Freefalling

By dazed*kitten

Part 9: Finally

Three days later, Dianella figured out a way to get herself back to the present. Or future. Whatever. She was bursting with enthusiasm, and as she sat in Transfiguration, she was positively humming. Hermione turned to look at the girl and it was all Nell could do to not shout her solution across the room. Ron was sitting next to the girl, and he noticed that she was bouncing all over the place.

"Hey, Nell. Did you eat bouncing beans for breakfast this morning?" Ron hissed into her ear. Nell smiled enigmatically at the boy, before turning and trying to concentrate on the class again. Ron looked hopelessly at the girl before shrugging and trying to concentrate on the work at hand.

Ron, however, found it harder and harder to work. Nell's scent kept pushing up his nose, and all he could think about was the girl. He glanced over at Harry, on the other side of the room, but couldn't catch his gaze. How long has it been since I talked to him? Ron wondered idly, trying to ignore the scent lingering in his nostrils. Too long, if not being able to catch his gaze was anything to go by. Ron decided to ignore whatever McGonagall was trying to teach him, and began to write a letter to his friend.

By the end of class, he had an almost legible, almost worthy letter to give to his friend. He folded it and passed it to Harry on the way out before walking up the pathway to the Divination Tower.

Harry looked at the crumpled piece of parchment, and decided to read it. He hadn't quite gotten around to talking to Ron yet, despite his best intentions to. Maybe he was a coward inside. Opening the letter, Harry struggled his way through his friend's almost-legible writing.

Harry finished reading the letter before scurrying to his next class: Divination. Harry clamoured in, and managed to seat himself next to Ron with little fuss. A quick grin and they were best friends again.

#~~~~~~~~~~#

Nell pushed Hermione gently out the door, bouncing along.

"I've got it! I've got it!" she cried, watching Hermione's face break into a huge grin also. "I get to go home!" Hermione threw her arms around Nell, and the two danced around a bit. They then rushed to Advanced Potions, a class taken by only the most resilient of students- mainly because it meant putting up with more Snape. Most people decided to either have a free lesson, or do Divination. Both girls had shuddered at the thought of either.

As they rushed into the classroom, bags falling to the floor beside their desk, the girls twittered quietly whilst the class waited for Snape to arrive. "I can't believe it!" Hermione whispered, "it's only been a couple of months, and already you're going back home! What will I do now?"

Nell's face fell, but she thought quickly. "I'll write you letters before I go, one for each week until graduation. Then you'll have too much to think about anyway. You can write back, and keep them until I get home. I guess you'll have a lot by then…" Nell winked, and Hermione laughed.

"A bit like keeping a diary, but written to someone else. I like it, and I probably will give them to you when you get home." Then both girls laughed. Their joy infused the two Hufflepuffs that came, and the one Ravenclaw and three Slytherins.

After another moment, the door swung open, and the lesson began. Nell frowned a little before walking up to Snape during the practical part of the lesson.

"Professor Snape," she started cautiously, waiting until he waved his hand impatiently at her to speak.

"I'd like to create a binding potion. Would it be ok for me to do it now?" Snape looked up at the girl, remembered what Dumbledore had told him ("let the girl make whatever potion she needs- it will be helpful in getting her back to her own time"), shrugged and opened the storeroom. Nell walked in and grasped the ingredients she needed, and walked back to her table. She set her cauldron to the 'simmer' setting, and began to slice ingredients. Hermione watched her carefully, trying to figure out exactly what she was doing, but found that her own potion was far too commanding to spend the attention on what the other girl was doing.

Nell sautéed and swirled and stirred and muttered Latin incantations under her breath. Her mind was working overtime getting all the incantations correct, and her fingers worked quickly without conscious effort. Snape watched for a moment, caught up in the intensity of what the girl was doing. But he quickly shook his head, and turned away. The girl was damn good. He went to inspect the Ravenclaw boy's potion.

Nell finished the potion, whistling a small tune of perfectly pitched notes over it to complete it. Then she took her wand, lifted all the liquid out of the cauldron and placed it in a large conical flask. She swirled it, stoppered it, and placed a wax seal on it. She sealed it with several incantations, then sat back and smiled, satisfied.

Hermione finished the canon potion, then turned and looked at the girl. "Part of your going home spell?" She asked quietly. Most of the school had found out the story that Nell was a time-turner victim, but most didn't know her paternity or fraternity. None, in fact, except Hermione and Dumbledore. There were always rumours going around, but Nell just laughed whenever she heard them. About three days after she turned up, she stopped being a celebrity and became just another Gryffindor. This was fine by her. Nell glanced over and nodded. She didn't elaborate. She was going home.