Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. This fanfiction is not written to make money. No profit is being generated and no copyright infringement is intended. All events in this story are based on the Harry Potter series.
Chapter Five
"Okay," said Hermione, and she pulled out the Time-Turner from inside her blouse. She and Harry are hidden under the Invisibility cloak, and they were standing in front of Dr. Holmes's house.
She put the chain around Harry's neck, too.
"It's been-" she consulted her watch, "-one day and twenty-two hours since the killing."
"So you'll have to turn that Time-Turner over forty-six times?"
"No. This Time-Turner is different from the one we've used back in our third year. That one was just for turning back hours, but this one is for turning back days and hours. Do you see the two hourglasses? The big one's for turning back days, and the small one for hours. I just have to turn the big one once, and the small one twenty-three times."
"But I thought the murder was committed one day and twenty-two hours ago!" Harry said.
"Yes, Harry, but we need to be on the scene at least an hour before the time of the murder, since it was just an estimate - the time of the murder, I mean." said Hermione.
"Oh - right," Harry said, feeling quite ashamed of himself for being stupid. "Okay, do it."
Hermione turned the big hourglass over once, and the small one twenty-three times.
"...twenty-one...twenty-two...twenty-three -"
Harry felt the same sensation he had felt before, like he was flying backwards very fast. A rushing blur of colors and shapes was around him. It was a bit longer than the last time he had gone back in time with Hermione, since this time they were going back one day and twenty-three hours.
Harry was just going slightly dizzy when he felt his feet slam to the ground. Hermione bumped into him and keeled over slightly, but Harry caught her just as everything came back into focus.
"S-sorry, Harry," Hermione muttered, as he let go of her (somewhat reluctantly). "I just felt kind of dizzy."
"Yeah, me too," Harry assured her. "That was quite long, wasn't it?"
"Yeah," she agreed, pulling the chain off Harry's neck.
Harry looked around and saw that they were now standing two blocks away from the doctor's house.
"Come on, Hermione," he said, making sure that the Invisibility Cloak was still covering the both of them completely. "Let's Apparate straight inside, okay?"
"All right."
"Ready? One...two...three!"
With a conscious and deliberate mental command, they transported themselves, Invisibility Cloak and all, to the doctor's house. Seconds later, they found themselves standing in the lounge.
"Quick! Let's find the doctor!" Hermione whispered.
"Hermione, why don't we just save him?"
"No, Harry! Everyone knows the doctor was killed! What would it be like if he just came back to life?"
"But we did it with Buckbeak, right? Everybody thought he was killed but he was alive!"
"The only people who thought he died were us, Harry!" Hermione snapped, while doing her best to keep her voice to a minimal level. "And the circumstances back then were completely different! This time, nearly half the country knows that the doctor was killed. How on earth are we supposed to change that?"
"All right, all right!" Harry said. "It was just an idea, okay?"
They moved quietly around the house, peering around open doors and listening keenly for any sound, until they heard voices coming from the den.
"- I'll get down to it tomorrow, okay? Yes, first thing in the morning -" a woman was saying, apparently talking to someone on the phone.
Harry and Hermione peered around the open door, and saw the doctor seated at an armchair beside the fire, reading what looked like a patient profile, while his wife was seated on a chair opposite him, talking to someone over the phone. Harry and Hermione slipped quietly through the doorway and headed to a corner.
Mrs. Holmes put down the telephone and turned to talk to her husband.
"That was the second time in two days," she said, shaking her head. "I can't blame her for being so worried."
Dr. Holmes took off his glasses and cleaned them with the tip of his nightshirt. "Yeah, and you're the only one who can help her, dear. So don't worry about us, just do what you can for her. I really hope I could come too, but I have a procedure tomorrow."
"Are you sure you'll be okay taking the kids to school tomorrow, dear?" Mrs. Holmes asked him.
"Yes, of course. Anyway, I'll just have to drop them off at the school on my way to the hospital." Dr. Holmes said as he put his glasses back on.
Mrs. Holmes yawned. "Well, I guess I'd better turn in, then. It will be an early start for me tomorrow." She stood up, kissed her husband goodnight, and got out of the room. Dr. Holmes went back to poring over his patients' profiles.
"I guess we'll have to wait here," Harry whispered in Hermione's ear.
Hermione nodded, and they settled themselves quietly on the floor, huddled together so that the Invisibility Cloak can still cover them completely.
Despite the situation they were in, Harry couldn't help but notice the subtle scent of Hermione's hair, the soft touch of her skin, and the warmth of her body pressed to his.
Whoa, cut it out, Harry! He reprimanded himself. She's your best friend, for Merlin's sake!
Harry tried to shove away those thoughts and concentrate on the task at hand. Anytime now, the killer could come bursting in. Hermione had already taken out her wand so that she'll be ready to perform the charm upon the killer's arrival.
They waited for what seemed like ages. Then, as Dr. Holmes put down his last patient profile, Harry heard a soft pop, a swishing of a cloak, and put his hand over Hermione's mouth to prevent her from screaming out loud. He gave her an incredulous look, and he received an apologetic one in return. He nodded and removed his hand.
Meanwhile, the doctor was still oblivious to the fact that a cloaked man, tall and dark-haired, has just materialized out of thin air in his den.
"Hello, doctor," said the man in a cold, deadly voice.
Dr. Holmes jumped and looked around. The killer took out his wand, and waving it, muttered, "Silencio Totalus!"
"W-who are you? How did you get in here?" Dr. Holmes asked, looking utterly surprised.
The killer moved forward a few paces into the light. Hermione gave Harry a painful nudge in the ribs as he let out an audible gasp. The man's face was exactly as Mr. Travers described him, and as his file photograph at the wizard registry looked like. Harry cast an apologetic look at Hermione, and she nodded.
The killer hadn't heard, for he was speaking at the exact moment that Harry gasped.
"You don't know me, and you never will, doctor."
"Do it now, Hermione," Harry whispered as quietly as he could while being just audible. He knew that the killer might not linger, and he may just kill the doctor and Disapparate. Hermione nodded and pointed her wand at the killer.
"Insignio Indicium!"
The killer showed no indication that he felt the effect of the Homing Charm, Hermione having done it carefully and in such a manner that the target will not feel anything. It had no visible effects, either, and the only indication that the charm had worked was the tiny, pale blue, ball of light that had remained on the tip of Hermione's wand. She conjured a map before the ball of light disappeared, and on the map appeared a red, blinking dot exactly at the place where the killer stood.
"W-what do you want?" the doctor was saying.
"Your life, doctor, to avenge the death of my dear Alice. She placed complete trust on a scum like you, but he failed to cure her, and sent her to her death. Now, I must do the same to you, so that no one else will end up like her."
"W-what are you talking about? It's not my fault that she died," said the doctor, now shaking with fear.
"It's also not her fault that she put her life in his hands, hoping she'll get well!" snarled the killer. "It's all his fault, and now it's yours, too. Say goodbye to life, Dr. Holmes."
The killer raised his wand.
"HELP!" the doctor screamed, as though he knew exactly what will happen (was that instinct?). "SOMEONE HELP ME!" He bolted for the door, but before he could reach it, the killer pointed his wand at the fleeing man and roared, "Avada Kedavra!!"
Hermione buried her face on Harry's chest as a rushing sound was heard, and a jet of green light flew from the killer's wand and engulfed the doctor. Harry saw him freeze in midair before crumpling down to the floor in a heap. That was the tragic end of the late Dr. James Holmes, a competent neurosurgeon and a loving husband and father.
Then, before Harry or Hermione could react, the killer disappeared with a pop.
A/N: Sorry for the late update. Been busy with schoolwork and our Intramurals. This chapter is not that long, but I promise that the next one will be longer (and better). Thanks to all those who reviewed my work, and thanks to the comments and suggestions. But please bear with me - I'm not a native English speaker, and though I am very particular with my grammar, errors still appear sometimes. I'm only human, okay? I commit mistakes, and so do all human beings who lived, are living, and are yet to live on this earth. I'll see to it that I polish the previous (and the upcoming) chapters on my next update. Please continue reading and reviewing. Another story will be uploaded soon.