Disclaimer: I own nothing, unlike JKR who seems to own it all.

Hermione's Time Sickness- Chapter One

Hermione pulled her necklace out of the front of her robes and gave it a quick turn. As usual the unpleasant sensation of travelling back in time struck her. Her knees buckled and she fell to the floor as the world around her slowly stopped spinning and re-stabilized.

Rats! Now I'm late for Potions! Hermione picked her bag off of the floor where it had fallen and hurried toward the dungeons. Unfortunately, the Arithmancy tower was nowhere near the dungeons and she was now very late.

Hermione approached the closed classroom door, but she didn't dare open it and barge in. Professor Snape hated Gryffindor latecomers at the best of times and not even his favourite Slytherins ever dared to show up more than a few seconds after the bell. Let alone ten minutes!

She knocked timidly on the imposing door. Hopefully he won't be too mad. I'm so tired since I was up half the night finishing my Potions essay! I need to do the rest of my homework soon. I don't have time to get in trouble.

But Hermione knew her luck had run out when a very scared looking Harry Potter opened the door. His face brightened for a moment when he saw her, but Snape's next words made all of his happiness disappear.

"Miss Granger, is there a reason you have interrupted my class? You have already made it quiet clear that you despise my subject." Professor Snape said as he swooped down on her.

Now I understand why them call him the 'Great bat of the dungeons'. Hermione thought as she stepped away from the angry Professor. Then she took in what he had said and the blood drained from her face. How dare he suggest that the Gryffindor know-it-all doesn't love all her classes!

"I-I'm sorry sir." Hermione stuttered. She didn't offer any excuses, that would only have made things worse.

Snape turned sharply. His robes snapped around his ankles as he strode back to the front of the class. "A week of detention should teach you properly value others time." There was a slight emphasis on the word 'time'.

Hermione shivered unconsciously. She'd been told by Professor McGonagall at the beginning of the year that some of the staff (meaning Professor Snape) had opposed her using a time-turner and were just waiting for evidence that she couldn't handle the device. She liked her classes and there was no way she was going to give her Professor the satisfaction of taking the time-turner away.

"Yes sir." Just what I need! A week of detention. I barely have time to eat, sleep, and do my homework as it is. Now I have to fit everything around detention! Hermione hurried inside the classroom and took the only remaining seat at the very front of the class.

"Now that everyone has arrived we can proceed with today's topic." Snape flicked his wand at the board and the instructions appeared on it.

"Place your essay on top of your desk." Snape began to walk between the rows of desks. "Today we will be making a stimulant draft. Directions are on the board, ingredients are in the cupboard. Begin!"

Hermione had no partner. The stimulant was a two person potion and in the uneven class everyone already had a partner. Stimulant draft was easily the most complicated and confusing potion they'd made in the entire year and for once she really could have used a second set of hands.

By the end of the class Hermione was frazzled and Snape seemed ready to kill the next person who made a mistake. Hermione's potion was an absolute mess. She hadn't had enough time and ended up skipping half the steps. The sample refused to be bottled and disintegrated the glass on contact.

"Pity. Pity." Professor Snape smirked at the mess in her cauldron. "You can't be bothered to show up on time and when you do show up to class you can't be bothered to use any effort." he picked her essay up and deposited all the essays on his desk before standing in front of the class to dismiss them.

"Well done. To those that can brew." Professor Snape exchanged smirks with Malfoy. "Others should strive not to dissolve their desk next class." He glared at Neville and Lavender who no longer had a desk in front of them, it lay in smoking remains on the floor.

The bell rang and the sound of of benches being pushed back was deafening. Hermione grabbed her bag and hurried to the door. At least it's dinner now. I don't have to use the time-turner again until tomorrow, If detention doesn't take to long I'll get a head start on the Arithmancy project. But Hermione wasn't that fortunate.

"Miss Granger stay behind to arrange your detentions." Professor Snape's voice rang throughout the classroom.

Hermione sighed. She was almost to the door and the last thing she wanted to do was push back through all the other students and face the angry teacher.

"Yes sir?" Hermione stood in front of Professor Snape's desk. The classroom was empty now and everything was silent and still. It made the room seem larger and much spookier than it actually was.

"You will be preparing ingredients tonight." Snape was glaring down at her "Wear something that can get . . . ruined. Be here at seven o'clock." With a final glare he left the classroom and once Hermione was out he locked and sealed it.

The rest of the day flew by and before Hermione knew anything it was quarter to seven.

Ron shook her should her gently "You better go." He pointed to the clock. "You don;t want Snape to go crazy. I'll finish up here." He took the books she was using and stacked them up.

Hermione thanked him and hurried up to the girls dormitories where she slipped into the third years rooms. Lavender and Parvati were giggling over a muggle magazine Lavender's mother had sent her. Parvati had never seen anything like the muggle models it featured.

The only clothes Hermione had that she didn't mind ruining was an old sweat suit. It used to be her favourite thing to wear around the dormitory and common room. Comfortable, warm, soft. Just the thing for winter in a Scottish castle. But now it barely fit and she was going to get a new one for Christmas.

The suit was bright orange with grey edging and it hung above both her wrists and ankles. She pulled her robes on over then headed down to the dungeons.

At least I'm on time now. Hermione stood in front of the door and knocked just as the clock began to chime.

The door swung open. "Enter." Called Professor Snape.

Hermione trudged slowly into the classroom and stopped in front of the teacher's desk. It looked the same as it had earlier, except now a bucket of rats sat on her desk along with a few organ bowls.

Professor Snape put down the essay he was marking and set his quill beside it before he looked up. He gave her a killer glare and motioned to the bucket of rats. "Remove the organs used in potions from these rats. You should know which organs to remove. There will be no need to wear gloves."

Hermione sat down and picked up the knife and a rat. I don't there's many organs to use in here. Soon she feel into a quick rhythm of cutting up the bodies.

Brain. Heart. Bowel. Tail. Brain. Heart. Bowel. Tail. It was mind numbingly boring, which was obviously the point. Time inched by and Hermione could have sworn the hands on the clock actually stoped moving. Finally when the bucket was done she was simply handed another one.

After the fifth bucket was empty, Hermione felt as if she was going to fall over from exhaustion and the waste of time when she had so much to be doing.

Professor Snape glared down at her. "You may leave. Come again tomorrow at seven o'clock." He focused on his marking again.

Hermione glanced at the clock as she fled the classroom. Eleven! So much for getting any of my homework done!

The rest of the weeks was very nerve racking. Hermione often was still working on her work as it was being collected. She just didn't have the time. She kept falling asleep in the common room. The prefects usually brought her up when they came in from their rounds.

Finally Friday came. Yes! Last day of detention! Hermione was very happy at breakfast until she remembered the other detail about Fridays. It's three time-turns today. On no! Using the time-turner was getting harder and harder. It knocked her off her feet and left her feeling queasy for the rest of the day.

In the hall way outside Transfiguration Hermione checked quickly to make sure no one was looking. Then she pulled out her necklace and gave the time-turner a flip.

Her vision distorted and the world began to look fuzzy. Hermione fell to her knees, dropping her bag and cracking her head against the wall. She fell forward into the floor and just before she passed out the floor rushed up to meet her.

*************

This one shot came to me a few months ago and I finally finished it. It is currently unbetaed and will probably remain that way.

I did write this after reading the first half of The Time Traveler's Wife, but I never got around to finishing the books. Hoped you enjoyed the story!