The walk to Hagrid's took much less time than normal. Probably due to Hermione's constant busy head spinning with thoughts and emotions. Upon reaching the small hut on the schools grounds Hermione knocked twice on the door.

She didn't have to listen hard to hear the clattering of pans and metal being dropped. "Oh Merlin!" the half giant could be heard exclaiming. "Just a moment!" he called.

Hermione couldn't help but smile, just the presence of Hagrid being in this time settled her. It was only a few seconds before the large man opened the door of his hut.

"Hello?" he said looking right at her.

Hermione couldn't help but feel her stomach knot as Hagrid's face didn't wash with recognition.

'It's fine,' she thought mentally. She was going to have to get used to this.

Suddenly Hagrid's expression changed. "Are you Hermeenie?"

Hermione wasn't so shocked that Hagrid knew her, not if Dumbledore had anything to do with it. "Hermione," she corrected holding out her hand to shake.

Hagrid took it without delay and shook it whilst dragging her through the doorway into his home.

"Make yourself comfortable, we have a lot to discuss," he said pointing her to a large chair by the huge oak table. "Yes, lots to talk through. See I've never had any help like this before. Awf'y kind of the professor."

"Sorry, excuse me, but help?" Hermione questioned.

Hagrid took a seat opposite her. "Yeah?" he answered unsure. "Professor Dumbledore has explained to you that I'm the person you're assisting hasn't he? Or maybe I'm supposed to brief you."

Hermione's blank face said it all, so Hagrid sat and explained to her what was happening. "Yeah well Dumbledore, great man can I add, told me I was to be having an assistant, just to help out during the days, who would work from this day now until exactly 3 months time. It's funny; he was very specific that you couldn't work past 7 minutes past 3 on the very day."

Hermione felt numb as she listened to him explain it all. She could see the look of confusion on his face as her own remained shocked. Snapping out of her shocked state she recovered with a smile. "Of course!" she exclaimed. "Sorry, long journey, heads in a bit of a spin. So what exactly will my job entail?"

Hermione could tell this was all Dumbledore's doing. And now she had room to believe that in 3 months of living here, she might be returning home. It was too specific of Hagrid to know the exact date she would be leaving without it being anything else.

Hagrid hesitated but it wasn't long before he was smiling and chuckling along. "No worries pet. Well you'll basically be sorting out some odd jobs I'll need doing. And running into Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley to pick things up. On a Thursday, tomorrow, you'll be helping out in my 7th year class in 'care of magical creatures', their usual teacher is off with a few nasty broken bones. Might take a while to recover physically, and mentally."

Hermione nodded along. She was actually quite excited now by it all. It was like being on a tough new work placement. She just had to adjust and work hard.

"Right," she said once he had finished. "Where am I staying?"

"Oh, well Dumbledore's set you up with a room in the castle. One of the spare prefect's room."

Hermione nodded again. There was an awkward pause and Hagrid stood up. "Well I suppose you'd best get to the castle. Get settled in and everything sorted." Hermione stood up as well and he walked her to the door, opening it for her to step out. "I'll be seeing you tomorrow then. The 7th years are here first thing."

Hermione walked down the steps and turned to say her goodbye for now.

"Good bye," Hagrid replied. "Oh and I'd bring your sense of humour tomorrow as well. Some of the 7th years are a bit troublesome. There are three in particular. Sirius Black, James Potter and Remus Lupin. I've never seen a threesome quite like it in all my time here. Oh well I'll be seeing you soon."

Hermione's heart did a flip into her throat. She went to speak but Hagrid had already closed the door and only a choke came out.

Tomorrow, she would be in a class with her best friend's dad, the same friend's godfather, and the man she had a massive crush on. What made things worse, he didn't even know who she was.

Hermione's feet began walking her back to the castle but she remained in the same unexplainable mood and her face didn't change. Once in the castle Hermione walked up the stairs to the prefects rooms and found a sign floating in mid air directing her to a spare Gryffindor room.

Opening it she found it was much the same as the one she had back in her own time. A large suitcase was perched on the bed and Hermione flicked it open to reveal an assortment of clothes, books and small comforts. She smiled slightly before shifting the suitcase onto the floor and lying down onto the fairly large bed.

'What am I going to do?' she thought to herself closing her eyes. 'I'm in a different time, and tomorrow I am to see the younger version of the man I can't go a day without thinking about! This is infuriating!'

Lying over onto her front she buried her head into the pillow and began humming a tuneless song. However it wasn't long before her mind wandered back to the same man that entertained her thoughts so many times before.

Wondering what he'd look like and be like at this age she couldn't help but fall asleep more soothed and less worried about her present situation than she could ever have imagined.