A/N: Hello again! I've been working hard to finish my Math Portfolio (a project that my class was given to... eh who cares.) Anyway, it takes me 2 hours every day to finish a specific part of the Portfolio, so I'm sorry if this was a little later than usual. But I'm updating now, so be HAPPY! I'm just kidding. I'm loving all of your reviews so far, and I hope you all continue to review and give me feedback. Don't be afraid to tell me what's on your mind, as long as it has something to do with the actual story itself. I won't burn you back so it's alright people! Anyway, looking over this A/N, it's getting too long so on with the Thank You's to all the recent reviewers!
M.E. Potter - Thanks for reviewing! At first I didn't warm up to TomHermione pairings, but they're really appealing if done right! So I think Tom and Hermione can be very cute together! Hope to see your review for this chapter as well!
Bella - It didn't sound completely out of line, so no worries there. The romance is pending, because I don't like to suddenly jump into the romance like some idiot who just wants to get to the romance without a plausible story. That's what One-shots are for. But don't fall off the wagon yet, because the romance is yet to come!
pheanix tears - I like to imagine that Tom was out of school by June of '45. As for Madame P, I'd like to see a reference showing who was there at the time, if not her. Thanks a bunch.
Lady-Delphinea - Thanks again for the review! I'm glad to know that I'm converting you to the TomHermione ship! Aren't they so cute? Anyway, I look forward to another great review from you!
Hajnalmadar - I'm sorry if I put them OOC. I'd like to have more of your feedback about how in (or out of) character. I'd appreciate that. : )
lauraart123 - Ah, my most loyal reviewer. Good to know you still find the time to read my story. Hey, I'm expecting another really great one for this chapter too: ) Lots (and lots) love!
And now that that's out of the way, here's Chapter 5 of To Love and Lose!
Disclaimer: I wish I could think up of something as great as the Potterverse. Then again, I'd also wish for a pet bear, sooooooooo... right. Well, let's get this over with then. Clears throat (In a dull tone) If you don't recognize it, it's probably mine. If you do recognize it, it's probably J.K. Rowling's. Thank you.
Chapter 5:
Late Night Meeting
Hermione finished unpacking all of her things from her trunk.
It was the day after she had accepted the position of Head Girl that she moved her things to the Head's dorms.
She had to admit, the Head's common room was beautiful.
It was so much more fancy and grand than the Gryffindor common room. Surprisingly, the common room was of a neutral palette. The Berber carpet was a deep brown, the curtains were the same shade as the carpet, the upholstering was light beige, there were two big desks in the corner that were chocolate brown, and just about everything else in the room was a brown hue.
It took Hermione a few moments to fully take in the grandness of it all. "This place is amazing," Hermione had said in awe.
She was even more awestruck when she saw her living quarters. This room was decorated in her House colours. The covers of her bed were shades of red and the pillows had beautiful gold trimming. The canopy of the bed was deep red and hung down the four posters of the bed. There was a huge oversized armchair in the corner that had a large faux-fur blanket draped over it and a red brick fireplace was crackling opposite of the bed. There was a door next to the fireplace that led to the most amazing bathroom she had ever seen.
In the middle of the room there was a huge square tub with luxury jets in the sides and on the bottom. The toilet had its own enclosure from the rest of the bathroom, and a whole wall was devoted to two gleaming porcelain sinks and lots of counter space and cabinetry underneath. There was also a huge separate shower in the corner, its frosted glass door decorated with mermaids that were swimming around and waving at her. It was quite a sight.
Being Head Girl definitely had its perks.
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It was Sunday, and the gang decided to head over to Hogsmeade and show Hermione around. She really didn't need another tour of Hogsmeade, but she had to play along as if she didn't know anything about it.
She really wasn't looking forward to a tour of Hogsmeade, which would be a waste of time since she already knew every shop there was there. Hermione frowned a little as the gang went about Hogsmeade, showing Hermione all the different shops.
"All the way down the street over there, that's Dixon's Divine Deals. Sam's mother runs that shop. They sell all sorts of things there, and there's never a day when they don't have new stuff to sell. We usually stop by there to see if there's anything good to buy and to say hello to Sam's mum," Vivian explained.
Well there was one shop that she didn't know about. Hermione thought, trying to remember whether that store was there in 1997. From what she could remember, all the shops down there were old and boarded up. She'd have to ask about that later on.
"Which reminds me, are we stopping over there today?" Vivian asked.
"Yeah I think so," said Arnold.
"Not today guys, sorry. Mum said something about a problem with the inventory shipping, and she's traveled to Egypt to find out where her jeweled Scarab beetle brooches have gone off to. She'll be gone for a couple of weeks," Samantha explained.
"Oh, that's too bad," Vivian said.
"Well that over there is Zonko's Joke Shop. That's were I get all my stuff for pranks. Other than Diagon Alley of course. Which reminds me, I need to buy some more stink sap bombs, I'm all out," Simon said and ran into the shop to buy some.
"Well, we've lost Simon," Gerald said as the gang continued along the road to the Three Broomsticks.
"He'll come out of there sooner or later. Let's just hang out at the Three Broomsticks until he does, then we can show Hermione the place where I caught Arnysuckle here getting his flirt on the barman's daughter Rosmerta!" Angela laughed pointing to a distant gazebo with benches.
"I was NOT getting my flirt on; I was just talking to her!" Arnold said defensively.
"More like flirting with her," Angela muttered under her breath in a sing-song fashion.
"I heard that, you gossipy little -"
"Shut up! I'm sick of you guys fighting so much!" Gerald suddenly burst. Arnold and Angela stopped arguing and stared at him. Everyone stood in a shocked stupor; Gerald had just had an outburst, probably his very first one. He wasn't what one would call the outgoing one.
"Wow Ger, I didn't know you had it in you," Charlie said, slapping him in the back in a congratulatory way. "Now all I have to do is make you yell at them every time they fight, and they'll stop right away," He joked.
"Oh ha ha Charlie, you're so funny," Angela said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
"I know Angie, it's my best quality" Charlie said with a stupid grin.
"So how's sharing a common room with the Ice Man?" Vivian asked Hermione as they made their way to the Three Broomsticks.
"Well I haven't actually seen him in there yet so I'm liking being Head Girl so far. The place is absolutely amazing! You guys should see it sometime!" Hermione exclaimed enthusiastically.
"So why don't you just show us your spells in there?" Claudia suggested. Everyone else agreed to her proposal.
"Sure, why not?" Hermione agreed.
The gang spent the rest of their stay at Hogsmeade drinking Butterbeer and hanging out at the Three Broomsticks, then boarded a carriage and returned to the castle.
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"The incantation is Aequis Animus." Hermione explained. She was showing the gang the spell to calm one's nerves during a stressful time. She pointed her wand to Angie's temple as she said the incantation for the spell.
Angie's face slowly became more content and serene. "Hey, that's a pretty neat spell. What does it do, make someone calmer?" she inquired, her voice unusually tranquil.
"Yes in a sense. It makes one's nerves calm and sort of releases some of the stress so you feel calmer and more relaxed. It really comes in handy during O.W.L.'s and N.E.W.T.'s," Hermione explained.
"Ooh, Sam definitely needs that spell," Simon said, nodding to Sam. "She freaks out whenever exams near."
"Oh I know how you feel Sam. I don't freak out but I do over study and by the time exams start, I'm a bundle of nerves," Hermione said. "But that's the reason I looked this spell up, so that I didn't have to feel all the stress that comes with exams. Of course, it doesn't relieve all the stress, because that would make you too calm for your own good. If you don't feel any stress, you won't study because you won't feel the need to prepare for the exams."
"Ok, that makes sense. Got any other spells that you made?" Samantha asked eagerly.
"Well, I've got one more useful one that I think you guys can do, but I have to warn you, it's very complicated. It makes objects appear at a certain time and place. For example, if you wanted to, say, send a note to a friend at 3:00, then you would write the note, and use this spell on it to make it appear to your friend at that time. The complicated part is, you have to picture your friend getting the note at the exact time and place that you want it to. So if your friend is in the greenhouses, then you'll have to picture him or her in that place getting your note at 3:00. You'll also have to decide where the note will appear to your friend," Hermione explained, trying her best to explain the spell fully.
"So if you want to send a note to your friend at say, 4:00, and you want it to appear in their nostrils, then it would?" Simon asked humourously.
"Well, yes, but I wouldn't make it appear anywhere dangerous. If you mess up, that note could end up anywhere near your friend's nose. It could end up in his brain, it could end up in his eye, it could end up in his nasal passage, it could end up anywhere if you don't properly perform the spell. So don't send it anywhere dangerous," Hermione said seriously. Now she was having second thoughts about whether or not she should show them this spell.
"Just show it to us already, we promise we'll stop Simon from doing anything stupid," Arny said impatiently.
"Alright, the incantation is Appareris Quoios." She demonstrated by taking a piece of parchment and scribbling down something. She folded it up, concentrated, then said "Appareris Quoios!" and pictured where and when the note would appear. 5 seconds later, the note appeared in Simon's hand.
Taken by surprise, he unfolded it and read the message. His cheeks were tinted pink as he zipped up his fly as discreetly as he could. The gang put two and two together and then burst out laughing. Hermione joined in too, feeling sorry for the boy yet finding the entire situation completely hilarious.
"Oh shut up before I put the bat bogey hex on all of you!" Simon threatened. They didn't pay any attention though, and they continued to laugh until they were gasping for breath. It was times like these that made Hermione forget about what time she was in and why she was here; she was having fun, something that she hadn't been able to do in the future. But she knew it wouldn't last.
Because as long as Lord Voldemort was alive, it never would.
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It was late, and Hermione had just finished doing her rounds; the Ravenclaw prefects took over the floor she was patrolling so that she could go to bed.
The fire in the Head common room was almost completely out. It was dark, and Hermione had to feel her way around so she wouldn't run into any of the furniture.
"Isn't it past your bedtime?" The voice came from the direction of the couch; it was Tom.
"Isn't it past yours?" Hermione retorted. Now was not the best time to engage her in a smart mouth competition.
"Touché," Tom said, still immersed in the book he was reading. How he was reading in this light, Hermione didn't know.
"Just leave me alone Riddle. I'm not in the mood for your battle of the wits tonight," Hermione snapped. "I get cranky when I'm tired, so don't try me."
"Clearly," Tom said, going back to his book. Hermione huffed, slightly miffed, and she climbed the stairs and entered the bathroom, starting up the hot water. It came out of the multiple taps in a variety of colours, but when it pooled in the tub, it returned to its clear state. What a way to make taking a bath more fun.
The water, it seemed, was lavender scented. Hermione breathed in deeply, enjoying the light lavender scent that quickly filled the room. She undressed and stepped into the tub, where she immediately sighed; after a long day, she needed this.
Downstairs, Tom had put away his book. He readied his school work and his book bag and prepared to head up to his room when he heard faint scurrying in the corner. His eyes narrowed, and he spun around. "Hello young master," A short, balding man appeared to him and said.
"Who are you?" Tom inquired, his eyes glinting dangerously.
"I can't say, because I am from the future, but you should know I am here by complete accident, and so is your fellow Head. Your future self gave me specific instructions to follow, and I'm afraid that I've failed him again," Wormtail explained, being careful not to reveal too much, so that time wouldn't be disrupted more than it already has. "So I ask for your gracious co-operation to help me set things right, though I cannot say much about anything."
Tom narrowed his eyes, and attempted to use Legilimens on Wormtail, but found that he, like his Head counterpart, had satisfactory protection against it as well. Frowning, he replied, "I suppose I should, though you cannot reveal yourself anywhere but here and only at night. That Ganger girl is unusually smart, and it wouldn't take her long to figure everything out." He would get to the bottom of this, sooner or later.
"Yes master."
Back upstairs, Hermione finished her bath and stepped out. She put on her pajamas and dried her hair with a charm, then entered her room. Tiredly, she padded heavily across the hardwood floor to her bedside table, where she set her wand down. Pulling the covers down to slip in, she put a leg onto the bed but stopped when she heard faint voices coming from downstairs.
She slowly opened the door and crept down the stairs. There were two voices; one she recognized as Tom's, and another voice that was a man's, but had a slightly squeaky tone to it, like a chipmunk or a mouse talking. It sounds so familiar... arg, why can't I remember who sounds like that? She thought frustratingly.
As much as she tried to creep down the stairs as quietly as possible, her foot landed on a rather creaky step, and the sound echoed through the room. The voices stopped immediately, and Hermione quickly ran down the rest of the steps in hopes of seeing the other man's face.
But when she entered the room, there was only Tom standing there.
"Who were you talking to?" Hermione asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowing.
"No one. You need to get some sleep Granger; you're starting to hear things," Tom said, his face as blank as ever. The boy could mask his emotions better than anyone else could, it seemed. But then again, this was Lord Voldemort. Did he even have any emotions?
"No I wasn't hearing things. I clearly heard two voices; yours and someone else's. Who where you talking to?" Hermione asked again.
"There was no other person Granger. Stop pestering me about it and go to sleep," Tom said heading up the stairs that led to his bedroom.
"Bloody arse," Hermione muttered under her breath grudgingly. She trudged up her stairs heavily, the effects of sleep deprivation hitting her full force. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, and she let herself fall into the dream world.
A/N: I know, I know, it's really short, but hey, I haven't exactly been on a loose leash lately, so bear with me? Please? At least for this chapter (and possibly the next, not really sure.) But that aside, reviews! Please! I'm so happy that a handful of you take time out of your busy (I'm pretty sure) lives to glance at my story and even review it, but spread the word about it, would that be so hard? I'd like my story to blossom in its reviewers just as Lady Moonglow's story had. I'm not expecting 2000 reviews, but maybe 50? I'd be happy with about 50 reviews by the 10th chapter or so (wait a minute... how do I know there's going to be a 10th chapter?) Psyche! There's (most likely; maybe 99.9 chance) going to be a 10th chapter and beyond, I just haven't gotten that far into writing it yet. Anyway, REVIEW!!!!!!! And thanks a bunch for reading TLL! Until next time,
With love,
Elle Cee
