I overcame! The end to my writers block has come (somewhat) and this is the result. It isn't perfect, but it is far better than it was. It's short- deal. I wanted to get you guys a chapter right away.
I also wanted to tell you that I posted an original story at FictionPress, the site for original fiction. If you guys want to help me out with an enormously important project, go to the link after you read (and review- please?). I need feedback to do the reflection part of the project.
And one more thing- I want to thank everyone to reviewed to encourage me to continue writing this story, and tell me that it was okay that I had writers block. They were extremely uplifting, and made me feel so loved!
Enjoy the chapter, even if it slightly shorter than usual. Tell me what you think!
Hermione stumbled down a sunlight corridor to a window bench, exhausted. She collapsed on the bench, allowing her head to fall back on the cool stone walls of the castle. Giving herself a moment to breathe, Hermione turned to look out the window at the thawing earth, watching as a group of second years trudged back to the castle from Herbology.
The fading tear tracks on her cheeks had been drawn when she let herself rage at false opponents in the Room of Requirement, lashing out with her magic to bring them down. She had fought and she had won- as much as she could win against a simulation. With her hair free and loose and her uniform exchanged for a simple shirt and jeans, she had made a frightening figure- eyes streaming, hair standing on end from pure magical power, sweat dripping down her back.
Now though, no trace of that warrior remained, Hermione once again in a pressed and pleated skirt, white button down, and robe that was the Hogwarts uniform for a young Gryffindor girl in the seventies. Her hair was calm again, forcefully charmed down into a long braid. Her Mary Janes were shined, and her socks were neat. Everything was perfectly in place.
She rested for a while longer, then rose slowly. She would be sore the next day, for sure. Lovely. She looked out the window once more, and, determining dinner would soon start, turned to go down to the Great Hall. The corridors and staircases were strangely empty as she descended to the ground floor.
The silence as well as the past three hours spent fighting made her jumpy, a feeling Hermione hated. When she heard the footsteps echoing behind her, she spun and the point of her want was pointing slightly to the left of Will's nose.
The shock in the blond boy's face was laced with fear, the glint of worry evident in his eyes. "Hermione?"
When she didn't lower her wand, Will raised his hands, showing her they were empty. He walked toward her slowly, speaking in a low and gentle voice. "Hermione. It's me. I'm sorry I frightened you. You can put away your wand now." She was breathing hard, but she heard him.
"Sorry," she exhaled, lowering her wand until it pointed at the floor. "Sorry." Calley smiled, relief washing over his handsome features.
"No problem, Granger. Are you hungry?" He gestured to the hall in front of them. "I just wanted to say hi. I really am sorry for scaring you."
Hermione shook her head. "Wasn't your fault. The silence was creeping me out."
"Everyone's at dinner," Will mentioned, putting his hands in his pockets and rocking back on his heels. "Why weren't you?" He looked her up and down. "You still can't afford to miss that many meals." He softened the comment with a charming smile.
Hermione snorted. "Thanks, Calley. I was walking to dinner." They walked in the silence that had so unnerved her earlier. As they got closer to the large wooden doors that marked the Great Hall, they could hear the dull roar of the students eating and talking.
Calley held open the heavy wooden door for her, and she nodded her thanks. They parted ways as they walked into the Hall, each sliding into an available seat at their house tables
"Hey," Hermione said quietly, taking a place by Harry. Cautiously, she reached for his hand, smiling with relief when he took it.
Lily looked just as tentative as Hermione felt. "Hey." James' arm around her shoulders calmed her, and she leaned into him. "I'm sorry."
"So am I," Hermione admitted softly. "I wasn't angry at you. Not really." She gripped Harry's hand tighter. "But I do need to speak with Addie. After we eat."
The younger girl's eyes darted between Hermione and Lily. "The two of you fought?" she asked incredulously. "Over me?"
Hermione winced. "That makes it sound bad. But something like that." Lily nodded her agreement.
"Potatoes?" asked Sirius, handing the bowl to Hermione. "All this apologizing is great, really. But I think Hermione needs to eat, and we to talk about happy things." She laughed, and spooned the mashed potatoes on to her plate, and Harry's before passing it to Remus.
"Okay. What did I miss?"
As they were walking up to the dorms, Hermione reached out and touched Adelynne's arm lightly. "Can we talk, Addie?"
The taller girl looked down on Hermione, then looked at Lily. "And Lily?" she asked.
"Not this time," Lily said, shaking her head. "This is something that is between you and Hermione."
Looking a bit uneasy, Addie followed Hermione through the Common Room to Hermione's private rooms. Hermione flicked her wand, calling a teapot and tea cups from a small cabinet, along with a packet of tea. She conjured hot water, and added the tea. The two girls sat in silence until it was ready, and Hermione poured it into two cups.
"What did you want to talk to me about, Hermione?" Addie asked, voice low and musical. "Is everything all right?"
Hermione frowned. "No. Not really. And I wanted to ask you how you were really doing." At Addie's startled expression Hermione smiled grimly. "You're forgetting that I was a prisoner of dearest Bella for a time."
"You're right," Addie replied, still surprised. "I did forget. Did she-" She paused, unable to go on. Hermione reached across, and placed a hand on her knee.
"I never went through all the things you went through," Hermione said bitterly. "You had it far, far worse than I did. And it kills me that all of this happened to you. I know you don't think you're a child, dear, and you're not. But you should be, and that is what angers me."
Addie nodded slowly. "I'm not okay. I have horrible nightmares. And once, Sirius hugged me and I almost screamed. And…" Her voice trailed off. "Does it ever go away?" Her dark eyes were boring into Hermione's own, pleading and desperate. Hermione could feel the burning anger rise, and fall with the knowledge that Bellatrix was dead.
"I'm not going to lie to you," Hermione said firmly. "It doesn't go away. But it does get better. And I can forget sometimes when I'm with Harry." She set down her empty teacup and rose from her chair to sit next to Adelynne on the couch.
"But I don't have a Harry," Adelynne said mournfully. "I have no one but you and Lily." Those words tore at Hermione's heart, reminding her of what she needed to tell Addie. How could she tell this girl who needed her that she would be leaving?
"You do have people who care for you, Addie," Hermione said firmly. "Remus and Sirius will protect you as best they can. Harry already thinks of you as a little sister. And you are already making friends here at Hogwarts." She hugged the Italian girl, and pressed a kiss to the top of her black hair.
Suddenly, Hermione smiled. "I have something for you," she whispered to the girl. "Let me go and get it." Hermione hurried over to her bedroom, and retrieved a long black wand from her pack. She shuddered slightly as she felt the malevolent aura of the dark wood, so infused with the personality of its mistress.
She composed herself and returned to the sitting room, where she presented the wand to Adelynne, who took it curiously and gasped, almost dropping it on the carpet.
"What is that?" Adelynne spat, accent growing thicker. The girl's eyes were wide, and her hands were shaking.
Hermione winced. "It is the wand of Bellatrix Black." As she saw the realization grow on Addie's face, she nodded. "We took her wand after we ki- after she died. Bellatrix can never hurt you, or anyone else ever again."
"You took her wand?" Addie asked incredulously. "After you killed her?" She seemed not to notice when Hermione winced, being far more interested in the wand she held gingerly, turning it to lo at it.
Hermione nodded, returning to the position she had occupied before, next to Addie. "Harry and decided you should have it. You can keep it as a trophy, or you can snap it. It is up to you." Addie nodded, still fascinated by the wand.
"You don't want it?" Addie asked. Hermione could see it on her face as her emotions changed from curiosity to hate. "She hurt you with this as much as she hurt me." She had gotten a bit of the story from Lily, when they were waiting for the healing ritual to be finished.
Taking a deep breath, Hermione refused. "No. I never want to see that wand, or hear the name of Bellatrix Lestrange- Black- ever again." Hermione hugged herself unconsciously, closing her eyes for a moment. "What are you going to do with it?"
"Snap it," Addie said, holding up the length of black wood, "And then throw the damn thing in the fire and watch it burn." She turned her head to regard Hermione appraisingly. "Do you want to be there?"
Hermione looked at the wand, then broke into a feral grin. "Of course." She pointed her wand at the empty fireplace and concentrated briefly, grinning even wider when the logs in the grate burst into flame. "Now?"
"Yep," Addie said with a grunt, taking the wand in two hands. The Italian girl brought the wand down hard on her knee, and both girls felt the magical backlash when it bent, then snapped. Adelynne took the pieces, and gracefully tossed them into the hot flames. They watched the pieces burn together, Hermione resting her head on Addie's shoulder.
When the last splinter had turned to ash, Hermione took Addie's hand and began to speak in a serious tone. "You know Lily and I fought today."
"About me," Addie said with a frown and a nod. "Why?" Time to face the music, Hermione.
There was the barest hint of a tipping up of Hermione's lips as she spoke. "Because I didn't want to face the facts." She squeezed Addie's hand, and gave the younger girl a melancholy smile. "You know Harry and I aren't from this place. This time. How much has Lily told you about us?"
"Not much," Adelynne admitted. "Just that you were here, and that you were preventing the horrors of your time from happening again." She reached back and gathered her thick black hair into a pony tail, a habit she had picked up from Lily.
Hermione nodded. "That's right. We were sent here by Lord Voldemort when Harry tried to rescue me. Harry was anchored to our dimension, but when he lost that anchor he was sent here." She paused then, resumed the story. "I came in October, and Harry came in December. We will hopefully both return to our dimension in June."
"June?" Addie said in a wobbly voice. "You're leaving?" Hermione couldn't look at Addie, but she could hear the tears in her tone.
Nodding, Hermione stared at the fire instead of the girl. "Yeah. The Summer Solstice. According to my calculations, Harry and I will be sucked back through time and space to land back in our time." Faces flashed before her in an instant. Ron, Neville, Ginny. She felt a stab of longing for each of them.
She was surprised when she felt the warm weight of Addie clutching at her robes, sobbing on her. "You're leaving me?" the younger girl asked.
"I don't want to," Hermione said, eyes starting to burn. "I don't want to. I've known for months. I understand if you hate me." It wasn't like her to be like this. Usually it was Harry who was insecure like this, not her. She was the one who reassured him that no one would hate him.
Addie sniffed, and shook her head. "I don't hate you. But I wish someone had told me earlier." She was quiet, for a few more moments, taking deep breathes to calm the hiccups. "Why did you and Lily fight?"
"Because she thought it would be easier for you if we weren't too close when I left," Hermione said sadly. "But she doesn't know." Addie nodded.
"You know what I went through. I know what happened to you. Lily doesn't. How can she?" Addie laughed bitterly, sounding, Hermione thought, far too old for her fifteen years. "She's really lived a charmed life, hasn't she? Beautiful, smart, talented. She has an amazing boyfriend who loves her and she had never had to fear for her life."
Hermione just squeezed the girl tighter. Making a hasty decision, she started to speak. "You know, Lily is dead where I come from. She died trying to protect Harry. She too has been touched by the war. But you are right. She doesn't understand."
"You must think I'm a horrible person," Addie whispered. "I like Lily, she's nice. But no one else knows!" She finished in a strained yell. "I hate Bellatrix. What do you do with all the rage?"
Hermione touched her small hand to the curve of Addie's cheek. "You use it to make you stronger. Learn how to defend yourself. Try and forgive her." At Adelynne's snort, Hermione quirked a smile. "Yeah, it seems impossible. But Bellatrix Black was a very disturbed woman. She had a horrible childhood, she was lonely, and she was surrounded by death and the pureblooded mania since the day she was born."
Addie sighed. "Thanks, Hermione. Can you tell me about the future?" Almost shyly, she asked, "Did you know me?"
The question Hermione had been anticipating with dread had finally arrived. "No," Hermione said quietly. "No, I didn't. But I like to think the Hermione that might be born in this time will."
"You might not be born?" Addie asked incredulously. "Why?"
Hermione smiled at the girl's inquisitive nature. "Because we already changed this timeline drastically. And we are going to do it again, Saturday." She hoped she and Harry would be ready to defeat the Horcruxes they had found. That they had murdered for. That they would die to destroy.
Two hours later, Harry and Hermione were preparing for bed, Hermione just finishing to brush her teeth, and Harry pulling on his pajama pants. "I'm decent," he called, moving toward the door.
"Finally," Hermione joked good-naturedly. The door would not open unless Harry was dressed, so she had been stuck in the bath until he had finished dressing. She exited, and climbed into bed as Harry brushed his teeth and hurried to bed.
He pulled up the covers, and opened his arms in invitation; she scooted over and snuggled close to his warmth. Harry bent down to tenderly press his lips to the top of her head, bringing surprised tears to her eye at the sweetness of the gesture. "I was horrible to you today," she whispered. "I'm sorry."
"I love you," Harry said. "It hurt when you turned away. But I understand. A little bit, anyway. It's not good for you to get that angry. You overextended yourself today." She kissed his chest, smiling slightly at his scolding tone.
"I did," she admitted ruefully. "But I'll be ready if you want to take care of the Horcruxes on Saturday." Her eyes flicked to corner of the room that housed her undisturbed beaded purse, in which a few charmed bags held the pieces of Voldemort's soul.
She turned away from the bedraggled purse, and looked into the dark green of Harry's eyes. "I love you," she sighed. "Too much. This seems like a dream sometimes."
"I'm not going to be leaving anytime soon," Harry said with a smile. He pulled her up and kissed her mouth, staring straight into her eyes for the entire kiss. It was long and sweet, and Hermione was loath to relinquish his lips when he pulled back.
A slow grin spread across her face, and she blushed a bit. "Okay. I can deal with that."
The rest of the week passed quickly, Saturday arriving with a clash of thunder and a rainstorm. The children and professors were trapped inside the castle as rain dashed the walls and gusts of wind whipped up the surface of the normally placid lake. Fires burned in the common rooms, trying but failing to keep out the chill of the spring rains. It would soon be Easter, but the weather seemed not to have noticed.
Hermione and Harry, the Marauders, Lily, and Addie were all ensconced in the transformed Room of Requirement, nursing warm mugs of hot chocolate and butterbeer, and discussing their plan for the day.
"We need to decide now if we want to take care of the basilisk or not," Harry was saying, serious expression making him appear years older. "I would hate for anyone to die or Hogwarts to be shut down because someone releases the monster."
Hermione nodded her agreement, and cleared her throat. "It would be dangerous to kill it without a rooster. Do you think the gamekeeper would have some?"
Lily nodded. "Yes. Hagrid always keeps chickens and roosters. But do we have to kill it?" Her green eyes were sorrowful at the thought of killing the peacefully sleeping snake. As much as the idea of a serpent living in the bowels of the school scared her, she disliked the thought of harming another living creature.
"We need its venom," Harry said. "That was the way I destroyed most of the Horcruxes. The only reason the sword was able to put a dent in them was that it was imbued with the poison. The other way we did it was Fiendfyre, and that almost killed me and it may have forever closed the Room of Requirement."
"The other way to destroy them would be to make Voldemort fell remorse," Hermione stated firmly. "And that is not going to happen anytime soon."
"Then the venom it is," James crowed, shooting Lily a look. "Lils, it is a dangerous monster that can you by looking at you. It's future self nearly killed Hermione, Harry, and it has already killed a girl. Moaning Myrtle, remember?"
Lily's face darkened. "The basilisk killed Moaning Myrtle? That awful ghost that haunts the girl's toilets on the second floor?"
"I didn't know that," Sirius said with a frown. "Did you, Moony?" The werewolf shook his head thoughtfully.
"Nope." Remus set his butterbeer down on the coffee table that the room had provided. "How did she die?"
Harry shook his head sadly. "The basilisk. Tom Riddle ordered it to kill. He need her blood to seal the chamber." He thought for a moment. "And he needed her death to make his first Horcrux."
"How are you going to kill it?" Addie asked fearfully. "It is a giant snake. With a stare of death." Her high voice trembled a bit. "All it has to do is open its eyes and you have a very short life. And if you manage not to look at it, it still has a poisonous bite."
Hermione smiled reassuringly at the younger girl, saying, "Don't worry. Have you read anything about basilisks in any of your Care of Magical Creatures textbooks? Or maybe the Defense Against the Dark Arts?" The Italian singer shook her head. "Basilisks have a few weaknesses," Hermione explained. "They can be killed by a cock's crow. And we have a Parseltongue."
"I can get us a rooster," Lily said, rising. "Do you want to go with me, James?" The Chaser nodded, and drained the rest of his butterbeer.
"Alright. It'll be good to see Hagrid again." Harry hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at Hermione.
Hermione followed his line of thought. "Oh, no," she sighed. "Hagrid."
"What about Hagrid?" asked Sirius. "What does he have to do with this?" All four Marauders were close to Hagrid, the gamekeeper having overseen plenty of their detentions.
Harry muttered an oath under his breath. "Well." He cursed again, running a hand through his hair, and sighing dramatically before explaining. "Did Hagrid ever tell you why he was expelled from Hogwarts and his wand was snapped?"
"No," Peter said, rat-like face furrowing into a frown. "He keeps his wand in his umbrella, though. The pink one." He took another cookie, munching thoughtfully. "He goes deaf whenever we ask him about it," he supplied.
Harry and Hermione shared a smile. "That's Hagrid," Harry said fondly. "Well, Tom Riddle was the one who framed him for Myrtle's murder. He told Headmaster Dippet that Hagrid's pet acromantula had killed Myrtle. Hagrid was expelled and his wand was snapped. Hermione, our friend Ron, and I cleared his name in our second year when I killed the basilisk for the first time."
"And we're worried that if we kill the basilisk now, that no one will ever know that he wasn't the one to kill her," Hermione finished. "But if we bring the snake to the attention of the authorities, then we cannot use the fangs, and we have the problem of the Ministry taking an interest in us."
Addie looked at the troubled faces around her. "So what do we do?"
Albus Dumbledore leaned back in his throne-like chair, and twinkled at the two women in front of him. One was sitting calmly in the domain she was sure would one day be hers, the other was twisting the hem of her sleeves nervously in front of the greatest wizard since Merlin.
"Minerva, Poppy," he began. "How are you both?" The rain outside the window had yet to stop, but the interior of the Headmaster's Tower was warm and softly light with a fire. Both women glanced at each other before they spoke.
Poppy was first. "Fine, Headmaster. Can I ask what this is about? I really must get back down to the Hospital Wing. There will be fights all over the castle if this rain doesn't cease. The children hate being cooped up." The matron was used to the filling of the Hospital Wing with the beginning of the rain.
"Yes, of course, Poppy," Albus said, reaching into his desk. "Lemon drop?"
"No, thank you," said the nurse, exchanging glances with the Transfiguration professor by her side.
Before the Headmaster could ask her, Minerva shook her head, refusing the tart candy. "Albus?"
"Well," Albus said genially, leaning back and clasping his hands over his slim frame, "I'm just wondering about your opinions on the delightful Miss Granger and her beau, Mr. Potter." When neither of the women responded, he sighed, just a bit. "Tell me what you can about them," he prompted. "Madame?"
Pomfrey nodded warily, and began to speak. "Hermione Granger is a nice girl, polite. She had made a sudden recovery from whatever ailed her before. She is deeply in love with Mr. Potter, but Will Calley has his eyes on her. From what I've seen, she has gained enough weight to propel her back into the realm of the low, but not dangerously low. She hasn't been in the Hospital Wing often. Is that all, Headmaster?"
With a wave of his hand, Albus Dumbledore dismissed the nurse, and waited until she had stood, gathered her skirts, and left the office in the tower.
"What exactly do you want to hear, Albus?" asked McGonagall. "She is a good student, and so his he. They are both powerful. They are kind. They are a young couple in love. He's as cheeky as James Potter and I wouldn't be surprised if they were siblings instead of whatever strange relationship they have. Hermione has bonded with Lily and, surprisingly enough, Severus Snape." She scowled for a moment at the mention of the dark-eyed Slytherin. "She is nice to him, and it seems the boy has learned his lesson. He isn't panting over her like he did with Lily Evans. They have found a good group of friends with the Marauders."
Albus looked at her steadily. "What do you think would be the reactions of all the people you just mentioned if Harry and Hermione would simply be gone tomorrow?" He waited, knowing his second in command was mulling over the situation and making informed guesses. He had always appreciated that aspect of Minerva McGonagall. She was a good judge of people's reactions, even if she did have a temper famed throughout Hogwarts.
"Well," she said, still turning the idea over in her mind, "The Marauders would definitely miss the both of them. Hermione is like a mixture between friend, sister, and mother to them. Harry is a brother. Lily would miss Hermione terribly. Alice is a good friend, but she and Hermione are close. Severus Snape," Minerva closed her eyes and sighed. "Severus."
Albus nodded. "Severus Snape. He's already one of Voldemort's, but he is on our side because of Hermione Granger. If she left, the only tie he would have to the side of light is Lily. And even though Hermione has been working to heal their relationship, I fear Miss Granger's impending departure might spell tragedy for our side."
"When does she leave?" questioned the Transfiguration Professor. Her lined face was troubled as she considered the consequences of Hermione and Harry returning to their true dimension.
Albus answered, grave expression conveying the importance. "Summer Solstice. There is no known way around it."
"And I daresay that Miss Granger and Mr. Potter would be far happier in their own time," McGonagall mentioned dryly. "What can we do to make sure that their loss will not negatively impact the war effort?"
Albus frowned. "We need Severus to have greater ties to our side. His relationship with Lily needs to be restored."
"What about Adelynne Iamperrii? The Italian transfer student who is a friend of Miss Grangers. She is younger than Mr. Snape, but she could develop a friendship with him free of all the baggage between him and Lily Evans," Minerva suggested.
Albus shook his head sadly. "I do not think that would work. I do not believe Miss Iamperrii would be capable of forgiving Mr. Snape for his involvement of the Death Eaters. She and her parents were victims of Voldemort."
The professor nodded, foot tapping as she thought of other people. "He doesn't have many friends," she replied. "But we can think of something."
"We have to think of something," Dumbledore answered. "We need Severus Snape."
Ah, yet another problem and a shining example of Dumbledore's well-meaning manipulation.
I have a poll up so you can tell me what you think Harry and Hermione should do- leave the basilisk and clear Hagrid's name, or kill it and Voldemort. Vote!
This is finals week, which means Christmas break is on its way. Expect a new chapter for PN&NYM soon. I've been writing for that one too, and I'm excited!
To everyone who doesn't read my other stories, I wish you a Merry Christmas now. Starting on Tuesday, Happy Hanukah. To those who don't celebrate Christmas, enjoy the snow if you live up north and sun if you don't.
Review, vote, go to http:/ /www. fictionpress .com/s/ 297986 7/1/Dr _Docto r_Gra ve without the space. Damn, the formatting there sucks. But please? For your beloved ausland? (makes pouty face)
See you next time.