Granger Danger

                                    

                                          
Hermione Granger ran down the corridor, her breath shallow and raspy. Her heart was beating out of her chest, but she didn't dare to slow down. She ducked her head under her bag strap, slinging it over her shoulder in one swift motion. She turned another corner, almost running head first into little Colin Creevey, who shot her a grin as she hastily apologized over her shoulder. She couldn't spare any time to make a sincere apology. Hermione tripped over her own feet, but she kept her balance and continued her sprint down the hall.
                          
She wasn't normally this careless, but she'd lost track of time while reading and was now extremely late for Potions class. Hermione cursed herself for getting so wrapped up in her book, but there wasn't much she could do now. But just as she had that thought, another took its place. There was something she could do, but it'd be breaking so many rules that Hermione had promised herself she would follow. 
                          
But this is technically for school purposes, that little voice that sounded uncannily like her friend Ron Weasley said in the back of her mind. McGonagall said only to use it for your classes, this is technically still within her guidelines. 
                          
Hermione's hand drifted to her chest, where she could feel the cool metal of her Time Turner underneath her shirt. Right as she almost listened to the voice and pulled the chain out, she shook her head and dropped her hand. No, she told the voice. She wouldn't betray Professor McGonagall's trust like that. The woman had to pull so many strings to get Hermione permission from the Ministry of Magic to use it, all so Hermione could attend all the classes she wanted to. The girl took her education very seriously, and she was determined to learn everything she could during her seven years at Hogwarts. 
                          
She whipped around the next corner, and she felt her heart lift when she realized that she was only one corridor and a staircase away from the dungeons. She was only ten minutes late, so her punishment couldn't be that bad, right? She huffed, cursing all four of the Hogwarts' founders. Why did they have to make this castle so damn big? 
                          
But Hermione should have kept her curses to herself, because she was absolutely sure that the founders' spirits had all to do with what happened next. As she began to slow down to catch her breath, feeling secure in the idea that she was almost there, a loud cackling laugh met her ears. It was coming from down the hall, heading right for  her. 
                          
"Oh no," breathed Hermione, frantically looking around for a hiding place. She knew that laugh anywhere, and it never meant anything good.
                          
The universe just wasn't on Hermione's side that day, for there were no nooks or crooks in the walls to hide her from the pesky poltergeist that haunted the school. Which meant she had to face Peeves and hope that he was in a good mood, so that maybe he would let her pass easily. 
                          
Hermione's heart dropped; the odds of her getting to class less than twenty minutes late had just gone down the drain. And so she braced herself for whatever Peeves has up his sleeve that day.
                          
She lifted her chin proudly and walked toward the poltergeist that had just turned the corner and was floating toward her, his blue glow illuminating the stone walls. His eyes lit up when he saw Hermione, like he was just given the greatest gift in the world. That was never a good sign. He chuckled when Hermione tried to hurry past him, making the hair on her neck stand up.
                          
"Hermy Wormy wants to learny," he said in that sing-song voice that made you want to punch him in the gut. Too bad he wasn't solid, or she would have done just that by now.
                          
"Yes, I really do," said Hermione, sighing deeply. "Listen Peeves, I'm already late. Please don't make me any more — " 
                          
But her words were stopped when suddenly Hermione was soaked from head to toe in ice cold water. She gasped and whirled around to see Peeves laughing his head off in the air, a shiny metal bucket in his grasp. Where on earth had he gotten a bucket of water? Hermione flinched when the bucket slipped from his hands and hit the ground with a loud clang. Her initial shock was soon replaced by burning anger as she scoffed and turned back around.