Again I'm so excited about this story. Thanks for reading and, I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please comment/review! Thank you :)
Hermione awoke with a start. Sitting up alert in her bed, she paused for a moment only to remember with immense pain that the war was finally over. She realized that was not where she fell asleep. This wasn't Gryffindor tower. The bed was comfy, and the room looked eerily similar to her bedroom in her parents' house. Getting out of bed she walked around the room opening drawers and cabinets, there wasn't much in any of them. She realized she felt tired and dirty, and longed for a bath. Suddenly, the room seemed to expand, and in the corner a large claw foot tub appeared, filling itself to the brim with soapy steaming water. The room of requirement. Somehow, she managed to get herself into the room of requirement. Knowing she was safe here, she stripped down and climbed into the tub. The war had been brutal, and she hadn't had any real comforts in a long time. Letting the water envelop her aching limbs she let her mind replay the events of the day before. The war really was over. Voldemort was dead. They destroyed all of the horcruxes, and Neville had killed the snake. Tonks and Lupin had died, which meant that little Teddy was all alone. Her parents were still in Australia, hopefully alive. She needed to find them. And Fred. He told her he loved her, and then he died.
Hermione needed to do something. Sitting with her thoughts wasn't going to get her anywhere. After climbing out of the tub and drying herself off, she dried her hair with her wand, noticing that the luxury of the bath had taken the frizz out of her overly long hair. Looking down at her body she realized that she was much too thin. She could see her ribs. Walking toward the mirror, her faced looked more angular than she had ever seen it. Turning away from her tired appearance, she asked the room for clothes, knowing everything in her beaded bag needed a good wash. The room deposited clothing on her bed. Upon closer examination she realized the clothing was the Gryffindor school uniform and robes. She dressed in them relishing in the comforting feeling of warm clean clothes, and also the safety she felt when she was a Hogwarts student. Taking her beaded bag with her, as she was now accustomed to, she walked out into the corridor confused to find the castle looking in pristine condition. Come to think of it, wasn't the room of requirement set in flames of fiend fyre just the night before? Panicking, Hermione walked quickly down the hallway toward the great hall, on her way there she passed dozens of students with their books heading to class. The Castle had no remnants of a battle. Finding herself at the entrance of the great hall, she saw that the tables were full of students eating breakfast, and it seemed to be any other day at Hogwarts. But that's when she spotted it, the wrongness of the situation, sitting to the left of Professor McGonagall at the head table was Dolores Umbridge. Hermione scanned the Gryffindor table and saw that all of her friends were sitting and eating breakfast, and so was she. Sitting between Harry and Ron and across from Ginny, Fred, and George was fifth year Hermione Granger - hair as bushy as ever and a stack of books in front on her. Unsure of what to do, Hermione decided that she needed to observe the surroundings to have a better sense of what brought her back to this time. Thankful that she picked up Harry's cloak at the final battle, she pulled it out of her beaded bag and put it on.
Unsure of what to do next Hermione walked Close to the Gryffindor table so that she could see herself and her friends. It was strange seeing things from this perspective, she had her nose in a book while her friends ate and had lively conversations around her. It seemed like she wasn't really there, and no one else really seem to mind. She took it upon herself to pay close attention to Fred. Him and George are wrapped up in something of their own scribbling into a notebook and whispering to one another. Hermione stood up from the table and Fred noticed right away. George give him a little nudge and Fred stood up following Hermione. Fred looked incredibly nervous, he calmed himself for minute, and followed Hermione out of the great Hall. The Hermione he under the cloak followed close behind.
"Hermione, would you happen to have a minute? I could use help with a serum I'm trying to come up with…"
Hermione turned around, "I just have to drop this book off before class otherwise madam Pince Will be upset with me, could it wait till later?"
Fred nodded and ruffled his hand through his hair, he gave her a half smile, "of course".
Hermione hurried away. A few seconds later George caught up to Fred. "did you ask her?"
"She was in a rush… I don't know. I don't really think she notices me."
"Would I ever lead you astray? Trust me I know something's there".
Fred looked unsure. He wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers, and walked back to the table with George to grab his books. Hermione watched from under the invisibility cloak, it was obvious that Fred liked her, and apparently it has become obvious to George that Hermione what's just as interested in him. How had she been so oblivious.
Hermione couldn't understand why she was brought back to this time. It was only two years from her present, and she couldn't imagine what it was that she could change, and based on the fact that they had won the war she really wasn't sure if she should change anything.
Maybe she was supposed to save Fred, maybe Tonks and Lupin? Was there anyone she could talk to you in this time. She really didn't know. She was also a bit dumbfounded. She was living in a time when Fred was alive, part of her just wanted to see of romance blossom in this time between her fifth-year-self and Fred. It sounded silly. She needed some kind support.
There was some reason she was sent back here but she couldn't figure it out. The only person she could think to talk to was Professor Snape. He didn't turn out to be the evil monster they found him to be; he was working for Dumbledore the whole time. Maybe she could go to him and tell him what happened, he might be able to help her figure out what it was she needed to do. Perhaps she wasn't done trying to kill Voldemort. Maybe there were more horcruxes? Did he have some other way of staying immortal? Maybe she should talk to Dumbledore. If she hadn't already lived through the war she definitely would have talked to him already. Seeing the way the he left Harry with such a great task and such little resources, she didn't actually think that she trusted him anymore.
Hermione wracked her brain of someone to confide in. Nobody came to mind. She was alone.
