Title: Flashback
Summary: 20-something year old Hermione finds herself suddenly back at Hogwarts, able to relive her 7th year. Everything that she remembers happening that year is seen in a new, more mature perspective. How will making different choices affect her life after the experience is over?
Rating: PG-13 – for sexual themes and language
Disclaimer: I don't take credit for anything, except maybe the plot.
Author's Note: Hey, guys! Sorry if I left you unsatisfied with the first "chapter". Its just a little glimpse into her life. Here comes the fun part! *grins evilly and rubs hands together in a menacing way*. Hope you like it! Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review!!
Chapter 2 – Waking Up
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Beautiful, candlelit chandeliers twinkled overhead and the lights were low. Small, round tables covered in spotless, white tablecloths dotted the landscape of the marble-tiled room. All faces were turned to her, waiting expectantly. And she didn't disappoint them.
"Thank you, sir. As Mr. Milton previously stated, I am Hermione Granger and I am running the dig. Every sickle that you contribute will help us immensely, and I must say that I personally, as well as my team, appreciate any donations. Six artifacts alone have been uncovered at the site, and with a larger budget, we're all quite sure that there are even more mysterious treasures to be found. Thank you all so much; enjoy the rest of your evening," she stepped down from the platform and spotted Ron still sitting at their reserved table, giving her a giant grin and waving at her pathetically. She strutted over to him, hands held out and awaiting a hug.
"Great speech. If they don't give you money for that, I'm sure they'll donate some just to see you in this dress again," he stated with a smile as they embraced. Hermione grinned and blushed, slightly embarrassed and backed away. "Thanks, Ron. Are you ready to get out of here yet?"
"More than you care to know." She gave a hearty laugh and linked arms with her date as they walked over to the fireplace.
"Hmm.. are you coming over or going straight home?" she asked him. Usually after a night out, Ron would come over to Hermione's loft and watch a movie or just hang out.
She lived in the Muggle part of London, and enjoyed it very much since all she had to do to visit the wizarding world was Apparate or Floo, and all she had to do to connect with the Muggle world was to step outside.
"I'm actually very tired. But, if you want me to come over then.."
"No, no. I'm tired too. I'll see you tomorrow," she said as she stepped into the fireplace.
"Alright. See you then." Grabbing a handful of powder, she threw it down and shouted, "Loft of Love!" and was gone.
How Ron and Harry had persuaded her to name her Floo connection the "Loft of Love" was beyond her. Well, ok, so she did. She was a mere twenty years old when she had Apparated into the Bureau of Floo Transportation alongside Harry and Ron.
Her parents had just agreed to help pay half of the rent for it as long as she was employed. She was, and so they signed the contract and the place was hers.
Her own living space. She could do what she wanted, whenever she wanted, and however she wanted (as long as it was legal, of course), and she felt good to be free. So when the woman at the front desk asked her what she wanted the name of her Floo connection to be, and Harry and Ron whispered the "Loft of Love" into her ear (added to the fact that she was slightly tipsy from celebrating the purchase the night before), she agreed. And from then on the Loft of Love was her home.
She stumbled out of the fireplace and into the living room, covered in soot. Dusting off the soft silk material, she walked in, kicked off her shoes, and clumsily began pulling down her pantyhose as she made her way towards the bathroom.
After washing her face and pulling her hair up into a messy bun, she slipped the dress up over her head and changed into a large tee-shirt along with a nice, comfortable pair of white cotton panties. The small hourglass shaped necklace laid elegantly on her neck, and as she fingered it, she came to the decision of leaving it on.
The seventh artifact. A beautiful, silver chain with a very small hourglass attached to it. She was quite sure it had some sort of magical power, but what kind – she didn't know. It was discovered amongst the ruins of an old English castle near the shore of the Atlantic. Hermione figured it was maybe a prototype for the modern Time-Turner, and going against her conscience, decided to keep it so that she could analyze it. There was no harm in that. To use a Time-Turner, one must willingly turn it. And even if something happened, it would only go a few hours back, so all she would have to do is hide until her other self left. Easy as pie.
Next came her favorite part of the night. She switched off the light to her bedroom, and crawled into the bed, underneath the soft, down comforter. The cool face of the pillow touched her cheek and she immediately relaxed into it and shut her eyes. Sleep. This felt nice.
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The grandfather clock stroke two. Hermione snapped open her eyes in a flash, first wondering why there was suddenly a clock like that in her loft, and then becoming slightly suspicious when she heard giggling. And it wasn't just one person. It sounded like a group of.. teenage girls? Bringing a grandfather clock into her living room? But it had sounded further away. The girls, however, seemed to come from the furthest wall in her bedroom.
Hermione carefully slipped out of her covers and stepped onto the cold, hardwood floor. But as her feet stepped down, she realized it wasn't hardwood.. it was stone. And much colder than the hardwood at her house. It seemed as if she had also somehow knocked down several.. tissues?.. off of her bed. Why were there tissues on her bed? It wasn't just a few either, there were several used tissues scattered around her bed and now on the floor. Now she was getting suspicious.
Not even trying to be quiet anymore, she began to walk towards her door, but stopped in mid-step when she realized she was about to run into another bed. Inside, her mind screamed out of frustration and she must have groaned herself, because the giggling stopped.
"Hermione?" She breathed a sigh of relief. It was just Ginny.
"Damnit, Gin. You scared the living daylights out of me!" Ginny gasped at the vulgar language coming out of Hermione Granger's mouth and said, "Hermione! Kiss your mother with that mouth?"
Her mind was drawing a blank. Ginny Weasley had heard her cuss before. Infact, she and Ron had been the ones to encourage it. Both of them thought Hermione was too uptight and maybe by using bad language, it would relieve some of the stress that had built up from her job. They also had introduced her to her first nightclub. Obviously, those habits had stuck with her.
She turned around to face Ginny, and almost died of shock when she was looking at her.. yes, it was her. She was just.. young. Very young. The girl was probably no more than seventeen years old.
"Ginny, what's going on here? Where's Harry?"
The redhead didn't seem to understand the question she was asking, because the answer she gave didn't help Hermione any.
"Oh, we're so sorry! Me and Parvarti and Lav were just talking! We didn't mean to wake you, especially after the rough night we know you've had. And 'Mione.. this is a girl's dorm. No way would we let Harry in unless it was Christmastime or something. "
Once again, another blank. She peered around Ginny and indeed, there were two girls.. both teenagers, sitting on top of a bed in a tank top and shorts. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. Gods, she hadn't seen them in ages. And neither had Ginny!
Looking at her surroundings for the first time, she realized something. She seemed to be at Hogwarts. In her old dorm.. with her old friends? Literally, her old friends because this was not the Virginia Weasley she knew and loved. Oh no, this was a younger version. Well then, they must notice that she looks about twenty-fiv.. twenty-two years old!
"Ginny, do you notice anything different about me?" she asked quickly.
"Only the fact that you're not crying anymore. Good for you, Herm!" Before she had the chance to protest, she was wrapped up in the redhead's arms and her mind was still reeling.
She broke the hug before Ginny though, and ran out the door, hoping that the bathroom was still in the same place as it was before.
It was. She walked in through the door and realized she didn't have her wand. It didn't matter, she had passed her Wandless Magic exam and received her license, which meant she could perform (only very small) spells with only the muttering of a word or two. "Lumos," she said. But nothing happened. Slightly puzzled as to why her magic wasn't working, Hermione looked around the giant girl's bathroom in hopes of finding the mirror in the same place it had been before.
When she was younger and still attending Hogwarts, she hardly ever gazed at herself in the mirror. The only times were when she had to look nice, or was forced into getting a makeover by Lavender and Parvati. Neither mirror memories were especially fun to remember. She ran over past the wall of sinks until she could see herself clearly. The mirror hung on the wall in-between the line of sinks on the left and the shower stalls and toilet cubicles on the right. It was large and plain, no border around it or any lipstick marks on it from girls kissing it to take off some of their lipstick (even though they did it often), it was charmed to repel it.
She stepped closer, amazed at what she saw. She was wearing a pair of flannel shorts – maybe too short for her age, she thought as she stared into the wild eyes of a seventeen or eighteen year old Hermione Granger. Her hair was once again bushy and untamed, but she could hardly tell since it was up in a messy bun.
She was wearing a white tank top and smiled proudly at her nice, mature figure. She was thinner, that was for sure, and damn did she have great legs! She couldn't wait to show them off now that she felt like she had them. Before, her greatest asset was her flat tummy, but now with this newer and younger body, she may have to reconsider.
She walked out of the bathroom and up to her old.. scratch that, new dormitory thinking a million kilometers a minute. She was seventeen. Or eighteen – it didn't matter, the point was.. she was a teenager. First thing she would do in the morning was to order her hair serum so she didn't have to look at her bushy, frizzy hair one more time. Next on the list was to find out how she got here. Why was she in the past? Why was she in the past in her old body? Not that she minded that aspect of it, however.
She would figure it all out in the morning. If she was still here then, then she would investigate. If not, then it was all a strange dream.
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"'Mione, wake up!" It was Ginny's voice. Here came the moment of truth. She slightly opened one eye, afraid of what she might see. However, all she saw through her lashes was red hair and that didn't help. She opened both eyes all the way and groaned. It was the younger Ginny.
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Thank you, my lovely little reviewer for chapter 1!
Dreaming One – yeah I know, but its just the beginning! I hope you believe me when I say that its going to get better! Thanks for the comment!
AND FYI.. I hate to rain on any lazy people's parade, but I probably won't be posting anymore until I get.. ehh, at least five reviews for this chapter. That's not very many. I don't ask for much. I just need to make sure that I'm not posting this for my own amusement! And any who review will be thanked!