Author: Ambrosia2
Rating: PG-13
Summery: After an unusual turn of events, Hermione finds herself in one of the most romantic and dangerous periods in history- the Victorian times.
Authors Notes:Some of you may have read my first version of Victorian Courtship, but this one iss much different. I scrapped the old one and started rewriting it. I hope you guys like this one better!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or anything relating to Harry Potter.
Date published: Monday, December 27, 2004
The sun sank lazily over the snowy hills leading to Hogwarts. Dim light filtered in to the Gryffindor common room, though it glowed merrily from the firelight. Everyone was sitting around the common room, most in their nightclothes, laughing and enjoying the weather. Ron, Hermione and Harry sat at their usual corner by the hearth, talking contentedly. Hermione sat in a cushy armchair, her back to the flames, her knees pulled up to her chest. A mug of hot coco was held in both of her hands, lifted to her face so that she could blow on the steaming liquid. Across from her Harry and Ron sat side by side on the scarlet couch. Harry had a gold blanket thrown over his shoulders, and was sipping from a warm bottle of butter beer. His emerald eyes reflected the dancing flames as he relived his latest Quidditch adventure. Ron listened on, entranced by the story, mug of apple cider all but forgotten. Hermione rolled her eyes at her best friends antics, but grinned never the less.
The petite brunette stood from her chair reluctantly. Harry and Ron looked up at her, identical expressions on their faces.
"Where are you going, Mione?" Ron asked, red eyebrows raised in question. Hermione pointed to the clock. One of its many hands pointed to a spot that said, "The library is about to close, you better hurry!"
Harry and Ron rolled their eyes, slightly annoyed by their female counter parts excessive study tendencies. Hermione frowned at them.
"I'll be back in half an hour, okay? But the library is going to close really, really soon, and I want to check out one more book tonight." She said.
"That's fine Hermione. Hurry, you don't want it to close." Harry replied, ever the more compassionate of her two best friends.
Hermione smiled at them both and turned sharply on her heel, walking to the portrait hole. Hermione stepped through and practically jogged down the halls. The seventeen year old girl was clad in her nightgown, a simple, modest, floor length garment she felt comfortable in around her friends. It had long sleeves, perfect for the winter, and billowed loosely around her in pure white cotton. She didn't think she had the time to change and get down to the library in time, so she had decided to just go in what she was wearing. It wasn't the first time she had gone down in a nightgown though. In fact, it was fairly regular at night to see people lounging in the library in their pajamas.
Hermione reached the library just in time, having only about five minutes to make a selection. She didn't know exactly what she wanted though. She found herself gazing at the aisle of muggle literature and strode over to the tall bookshelf. Classic literature called out to her. Hermione ran her fingers over the titles, a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. "Romeo and Juliet, Great Expectations, The Taming of the Shrew, Jane Eyre" she read softly under her breath. Her fingertips stopped over 'To Kill a Mockingbird', and a grin lit up her face as she spotted 'The Little Prince'. Hermione pulled her childhood favorite off of the shelf and made her way over to the librarians' desk. Madam Pince waved her wand over the book and looked at Hermione fondly over her spectacles.
"Miss Granger, I expect this back in three weeks, as usual." She said, eyebrows slightly raised. Hermione nodded her head.
"Yes, M'am" Hermione replied, and exited the haven. The book smart witch walked at a slow and steady pace down the halls, her new book held open, and her amber eyes scanning the pages. It was for that reason that Hermione hardly noticed that she had made a wrong turn somewhere and had ended up in a hall she had never seen before. She looked up in confusion, turning round in a full circle, taking in her surroundings. Hermione stood in a long, deserted corridor. The walls were covered in patterned, gold wallpaper, with solemn, hardly moving portraits of men and women in high necked collars. The hall had no doors, save for one narrow, wooden entry at the very end. Hermione followed the corridor slowly, curiosity getting the better of her. Torches lined the walls, casting an eerie glow over everything. Hermione paused before the door, her hand resting timidly on the brass handle.
"Why do I feel like I shouldn't be doing this?" she asked herself, sucking in a deep breath. Hermione closed her eyes and twisted the door knob, stepping through. Brown eyes opened, taking in her surroundings expertly. The brunette witch frowned, looking around in confusion.
"What?" she asked herself, staring at the entrance hall. She stood there confused. There had never been a door like that one that led into the entrance hall, she was sure of it! Hermione looked behind her, and suddenly her mystery door was gone.
"I'm losing my mind…" she murmured, shaking her head. With renewed vigor, spurred by confusion, Hermione made her way to the common room, not daring to open her book again. She finally found herself in front of the portrait of the fat lady, shivering in her nightgown.
"Lion Heart" Hermione said to the portrait, her arms crossed over her chest, book hanging between her fingers.
"I'm sorry dear, but that's wrong" the fat lady told her. Hermiones heart skipped a beat and she shook her head.
"No, it's right, I know it is. I was here just half an hour ago" she argued, running a hand through her mass of curls. Hermione began to worry. What was she supposed to do if she couldn't get into the common room? She stood there for a few minutes, wandering what her chances were of someone coming out at night that could let her in. She knew, of course, that Harry and Ron would eventually worry about her and come outside to find her, and that thought gave her comfort.
As fate had it, it was not Harry or Ron who came out though. It was a girl Hermione had never seen before. She was dressed in a similar manner, with a billowy white nightgown, but her hair was covered with a bonnet. Hermione looked at this girl curiously, wondering who she was, and why she had emerged from the Gryffindor Common Room.
"Can I help you?" the tall girl asked in a polite tone. Hermione stared at her, wondering if she had ever seen her before. She ran her hand through her curly hair once more, thinking she must have just forgotten the girls face.
"Erm..Well, yes, actually. You see, I've forgotten the password. Do you suppose you could let me in?" she asked hopefully. The girl with the bonnet looked her over and bit her lip.
"Yes, I suppose that's alright. Though, if anyone asks, you can't remember who let you in, alright?" she asked, and stepped away from the portrait hole. Hermione smiled briefly and nodded her head, stepping through the hole in the wall.
It was much darker than it had been when she had left, and now the windows were dark, save for a few stars twinkling brightly in the night sky. The embers in the fireplace burned gently, barely illuminating the figures gathered around it. Hermione glanced around, but it was too dark for her to make out who anyone was.
"Harry? Ron?" she called, stepping forward a few paces. "I'm back. I got that book from the library" she called. Something felt wrong to her. Very, very wrong. Hermione held her wand up. "Lumos" she said quietly, and the end of her wand glowed brightly. She tilted it so that it shed a little more light on the people around her, who seemed to have stopped what they were doing to stare at her.
All around her strangers watched. Everywhere she turned was another unknown face. They all watched her intensely, slowly standing up and walking over to her. It was then that she noticed the peculiar manner in which they were all dressed. The boys were all dressed in antique looking suits and ties, with high necks and straight legged trousers. The girls were either wearing night gowns similar to her own, or modest black dresses. The dresses were long sleeved, with small waists, and a voluminous skirt that reached to the ground. The necklines of the dresses were mostly up to the neck, with lace accents and beading for decoration. Why were they all dressed in antique clothing? Hermione wondered. Something was wrong here, but she had no idea what it was.
"Who are you?" a voice called out, another meaningless face.
"I'm Hermione Granger" she replied, tilting her chin up, not ready to be scared away by these people. The group of people murmured and whispered for a few seconds, and Hermione didn't like the dark looks they were giving her. A girl stepped forward from the group and pointed her wand at Hermione, shouting a curse at her. A bright orange light hit Hermione before she had the chance to draw her wand, and Hermione fell backward, pain coursing through her body. Why had that girl cursed her? Why did they look like something from the Victorian times? What was happening? These thoughts filled her hazy mind as she was sent backwards. 'Oh great, I'm going to fall now' she thought. But she didn't. A pair of strong arms caught her and lifted her up, cradling her in his arms, warming her chilled body slightly.
"Don't worry, you'll be okay" a masculine voice murmured into her ear. Hermione relaxed into the gentle strangers arms, letting him take her where ever it was he was going. Hermione looked up at the man holding her, but everything looked blurry. White blonde hair framed an angelically handsome face, but she couldn't tell who he was. Yet something about him screamed familiarity. Hermiones eyes completely closed, her mind going blank as the pain took over, knocking her into a deep sleep.
End Authors Note: I know every author does this, but I am asking you to please review my story. I cannot even describe the happiness I get when people tell me what they thought. Even if you hated it, I'd like to know, please.
Be kind, Review