Author's note with love from sophini - Hello Readers! First chapter :) Sorry it took so long but my grandfather's been ill on holiday and it's all very stressful :( Anywhoo, hope you like this chapter and, uh, yeah, review or whatever... The usual. Just enjoy. Yeah... Awkward author's note – yay! Fun stuff. Love you guys, Sophini. X
It had started out as a normal Saturday for Hermione but then again, it always did...
Breakfast in the Great Hall and then up to the library to get out a book (or five) before Ron or Harry even bothered to get out of bed.
In fact, she'd finished her Charms essay, her Transfiguration essay and was starting on her Defence Against The Dark Arts homework when Ron seemed to tumble down the stairs into the Gryffindor common room in his pyjamas, some how landing unharmed in a spare arm chair by Hermione's table.
"Morning, Hermione," He said, unsuccessfully stifling a huge yawn.
"Afternoon, you mean?" Hermione frowned, raising an eyebrow in disapproval, "How's Harry?"
"OK, 'suppose..." Ron pondered, using his tongue to get a piece of food out from between his teeth, which was quite odd considering he hadn't eaten since the night before, "He was crying a bit last night... Bloody 'ell! I thought he'd never stop... Then he started moaning in his sleep, saying his name over and over. I don't think he's well, Hermione."
Hermione sighed, "Neither do I, Ron..."
Eventually, Ron went back up to his dormitory and got changed before going down for breakfast in the Great Hall with Hermione in tow.
They hadn't been able to get Harry out of bed... He had been lying in a depressed sort of way, still in his robes from the day before, staring into a broken piece of a mirror, as if searching for something. Even Hermione hadn't been able to get him up when she'd burst into the room, much to the outrage of Neville who'd been getting changed at the time.
"Aren't you getting up, Harry?" Hermione had asked him gently.
There was a muffled grunt in reply but after a while Hermione was forced to give up and followed Ron out of the room.
"What are we going to do about him?" Hermione burst out suddenly, as Ron shovelled spoonful after spoonful of porridge into his mouth.
"Dunno, 'ermione," Ron frowned, bits of porridge flying out of his bulging mouth and landing on the table.
"He's so depressed," Hermione sighed, "I honestly don't know what to do..."
That was worrying in itself... She always knew what to do. In fact, Ron and Harry relied heavily on her just to automatically know what to do.
But this was different...
This wasn't some potion that needed a bit of tweaking or a wand movement that needed some practice, this was Harry.
It was obvious he felt alone, despite Hermione and Ron being right beside him.
After his Godfather, Sirius, had died, Harry had seemed to have went into a state of shock and had refused to talk to anyone. Summer hadn't changed anything.
Even though Harry had Hermione, the Weasleys and the rest of the Order, he obviously felt like Sirius had abandoned him and unless Harry found a way to get past that, he was going to be up in his dormitory for a long time...
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"I know this is back to the basics," Professor Flitwick was saying squeakily from on top of a pile of books, "But I was amazed to see that a large number of you couldn't do this spell during your summer exams... So we're going to go over it again. Do any of you remember this from first year? Say it with me now!"
"Wingardium Leviosa!" The class chanted obligingly, looking extremely bored and irritated.
"And remember, the wand movement is swish and flick!" Flitwick reminded them, climbing down from his stack of books to walk among the class.
Hermione had her feather in the air by the time he reached the ground and had rounded on Ron who was glaring at his feather as if trying to set it alight with his eyes.
"And anyway, Ron, he has Quidditch practice soon and he'll never forgive you if you let him miss it."
Once again, the subject of their conversation was Harry. They'd been arguing about him all day... Hermione had had the idea that Ron would be able to get through to Harry by blackmailing him with Quidditch but Ron was simply refusing to cooperate.
"Hermione!" He snapped at her as his feather fell of the desk after she whacked it with her fist to emphasize a point, "Harry will come out of his room when he's ready. Just leave him alone... In fact, leave me alone for that matter."
Hermione continued to glare at him throughout the class as he struggled to make his feather lift.
"No Mr Potter today?" Flitwick asked squeakily as he reached their table.
"No, he's in his room and he'll come down when he's ready, SO JUST DROP IT!" Ron growled before realizing who he was speaking to and turning around with an alarmed look, "I mean, I... He's feeling unwell..."
Hermione simply snorted with laughter.
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The class fell silent as Snape stormed in, his black robes swirling behind him.
"Welcome to Defence Against The Dark Arts," He started, glaring around the class with narrowed eyes, his gaze lingering on Harry's empty seat, "This year we will be studying a wide variety of subjects, starting with Dementors and building up to practical work such as wand less magic..."
Snape's start of year speech continued as Hermione quietly dipped the nib of her quill into her ink pot and scribbled down a quick note to Ron on a spare piece of parchment.
Did you talk to Harry at lunch?
Ron's scribbled reply came quickly back.
Yeah and gave him food. talked bout quidditch. didnt care. told me to go away. i did.
Hermione scowled in disapproval at the note. Ron obviously wasn't a fan of literature... Or grammar...
Well, you obviously weren't trying hard enough if you left on command! What are you, a dog? And write properly, it's really annoying.
Ron picked up the note and snorted loudly, causing Snape to whip around to face him.
"Something funny, Weasley?" He snarled.
The Slytherins', scattered randomly around the room, were grinning appreciatively, fully aware that Ron and Hermione were going to become the sport of the day, considering Potter was absent.
"No, sir," Ron muttered hurriedly.
"And yet you think it is acceptable to interrupt my class in such a disrespectful way?" Snape scowled.
"No, sir."
"And what about you, Granger?"
"No, sir," She tried to say politely, fully aware that the whole class was staring at her and that the wrong move would get her thrown in detention for the next month.
Snape rose from his desk at the front of the room and stalked towards the desk the two friend's shared as Hermione quickly tried to stuff their written conversation into her robes in a none obvious way.
She didn't succeed and Snape was soon upon her, smirking almost triumphantly with his hand outstretched, "Give it here, Granger."
Scowling angrily, she handed over the note which Snape looked over briefly.
"Really, Weasley? Love notes in class?" He lied casually, much to the amusement of the class, "I believe that'll be twenty points from Gryffin-"
"So sorry to interrupt!" A voice said from the direction of the blackboard, sounding anything but sorry, "I was just wondering -"
The voice became slightly muffled for a moment before the head of Nearly Headless Nick protruded from the board, still speaking, " - Hermione Granger would be able to go to the headmaster's office immediately?"
Snape slowly turned around, his top lip twitching slightly, looking as if he might have killed Nick on the spot, if he hadn't already been dead because he'd been in the middle of humiliating a Gryffindor... And had been interrupted.
"Fine," He said coldly, "Now, Granger, get out of my class before I throw you in detention with your boyfriend here!"
Hermione had never moved faster...
Ignoring Ron's pleading look that clearly begged her not to leave him alone to face Snape's wrath, she scurried from the room to find Nearly Headless Nick waiting outside.
"Hi, Nick," Hermione sighed happily, feeling slightly guilty about leaving Ron but still intrigued about why she'd been called to see Dumbledore.
She never got called to see Dumbledore, that was Harry's thing...
"Hello, Hermione!" Nick smiled cheerily, "Come along now!"
He quickly set off, losing no time in getting her to Dumbledore's office, past the gargoyle until both girl and ghost were standing in front of his desk, waiting expectantly.
"I'm sure he'll be along in a moment," Nick reassured Hermione as she wrung her hands nervously, staring at the empty armchair in front of her.
Hermione returned his tender smile and stood waiting.
It was another few minutes before Dumbledore arrived, smiling in an amused sort of way as he watched Hermione finish up a conversation with a portrait of a headmaster who was mocking her muggle heritage.
"Good afternoon, Miss Granger," He said softly as she turned around to face him, "Nicholas."
"Professor Dumbledore," Hermione replied, smiling politely and curiously at the same time while Nick nodded in acknowledgement, his head bobbing precariously.
"I suppose you're wondering why I brought you both here," Dumbledore pondered aloud, continuing before either had a chance to speak. "Well, it's actually about Harry, if you haven't already guessed... I was wondering if you'd be able to help me with something."
"Of course, sir," Hermione said quickly.
"Excellent," He smiled, "You see, Harry's past has been littered with unhappy, terrible memories, as you are well aware, Miss Granger, and I was thinking that him having his godfather for a while longer wouldn't be such a bad idea..."
"But," Hermione frowned, confused, "Sirius is dead, professor."
"Now but in the past... I was wondering if you'd like to go on a little trip..."
Hermione didn't like the sound of all this wondering. It didn't sound as if Dumbledore was wondering at all, more like he already knew what was going to happen.
And it didn't seem to matter what she'd like at all.
"In the past?" Hermione repeated, "But, sir, all the time turners were destroyed... We-"
"Have you not heard about ghosts, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore interrupted, for once sounding irritated and annoyed.
"Well, of course, sir!" Hermione stammered, feeling confused and somewhat sorry for herself, "They're imprints of a departed soul on the earth..."
"But you do not know that ghosts have a habit of wondering through time, right up until the point of their death?" Dumbledore pressed.
Hermione shook her head numbly, feeling rather like a rabbit, caught in a car's headlights.
"Show her, Nicholas," He said simply.
"So sorry, Hermione!" Nick said to her in an oddly cheerful yet regretful way, putting his hands through hers as if he could touch them, "But you'll be back before you know it!"
"What do you mea-"
The last words out of Hermione's mouth seemed to vanish with her and Nick as Dumbledore rose from his desk and sighed before turning to the phoenix on a its perch beside his desk.
"Well, that went well."
What do you think? :)Next chapter should be up soon[ish]. Lol, no promises but I'll try