Chapter Five:
The Test Begins

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"Welcome, Mr Potter, to the abode of the Head of Unspeakables," a feminine voice spoke from beneath the hood. Traces of dark brown hair could be made out through the clothing. "And his friends, as well, of course. Myself, Unspeakable Turner.

"Why don't you all take a seat? It's going to be awhile for the story to be told." Six cushioned chairs appeared in front of a large, oak wood desk; while another armchair materialized behind it. Harry nodded at his friends before taking a seat.

"What help can we be of you?" Harry went straight to the point. He did not want to go through all the formalities and beat around the bush. It was for the best to get out of this place as soon as they were done helping the helpless.

"I'll get to the point, as anybody other than an Unspeakable would wish if they were here, yes. Mr Potter, we received a strange, strange thing. A note, nothing extraordinary but still intriguing in itself. It contains a riddle of sorts but we are unable to decipher the latter half of it. There are a couple of wild guesses, yes, but we'd love to hear your opinion before making a move, if that was even possible from our side." She placed a note in front of him. Harry noticed a small burn mark on its tip but what took his attention was the writing.

"I strike where 'oung warts get nourished,
By the union of the third of November;
Heart of Magic, I need, to solve what
You might try to twart."

"We think it best if you and your group of friends would take on the positions of Unspeakables by venture for this mission and perhaps, find the person behind this note and all the implications it generally means," Turner said.

"What would that imply, Madam?" Harry asked, not letting his nervousness show in his voice. He was nearly crushing Ginny's fingers but she did nothing to remove them from his grasp, which somehow comforted him.

"An object will be chosen for you. That object will help you in becoming an Unspeakable and will bestow upon you powers of sorts. Some, we know nothing of. For example, I have the power of Time Travel in my palms. That was the one which chose me when I started as an Unspeakable."

"Where are these objects?" Ron stepped in, helping Harry.

"They must be earned, Mr Weasley. All you have to do is pass the test of power, one of confusing options and forks in paths. Your knowledge, skills and, experience will be tested, not by me but by the Chamber of Trails.

"I cannot help this as it's a rule to hand over the objects only if the people contesting for them are declared eligible by the room. If I were to step in and break the rule, I'd even lose my life."

"An Unbreakable Vow?" Hermione breathed as Ron and Harry exchanged looks, remembering their sixth year.

"Yes. You will also be taking one if you were to pass this test. Do not fret. The rules mention nothing about the number of people in the room at once. All six of you can compete together as a team as that part is my discretion," Turner explained. Harry looked to his friends for their affirmation.

"We'll go with you," Luna answered on behalf of all of them and Harry nodded his thanks.

"Show us to the room, Madam."

—xoxo—

The odour of damp wetlands greeted their nostrils unpleasantly as their eyes struggled to adjust to the dim lighting.

"Lumos." They cast as one, illuminating, by the smallest of words, the whole room at large. Pupils elongated just as a huge manor appeared in front of them. Lighting struck, a few miles away, then five, then a mile away, resonating the wrath of nature. The downpour started. Tap tap tap. Rain drops splattered on the ground, on the windows of the manor and on them.

"We should hurry up and go inside," Neville suggested, shielding his head with his hands. Agreeing in silence, the six of them sprinted to the manor, footsteps carving into the dampening soil as they maneuvered carefully so as to not slip and fall due to less friction.

Pillars were on all the four sides, holding up a shuttered roof over the entrance. Cobwebs were apparent on the towering structures. "This house is in ruins. . ." Harry commented, touching a lock only to see it fade away with rust. He looked up and spoke, in a voice unlike his own, "It's. . . we are in the wrong place. . ."

"Where are we? I don't recognise this place. . ." Ron said, looking around.

"We are in Godric's Hollow. . ."

Everyone turned to him in surprise, including Hermione who had been there before. "I don't recognise this place, Harry. How can it be–?" she questioned.

"It looks like we are in a different world. . ." A sharp wind blew his hair and a bell sounded afar. "And it looks like I'm right. Protego Totalum!" Harry had been prepared for this. Thanks to Moody, the mantra 'Constant Vigilance' kept echoing in his head ever since receiving the letter. No sudden attacks from bushes would now astound him. 

The green beam which had rocketed towards them bounced off an invisible shield. All of his friends withdrew their wands, spontaneously taking to a much offense-possible stance.

"WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" A shout, barely containing venom and fury, sent chills down their spines. Harry raised his wand, ears straining and eyes narrowing to find the source of the voice.

"Who's there?" Ginny demanded.

Two shadows emerged out of the bushes, shaking violently. When the rays of their illuminated wands fell on them, Harry felt his heart stop. "WHY DID YOU COME BACK?! WHY DID YOU COME BACK AFTER FAILING US?!" one of them, a redheaded girl, screamed, hair falling to her red eyes. Their clothes were torn at many a places, muddy and shabby. Their faces dirty and tired.

"Failing – you?" Luna whispered.

"YES, GRANDMA LUNA! DON'T YOU RECOGNIZE?! WE ARE THE GENERATION AFTER THE NEXT GENERATION!" the other, a blond boy, shouted. "WE ARE RUINED ALL BECAUSE OF YOUR MISTAKE!"

"Mistake? What mistake?" Ron probed.

The boy collapsed to the floor. Harry made to help him but Hermione stopped him. "You failed this test. . . you all did not want to step out of your fears. . . Your fear of being trapped in the same trap again. You failed your final battle, overcome with panic. You didn't listen to your heart. Instead, listened to books, adhered to rules and useless instructions laid down by people of the past, wasted away and now, let us waste away. . .

"We are on the run. . . hiding from the devil who stole cores. . . everything is your fault. . ."

Harry felt his heart clench. What grave sin had he committed for his future generations to despise him this bitterly?

"It's not yet over." Harry was surprised by the voice which came. "If you are our future generation, then we must be in the future," Hermione spoke up. "Not a different world but a different, messed up timeline. . . Someone has meddled with time, something that shouldn't be done. . . not so carelessly. . ."

"Ha!" the boy let out a mocking laugh. "Well spotted! What is the solution to all of these then, Grandma Hermione?"

"Do you have a time turner? Something that we can use to repair everything? I swear I'll do anything to set things right!"

"What will you do with it?" the girl asked.

"We'll go back in time. All of us," Hermione pointed at Harry and the rest of his friends. "That will create a paradox and our other selves will disappear. . . their decisions will not affect you because as long as we are with a sane mind, we'll never let anything go wrong!"

A strong gust of wind blew, nearly throwing them off balance as the lights of their wands dimmed before extinguishing completely. A single word echoed in their ears as they felt themselves being lifted up to oblivion. "Good."

—xoxo—

When Harry's eyes opened, they were in a yet another dimly lit place. The smell of fresh grass being burned greeted his nostrils. "What's happened? Ron?"

"I'm right here, mate." Ron's reply came but his tone was uncharacteristically different. It had taken a tense turn. "There's a war going on. . ."

"War?" Luna whispered in a croaky voice.

"Yes. Hear the sound of destruction! This is probably our test. We need to win this war."

"Who are we fighting?"

"No idea ,but it doesn't mean we give up." A loud explosion followed Ron's statement and Harry was thrown off the ground. Shingles fell upon him as dust lifted in the air. Quickly, he threw up a shield charm and got to his feet.

All around him were centaurs, running towards them with armed bows and rods. The place he was in seemed to look like the Forbidden Forest, only with less trees. When he thought it couldn't get worse, one of them screamed in an ungodly voice.

"NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU DIDN'T RUN OFF LIKE A COWARD, HARRY POTTER!"

I'm trying to best to keep writing..

Thank you for reading.

Miyoko x