A/N: Thank you for your reviews. I'm sorry that I couldn't reply to them – I didn't have enough time. I will answer your next reviews though. By the way, I really appreciate them. Here is the next chapter. Enjoy!
Dislclaimer: don't own.
… nothing.
Hermione blinked again to get the sleep out of her eyes and stared straight ahead. Nothing. So why had she been awoken by a knock then?
She shook her head and rubbed her eyes.
Then she let out a scream.
"Harry!" she called out but then quickly put a hand over her mouth, looking at the bathroom door with a strange expression. She hoped that Sarah hadn't heard her.
"Don't worry, Mione. I've cast a silencio before; I kind of knew what was going happen!" Harry grinned apologetically.
"What happened? Why are you here in the girls dorm? And HOW? Ravenclaw password?" Hermione sat down on her bed and Harry took a seat next to her, grinning. She had too many questions and looked fearfully at her best friend. There was a reason he came bursting into the Ravenclaw dorms.
"I'll answer your questions, Mione. But you have to come under the cloak with me, Sarah will be out soon, I guess."
Hermione obeyed quickly and they continued their talk in whispers.
"I came here using my invisibility cloak of course. The eagle wouldn't let me answer, as I am a Slytherin. But I saw a first-year come back from class and I slipped in right after him. He didn't notice, fortunately. I had to come here as fast as possible, Mione." Harry said quietly and his face looked sombre.
"Why?" Hermione's face fell considerably.
"Dumbledore pulled me out of CLASS today!" Harry continued, not looking at Hermione. "He decided to show me some of the future and… well… we couldn't use this special spell."
"Sorry?" Hermione didn't know what Harry exactly wanted from her.
"It didn't work. Dumbledore just sat there, thinking. Then, Dumbledore had a brilliant plan. He thought that you might be the reason why it didn't work and therefore YOU have to COME with me."
"WHY?" to say that she was mystified would be a complete understatement.
"I don't know. DUMBLEDORE suggested." Harry said in a nonchalant voice.
Hermione groaned and pulled herself from the bed. "I'll be in front of the common room in five minutes. Let me just get dressed."
Harry nodded and walked down in his invisibility cloak and Hermione hurried up. She was wondering what this was all about. The spell to see the future had always gone perfectly – Ginny and she had seen various new futures. Why didn't it work with Harry then? She got dressed in her uniform, pulled a brush roughly through her hair and practically ran downstairs, not answering Sarah who was calling for her.
Harry and Hermione arrived out of breath in Dumbledore's office where the transfiguration teacher was offering them fudge flies. Hermione refused them politely and started questioning at once.
"Professor, WHY do I have to come with him and WHY didn't it work?" she was sitting at the edge of the chair, desperately wanting to know what was going on.
"I am quite as mystified as you are, Miss Granger. Something happened, that changed the future and I can't tell what it is. However, I might be able to send YOU TWO there TOGETHER. This might work better." Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "But this time, you will need to be there both for an hour, I'm afraid."
Hermione and Harry just looked at Dumbledore, not saying anything, although both of them had the same questions: WHY? And is it safe to travel together?
"Besides, I sent Harry with you as a protection so that the same that happened last time cannot happen again." Dumbledore smiled.
Hermione nodded stoically and she and Harry arrived in the "future" a second later, after Dumbledore had chanted the foreign spell.
They looked around at their surroundings and Harry gasped. "Where are we?" Hermione asked quizzically, looking at the dark and silver surroundings of a pretty cosy room. "Slytherin common room." Harry hissed. They were, indeed, in the Slytherin common room. "A stinking Slytherin again!" Harry called out grumpily, his face half-hidden in the shadows. Hermione was surprised. She was in Slytherin as well? But weren't only pure or half-bloods allowed in here?
"Jones, Potter…" a scrawny looking boy greeted them. Hermione vaguely remembered him as Theodore Nott. "Jones?" Hermione asked quietly when the boy was out of sight.
Harry shrugged. "I know as much as you do. Come on, this time we HAVE to find Dumbledore! I can't believe you and Ginny never managed to find him."
Hermione huffed and followed Harry out of the portrait hole. She noticed that they weren't wearing Slytherin robes with the emblem of the snake, but normal black robes. Just when she wanted to point that out to Harry, they bumped into somebody rather unwelcome.
Severus Snape was towering over them, staring at them in his usual cold manner. Harry groaned inwardly. He hadn't expected to see HIM. Neither had Hermione, but she managed to keep a cool head.
"Sir," Harry said obediently. "We were looking for the headmaster."
Snape smiled slightly (smiled, not smirked) and asked: "Why were you looking for me then?"
Hermione's jaw dropped. "For YOU?"
"Didn't you, Miss Jones, just claim that you were looking for me, the headmaster?" Snape asked, his lip curling, though not unpleasantly.
Hermione and Harry were nonplussed. Completely. Their shocked faces revealed the surprising, slightly terrifying information. Snape was headmaster in this future? And where was Dumbledore? There were so many questions running through their heads and it was again Hermione who kept talking.
"Well, yes, sir, I was wondering, if you could spare us a few minutes?" Hermione asked.
"Certainly. Follow me then." Snape's long black cloak billowed behind him and made him look like an overgrown bat. This wasn't new to them. Hermione and Harry had no choice but to follow him into his study. On the way through the halls, they noticed that Hogwarts was much darker and gloomier than they remembered it. Most of the walls were covered in black or silver and green cloths and only a few lamps were lit. Strange letters from the Cyrillic alphabet lined the walls.
"Dumbledore!" Harry called out relieved, when he spotted the portrait of Dumbledore in the headmaster's office. Hermione almost wanted to slap him and she looked at the picture as well. Unfortunately, though, Dumbledore was fast asleep in the picture.
"How do you know him, Potter?" Snape asked surprised. He was looking at Harry with narrowed eyes, though not as hostile as Hermione and Harry remembered him.
"Uhm… he used to be a good friend of my father." Harry invented quickly. He avoided Snape's gaze and sat down on one of the hard chairs next to Hermione.
Snape shrugged and looked at them intently. "So?"
"Sir, I was wondering about my last name." Hermione said. She knew that it wasn't the real future and the real Snape would never know of that, and therefore she wanted to know as much as possible.
"Yes, Miss Jones. Your parents died when you were three years old and therefore Hestia Jones decided to take you in. No one knew who your parents were and Hestia keeps it a secret. Though I doubt they were bloodtraitors or otherwise you wouldn't have been accepted into this school." Snape sneered slightly.
Hermione nodded. Of course, her parents weren't bloodtraitors, but Muggles. And she never thought that she would be raised by a pureblood family.
"But, we've talked about that, before, Miss Jones. What else is there on your mind?"
"Yes, I wonder why there are mainly Slytherins around. Sir." Harry said fast and Hermione looked at him appraisingly. She had seen that phenomenon as well. Only Slytherins were in Hogwarts. Not a lot of their former classmates from Gryffindor, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff seemed to be in THAT school in THAT future. What was going on?
"I wonder why you act so incompetent, Potter. You know that ONLY Slytherins are in that school. The minister only wants purebloods, intelligent people and successful cunning students in his school. Therefore only this prestigious house is open." Snape told them and Hermione understood immediately. Another Dark Lord. But who was it this time?
Harry understood as well. They had to find out more but not through Snape, who seemed to be done with them anyways. "Now hop along. Don't even think of wasting my time again, Potter." Snape said and started shuffling his papers.
"We have to find out more." Harry said urgently, staring at Hermione desperately, as soon as they were outside the headmaster's office. Hermione twirled her nose, thinking intently. They still had quite some time left which was an advantage. A shame, that Dumbledore had been asleep in the portrait.
"Ask some friends. Maybe grab some lunch. Or dinner at this future." Hermione suggested and Harry agreed with her and therefore they swiftly walked into the Great Hall through the gloomy, dark hallways. Though it didn't look like the Great Hall at all. Here, the walls were also draped with black or green and silver cloths and the atmosphere all in all was rather dark. Smaller tables which seated 4 or 5 people were scattered throughout the hall and some students were already sitting there.
Sighing heavily, they sat down at an unoccupied table. Hermione shuddered, which had nothing to do with the temperature although it was pretty cold. Just when Hermione was about to voice her feeling, a shrieking voice appeared next to Harry. The pug-face of Pansy Parkinson looked just like Hermione had remembered. "Harry!"
"Yes, Pansy?" Harry asked quietly, though a slightly disturbed look appeared on his face. Hermione tried hard to stifle a giggle.
"I missed you!" Pansy grinned, ignoring Hermione completely and sitting down next to Harry. Harry didn't know how to react so he just smiled warily at her. 'Harry, can't you act a bit better?' Hermione thought disapprovingly.
"What would you say to a make-out-session tonight?" Pansy smirked seductively and Harry looked at her utterly repulsed.
"Wha'?" Harry's frown deepened to Hermione's dismay. She had to remind herself that they weren't REALLY in the future.
"I'll see you." Pansy winked at him and departed with a loud wet kiss on his mouth.
Harry waited until she was gone and gingerly unfolded a napkin to wipe his mouth. 'Ugh disgusting.' he thought. "WHAT? I'm dating Parkinson?" he looked at Hermione incredulously who just smirked. Yeah, looked like it. Harry put on a whiney grimace. He saw a white-blonde head march over to him and dreaded that voice that he knew he would be hearing next.
"Potter!" Draco said genially, sitting down next to Hermione, giving her a pat on her thigh. "Have you already practiced for our duelling test tomorrow?" he began ladling spaghetti onto his plate.
"Yes, I have." Hermione told him. Draco grinned at her. "I didn't ask YOU. You have been living in the library for the past two weeks." Hermione flushed scarlet and Harry and Draco sniggered.
Hermione grinned inwardly as well. So that hadn't changed.
Harry knew it was his time to answer. "No, I still need to practice a few spells."
"Too bad." Draco went on without being asked to. "The minister HIMSELF will be observing the duelling test. He wants to recruit some more students for his army. It will be a shame if you aren't taken."
Hermione and Harry looked at each other, terrified. Well, they knew a bit more now that Draco had informed them about the minister. But why was he recruiting people for his ARMY? That piece of news was very disturbing, especially to Hermione. "Don't worry, Hermione. You will be taken, I'm sure of that. So will I…" The blonde-haired Slytherin let out a huge yawn.
"Time for me to get my afternoon-siesta." he winked at Hermione. "Want to join me?"
Hermione looked at him, not even trying to keep the scandalized look out of her face. "No, I'm practicing for tomorrow's test." she snapped. Draco smirked. "Why did I know you would say that?" Draco gave Hermione a heated, slightly violent kiss on her mouth and left the two time-travellers alone, Hermione being apprehensive about what would follow.
They continued their meal and saw that the dark dining hall had filled a bit more. Harry noticed that Cho was also among the Slytherins, so were some other former Ravenclaws he remembered as Marc Corner and Terry Boot. It was apparent that no other Gryffindor was in their midst. Where were the Weasleys?
Two girls, neither Harry nor Hermione knew, sat down at their table, carrying an official looking paper. "Hey, Jones." one of the girls said in quite a friendly tone, "I'm supposed to hand these out. Headmaster's order." she frowned slightly and handed Hermione the paper.
Hermione thanked her and snatched it out of her hand. It indeed was official. The minister looked as perfect as ever, with his black robes pressed tightly. It was – an older looking – Tom Riddle. Again. Though his plans were similar, Hermione found out as she read the page, he wanted to create an army with Hogwarts students. Or rather, Slytherin's order. The former Hogwarts was now called Slytherin's order, consisting of pureblood-Slytherins only. He wanted to take over the magical world – or so it seemed.
Hermione sighed and hung her head. What were they doing wrong in their mission? How could they convince Tom that Muggleborns weren't all that bad?
Without a word she handed Harry the paper who read through it quickly. "Hermione." he said urgently. "We have to find my parents."
"YOUR parents? WHY?" Hermione asked, but suddenly felt a pull behind her navel and a second later she was standing in an unfamiliar, wealthy living-room. Harry wasn't with her for some reason and she started panicking. What had happened?
"Hermione, dear daughter, you are back from school." a friendly elderly lady called out, walking into the living-room carrying a toddler. "Here he is." she handed Hermione the baby and dumped it into her outstretched arms.
Who was that kid?
"Tom will be stopping by for dinner." the lady continued while a surprised Hermione was holding the sleeping baby in her arms. "He hasn't seen Marvolo for a week now. You know how busy he is with all the Slytherin's order work AND the ministry work. There are still over 100 letters sent out to MUGGLEBORNS every year to accept them into Godric's Castle. It's a shame. Minerva used to be a wonderful teacher." the lady shook her head sadly.
Hermione looked calculating at the lady and put together the pieces. Okay, so Hogwarts didn't exist. Slytherin's order and Godric's castle were two schools in Britain, the castle accepting Muggleborns and the order only purebloods. Tom Riddle was doing all to stop the letters from the castle reaching potential muggleborn students.
But something still seemed odd.
Hermione let out a small cough. "Oh, do you need a brandy?" the lady asked amiably.
"No thank you." Hermione answered politely. "I was wondering, what do you mean by that – Tom will be stopping by because he hasn't seen Marvolo for a week?" She had a sinking feeling what it could mean and her worst fears were confirmed when the lady – probably her step-mother – grinned widely.
"Well – your son. Don't you remember? You look very pale, sit down my daughter. It was the day of your life when Tom spotted you at the ministry two years ago. He told you that you look like someone he used to know very well and asked for your name. You told him it was Hermione and said, he didn't know you, but would LIKE to get to know you. Well, and there it went." the lady smiled wider and Hermione definitely felt sick now.
"So, it's his child?" she asked warily.
"Why Hermione, what's with all those questions? Of course it is! You are his mother and Tom is the father. What's the matter with you? Are you sure, you don't want a brandy?"
And with that Hermione felt a pull behind her navel again and was transported back into the 40s, screaming her head off. Harry and she arrived at the same time in Dumbledore's office, both looking at each other with wide eyes, Hermione still screaming.
Dumbledore forced a calming draught down her throat and she quit at once, looking solemnly at Dumbledore and Harry. "Where did you go all of a sudden, Hermione? I was so scared. You suddenly disappeared." Harry said slightly frantic.
"Oh, she did?" Dumbledore's voice sounded amused. "That's why I couldn't send just YOU there, Harry."
"Yeah, I went somewhere else in the future, because we needed that essential information." Hermione growled.
"What do you mean? Why?" Harry was confused.
Hermione told them both what had happened and what she had seen. Harry gaped at her and even Dumbledore seemed slightly alarmed.
"It looks as if you have to slightly change your strategy. Remember that you only have three months left now." Dumbledore warned them. "But now off you go. And enjoy the ball tonight." his eyes twinkled behind his half-moon spectacles.
Hermione and Harry made their way to the Ravenclaw dorm. "What happened in Slytherin's order afterwards?" Hermione asked Harry finally.
"Nothing exciting, really. Blaise Zabini and Millicent Bulstrode appeared, hand in hand and we talked a little bit." Harry shrugged. "But I was frantic. I was scared and wondering what had happened to you." He shook his head. "But these are quite some disturbing news, don't you agree?"
"Yes, I agree. Riddle is minister AGAIN! Ugh. Look, I think we should tell Draco and Ginny. In private of course. This is your job, Harry." Hermione smirked.
"Yeah, I guess so." Harry sighed. "I'm going back to class, coming with me?"
"No, I'm not. I'm going to get ready for the ball." Hermione smiled. She had a lot to do of course before the ball and Sarah was probably already waiting for her.
THTHTH
Tom was standing in front of the head boy mirror, gelling his hair to the side. He was wearing a perfect black tuxedo and a white shirt underneath. He had also decided to go with a white bow tie. Although Tom would never admit it, he was a bit anxious as he hadn't seen her in class today. Would Hermione really be there? Would they get along well?
He shook his head, mostly to clear his thoughts. He had never had these feelings and questions before. Tom put on the perfume he knew Hermione liked and departed stiffly to meet her in front of the entrance hall.
He only had to wait two minutes that were slow torture for him though. When he spotted her, his whole body seemed to float and he felt his heart beat faster. Also, a certain feeling in the pit of his stomach started bothering him immensely. Butterflies.
"You look beautiful, Natalija." Tom said hoarsely, kissing her hand.
"Thank you, so do you." Hermione answered in a quiet voice, a pink tinge to her cheeks. She was the most beautiful being, Tom had ever seen. She was wearing a long light blue dress, white gloves, white high heels, silver earrings, silver necklace and glimmer on her shoulders and cleavage. Her hair was up in a complicated hairstyle and she wore sparkling make-ups that Tom, of course, couldn't name.
Hermione put her arm onto his outstretched and they walked to the Great Hall together, greeting and nodding at people they knew. Tom and Hermione had to sit at the table that overlooked the Great Hall. To Hermione's dismay, Minerva McGonnagal and her partner were also placed at that table.
Tom, who had noticed her look, patted her shoulder. "The headgirl and I have to start the ball by a speech, that's why she is sitting at our table."
Hermione smiled at him and Minerva and he stood up at the same time.