Hermione yelped as she felt someone drag her underneath a nearby table. Before she could try to scream, she felt someone wrap their hand around her mouth. She struggled, trying in vain to get away, but her captor's grip was too strong to break away from.

"Quiet!" The person hissed. "Do you want Longbottom to find us!?"

Hermione stopped struggling as Neville passed by their hiding spot, his attention solely fixed on the retreating Ron.

"H-Hang on a moment Neville!" Ron stuttered, his face going pale as he backed himself into a corner. "How about we talk about this!?"

Neville smiled as he wrapped one of his vines around Ron's ankle and yanked him into the air.

"We'll have plenty of time to talk Ron!" Neville said cheerfully. "Once I bring you to my garden we'll have so much to discuss!"

Neville ignored the falling boy and snapped his fingers, causing large holes to form underneath everyone he had captured. One by one, his classmates were dragged down the holes, kicking and screaming as they tried to free themselves. Eventually, Neville himself burrowed down the hole he'd come from and the classroom finally fell silent.

"Finally, I thought that he'd never leave." The stranger muttered.

Hermione felt their grip on her mouth lighten, and she immediately pushed the stranger aside before she crawled out of their hiding place.

"I don't know who you think you are, but-!" Hermione paused as she got a good look at the stranger.

He was taller than her and he seemed to be a year or two older than her. He had curly brown hair and he was wearing an outfit the was even more bizarre than the typical wizard's outfit. He had on a green form fitting crop top that emphasized his lean figure, trousers, and a pair of sneakers. He had a green and black striped scarf wrapped around his neck and he was wearing a pair of dark shades.

'He's kind of cute.' Hermione thought, her face flushing.

The boy knowingly grinned. "Like what you see?"

"U—Uh, I!" Hermione stammered as the boy walked closer to her. She flinched as he reached hand out and grabbed onto her arm. "Hey, what are you doing!?"

The boy ignored her attempt to get away as he reached for the lock she was wearing and pulled it off her neck.

"I've been looking for this for a year, and it turns out it was in Hogwarts this whole time." The boy muttered. "It seems like fate is on my side."

"Hey that's mine!" Hermione shouted as she tried to snatch the lock out of his hands. "Give it back!"

The boy annoyingly held the lock above his head, keeping it out of her reach. "What do you mean it's 'yours' Granger? I don't see your name on it."

"How do you know my name?" Hermione questioned, her eyes narrowing as she drew her wand out from its holster. "Who are you? I've never seen you before."

"You can call me Emerald." The boy answered. "As for how I know your name, well…"

Before he could say anything else, a violent tremor rocked the classroom before the ground beneath them suddenly gave away.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Emerald screamed as the two of them plunged into darkness…

.

.

.

"….anger!"

"…ranger!"

"Granger!"

Hermione gasped and sat straight up, as someone rudely dumped water on her face. She glared at Emerald who nonchalantly put down the bucket he had used.

"Finally, I thought you'd never wake up." Emerald grumbled. "It'd be really annoying if you were weak enough to die from such a short fall."

"Thanks for your concern." Hermione grumbled.

Hermione grimaced as she tried to get back on her feet. She looked around to see that the two of them had landed in an underground cavern that was filled with brightly colored flower patches that stretched on for miles.

'Has this place always been underneath Hogwarts?' Hermione thought. Her eyes widened as she spotted her bag a few feet away from where she had landed. 'Oh no…'

She dashed over to her bag and let out a sigh of relief once she opened it. The eggs were all still intact. Hermione guessed that they must have been more durable than they looked.

Amite popped out of her egg, her eyes swirling as she dazedly floated over to Hermione.

"My head's spinning…" Amitie groaned. "Can we never do that again?"

Hermione patted Amitie's back in sympathy.

Emerald rose an eyebrow as he glanced over Hermione's shoulder. "Well, that's interesting."

"What's interesting?" Hermione asked.

"You have three eggs; I've never seen that before." Emerald commented. "I suppose that makes you—"

Before he could say anything else, a violent tremor rocked the cavern and knocked Hermione off her feet.

"Oh no, are we going to fall down another hole!?" Amitie yelled.

Neville suddenly burrowed out from underneath one of the flower patches, startling everyone.

"I knew I had forgotten someone!" Neville said with a smile. "Why were you hiding Hermione? Don't you want to see my plants?"

"I would love to see your plants Neville, but don't you think you're going about this in the wrong way?" Hermione said as she got back to her feet. "You kidnapped our entire class and brought them here against their will!"

Neville tilted his head in confusion. "What are you talking about Hermione? Everyone's happy to be here!"

Hermione frowned. "But Neville—"

Emerald suddenly stepped in front of her, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"Don't bother Granger, he's not going to listen while he's under the influence of an X character." Emerald said. "We'll have to deal with it first if we want to stop Longbottom."

"What's an X character?" Hermione asked.

Emerald simply pointed to a small floating dark figure that had a prominent red 'X' on its forehead. "That's an X character."

Neville growled as he gazed at Emerald. "Who are you?"

"I'm no one important." Emerald said with a sly grin. "I'm just the guy who's going to beat you."

Emerald pulled his scarf off his neck and whipped it towards Neville. His scarf got longer and larger the further it traveled, allowing Emerald to easily wind it around Neville to bind him in place.

"W-what the hell!?" Neville roared as he frantically tried to pry himself free. "Why can't I tear through this stupid scarf!?"

Emerald smirked. "The more you struggle, the harder it'll get to break free."

"Anyway, it's time to-" Emerald gasped as flower petals started to cover his back. "What is this?"

He staggered to his knees as flower petals fell onto his shoulders. "Why are these petals so heavy?"

"Did you think that I only knew how to use vines?" Neville said, the smile on his face gradually grew wider as Emerald lost his grip on the scarf. "You underestimated me, just like everyone else in my life, and you paid the price."

He swept his hands across the cavern. "I have control over more than just vines, I can control every plant here!"

"Urgh!" Emerald groaned as he pitched forward and hit the ground face first. "Can't…breathe!"

"Neville, stop!" Hermione pleaded, hoping that Neville would come to his senses. "You're going to kill him!"

"Oh Hermione, I almost forgot about you!" Neville said with a small smile. "Stay right there, I'll don't want my vines to hurt you."

Hermione's eyes widened as vines burst out of all the flower patches, blocking her possible attempts at an escape. Hermione shut her eyes tight and prepared for the inevitable as the vines simultaneously shot towards her, when suddenly…!

"Character change to someone who can jump really high!"

On pure instinct Hermione leapt high into the air, dodging all the vines as they collided into each other.

'What!?' Hermione thought. She opened her eyes and immediately closed them when she noticed just how high she was. She opened her eyes once felt herself land safely, and breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed she was few feet away from Neville. 'Still, that voice…'

"Amitie, was that you just now?" Hermione asked as Amitie floated beside her. "You did something similar yesterday, right?"

Amitie nodded. "That was a character change, I don't really know how it works though."

Hermione stumbled forward as she felt a vine wrap around her ankle. She fell face first, and she could feel the vine start to reel her back to Neville.

"No, stop!" Hermione yelled as she tried to pull the vine off.

She frantically grabbed at anything she could hold as she was dragged across the ground. Her hand brushed across something metallic and heavy. It felt oddly familiar, and when she glanced at her hand, she saw that she was holding the lock that Emerald had stolen earlier.

Suddenly she felt herself stop moving when Neville yelled out in pain.

"Granger!" Emerald cried out as he struggled to move. "You need to character change and purify the X-character! I'll try and hold him off for as long as I can!"

"C—character change!? I don't even know how to do it!" Hermione shouted back. She scrambled to her feet. "Is there something specific I'm supposed to do!? Is there an activation phase or a ritual or-!?"

Emerald groaned. "Granger for once just stop overthinking everything! Just do what feels natural!"

"Would you stop talking!?" Neville growled as he slammed Emerald into the ground. "Do everyone a favor and stop getting in my way!"

Hermione hyperventilated as Neville slammed Emerald into the ground over and over. If he kept it up there was a chance that Emerald would get seriously hurt or even killed. She was the only one who could help him, but what if she couldn't character change? What if she couldn't beat Neville?

"Hermione!" Amitie shouted, shaking Hermione out of her thoughts. "Take a deep breath. You're the brightest witch of your year, I'm sure you'll figure something out!"

Hermione took a deep breath and smiled at Amitie. "Thanks, Amitie."

Then, operating only on pure instinct Hermione put the lock back on her neck before she held her hands out in front of her chest.

"Unlock my heart!" Hermione called out. She heard the sound of a lock opening echoing in her mind before the lock started to glow. A beam of pure white enveloped her, forcing Neville to shield his eyes.

Hermione found herself floating in a calming blue void, where she was surrounded by stars. Amitie appeared right in front of her and gave Hermione a quick thumbs up before she went back into her egg. Hermione clutched the egg gently before she brought it into her chest, triggering a whirlwind of green energy to swirl around her.

She tapped her feet together, and with a flash of light her shoes transformed into bright red boots. Another flash of light transformed her skirt into bright yellow shorts with two large pink hearts emblazoned on the front. A red belt loosely wrapped itself around her waist while at the same time her robes shimmered before they transformed into a pink and blue hoodie that had a flower clip. Hermione reached above her to grab onto a red beanie that had materialized out of thin air. She pulled it onto her head as her hair changed to resemble Amitie's.

Hermione smiled as she twirled around and struck a pose. "Sorceress Amitie!"

"Wow…" Hermione muttered as the light faded away. "I feel different!"

'Watch out!'

Hermione gasped as Neville's vines shot towards her. She instinctively thrust her hands forward, causing a gust of wind to knock the vines aside.

"What was that!?" Hermione gasped as she gazed at her hands in astonishment. "Did I just cast magic without a wand!?"

Hermione heard Amitie giggle in her mind.

'Now that we've Character Changed, you can use my wind magic!' Amitie shouted. 'Let's blow that X character away and get Neville back to normal!'

Hermione grinned as she confidently darted towards Neville. "Alright Neville, here I come!"

She hopped into the air as another group of vines tried to wrap around her legs. She tucked into a roll once she landed and cast more wind out of her hands to send her back into the air.

"Why can't you just stay still!?" Neville roared as he swept his hand across his flower patches. "All I want is for people to see what I can do! I need to prove that I'm not useless!"

The petals on all the flowers soon began to rocket towards Hermione, who found herself having to frantically dodge in mid-air.

'Hold on, if I can send wind away from me….' Hermione thought as she narrowly ducked under a red petal. 'I wonder if I can keep it around me, like a shield?'

"Only one way to find out!" Hermione yelled before she crossed her arms. "Tempest Barrier!"

The air around her shimmered as a green energy bubble wrapped around her. Hermione smiled as the petals harmlessly pressed against her shield.

'Now I don't have to worry about the flowers anymore.' Hermione thought. She glanced over at the X character hovering over Neville's shoulder. 'Now then…I think it's time I put an end to this!'

She held her hands behind her and cast a stream of wind magic, allowing her to rocket towards Neville with incredible speed.

"No!" Neville yelled as he franticly sent wave after wave of vines at her. "Stay back!"

'Stop!' Hermione heard someone familiar yell. 'I don't want to hurt anyone, I just wanted to prove everyone wrong!'

"That voice…" Hermione muttered, her eyes widening as she expertly dodged and weaved her way past the vines. "It's Neville!"

'Please, someone help me!'

"Just hold on, I'll save you!" Hermione yelled as she aimed her hands at the X character. "Negative Heart, unlock!"

The sound of a lock opening echoed in the cavern. The X character struggled as it suddenly found itself stuck in place. Hermione landed right in front of Neville before she charged up her finishing move.

"Heart open!"

The X character and Neville cried out as the X character was engulfed in light. Neville toppled forward as his vines and petals harmlessly scattered across the cavern, allowing Emerald to get back on his feet.

"Man, that was rough!" Emerald groaned as rubbed his shoulder. He grinned and cast a side glance at Hermione. "I wasn't expecting you to do so well Granger, I might need to reevaluate my opinion on you."

Before Hermione could say anything, the X on the X character's forehead suddenly tore itself off and crumbled into dust.

'The X is gone!' Amitie shouted in her mind. 'That means that his character should-!'

The former X-character was enveloped in a bright glow that forced Hermione and Emerald to cover their eyes. When the glow died down, the former X character had transformed into a blond boy who was wearing a gardening outfit.

"Thank you!" The guardian character said with a smile. "That was a nightmare, and I'm glad that it's over."

Hermione blushed. "Y—you're welcome."

"So, you're the character Longbottom was supposed to get." Emerald said. "He'll be a pretty useful ally; I suppose I should keep this in mind for the future."

'Ally?' Hermione thought as she glanced at Emerald. 'I wonder what he's talking about?'

"Bye-bye for now!" The guardian character waved as he went back into a golden egg. "I hope to see you all again sometime!"

With that said, the egg sank into Neville's chest and the plants in the cavern faded away, revealing all of Hermione's unconscious classmates.

"Now the hard part begins." Emerald said with a sigh. "We'll have to get everyone back to the surface."

He turned to Hermione. "Hey Granger, do you think you can use your wind to blow them back up to the classroom?"

Hermione nodded. "It'll take some time, but I'm pretty sure I can do it."

"Alright, then let's get started!"

….

"….so let me get this straight Ms. Granger." Professor McGonagall said. "A freakish accident during Potions triggered an earthquake that rendered your classmates and your professor unconscious."

"Yes."

"Said earthquake also resulted in a massive sinkhole forming in Professor Snape's classroom." Professor McGonagall continued. "And somehow, by some miracle you managed to stay conscious and keep everyone safe."

Professor McGonagall stared directly into Hermione's eyes. "You aren't lying to me, are you Hermione?"

Hermione bit her lip and shook her head. "Of course not Professor, I'm telling the truth."

She fought the urge to squirm in her seat as Professor McGonagall looked her over. The two of them were currently in the Professor's office. After she and Emerald had brought the last person back up to the surface, the other professors had chosen that exact moment to burst into the classroom. Emerald had seemingly vanished into thin air, and Hermione had been so startled that she had turned back to normal.

Since she was the only one who was still conscious, she was brought in to be questioned over what had happened. While she could have told the truth, she had a bad feeling that if she revealed what Neville had done that he would most likely get into serious trouble.

Professor McGonagall sighed. "Hermione, I-"

Professor McGonagall was interrupted mid-sentence by a sudden knock on the door.

"Who could that be?" Professor McGonagall wondered aloud as she opened the door to reveal the Headmaster. "A—Albus, I thought you said you were going to check on the students."

"Pomfrey has informed me that the students will be fine." Dumbledore calmly said. "It seems as though their injuries were relatively light."

Dumbledore turned his gaze over to Hermione. "Minerva, do you mind if I borrow Ms. Granger?"

"I…" Professor McGonagall began, but she sighed when she noticed the twinkle in Dumbledore's eye. "No, I don't mind."

"Excellent!" Dumbledore said with a smile. "Follow me please Ms. Granger, this will only take a moment of your time."

"U—um, okay…" Hermione stammered as she got from her seat. She glanced back at Professor McGonagall before she followed the headmaster out of the office.

She tried to ignore the looks she got from the others as Dumbledore led down the halls and up a flight of stairs.

"Professor Dumbledore, um, where are we going?" Hermione asked as she followed him up an unfamiliar flight of stairs. "A—Am I in trouble?"

"You're not in trouble Ms. Granger." Dumbledore said. "I merely wish to introduce you to a mutual friend of ours."

'Mutual friend?' Hermione thought. 'I wonder who it could be?'

Dumbledore eventually came to a stop in front of a glass door that had a mystery symbol on it.

"Now then, where did I put that key?" Dumbledore muttered as he patted at his robes. "Ah! There it is!"

Dumbledore unlocked the door and stepped to the side. "After you Ms. Granger."

"Okay…." Hermione nervously stuttered as she stepped into the room.

Her eyes widened as she looked around. She found herself standing in a beautiful indoor garden that had plants as far as her eye could see. Situated in the center of the garden was a large white picnic table that had a tea set and plates all set out. What caught her attention the most was a familiar boy sitting at the table.

"Emerald!?" Hermione shouted. "What are you doing here?"

Emerald smirked. "Why wouldn't I be here, this is my club room after all."

"Club room?" Hermione parroted. "You're part of a club?"

"Yup," Emerald said as he leaned back in his seat. "Since you've got a guardian character, you're part of my club too."

Emerald chuckled to himself. "I hope you feel honored!"

"Wait, what!?"