A/N: Again, sorry for the shortness of the last chapter! This one shall be longer! Thanks to my reviewers! I got many questions about whom Hermione was going to be paired with; I think it will be a Hermione/ Sirius fic.
BTW, Dumbledore isn't dead, and Harry and Ginny are still together.
Disclaimer: Do you recognize it? Then it isn't mine!
Word count: 1464
---------
Chapter Two
--------
Hermione Granger came to on a patch of cold, wet ground. Groggily pushing herself up into a sitting position, she looked around; she was lying on the floor of the Shrieking Shack, but it was in a much better state than it had been in her third year. It looked like someone had fixed it up a bit—yes, there were still bite and scratch marks but everything was in one piece.
The last thing she remembered was trying to bring Sirius back for Harry's birthday present. She would just have to try something else. Hermione decided to go to the school and talk to Dumbledore about getting home. She crawled into the dank tunnel and walked slowly back towards the school.
About twenty minutes later Hermione crawled out of a hole in the ground. She looked around expecting to see the Whomping Willow, but all she saw was a small sapling a few feet away. 'This is all very peculiar." She stated to no one.
She started towards the school, around half way there, a group of eight figures burst out of the front doors of the school. At the head was Minerva McGonagall, flanked by Poppy Pomfrey and Rolanda Hooch. Following them where a group of five that Hermione had never expected to see together again—James Potter, Lily Evans, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black.
At the sight of these 'dead men (and woman)' walking, Hermione nearly fainted. These eight were walking with vigor towards the quidditch pitch. Quickly, Hermione formed a cover story in her head and strode, with purpose in the general direction of the party.
"Professor? I am here to inquire about the open teaching position. My name is Rizu Shift; I have just graduated from Salem Academy with high grades. I don't have my resume on hand, for I was not expecting to come here, but I was visiting a friend in Hogsmeade and thought I'd drop by," Hermione stated without wavering and keeping her story straight.
All through her statement, Minerva had been eyeing Hermione with interest and now decided to reply, "Can you fly Rizu?" To this Hermione looked a little confused.
"Not really. Why do ask?"
"No reason, we just need a keeper. Lily, Poppy, James, and Sirius," she indicated each said person. "Have challenged myself, Rolanda and Remus, to a little match, but we are out numbered. Would you be interested in joining our team for a match?"
At this hem turned visibly paler. "Um….Ok…I guess that I could…But I don't have a broom. Will that be a problem?"
Sirius laughed, "You can use one of my old brooms." Rizu laughed nervously ten nodded. Sirius held out a hand "I'm Sirius Black by the way; I really hope that you get the Defense Position." She shook his hand.
"I hope I do to. It's very nice to meet you Sirius Black. Do you teach here?"
"Why yes indeed I do. I teach Charms. Lilly teaches Potions. James is an understudy to Madame Hooch, our Quidditch instructor. Remus teaches Arithmancy, and hopefully you will be joining our teaching staff this year as well. Oh and Minerva is Headmistress."
The group continued walking towards the pitch. Hermione struck up a conversation with Lily. "Did you go to school here?"
"Yeah, I went to seven years of school here, and this summer, six of our professors went to fight in the war, including our Headmaster. Also, this summer James and I are going to be getting married."
"Really!" Hermione suddenly realized that even if she could never find a way back to the future then she could leave a pensive for Harry somewhere in the school with a note and memories from each of his parents and their friends.
"Yeah, he proposed to me on Valentines Day. We've been going out for just over two years, ever since he grew up some. Although, I don't think he will ever grow up all the way." They burst out laughing glancing at James who of course knew that they were talking about him.
"I resent that! What ever it was!" James screeched, like a little girl.
As the group approached the pitch they had fanned out. Now that they were there however, they got into a group as brooms were distributed throughout the James, Sirius, Remus, Minerva, Rolanda, and Lily all had Cleansweep fives while Hermione and Poppy borrowed Cleansweep fours from James and Sirius.
"Lily and Remus will be their teams respective chasers, Sirius and I will be a beater each, Rolanda and James will be seekers, and Rizu and Poppy will be keepers. Everyone know the rules?" Everyone nodded to Minerva, "Okay, everyone Mount your brooms and to your positions. Keepers by the posts everyone else in the middle!"
Hermione was nervous about flying. She had only really flown on Buckbeak but on a Hippogriff, you had support on the wings. As she kicked off the ground, she gasped as she watched the ground fall away from her. She quickly flew to her designated position and the game began.
Lily had scored twice before Hermione had finally figured out how to block. She had nearly fallen off the broom both times defending but this time when Lily faked left then shot right, Hermione sped to the other side and caught the ball in her outstretched hands and tossed it to Remus, whom almost dropped the precious ball due to giving her a thumbs up.
The game went on for nearly four more hours with many great saves on both Hermione's and Poppy's parts, and there where many goals on both sides. Finally Rolanda spotted the snitch, a few hundred feet below and dove down, James close on her tail. Their fingers were reaching towards the small ball when Rolanda slipped off her broom a few feet above the ground and landed on the snitch, winning them the game.
Hermione cheered with the rest of her team, while the other team congratulated them on their great game. "Come on Rizu, your team won, so our team gets to buy your team drinks at the pub in Hogsmeade!" Sirius shouted across the pitch.
Hermione suddenly realized that she had no idea how in descend without diving, her hands begun to sweat as she panicked, thinking she would be stuck up here forever, and they slipped off the broom, her body slowly sliding off the broom, as she began to fall down Hermione realized that she was over 500 feet up and quickly descending towards the hard ground, dry from lack of rain in the summer months.
When she started to scream, the rest of the group started racing towards her, trying to stop her from falling, Sirius got there first, catching her and bringing her slowly towards the ground, where the rest of the group quickly found a disheveled Hermione in the arms of one freaked out Sirius.
McGonagall offered a hand to Hermione, "Let's get you something to calm you down." And together the group headed into Hogsmeade to get something to eat and drink at the Hogshead.
-----
Peter woke up to a high pitched scream of a middle aged looking women, standing in the doorway of the room he was in.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY DAUGHTER?" Came the intelligible yell from and angry Mrs. Granger, who had come home for lunch and found a strange man on Hermione's bed, asleep.
"I didn't do anything to your daughter, Madame. I just woke up here, instead of at Hogwarts and I blacked out again, then, a few moments ago to your screaming. If you could please tell me where I am and how to get out, I would gladly return to Hogwarts." But Hermione's mother wasn't listening anymore. Instead she was staring at Peter's right arm.
"If you stay right there I'll call Professor Dumbledore and ask him to escort you to Hogwarts. These aren't safe days to travel alone." Mrs. Granger sidled out of the room and ran to the fireplace, taking a handful of emerald powder, the Granger house had been connected to the floo network for the summer so they could contact Dumbledore if necessary.
She threw the powder into the flame and whispered "Albus Dumbledore" so the mysterious visitor wouldn't hear her, sticking her head into the fireplace, she told the Headmaster about the unwelcome visitor.
-----
A/N: Sorry the update took so long, but I've had writer's block. I hope you like this! Thanks to my seven reviewers! I hope you keep reviewing and I hope you like this! I will try to make the chapters longer as the story develops; right now I just wanted to get another chapter up!