Thanks to all my reviewers, most especially for telling me about posting
the second chapter twice- (yes I am that stupid) I wouldn't have known
otherwise. Thank you!
Disclaimer- All the characters belong to J.K. Rowling, aka the master.
Chapter three- But I'm a witch!
Hermione felt herself fall against Ron as the train turned, but suddenly a shimmering mist surrounded her. It cleared quickly, and she found herself sitting on her bed with a book in her hands. She dropped the book in surprise, and it snapped shut. Hermione frowned. Why was she reading a book called "The World's Dumbest Shoppers"? She never read anything like that. Ever. But right now there were more important things to worry about.
Hermione swung her legs over the side of her bed and stood up slowly. She had obviously been transported somehow- the last thing she knew she had been on the Hogwart's Express, arguing with Ron. Hermione sucked in a breath quickly. Ron and Harry. 'God, I hope they're all right.' She thought worriedly. Maybe they had been transported back to their houses. And if they hadn't been, all she had to do was wait. They would come and get her. Then they would be able to find out what the hell was going on.
Hermione walked over to her old toy box, in which she always hid her schoolbooks during the summer holidays. It was light blue, and stitched all over with scratchy silver thread. Hermione had always loved her toy box. She undid the latch and threw open the lid. Hermione's eyes widened and she let the lid drop back down. She shut her eyes tight, opened them again and swallowed. She pushed up the lid again and gasped. Someone had stuck stickers and pictures all over the inside of the lid, causing the fabric to fray in places. A large red banner saying 'HERMIONE RULES!!!' dominated the area, and pictures of pop stars and actors filled every other inch of it. Hermione shook her head. She didn't have a clue what was going on, and she didn't like it. But she needed her wand, she didn't have it on her and nowadays she felt very unsafe without it.
It wasn't there.
And neither were her schoolbooks. There were schoolbooks, but they definitely weren't hers. They were Muggle ones, she recognised them from primary school, but she hadn't kept her primary school books. Hermione picked on of them up, and promptly dropped it again. 'HERMIONE GRANGER' was written on it in her handwriting. It was definitely her writing. Hermione stood up and ran out of her room.
"Mum?" She shouted out as she ran down the stairs. "Mum, are you in?" Hermione ran into the kitchen to find her mum grilling bacon for a sandwich. She looked up at Hermione and smiled. "Morning Honey. Sleep well?" She asked.
Hermione frowned. "Aren't you surprised to see me?" She asked, surprised herself. Joanne Granger looked up at her daughter and frowned back. "Why would I be? You do live here as well." She grinned and began buttering some bread for her sandwich.
"Mum, you only dropped me off at King's Cross half an hour ago." Hermione said slowly. Her mother looked up from the bread she was buttering and frowned at her again. "What?" She asked, sounding incredibly confused. Hermione sank slowly into one of the kitchen chairs.
Something was definitely wrong. Why didn't her Mum remember what happened this morning? Hermione realised something and spoke quickly. "What's the date?" She asked, a part of her hoping she had been sent back in time a couple of days. Time travel she could handle.
"September the first. Are you feeling alright honey?" Joanne Granger said in a worried tone. She set down the butter knife and came to sit down next to her daughter. Hermione nodded, trying to think of something to say. "So you didn't take me to King's Cross this morning?" She asked a little hesitantly.
She knew the answer as soon as she spoke. The look of confusion and worry in her mother's eyes was the only reply she needed. Hermione didn't wait for her mum to speak before continuing. "Mum, I don't know what's going on, but one minute I was on the Hogwarts express, and the next…"
"The *what* express?" Joanne said. Hemione frowned again. "The Hogwarts express. The school train." She said.
Her mother's eyes widened and Hermione could almost see her brain forming one conclusion- there's something wrong. "Hermione, is this some kind of joke, because…"
"Mum! This isn't a joke! Of course it isn't! I don't know how, but one minute I was on the train with Ron and Harry and then…"
"Who are Ron and Harry? Hermione, what's wrong with you?" Her mother's voice sounded urgent, and very worried. Hermione rubbed her neck, not knowing what to say. "Mum, Harry and Ron are my best friends. You know they are. They came up here last Christmas, when we were home from school." She said a bit desperately.
"You're talking as if you go to a boarding school or something, but you know you go to St. Bart's…"
"WHAT?" Hermione cried. St. Bart's? Yes, she had been going to go there before she got her Hogwarts letter, but then she went to Hogwarts. And St. Bart's became a distant, would-have-been memory. What was going on? Her mother didn't seem to know anything about Hogwarts; it was as if she had never become a Witch. But that was impossible…
Hermione's breath started coming out in short little gasps. Her mother jumped up and started rubbing her back, but Hermione pushed her hand away and stood up. She took a deep, calming breath and forced her self to stop overreacting. After all, maybe her mother had just had her memory changed somehow. But then what was to say the same hadn't happened to Ron and Harry? What if she was the only one who remembered? Or…Hermione grimaced. No. She didn't want to think about it. She had to get through to her mum somehow.
Hermione looked up at her mum to find her standing looking lost, incredibly worried and a more than a bit scared. Hermione felt automatically guilty. She was terrifying her mum.
"So, I don't go to Hogwarts?" She asked hesitantly. Her mother bit her lip- something she tended to do whenever she wanted to say something really badly but couldn't bring herself to. She shook her head mutely.
Hermione took a shaky breath and started to walk back out of the kitchen. "Hermione…" Joanne started, but Hermione just shook her head. "No, I… Mum… I'm gonna go up to my room for a while, O.K?" With that Hermione ran back upstairs to her room.
She shut the door behind her and stood with her back to it, taking some deep, calming breaths. Right. She didn't have any of her schoolbooks, or cloaks, or even her wand, and she had no way of contacting anyone from Hogwarts. And, to top it all off, Crookshanks was gone as well.
Hermione swallowed and sat down on her bed. What she really needed to know first of all was whether or not she still had magic. And there was only one way to find out. As she didn't have a wand, the only way she could test herself was to transform into her animagus form.
The year before, Sirius had taught the three of them how to transform into animals for protection. They had all decided that they needed to be fast and strong, and had chosen their animals accordingly. Harry was a black panther, with blazing green eyes and very sharp claws. Ron was a leopard, a beautiful golden one with black spots and big blue eyes. Hermione had decided that she wanted to be able to fly early on. And after much deliberation, she had chosen to be a golden eagle. When she transformed, she was about two and a half feet tall, and had smooth, shining feathers. She also had a very sharp beak and talons, and could fly very fast and high.
Hermione sat on her bed, making her mind go blank the way Sirius had taught them to. It had been hard at first, and as much to his own surprise as well as anyone else, Ron had been the first to get it right. Harry had taken the longest, as he always worried too much to make his mind calm enough. But with practise, the three of them had become as good as Sirius at transforming into their animal states.
Hermione could feel her mind slipping into its required state very quickly. She willed herself to change and waited for the tingly feeling that spread over her entire body just before it would transform. It didn't come. She sat there for ten minutes before her eyes opened with a snap and, with a cry of frustration; she flung herself face down on her pillow and started to sob.
Hermione tried to stop herself, but she just felt so helpless. She was all alone, in a place that looked like her home and was her home in almost every sense, except that everything was different. What was she going to do?
Her sobs wore off after a while, and a feeling of helplessness even stronger than before swept over her. Hermione sat up on her bed and looked around her room. It looked like her room, but just like everything else, it was different. It wasn't her room; it was someone else's. This room, this World, it belonged to the Hermione Granger who had never discovered magic.
Hermione sat there for hours, gazing into space and simply feeling numb. Finally she wiped away her tears and shivered. She had to get out of the house. Picking up the stupid book she had been 'reading' earlier, (so that her Mum wouldn't think she was too crazy anymore) Hermione made her way downstairs as quickly and quietly as she could, and walked out into the garden.
Thankfully, the garden looked the same as it always had. There was the same goldfish pond, the same big oak bench, the same little path winding its way from the house through the thick rose bushes near the side of the house to the sunshine patio surrounded by them. Hermione sighed and walked over to the bench. She flopped down on it, her heart heavy.
A horrible thought kept invading her head again and again, no matter how she tried to push it away. What if her mum was right? What if Hogwarts was some sort of elaborate dream that had manifested itself and just seemed real right now? What if she was going crazy?
Hermione sighed and closed her eyes. A single tear ran down he cheek and dripped off of the end of her chin.
Sorry this took me so long to update- I promise I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner. Sorry again, love y'all and r/r!
Sparkley xxx
Disclaimer- All the characters belong to J.K. Rowling, aka the master.
Chapter three- But I'm a witch!
Hermione felt herself fall against Ron as the train turned, but suddenly a shimmering mist surrounded her. It cleared quickly, and she found herself sitting on her bed with a book in her hands. She dropped the book in surprise, and it snapped shut. Hermione frowned. Why was she reading a book called "The World's Dumbest Shoppers"? She never read anything like that. Ever. But right now there were more important things to worry about.
Hermione swung her legs over the side of her bed and stood up slowly. She had obviously been transported somehow- the last thing she knew she had been on the Hogwart's Express, arguing with Ron. Hermione sucked in a breath quickly. Ron and Harry. 'God, I hope they're all right.' She thought worriedly. Maybe they had been transported back to their houses. And if they hadn't been, all she had to do was wait. They would come and get her. Then they would be able to find out what the hell was going on.
Hermione walked over to her old toy box, in which she always hid her schoolbooks during the summer holidays. It was light blue, and stitched all over with scratchy silver thread. Hermione had always loved her toy box. She undid the latch and threw open the lid. Hermione's eyes widened and she let the lid drop back down. She shut her eyes tight, opened them again and swallowed. She pushed up the lid again and gasped. Someone had stuck stickers and pictures all over the inside of the lid, causing the fabric to fray in places. A large red banner saying 'HERMIONE RULES!!!' dominated the area, and pictures of pop stars and actors filled every other inch of it. Hermione shook her head. She didn't have a clue what was going on, and she didn't like it. But she needed her wand, she didn't have it on her and nowadays she felt very unsafe without it.
It wasn't there.
And neither were her schoolbooks. There were schoolbooks, but they definitely weren't hers. They were Muggle ones, she recognised them from primary school, but she hadn't kept her primary school books. Hermione picked on of them up, and promptly dropped it again. 'HERMIONE GRANGER' was written on it in her handwriting. It was definitely her writing. Hermione stood up and ran out of her room.
"Mum?" She shouted out as she ran down the stairs. "Mum, are you in?" Hermione ran into the kitchen to find her mum grilling bacon for a sandwich. She looked up at Hermione and smiled. "Morning Honey. Sleep well?" She asked.
Hermione frowned. "Aren't you surprised to see me?" She asked, surprised herself. Joanne Granger looked up at her daughter and frowned back. "Why would I be? You do live here as well." She grinned and began buttering some bread for her sandwich.
"Mum, you only dropped me off at King's Cross half an hour ago." Hermione said slowly. Her mother looked up from the bread she was buttering and frowned at her again. "What?" She asked, sounding incredibly confused. Hermione sank slowly into one of the kitchen chairs.
Something was definitely wrong. Why didn't her Mum remember what happened this morning? Hermione realised something and spoke quickly. "What's the date?" She asked, a part of her hoping she had been sent back in time a couple of days. Time travel she could handle.
"September the first. Are you feeling alright honey?" Joanne Granger said in a worried tone. She set down the butter knife and came to sit down next to her daughter. Hermione nodded, trying to think of something to say. "So you didn't take me to King's Cross this morning?" She asked a little hesitantly.
She knew the answer as soon as she spoke. The look of confusion and worry in her mother's eyes was the only reply she needed. Hermione didn't wait for her mum to speak before continuing. "Mum, I don't know what's going on, but one minute I was on the Hogwarts express, and the next…"
"The *what* express?" Joanne said. Hemione frowned again. "The Hogwarts express. The school train." She said.
Her mother's eyes widened and Hermione could almost see her brain forming one conclusion- there's something wrong. "Hermione, is this some kind of joke, because…"
"Mum! This isn't a joke! Of course it isn't! I don't know how, but one minute I was on the train with Ron and Harry and then…"
"Who are Ron and Harry? Hermione, what's wrong with you?" Her mother's voice sounded urgent, and very worried. Hermione rubbed her neck, not knowing what to say. "Mum, Harry and Ron are my best friends. You know they are. They came up here last Christmas, when we were home from school." She said a bit desperately.
"You're talking as if you go to a boarding school or something, but you know you go to St. Bart's…"
"WHAT?" Hermione cried. St. Bart's? Yes, she had been going to go there before she got her Hogwarts letter, but then she went to Hogwarts. And St. Bart's became a distant, would-have-been memory. What was going on? Her mother didn't seem to know anything about Hogwarts; it was as if she had never become a Witch. But that was impossible…
Hermione's breath started coming out in short little gasps. Her mother jumped up and started rubbing her back, but Hermione pushed her hand away and stood up. She took a deep, calming breath and forced her self to stop overreacting. After all, maybe her mother had just had her memory changed somehow. But then what was to say the same hadn't happened to Ron and Harry? What if she was the only one who remembered? Or…Hermione grimaced. No. She didn't want to think about it. She had to get through to her mum somehow.
Hermione looked up at her mum to find her standing looking lost, incredibly worried and a more than a bit scared. Hermione felt automatically guilty. She was terrifying her mum.
"So, I don't go to Hogwarts?" She asked hesitantly. Her mother bit her lip- something she tended to do whenever she wanted to say something really badly but couldn't bring herself to. She shook her head mutely.
Hermione took a shaky breath and started to walk back out of the kitchen. "Hermione…" Joanne started, but Hermione just shook her head. "No, I… Mum… I'm gonna go up to my room for a while, O.K?" With that Hermione ran back upstairs to her room.
She shut the door behind her and stood with her back to it, taking some deep, calming breaths. Right. She didn't have any of her schoolbooks, or cloaks, or even her wand, and she had no way of contacting anyone from Hogwarts. And, to top it all off, Crookshanks was gone as well.
Hermione swallowed and sat down on her bed. What she really needed to know first of all was whether or not she still had magic. And there was only one way to find out. As she didn't have a wand, the only way she could test herself was to transform into her animagus form.
The year before, Sirius had taught the three of them how to transform into animals for protection. They had all decided that they needed to be fast and strong, and had chosen their animals accordingly. Harry was a black panther, with blazing green eyes and very sharp claws. Ron was a leopard, a beautiful golden one with black spots and big blue eyes. Hermione had decided that she wanted to be able to fly early on. And after much deliberation, she had chosen to be a golden eagle. When she transformed, she was about two and a half feet tall, and had smooth, shining feathers. She also had a very sharp beak and talons, and could fly very fast and high.
Hermione sat on her bed, making her mind go blank the way Sirius had taught them to. It had been hard at first, and as much to his own surprise as well as anyone else, Ron had been the first to get it right. Harry had taken the longest, as he always worried too much to make his mind calm enough. But with practise, the three of them had become as good as Sirius at transforming into their animal states.
Hermione could feel her mind slipping into its required state very quickly. She willed herself to change and waited for the tingly feeling that spread over her entire body just before it would transform. It didn't come. She sat there for ten minutes before her eyes opened with a snap and, with a cry of frustration; she flung herself face down on her pillow and started to sob.
Hermione tried to stop herself, but she just felt so helpless. She was all alone, in a place that looked like her home and was her home in almost every sense, except that everything was different. What was she going to do?
Her sobs wore off after a while, and a feeling of helplessness even stronger than before swept over her. Hermione sat up on her bed and looked around her room. It looked like her room, but just like everything else, it was different. It wasn't her room; it was someone else's. This room, this World, it belonged to the Hermione Granger who had never discovered magic.
Hermione sat there for hours, gazing into space and simply feeling numb. Finally she wiped away her tears and shivered. She had to get out of the house. Picking up the stupid book she had been 'reading' earlier, (so that her Mum wouldn't think she was too crazy anymore) Hermione made her way downstairs as quickly and quietly as she could, and walked out into the garden.
Thankfully, the garden looked the same as it always had. There was the same goldfish pond, the same big oak bench, the same little path winding its way from the house through the thick rose bushes near the side of the house to the sunshine patio surrounded by them. Hermione sighed and walked over to the bench. She flopped down on it, her heart heavy.
A horrible thought kept invading her head again and again, no matter how she tried to push it away. What if her mum was right? What if Hogwarts was some sort of elaborate dream that had manifested itself and just seemed real right now? What if she was going crazy?
Hermione sighed and closed her eyes. A single tear ran down he cheek and dripped off of the end of her chin.
Sorry this took me so long to update- I promise I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner. Sorry again, love y'all and r/r!
Sparkley xxx