anyone would do the same Glad you like it though!

HUGE THANK YOU

To my Beta Reader LuvSirius she's done a great job and whacking my chapter into shape so thank you so much for that, much appreciated, so you can all thank her!

            "Any idea about what we are going to tell him?" Ron asked as they walked down the corridor behind Dumbledore. They were trying their best to ignore the looks of confusion, surprise, and disgust that were receiving by other students. It was no surprise really. The three of them were smeared with mud; their hair dripping. They were each leaving a little trail of water behind them as they followed the Headmaster. To add to their distraught looks, they were wearing torn clothes.  They must have looked a state! Harry looked up from the floor, deep in thought about meeting the father he never knew. He smiled softly as he saw Ron's face set in a serious expression. He was so used to Ron's nonchalant behavior, that he still found it hard to remain serious when Ron was.

            "Well, this is Dumbledore, isn't it" Harry remarked casually. "He'll probably know our whole situation already. We won't have to tell him anything, really. All we have to say is the basic truth about what happened. If there's anyone who will understand and believe us, it's got to be Professor Dumbledore!" Ron's face echoed his smile as he ran a hand through his dripping hair, and he scowled as he looked at his now sopping wet hand.

            "There's no doubt of that, you're right" was all Ron said. Hermione nodded her head looking at both of them as they walked beside her.

            "Harry is right." she said repeating Ron. "Professor Dumbledore always seems to know exactly what is going on in the school, even if you try to make sure that he doesn't have a clue. Remember that prank that Fred and George tried to pull on him last year, Ron?" She asked her brown eyes twinkling merrily. Ron and Harry both laughed at the memory that popped into their heads.      

"Yeah," said Ron, chuckling.  "They sent him a special treat from their joke shop, and Dumbledore gave it to Snape to open. I'll never forget Snape's face when he was covered in confetti and glitter for as long as I live!" Ron broke out into more laughter, as Harry nodded cheerfully.

            "Neither will I." He said, shaking his head. "It really makes you wonder what they could do next…" he laughed. Hermione sighed softly.

            "Somehow, I really don't want to know…" she said, looking up as she noticed the straight back of Dumbledore disappear around one of the many different corners. "We better hurry. We don't know if the Headmaster's office is in the same place as before. If it's not, then we could end up getting lost, and that could lead into another run in with your Dad, Sirius and Remus. No offence Harry, but your Dad is the last person I want to see right now." She concluded. Ron and Harry nodded in assent, and quickened their pace. Harry's face broke into a frown as he thought about Hermione's words. They soon reached the set of stone gargoyles to see Dumbledore waiting there as if he hadn't a care in the world. He turned to face them as they approached him.

            "Ahhhh, glad to see you have caught up with me." He commented, a very familiar twinkle in his penetrating blue eyes. All three of them gave him a small smile as they looked around them. There were very few students here, and those who were hurrying past only glanced at the four of them briefly before continuing with their walk.

            "Licorice allsorts." Dumbledore said to the gargoyles. The stone figures instantly sprang to life, twisting out of the way to reveal the staircase leading to a magnificent oak door that could barely be seen.

"Jump onto a stair." Dumbledore instructed, watching Peeves carefully from the corner of his eye as the poltergeist floated by. Peeves swept his hat off his head and grinned in a way that had the seventh year Gryffindors eyeing him warily. They jumped onto a step, the staircase jolting to life beneath them.

            "I'll never get used to this," Ron muttered, placing a hand against the cool stone as he ducked to avoid hitting his head on the lowered stone ceiling. There had been an occasion in sixth year when Ron had been talking to Harry absentmindedly, and had forgotten to duck. As a result, he had spent the night in the hospital wing because he had been knocked out.

            "You shouldn't be so tall then!" Hermione remarked in light banter, causing Ron to turn round and glare at her.     

"Blame my parents." Was all he said in reply, causing Harry to laugh silently as he pictured Ron's parents, both of whom were of an average height at best. Where a 6 foot 5 son had come from, no one yet knew.

They reached the top of the stairs and gradually came to a halt. The oak door had the crest of the school engraved into it. Each part of it was glowing in the colour it represented. It was ajar, so the three walked into the large room. They glanced around the familiar room briefly. Other than a few minor changes, it was the same. Everything from the magnificent portraits hanging on the crimson walls to the plate of Lemon Sherbets lying on Dumbledore's large mahogany desk was the same.  

            "Close the door behind you, please." Dumbledore said as he sat in the large, comfortable looking seat that stood behind the desk. Rolls of parchment, and seemingly unrecognizable devices littered the surface.

 "We would not want other, less reliable sources to overhear our conversation." Dumbledore said to the three of them. Harry nodded, closing the door behind him and sitting in one of the squishy armchairs that Dumbledore had conjured up. An awkward silence fell between them as the Headmaster interlinked his fingers and gazed at the three of them, his blue eyes boring into them. As Dumbledore's eyes searched them, every rule the trio had broken flitted through their minds, guilt consuming them.

"Let us start by you telling me who you are. There may be hundreds of students within these walls, but you three are certainly not one of their numbers."

            "Firstly," Hermione said after a quick glance at the other two, "We are not here to cause trouble, nor are we evil. We aren't spies." Dumbledore smiled slightly, his eyes retaining their suspicious glimmer. However, he remained silent, allowing Hermione to continue. "I'm Hermione Granger," she finally managed to say.

            "Ron Weasley." came the second, rather defiant answer. Dumbledore's eyebrow raised at the mention of the surname, but once again, he remained silent. Instead of responding, he turned to look at Harry, who had succeeded in wiping most of the mud off his face. He had been unfortunate enough to land face down in the mud while the other two had landed more comfortably: Hermione on her back and Ron on his side.

            "I'm Harry Potter," he said speaking quietly and looking down at the glass paperweight that was sitting on the table. He was used to having people react to the mention of his name, and this was no exception.

            "Potter?" Dumbledore asked, raising one grey eyebrow. "Is there a reason why you have an uncanny resemblance to James Potter, the boy who questioned you in the hallway?" Once again, the three friends exchanged uncomfortable looks. Harry looked up with a resigned sigh.

            "Professor, as I am sure you have already guessed, we aren't from this time period." Harry said shortly, still refusing to meet the blue eyes that were focused on him. When he glanced up, he saw that those twinkling eyes no longer held suspicion. They held surprise instead. "Sir, I look like James Potter because he is my father. Ron is the son of Arthur Weasley." Dumbledore looked at them thoughtfully and rested his chin upon his interlocked fingers.

            "I feared that this is what has happened." He said.

            "We can't tell you why we are here without revealing everything. At the present time, however, it is imperative that we get back home. I'm sure that this happens quite frequently, so if you could send us back before we land in anymore trouble, that would be brilliant." Hermione said, gingerly. Dumbledore shook his head thoughtfully, his gaze falling to the badge that was pinned proudly on her chest.

            "Head girl," he said slowly. His eyes dropped to take in the head boy badge that was pinned on Ron's robes, and the Qudditch captain badge that was on Harry's dirty robes. "So the three of you are seventeen." This wasn't a question, it was a statement, but Harry nodded nonetheless.

            "That's right." he replied, "Though it shouldn't matter. You can send us back can't you? As Hermione said, we need to get back to ninety-seven. We can't say why, but there will be trouble for everyone if we don't return as fast as possible. Innocent people will suffer because of this."

 Dumbledore shook his head sadly.

            "Not at the moment," he replied. "There is much that I don't understand about this, and although I know that I am not meant to know about it, it still puzzles me. Time traveling is something that is done rarely, but perhaps…" he faded into silence, deep in thought. "Do you still have the device that enabled this occurrence to happen?" He asked nobody in particular. Hermione shook her head.

            "It was a Time Turner." she began when Dumbledore interrupted.

            "Why would three students have a time turner?" He questioned quietly. Hermione met his eyes head on.

            "I'm afraid I can't tell you that, sir, but all I can say is that the head master of our time is aware of it being in my possession." Dumbledore nodded.

            "I see. Continue, please." Hermione nodded her head, took a deep breath, and began her story.

            "You see, when it was in my possession, it broke. We had an accident, one that was completely our fault. The Time Turner shattered into pieces. It transported us here because its sands covered us, but the shards of the device are back in our time. We have searched for it everywhere, but haven't been able to find it."

            "This makes things very difficult." Dumbledore said after a pensive pause. "If you had it with you, I could have transported you back to your time instantly… however, it's absence causes a significant problem." Panic flashed across the seventeen-year-old's faces. "There may yet be another way." Dumbledore continued as he glimpsed the fearful looks on their faces. "It will, however, require thorough research on the part of myself and a few members of the staff. If there is a possibility to transport you back, you will be as soon as we discover an answer." He looked at all three of them with a firm expression. "The question left with us now, is what to do with you until that time?" Ron suddenly looked up

            "We're not going to be teachers are we?" he asked horrified, Hermione made an annoyed sound as she turned to glare at him shaking her head and muttering

            "Idiot" in a  low whisper

            "Teachers?" he repeated. "You are only seventeen! There will definitely be no job available for you at Hogwarts for quite a while." Ron  heaved a loud sigh of relief. "Instead, you will have to be students."

            "Thought as much." Ron remarked darkly. "Here I was thinking that perhaps we would get a holiday from work…" Dumbledore smiled again.

            "Unfortunately, the seventh year is considered important here, and I highly doubt that the view has changed in your time."

            "No, it hasn't" Hermione confirmed, ignoring Harry and Ron's long faces 

"You are wearing Gryffindor uniforms," he said. Harry nodded.

            "We are in Gryffindor." Dumbledore raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

            "A Head Boy and Head Girl from the same house, a most unusual thing to happen." Ron threw a half-smile at Hermione as he looked at her from the corner of his eye.

            "Yeah, well there wasn't much of a selection. Head Girl was easy enough. Head Boy, though, was left to me. They were desperate. You see, my name was pulled out of a hat." He joked, causing Hermione to throw him a disapproving look while Harry smiled at his friend's gentle teasing. It had been the shock of Ron's life when he was told that he was following in the footsteps of his brothers Bill and Percy, and was made Head Boy. Since then, his personality had blossomed, and a Ron of strong character and beliefs had been born   

"What subjects do you take?" Dumbledore asked.

            "Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, and Herbology." Harry replied promptly. Ron nodded his head, his hair finally beginning to dry and to settle into messy waves.

            "I take the same as Harry." He answered, pointing a thumb in Harry's direction and leaning back in his chair.

            "Miss Granger?" Dumbledore turned to Hermione questioningly.

            "Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms and Arithmancy." She replied. Immediately, three different schedules appeared in front of them on the desk.

"Your schedules, then." Dumbledore said briskly. Ron leaned forward and picked his up, scanning it and frowning.

"Sir," he said, looking up. "I think you have made a mistake. You have my name down as Ron Williams instead of Ron Weasley." Harry glanced down at his own schedule. He looked up in surprise.

            "And why is mine down as Harry Phillips?" Dumbledore locked his fingers together as he observed the pair of them.

            "It will be difficult enough to try and explain the fact that the both of you look remarkably like your fathers without having to explain the names. Miss Granger keeps her last name because there is no one here by that name at this time. "We'll keep to your story that a new American Hogwarts has just opened and you've been sent here as representatives to see how your sister school operates. That will explain the badges and all. You are not, under any circumstances, to mention your situation to anyone understood?"

            "Yes sir." Harry said promptly "We're grateful that you are doing this for us." Dumbledore nodded and tapped a bell on his right side. A house elf appeared before them with a soft crack. Hermione flinched, but said nothing.

            "Master calls. How can Trunnie help master?" She said in a high-pitched voice. Dumbledore smiled pleasantly at her.

            "Run hot baths for our guest and lay out new uniforms, for them in the spare Gryffindor dormitory if you would Trunnie."

            "Yes Master, straight away, master." The house elf said, preforming a clumsy curtsy and disappearing as quickly as it came.

            "You will want to get clean before you meet the others. You do look a state!" He said causing the three of them to smile with relief. It is quite hard to talk when you have dry mud caked over you. They got to their feet, as did Dumbledore. " I will take you to the bathroom myself, otherwise it could look too suspicious if you appear to know your way around already."

            "Thank you, sir." Ron said, bowing his head slightly. Dumbledore smiled softly.

            "You may not be thanking me by the end of your trip." He said, ignoring the three confused looks fixed on him. "Follow me."

A/N – There you go the next chapter as I said I'm sorry it took so long. Hopefully this chapter will make up for everything, the long wait and all so please review but no flames please. Thanks

NEXT CHAPTER – I may keep it a secret, I'll say that there is a run in with the Marauders but what about will have to wait.

FUTURE HINT – Harry angst will be around… when? You'll have to see!