A/n:

BoyFlea: Maybe rollercoaster on steroids wasn't as clever as I thought :(. Oh well. Thanks for review :)

HiBob: Thanks:). This chapter is going to show more about the conflict going on around the new world.

BTW, Hermione's thoughts are also in italics.

Other World

Chapter Two: Scratch my back and

A few minutes after 4:00 PM, 3 hours after she had been transported here, Hermione wasn't feeling any better. She had bug bites all over her legs. She spotted a large rock that looked like it didn't have too many bugs on it. It was close so she decided she would take a break there. Once she arrived kneeled on the ground and put her face to the rock, using it as kind of a large, hard pillow.

I knew I should have started exercising...

She repositioned herself, trying to get more comfortable. Then she heard a sound. It sounded like someone yelling. She perked up and sure enough there was what looked like a town through some of the thicker brush. She proceeded cautiously... she could only see little specks of color through the bushes.

There were dirt paths leading in every direction. Buildings with signs painted with unrecognizable symbols. It didn't look high-tech. It didn't look magical. She approached a few people, asking them where she was. All of them spoke another language. Hermione wanted to scream.

Please...just someone...SOMEONE I CAN TALK TO!

One of the townsfolk had noticed she was out of place. And old man, a bit on the crazy side, approached her. He pointed to a building in the middle of the town. There was a young man at the front of the building and a long line of people. She stood in the line. Everyone in the line looked tired. Travelers, perhaps?

"Come on, everyone! Hurry along!" the man was yelling. The man was nervous. They were but a small village standing up to a whole country. They were anti-war. They were harboring enemies of their own country. They had blankets, shelter, food, and medical supplies for the people.

Hermione's turn in the line finally came. The man attempted to speak to her. "I speak English, French, and Spanish. I'm sorry, I can't understand," she said. The man rolled his eyes. He shooed her into the building. There was food and blankets everywhere. Everyone looked so...dirty here. She wasn't sure if she wanted to stay in the same room. She could get a disease...

Hermione went to help serve food.

The village did not know that their kindness would not be returned.

Hermione was tired. She wiped a bit of sweat off her forehead as she sat down on one of the blankets. "Everyone in the village is asleep by now," Hermione thought. "I need to sleep too..."

But before she could fall asleep, she heard whispering all around her. All of the men that were here were talking at the same time. She was slightly suspicious now. She was nudged hard by one of the people. A boy about her age. He said something to her she didn't understand...

"What are you doing here, girl?" the boy said to her. The girl did not respond. "Well, never mind, it's time. Get up," he said to her. The girl nodded with no hesitation.

"I'm going to see what these guys are up to..."Hermione thought.

All of the men and boys got up and crept out the door. All but one man, who moved over to the man that was in charge of this building. Hermione was slightly alarmed. She watched the man. She nearly screamed when he stabbed the sleeping man. Twice in the chest.

Her eyes widened but she stayed quiet.

She cried, but silently.

"There are children here..." Hermione was horrified.

After they got outside the group split, Hermione saw them setting fires as she entered one of the houses. A mother and child slept on the floor. She shook the mother lightly. When she woke Hermione shushed her. The woman looked afraid. Hermione ushered her out the door, pointing her away from the village. She woke a few more people from other houses but, for most of them, she was too late. Many of the men in the village tried to help their friends out as well. Many of them died. Hermione felt lucky that at least she was still alive.

Hermione saw the men who killed the village stealing the weapons and supplies, anything the town had to offer as she crept back into the woods. She went into the direction she pointed the villagers in. Sure enough, the remaining were all gathered there. There were mostly women there, but there were 3 men. The men started talking to all of the people, voices all distant. Most of the women were crying, but they were listening. They seemed to decide on a leader. A tall, strong man. He came over to her, pointed to himself, and said "Grel." Hermione assumed this was his name and said "Hermione," pointing at herself. Everyone introduced themselves to her.

I suppose there are some people who can't forget manners...even in times of tragedy.

Hermione felt like she was in a herd. A pack. A large group of animals. The only way Hermione could communicate is like an animal. With her face and the sound of her voice. Her movement. It was quite frustrating. She hadn't figured out that they were all heading towards another town. A bigger town. A town that would consider them traitors and tell them they deserved what they got. So the people decided to lie. Well, stretch the truth anyway. They planned to say...

"My King, I'm sorry I doubted you before. But late in the night as our village was sleeping, those cowards attacked us! The slew many of us, including our women and children, but we were able to escape. We are no longer rebellious like we once were! Herl is dead. Our village is gone. Please have mercy! Please, let us formally rejoin you."

Or something along those lines.

After more walking (Hermione's legs were getting rather tired), the group stopped for a while. The villagers had been picking edible (well, she assumed they were edible) plants along the way. However, they did not eat yet. Hermione wasn't hungry anyway: she had eaten at the shelter. Hermione and the others slept. Well, Hermione slept. The villagers were awake, staring into the fire, trying to imagine life without their loved ones.