Disclaimer: I do not own anything whatsoever.

Many thanks to you, TheFlyingCat for your review! Very grateful indeed. If anyone wishes to make any comments in the direction of this story, please, feel free to. I will take them into deep consideration.

It is a very curious thing to lose track of time. It is there one moment, then it is lost and finally you find it. You never really know were it went to, just that it wasn't there and you did not feel it. So when Hermione Granger felt the cool morning air and the goose bumps that were produced from the feel of it, she immediately felt as if she were home, with the fan on full blast. As was typical, she turned to her side (her most comfortable and preferred sleeping position), and kept her eyes closed so as to postpone the start of the day a little longer.

Were it not for the splitting headache that kept growing, she might have fallen asleep for at least a couple minutes more. If her bed were not as hard as it was (or prickly) she might have finished her dream. It was a quaint dream, just about a white rabbit but it would have been less frustrating if she were able to finish it. It seemed that her headache, however, was becoming more and more painful by the minute and as her eyes fluttered open, it was apparent that she was not in her room. The morning sun blinded her for a minute or two but as she tried to sit up everything around her made a complete flip. She held her head for some form of comfort and found it soon after that. With great caution, she was able to kneel, stand up and survey her surroundings.

It was now even more clear that she had not been sleeping in her room but on a patch of grass, a very green and uncomfortable patch of grass. Hermione surveyed the land around her and determined that the Burrow must have been transformed to look like one of the top one hundred natural wonders of the world. Her breathing became erratic as she gazed upon the ocean, sun in full rise. Her heart skipped a beat of both fear and euphoria. The sight was one that could only be felt and seen, nothing that can really be described. As she glanced around, it seemed that the land cut off abruptly and it was true, for if she had taken a couple steps forward, she would have surely fallen to her death. Her location was atop a very steep but beautiful cliff.

Once her location had completely registered in her mind, she quickly took as many steps backwards as she could however, it seemed that something was in her way. Her head turned cautiously to see a giant tree and many more. For a few moments, it seemed that she was attempting to calm herself down. In many instances in the past, she had faced great perils by Harry's side but at this instance, being completely alone and disoriented, it was more than expected that she be overwhelmed. Hermione quickly came to realization and searched her pockets for her wand. It was very obvious from just touching her sides that she had no pockets, and no pants on for that matter. What she did have on was a very nice and elegant dress. She searched the inside lining, were she had her wand previously, and suddenly remembered the events of the day. The wedding, the rabbit and the pocket watch. She searched her surroundings and started to feel around the grass to see if any strange form of object was lying obscured in the grass. The first to be found was the pocket watch, which obviously, was no use to her. Then came her wand which, unfortunately, seemed to be broken just a tad at the end.

"No, no, no." Hermione's very perfectionist ways were always criticized by those around her. There were always questions like "why in the world are your books always like new…do you ever read them?" Of course! she would always answer. Or "why do you carry your wand in a case?" In case it gets broken in my bag or I fall and land on it. It seemed all her precautions were of no use to her now.

It was obvious to her that the only way of getting a solid answer out of anyone (and getting her wand fixed immediately) was to venture into the thick forest as ominous as it might have seemed. Once inside, it seemed like the worst decision ever executed by man. It was dark and her legs, which where bare, were all scratched from low lying shrubbery and her heels, which were considered a safe height by the saleswoman, kept her from properly walking a straight line.

"Anyone out there?" she shouted. It might not have been the best approach to it, but at this moment it was the only one she had. "I could have ignored the stupid rabbit, but no-" she sat down on a fallen tree trunk to rest her feet and to examine her wand a little closer. "I had to make sure." Hermione's attempts at transforming her shoes were futile for the only thing her wand would do was to send sparks in every direction. She groaned and took the pocket watch from inside her brassiere (something she did not do regularly but seeing as there was a lack of storage on her person it was the most secure place to put it).

There was some light appearing and as she squinted, she saw that the watch was stopped. Very convenient, she thought, what else could go bloody wrong?

"Lots of things, my dear, lots of things." The hairs at the back of Hermione's neck stood up and for fear of the unknown she kept her eyes on the watch. The voice was frightening and it seemed to have come from all directions. Just your paranoia, ignore it and it'll go away…It was silent for some time and Hermione took it to be her imagination.

"Nope, you're hearing me alright."

"What do you want from me!" Hermione cowered under her arms but it seemed that her fear took over and she took to shaking.

The voice suddenly burst into cackling, a sound that could give anybody chills. "Calm down, my little human friend." The voice sounded as if it were in front of her and she dared but look up. "Nothing to be afraid of, just your average, loveable cat." And indeed it was. Well, a cat at least. It was nowhere near average, since its coat was of strange purples and it seemed to be…grinning.

"A-a Cheshire cat?" she asked out loud.

"Very good, typically they say Persian," it responded. It was a very big cat, with unusually large paws and a very long coat. Its eyes were a deep shade of green and it had a very strange and curious aura. The voice also seemed to have an ominous echo to it which was still reverberating in her ears.

"Were am I?" The Cheshire cat stared at her blankly before encircling her.

"You'll know that pretty soon…what I want to know is why you are here?"

Hermione considered her predicament and was at the conclusion that the watch might have been some type of portkey.

"It might have been meant for Harry. I- I need to go back." She made to stand but was stopped in her tracks by the cat.

"I wouldn't rush off too soon…there are a few things I should warn you about. Like for example-"

"If this is Wonderland then I know how it all goes. The Queen of Hearts, the trial, the cards…it's all predictable and frustrating…what I need is a better and faster way out of here, not just simply to wake up as Alice did. It might be too late if it happens like that…" Hermione's mind raced as she thought of a complicated plan to kidnap Harry or of an attack on the Burrow.

"Well, little miss know it all, there are other things in Wonderland that I should warn you about. You know, nothing stays the same forever, especially not places. Or its people for that matter." The Cheshire cat slowly disappeared while his grin remained.

"Where in the world am I suppose to go…as I clearly remember you helped Alice!" She stood up, hating the idea of being left alone in such a dilemma.

"Tell me, then, in what direction did I point her out to?" the smile began to spin in midair.

"Oh no, not that ridiculous tea party?"

"Follow the path, Ms. Granger, and you'll get quite a surprise, and try not to lose your head." And with that said, the smile disappeared.

"I never liked these books anyways." It was in defeat that she said this and for awhile, she searched for a path and as if by magic, a cobblestone trail appeared to her right. She started on it very cautiously and in a moment of desperation, took her shoes off. It was a half hour before the forest began to clear and another hour before it that it was just tall grass and wildflowers.

The day would have been a nice and pleasant one had it not all of a sudden become so overcast and windy. A couple drops of rain had hit her by now and she wrapped her arms around herself to keep as warm as possible. Hermione knew that it wasn't the brightest idea to stand under a tree but it would have been that or being drenched by the oncoming rain. As she stood under the nearest tree, shoes in hand and wand and watch safely stored, she came to the conclusion that she must have been dreaming. Of course, she felt otherwise, but to keep from bursting into frustrating tears she reassured herself that she was still sleeping somewhere, on a nice comfortable bed and that there was no danger at the Burrow.

As her breathing became distressed, she looked to all places and felt her heart skip. There, on the side of the path, was a nicely lit blue house. It had a white picket fence and there seemed to be many Christmas lights wrapped around the house, the trees and the fence as well. They were all visible because the weather had become worse than what it had been. It seemed as if it were night and as she rushed to the house it began to pour. She was soaked once out from under the tree and struggled to open the fence but seeing as it was jammed, she carefully hopped over it.

Hermione slipped once on the grass but made it safely under the porch. She stood under there for quite some time and knew that it was truly a madman's house. There were jars full of buttons and threads and one with an array of beads. There were a hundred, some stacked, some empty and others black. When she looked up, hundreds of keys tied to strings were hung from the ceiling, clanging as the wind blew. She went to knock on the door and seeing it closed, decided to open it. Once inside, the warmth of the house enclosed her body and she could not help but to relax just a little.

The inside of the house, as opposed to the outside, was kept very clean and organized. There was furniture that did not match but was necessary and in a way, added to the warmth of the house. The hearth was immaculate, as was the dust-free furniture and mirrors. There may have been as many mirrors hung on the walls as there were jars outside but everything else seemed normal. She took a glance at one of the mirrors and regretted doing so. Her hair was beginning to frizz up and the mascara that Ginny found necessary to wear was streaked along her face. She quickly removed as much of the dark substance from her face and left her hair be. Hermione wasn't much into caring about looks during dilemmas and so decided to let the fact that she looked like a slob go.

As she ventured into the kitchen towards the back it seemed as if there were different collections in every part of the house, this room being home to teapots. What was curious was that the teapots were neatly placed, not hoarded, into the room. The stove was spotless and there was not a single trace of food or spills on the tile floor.

She looked towards the screen door and saw a large gazebo with lanterns hung around it. There was a large table covered in white and many plates set up with pastries and multiple teapots. Hermione felt excited to meet these iconic literature characters and also annoyed. Alice had had not a single word of sanity given to her by these characters especially, and it was only obvious that they would waste Hermione's time as well. Seeing as there was no other solution but to deal with these characters, she mustered all her bravery (and sanity) to open the screen door.