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.
"I'm telling the Baron!" she yelled over her shoulder. A grin grew on her face when the laughter died down at once, and as she turned the corner she was pleased to see that Peeves had a panicked look on his face. Take that, she thought.
The smirk was wiped from her face when she looked down at her watch. That bastard had held her up for longer than she realized, and now her class was halfway through the lesson. She was so getting detention when she arrived. Hermione groaned at the thought, not caring to sprint any farther as she shuffled toward the dungeons in her dripping clothes. She didn't have time for detention with the pile of homework she had to do.
There's always Plan B, said Ron from the corners of her mind. She paused in her place, her lip slipping between her teeth as she pondered the terrible, unthinkable, way too risky idea that she wanted so hard to push away. But then again, how much harm could it do...
She started to run again, fumbling with her soaking shirt as she yanked the golden chain of her Time Turner into sight. It was rather difficult to turn the thing when she was sprinting as fast as she could, but she managed to wind it backwards two hours. At least, she hoped she only turned it two hours. She couldn't quite tell how many times it turned in her rush.
Hermione glanced up from her Time Turner one second too late, and saw the staircase in front of her very too late. She tried to stop her fall, but her shoes were so slippery that she practically flew down the stairs. Head first. Which was very painful, by the way.
It all happened so fast that she hardly realized anything had happened at all. One moment she was flying down the stairs, the next everything was pitch black until all the colors flew past her, and finally, her chest collided with the hard stone floor.
The girl groaned as she was overwhelmed with pain all over her body. Her ears buzzed slightly, and as she lifted her head from the ground, she brushed her hand across her cheek. When Hermione looked down at her wrist, she saw her own blood smeared on it. Just perfect, she thought miserably. This day couldn't possibly get worse, right?
Oh, but it could.
Hermione pushed herself up and shifted so that she was sitting in the middle of the dungeon corridor. She rubbed at her eyes, suddenly realizing that she was exhausted. Maybe she should drop a few classes like Harry and Ron suggested. It'd make sleep fit into her schedule a whole lot better, that's for sure.
She sighed and stood, walking a tiny circle to make sure nothing was broken. After assuring herself that she was okay aside from a few bruises, Hermione looked down at her watch again. She smirked to herself. At least something had gone right that day, for it was now one hour before class. She'd wanted to go back two, but you can't be perfect every time she supposed. 'Good job, Hermione' said the encouraging voice in her head that sounded a bit like Harry.
Hermione leaned down to straighten her skirt, humming slightly to herself, when her blood turned cold. Resting on her chest was her golden Time Turner, except it didn't look so golden now. She whimpered as she gently prodded the device that was now crushed and broken. She raked her hands through her brown curls, cursing Merlin himself for her luck.
She'd had to listen to her Ron-sounding impulsiveness. She should know never to listen to Ron; nothing good ever happened when she did. Hermione scowled at the thought of having to tell Professor McGonagall about this, and the mental image of the woman she admired so greatly being disappointed in her made Hermione's heart break.
She tried her best to shake away her anxious nerves and slipped the crumpled Time Turner back under her shirt, which was still dripping wet. Only then did she remember that she had magic, and took out her wand to perform a quick drying spell. She cursed herself, thinking that if she'd remembered before her fall maybe she wouldn't have slipped down the stairs and crushed her beloved Time Turner.
Hermione would definitely have to drop a few classes now that it was broken. Now, she had one hour to make it to Potions on time. The sensible part of Hermione's brain told her to go straight to McGonagall's office to tell her what happened. But the part of her brain that handled such things like fear and such told her to avoid the matter for as long as possible. She chose to listen to fear, and walked back up the dungeon stairs.
Hermione could go back to the library and pick up where she left off in her book, but she didn't feel like she deserved a good time after what she'd done. Maybe Ron and Harry were in the common room, and she could go talk to them. Of course, she couldn't tell them about the Time Turner; even if it was broken she was at least going to follow the don't-tell-anyone rule. With a dejected sigh, Hermione made her way to the Gryffindor common room, her shoulders slumped over.
Coming up to the door, Hermione looked up at the Fat Lady with sad eyes. If she wasn't so wrapped up in her own misery, she would have caught the suspicious look of the woman in the portrait. "Pumpkin pasty."
Hermione yawned, rubbing her knuckles into her eyes, and waited for the swing of the door. But it never came. She opened her eyes and looked expectantly up at the Fat Lady, who held a steely gaze.
"Pumpkin pasty," she said more clearly, wondering if she'd mumbled before. But the Fat Lady didn't budge. What is she playing at, Hermione wondered. A scowl came to the girl's face as she crossed her arms over her chest. She did not have time for the Fat Lady's tantrums.
"Please open the door, I told you the password," said Hermione in a matter-of-fact tone.
The Fat Lady narrowed her eyes, pursing her lips as she assessed the strange girl who spoke to her. "No, you did not."
Hermione blinked, her arms falling to her sides. Did I say the wrong one? Did they change it recently? But that couldn't be it. Hermione never forgot the password. Ever. The Fat Lady must be mistaken.
"I'm telling you," said Hermione sternly. "I told you the right password. So let me in."
Instead of replying, the Fat Lady jutted her chin out and closed her eyes. Oh, she was going to be like that, was she?
"Listen, I've had the worst day of my life, so I'd appreciate it if you'd quit playing games and let me in!"
"I'd quit shouting if I were you," said the Fat Lady. "I don't tolerate intruders, and most definitely not liars."
Hermione, a liar? Oh, this painting had some nerve to claim she was lying. Hermione knew she was right, because she was never, ever wrong. "The password is pumpkin pasty, I know it is."
But the Fat Lady kept her mouth shut.
Hermione let out a sound of exasperation, stamping her foot as she fumed. She'd had enough of this Merlin-forsaken day. She opened her mouth to make some sort of empty threat when she was cut off by someone coming up behind her.
"Password trouble?" Hermione whirled and came face to face with Ginny Weasley. Wait... no. This wasn't Ginny. This girl was too tall to be the ginger second year. And her face was shaped differently; it was more round and lacked Ginny's pointed chin, then there was the lack of freckles. This girl's red hair was longer too, and she wore a shiny, red and gold prefect pin. But the most obvious difference was her eyes. Ginny had dark, brown eyes, but this girl had vibrant green ones. She had no idea who this girl was, so why were her eyes so familiar?
"No," said Hermione. Her scowl softened at the girl's kind grin. "She's just being stubborn."
Hermione shot the painting a dangerous glare, making the girl's friend laugh softly. Only then did Hermione notice the blonde girl standing close behind the redhead. She was very pretty, not that the redhead wasn't, but the blonde just radiated confidence. In Hermione's opinion, that's the best kind of attractiveness.
"That's right," said the Fat Lady hotly. "I don't appreciate liars."
"I'm not a liar!"
"And I'm skin and bones!"
Hermione huffed in anger that only rose when the two girls laughed under their breaths. She turned her steel glare on them, but they weren't fazed by her. They had to be in their seventh year, but Hermione was sure she'd never met them despite their Gryffindor ties.
The redhead smiled at Hermione, winked, and turned to face the Fat Lady. Don't bother trying, Hermione wanted to say, but she kept her mouth shut.
"Hopping hippogriffs," said the redhead, enunciating every other syllable like she was from some Shakespeare play. Hermione's jaw went slack as the door swung open, revealing the bright red interior of the Gryffindor common room. The redhead walked inside, chuckling at Hermione's expression. Hermione would have stood there all day in shock, but the blonde hooked arms with her and dragged her inside like they were old pals.
The common room was filled with chatter and laughter, and the fire crackled nicely over by the couch. Now, Hermione didn't expect to know everyone in her House, but she knew a handful, and there was always at least one familiar face somewhere around the common room. Which was why Hermione was confused when she looked around to see the room filled with strangers.
The redhead wandered over to the couch with the blonde trailing after her, Hermione in tow since her wrist was locked in the cheery girl's grasp. The blonde plopped herself down next to her friend, dragging Hermione down with her.
Hermione huffed and pried her wrist from the blonde's tight grip. "Who are you two?"
The redhead pulled her wand from her jacket's pocket and flicked her wrist, summoning a novel from the large bookshelf that Hermione knew well. Only, there were different books stacked on the shelf, not the ones she knew by heart. "I'm Lily. That's Marlene."
She examined the book for a moment before deciding that she wasn't in the mood to read, and set it on the floor beside her feet. Lily turned to Hermione, Marlene doing the same. "We've never seen you around. What's your name?"
Hermione hesitated, wondering if she should disclose her name to them. They seemed nice enough, but with Sirius Black running around free you could never tell. This could be him in disguise, waiting for her to fall into his trap... Hermione snapped herself back to reality, scolding herself for being so ridiculously paranoid.
She tried to grin and said, "I'm Hermione Granger. I haven't seen you around either, but I suppose we can't know everyone."
"I disagree!" exclaimed Marlene. "I take pride in knowing everyone around here, but you've taken away that pride, Stranger-Miss-Granger."
"Oh, I'm sorry?" said Hermione, her brows furrowed together as she stared at Marlene, who was becoming more and more bubbly by the second. She didn't think anyone but Lavender Brown, a girl in her dorm, could be so giddy. But unlike Lavender, who was just plain annoying sometimes, the positive aura actually worked for Marlene.
"What year are you in?" asked Marlene, suddenly taking on a determined expression. "You're a first year, right? That'd explain why I don't recognize you."
Hermione tried to respond, but a voice from the armchair close by cut her off.
"She's not a first year, Marls," said a boy who Hermione hadn't noticed before. He was reading a book, but set it aside as he looked over at the three girls on the couch. He had fluffy, sandy brown hair, and somewhat familiar scars all over his face.
"How do you know?" demanded Marlene, turning her attention away from Hermione and focusing on the boy with narrowed eyes. "She could be."
Again, Hermione tried to speak for herself, but didn't get a word out before the boy spoke up again.
"I'd remember her name from the Sorting," said the boy confidently. "Plus, she looks way too old to be a first year. You're probably third or second, right?"
Now he was looking right at Hermione. She blinked, before she nodded and said, "I'm in my third year."
The boy gave Marlene a nod, smirking at her angry figure. "See? All the evidence points to you just not noticing her."
"I notice everyone," said Marlene with an almost fiery passion. "No one goes unnoticed by Marlene McKinnon!"
Hermione's head snapped toward the blonde beside her, her brown eyes growing wide. She'd heard that name before, or read it actually, in a book about the first wizarding war and the involvement of the rumored Order of the Phoenix. There was a suspicion that a woman by the name of Marlene McKinnon was killed by Death Eaters for being a member of said Order.
Marlene McKinnon was killed a decade ago, so this must be a coincidence. Marlene's parents decided to name their daughter after a war hero of sorts, since they had the same last name as the deceased Miss McKinnon. Yeah, that'd make sense.
"Okay, fine," said the boy, rolling his eyes. He gave Lily a can you believe her? look. "You noticed her, but decided she wasn't worth your attention."
The blonde gasped, looking offended to the highest degree. "You. Take. That. Back. I would never disregard Hermione. I've only known her for five minutes but I already know I'd die for her if it came to it."
Okay, Hermione thought, blushing a bright red. She's insane. No one would ever die for me. At least she means well; the sentiment is sweet and all.
Laughing softly, the boy looked back at Hermione. His warm smile made Hermione a little more comfortable in this strange encounter. "Okay, okay. I believe you, Marls."
Marlene pursed her lips, sending the boy a cold glare. Then, she changed her expression to a much softer, kinder one, almost like they'd never been arguing. "That's what I thought, Lupin."
Hermione's head turned just as quickly as it had before, this time her eyes landing on the boy. This day was getting weirder and weirder by the second. As Alice from Wonderland would say, curiouser and curiouser...
"Lupin?" said Hermione suddenly. They'd seemed to have forgotten she was there, all giving her somewhat shocked looks that they got over quickly.
"Yeah," said Marlene before 'Lupin' could say anything. "Don't tell me you know him, but not me!"
Hermione ignored her, turning back to the boy watching her curiously. "Are you related to Remus Lupin?"
She would have thought she'd know if her professor had any kin at Hogwarts, especially one in her own house. Though, the next thing he said made her want to throw up, but she wasn't sure why.
He grinned slightly, and Hermione had a hard time determining if it was fake or not. "I am Remus Lupin, so I guess so."
Okay, thought Hermione as she grew more and more panicked, he's probably related to Professor Lupin, and has the same name.
"So you're related to our professor?" she asked, her mind racing a million miles an hour.
Remus' brows furrowed, his grin falling, telling Hermione it was indeed fake. "Um, no. I'm not related to any of the professors."
Not sure what to think, Hermione nodded slowly. Surely, there was a logical explanation for all this. She just had to come up with it.
"Why do you ask?"
Before Hermione had the chance to stumble for a response, the door to the common room swung open and three boys walked in. She internally sighed in relief when Remus, Marlene, and Lily turned their attention away from her and onto the boys.
"Moony!" cried the one with longish black hair. He jumped over the back of the couch, plopping himself on Hermione's other side. She pursed her lips, sending him a scowl.
He noticed quickly, grinning a grin so bright it was almost blinding. "Hey, kid."
"Hello," she replied with little to no enthusiasm. She scooted away as far as she could, not caring that she was probably invading Marlene's personal space.
He didn't seem to care about her reaction to his presence, ignoring her as he looked at Remus.
"We've been looking everywhere for you, mate," he said cheerfully.
"Not everywhere apparently," said Remus. "You never checked here. Which is where I've been most of the day."
The boy scoffed, looking over his shoulder at the two other boys standing behind the couch. One of them moved over to Lily, and when Hermione got a good look at him her heart stopped.
"Harry?" she exclaimed, looking at the bespectacled, raven haired boy. But the longer she looked, she realized it wasn't Harry, and felt rather stupid. He was far too tall and old to be Harry, and his eyes were a dull color, not emerald. But Lily... her eyes were emerald...
The boy's brows furrowed like Remus' had, and he grinned too, but Hermione could tell that it was without a doubt real.
"Uh, no. I'm James, but I do like the name Harry," he said. He looked at Lily, leaning down to kiss her cheek. She grabbed his hand, holding it tightly.
James... Why is that name familiar?
"Oh, sorry. You just look a lot like someone I know," Hermione explained, her face turning a light shade of red.
"You're fine," James waved it off. "I haven't seen you before, what's your name?"
"See?" Marlene exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "She just appeared out of nowhere!"
"No she didn't," Lily countered, sending Hermione an apologetic grin. "Her name is Hermione Granger, and Marlene is upset that she never took the time to get to know her."
"It's a big school," said Hermione. "You're bound to not know everyone." But to not know an entire room of people in the school you've gone to for three years... that's strange.
The third boy, a blond with mousy features, sat on the floor next to Remus' chair. "Yeah, I meet new people everyday it seems." He smiled kindly at Hermione. "I'm Peter, by the way."
The black haired boy beside Hermione decided to change the topic then, slinging his bag off his shoulder and pulling some papers out. He threw them into the coffee table before them, turning his attention back to Remus. "I need help on my essay."
"By 'help' do you mean 'do it for me'?"
Sirius grinned handsomely. "I knew you'd understand."
He pushed the essay over to Remus, but not before Hermione caught the date etched onto its corner. Her gut turned cold, her eyes wide as she reached over and took it swiftly.
"Hey!" cried Sirius. "What gives?"
Hermione ignored him, her eyes locked on the tiny numbers.
10 - 28 - 1977
Her hand moved to her chest, pressing the cold metal of her broken Time Turner into her skin. It couldn't be... it wasn't possible. And yet here she was, sitting around a coffee table with her professor, a deceased war hero, and her best friend's dead parents.
"It's nothing," said Hermione almost breathlessly. "Your handwriting is just so bad."
Lily burst out laughing, the others either grinning or snickering under their breaths too. But before Hermione could give the essay back and try to figure out what she was going to do, she saw something else that caused her to freeze.
Sirius Black.
That was the name written underneath the date. She was sitting side by side with a mass murderer. Hermione shoved the essay back to Sirius, trying hard not to look him in the eyes. But he caught her gaze, and she sat stiff as a board as she stared into his warm grey eyes fretfully.
He didn't look like a murderer, and he had all these friends who obviously liked and trusted him. Harry's own parents were his friends. She trusted Harry, so should she trust his parents?
What was she thinking? She was trapped in the past with no way to get back to the present. Hermione couldn't spend time worrying about whether to trust someone who hadn't even turned evil yet.
What was she going to do?
"You okay, Granger?" asked Sirius, snapping his fingers in front of her face a few times.
She blinked, grinned nervously, and nodded without a word. Then Hermione stood so quickly that everyone around her flinched in surprise. "Um, I've got to go."
"Uh," Marlene stammered, "okay?"
Hermione nodded, more to herself than to them, and turned on her heel to rush out of the common room that had begun to close in on her.
She heard Sirius say as she walked away, "That was...weird, right?"
Yeah, weird. Like time traveling fifty years into the past kinda weird! Hermione's hands were shaking as she made her way down the corridors, suddenly very cold. It was October, so it was to be expected, but this was a different cold. The kind of cold you felt before something terribly bad happened.
"Shut up, Hermione," she said to herself. "Panicking won't solve anything."
She stopped in an alcove hidden in the wall, leaning against the chilly stone wall to catch her breath. Okay, first things first, lay out the facts.
She had slipped down the stairs while spinning her Time Turner, and when she fell on top of it, the thing broke. It must have spun way more than two times if she'd gone back to 1977.
Hermione was now trapped here, since she couldn't use her Time Turner to go back to 1993. The only place that has more Time Turners is the Ministry of Magic, and she can't just waltz in saying, "Oh, I need to borrow a Time Turner please. Promise to bring it back in fifty years!"
The only people she knew in this time period were limited. She didn't think going to Professor Lu— Remus would solve anything. There were some professors who might be able to help though. McGonogall was there, and so was Dumbledore. And somewhere around this castle, she bet Severus Snape was wandering about...
She shuddered at the thought of meeting the teenage version of her least favorite teacher. Hermione wagered he was even worse as a moody teenage boy than as a moody middle aged man.
Raking her hands through her hair, Hermione decided her best bet would be to go straight to Dumbledore. Hopefully he wouldn't expel her before she was even born.
***
"So you're telling me," said Professor Dumbledore, sitting behind his desk with his hands folded. "You're a student from the future?"
Hermione stood before him, twiddling her fingers anxiously. "Yes, sir. 1993, to be exact."
Remembering an important detail, she reached into her shirt and yanked the golden chain of her Time Turner from around her neck. "I have the Time Turner I used as proof."
She fumbled forward, setting it on the desk for him to see. "See there? It's smashed, I can't use it to get back."
He picked up the Time Turner, turning it around in his hands silently. He looked back up at Hermione, his expression unreadable. "You are indeed in quite the predicament, Miss Granger."
"Yes, I know," Hermione said, trying to hold back to absolute annoyance wanting to spew out of her. "What am I going to do? I can't just stay here. I would cause some sort of butterfly effect, or something like it and ruin the future."
"Indeed," said Dumbledore, his face thoughtful. "I suppose I'll have to speak with the Minister about this."
Hermione's eyes went wide with panic. "I'm — I'm not going to be arrested, am I, sir?"
He laughed softly, though Hermione didn't think anything about this situation was funny. "No, no. I'll need to get you another Time Turner as fast as possible."
He stood then, walking around his desk and past Hermione. "In the meantime, I suggest you keep yourself out of trouble and try to lie low, so you don't affect anything. I don't know how long getting the new Time Turner will take, but I'll make sure there's an extra bed in the third year girls' dormitory for you just in case it takes longer than I expect."
Hermione nodded, a million more questions on her tongue, but before she can ask them she's facing the wood of Dumbledore's door, making it clear he was done speaking with her. Her broken Time Turner was clasped tightly in her hand again.
She scoffed, turning on her heel to walk down the spiral staircase. "Rude..."
***
It had been a day since she'd time traveled to the past, and it was off to a horrible start. The girls in the dormitory bought the story that she was being moved there from another dorm, but lots of people were taking notice of how they'd never heard of Hermione Granger before.
The panic of the situation had passed a bit. She was going to get another Time Turner soon, and she would be back home in only a matter of days she hoped.
She was exempt from all classes, of course. Not many of the teachers had been told about Hermione's problem, only Professors McGonagall and Slughorn were aware of her time traveling adventure. She'd passed McGonagall in the hall the night before, and the woman had stared Hermione down before advising her to lay low just as Dumbledore had said. She intended on following that order to a T.
Now that the fear and excitement had fizzled out, she missed her friends. It'd only been a day, but she wished they were with her every minute of it. Hermione regretted the fights she and Ron had been having over her stupid cat and his stupid rat. Wasn't their friendship worth more than their pets? She supposed she could train Crookshanks to not chase after Scabbers, but it would take time for him to go against his instincts.
Suddenly, she realized how much she relied on Harry and Ron. They were her only friends, and they made her laugh and smile, and without them she certainly wouldn't have much adventure in her life. She smiled at the thought of how boring her life would be if she didn't have those two idiots by her side.
"What're you smiling about?" asked a somewhat familiar voice to Hermione's left.
She looked up from her book, seeing Lily Evans, Marlene McKinnon, and two other girls walking over to her from across the school library.
"Oh, um, nothing." Hermione shrugged, her polite grin revealing her surprise when they sat around her at her lonesome table near the back.
"What're you reading?" asked a kind looking girl as she settled into the chair across from her. She had a soft, soothing voice that made you think of kittens.
Hermione raised the book up, pointing to the name on the spine. "Pride and Prejudice."
The girl nodded cheerfully. "I've been wanting to read that one." She smiled with such enthusiasm Hermione found herself compelled to smile back. "I'm Alice."
"Hermione."
"Dorcas," said the curly haired brunette beside Alice. Dorcas extended her hand, shaking Hermione's forcefully. "Nice to meet you."
Hermione looked around at them, biting her lip slightly. "Not to be rude, but why do you guys want to sit with me?"
Lily, Dorcas, and Alice smirked like they had some joke about this. "Marlene is determined to prove she's friends with everyone, and you're her new project."
Hermione's brows furrowed. She didn't like the sound of that. "Project?"
"Don't pay attention to her," said Marlene, waving Lily off. "She just means I wanna get to know you."
Dorcas rolled her eyes and flicked Marlene's forehead from across the table. "She means that Remus wouldn't let the fact that she didn't know you go. So now she's determined to be your best friend forever."
The three of them laughed at Marlene's sour expression, but Hermione just frowned worriedly. Being 'best friends forever' with Marlene didn't sound like laying low to her. Hermione had to find a way out of this situation before she made any attachments to these people.
"Er, I already have a best friend. Two of them, actually," said Hermione, trying to grin like she regretted having to say it.
But Marlene wasn't deterred as she threw her arm around Hermione's shoulders. The girl felt slightly suffocated tucked into Marlene's side. "Don't worry! The more the merrier, I always say."
Dorcas raised a brow, leaning forward on the table. "When have you ever said that?"
"Just now," Marlene countered, mirroring Dorcas' expression. "Besides, I'm sure I'll love your friends. Go on, who are they? I'm sure I know them."
For the love of Merlin, thought Hermione. She couldn't go about telling people the names of those in the future. She'd already made the mistake of telling them her own name. What would happen when she went back to the present and Professor Lupin sees the weird little third year he met in the common room once in his classroom, and she hasn't aged a day.
"Oh," Hermione stumbled over her words, deciding to just use first names to be safe. "There's Ron — "
"Ooo!" awed Alice, clapping her hands together. "A boy?"
Hermione didn't seem to get what Alice was hinting, nodding her head as she pushed away from Marlene. "Yeah, a boy. Why'd you make that 'ooo' sound?"
"Because," Alice said with a lighthearted chuckle. "Well, tell us, is he cute?"
Hermione's face burned red as she realized why Alice had gotten so excited. She shook her head quickly, not knowing what to think about the four girls' amused grins. Why were they amused? There was nothing amusing going on!
"He's not!" exclaimed Hermione. "He's just my friend. We're just friends. I'd never — no!"
She shivered at the thought of ever liking Ron as more than a friend. He was just so... Ron. No, she'd never have a crush on him.
"Aw, leave her alone," Lily said, trying hard not to laugh. She grabbed the edge of Hermione's book and tore it away from her when the girl tried to hide behind it. "Alice is just teasing. Just because he's a boy doesn't mean you have to like him."
Lily sent Alice a playful glare, but the girl just shrugged with a casual grin. "If you say so, Lil."
"I do say so," said Lily, turning her gaze back to Hermione. "Alice is a bit of a romantic."
"A bit?" Dorcas laughed loudly, grabbing the attention of Madam Pince. Honestly, out of all the weird things that had happened to Hermione over the past few hours, seeing that Madam Pince doesn't age at all in fifty years was at the top of the list.
"Okay, she's a huge romantic," Lily said, nudging Alice with her elbow. "But we love her for it."
Alice rolled her eyes, about to reply when the doors to the library swung open. Hermione gulped nervously at the sight of James, Remus, and Sirius. She'd avoided thinking about the fact that Sirius Black was walking freely around the castle. Hermione tried to rationalize that maybe he didn't go crazy until later in his life, but that eased her panic by only a little bit.
"Hello, ladies," said Sirius when they were standing next to their table. "Looking ravishing as always."
Hermione went a bit red, not sure how she felt about being called 'ravishing' by a seventeen year old boy. Luckily, the others didn't seem to like his compliment either.
"Shove off, you flirt," said Dorcas, shooting Marlene a grin as she said, "We're not interested."
If Marlene noticed, she chose to ignore Dorcas, but her cheeks were tinted a bit red after that.
Sirius put his hands up in surrender, though the smirk never left his face. "Fine, fine. It was James who wanted to come here anyway."
Remus nodded, not caring to hide his grin. "Said he couldn't stand being away from his Lily Flower any longer."
"Awww!" cried Alice, clapping her hands giddily. James, on the other hand, flushed a bright red and glared at his friend.
Lily laughed, taking his hand in hers. The tension in James' shoulders eased, but his face was still as red as Lily's hair.
Sirius picked up a book off the table — the book Hermione had been reading before Lily took it away. "Jane Austen? Who's that, and why is she proud?"
Hermione stood from her seat, reaching over Marlene and snatching the book away from Sirius. She sat back down, dusting off the cover as she glared at the boy.
"Jane Austen is the author. And she's not proud, Pride and Prejudice is the title of the book." Hermione set the book in her lap and placed her hands over it like she was guarding it from danger.
"Oh, my bad," Sirius said. He nudged James, about to crack another joke when suddenly Madam Prince appeared out of nowhere.
She looked over their table, glaring at each of them before she said, "If you're going to continue to disturb the peace, then leave."
It wasn't a suggestion, that much was clear. Slightly disappointed, Hermione took her book and stood up with the rest of them. Quietly, the group left the library, Madam Pince seeing them out like a vulture circling her prey.
Hermione slipped her book into her bag, glaring at the ground as she walked beside Dorcas. Now what was she going to do with her day? Waiting around like this was possibly the most boring thing Hermione would ever do. She wished Dumbledore could get her a Time Turner faster.
"Well," said Sirius a little too happily. "That was fun while it lasted."
Hermione took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, counting to ten in her head. Sirius was quite possibly more aggravating than Ron, a feat Hermione didn't think was reachable.
"Thanks a lot, Black," Alice growled, an uncharacteristic frown on her face.
"Yeah," said Marlene. "Some of us like being in the library."
"Hey, I wasn't the only one talking," Sirius defended himself. "Granger was correcting me about the book. Why don't you be mad at her?"
"Because," snapped Lily. "Hermione was right about the book. You were just being a git."
Hermione snorted, her face softening into a grin as she saw Sirius' betrayed expression. Sirius caught her eye, shooting her a glare.
"Don't grin at me, Granger. Turning my friends against me, pah! You've got some nerve, Mystery Girl."
"I'm not turning your friends against you," Hermione told him, biting her lip so she would stop smiling. "I'm sorry if it seems that way though."
Sirius grumbled, looking at the floor when he said, "Yeah, all right, kid."
They turned the corner, the mood of the group lightened a bit, and Hermione almost forgot that she was supposed to be lying low.
Almost.
Stealing a glance at Dorcas, then at Lily and Alice, and lastly Marlene, she took a brave breath and said, "Oh, look at the time, I've got to meet up with my friends."
Alice smirked suggestively. "Oh, is it Ron?"
Blushing, Hermione tried to reply, but was cut off by a grinning James Potter.
"Who's Ron?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "No one — I mean, he's just a friend. Alice is making assumptions about my love life — which doesn't exist, by the way!"
Her face went even more red, if it was possible, and she went back to the topic she began with. "Anyway, I should go — "
"Oi, Mudblood!"
Hermione and Lily both turned to where the voice had called from. For a moment Hermione thought maybe Draco Malfoy had somehow followed her through time just to insult her (she wouldn't put it past him), but then she realized the owner of the voice wasn't speaking to her.
At the end of the corridor, a boy with greasy raven hair was cornering this boy who looked to be in his first year. He looked scared out of his mind as the boy, who wore Slytherin green, taunted him.
"Snivellus," she heard Sirius growl, but she hadn't a clue as to what that meant. The anger she felt was almost blinding, and she had no idea where it was coming from.
Then, as the Slytherin's cruel laughter met her ears, she decided something. They could call Hermione a Mudblood all they wanted. They were not going to torment little first years.
"Hermione, no," Alice called her back as the young girl stormed down the hall. Hermione didn't look back, but if she did she would see that Lily was at her heels, her eyes aflame.
"Hey," the two girls said at once, and only then did Hermione realize Lily was with her. The older girl's presence gave Hermione a spark of courage, and she reached into her robes and pulled out her wand.
The Slytherin turned around, a sneer on his face that fell when he saw them. Er, well, he overlooked Hermione, and just saw Lily. The look on his face made you think he'd been caught stealing cookies from the jar before dinner.
"Lily," he said, as though he didn't have a hold of the first year's collar. Two of his goons were watching at the sidelines, reminding Hermione so much of Crabbe and Goyle she thought maybe these were their ancestors.
"Severus," said Lily with a coldness that felt out of place for such a kind girl. And then Hermione registered what she'd said, and she gulped as she kept her wand pointed at the Slytherin.
This was Severus Snape. Of all the Slytherins to be brave against, it had to be her dreaded potions teacher.
But Lily had her wand raised too. Hermione wasn't alone, and Snape wasn't as big and scary as he would be in the future. He had no power here. He was just a boy.
"Leave him alone," Hermione said, surprising herself with how sure she sounded. Snape only then noticed her, his cold eyes lowering onto her smaller frame. Hermione tried not to cower under his gaze. Good to know his dead eyes don't ever change.
Snape looked from Hermione to Lily. He was quiet so long Hermione thought he might just back off. But then he looked back at Hermione, like looking at Lily was too hard or too painful.
"No," he snapped. "I don't think I will. You've played hero, now walk away."
Hermione's free hand formed a tight fist, her eye twitching slightly. She didn't 'play hero', that was Harry's job. She didn't walk away either. So maybe, just this one time, she would take a page from Harry's book.
Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione saw Lily's wand arm shaking. From nervousness or anger, she wasn't sure.
What happened next Hermione would blame on pure instinct, and maybe a little insanity she'd caught from Ron.
"Flipendo."
Snape barely had time to realize what she'd said before he was sent flying into the wall. He groaned, pushing himself up from the ground as he registered he'd been hexed. He was definitely going to be sore tomorrow.
Hermione's arm dropped to her side, her jaw slack. Had she really done that? She'd attacked a teacher! Well, not really, since he wasn't her teacher yet.
Oh, Merlin...
What are the odds that Severus Snape would remember a third year that hexed him in school? This was definitely not laying low. She tucked her wand into her robes, nodded to the first year who then scrambled down the hall, and turned on her heel to leave as quickly as she could. She caught Lily gaping at her as she walked back to the group of seventh years back down the corridor. They all had matching looks of shock.
Hermione froze before them, Lily at her side. Hermione fiddled with her shirt collar. All of them seemed to want to say something, but none of them did. Hermione peeked over her shoulder to see Snape being pulled to his feet by his goons. He was glaring at her like he wanted to see her guts spilled out on the floor. Her stomach churned uncomfortably at the thought. She turned back around, looking at each of the seventh years anxiously.
"Umm... goodbye."
With that, she whirled around and ran down the hall as fast as she could, not slowing down until she was around the corner.
***
Hermione thought she chose her hiding spot well. She'd gone straight to the Gryffindor common room, telling the begrudging Fat Lady the correct password this time, and rushed for the table at the corner of the room. She was used to the table being in the back right corner, but in the year 1977 it was located in the left side of the room.
She took stacks upon stacks of books from the shelves scattered around, making tall towers of them on the circular surface. Hermione ignored the curious glances she got from the others around the common room and slid the chair to the back of the table so she was facing the entrance. Hermione sat down in the cushiony chair, pleased with her book fortress that blocked her from everyone's view. Now, she just had to stay here until Professor Dumbledore informed her that he had a way back to 1993.
She reached into her pocket and brought out the broken Time Turner, sighing deeply as she ran her finger across its broken hourglass. Hermione set it aside, since she just grew more upset the more she stared at it.
After resting her head in her arms to block out all the light in the room, Hermione fell into a dreamless sleep quickly. It was nice to be at peace after the crazy day she'd had, because she didn't feel like worrying about the reliability of teenage Snape's memory any longer.
Unfortunately, fate refused to let her get a good rest.
Sirius Black walked into the common room, the rest of the Marauders plus Lily trailing behind him.
"I'm telling you, there's something off about her," Sirius insisted, making Lily roll her eyes.
"No, there's not. You're being paranoid, Sirius," she told him for the third time since they'd begun this topic. It's been at least an hour since Hermione's stunt with Severus, and each of the boys had their own opinions on the strange girl.
"She just appeared out of nowhere," Peter said, his eyes misty with thought. "People don't just appear."
"They do if you're oblivious to their existence," Lily reasoned. She sat down on the couch, and James sat next to her, draping his arm over her shoulder.
Remus nodded, agreeing with Lily. "I think she's just quiet, and that's why we've never seen her."
He sat down in the armchair, wincing when another headache struck. He was exhausted from running around the castle so much today, regretting the little misadventure with Hermione Granger. The full moon was tomorrow night, which meant his symptoms of lycanthropy were getting worse and worse.
"But she hexed Snape!" Sirius exclaimed like he still couldn't believe it. "There's nothing quiet about her!"
James shook his head, staring at the fireplace in thought. "I just wish we knew why she acted so strangely earlier, when she rushed out after looking at Padfoot's homework."
"Maybe the work was so horrific, it scared her away."
"Very funny, Lil."
"Or maybe," Remus said, looking at each of his friends before his eyes moved to a wall of books in the corner. "We could just ask her."
The boy pointed at the table in the corner, where a curly head of brown hair could be seen through a tiny crack in the massive literary barrier.
Sirius practically ran over to Hermione's hiding place, completely ignoring Lily's yells of protest. He stood over her fortress, looking down on the sleeping girl who had her head buried in her arms. She looked peaceful, and it would be really rude of him to wake her up.
Good thing he didn't care what others thought of him, he thought as he tipped one of the stacks over.
It clattered on top of Hermione's head, and she bolted up with a gasp. She gripped the sides of the table, her eyes wide as she looked around for a clue to what had happened. Then she saw her ruined wall, and met the mischievous gray eyes of Sirius Black. She leveled him with a cold glare.
"I was sleeping," she spat through gritted teeth, her knuckles turning white as she dug her nails into the table.
"I noticed," Sirius replied with a casual grin. Hermione tried to get him to go away and leave her alone, but then the rest of them started crowding around her table, and she realized all attempts at escape were futile.
And then the boys pulled up chairs, knocking the rest of the books onto the floor, much to Hermione and Lily's disapproval. Lily caved, and took a chair and sat next to Hermione around the now very crowded table.
"What do you want?" Hermione asked more sourly than she meant to. They didn't seem to mind though, as Sirius narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Just wanted to check up on you, Granger Danger." Hermione blinked, unsure if she heard him right.
"What'd you call me?"
"Granger Danger," Remus repeated with a roll of his eyes. "He's been calling you that ever since you humbled Snivellus."
Hermione's brows furrowed. "... Why?"
"Because!" Sirius exclaimed so enthusiastically Hermione thought it was a bit over the top. "So far the only ones to put that snake in his place have been Prongs and I."
"Prongs?"
"He means me," James said, gesturing to himself. Somewhere in Hermione's mind, the nickname struck a memory. She'd heard that somewhere before, but where?
Before she could think too much into it, Sirius was going on again. "I mean, that was a perfect flipendo you did. It took me forever to get that jinx."
"It's not that hard if you do the research," Hermione said a little bashfully. It was the first time she'd actually used that spell, but she'd read a lot of theory about it in the library. Ever since she was paralyzed by the Basilisk the year before, Hermione took self defense far more seriously than she did before.
"Still," Hermione went on, "it really wasn't that great. Anyone else would have done the same."
"But no one did," Lily pointed out, a frown on her face. Hermione wondered what exactly happened between Harry's mom and Severus Snape, since it'd been obvious earlier that she was close to walking away. But at the same time, it was clear she had no love for Snape. None of them did.
"Yeah, but still," said Hermione, like whatever point she was trying to make would suddenly make sense.
Sirius shook his head, a grin on his face. "It was really wicked, Granger. Don't sell yourself short."
"Yeah, okay," Hermione said, trying to hold back the urge to roll her eyes. She stood and started to collect her things, stuffing the copy of Pride and Prejudice into her bag before she slung it over her shoulder. "Um, I've got to meet my friends. Again. Bye..."
And she was gone, swiftly leaving the common room to find a better hiding place where no one would disturb her the rest of the day.
"Bye, Granger Danger!" Sirius called after her, laughing when she ducked her head lower and slipped out the portrait hole.
Lily rolled her eyes, standing up and taking James' hand in hers. "You didn't even ask her why she was 'acting weird' as you say."
"Oh," Sirius said, realizing she was right. "Next time, then."
Little did he know there wouldn't be a next time for him to speak to Hermione Granger. Not for a very long time.
Slowly, they all stood as the time for dinner came around. Remus was the last one sitting down, rubbing his temples as his head pounded. James looked back at him, worry etched in his creased brows.
"You okay, Moony?" He asked, starting to walk back to his friend until Remus waved him off.
"Yeah, yeah," he said unconvincingly. "I'll be fine, just give me a minute. You guys go on, I'll catch up."
None of his friends were quick to leave him behind, which he supposed was sweet, but he just needed to be alone until his headache subsided. Eventually they gave in and left him be, and Remus sat in his chair hunched over his knees as he held his head in pain.
A groan left his throat, and he blinked as he opened his eyes slowly. Merlin, he hated this. Remus decided he'd waited around long enough and was about to stand and push through the headache when something caught his eye.
Something sparkly was buried in the pile of books that they'd thrown on the floor. Curious, he reached down and sifted through the books, closing his hand around a golden chain.
His jaw dropped when he held the object in his hands, which was a Time Turner of all things. Fascinated, he turned it over in his palm, noticing that it was broken beyond repair. Whose was this? The more he thought about it, and the events of the day came back to him, he came to a realization. He knew exactly who this belonged to, all the pieces of the puzzle fitting together in his brown eyes.
***
"Here you are, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said with an aggravating smile the next morning. He held out a shiny new Time Turner, and Hermione graciously took it.
It was just like her old one, almost an exact copy. She'd go back to 1993, and it would be like nothing had ever happened. "Thank you, Professor."
"It was no problem at all," he said kindly. "Now onto some important details. I would like to know the names of all those you encountered, so we can erase you from their memory."
That made perfect sense, and the more Hermione thought about all that had happened on this adventure of hers she knew it was a really good plan. "Right. Um, Marlene McKinnon, Lily Evans, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, and three more Gryffindor seventh years named Peter, Dorcas, and Alice."
"That's many more than I would have liked," Dumbledore said, but he didn't sound angry, more like he was thinking about when the right time to obliviate them would be. "I would like you to stay until we can erase the memories, just to be safe. Is that all right?"
No, I want to go home. "Of course that's all right, Professor."
"Good," said Dumbledore with a nod. "After the students are taken care of, you'll take the same memory wiping potion, to ensure time remains as it should be."
Hermione wasn't particularly fond of the idea of her mind being messed with, but she didn't want to cause a butterfly affect in the future either. "That's all right too, I suppose."
She left with a curt goodbye, leaving to wait in the common room until Professor McGonagall came to fetch her.
It wasn't long before Slughorn and McGonagall had rounded up the ones Hermione mentioned and herded the whole confused bunch to Dumbledore's office, where he explained the entire situation to them.
Only, something was missing, Dumbledore realized as the children began to ask a million questions at once. Remus Lupin was nowhere in sight.
"Where is Mr. Lupin?" Dumbledore asked, interrupting Lily's rant about how this was completely ridiculous.
The Marauders all met eyes, ignoring the glare of Snape, who was standing behind the rest of them with his arms crossed. Most everyone present knew of Remus being a werewolf, except the three girls standing around Lily as if to guard her from Snape. So the Marauders gave Dumbledore the same response they gave anyone who questioned Remus' absence.
"He's uh — sick," Peter said.
James nodded enthusiastically, his face dead serious. "Real sick."
"Couldn't leave the hospital wing, even for the thrill of having his mind wiped," Sirius said with a poorly disguised grin. Lily subtly rolled her eyes at them all, but she didn't say anything that would raise suspicion.
Dumbledore had gotten the gist of it, his eyes moving to the window, where a full moon shined through the glass. "Yes, I understand. We'll deal with his memories later."
He nodded to McGonagall, who took eight vials of swirling pink liquid and passed them around. Four more remained on the table.
"I'd like you all to take the potion here, to make sure no one keeps their memories of Miss Granger," Dumbledore told them.
Snape scoffed, muttered something under his breath and downed it before McGonagall could warn him to take a seat first. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he fell limply to the ground. It took all of the Marauders' willpower not to die laughing at the sight.
"I would like you all to take a seat before you take the potion," McGonagall said stiffly, waving her wand and summoning enough chairs for them all. Snape was lifted off the floor and placed gently on the chair furthest away.
Marlene looked at her potion and pursed her lips. "Don't we get to say goodbye?"
No one else seemed eager to forget the girl without a proper farewell either. Yeah, the boys still thought she was really weird, but now her behavior made a little bit of sense. Still, Sirius wondered why on earth she'd been so scared when she learned his name. If Hermione was from the future, what did that mean for him? Suddenly taking this potion seemed like a good idea; he didn't want these thoughts to be haunting him into adulthood.
"I don't think that would be best," Dumbledore said, sounding sorry but also not at the same time.
Marlene looked at her friends, seeing the frown on each of their faces, before she forced herself to smile. "Well, tell her we liked having her around."
"Yeah," Dorcas smiled, "and tell her to keep up the snake hexing."
The two teachers seemed perplexed by this, especially when all of them grinned whilst sending Snape a glare.
"I'm afraid that even if I do, Miss Granger won't remember," Dumbledore informed them. "She'll be taking the same potion soon."
That did nothing but dampen the kids mood further.
"You mean she won't remember us?" Sirius asked. She couldn't forget him! He was too amazing to forget!
"I'm sorry, Mr. Black," said McGonagall, sounding more sincere than Dumbledore ever had. "This is how it must be, for all of our safety."
It made sense, but that didn't mean any of them had to like it. Eventually, they took the potion, falling unconscious immediately. They were all moved to their dorms, and Hermione Granger used her Time Turner to go back to 1993, a pink potion in hand. She took it as soon as she got back, waking up an hour later in the hospital wing, where she'd been taken after the Fat Friar found her unconscious at the bottom of a stairwell. She told Madam Pomfrey she had no idea what had happened, and promised to be more careful when walking down the stairs from now on.
Back in 1978, Professors McGonagall, Slughorn, and Dumbledore too took the potion. None of them knew why they woke up sitting around Dumbledore's desk, but figured it wasn't important.
Everyone forgot about the fourth vial of potion, and about the fact that Remus Lupin had never taken it.
***
"I expect your essays to be done by the next lesson," Professor Lupin said as the students began to pack up their things.
A murmur of understanding passed through the room as Hermione shoved her quill into her bag. She stared at the copy of Pride and Prejudice mixed in with her books, taking it out and inspecting it. Last she'd checked, she didn't own this book. Just another mystery to add to her short list of two. The first being her strange fainting spell that she'd just been let out of the hospital wing for that morning.
"You okay, Hermione?" Harry asked, stopping at her desk with his bag on his shoulder. Ron came over too, a worried look on his face.
She smiled at them, waving her hand. "Yeah, yeah. Go ahead, I'll meet up with you in Potions."
They left for their next class while Hermione collected the last of her things. She slung her bag in her shoulder and tucked her hair behind her ear, looking around the classroom. She was the last one here, except for Professor Lupin who was flipping through papers at his desk.
"Bye, Professor," Hermione said as she headed for the door.
The teacher looked up, a smile on his face. Hermione took notice of the obvious scars on his face, wondering for what seemed like the millionth time what they were from. She had her suspicions, but it was an offensive claim to make without further proof. Besides, it was silly to think that her teacher could be a werewolf of all things.
She was at the door when she heard it, a low farewell that made absolutely no sense to her: "Goodbye, Granger Danger."
Hermione peered over her shoulder at him, her brows furrowed with confusion. But he wasn't looking at her anymore, back to his many papers to grade. So she shrugged it off, realizing with a shock that she was going to be late for Potions class.
The End.
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Hello, readers! I've been wanting to post some of my writing on here for awhile, but have never had the courage to do it. Until now, after I told myself to get over it and share what I love with other people. So thank you for taking the time to read this short story I wrote!
Anyway, God bless you and have a good day! Be sure to drink some water too, like I should be doing. Seriously it's nearly 8 pm and I haven't had any water all day... heh.