That day had been bleak, and each day after had proven to be worse.
It was early morning on Halloween when Dumbledore had finally decided to meet with Copeland again, but this time he was not alone. Snape stood next to him, face somber and solemn. The purple case that held Grindlewald's Time Turner sat on his desk, and it was with a nod that Dumbledore asked Copeland sat down.
"It with great sorrow that I have requested to meet with you today, Miss Lancaster," Dumbledore sighed, folding his hands together. "After discussing this with Professor Snape, my most trusted advisor, we have reached a decision."
Dumbledore pushed the purple case towards her, and Copeland felt her stomach churn, and her nerves stand on end.
"We are asking something very large of you, Copeland. Something honorable. It is a grand task, that we would only entrust to someone who is dependable. Honest," Dumbledore started. Copeland averted her eyes, heart beating so hard she could hear it in her ears.
"Then perhaps it would be more appropriate to ask a Hufflepuff?" Copeland muttered, and Dumbledore chuckled heartily. Snape remained unmoving behind him, face expressionless.
"We know it is you who is right for the task. Only you have seen our future. Only you can fix it," Dumbledore replied, making Copeland feel sick. "This is something I realize, you can not achieve on your own. It is a heavy burden, that we suggest that you share. You may enlist the help of one friend, as long as you both make yourselves well aware that you are not to be tampering with unnecessary parts of the future. Snape will ensure that."
Copeland sat in silence for a moment, mulling over what Dumbledore was asking of her. To save the future. To prevent a war. If she even stepped a toe out of line, she could bring ruin to their tomorrow. She could kill somebody. But as well, she could save somebody. She could save herself.
"You are not giving me much of a choice, are you?" Copeland murmured, looking hesitantly up at the both of them.
"No," Snape finally inserted. "Yes, it is quite unfortunate that you had to be the one to find that blasted Time Turner. But, it is the price given to you for the sake of the rest of the Wizarding World. Are you prepared to pay it?"
That morning, Copeland skipped breakfast and locked herself in the girl's bathroom again. She sat on a towel, wary of the wet tile of the floor. She clutched the painting of her father in her hands, knocking on the glass to wake him up.
"Boo!" He shouted, causing her to flinch, but not scream this time quite unlike last time. He grinned. "Happy Halloween pumpkin!"
Copeland smiled, despite her heavy heart. "Happy Halloween, Dad. Been awhile hasn't it?"
He planted his hands on what Copeland would assume was his hips (the portrait was from the waist up), and raised an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, it has. And who's fault is that?"
"Sorry."
"Just joking with you, love. I don't mind. Had quite a lot of time to nap. So what's on your mind?" He asked, a pleasant smile on his face. Copeland's eyes teared up immediately, she was a considerable crybaby these days. Her dad's face fell. "What's wrong?" He demanded. The words fell out of Copeland's mouth involuntarily, trying to ignore the mortified look on his face; it would only provoke more babyish crying.
By the end of her tale of woe, her father looked constipated. He cleared his throat, stroking his chin as if he was deep in thought.
"Alright. Well. Have you told your mother?" Before Copeland could reply, he answered the question for her. "Take that back, we both know if you had told your mother you wouldn't be here right now. She'd lock you in a cellar for your "own well-being"."
Copeland couldn't help but smile at that comment, she did miss her hairbrained mother an awful lot.
"So who were you considering telling?" He asked, an eyebrow raised. Copeland averted her eyes.
"I don't know. I don't want to tell anyone, that would force someone into the same godawful situation as me, and that is cruel."
"But we both know you can't possibly do this on your own."
"Thanks for your vote of confidence."
"No problem."
Copeland ran her hands through her thin hair, combing it harshly with her thin fingers, racking her mind with people that would help her. "Harry? Should I tell Harry?"
"No. Definitely not. His future is most likely centrally linked to the war. Having him help you, could be disastrous. Though I'm sure he'd help anyways," Her dad explained.
"Ron is a no as well then too. He's Harry's best friend, practically glued to his side. And if Ron is a no, so are Fred and George. Can't involve one Weasley without involving the others. Neville would piss his pants that is for sure. Lavender isn't serious enough about anything to be trusted with something so important. Hermione would be fantastic if she weren't so afraid of breaking the rules. Seamus would blow everything to hell. I barely just met Cedric Diggory," Copeland rambled before her eyes widened as she had an epiphany.
"Draco!"
"What?" Her dad demanded. "That's a terrible idea. He kills you."
"He wouldn't kill me if I told him."
"He kills you."
"But-"
"He kills you!"
"You are right, that was a terrible idea," Copeland mumbled, scolding herself for being foolish. "This only leaves one person, and I don't want to tell him either. He's got his whole life ahead of him, you know? This would ruin everything."
"Well," Her father started. "If you trust him enough, then you need to tell him. He won't have a life ahead of him if what you saw was at all true. War tends to do that."
Oliver Wood wasn't at the Halloween Feast that night, and neither was Hermione, who was her second choice. Copeland had tried to coax the sobbing girl from her stall in the bathroom, but it hadn't worked. Copeland gave Ronald a generous slap to the back of the head for being such an ass.
"Have you guys seen Oliver at all?" Copeland wondered out loud, sipping from her goblet, Pumpkin Juice making her feel warm and comforted despite her frazzled nerves.
"Looking for your boyfriend?" Seamus joked, and him and Neville laughed. Copeland looked at them unamused until they stopped.
"No, we haven't," Seamus admitted.
"Well, I have. Just a few minutes ago, headed to the Library," Lavender piped up from behind Copeland, squeezing into the seat next to her. Copeland shot a grateful smile to the girl, who looked at her suggestively.
"Can I come?"
"No, Lavender."
Copeland was about to leave when Harry grabbed her arm, looking suspicious. "You are always leaving and sneaking around these days. Don't think we haven't noticed Fred and George act weird around you. Oliver wouldn't even mention you at practice. What's going on with you?"
Copeland gulped.
"Y-You're just being paranoid. I'm a busy girl, you know? But if you're that worried, if I don't come back in 10 minutes, you can come and find me. Alright?" She offered nervously. Harry nodded, still not looking too convinced. Ron grimaced.
"I'll be staying back. Harry can catch you and Wood making out if he wants. I'd rather spare my eyesight."
Copeland walked briskly to the library in the empty corridor, the sound of her shoes clacking against the wood floors a comforting rhythm.
Until the rhythm was disrupted by a person walking to a different beat. Clumsy footsteps, faster than hers, lousy and loud. She knew exactly who it was. She stopped.
"Come back from the dead, have we Lancaster?"
Draco Malfoy's voice sent shivers racking down Copeland's spine. Her hands shook.
"L-Leave me alone, M-Malfoy. If you know what's g-good for you," Copeland stammered, cursing her tongue for not being as literate as she willed it to be.
"You don't sound so sure, do you really want me to leave?" Draco teased, walking closer to her. Copeland hated feeling afraid of him, he was nothing now. He wouldn't be anything for a long time. But talking to him now, knowing what he was capable of later...She wrapped her hand around her wand.
"Get away from me!" She finally snapped, whirling around and jabbing her wand into his neck. Draco raised an eyebrow at her.
"Seems familiar, doesn't it Lancaster?"
"Why can't you just leave me alone?" She demanded, aggravation seeping from her tone, she couldn't help the tears that welled up in her eyes. Her fear was starting to show. Draco's expression softened.
"Pipe down, will you Lancaster? I'm just teasing, no need to get all teary about it," He murmured, taking a step away from her. Copeland was having a hard time calming her erratic breathing. "Mostly I came to check if you were alright. The way Weasley was going on about it, it was like you were dying."
Copeland flinched.
"You seem more crazy than usual, what's the matter with-" Draco cut himself off, grey eyes widening exponentially, mouth agape. Copeland's eyebrows knitted together.
A deafening roar came from behind her.
"Run Copeland!" Draco screamed, grabbing her hand and dragging her along with him. Quickly glancing back, she found herself face to face with a gigantic troll, a menacing look on it's face, a savage looking club in it's meaty hand.
Copeland's long legs couldn't seem to move in fast enough strides. Her wand still gripped in her free hand, she dug her heels into the ground, turning and pointing her wand at the beast and whipping her arm around in a slashing motion.
"Diffindo!" She shouted, watching with a queasy stomach as the troll's left arm was severed by an invisible force. Draco piped up from behind her.
"Incendio!"
The club in his remaining hand, burst suddenly into the flames. Recalling the spell they had learned that day in Charms, Copeland flicked her wand at the monster.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The beast's flaming club smacked him in the head, knocking him unconscious, rendering him no longer a threat. Exhausted, Copeland slumped against a nearby wall.
Draco followed suit, their heavy breathing the only sounds in the corridor. After a few moments, Draco started laughing hysterically. Copeland stared incredulously at him, but after a few moments she too had started laughing as well. It seemed as if they were both in some kind of shock.
"Copeland! Copeland!" Harry shouted from down the hallway. "There's a troll! She could be killed! She could be killed looking for you!"
"S'not my fault she was looking for me!" Oliver replied, clearly irritated. "Oi! There it is! The troll!"
There was a moment of brief silence.
"Is it dead?" Harry asked, sounding hesitant.
"I don't know," Oliver sighed, sidestepping the body. He turned the corner, revealing Copeland and Draco propped against the corridor wall. He broke into a full-on sprint, Harry not far behind him.
"Are you alright?" Oliver asked, searching frantically over the girl with wide eyes.
"I'm fine," She mumbled, giddy smile still playing on her lips. She had taken down a troll with Draco Malfoy, it was all too surreal. Adrenaline coursed through her veins.
How many house points would this be worth?
After a moment's silence, she was smothered with hugs. Oliver rested his head on top of hers.
"Quirell came in on minute seven screeching about a Troll and I got so worried!" Harry cried, squeezing her tight. "The rest of the Gryffindor's are in the Commons Room."
"What were you even doing sitting here alone?" Oliver demanded. Copeland gave him a confused look.
"Alone? I'm not-" Copeland looked to her left, seeing that Draco had gone.
Back in the Commons Room, Copeland was bombarded with hugs again. The rich smells of the feast floated throughout the large room, and Gryffindor's of all ages and sizes were scattered around, chatting amongst themselves. But she no longer had an appetite, not just because she had witnessed a troll being dismembered. The adrenaline seeped from her as the weight of all of her responsibilities, to her friends, her fellow classmates, her professors, the entire wizarding world truly settled into her bones.
That troll may as well have sat on the young Gryffindor girl. The weight of living on her chest was incomparable, even to a troll bottom.
And she would have to face a lot tougher than the likes of that.