A/N: What is up guys? How're all you doing? I seem to get a few good quality reviews from a certain few people, but my story isn't blooming as much as I hoped. Oh well, maybe it's just because we're only at the 3rd chapter. Maybe I'll get more reviews soon enough. BUT, the story must go on, and despite the low number of reviews (though I love the depth and quality of them) I will continue updating and posting when I feel ready. Just a quick few thank you's to the reviewers of chapter 2. And they are:
inappropriate-name - KUDOS to being the first one to review chapter two! I appreciate the direction of which you decided to tackle the story, I think that by creating an unknown plan by Voldemort, it leaves a feeling of suspense and lets the readers come up with their own version of what could possibly happen in the story. I will try not to compare myself to other authors; you're reasons for that are really valid and reasonable, so I'll try to do so. : )
lauraart123 - KUDOS to you for another great review! I really enjoy reading your reviews better than writing the story : P I appreciate the fact that you notice the add ins of somewhat off topic scenes, because your reasons for them are smack dab on target. You seem to understand completely where I am going with this story and in each chapter you catch every single little detail, which impresses me, because sometimes my work confuses people by the way I lay everything out. DO NOT stop writing a story once you've started. I know how you feel about that issue. I've done it countless times before and I've thrown about 6-7 story plots and ideas out the window, because I didn't think it was good enough. Now I'll ask you the same question my friend asked me: "How do you know if it's good enough unless you get some feedback?" So take that question into consideration and don't be discouraged if you don't like it. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean others won't. Keep those awesomely awesome reviews coming! I'll be expecting a heck of a long one for this chapter : )
Delarium - Thanks for reviewing! You got your wish right here! Another review would be great!
amrawo - Thanks for the review! Don't forget to review this chapter too!
Lady-Delphina - Another one of my repeat reviewers! Thanks for reviewing! And I'll expect another one for this chapter alright? Keep those reviews coming!
Disclaimer: If I had a genie and 3 wishes I'd wish for... 1000 more wishes, a pet bear and for the world of Harry Potter to belong to me! And I'd probably wish for a whole lot of other stuff since I got like 1000 more wishes. If you don't recognize it, it belongs to me!
Chapter 3:
A New Guardian, Friends & the Head Boy
What? 1944? That's impossible. How could I be in the year 1997 one moment, and then end up in 1944 the next? Hermione's mind was racing with a million questions, all begging to be answered.
Then she remembered that she was stupefied.
What happened to me? Her eyes went wide with fear and confusion.
"Ms. Granger? If I am correct, you are from the future," Dumbledore told her plainly, the twinkle in his eye as bright as ever.
"Y-yes, I - I am from the future. Though I've got no clue how I ended up here in the past. The last thing I remember was exiting the library and being followed. Then someone stupefied me from behind. After that I don't remember anything," Hermione informed Dumbledore.
"Well if my suspicions are correct, then you should not tell me anything more about the future, for it may gravely affect the fragile fabric of time. For now, it's best that you tell no one of your situation, and simply blend in with the crowd. I will get you sorted, and provide you with all the necessary things that you'll need for your..." Dumbledore trailed off, having not been informed of her age.
"Oh, I'm in seventh year sir," she quickly told him.
"Very well, seventh year books and robes are what you'll need."
"Thanks sir," Hermione said, Dumbledore smiled and nodded, then made his exit.
After about 5 minutes, Professor Dippet walked in clutching the Sorting Hat in his hands. Hermione just sat there, wondering what the Sorting Hat would say about her, because she knew it. But does it know me?
"Well, Ms. Granger, Professor Dumbledore explained to me your situation," Dippet said, standing beside her bed.
"He- he did?" Hermione stuttered, shocked that Professor Dumbledore would mention anything about her coming from the future when he said himself that it wouldn't be wise.
"Yes he did. He told me that he knew your parents and that they were victims of Grindelwald – so sorry to head about your loss – and in their will Albus said that they made him your legal guardian. He also mentioned that you came here from Beauxbatons shortly after your parents died, which was two weeks previous? I am terribly sorry again for your loss," Dippet said as he unraveled the Sorting Hat. "Well then, shall we sort you now?" he asked showing her the slightly less tattered Sorting Hat.
Hermione only nodded her head, processing what Dippet had just told her. Her parents were apparently dead, she came from Beauxbatons two weeks ago, and she was now under the official care of one Albus Dumbledore. Has the entire world fallen off the wagon?
"Well to clear up any confusion since you are new at this, this here," he said pointing to the hat, "is the Sorting Hat. It will determine which house you are most fit to reside in. Once you are sorted, it is final. The Sorting Hat will rack your mind and observe things about you that you might not even know about yourself yet. All of its observations will help it put you in the right house," The headmaster explained.
Dumbledore had seriously made one heck of a story. Hermione was recapping her 'history' while blankly nodding every now and then to make it look like she was listening.
"- and that is really all that there is to know about the Sorting Hat. Well then, let us proceed with the sorting," Dippet said, placing the hat on top of Hermione's head.
Immediately, the Sorting Hat sprung to life, and began to look through her mind like a worker would look through a filing cabinet.
"Yes, yes. Very clever witch this one... would do well in Ravenclaw. But what is this? The heart of a lion, pure as gold! Courage far greater than that of many acclaimed wizards and witches alike! Your bravery and courage has helped you through many difficult and nearly impossible situations. I know where you should be… GRYFFINDOR!" The Sorting Hat cried, deciding for the second time around the house in which Hermione was to be put.
The headmaster removed the hat from Hermione's head and it instantly became inanimate again.
"Excellent! Well then, I will call on the Head Boy to escort you to the Gryffindor Tower. Most of the students should already be in bed," Dippet walked briskly out of the room, and Dumbledore came in not a few moments after.
"Well Ms. Granger," Dumbledore said in his serene voice, "I hope you are feeling better. Try to play along while we figure this whole mess out. In the mean time, stick to the story I've made and you should be fine. And if you have any questions or concerns, seek me out. I would be happy to help as much as I am able to." Hermione nodded in understanding and Dumbledore exited the hospital wing.
"Alright Tom, she's in here. You are to escort her to the Gryffindor Tower, understood?" Dippet said entering the hospital wing with a tall, medium-built student. "Tom, meet Hermione Granger. According to Albus, he is her legal guardian," Dippet explained to the boy, moving out of the way so that the student he had called Tom could get to her. Hermione looked up and saw his face: handsome, strong jaw, dreamy eyes, and a blank expression were all the thoughts that came rushing to Hermione when she saw his face.
He was extremely handsome, but there was something about him that Hermione just couldn't put her finger on. A tiny little alarm in the back of her mind, warning her to remember something, something important, but she couldn't remember what it was. What is it about this boy?
"Tom Riddle," The boy said sticking out his hand vacantly. Hermione's eyes widened in realization. I'm being introduced to Lord Voldemort! A younger Voldemort of course, but still the very same person who would one day become the monster who called himself the Dark Lord.
"Hermione Granger," Hermione introduced herself, shaking his hand reluctantly.
"Well Ms. Granger, I've spoken to Madame McHarding and you are free to go. Tom here will escort you to the Gryffindor Tower," The headmaster said. He then turned around and left.
"We should go; I've got other matters that are more important to attend to," Tom said, as if the task of safely escorting Hermione to the Gryffindor common room was a waste of his time.
"Oh well I'm sorry if you can't take five minutes to accompany me up to the seventh floor to the Gryffindor Tower," Hermione said somewhat icily, glaring at him as she got up from the bed. She was surprised at the tone she had just used, no matter that she was talking to Voldemort.
"How did you know the Gryffindor Tower was on the seventh floor?" Tom asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
Hermione willed herself to do Occlumency, which she had forced herself to learn not a couple of months ago. "I read the book Hogwarts, A History before I came here, to learn about its history of course," Hermione said, relieved at her quick thinking. Tom backed off, but still had a look of distrust plastered on his face. "Let's get going, I'm tired and I want to go to bed," Hermione said stifling a yawn.
"Follow me," Tom said walking out of the Hospital Wing, Hermione following some 3 feet behind him.
"It's not like I have a choice," Hermione muttered under her breath, ticked off at the way he carried himself, like he was above you, like he was royalty.
"So I've been told that Dumbledore is your legal guardian," He said out of the blue.
"Yes, he is," Hermione said, eyeing the back of his head. "What of it?"
"Nothing. What happened to your parents?" He said, looking straight ahead and continued walking in his annoying hands-clasped-behind-back fashion. They began to climb the stairs.
"I don't really want to talk about it right now," Hermione said, playing up to the fact that her parents supposedly died two weeks ago. He nodded slightly and kept climbing the stairs. Hermione followed behind him, making sure to look down at the steps, because if Riddle saw her eyes, he would find out for sure that she was lying; she wasn't a very good liar after all, Occlumency or not.
She continued to climb the steps, but didn't realize until she bumped into him that Tom had stopped climbing the steps to tie his shoelace. "Sorry," she muttered, and walked past him to begin climbing another set of stairs, being careful to skip every other step, because every second step in this staircase was bewitched to vanish when a person was about to step there.
"How did you know to skip every other step?" Tom asked suspiciously as he watched Hermione carefully make her way up the staircase. Hermione stopped dead in her tracks, nearly falling into one of the trick steps.
What do I say?
Hermione started to panic. I can't be caught now. He can't find out that I'm from the future, it would be absolutely disastrous! "Because that's what you were doing," she quickly thought up a plausible excuse, "And I read it in Hogwarts, A Historythat some of the staircases have trick steps."
Tom narrowed his eyes a little, but after a moment of silence he backed off and continued ascending the stairs. "Come on," he said nonchalantly, and continued to lead her to the seventh floor.
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"Dragon tails," Tom said to the portrait of the Fat Lady.
They had reached the seventh floor in silence, both frustrated at the other. "That's the password, don't forget it," Tom told Hermione, then turned around and began walking briskly down the corridor without another word.
I should say something. Hermione stood there for a moment, contemplating whether or not she should say anything at all. She should at least say thank you, even if he accompanied her here grudgingly.
"Riddle!" she called. He stopped and turned around, his face nearly blank but held the slightest hint of confusion. "Thanks," Hermione said.
He was taken aback at the unexpected thank you – it showed on his face – but he quickly masked it again. He only nodded and continued on his way.
Hermione entered the common room and saw that nothing in the common room was any different, even in 1944. The plush sofa and oversized armchairs were still sitting in front of the crackling fire.
She made her way up to the girls' dormitories and upon opening the door, saw that a few girls were still awake and chatting quietly. They all broke from their conversation and looked at her.
"Hi," Hermione said giving them a small wave.
"Hi! Who are you?" a girl with shoulder length red hair asked, standing up from her bed.
"Hermione Granger, you?" Hermione asked.
"I'm Claudia Shillington. That girl over there," Claudia pointed to one of the girls who had her legs on the bed and the rest of her body on the floor, "that's Vivian Whiting." The girl on the floor waved.
"Hi." Hermione said. "Is that comfortable?" she asked, looking at her sitting in that odd position.
"Very," Vivian replied absentmindedly, braiding a lock of her hair in front of her face.
"That girl with the brown hair," Claudia said, pointing to a girl with long brown hair and bangs leaning against the edge of a bed, "that's Angela Everard," Angela smiled and waved. Hermione waved back. "And last but not least, the girl who's currently floating," Claudia said pointing at the girl who was cross-legged in the air, "that's Samantha Dixon. She's always doing that you know," Claudia said chucking a pillow at Samantha. She quickly dropped to the ground, effectively dodging the pillow but giving her bum a nice hard landing.
"Hi," She said and waved to Hermione, rubbing her bum in pain. "Claude! That hurt!" Samantha said. She pointed her wand at the pillow and sent it hurtling toward Claudia who quickly ducked.
"Nice reflexes," Hermione said, impressed.
"Yeah, that comes with playing Quidditch. Viv and I are both Chasers. Do you play Quidditch?" Claudia asked flopping back onto her bed, propping the pillow under her chin.
"No, I'm not particularly fond of heights," Hermione said shaking her head. "Last time I rode a Hippogriff I almost died. I swore that I'd never fly again."
"Wow that seems like fun! Broomsticks are one thing, but Hippogriffs! That must've been exhilarating!" Vivian said from her position on the floor, still braiding her hair.
"Not for me," Hermione said sitting on the floor next to her.
"Why've you only come now?" Samantha asked; she was in the air again.
"Oh well, I didn't exactly plan on attending this school," Hermione said, nervously biting the inside of her cheek; she hoped they would buy it. You'll have to lie almost every day if you want to stick with Dumbledore's story! That's not good! A little voice in the back of her head scolded. But there's nothing I can do about it... not until I find a way to go home.
"Oh…" Samantha's voice trailed off as she became immersed in a book she had just summoned. After a few minutes of content silence, Claudia decided to bunk for the night.
"Aright guys I'm going to bed. G'night," Claudia said preparing her pillow and blanket.
"Same here, we've got Quidditch practice tomorrow. Night," Vivian said getting up and going to bed. All the girls got into their respective beds and said their good nights.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad here after all; she could survive being in another time period... for now.
A/N: So how's that for a chapter three? I hope that all the same reviewers keep those reviews coming! And I hope that new reviewers will also come and give feedback. Till the next chapter,
With love,
Elle Cee
