The Temptation Begins…
Oh, I've just had the most WONDERFUL few weeks!
So many subjects…so much information, juicy and inviting! I've never felt so alive, so in my element…this buzz just keeps coursing through me like an electric circuit, not unlike the circle of Heiraphortexes that Professor Muntag explained to us in Ancient Runes just this morning!
Although I can't exactly explain my feelings to any of my friends…hardly any of them know what an electric circuit is.
Using the Timeturner has been fascinating also. A single turn takes you back by roughly one hour, so it's been easy fitting it around my lessons, since they last one hour each anyway. There were a few sticky moments where Ron demanded an explanation on how I was attending three lessons at once, but it was easy to just snap at him so he'd drop it. That way he assumed everything was just like normal.
So far nothing as awful as running into myself or people who've just spoken to me has happened. Although I had to run very quickly through the corridors to catch up with Ron and Harry after supposedly attending their Charms lesson with them to go to lunch; my past self had already stolen into a cupboard to take…me back so I could then go to Arithmancy. It's very hard to get used to. And it means that the school day lasts much longer… I've never enjoyed the Education System so much!
Right now, I'm stroking my new cat, Crookshanks, at a table in the Common Room as I go through my first set of Ancient Runes translations. He's purring happily, so I think I'm quite good with animals! That should help for Care of Magical creatures…I wonder if the subject of household pets will come up in Muggle Studies…
Harry and Ron burst through the Portrait Hole, lugging between them a very old and heavy looking book. Fellow Gryffindors make way for them as they heave it over to the table next to mine. I watch with horror as they simply throw it down and scrape a couple of chairs over.
"Have you no respect?!" I hiss. It's as if they have personally betrayed me- they know of my fondness for books. Gingerly, I lift the cover and take a peek at the inside. With a whimper I close it again- with care, "It's a Library book!" I say with dismay.
They don't seem very guilty.
"We needed help with our Potions essay!" Ron says, "So we followed your example and went to the Library for one of the first times without you telling us to- you should be proud of us."
"Well, not that I'm not relieved that you didn't…but why didn't you just come to me for help?" I ask, slightly offended that they hadn't, but not letting on. That would only encourage them.
"No offence, but you've been a bit out of it this month, with all this homework." Ron replies, subconsciously peeling back the protective film of the book nervously. I slap his hand away.
"Well…" I can't really hide my shock, "I don't think I've been 'out of it' at all! I've just been spending a bit more extra time on my homework- as if that's a bad thing! I haven't missed anything important anyway! Nothing's happened this term."
They gape at me.
Maybe I have missed something, then.
"Let's start from day one," Ron says, determined to prove me wrong obviously, "On our first day, Professor Trelawney predicted Harry was going to die-"
"Well he is isn't he? Eventually?" I argue fiercely, "And as if that fraud knows anything-"
"Later on our first day," Harry interrupts, "I rode a Hippogriff, which then attacked Malfoy savagely moments later."
"Oh-oh yes…" I whimper faintly, vaguely remembering the blood.
"Then there was Sirius Black being sighted- remember him? The scary Dark Wizard who broke out of tip top security in Azkaban and is now after Harry-"
"W-well…you hear so much in the news these days…" I say feebly, wondering when they will come to a finish.
"Neville practically dressed up Snape in his Granny's clothes in Defence Against the Dark Arts…"
"Professor Snape." I correct sternly.
"Your stupid cat attacked Scabbers." Ron says darkly, eyeing Crookshanks suspiciously before his eyes flickered to the stairs, where Scabbers was probably hiding in the boy's dormitory.
"Alright, alright, so I've missed a lot." I scowl, "But really, I'm fine with the work. If anything this has been the best term yet!"
They don't seem to agree, particularly about Harry's predicted demise and the loose convict after him.
"Well it's obvious you care more about your perfect Grades than Harry's life." Ron says, quite meanly actually. I blush, desperately trying to think of something, a comeback, anything, just something to get back at him.
I splutter to a halt.
"Thought so." Ron says snidely, "C'mon, Harry, let's do this upstairs."
And after lifting the heavy book between them, they continue on to lug it up the stairs with much difficulty. After a few moments of them grunting and wheezing, George Weasley saunters over, performs a levitating charm with a flick of his wand and takes it up to the top of the stairs for them before letting it fall back down again.
"Second thoughts- do it yourself." He says, before strolling off whistling. Ron swears loudly after him.
--
As always, I'm in bed brooding about another little argument with Ron. I'm sure there is a comment to say back to him, somewhere in this brain of mine…how can I possibly fail at something so trivial?
I try to tell myself to get some sleep- I have yet another long day ahead of me. But I just cannot switch off. It seems that I just won't be able to rest until I think of something. But then it will only aggravate me more that I wouldn't be able to say it to him after all that hard work.
Click.
Of COURSE! A comeback that would've done perfectly! And there it is, the typical frustration. I can't believe that I thought of it so late again. It's times like these that I wish there was a way to turn back time-
Click.
Am I Hermione Granger or not? How can my brain be working so slowly tonight?
I open my eyes and turn to see it there, glowing dimly on my bedside table. Its faint light is impossible to look away from as it stains the darkness.
No, Hermione, remember the rules. The rules. The RULES.
You may not abuse it!
Professor McGonagall made it so clear! She had to write so many letters to the Ministry Of Magic to explain what a good student you are!
Remember your spotless record!
...Your endless achievements!
Don't throw it all away on some silly whim-
But the Timeturner is in my sweaty palms, and I find myself thinking quicker than I have all evening. I yank my school robes on over my pyjamas and jam my bare feet into my shoes- I can feel my wand in my pocket. I feel my conscience, the thing that I have followed my whole life, trying to cancel out my adrenaline, trying to extinguish my desperation to make Ron look like an idiot. And all it takes is his stupid sneer in my mind as I splutter to a halt, knowing that he'd won, just two hours before.
Two hours.
The Timeturner spins twice in my palm, and then the whole room melts into a blur. The familiar rushing winds scream in my ear as I'm pulled backwards, leaving the peaceful dormitory behind, along with the Sensible Hermione.
--
I stumbled as I recognize the corridor I was just about to walk through. Not me, the past me.
My heart raced as I leapt through the first door I saw. I hadn't even concocted a strategy this time. I really had left myself behind- everything would have to be played by ear.
Footsteps…
It's me.
As quietly and as gently as I could, I pushed the door open to get a look at myself. And to get a good aim.
"Confundo." I hissed, pointing my wand at this other Hermione. She stumbled slightly as I had upon landing here and looked around, dazed.
"Oh, yes, I'd better have a bath…" She burbled, "Lot's of bubbles…maybe a ducky…" And…she, I suppose, tottered back the way she had come.
I waited until she had turned the corner before stepping out and resuming the path that she had meant to take. In roughly ten minutes, Ron and Harry were to come into the Common Room, and abuse the Library Book.
I stepped through the portrait hole, trying to look as innocent as possible, and resumed my seat at the table. Right on que, Crookshanks sprang onto my lap and I started to stroke him, just as I had before.
Soon enough, the boys made their clumsy entrance. I watched, unable to look away as they made to throw the book down upon the table top.
Instinctively, I whipped out my wand and performed a swift cushioning charm to insure that the aged book bobbed down pleasantly, resting lightly upon the table top as gently as...as a baby would rest its head... upon its mother's chest…
What? I do love books, you know.
"Be careful with Library Books!"
"It's just a book, Hermione." Ron said, rolling his eyes.
"Just?!" I spat incredulously, "You will rue the day, Ronald, wh-"
"Alright, alright- you sound like Madam Pince." He muttered, shuddering at the memory of the severe librarian as he took a seat.
It was important that this conversation didn't go off track- I needed to satisfy this ridiculous whim that seemed stupider with every second that ticked by as the awkward silence was stretched further and further, until taught and ready to snap.
It was as though I had forgotten my lines in a play.
"Oh! S-so, why aren't you asking me for help?" I stammered. Harry and Ron exchanged looks of confusion.
"…with what."
"Your Potions essay!"
"…how did you know we were doing a Potions essay?" Harry asked, since we hadn't seen each other since dinner. Obviously, I had been swamped with homework.
"Because of your book!" I said, pointing at it violently. My voice was becoming shriller- what if I was found out? Why didn't I think this through?
Ron turned the book on its front, gently I was glad to see. I read the title.
"Writing the Perfect Essay…" I said aloud, "Oh. Nothing about Potions there…well…as you would've noticed…" Hermione, get this conversation back on track! "I have been a bit 'out of it' lately."
Perfect!
"Yeah." Ron said, wrinkling his nose, "But I guess you've had a lot of work to do."
…WHAT?! Ron, being accepting? Ron, being fair, level headed, considerate? The words would turn to ash on anyone's tongue if they dared say these things about the boy aloud!
Perhaps it needed to turn into a disagreement from me to spur on his argumentative side.
"Oh, so you're saying I have been 'out of it'?" I demanded, a little desperately. Ron and Harry both looked startled. In complete panic, my mind was wiped blank of what had come next the last time we had sat here together.
"Um…because…" I stuttered. They waited expectantly.
Why had my memory -that I would fondly liken to the size of a vast labyrinth and with the hold of a spider's web (secretly, of course) - failed me now?
Think...think...
BINGO! Sweet epiphany…
"It's not as if ANYTHING important has happened this year anyway!" I wrap it up, finishing with a wild gesture of my hands. They flinched, but remained silent.
"…except Trelawney predicting Harry's death?" Ron suggested- but meekly, as if he was worried that I would steal his nose.
"…Yes?" I prompted.
"And…Sirius Black is after me?" Harry hazarded a guess at whether this was important or not.
"…Carry on!" I said, eager, waving my arms like windmills. They now looked very confused.
"Ooh! Ooh!" Ron suddenly became more animated- this was becoming very much like a classroom scene-"Buckbeak attacked Malfoy- that was great."
"Very good." I encouraged, smiling, "So you see, I haven't noticed much this year- not even Harry's impending doom! How bad is that?"
Silence. I could tell they were curious as to what I was even getting at.
"So…?" I prompted, looking straight at Ron. He shifted in his seat, uncomfortable.
"This means that I…?" I continued, a twitch going in my jaw.
Still no response.
"It means," I jumped out my seat, having finally lost my patience, "That I care more about my 'perfect grades' that Harry's life, Ron!" I mean, how hard was that to get? It was a miracle that I even gave them the opportunity to answer themselves instead of taking it for myself…which I suppose I did anyway.
They looked appalled.
Oh.
I could see how that could've been taken the wrong way.
How should one get oneself out of such a sticky situation…?
Oh, forget it and just do the deed that you caused all this fuss for! USE THE COMEBACK!!!
"Well, Ronald," I said loftily, as if this was entirely his fault, which would've been true in a completely different time zone. I hunched my shoulders, clenched my fists and raised my head as I looked down at him with disdain.
Wait for it- this really was the best comeback I'd ever given, and I could actually say it to him this time!
"You've got a face your own mother couldn't love."
And with that, I turned on my heel and flounced out of the room, with a certain spring to my step.
I should think that put him in his place! I raced up the stairs to my dormitory, my heart racing, feeling jubilant.
Well, despite the confusion at the beginning, I think that went quite well, and breaking the rules was completely worth it!
Of course, I'll never do it again...
--
Riiight Hermione, you'll leave it at that will you?
But there's just SO much MORE for you to get up to!
What did you think? That was one of the more elaborate messes she gets herself into, the other ones may be easier to follow...
REVIEWS!! OPINIONS!! HATEMAIL if it means getting feedback lol!
I'm still open to suggestions for possible shenanigans that she could get caught up in! You'll get credit ;D