DISCLAIMER: See first chapter.
A/N: Thanks to my beta-reader, HPFanFicLuvr, and to all my reviewers.
me again: Varför har du inte läst den? *ler honungslent och gömmer en kniv bakom ryggen* Ärligt talat, gumman, vad är fel med HP fanfic? Förklara! *lägger undan kniven I tillfällig vapenvila efter att ha läst Helens e-mail*
BeCkY6: Than you so much. Your reviews are always so positive. I love them.
Emma Ackroyd: Thank you ever so much. I'm sorry for the slight delay.
HarryGryffinGirl: No, actually, no staring matches with the fishies, staring match with Nora. There's a slight difference.
rogue kaiya: Yes, it is poor James, and poor Hermione too. I do like to think my story is slightly different from the other stories out there. I felt it would be an interesting twist having her with James, because she knows she can't have him, and it's a perfect opportunity for a little character torture.
Mia found that life improved a great deal over the next few weeks. Amos, who had by now gotten over the shock of seeing his meek little sister explode like a volcano, seemed to have found a new respect for her, and didn't mind when she entered the great hall on James's shoulders. The only thing that was bothering her was that Hermione and James weren't happy. She saw the glances they gave each other. And the most annoying thing was that Hermione was being so stubborn! Mia could see clearly that they liked each other, and yet both refused to acknowledge it. Mia felt frustrated. Nothing she had done had helped the situation, and James was being so irritable.
"What are you doing for Christmas?" she asked her two best friends, Hermione and Lily, one day in the library. Hermione, who was finally reading 'Alohomora Your Heart', the book James had got her on their first date, looked up.
"Me, Neville and Ron are staying here," she said, and continued, "this book is so soppy."
Lily smirked.
"Didn't like Jamie's present, dearie?" she teased.
Hermione glared at her. Mia smiled. Both Lily and Hermione had a bit of a temper, and it was fun to see who would blow first. It wasn't as fun if you were on the receiving end of a tantrum, though. Mia winced as she thought of that time she accidentally spilled ink over Hermione's History of Magic essay. The girl went berserk. But then she apologised profoundly. Mia didn't mind at all. It was rather nice, to have a friend to argue with. Well, the arguing bit wasn't any fun, but making up again was.
"I'm staying too," Lily said. She made a face. "I wanted to go home, but my sister Petunia told me she'd send me to Holland if I did, wand or no wand. You, Mia?"
"Oh, I'm staying. Definitely," she made up her mind quickly when she heard her two friends were staying. She had usually gone home the other years, seeing no point in spending Christmas on her own, but this year she wasn't alone.
Meanwhile, the boys were having a similar discussion. James stared at the table dully. Every now and then he'd swat a non-existent fly with his hand. Neville was sorry for him. Poor James. Neville suspected he had never been dumped before, and by a girl he really liked, none the less.
Peter was going home, and Neville was greatly relieved. He didn't hate Peter, directly, but he never felt comfortable around him. Sirius was going home also, but Remus was staying, as was James. He really didn't feel like staying, facing Hermione every day, but nor did he feel like going home. He was dismal.
Sirius whistled part of a Christmas Carol happily.
"Will you stop that?" James snapped irritably. "It's getting on my nerves!"
Sirius stopped, with a small sigh. James had been very irritable ever since they had broken up. The only one who could calm his nerves a little was Lily. Sirius was surprised. Until Neville, Ron and Hermione appeared from thin air, they had had very little to do with Lily Evans, and suddenly she became almost one of the group. They had considered making all four of them honorary Marauders, but thought better of it. He wasn't so sure Hermione and Lily approved of pranks.
Sirius sighed again. They hadn't done a single prank in ages. James wasn't in the mood, and none of the others felt like doing anything without James. He had the cloak, and the map they were working on. Remus had it showing all the prefects and teachers, but Peter had claimed that it should show the students also.
"Some students are on their side," he had said, and all knew that them were the teachers.
But so far, the map only showed prefects and teachers.
Severus raised his eyebrows. Someone was walking down the corridor. Why on earth would someone be walking down the corridor at ten o'clock in the evening? The footsteps were coming closer. He quickly hid the potion he was working on. If anyone saw him try to brew this particular potion, he'd be in big trouble. Clip, clip, the footsteps sounded. He had a queasy feeling in his stomach, and found it hard to breathe properly. It took him a while to realise that he was terrified. The door opened very slowly. What if it was prefect or, even worse, a teacher? He looked frantically around for a place to escape. He thought he could spot the hem of a robe poking around the doorframe. More and more became visible every second. There was no way to escape. Great, thought Severus glumly. There goes Slytherin's chance of winning the house Cup. We're gonna be back to 0 points once they're done with me.
He looked up at the person standing in the doorframe.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't know anyone would be here."
Snape breathed out a sigh. He couldn't believe how close that had been. Little Diggory took a few steps back.
"Wait!" he called. From what he had heard, she was an ace in potions. Clevis had even showed her potions as an example of what a very good truth potion should look like. "I need some help with my potion…" he left the question hanging in the air. She looked at him, thinking. He wondered what was going on in that little head of hers.
"Alright," she relented at last. He could hear the uncertainness of her voice.
"I'm not going to do anything to you," he said smiling. It was an unusual experience for him. "Hermione'd have my head if I did," he added. She smiled back. If he was on first-name basis with Hermione he couldn't be bad.
Nora had gone up to the girls' dormitory ages ago when Lily and Hermione entered the portrait hole. They sat down with the boys. James shot Hermione a quick glance, but she avoided looking at him. The others smiled a little. The atmosphere was so tense you could cut it with a knife.
"Is Perks upstairs?" asked Hermione after an uncomfortable silence.
"She said she wanted to think about something," Sirius said, the question evident in his voice.
Hermione and Lily exchanged a glance.
"We'd better help her, then," said Lily, "I don't doubt she'll be very confused by now."
Hermione smiled. Sirius frowned. What on earth were they talking about? He hated secrets. Well, those that he wasn't involved in, anyway.
The two girls walked up the stairs. Lily knocked on the door.
"Nora?" she called.
"Go away," came the muffled reply from inside.
Hermione ignored this, and pushed open the door. Nora was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. Hermione recognised the emotion visible in every inch of her face. She had seen that emotion in Harry countless times. It was guilt. Although Harry was quite capable at concealing his feelings – Hermione was sure Ron hardly ever intercepted the subtle telltale signs – she was observant enough to see the few unmasked moments, and she was sure what she was seeing was just the tip of an iceberg.
She sat down gently on Nora's bed. When did Nora Perks become Nora? She wondered calmly.
"It's not your fault, you know," she said softly. Nora looked up, startled. Had she really been that obvious? Hermione's reassuring smile was oddly comforting. This is what real friendship is about, a voice told her. Comforting others when they need it. Not sticking to someone because they're popular. Nora stilled. Had she really thought that about Camilla and Fiona? Her best friends?
"I'm afraid Hermione," she said softly. She didn't add that she was afraid of herself and what she would find when she found herself, but Hermione, clever as she was, seemed to have picked up on it.
"Don't worry, Nora. You'll find that you like the person you truly are. Most people do."
"But what if I'm really like You-Know-Who?" she asked. There, it was said. The worry that had been bugging her ever since she set out on her search. As soon as those words were said, Nora felt lighter. She hadn't realised just how heavy a burden her fear was. It was a relief to have someone to go over her fears with, even if it was Hermione granger. It's odd how your opinion people can change so drastically in just one night, she thought dryly. She would never had thought that it was the two bookworms in her class she'd be running to with her worst fears.
Hermione meanwhile was thinking this question over carefully. How could she answer this without giving too much away?
"Voldemort…" she hesitated. "Voldemort turned his back on who he is."
Nora looked at her bemusedly, so Hermione had to continue, well aware that any slip of the tongue could lead to very unpleasant questions.
"He started of as someone else, someone rather like you and me. But … circumstances … shaped him to the monster he is today."
Nora felt that that explanation wasn't nearly enough and wanted to ask what circumstances, but one look from Hermione cut off any questions she had.
Lily had wisely kept quiet, feeling that this was a private matter between Nora and Hermione.
"What if I can't find myself?" Nora asked.
Hermione smiled a little.
"You will, Nora. Never for a second doubt that."
Sirius had had enough. He was going to find out what they hid, and he was going to find out now. He walked up towards the door that led to the girls' dormitories, and gently pressed his wand at a certain brick. It was the way for a boy to get up to the girls' dormitories. They weren't supposed to know but… Never underestimate Moony in love, Sirius thought amusedly. He walked up to the fifth year girls' dorm.
"But what if I fail?" he heard Nora's voice ask. Fail what?
"You won't," came Lily's confident voice. "I haven't known anyone who has, yet."
They said no more. He wondered what they had been talking about. HE had come up to find answers, but instead he found more questions.
Severus and Mia were startled when Professor Barker entered the classroom. He sneered unpleasantly.
"And what, pray, are two young students doing with a potion this early in the morning?" he asked, looking from the young Hufflepuff to the older Slytherin. It really was a surprise, seeing them work so well together.
"It's not Mia's fault," answered Severus quickly. During the night, he had learned how nice the girl was, and had come to care for her. He felt as though she was the sister he never had. Hermione and Lily were friends, but with Mia he felt a protective instinct he had never felt for anyone before. He smirked dryly. Who would have thought the day would come when Severus Snape adopted a sister? Hermione's arrival had certainly changed a lot around Hogwarts.
He thanked Merlin that Barker wasn't a potions expert. He doubted that the Professor in question would be pleased if he found that they were brewing the Draught of Living Death.
"Severus was helping me with my potion's homework," Mia lied.
"It was I who suggested this time, because there aren't many people around," Severus added. He'd do anything to keep Mia from trouble. It was a startling revelation. How could he have come to care so much for a girl in just one night? Ok, that sounded slightly perverted. It wasn't really though.
Barker scowled.
"And I'm supposed to believe this why?" he asked.
Mia smiled innocently.
"What else would you believe Professor?" she asked. Her voice showed none of the nervousness she felt. Severus admired her. What had happened to him? Before Hermione showed up, he was a model Slytherin, hardly cared about anyone else, admired nobody, and didn't care in the slightest what people thought about him. How much just a few months had changed, after five years of staying the same.
"Five points from Slytherin and Hufflepuff each for being out of bed this early," Barker scowled, obviously irritated he couldn't take more off.
He left, and passed Hermione and Lily on the way.
Hermione handed Severus a paper.
"Can you tell me a way to reverse this?" she asked. Severus looked questioningly at first Hermione, then Lily. The latter shrugged.
"Don't ask me," she said. "I don't have a clue what that potion does."
He looked over the paper. It explained how to brew the simple truth potion they were working on, except it had dragons' blood. It was a potion to send someone back in time. He looked at Hermione.
"I take it Neville messed up a potion, leaving you here?"
"My brother did nothing," replied she, "it was Ron."
Severus snorted. Same shit - different name, he thought. But then felt a little bit guilty. It was Hermione's brother, after all.
Mia had grabbed the paper and stared thoughtfully at it.
"I think I have an idea," she said slowly. "What if we use an eye of a…"
"Newt," Severus interrupted.
"Of course," Lily exclaimed. "The tissue of the newt's eye is reacts opposite to the…"
"Combination of mandrake root and dragon blood," Hermione finished her sentence.
The four smiled at each other, faces lit up with the thought of their own brilliance.
"Mia, you're genius!"
"It will take quite a while to brew though," Mia said.
"The newt's eye has to react with the willow juice," Hermione added. "But we'll wait."
The four sat down to plan the project, united by their love for potions and a challenge.
They had found a way to return again.