Brewing Trouble
Hermione stirred the Polyjuice Potion, carefully counting out eighteen strokes clock-wise then fourteen backwards, checking the temperature of the flames underneath the cauldron every five minutes.
She knew she had told Harry and Ron a half-truth a week and a half ago. She actually had to baby the brew quite often since throwing in the Bicorn horn and Boomslang skin in and it's been cutting into her sleeptime. It was starting to show in the dark smudges under her eyes, but she just told anyone who asked 'she was just studying too hard'.
Finishing up her work for now she charmed the softly glowing orb hovering above her to start humming in a hour.
A small red-headed figure silently creeped into the girl's bathroom on the third floor and held it's self still while listening for any unwanted company. At the sound of a soft whimper it quitely stalked across the distence and gently jimyed the lock on the middle stall. It opened the door to find a petite form curled up like a cat on the floor.
Spotting the faintly glowing ball, it quickly lit it to a brighter but still fairly dim light.
The dimitive figure took in all the details quickly and then rapidly put them together.
The sleeping one was Hermione Granger ; second year, Harry Potter's friend, mostly perfect grades, and most importantly, she'd helped defeat the Dark Lord before she even finished her first year.
This little girl foiled His older self's plans at the age of eleven.
And oddly enough, she was brewing Polyjuice Potion. With half a week to go, judging from the sea-sick green color and the burnt flesh and heavy metallic or blood like smell.
He'd know, he had made the Potion in his second year. And at this stage he had had the hair he'd needed for it. He didn't doubt this clever witch did too.
Sliping a hand that wasn't his own into her robes' pockets he came out with a vial holding three sortish black hairs.
Smiling slightly he popped the cork and emptied the vial's contence down a sink drain.
With with deft fingers he plucked three dark hairs from his...borrowed body's robes and grinning devilishly he placed what he knew to be cat hairs in the small vial, slid the cork in and replaced it all back in the inner pocket he'd found it in.
Standing up, he looked down on the girl. He knew his little prank wouldn't keep her down long. Though he didn't like Mudbloods, he hoped she'd find out about the Basilisk and take steps to perventher death. He very much liked the thought of toying and testing this one.
Tom Riddle in the body of Ginny Weasley calmly dimmed the floating globe, closed and locked the stall door, then turned and left.
Leaving nothing but the eerily echoing swish of his robes.
And this is what our dear Hermione wakes up to.
Cold,empty and quiet.
But at the sound of an odd hum she dismissed it as just as the air of the old castle. So she brightened the small sphere that not a minute ago Tom had dimmed and set to work finishing up the potion. She didn't need to do anything more to it until the hair was to be added.
As she worked she thought of all the extra time she now had to read up on the Chamber of Secrets, and the creature that lived in it.
The End