It's not easy to explain, but . . .

Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Please, Albus . . . pretty please!

As the 'Gryffindor Gang' descended the stairs on their way to the evening meal, having given Dan and Rupert a tour of Gryffindor Tower, they spotted Headmaster Dumbledore standing at the doors to the Great Hall, Emma right in front of him, talking a mile-a-minute, with Tom and Draco flanking her, grins on their faces.

"Oh, this can't be good," Harry and Dan said at the same time.  Looking at each other, they laughed and continued downward, eager to see what those three were up to now.

"Please, Albus . . . pretty please?"  Emma was looking up at the old Wizard; batting her eyelashes unabashedly, smiling sweetly, wide eyed and hopeful of the answer to her pleading.

"Now what are you up to, Emma?"  Dan inquired, as they arrived on the scene.

"Shhh!" Emma waved Dan off, impatiently.  "Albus?"  Now her hands were clasped in supplication.

The Headmaster looked at Draco over his half-moon glasses.

"This won't interfere with any of the time lines?"

"No, sir.  Returning them is a totally different event.  We're in real time, now, but they'll be going back to Saturday morning . . . not a problem.  But, I will have to do an adjustment for Harry, Ron, Hermione and I to catch up to real time after we take Dan, Emma, Rupert and Tom back to just before they get to Dan's house.  Simple adjustment and we can use their necklaces after we retrieve them."

Harry and Dan exchanged quizzical looks as Fred, George, Rupert and Ron caught up with them.

"What's going on?" Fred asked.

"We miss something?"  George wanted to know.

"Don't know what, yet," Harry held up his hand for silence. "But something's going on here." 

Dumbledore stood there, faraway look in his eyes, then he shook himself, focused on the young people before him and smiled.

"Sounds like a plan to me, Emma, dear.  Now . . . ."  but anything else he was going to say was lost in the squeal coming from Emma, as she threw her arms around him and hugged him, while Draco and Tom high-fived.

"What in the world?"  Hermione and Ginny arrived.

"We're staying!" Emma was jumping up and down, grinning from ear to ear.

"Staying?"  "What!"  "There's no way!"  "How in the . . "

Albus raised his hand and everyone - out of old habit - quieted down immediately, knowing all would be explained.

"We will have dinner, do a little more of our story, and then Emma, Tom, Rupert and Dan will stay here at Hogwarts overnight, have the 'run of the place', I believe the saying goes, tomorrow morning, and then we'll all meet here in the afternoon to finish up our story and tidy up any loose ends and/or questions."

Pandemonium ensued for the next several minutes as the others joined the throng and heard the news.  Dumbledore herded the crowd into the Great Hall and they all settled down at their places.

Dumbledore faced the assembly and cleared his throat.  That had the same effect as raising his hand, which made him chuckle.

"Let me explain, if you don't mind the wheezing of your old Headmaster . . . It seems that while exploring the Slytherin Common Room, Tom looked out the windows and saw a Thestral soaring over the Forbidden Forest . He was, understandably, disappointed that he wouldn't have a chance to see one close up, in person, so to speak.