Disclaimer: I do NOT claim to own anything form J.K's or Tolkien's Universes
Chapter 7 – The Meadow
She felt the familiar pull as the dial on the turner kept spinning over and over again forcing her to release her grip. Slowly the world begun to shift around her. The scenes in the room changing. She watched as McGonagall came in and cried at the headmaster's desk, due to the changes of light in the room it must have been at least two days, this would explain where she had been seeing as it was only yesterday that McGonagall decided to help their search. Then the room was shaking with the violence of the war that was raging on. She saw Harry with the pensieve then herself with Professor Snape and then just Snape alone. After that the turner started gaining speed everything around her becoming a blur of colours and shadows. Time slipping further back from all that she loved and taking her closer to a place where she is a stranger to all.
It felt as though a lifetime on this earth had passed, yet the turner kept spinning. Slowly Hermione succumb to sleep, as she strayed out of thought and time.
When she finally started coming to, the blur of colour encompassing her began to slow. No longer surrounded by blurs of grey, Hermione had to shield her eyes from the assaulting light growing brighter and brighter. As her eyes adjusted, Hermione was able to see bright green all around her. Hermione sat up as the world finally stopped spinning, she had landed in a meadow. The grass was thick and the most brilliant colour green Hermione had ever seen. Amongst the grass were clusters of Musk Mallow, Daisy, Clover and Cow Vetch. The bright sun was beaming down on the flowers, making them appear as though they were glowing. It was truly beautiful. The meadow lay peaceful, untouched by the world around it, and for Hermione, who had spent the last few year of her life living in the growing shadows of darkness, this beauty made her feel calm and peaceful, feelings she had long forgotten.
She sat with her back pressed against a grand oak tree and watched as the slight breeze swayed with the wild flowers speckled across the meadow as she observed her surroundings. It was as though the flowers were dancing swaying with one another twisting and intertwining, moving as one. Their scents combined and the heavy fragrance engulfed Hermione's senses at first assaulting, she now found to be quite pleasant. The lush green grass was wild with untamed growth around the base of the oak tree. Birds flew in front of the radiant sun as they shadowed the insects brave enough to take flight. The meadow was filled with sounds that were all consuming. Hermione could hear the buzzing of the bees feeding on the pollen forming a gentle hum. Birds were whistling and chattering away at one another in a carefree way and the cicadas chirped along, creating a multi-layered thrum of birds and insects that Hermione couldn't help but be engrossed by.
Suddenly the reality of where she was, well, where she wasn't anymore threw Hermione back into reality. During the last three days her mind was so focused on the task at hand that the effects of the war hadn't affected her yet, but now they came down on her like a tonne of bricks. Hermione crumbled to the ground no longer seeing its beauty, trembling as she choked out her tears as she mourned those lost. Lavender, Tonks, Colin, Fred, Remus… Severus, even Sirius whom she now mourned once more. Her friends, no, family dead. Hermione lay down in the grass letting her grief consume her.
"Why do they die but I live on?" Hermione sobbed to the birds in the sky overhead. For hours she mourned those lost, but slowly she began to think about what they died for. The fact that they didn't die in vain but they died fighting for what they believed in. She knew it wasn't her destiny to die alongside her friends for she had another purpose to fight for in this new world and decided, whilst thinking of her friends' sacrifices that, she would not dwell in her sorrow but complete this task, go home and finally learn to live. By the time she came back to reality, it was late afternoon. She set up her tent and cast the usual protective charms around the perimeter before going to bed, without supper.
It was early morning when Hermione emerged from the tent, her muscles stiff & sore all over from been battered and bruised in the battle. Hermione packed up her camp manually to stretch her muscles and work out the stiffness. By the time she finished it was nearing 11 according to the height of the sun blaring down on her while she worked. Hermione sat back under the oak tree in the wild grass where she had mourned yesterday.
"Oh Goodness, what have I gotten myself into?" Hermione ask the sky. A light breeze danced across her skin, its gentle touch leaving raised hairs in its path. Hermione closed her eyes trying to figure out where to start. Then the words flickered to the front of her mind, 'The time turner will get you there but on arrival you MUST destroy it, it is too dangerous to stay in existence!'
Hermione gazed at the time turner that was still humming slightly. She took out her wand,
"Bombarda," the time turner was blasted into thousands of tiny pieces. The fragments were scattered across the meadow. The sunlight shining off them as though they were raindrops on the grass.
Hermione's ear perked up as she heard muffled voices in the distance. She hurried to the tree line, staying low to ensure she remained hidden from sight. Through the trees she saw what looked to be a group of hairy tweens dressed as warriors on Halloween. Although the shine of the sun reflecting off their clothing caused Hermione to consider that they were in fact wearing real armour.
'What on earth?' Hermione thought, as she moved further along the tree line to get a better look. From her new position on a fork in a tree, Hermione realised that these were no pre-teen children, but full-grown, well, men. Their deep voices were growing louder as they approach her tree.
'They must be dwarves,' Hermione realised, although not like the dwarves back home who only reach her hip bone, no these dwarves were about a foot shorter than Hermione herself.
"Let's wait here for the wizard," the largest one shouted as he huffed and puffed, before collapsing right under Hermione's tree.
'Oh No,' Hermione thought, 'This is not good. Wait, did he say wizard?' Hermione's ears perked up at this and she leaned forward slightly to better hear their conversation.
"I agree with Bombur," said the one that was knitting. 'Bombur, what a strange name,' Hermione mused.
"Fine! We will wait for Gandalf here." Hermione's head snapped in the direction of the one with fiery red hair and a rather large battle axe resting on his shoulder.
'Gandalf! Dumbledore wrote of his mention in the prophecy & that I should trust him.' Hermione's worry at what to do was waning a little.
She leant back, making sure she was completely out of sight and looked up into the tree branches hoping that this Gandalf person would be able to inform her of her purpose in this foreign place.
Who picked up on the slightly tweaked Gandalf quote from LOTR?