Title: When Time Stands Still. Author: SantiMonreal Pairings: Harry, Hermione and Ron.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling, published in her books, borrowed by me, to release some of my mind's stress; and more importantly, I'm not making any money off this.

Summary: Harry tries to cope with the phantoms of his past. Ron deals with a future that he couldn't accept. Hermione draws bliss out of the present melancholic world.

Chapter 2: Viaticum for Hermione

Hermione looked out of her window as the car pulled out of the parking lot on the way home from the train station. "Are you tired from the trip, dear?" Her mother called from the front seat, looking at her thru the rear view mirror. "I think so." Hermione replied, her voice tinted in depression. "Are you ill, Hermione?" her mother pressed, turning to face Hermione and feeling her forehead. "No mum, I'm fine; I just had a long trip that's all." She sighed looking out of the car window.

Buildings and buses flew past her, but she paid little attention to them, what concerned her most was the afternoon sky, it stood above them, following them wherever they went. "Hermione, your father and I bought you something special before we came to get you." Mrs. Granger said. Handing Hermione what looked like a book inside a brown package. Hermione smiled, another book, no doubt, she thought. "Aren't you going to see what it is?" Mrs. Granger asked Hermione excitedly. "I think it's a book, but I'll open it later." She replied trying to sound grateful. "It's not just any book dear, it's a very important piece of history, magical history." Her father said.

Hermione opened the brown bag and pulled out a very tattered leather book. The smell filled the whole car. She turned to the front page, where she saw a note from the previous owner:

This is a compilation of the very ancient witches' brews from
the wandless times. Compiled in the before the Medieval times and was
finished after Merlin was born. This is a collection of spells from
the past, where most of the spells are obsolete, but it is a very
important piece of History.

Hermione was astounded. She had never seen a compilation of such old magic before. "Where did you get this?" "Err. That bookstore.Flourish and blotts is it? It was the only the owner didn't want to sell it, it was the only copy the had of it, mind you." Mrs. Granger replied proudly.

Hermione leaned back on her seat. And opened the book to the spells, the page had a drawing of a basil bush in it that was swaying in the wind, She looked at the spell title: "To Summon a colleague or loved one home." She read down at the simplicity of the spell, smiling to herself.

The car finally stopped in front of a dental clinic. Hermione helped her father unload her luggage from the back. And went up to her room. She tossed her the book on the bed and changed into more comfortable clothing.

She was about to nap on her bed when she saw that the book had opened to a particular herbal magic spell, there was a picture of dried lily of the valley. On its left, in bold old english script it read "Forget"

It made her think of the night before. The evening she spent with Harry and Ron on the giant oak bed in the Astronomy Tower. What if it were true? What if they could let the world forget about them, the world would leave them behind and they would exist outside of time, where it will stand still and hold them forever in a moment of bliss, in a precious moment that would let them fall in a perpetual hole of ecstasy. Where pleasure would be the only thing that would concern them, where duty is forever absent, there would be none of that in their world. There only would be the three of them holding each other.

If only Hermione closed her eyes. She imagined the feel of their breathing down her neck as the gasped in the scent of her hair. How right that felt where they lay next to each other.

Hermione almost fell out of her skin; Mrs. Granger was knocking loudly on her door, "Come in, mum." Hermione said. Mrs. Granger "I came to get the laundry dear, Dinner will be ready in about an hour." "Thanks mum" Hermione let herself down on her bed. "What if?" She wondered.

To be continued.

Thank yous:

Emma Hermione - Harigato. Thanks for your kind words. Although this fic is posted under the rating R, I don't want to offend anyone. I'm so sorry if I did, gomen. It's also posted on Adultfanfiction.net.

Oceanlight - Thanks for reviewing, but I must warn you, this is under rated R (although I can make it NC-17 here). Also posted on AFF.net. I'm so sorry if you guys were misled by myself.

To all those who read: Thanks! I'm trying to write as fast as I can now, It's just that I'm in the middle of several projects. Thanks for reading!

My world is spinning to fast. Hehehe.