I just realized that I forgot to include a disclaimer with my
first chapter. I will say now that I do not own Harry Potter
or any of the characters contained within (lamentable but
true). I will not make any money from any stories I write
that contain these borrowed characters, nor will I seek to.
indicate thoughts.
*************************************Disorientation*********** ***************************
Hermione was pulled through the painting into a corridor that seemed to be exactly the same as the one she had just left, minus the class portrait. The sensation of going through the canvas had been quite similar to using a portkey and had left her somewhat disoriented. She noticed with a start that Harry's invisibility cloak had not come with her. Good job Hermione, you've just managed to lose the only thing Harry had that belonged to his father. She was especially angry with herself considering that she hadn't truly needed to be invisible-as Head Girl she was given enough leeway that going down to the kitchens after hours would not have gotten her in trouble, and she had only chosen to sneak down to the kitchens so she didn't seem to be taking advantage of the honor bestowed upon her. Everything around her was exactly the same as the corridor she had just left behind, except for the fact that the class portrait was gone. Writing the incident off as just another one of the interesting things that happen to you when you live in an enchanted castle Hermione continued to make her way down to the kitchens. Upon tickling the pear and thus opening the giant still life painting she was besieged by house-elves determined to cater to her every whim. This was somewhat unusual; the diminutive servants had cut Hermione a wide berth since the S.P.E.W. incident in her fourth year, although they still fulfilled her every request. The only house-elf that was ever happy to see her was Dobby, and he was nowhere to be found. She sat down at the erstwhile Gryffindor table to enjoy her tea and crumpets and wondered what was going on. Everything seemed ever so slightly different since her run-in with that painting. Although the house-elves could certainly have merely forgiven her and Dobby merely been busy, Hermione's experiences as Harry's friend had left her somewhat suspicious.
After finishing her snack Hermione rose to put her dishes in the sink, which of course the house-elves would not allow her to do. She left the kitchens determined to get back to Gryffindor tower before any other odd things could happen. The halls were deserted and she managed to get to the portrait of the fat lady unnoticed.
"Password, please" stated the Fat Lady, who was looking at Hermione as if she had never seen her before despite her six full years of residency, not to mention her two as a prefect. "Vini, Vidi, Vici" she replied, much to the doorkeeper's disdain. The Fat Lady puffed herself up and said "NO ENTRANCE" in a manner which booked no argument. Moments later Filch appeared on the scene without Mrs. Norris in tow. "A student out after hours I see, and without your house badge too. Thought you would avoid trouble for your house that way, did you? We'll just see about that." Filch was wheezing and grinning in a most unpleasant manner. The sight of his deplorable dental condition was always enough to make Hermione cringe, a reaction which Filch seemed to take for fear. Encouraged by his 'power' over her, he continued. "Dumbledore will finally let me bring me chains back out, he will. Such a filthy little trouble-maker as yourself needs to be taught a lesson." This was too much for Hermione to take and she instinctively puffed out her chest to emphasize her Head Girl badge. It was then she noticed that it was missing, along with her badge identifying her as a Gryffindor. Defeated she allowed Filch to push her along the route to Headmaster Dumbledore's office, deciding that discretion was the better part of valor. At least the caretaker was taking her to Professor Dumbledore, who would be the most likely person to help her determine what exactly was going on. She wondered why Filch wasn't taking her to Snape, who after all gave out the harshest punishments and therefore was his favorite of the teachers.
Before long they had arrived at the Headmaster's office. Filch snarled "acid pop" and the gargoyle leapt aside, revealing the moving staircase. Professor Dumbledore was waiting for them as if he had been expecting them, which wouldn't have surprised her in the least. She was shocked when he turned to Filch and said "Who is this girl, and what was she doing that you brought her to me?"
Filch replied "I found her skulking around outside the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. I don't know who she is, and I didn't know which Head of House to take her too 'cause she isn't wearing her badge. The little troublemaker musta thought that we couldn't take points off if we don't know what house she's in." At this point Hermione sobbed "Surely you recognize me Professor Dumbledore. We just had tea together last week. It's me, Hermione Granger." She then collapsed into one of the squishy armchairs that the Headmaster kept around his desk. "You may go now Mr. Filch," stated Dumbledore. The caretaker left the room, glaring at Hermione on his way out. She imagined that he resented not being able to witness her punishment. "Dear, it's obvious to me that you somehow do not belong here. I'm not sure why you think you know me, but I can assure you that this is the first time that I've had the pleasure of meeting you. Now why don't you tell me how you got here and we'll get you sorted out."
Hermione was now completely out of sorts. Something strange was going on and Dumbledore seemed to have lost his quasi-omniscience. "But Professor, I was just going to the kitchens. I realize that I was up after curfew, but as Head Girl I'm allowed to be out after hours. You told me so yourself."
"Once again I assure you that I haven't met you before. I've been at this school in one capacity or another for over 75 years now and I don't recognize you at all. Our current Head Girl is Lily Evans, and unless you've taken Polyjuice potion and taken an assumed name you are not she. Now what did you say your name is? Miss."
Hermione blanched. Lily Evens had been Harry's mother's maiden name, and if memory served she had held the post of Head Girl for the class of 1978. Merlin, that was the year of the class portrait she had been pulled through. No, there was no possible way.but the pieces all fell together so well. She must have been pulled back through time. "Granger, sir. I can't believe I'm asking this, but could you please tell me the date, including the year?"
"27 October, 1978." Dumbledore's eyes had begun to twinkle madly, which in Hermione's opinion was never a good sign. "I take it you think you might be in the wrong when as opposed to the wrong where." He sat down and began tapping his fingers on the desk. "Are you aware of the danger that your presence in the past poses? I understand the undeniable lure of time experimentation, but I believe I must ask you to hand over your time turner before you do any more damage"
"Sir, I do not have a time turner, at least I don't any longer. I do understand the perils of time travel, and I did not do anything to send myself back in time. All I did was go to the kitchens for a snack, since I had studied all the way through dinner. Now all I want is to go to sleep and have everything go back to normal." She sunk back into the cushy armchair and covered her eyes with the back of her hand. This simply has to be just a dream. I'll just wake up and everything will be all better.
"Come now my dear, I'm not going to be able to sort this out without your participation. Now tell me exactly what you were doing when things began to seem different, and I will see what I can make of it. You also should tell me when you came from, but do not tell anything about the future other than what you were doing that brought you here" Dumbledore stated warmly. He seemed more like the Dumbledore that Hermione was used to which caused her to relax somewhat. She took a deep breath and began her tale, starting at her trip down to the kitchens. "You say you were pulled through a painting? I've never heard of such a thing. I have heard of people being pulled into paintings, but not through them; however I do not feel like I am a painting so I'll take your at your word. I'm afraid I do not know how to remedy the situation, but I find that a cup of hot chocolate and a restful sleep can put a better complexion on things." He waved his wand and conjured two large mugs of steaming hot cocoa. He handed her one of them and smiled at her. "Your presence in the past, a past in which you have yet to be born by the way, is extremely volatile. You must not for any reason reveal the future to anyone here. The smallest changes in one's choices can profoundly affect the outcome of one's future in unpredictable ways. You might think that you are changing things for the better, but there might be repercussions that you could not possibly anticipate. Aside from not trying to change anyone's future you must be very cautious of the things you say."
At this Hermione began to cry quietly. How could she look Harry's parents in the face and not warn them about Peter Pettigrew's deception? So many people from this time ended up broken, if not dead, at the hands of Voldemort. So much tragedy that she wanted to prevent, but was constrained from doing so by the paradoxes of time travel. She realized that she could essentially kill off her friends by saying the wrong thing. It was all too much to take, and it was all Hermione could do not to completely lose control.
Dumbledore took her hands in his and began to speak quietly to her. "Now, now my dear. I believe you will feel my better after some rest. We will be much better able to deal with this if we are well rested. Fortunately I keep a suite of guest quarters off of this office, as well as a supply of Dreamless Sleep potion. Perhaps we will be lucky and time itself will take care of the problem for us." He pulled her up and ushered her through a door disguised by a full-length portrait of Helga Hufflepuff. "I believe you will find everything you need here. The wardrobe contains nightshirts and robes that will tailor themselves to you. You will most likely find a bath to be relaxing, and there is a variety of bathing potions stocked in the bath. Do not forget to take some Dreamless Sleep potion, as you will need to be as rested and collected as possible for tomorrow's discussion of your situation." He gave her a reassuring pat on the back and left her, closing the door after him. She went into the luxurious bathroom and took his advice, drawing a very warm bath perfumed with lavender oil. As she relaxed in the large bathtub it occurred to her that he must use these rooms for students who have received bad news or otherwise need privacy from the rest of the school. A quick inventory of the rooms yielded everything that she could possibly need for the night. The wardrobe contained all matter of clothing for both genders, and as promised the nightshirt and dressing gown she chose instantly fit themselves to her. She buried herself under the covers and took the potion for dreamless sleep. Sleep found her muttering 'please let this all be a dream'.
***********************************Author's notes****************************************
My sincerest thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. I had hoped to get this chapter posted earlier but I found it much more difficult to write dialog than I had anticipated. I fear that the dialog still seems stilted, but I didn't feel that I could improve it in a timely manner so I posted it as is. Any offers to beta this story would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read this story, and even more thanks for taking the time to review it.
*************************************Disorientation*********** ***************************
Hermione was pulled through the painting into a corridor that seemed to be exactly the same as the one she had just left, minus the class portrait. The sensation of going through the canvas had been quite similar to using a portkey and had left her somewhat disoriented. She noticed with a start that Harry's invisibility cloak had not come with her. Good job Hermione, you've just managed to lose the only thing Harry had that belonged to his father. She was especially angry with herself considering that she hadn't truly needed to be invisible-as Head Girl she was given enough leeway that going down to the kitchens after hours would not have gotten her in trouble, and she had only chosen to sneak down to the kitchens so she didn't seem to be taking advantage of the honor bestowed upon her. Everything around her was exactly the same as the corridor she had just left behind, except for the fact that the class portrait was gone. Writing the incident off as just another one of the interesting things that happen to you when you live in an enchanted castle Hermione continued to make her way down to the kitchens. Upon tickling the pear and thus opening the giant still life painting she was besieged by house-elves determined to cater to her every whim. This was somewhat unusual; the diminutive servants had cut Hermione a wide berth since the S.P.E.W. incident in her fourth year, although they still fulfilled her every request. The only house-elf that was ever happy to see her was Dobby, and he was nowhere to be found. She sat down at the erstwhile Gryffindor table to enjoy her tea and crumpets and wondered what was going on. Everything seemed ever so slightly different since her run-in with that painting. Although the house-elves could certainly have merely forgiven her and Dobby merely been busy, Hermione's experiences as Harry's friend had left her somewhat suspicious.
After finishing her snack Hermione rose to put her dishes in the sink, which of course the house-elves would not allow her to do. She left the kitchens determined to get back to Gryffindor tower before any other odd things could happen. The halls were deserted and she managed to get to the portrait of the fat lady unnoticed.
"Password, please" stated the Fat Lady, who was looking at Hermione as if she had never seen her before despite her six full years of residency, not to mention her two as a prefect. "Vini, Vidi, Vici" she replied, much to the doorkeeper's disdain. The Fat Lady puffed herself up and said "NO ENTRANCE" in a manner which booked no argument. Moments later Filch appeared on the scene without Mrs. Norris in tow. "A student out after hours I see, and without your house badge too. Thought you would avoid trouble for your house that way, did you? We'll just see about that." Filch was wheezing and grinning in a most unpleasant manner. The sight of his deplorable dental condition was always enough to make Hermione cringe, a reaction which Filch seemed to take for fear. Encouraged by his 'power' over her, he continued. "Dumbledore will finally let me bring me chains back out, he will. Such a filthy little trouble-maker as yourself needs to be taught a lesson." This was too much for Hermione to take and she instinctively puffed out her chest to emphasize her Head Girl badge. It was then she noticed that it was missing, along with her badge identifying her as a Gryffindor. Defeated she allowed Filch to push her along the route to Headmaster Dumbledore's office, deciding that discretion was the better part of valor. At least the caretaker was taking her to Professor Dumbledore, who would be the most likely person to help her determine what exactly was going on. She wondered why Filch wasn't taking her to Snape, who after all gave out the harshest punishments and therefore was his favorite of the teachers.
Before long they had arrived at the Headmaster's office. Filch snarled "acid pop" and the gargoyle leapt aside, revealing the moving staircase. Professor Dumbledore was waiting for them as if he had been expecting them, which wouldn't have surprised her in the least. She was shocked when he turned to Filch and said "Who is this girl, and what was she doing that you brought her to me?"
Filch replied "I found her skulking around outside the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. I don't know who she is, and I didn't know which Head of House to take her too 'cause she isn't wearing her badge. The little troublemaker musta thought that we couldn't take points off if we don't know what house she's in." At this point Hermione sobbed "Surely you recognize me Professor Dumbledore. We just had tea together last week. It's me, Hermione Granger." She then collapsed into one of the squishy armchairs that the Headmaster kept around his desk. "You may go now Mr. Filch," stated Dumbledore. The caretaker left the room, glaring at Hermione on his way out. She imagined that he resented not being able to witness her punishment. "Dear, it's obvious to me that you somehow do not belong here. I'm not sure why you think you know me, but I can assure you that this is the first time that I've had the pleasure of meeting you. Now why don't you tell me how you got here and we'll get you sorted out."
Hermione was now completely out of sorts. Something strange was going on and Dumbledore seemed to have lost his quasi-omniscience. "But Professor, I was just going to the kitchens. I realize that I was up after curfew, but as Head Girl I'm allowed to be out after hours. You told me so yourself."
"Once again I assure you that I haven't met you before. I've been at this school in one capacity or another for over 75 years now and I don't recognize you at all. Our current Head Girl is Lily Evans, and unless you've taken Polyjuice potion and taken an assumed name you are not she. Now what did you say your name is? Miss."
Hermione blanched. Lily Evens had been Harry's mother's maiden name, and if memory served she had held the post of Head Girl for the class of 1978. Merlin, that was the year of the class portrait she had been pulled through. No, there was no possible way.but the pieces all fell together so well. She must have been pulled back through time. "Granger, sir. I can't believe I'm asking this, but could you please tell me the date, including the year?"
"27 October, 1978." Dumbledore's eyes had begun to twinkle madly, which in Hermione's opinion was never a good sign. "I take it you think you might be in the wrong when as opposed to the wrong where." He sat down and began tapping his fingers on the desk. "Are you aware of the danger that your presence in the past poses? I understand the undeniable lure of time experimentation, but I believe I must ask you to hand over your time turner before you do any more damage"
"Sir, I do not have a time turner, at least I don't any longer. I do understand the perils of time travel, and I did not do anything to send myself back in time. All I did was go to the kitchens for a snack, since I had studied all the way through dinner. Now all I want is to go to sleep and have everything go back to normal." She sunk back into the cushy armchair and covered her eyes with the back of her hand. This simply has to be just a dream. I'll just wake up and everything will be all better.
"Come now my dear, I'm not going to be able to sort this out without your participation. Now tell me exactly what you were doing when things began to seem different, and I will see what I can make of it. You also should tell me when you came from, but do not tell anything about the future other than what you were doing that brought you here" Dumbledore stated warmly. He seemed more like the Dumbledore that Hermione was used to which caused her to relax somewhat. She took a deep breath and began her tale, starting at her trip down to the kitchens. "You say you were pulled through a painting? I've never heard of such a thing. I have heard of people being pulled into paintings, but not through them; however I do not feel like I am a painting so I'll take your at your word. I'm afraid I do not know how to remedy the situation, but I find that a cup of hot chocolate and a restful sleep can put a better complexion on things." He waved his wand and conjured two large mugs of steaming hot cocoa. He handed her one of them and smiled at her. "Your presence in the past, a past in which you have yet to be born by the way, is extremely volatile. You must not for any reason reveal the future to anyone here. The smallest changes in one's choices can profoundly affect the outcome of one's future in unpredictable ways. You might think that you are changing things for the better, but there might be repercussions that you could not possibly anticipate. Aside from not trying to change anyone's future you must be very cautious of the things you say."
At this Hermione began to cry quietly. How could she look Harry's parents in the face and not warn them about Peter Pettigrew's deception? So many people from this time ended up broken, if not dead, at the hands of Voldemort. So much tragedy that she wanted to prevent, but was constrained from doing so by the paradoxes of time travel. She realized that she could essentially kill off her friends by saying the wrong thing. It was all too much to take, and it was all Hermione could do not to completely lose control.
Dumbledore took her hands in his and began to speak quietly to her. "Now, now my dear. I believe you will feel my better after some rest. We will be much better able to deal with this if we are well rested. Fortunately I keep a suite of guest quarters off of this office, as well as a supply of Dreamless Sleep potion. Perhaps we will be lucky and time itself will take care of the problem for us." He pulled her up and ushered her through a door disguised by a full-length portrait of Helga Hufflepuff. "I believe you will find everything you need here. The wardrobe contains nightshirts and robes that will tailor themselves to you. You will most likely find a bath to be relaxing, and there is a variety of bathing potions stocked in the bath. Do not forget to take some Dreamless Sleep potion, as you will need to be as rested and collected as possible for tomorrow's discussion of your situation." He gave her a reassuring pat on the back and left her, closing the door after him. She went into the luxurious bathroom and took his advice, drawing a very warm bath perfumed with lavender oil. As she relaxed in the large bathtub it occurred to her that he must use these rooms for students who have received bad news or otherwise need privacy from the rest of the school. A quick inventory of the rooms yielded everything that she could possibly need for the night. The wardrobe contained all matter of clothing for both genders, and as promised the nightshirt and dressing gown she chose instantly fit themselves to her. She buried herself under the covers and took the potion for dreamless sleep. Sleep found her muttering 'please let this all be a dream'.
***********************************Author's notes****************************************
My sincerest thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. I had hoped to get this chapter posted earlier but I found it much more difficult to write dialog than I had anticipated. I fear that the dialog still seems stilted, but I didn't feel that I could improve it in a timely manner so I posted it as is. Any offers to beta this story would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read this story, and even more thanks for taking the time to review it.