"What did you do, Vane, what did you do?!"

"I-I don't know! I only said the title of the book! How was I supposed to know we would go back in time because of it, Abbot!"

"What were you trying to do in the first place?"

Romilda looked the other way. She was trying to find a book that she could read to impress Harry; he had to notice her intelligence that way and would have to ask her to the Summer Gala Spectacular (something Dumbledore wanted to have before the year ended). She never imagined that reading the latin title of the book she found would do this.

Or take Hannah Abbot for the ride. She didn't want the older Hufflepuff anywhere near her, yet this was her fate for not looking at her surroundings in the corridor clearly.

Now they were in some room. It was decorated in the most ugliest of pinks. Drapes were the color of gold, which made the combination so much more dreadful to the eye. Cases of trinkets and items were on three of the walls, and only one was left with a vanity shoved against it.

Romilda's nose wrinkled in distaste once she paid attention to a woman sitting at the vanity. How she didn't see her until now she'll never know.

She was a large woman. Cheeks the color of roses. Hair so red and curly that it was sitting on the woman's head like a tower. Romilda knew it had to be fake. No one would have that much stiff hair without hairspray or it being a wig. Next to the woman and vanity was a calendar. Upon closer inspection, it was dated Summer 1960. Romilda didn't have a chance to properly react because the woman started talking.

"Oh! I have guests!" the woman cried. She swiveled away from her vanity mirror with her hands clasped together. The woman cooed with black eyes so wide, Romilda was tempted to take Hannah and run with her. Romilda was not that selfless.

The prospect of leaving Abbot for the slaughter was on her mind. Except, if she did manage to get back to the right timeline, she'd be in big trouble for leaving Abbot like she considered doing.

Merlin, what was she going to do?

"The name's Hepzibah Smith. I am the descendant of Helga Hufflepuff, you know," the woman boasted. "The woman practically lives through me. Ha! Let me show you my collection! It is marvelous, you'll see!"

Romilda watched as Abbot's wrist was grabbed by the woman. She was so glad that it wasn't her.

But now what was the witch going to do? She couldn't use her wand because she didn't know any spells that would help anything, and Hannah couldn't exactly do anything in that moment.

Romilda was stuck with some crazy wannabe descendant and a Hufflepuff that couldn't help because of the crazy woman.

Crap.

A/N: Written for The Houses Competition and HSWW (Challenges and Assignments)

(THC) House: Hufflepuff; Prompt(s): [Character] Hepzibah Smith, [Pairing] Hannah Abbot & Romilda Vane

(HSWW) Insane House Challenge: Action - Arguing

Word Count: 488