Title: The Bermuda Triangle
Summary: A plane crashes near the Bermuda Triangle and apparently all on board are killed. All, that is, but a mother and her daughter. The Triangle's magic transports the two into the Forbidden Forest and questions arise when the young mother leads her teenage daughter to the school—everybody thought the Gryffindor was dead, but she's here now and her daughter has curly blonde hair and is sorted into Slytherin. What is going on here?
Pairings: Past Hermione/Draco…present Harry/Ginny…who knows what else…
Author: Silver Sparklze
Started: 7th September 2003
Reason For Writing: This story was started as a challenge issued by Lunarian Amethyst. Let it be known that I NEVER turn down a challenge…*Ash's sister* LIAR!
Hermione and Jillian followed Dumbledore downstairs the following day, just in time for dinner. Undoubtedly, the students who had History of Magic (hereafter referred to as HOM) had enjoyed a nice day off, and assumed they would be able to do so for a long time. Well, that wasn't so. Hermione had all of Binns' notes, and she planned to follow them, while trying to make the lessons slightly more interesting.
Hermione was chewing on her lower lip, second doubts plaguing her mind. Momentarily, she considered scooping up Jillian, and making a run for it, regardless of what her daughter, and former friends and mentors would think. She couldn't do this! She couldn't see Draco again after all these years, after all that he'd done and said! It just wasn't possible!
"Professor," She began,
"Please, Hermione, call me Albus. We're going to be colleagues, after all." Dumbledore sighed reminiscently. "Ahh, it does my old heart good to see you wandering these halls again. And with a daughter who could be your twin! Well, with blonde hair, anyway," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Minerva will be thrilled, you know. It was always her wish that you would work here." Hermione winced. Trust him to bring up Professor McGonagall. She was the only person Hermione had kept contact with, and, in some ways, she was more of a mother than Hermione's own.
Hermione winced, when she thought of what her own, prim, and rather proper mother had said, when she'd found out that Hermione had fallen pregnant to another student at Hogwarts. She'd gone on and on about abortion being the best option, or adoption, and compensation and maintenance. She'd even informed Hermione of the best ways to get more money out of her ex-boyfriend. Then she'd told Hermione that she was a disgrace to the family, and she'd hung up.
"Ok…Albus," She said quietly. Jillian, who'd been looking at her anxiously, as if she'd known what Hermione was about to say, (which she probably had been, they were very close), grinned at Hermione in relief, before slipping one hand through her mother's, and continuing on. They waited by a side door that led off the Great Hall, (the same room Harry had been in during his fourth year), for Dumbledore to announce them. They could hear the chatter of all the students, and the slightly louder talk of the staff, and Hermione felt her nervousness growing. She felt like throwing up.
"Ahem," Hermione's ears pricked up, as Dumbledore's voice became apparent over the rapidly quieting din. "If I could have your attention for a moment?" The room was quiet now. "As you know, Professor Binns has gone on a holiday to Germany, to meet his great something niece," Great cheering greeted these words. "Yes, yes, settle down," Everyone did immediately. "Well, I'm sure you'll all be glad to know that I have found a replacement." Groans filled the Hall. "Come now, she'll hear you." They all quieted down. "But before I introduce her, I have some wonderful news. We have a new exchange student, who will be in the third year," Whispers broke out. In the whole of Hogwarts History, no one could ever remember there being an exchange student. (Aside from the Triwizard Tournaments, but they didn't count, because the students didn't stay.) Dumbledore must have made some motion for quiet, because there was a sudden silence "Thank you. So, without further ado, Miss Jillian Granger."
Jillian stepped out, looking about nervously. She immediately noticed the eyes of the four adults she'd seen while in the Forest, and she gulped. Mum gave her thumbs up from the doorway, and, emboldened, she walked bravely over to the old man named Albus Bumblboor or something equally odd. The man handed her a hat, and guided her to a stool set in the middle of the stage. She sat down, placed the hat on her head, and waited for whatever it was that was supposed to happen. What did happen almost made her yell in fright. The hat began to speak!
"So," The hat said, "You need to be sorted, eh?"
"Who are you? How come you can talk?" Jillian asked softly.
"Why can I talk, I think you mean, and you don't have to actually speak. I can read your thoughts." The hat replied. "And I am the Sorting Hat."
"Y-you can read my thoughts? But Mummy always told me that was an evil power."
"And it is, when people use it wrongly. But then, I'm not a person. Nor am I using my power for evil. It's too bad that you weren't here at the start of the term, then you could have heard my song. Now I'll have to explain everything." It took the Hat about 15 minutes, but finally he'd explained everything to Jillian.
"Ok, let me get this straight. You used to be one of the dudes who created the school's hat, then when he realised he was gonna die, he spoke to his three other colleagues, and they decided you could choose instead, and they put some brains into you so you could do it, am I right so far?"
"Yes,"
"Ok. And now, you have to sort me into Hufflepuff, the airhead love-your-fellow-man house, Ravenclaw, the nerdy I-know-everything house, Gryffindor, the stupid jump-in-before-thinking-and-come-out-smelling-like-a-rose house, or Slytherin, the look-after-yourself-and-screw-everyone-else house. Correct?"
"Something like that." The Hat sounded amused.
"Well, can I choose?"
"Er…I suppose. But if I don't think you're suited for the house, you won't go there…" The Hat sounded nervous.
"Well, it's obvious."
"It is?"
"Of course! I choose Slytherin!"
"Yes, yes, I can see that working out quite nicely." The Hat sounded relieved. "Well, this is almost done, so I guess, better be SLYTHERIN!" Jillian grinned, and took the hat off her head, ignoring the fact that her curls had gone frizzy after her afternoon shower. She ran down to the most self-centered looking table, and sat down next to a prissy blonde, who edged away from her as if she smelt bad. She heard a whispered word, which sounded sort of like mudblood, and she turned to the girl.
"Did you say something?" She asked pleasantly, her hand creeping to her wand, which was sitting in the pocket of her jeans. The girl looked down her nose at Jillian.
"Yes, I did." She said, sniffing. "I called you a mudblood."
"Oh, ok." She tipped her head to one side. "Odd."
"What's odd?" The girl on the other side asked, looking curious despite herself.
"Well, it's just I always thought my blood was red, same as everyone else…oh well." She shrugged, and turned towards Bumblboor, as she'd decided to call him, and waited for him to announce her Mum.
"No, you prat, it's an insult. But you probably don't even know what it means." The blonde sounded disgusted.
"Oh, I know what it means," Jillian said, voice sounding deadly, even while she kept the innocent face pasted on. "And believe me, I'll get you back. But not now. I'm waiting for my Mum to be introduced. She's gonna be the new HOM teacher, you know."
"Oh, so whatcha gonna do? Go running to Mummy?" The blonde sneered.
"No. I can fight my own battles," Jillian turned to look at the girl, eyes flicking insolently over her willowy, delicate looking frame. She smirked her special smirk. "But you obviously can't." With that, she turned back around again, just in time for Bumblboor to announce Mum.
"Yes, yes, very good, Miss Granger," Bumblboor said. "Now, without further ado, our new HOM professor, Miss Hermione Granger." The whole Hall went silent, and Jillian's mother stepped in.