Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing except for the plot.
A/N: Hey! Here's chapter eight. Hope you like it. Oh yeah, I didn't proofread this chapter. There may be typos and stuff, but oh well! (It's just an excuse in case it sucked!)
The Magic of LoveBy: Katrina
Chapter Eight
Library Holds Secrets of Its Own
Interesting how Christmas had such an end.
Hermione groaned. This was absolutely crazy. On her bed, she rolled over to lie on her stomach, listening to the laughter drifting up from the common room below. Yes, she should've been one of them, still thinking about Harry's kisses and the stupid Quidditch charts he'd given her. Perhaps even having a night rendezvous with him somewhere in the Hogwarts ground.
But no. She just had done the stupidest thing she'd ever done and ended up all lone in the empty girls' dormitory, angry at herself and the world.
It did give her room to think about everything, however. For once, there was no giggling Ravenclaw girls (plus Padma the traitor) to distract Hermione's train of thought. There would be no one to pop in random questions about dresses and cosmetics. At least, Hermione could think about everything that has happened so far and draw somewhat of a conclusion.
Not that it would make sense, but at least it would occupy her mind from what Hermione was going to have to do about Harry.
Hermione got out a stray piece of parchment from the pocket of her robes and a quill. One thing was for sure: Padma was the culprit. Padma—the one who was supposed to "get rid" of me. Hermione frowned. Something wasn't quite right.
Was Padma the only one?
Well, if she is, then why would she write a note to herself to get rid of me? Wouldn't that just arouse suspicion? Hermione bit her lips. So there has to be someone else involved. She sighed. Padma—also working with someone else who's unknown at the time.
Oh who was she kidding. Hermione wanted to rip the parchment up. She needed someone to help her. Unfortunately, Dumbledore wasn't Dumbledore in this world, and she was sure that the teachers were programmed to be dummies as well.
And Harry.
Hermione bit her lips. Harry couldn't help her.
But could Draco?
Hermione pushed that thought away. Draco was one of them too. How could she expect Draco to help her in this mess?
How could she expect anyone to help her in this mess besides Harry?
Back to making sense, Hermione chided herself. So far she had two things figured out. One, the pictures were most definitely part of the plan to "get rid" of her and do something to Harry. And two, Padma was one of the culprits in this.
However, it didn't match. Suppose Hermione was killed in the Quidditch match. Suppose she never made it to kissing Harry. Then what would've happened? There would be no pictures.
Unless this is all a ruse to separate me from Harry.
Hermione tapped the quill lightly against the parchment. That made sense, she supposed. Part of the plan was to separate her from Harry.
Well, if they wanted to keep her and Harry separate, why bother bringing her here in the first place?
They didn't planned to.
Hermione grew excited. She was here not for any other reason, but to protect Harry! Well, what an interesting thought. She'd think that Ron would be the one, but instead she was dragged in as well. Perhaps this was the first flaw in the whole plan?
Would there be any other flaws?
And whose plan was this? Hermione was starting to have a feeling that Voldemort didn't send only she and Harry into this world. He must've sent Padma as well. Hermione couldn't think of one reason why Padma would hold a grudge against Harry in their fifth year. Okay, fine, she was neglected by Ron in the Yule Ball, but that was another story altogether, wasn't it?
Hermione added those to the parchment. Ruse to separate Harry and me. Padma—sent by Voldemort to carry out plan. Someone else involved. She sighed deeply. She got those figured out, she supposed. Then more questions pelted her way.
Why was Harry in Slytherin and her in Ravenclaw?
Why were they both fifteen?
Why was it so important for her to be separated from Harry?
Who was the other person involved?
And what would come out of all of this?
Hermione sighed and rubbed her head. If I figure everything out, perhaps Harry will forgive me, she thought, putting the parchment away after magicking it into a pillow. She didn't want anyone else to see it. Everyone is a suspect.
Being Hermione Granger, she was going to the library the next day. It was bound to have some answers.
As for now…Hermione carefully placed a number of charms on her bed. She needed to stay alive till then. Padma knew that she was exposed…and there was no telling what she might do.
~*~
When she went into the Great Hall the next morning, Hermione was relieved to see that nobody even bothered glancing her way.
Granted, there weren't a lot of people there, but it was somewhat of a comfort.
Harry, however, was sitting in the corner of the Slytherin table, eating but not really eating. He barely glanced her way, but Hermione had a feeling that he knew she was there, because there was a visible stiffening of his body and his head turned away from her way ever so slightly. Hermione shuddered. She hated to have her best friend mad at her this way.
Draco, unfortunately, was not as quick on the details as the real Draco had been. He came up to Hermione and took her hand with a smile on his face. "Come and sit at the Gryffindor table with me," he said, gesturing toward the familiar faces. Lee Jordan…Parvati and Lavender…
Hermione looked down at her feet. Well, take your pick, something in her head spoke up. It's either the murderess Padma, or an idiot who's infatuated with you. "Okay," Hermione said, and as she settled herself down at the Gryffindor table she was aware of two green eyes boring into her back. She shuddered.
"Are you cold?" Draco asked, putting an arm on her shoulder. Hermione flinched.
"I'm sorry, just a bit jumpy," she quickly apologized, and started to eat fast. She did not like being around Draco. And besides, she had work to do.
"Want to come and have a snowball fight with us after breakfast?"
Imagine that. The bouncing ferret being playful. Voldemort must surely have a sense of humor. Hermione shook her head, pretending to regret this. "Oh no, Draco, I have lots of homework to do. You see, I promised my mother and my father that I'd do a bit of Muggle studies…" She watched Draco's face closely as she said the word Muggle. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't seem visibly disgusted.
"Can I help?" he offered.
"Well…" Hermione thought for a moment. The more Draco was around her, the less suspicious everything would be. "Sure, why not?"
After all, she could employ Draco, couldn't she? Hermione smiled grimly at this. She really shouldn't trust anyone, but…what's done is done.
~*~
The library was next to empty when Hermione and Draco went there. Well, of course, the few students that remained in Hogwarts were outside. Hermione didn't know what she was looking for. She doubted if there would be a book titled Why Voldemort Brought Harry to a Pseudo-World or anything of that nature.
"So, um, what are we looking for?"
Hermione thought fast. "A book on Arithmancy and something really…um…advanced on Transfiguration," she said.
"Oh." Draco looked at the shelf Hermione was edging toward. Near the Restricted Section. "Um, I don't think you'd find anything in the Restri-"
"Oh no. I'm looking for a book for my friend. Lisa Turpin? You know…girl things…" Hermione smiled as easily as she could manage.
Draco nodded. "All right then," he said, heading toward the proper shelves.
Hermione waited till he was well out of sight. Then she took a careful peek at Madam Pince, who was looking with clear irritation at another ripped book. Good, she thought, edging closer and closer toward the Restricted Section, as if looking for a title in the Biography of Gilderoy Section. When she was next to the first shelf in the Restricted Section, she looked again. Draco and Madam Pince seemed to be arguing over which Transfiguration book was harder. They wouldn't be interested in her.
So Hermione slipped into the Restricted Section.
She didn't know what she was expecting to find. But as she ran her hands over the many titles, she had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
Hermione walked slowly, examining every title carefully. The Art of Melting Humans. How to Scramble a Human Mind. Hermione made a face. Her mind was being scrambled just imagining it. Many Delicious Cuisines from Ancient Oriental: China and Japan: the Poisons That Can't Be Detected. Hermione heaved a sigh. Nothing she needed. Not that she could see.
She walked off into another shelf, but before she could get past two books, Madam Pince grabbed her shoulder. "Miss Granger, a note?"
Hermione gulped. Madam Pince didn't look happy. Hermione supposed that she had been spending a bit too long imagining what was contained in each of the books she'd seen before. Quickly, she thought of an excuse. "Should I? I'm not in the Restricted Section."
"Oh, but you are," said Madam Pince coldly. "Please, people really have no respect for library regulations. Join Mr. Malfoy in the section where you belong."
But Hermione wasn't listening. She was staring at the book Madam Pince was holding, and her eyes darted to the shelves again.
All the books on Make-Believe Worlds are gone.
And the book Madam Pince was cradling had the title of A World of Imagination: How to Create a World of Your Own Fairy Tales. It was ripped in many places, probably why Madam Pince was holding it.
And Hermione's eyes widened, remembering the times when she and Harry had come.
All of these times Madam Pince was mending those books.
Because someone didn't want Hermione to get them.
Hermione was surprised by the knowledge. Swiftly, she made a decision. As she followed Madam Pince to the desk where the librarian worked, she cast an Illusion Charm on a parchment in her pocket. "Oh, there's a note," she said, handing it to Madam Pince. "Can I check out the books you're mending? I think they'll help me in Transfiguration."
Madam Pince gave her a weird look. "Books on outer universes?"
Hermione nodded. "I need A World of Imagination for a project I'm doing…how things are Transfigured differently in other…um…universes…"
Madam Pince hesitated and studied Hermione. "Well, Miss Granger, I can't exactly say no, seeing that you do have a note," she said, taking the note and handing the book to her. "Just make sure you don't rip it further, all right? Ah, here comes Mr. Malfoy."
Draco came, carrying two fat volumes. "Here, Hermione, the books you're looking for," he said, and he frowned, seeing the book Hermione was clutching to her chest. "What's that?" He craned to look at the title. "How to Create a World?"
Hermione quickly concealed the title with her arm, smiling charmingly at Draco as he checked out the books for her. "Oh, nothing, nothing really," she lied.
Draco frowned and handed her the two books Hermione supposedly wanted. "Well, I need to study now," Hermione said, thinking quickly of a way to slip out of this. "I'll join your snowball fight later, okay?"
"Er…okay?" Draco stared at her. "You feeling all right? Fever, perhaps?"
Hermione shook her head. "I have to get going, then!" she said, and ran out of the library, leaving two dumbfounded people staring after her.
~*~
Hermione ran as she'd never run before, dashing into the Ravenclaw tower, inside the common room, and up to her dormitory. Lisa and Mandy were doing each other's nails, but neither acknowledged Hermione's presence, too absorbed in deciding if polka-dots or stripes looked better with orange dresses. And Hermione didn't think it necessary to greet them either.
She locked the hangings around her bed and eager opened the book that proved to be able to answer many of her questions. Running her hand down the table of contents, she rested upon one. The transportation of selected people into your world, page 758. Hermione flipped to that page quickly. There were huge pictures on the first few pages, showing page being dragged into what seemed to be a whitish whirlpool. Just like the portal thing I was pulled into, Hermione realized.
Her finger rested on a likely paragraph.
To transport people that aren't in the world when you created it requires great dark magic spells. There had been many attempts but none had been entirely successful. In order for a person to be in the world, there are many things one should remember. If you want to pull the person into a make-believe world that has the person's counterpart, it cannot be attempted, because in some cases, the counterpart will take over the person's train of thought and cause disastrous results. Another important thing is that the person must be aware that he's pulled into another dimension. If otherwise, there is a way for the world to disintegrate.
Hermione's eyes widened. Of course! That was why she'd acted so strangely when the pictures incident came. It wasn't her speaking; it was the Hermione counterpart that was supposed to hurt Harry speaking. She hoped that wherever the counterpart was hiding now, she wouldn't resurface again.
And the world would disintegrate? What was that supposed to mean?
Hermione opened up to the contents again, and found what she was looking for. Compiled reasons why people wants make-believe worlds-page 87.
And on that page, Hermione found her answer.
There are many reasons for make-believe worlds. Usually, if the worlds do NOT include the transportation of a person from the real world, then it's for purely recreational purposes. There are charms to reveal the happenings of a make-believe world in comparison to the real one. In those cases, the world CAN be made to disappear with special charms. However, if it includes the transportation of people into those worlds, then within a month the people inside those worlds WILL REMAIN THERE FOREVER. The time clock of the real world would start moving again WITHOUT a trace of the people sent into the make-believe world. There will be no way out, unless one of the people transported has no idea that he is to be transported. In that case, there is still a slim chance of escaping. Further details have not been given, for the victims who escape are in no condition to tell us.
It fits, it all fits, doesn't it?
Hermione jumped up. No matter what, she was going to have to show this to Harry. Whether he hated her or not, she must tell him what danger they were in. They were almost here for a month. And who knows if Padma and the others had been here way before they were! Time was running out for both of them. That was Voldemort's plan, wasn't it? So Harry was stuck here forever?
She practically ripped out of the common room in her bare feet, and with a pounding heart headed for the Slytherin common room, time running out with every passing second.
A/N: Erm, okay, yeah, the plot's a bit too complex for me to cover completely. If there's anything you don't understand about "make-believe" worlds, leave it in reviews (hinthint) and I'll answer in the next chapter. Hope you like it.
~Katrina
Thanks to the reviewers of C. 6
FlowerBySea-I'm sure everything's fine in the end. You'll find a better one. Thanks for reviewing!
Alanna-thanks!
Hpdancer92-just wait! I'll explain everything. Oh, Ron and Ginny in this world aren't the real ones. The real ones are still at the church. They'll make their appearances in the last chapter, chapter 12.
andrea-being the romantic I am…they'll get closer!
Mel-thanks for the compliment.
Hien-thank you for the encouragement! *moved*
Blackheart Sayonoran-I think there're AU fics where Hermione's in Ravenclaw. Oh, the head is Flitwick, I think JKR said. Yup, I'm pretty sure. Hmm, I think Hermione would've been in Ravenclaw…but she has to be in Gryffindor to be with Harry! LOL.
Hermione Alanna Granger-I like D/Hr, but I love H/Hr (see the difference? ^^). Nope, definitely not a D/Hr. Hermione didn't grab Harry and confront Padma because she's scared…and because her counterpart is controlling her…you know…
Harry's girl-why thank you!
Cay-thanks! =)
