A/N: Yep this chapter I wrote a while ago, but I decided it fits better here! So here's the old chapter and that's why it doesn't really make sense.

Old A/N: Yawn Hey it's the day after Christmas, so I'm lazy and sleepy. Oh well, I'm still writing! (Yeah I'm writing this Dec. 26 even if I finish and put it up later.)

Reviews: … No one's reviewed so far. Hey, I can't expect more, two chapters in one day means no reviews between them.

Chapter Seven – The Problem No One Thought About

Monday, October 30, 1973

ALLISON'S POINT OF VIEW

I drop the letter and sit down against the wall. Now what? There's nothing else to do, but I can't stay here! Now my only hope is that the teachers have gone to the future where they know about Time-Turners.

- - - - -

I didn't tell the Marauders yesterday that the Department of Mysteries replied, but today I'm going to. It'll be disappointing to talk about it but it's not fair to not tell them.

With a huge sigh, I get out of bed, and a few minutes later I'm in the Great Hall eating lunch. Remus joins me in a little while.

"Good morning," he says, starting on some cereal.

Munching my toast, I blurt, "The Department of Mysteries wrote back."

"And?"

"They think it's a joke," I say dully.

He sighs. "Any other ideas?"

"Nope," I answer bluntly.

Sirius and James choose that moment to come in, playfully insulting each other as usual. They sit down and start eating. Remus and I look at each other.

"You can tell them," I say, busying myself with my toast. Hey, I've already been the giver of bad news once.

Remus takes a breath and tells his two friends, "Allison heard back from the Department of Mysteries…. They… think she's trying to be funny."

"What!" James says loudly.

"And now we have no way to fix this," Remus points out.

Sirius laughs. "Now they'll have to yell even louder when they get back, to make up for the chances they're missing out on."

"All the windows will shatter…" James comments.

"The suits of armor will fall over…" continues Sirius.

"The fires will go out from all that shouting…"

"And the castle will crumble."

I shake my head, laughing. "You guys have that all worked out, don't you?" Probably their intention is having fun more than cheering me up, but it works anyway.

"Nah, it's just what happens after every prank. We've gotten used to it by now," James explains.

"But we still need to test that theory. Come on, I feel like pulling a prank this morning." Sirius jumps up, leaving his half-eaten breakfast, and hurries off with James to cause more chaos.

I stare after them, surprised. "One instant they're eating breakfast, the next… who knows what. Do they always do that?" I ask Remus.

"Yep."

While finishing breakfast, I stay on alert for anything that might signal James and Sirius coming back to play a trick on us. Nothing happens, and I don't hear any unusual noises echoing from somewhere else in the school. I begin a search for the two pranksters, very suspicious.

"Allison!" James runs down the hall towards me and stops, panting. "Death Eaters… are by the… lake…. They're coming… towards the school…."

"You're kidding!" I accuse hopefully. He shakes his head, and I realize he's serious. "So what do we do? We can't fight off a load of Death Eaters! How many are there?"

"Maybe… twenty."

I sigh. At least there aren't fifty, or hundreds even. They probably weren't even planning on coming here or they would've brought a bigger group. "Well we have about a thousand kids in the school—that's fifty to one. Come on, we need to warn everyone. I take it Sirius is keeping an eye on them?"

"Yeah. He'll find a way to warn us if anything more happens. They shouldn't be here for at least five minutes."

We split up and run in different directions, warning everyone we pass. With them all going to warn more people, the whole school should know in a few minutes. We've agreed to gather in the Great Hall so the Death Eaters don't get the chance to spread out over too much of the school. First- and second-years will stay towards the middle of the group since they don't know as many strong spells, no offense to them.

The Great Hall is packed with milling students. Sirius finds me and says, "The Death Eaters'll be here in a minute or so. You ready?"

I shrug. "Will Stunning Spells be enough? They have Avada Kedavra, and we only have the school-taught spells."

"Stunners are fine," he assures me. "If they're all Stunned they can't do anything, can they? Maybe some sixth- or seventh-years will know how to Apparate and be able to tell the Ministry."

James and Remus join us, and we wait.

And wait.

"Shouldn't they be here by now?" I ask quietly, checking my watch. It's been fifteen minutes. "Do you think they're planning something?"

"I don't know…." James mutters. "Should we check? I don't want to be caught by surprise, and we can't wait here forever."

I start to protest, but maybe we should see. "Alright, but we have to stay out of sight. How about the classrooms above the doors? Then we'd be high enough to have an advantage."

We agree and head upstairs. On the fourth floor we go to the windows and spread out. "Ready?" Remus calls down along the wall to all of us. We nod.

At the same time we open the windows (we didn't want anyone to be on their own facing Death Eaters, even from a few floors up). The Marauders don't do anything other than look around, but I immediately shriek, "Stupe—"

I cut myself off just in time. "Rae? What're you doing here!"

When I opened the window I found myself face-to-face with someone on a broomstick. Now that I recognize my friend, I stand back so she can fly in and land.

"How did you get here? How'd you know what time I went to? How'd you even know I used the Time-Turner!" I babble.

She gapes. "Hold on, which question first?"

Please review, and just as a warning, if this is later than Chapter Seven then we're probably coming close to the end of the story. Don don don, possibly the first story I ever finish. Short, I know, but fun.