The Pauper's Time by Jardyn39
Chapter 6: The Cave
They slammed into the side of a grassy hill and rolled down a few feet.
Harry yelled, "Did she say children?" but he could barely make himself heard as the wind howled around them. It felt like they were in the middle of a hurricane.
Hermione shook his shoulder roughly and pointed up to the top of the hill. There was what looked like a small cave entrance.
Harry nodded and grabbed the bag.
Hermione scrambled up the slippery grass slope with Harry following in case she lost her footing. It was hard work in their authentic footwear, but eventually they reached the cave entrance.
The cave was dark and damp.
Harry could faintly smell smoke and immediately took out his wand. He took the lead as they ventured further inside.
The silence of the cave was a complete contrast to the screaming wind outside and it took a while for Harry's hearing to adjust.
"Lumos," he whispered, pointing his wand to his feet.
They walked onwards into the darkness, not daring to light up their way too far ahead in case they were discovered.
Harry stopped, straining his ears. He thought he had heard something just ahead.
They crept on a few more paces and then turned.
Ahead of them was a small fire and sitting there huddled up and sobbing quietly to herself was Carmen. Their Carmen.
They moved towards her quickly.
The young girl looked alarmed for a moment but then hurled herself at Hermione. Harry hugged them both.
*
"I was sure it hadn't worked!" cried Carmen, tears streaming down her face.
Harry stoked up the fire, lighting up the cave. He marvelled that she'd been able to even start a fire, given that she had no wand. Then again, this was Carmen and somehow her plan had brought them to her.
Carmen was incredibly dirty, but apparently well, if a little hungry.
"You have the book?" Carmen asked hopefully.
"Yes," said Hermione handing it to her.
"Oh, I'm so relieved. It was just a guess, but I thought I recognised myself in the garden."
Carmen opened the book and read the newly written note to herself very carefully.
For a moment she looked up and stared into the fire, deep in thought. Harry and Hermione watched, not wishing to disturb her concentration. Only Carmen could get them back.
Carmen came to herself and Hermione was about to ask if she could read the note when Carmen ripped out the fly sheet and burned it.
"No one may know the future," she said seriously. "The note just confirmed something. We can go back now, if you are ready?"
They stood and looked around.
"We shouldn't leave this fire burning," said Hermione. "Harry, will you light your wand so I can put it out?"
"Sure," he said and noticed Carmen had a rather absent look.
"Wait," ordered Carmen, "I need to burn something else."
She kneeled down and ripped off the back cover of the book. She then broke it over a stone before fishing out something inside. She tossed the back cover, including Gryffindor's dedication, onto the fire.
"What is that?" asked Hermione.
Carmen carefully opened the folded parchment.
"Now," Carmen said seriously, "this is important. This powder is a refined extract from the Tempus Sero. This is what will take us back, so, no one sneeze!"
She carefully placed it on the ground at their feet.
"We all need to hold hands around this. Now, this is tricky but I need one of you to burn the powder. The smoke has to rise between us. Are we clear?"
The others nodded.
"Good. Harry, light your wand and then Hermione can extinguish the fire."
Hermione put the fire out with a splash of water from the tip of her wand.
Harry realised that Carmen was shaking. She looked incredibly nervous.
He took her hand in his and gave her a reassuring smile.
Carmen smiled back for a moment but then it faded. Hermione rejoined them and took hold of Harry and Carmen's hands. The circle was joined and they were lit only by Harry's wand tip.
"When I say," said Carmen shakily, "not before."
"Carmen? Are you okay?" asked Harry.
A tear fell down her face.
"I knew it would happen. It had to, or you would never have found me."
Hermione frowned slightly.
"Something is going to happen, isn't it?" Harry said gently. "When we get back. The note told you."
"Come on, Harry. Let's show some Gryffindor spirit," said Carmen with bright eyes.
"Carmen, we came to bring you back."
"You will, Harry, I promise."
"So, what goes wrong?"
"Not wrong, exactly. It's like a new adventure. Besides, I'll have many years in other time periods. It may only seem moments to you, but I'll escape into the past."
"If it's so great, why did the older you try to stop all this from starting?"
"I was mistaken."
"Carmen, tell us what happens, or we all stay here," demanded Harry.
"No! You mustn't change the future!" cried Carmen. "I'm in a paradox. It's like a trap. I have to continue on, or you'll never get back. Please, Hermione, set the powder on fire. The world needs you both. I'll have my life, but not with you. Please."
Hermione looked at Harry and gave him a small nod.
Harry took a deep breath, and nodded.
Hermione pointed her wand downwards. A blue liquid flame dripped gently down onto the powder. Suddenly a cloud of white smoke erupted from the powder as Carmen gripped them both tightly and began chanting.
*
Harry, Hermione and Carmen appeared into thin air some twenty feet above the clearing.
He realised, as they dropped, that the Tempus Sero plant was directly below them. Harry's agility in the air helped considerably as he aimed and fired a volley of reductor spells directly at the plant.
The ground exploded beneath them.
Suddenly, Harry felt himself slow until all three of them touched down with a heavy thud, much more gently than he'd been expecting. Harry hadn't time to wonder what had happened.
Hermione landed on her feet but Carmen collapsed.
Harry scooped her up and shouted, "Run!"
They ran towards the edge of the clearing where they were surprised to find Dumbledore and Snape waiting with Hammond and Dobby.
"Here!" shouted Snape. Harry threw Carmen into his outstretched arms. Snape turned and ran back towards the castle at once. Hammond followed him as quickly as he could.
Harry ran back to join Dumbledore, Hermione and Dobby who were advancing on the position the plant had occupied.
"Do you know what will it be?" shouted Hermione as she joined them.
"The picture. It became clearer after you left," said Dumbledore. He wasn't shouting, but somehow they heard him clearly over the howl of the wind.
Dumbledore was looking high into the air. The clouds looked much lower than normal.
"There!" he shouted, his voice booming into the storm.
Harry thought he saw a glimpse of something dark in the clouds.
"Should I summon my Firebolt and go looking for it?" yelled Harry, with no idea at all what "it" might be.
"No time, Harry," said Dumbledore with a grin. "Let's try and flush it out, shall we?"
Dumbledore pointed his wand directly upwards. A bolt of purple lightning blasted from his wand high up into the clouds. There was an enormous thunder clap and then the clouds took on a purple tinge. Small purple lightning strikes passed from cloud to cloud, until finally there was a flash deep inside one of the clouds directly above.
"Ah, that got its attention."
Something dark flew out of the low clouds and circled menacingly above them. It had small wings but appeared to be swimming through the air rather than flying.
It dived down towards them. They fired volley after volley at the creature, which was getting madder and madder with each passing moment.
As it got lower, Harry was sure its shape changed. High up it looked almost dragon like. Now it had man-like features and the wings looked bigger in proportion to its length.
Finally, Dumbledore caught it with a powerful spell Harry didn't know. It crashed down to earth and they advanced to finish it off.
They were only a few feet away when it reared up again. Harry blasted it with a volley of reductor curses.
"That will do, Harry," warned Dumbledore.
The creature turned to face them, snarling and bearing its pointed teeth. Horns projected from its jaw and forehead. Its skin was deep green.
The creature uttered words in a language Harry could not understand.
"Really? What a pity," replied Dumbledore pleasantly. "May I introduce my three companions?"
The thing spat onto the ground.
"Perhaps not, then," said Dumbledore. "Anyway, the girl has been returned to her timeline. This opportunity has therefore passed. I suggest you return to your own domain. You may stay, of course, but I won't stop my friends here from hurting you."
A kind of a grin appeared on the creature's face and it glanced over to the small crater Harry had created where the Tempus Sero had been.
"Oh, yes," agreed Dumbledore. "It was very clever. However, the problem with interfering with time, is that one can never fully predict what will happen."
For a moment Harry thought the thing was chuckling at them, but then a look of unmistakable terror passed over his face. He was looking directly behind them.
Before Harry could turn to look, the thing vanished in a cloud of dark green smoke.
They turned to see a young woman standing before them, grinning widely.
*
Harry knew at once she was Carmen, although she looked very different from before.
Carmen was now a grown woman, but this time she looked much younger and far less imposing. She wore her long hair down and was also very pregnant.
"Carmen, don't you think you should give the time travelling a little rest?" suggested Dumbledore. "Especially in your condition?"
"No!" she replied laughing. "Thanks to Harry's quick aiming and Hermione's cushioning charm, I've got more than three seconds to live my life in!"
"I know I shouldn't be here," she admitted, "but I just wanted to say thank you, to all of you."
She swept over and hugged them.
As she bumped into Harry, he couldn't resist asking, "So, how's Godric?"
"Godric?" she asked in surprise before breaking into a wide smile. "Oh, no. It's not his. I found I prefer more modern gentlemen, actually."
Carmen bent as low as she could and kissed Dobby, saying, "Thank you, Dobby. I'm sorry for all the tricks I played on you in the holidays."
"Dobby hopes you will stay again, Miss Carmen!"
Carmen smiled and turned to Dumbledore.
"Thank you," she said, tears forming in her eyes. "I know what you did. What you had to bear for me to have a life."
Dumbledore smiled and shook his head.
"Carmen, all I did was resist the temptation to stop Harry and Hermione," he said gently. "I'm sure I will regret it later."
Carmen smiled and kissed him on the cheek before vanishing silently.
*
"I must ask you both never to enquire about the Prophecies surrounding Carmen," Dumbledore said seriously, "either of myself or others. I ask this for your own good."
Harry and Hermione nodded.
"Dobby, thank you for all your assistance. You may return to the castle and help tend to Carmen. It may be best for her if we bring her parents here."
"Thank you, Sir," squeaked Dobby. "I could go now and give them the good news, if you liked, Sir?"
"That would be most helpful. Thank you, Dobby. Yes, please do so."
The elf vanished with a loud crack and the three of them walked back towards the castle.
*
"Harry, do you have to do that in front of Professor Dumbledore and me?"
"I can't help myself. These things itch like crazy."
"Yes, well some of us have a little self control."
"Anyway, I'm not in front of you. I'm walking behind you!"
"Yes, well you could scratch yourself more discretely!"
"Mm?"
"Harry!"
"I'm sure all this rain is just making it worse."
"Stop it, you're making me feel itchy now!"
The path they were following exited the bushes and they found Professor Dumbledore waiting for them. Hermione hurried over to him and appeared to want to lift the tone of the conversation a little.
"Professor? What was that creature?"
"It is a time demon. That particular one holds a grudge against Carmen, or one of them anyway. I've no idea what started it off, nor indeed when it all started. On this occasion it planted two Tempus Sero flowers in the same place to create a paradox. I only realised when I saw Harry firing at the ground, but she would have been thrown backwards in time again."
"Um," asked Hermione hesitantly, "what did you mean by one of them?"
"Well, my examination of the Prophecies didn't get me very far. It was immediately apparent that there are many versions of Carmen out there. Some good, some cruel and some just lost. However, with love, understanding and more than a little tolerance, I'm confident that the good Carmens will prevail. Eventually. We must remember they all started out as our young Carmen."
"So, she's likely to get into trouble again then?" asked Harry with a smile.
"I will not say," replied Dumbledore with a smile.
Harry took this to mean a big yes.
*
As they approached the castle they could see Hammond waiting for them at the entrance doors. Hermione hurried ahead to find out how Carmen was.
"Professor?" asked Harry as soon as she was out of earshot. "Can I tell you something?"
"Of course, Harry," he replied, slowing his pace.
"There was a moment, when Hermione and I were walking and before we met Carmen. I wondered if we would ever get home, and then I wondered if I really wanted to return. I mean, it wouldn't have been so bad. No unwanted attention and no Voldemort."
Dumbledore smiled at him.
"I am rather glad you returned, Harry. However I'm confident that your knack for gaining unwanted attention would have surfaced sooner or later. I'm also sure you would have found a worthy adversary to fight eventually."
"I still feel rather ashamed. It was just selfish."
"Not entirely, Harry. If you had stayed there, Carmen would have remained lost to us. I'm also sure that had you not gone, the damage you would have done to yourself by denying your nature would have counted against you in the end.
"We are all the sum of our experiences, Harry, good and bad. I am sure that you will now be far stronger to face the future, whatever it may hold."
They climbed the steps together to where Hermione and Hammond were waiting for them. They were both looking at Harry and he had a feeling they both knew what he had just admitted to Dumbledore.
"Carmen's parents arrived a few moments ago," said Hammond smiling.
"Good," said Dumbledore. "Now, I wonder if Carmen is well enough to attend a celebration feast. I seem to recall we promised her one when her father was sufficiently well. You'll join us, of course, Peter?"
"Thank you, I'd be honoured."
"Oh, Harry," Dumbledore added apologetically. "I'm afraid you'll have to attend lessons again from tomorrow. Professor Snape informs me you have quite a bit to catch up on."
Harry just grimaced, accepting his fate.
*
"Come on, Harry, or we'll be late!" urged Hermione as she pulled Harry towards the Hospital Wing. "I promised you'd come."
"Do we really have to? All she wants is to explain this time travelling plan of hers. Like I don't already know."
"Do you know how the plan worked?"
"No, of course not. The point is, she'll insist on explaining it to me like I'm a three year old and then ask me questions to see if I was listening!"
Hermione laughed.
"Well, you are a toddler compared to her intellect, aren't you?"
"Thanks, Hermione," he replied dryly.
"Okay, a cute toddler, though."
"Better," he said, coming to a halt.
"Harry, don't slow down!" Hermione pleaded. "Okay, very cute toddler?"
"Look, let's just arrive in time to give her only five minutes before we have to go down for the feast."
"Honestly, Harry. Do you really think you can escape a time travelling witch?" she asked as he pulled her into an empty classroom.
"So how's the itching?" he asked snaking his arms around her waist and pulling her closer.
"Much better thanks," she replied laughing. "How's yours?"
"Terrible," he said between kisses on her neck.
Hermione placed her arms around his neck and hugged him.
"You didn't want to come back, did you?"
"Why would I want to? We'd found Carmen and I had you."
"And our itchy underwear," quipped Hermione.
"Yes, but you'd have been safe. I told Dumbledore I was being selfish for thinking of staying, but really I've been selfish for coming back, haven't I?"
"We will be safe, one day," whispered Hermione before kissing him.
After a while standing and hugging each other, Harry asked, "So what happened to the book we got from the fête?"
"Oh, so you are curious to know what happened!"
"No, I'll work it out. Even better, I could ask Carmen. Hey, that'd fill our five minutes nicely!"
"Harry, the feast started half an hour ago!"
"Oh."
They were quiet for a moment.
"Um, so do you want to go or can I show you where it still itches?"
"Harry!"
END
Apologies for leaving out Carmen's explanation of her plan, but rest assured Harry wouldn't understand it! One of the older Carmens wrote the book that Gryffindor had printed. The book they brought to her was a special edition, but other prints were published. Someone found a copy and used it as a basis for the fête book, although they didn't understand its significance. Carmen brought the fête book with her, and this she sent back with instructions and the message she would copy into the dedicated book. Obvious, really.
Other stories:-
Hammond comes back for another investigation in "Bring the Rain," set during the Easter holidays of Harry's Sixth Year.
Carmen makes another appearance in "Journey Home," a story set after Harry has left Hogwarts. Here she is older and in her Third Year at Hogwarts.