So this was a little brain fart I had. One of those "what if?" moments, ya know? So review if you want it to continue, 'cause otherwise, I don't know, I'll just stop. But I think it could be fun. Probably at least one more chapter, even without reviews, but otherwise...so yeah. What if?
"Hermione! We need to get going!"
"Coming Mum!" Hermione glanced once more around her room, satisfied that it was organized for when she came back from New York with her parents. The trip had been last minute, but Hermione was excited. She tugged the long chain around her neck, a sly smile around her mouth. With the time-turner, she'd be able to see everything, no problem. This was going to be a good trip.
Hermione was glad when the plane finally touched down in New York City. She had been on plenty of long flights before on trips with her parents, but this one had seemed the longest so far. She was eager to get to the hotel and use the time turner. She wanted to see Beauty and the Beast on broadway, and she planned to leave from her room using the time-turner. She and her parents hailed a cab, and she spent the twenty minute ride holding on for dear life as the driver wove in and out of traffic at a faster speed than seemed safe. They pulled up at a building that was clearly lovingly taken care of, but just as clearly very old. Green shutters framed the windows of the gray wooden nine story building, and a sign above the green door said "The Lodging House Hotel." A woman with curly brown hair was standing outside the hotel.
"Hello! My name is Katherine Kelly, and I'm one of the three co-owners of the Lodging House Hotel! Do you have a reservation?"
"Yes, under Granger. Two rooms, I believe?" Mr. Granger said. Miss Kelly looked down at a clipboard she was holding.
"Ah, yes. Top floor. Rooms 92 and 93, right across from each other. You can go up now, or rest in the common room, and look at the mini-museum we have." Miss Kelly smiled at them as they walked inside. Hermione looked into the common room, seeing mismatched chairs and an old, tattered couch and newspapers lining the wall, framed in a line along the perimeter of the room. Curious, she walked inside and looked closer. The frames held pictures of a group of young boys and girls, standing in a group with their fists raised and yellowed, fading newspaper articles. The articles had headlines such as "Modern Day David and Goliath" and were dated 1899, often topped with similar pictures of the same group of children. Looking closely at one article that looked to have been on the front page above the fold, she saw yet another picture, but this one looked like the kids were feeling something more sure of themselves. They looked confident, in control, with their fist raised high in a show of defiance, even though they were dressed in rags, and several had bruises visible even in the faded photograph. One boy had a crutch, even. The article was headlined "Newsies Stop the World!" and was written by K. Plummer. It was compelling, talking of a "children's crusade" of a group of young children fighting for their rights. Hermione turned at the feeling of a hand on her shoulder, seeing a man with an easy, wide grin and sandy, reddish blond hair.
"Found the main article, huh? My name is James Morris, by the way. One of the three co-owners of this hotel. You met Katherine already, then there's me and Michael Jacobs, the one over there by the couch." Mr. Morris pointed to a man with dark hair. "The hotel has been passed through our families since the 1920's, when it was started by three of the newsboys from the strike. Jack Kelly, Matthew "Crutchie" Morris and Davey Jacobs. Our ancestors, the co-owners. That one is Jack," He said, pointing to a boy in the front with a determined face. "He's Katherine's ancestor. He later married the author of this article, Katherine Plummer, who became the first Katherine Kelly. Then there's Crutchie, as he's called. He's my Great-times-a-thousand Grandfather." He was pointing to the boy with the crutch. "And finally. the great Davey Jacobs. Michael's great-times-a-thousand grandfather. He was thought to have been the brains behind the strike." The boy had a large nose and dark hair. "And from drawings left by Jack Kelly, we know the names of some of the others, and nicknames. Davey was sometimes called the Mouth, then there's Albert, Henry, Elmer, JoJo, Sniper, Race, Romeo, Buttons, Spot, and those are just the ones I can name off the top of my head from this picture. Interesting history, right?" He took his hand off her shoulder and walked away at the sound of a bell from the lobby. Hermione kept staring at the picture, stopping at one face, one of the girls. Sniper, she thought. She had braids in her hair and a buck-toothed grin. A grin very similar to Hermione's own. Strange, she thought. That girl looks like me. But as her parents called her to her room, she stopped thinking about the newsgirl, excited for the possibilities that lay ahead of her on this trip with the time-turner.