Title: Time Warped
Author: Aerohead
Email: in my profile
Website: In my profile
Pairing: Possible Hermione/Ron, Fiyero/Elphaba, Fiyero/Glinda
Rating: "T"
Disclaimer/Dedication: JK Rowling and Gregory Maguire have created a wonderful universe which I am now destroying.
Warning: If you want to keep your brain cells, I suggest skimming this and hoping you don't lose a lot. Also, there may be some spoilers for Broadway fans, though I'm not too sure.
Genre: Humor, Action/Adventure
Summary: Hermione gets distracted while trying to learn how to apparate, and sends Ron, Harry, and herself not only into another world, but another time period. Can two young sorceresses help her to get home before the spell cannot be reversed?
Author's Notes: I have truly wonderful news; in 18 days (well, 13 school days, and even then it's actually 9 school days, and 4 half days), on the day of the full moon, I will be free to write the rest of this lovely story for you all…until, of course, July 15, when I leave for Florida, but that's only for a week, so you'll survive. Also, I'm moving all of my stories onto my livejournal, and after I finish this and When Your Dreams Come True (hopefully this summer), I may not post here anymore, only on the journal. If you want to visit it, just go to livejournal, which is under the website portion of my profile. This actually may come to be sooner, because it has taken me three days to upload this one chapter
Chapter Ten: Spying
Hermione grabbed Ron, pulling him behind an over-turned bench. She crouched down, while Ron stood in utter shock. "Get down!" She hissed at him.
"What the hell…hey!" He yelped as Hermione pulled him down forcefully. She peeked out from behind the wooden board, watching the events around her.
The rest of the classroom was in havoc. They were "doing something", as Elphaba had pleaded, but it was not at all beneficial to her cause. The young green woman, herself, was trembling as she clung to Fiyero, who was also staring, wide-eyed, at the scene in front of them.
"What's happening?" He asked finally, trying to remain calm; Hermione caught the slight break in his voice, and her eyebrows knotted together in concern. Something was off about Elphaba, and it wasn't just skin-deep.
Elphaba looked at Fiyero, hopelessly. She had yet to notice Hermione and Ron. "I don't know I got mad…and…" she flailed her arms around as she let go of the prince, and the classroom's inhabitants jerked around. Wide-eyed, she wrapped her arms around her stomach nervously.
Fiyero started to move towards the cage. "Alright…" he said. He let out a small groan as the nail of one of Galinda's friends tore at his shirt. "Just don't move." He said to Elphaba, who had gone to reach out for him. He bit his lip, and moved closer to the caged animal. "And don't get mad at me." He begged. He grabbed the cage and took only a couple large steps towards Elphaba. He grabbed her wrist, and motioned to the door of the History room. He went to pull her away, but she stayed where she was. He looked her in the eyes. "Well, are you coming?" he asked. Hermione watched as a curious look crossed her roomie's stony face, but it was gone quickly as she let Fiyero lead her out.
Hermione stood up, pulling Ron with her. "God, Hermione, let me alone will you? I'm not a rag doll." He said, trying to pull the fabric of his shirt back into place.
"Let's go." Hermione said, starting out of the room the way Fiyero and Elphaba had gone, her wand raised. Ron looked at her incredulously.
"Have you lost your mind?" he demanded, but he did follow behind her. "We can't just follow her, she's got some sort of strange and unusual magical power…thing." He stumbled over his words as the bright sunlight hit him square in the eyes. He blinked several times, and by the time his eyes were adjusted, he had Hermione glaring at him, her wand in his face.
"Have you forgotten, Ronald, that we also have 'some sort of strange and unusual magical power thing' as well?" She demanded. Ron opened his mouth to reply, but Hermione had already turned around, and was following Fiyero and Elphaba as quietly as possible. "She's not the Wicked Witch of the West yet…something had to have changed her." She said. Ron rolled his eyes. He knew that tone of voice; Hermione was ready to lecture him again.
"Did you hear something?" Fiyero asked Elphaba. They stopped, and Hermione's eyes widened. She looked around, before moving behind a tree, taking Ron with her.
"You're hearing things." Came Elphaba's flat reply, accompanied by the rustle of grass being bent by boots, and a low mewl from the cage as the cub was moved. Hermione lent against the tree, her eyes closed.
"That was close." She said.
Ron looked at her for a moment, before he started to walk far behind Fiyero and Elphaba again. "Well, now you've got me interested." He whispered to her, motioning for her to follow. "But put away your wand and be quiet about it." She stared at him, before opening her mouth to argue. He put his finger to his lip. She thought about it, then nodded, before coming over to him.
They crept silently behind the unconventional couple in front of them as they walked quickly off campus and into a small grove of poppies. "Deadly poppies." Hermione mouthed to Ron. He stepped into the grove with an eyebrow raised.
"Really?" he mouthed back. Her lips twisted together in annoyance; she could tell he was being sarcastic, even though he hadn't said anything. She slapped his arm, before she crouched down in the field. She lay down on her stomach, mentally hearing Galinda's cry about her ruining her outfit; Ron mimicked her position next to her. They looked at each other, before looking at Elphaba and Fiyero.
Fiyero jerked around, trying to make sure they hadn't been followed. Elphaba watched him nervously. "Careful! Don't shake him!" she demanded as she grabbed for the cage. Hermione winced as the green girl came close to stepping on her.
Fiyero looked appalled. "I'm not." He hadn't noticed that Elphaba wasn't looking at his face; in fact, she was looking at the blue diamond tattoo that was peaking out from the tear in his shirt. He started to open the cage to let the cub out on top of Ron's head.
"No, please no…" Ron breathed out.
Elphaba snapped out of her trance, and pursed her lips. "We can't just let him loose, you know. We have to find somewhere safe."
Fiyero closed the cage and looked at Elphaba, clearly exasperated. "Don't you think I realize that?" He put the cage down and advanced towards the female. "You must think I'm really stupid."
Elphaba moved away, blushing slightly. "No. Not really stupid." Ron couldn't suppress a snort; Hermione glared at him. Elphaba, thankfully, thought it was the lion cub. She went over to the cage and knelt down next to it, checking to make sure it was alright.
Fiyero watched her, his head cocked to the side. "Why is it that every time I see you, you're causing some sort of commotion?"
Elphaba stood up, one eyebrow raised. "I don't cause commotions; I am one."
Fiyero laughed. "That's for sure." His laughing cut off harshly as Elphaba looked up at him. Her look was almost scary, and for a moment, Hermione could see the woman Elphaba would apparently become in the future.
"Oh! So you think I should just keep my mouth shut, is that it?" she demanded.
Fiyero held up his hands in defeat. "No, I'm.."
Elphaba was pacing, and coming much too close for Hermione's comfort. She inched away so that she wouldn't be stepped on, and tried to communicate to Ron to do the same by pulling on his pant leg. "Do you think I want to be this way?" Elphaba asked. "Do you think I want to care this much? Don't you know how much easier my life would be if I didn't?"
Fiyero watched her with a mixture of concern and amusement. "Do you ever let anyone else talk?" he teased. She stopped, her sour mood gone almost immediately.
"Oh…sorry." He went to open his mouth to say something, but Elphaba held up a hand. "Can I say one more thing? You could have just walked away back there."
Fiyero considered it, before shrugging. "So?"
Elphaba allowed herself a laugh. "So, no matter how shallow and self absorbed you pretend to be…"
Fiyero laughed, shaking his head. Ron also snickered quietly. "Excuse me?" Fiyero asked. "There is no pretense here. I happen to be genuinely self-absorbed and deeply shallow."
Elphaba looked him in the eyes. "You're not." She said sincerely. "Or you wouldn't be so unhappy." They moved closer to each other, and Hermione felt her hands clench involuntarily. Fiyero moved away quickly, his smile back in place, although it was a little shaky.
"Fine, if you don't want my help…" he started away, back towards the school, but Elphaba grabbed his arm where the tear was with one hand, and grabbing his hand with the other. They both stopped for a moment, before Elphaba bit her lip.
"No, I do…" she let out a thankful sigh when the lion cub mewled loudly. She moved over to it. "Poor little thing; it's trembling." She said.
Hermione grabbed Ron's arm. "We should get going." She mouthed.
Ron frowned. "Why?" Hermione held up a finger, before inching slowly away. If anyone were looking close enough, they would have noticed the poppies shivering and parting, as well as Ron's bright red hair. However, the only two parties present were too involved with ignoring each other and the redness – and greenness - creeping into both of their cheeks to notice the strange behavioral patterns of the poppies.
When they were a safe enough distance away, Hermione stood up, Ron following her. "Find Harry; we need to talk about this." She said. "And we need to find a way to get home." She added. Ron nodded. He looked at Hermione, and laughed. "What?" she demanded.
He pointed to her face. "You have something on your nose." He touched her face with the thumb, and rubbed. "Right there…there we go, it's off now. You can go be presentable for Lady Galinda now."
Hermione swallowed, and scowled. "Very funny." She started away, trying to force her blush down. "Meet me in the library, in an hour." She said.
Ron threw his hands in the air. "Why is it always the bloody library?" He demanded to whatever unnamed God ruled over the land of Oz. Hermione watched as he started towards his dormitory building, before she ran towards Crage Hall.
She skidded into the main building, barely stopping as she grabbed hold of the banister. She took the steps two at a time, but slowed down as she reached her dormitory, remembering Galinda's illness that morning. She opened the door a crack, before opening it all the way. She tiptoed in, closing the door behind her.