DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters used hereafter.

CHAPTER 4: STRANDED

It was like being sucked down a plughole while being ripped apart into tiny pieces at the same time. Hermione had never felt so much pain before; she didn't even think it was possible. Her mind screamed out as everything around her became a blur of colours and the wind was knocked out of her. She had never felt so nauseous before in her whole life; if her stomach hadn't been empty she was convinced it would have left along with its contents.

Suddenly her feet collided with the ground; she felt her right leg cracking under the sudden weight. Staggering forwards, she tried to keep her balance on her one good leg but couldn't manage it and fell face forwards onto her face. She could feel the individual blades of grass stabbing her sensitive body like thousands of tine needles. Everything was spinning; the ground seemed to be rocking back and forth under her making her feel like she was going to fall off it. She was only vaguely aware of the sound of shouts and thundering footsteps that was getting closer. "Stand back!" she heard a voice shout before her mind gave in to the darkness and she blacked out.

When Hermione awoke, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. She tried open her eyes but they wouldn't cooperate and she found it only made her nausea worse. Her limbs felt heavy and her head pounded; she couldn't think straight either. She was vaguely aware of footsteps approaching. They stopped beside her and she heard sounds of bottles clinking together before a spoon of some vile tasting liquid was pushed down her throat. She coughed most of it back up involuntarily. "Easy now dear, take it slowly" said a soothing voice Hermione found familiar but couldn't place. She felt a damp cloth on her forehead and she relaxed slightly drifting of into a deep sleep, no doubt induced by the liquid.

Hermione wavered in and out of consciousness for the next week or so, still to weak to move. She heard a number of people coming in and out of wherever it was that she was but could never concentrate long enough to gather what they were saying.

As the weeks progressed Hermione found herself getting stronger and being able to concentrate more on what was happening around her. From what she could hear, it sounded like she was in the hospital wing. This helped her relax more and she realised that the familiar voice must have been Madam Pomfrey. Why hadn't Harry and Ron been to visit though? Maybe she just hadn't been conscious when they did. Hermione forced her eyes open. It had been almost three weeks since she had been brought to the hospital wing she reckoned. The light reflecting off the white walls and ceiling of the hospital wing made her eyes sting but she was determined to keep them open. Her head was still pounding and she could feel every muscle in her body aching. She gritted her teeth and forced herself up on her elbows. Looking around she noticed that the hospital wing was slightly different to how she remembered it. Maybe it had been redecorated or something. She noticed that there was no one in the hospital wing. 'How unusual' she thought, 'Usually there are injured students here what with the war and all going on.' Sitting up proved to be more energy consuming than she thought and she ended up falling back into the bed. She lay there staring at the ceiling for a while before she heard shuffling footsteps approaching. It was Madam Pomfrey with a bottle of orange liquid and a spoon in her hand. "My goodness! You're awake! How do you feel?" she asked Hermione. Hermione tried to sit up again but Madam Pomfrey was on her in a minute pushing her back gently but firmly. "No, no dear. Don't try to get up yet. You're still weak. You gave us all quite the scare just turning up out of the blue like that and then being unconscious for these last few weeks without any signs of movement. The headmaster will want to talk to you soon I suppose." She said this last part more to herself than to Hermione but it helped her relax a bit. Dumbledore would be able to tell her what had happened and if Harry and Ron were all right. Hermione swallowed the liquid Madam Pomfrey gave her but it was hard to and her throat felt like it was on fire. "I'll just go and fetch him now dear. Don't you move until I get back now." With that she hurried out of the room leaving Hermione all alone again.

Minutes later she returned with Professor Dumbledore close at her heels. He smiled at her when he entered. There was something slightly different about him but Hermione pushed this out of her mind. Pulling up a chair he sat at the side of her bed while Madam Pomfrey helped her to sit up with the help of some pillows. "Hello my dear. It's good to see you awake and sitting up." He said smiling at her kindly. "Thank you sir." Said Hermione, her voice strained.

"Now then my dear, if you are feeling up to it I would like to ask you some questions." Hermione wondered why he kept calling her 'dear' but nodded to show that it was okay. "Thank you. First I would like to know your name. It would seem the best place to start wouldn't you agree?" he said, a slight twinkle in his eye.

'My name!' thought Hermione, 'How does he not know my name? Oh no… I haven't gone back to where I'm meant to be. Where am I though? Everything seems almost the same.'

Dumbledore cleared his throat, "My dear? Are you alright?"

Hermione jumped slightly, "I'm sorry. I'm fine I was just thinking. My name is Hermione Granger."

Dumbledore nodded, "Well Ms. Granger might I ask how you came to be falling from the sky?" he said this almost as though the thought of a girl falling from the sky amused him.

"Well sir, I'm not exactly sure myself," started Hermione, "If I could ask, what is the date? It might help to clear my memory."

Dumbledore looked at her as though he was deciding something but eventually said, "It's October 4th 1977 my dear."

Hermione felt her heart sinking. If she was right in her thinking, she had been sent back in time. 'It could be worse,' she thought to herself, 'I could be lost in some other dimension where everything is completely different' She looked up into Dumbledore bright blue eyes, "Sir, I think I've been sent back in time."

If Dumbledore was shocked he didn't show it in the slightest, instead he nodded for her to go on.

"Well sir, my friends Harr…." she couldn't say Harry and Rons' names, it might change something about the future, "My friends and I were being chased by these people and we were caught. They tortured us and then one of them cast a spell on me trapping me between dimensions and time. My friends tried to bring me back but the method they used wasn't exactly accurate so now I'm here."

Dumbledore nodded, "I have heard of such a spell before. It is extremely dark magic and I can only guess at who the people you are talking about are but I think I know. Unfortunately as of yet there is no way of sending you back. I will of course get some friends of mine to work on it, but for the time being you must stay here. I am guessing that you are one of my students in the future from the robes we found you in. What year are you?"

Hermione was shocked by the news that she couldn't go back straight away. It wasn't exactly going to be easy being stuck in the past. What if she changed something? "Se… Seventh year." She muttered.

Dumbledore looked thoughtful "You have your NEWTS this year then. This will be hard for you. What house might I ask?"

Hermione's eyes filled with tears at the thought everything that was happening to her "Gryffindor sir" she sniffed.

Dumbledore smiled encouragingly at her, "A fine house indeed. You will need that famous Gryffindor bravery to get through this, and I have no doubt that you will get through it Ms. Granger. So far you have been nothing but brave. I will inform the head of Gryffindor house, Professor McGonagall of your situation and she shall sort out your timetable and supplies. I will announce you arrival to the student at breakfast in the morning. We should think of a cover story so that you will not be asked too many questions. How about you are an exchange student from a small wizarding school in Germany? You're parents are now dead and you have been sent to school here for you're protection."

Hermione nodded to show she understood, "Yes sir, I think that would be best."

Dumbledore stood to leave, "Just one more thing, I'm not going to stop you from telling anyone the truth as there is probably a reason you have been sent back but please, be careful who you tell. If the future is anything like now you will know to be careful who you trust."

Hermione nodded. "Of course sir."

He turned to leave, "Oh yes, and the boys who found you have been asking to see you ever since they did. If Madam Pomfrey will allow it I'm sure they would be delighted to visit you. You can never have enough friends, especially in dire situations." He winked and turned to leave closing the door behind him silently.

Madam Pomfrey came back into the room after hearing him leave. "Now I can tend to you properly. You've suffered quite a lot of injuries. You have bruises and lacerations all over your back and limbs, which have only partially healed; your left arm was badly broken; some of the vertebrae in your spine were damaged too and your leg was almost snapped in two. I've healed most of them but it will be hard to walk or use your left arm for a while. The lacerations should disappear in time and your back will be sore for a while. It's a wonder that you were still alive when they found you. You were weak from lack of food and drink too from the looks of it. I'll be keeping you here for at least another week or two just to keep an eye on you, then you may go to classes." She read most of this off a piece of parchment she was holding. Hermione could tell she was enjoying having such a long list of things to heal. Just then the door to the hospital wing burst open and four figures fell in shortly followed by a fifth. When the four had straightened themselves out so that Hermione could see them properly and the fifth figure had moved to stand beside them, she let out a small gasp. "You're…"

A/N: This chapter was quite hard for me to write. I've been pretty sick recently but I wanted to update. I hope you'll all enjoy this chapter. Please read and review! Thanks.

Remmy's Gurl: Thank you, I wanted to show that she's in a lot of pain because she is. There's no point in saying something like "Oh yeah, and she got a little cut on her knee". It's just not interesting enough. You're absolutely right. Sorry about the conversations in the last chapter, I forgot to make sure it was ok, but I've sorted it out now so it shouldn't be a problem again. Yes, my English teacher's are evil. EVIL!

need-courage-to-write: Thanks Sinéad, your review is appreciated as usual, keep going with your story too, you could take it to great places. I sorted out the conversations in the last chapter too and finally; don't ever let Paul know you agreed with him. It'll only make his ego grow more and we don't want that ;).

amrawo: Thanks you, that many reallys is very flattering. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much.

whogirl: Thanks for the review, hope you enjoy this chapter too.

This chapter is dedicated to all you guys, you keep me writing with your lovely reviews.