I have an exam that I am currently studying for tomorrow but decided to just write this chapter instead. PRIORITIES! Hope you enjoy
Chapter 6 (I think):
Hermione's hands were tapping against the wooden surface of her desk, she was writhing with frustration.
Her encounter with the band of Death Eaters left her highly discomforted and she couldn't find it in herself to not whack each of their skulls against a hard surface until a satisfactory crack was heard, then she would rest easy.
A knock at her door caught her off guard and she felt her hand slip against the desk, almost falling over she quickly stood straight, happy that no one witnessed her almost meeting the floor in a very un-lady like fashion.
"Come in." she announced loudly, her hands coming up to rub her temples, praying to whatever force was up there that the person at the door was not Tom Riddle, or she might just hex herself silly.
Rather than the Slytherin's that she seemed to be seeing much more than any other house in this bloody school, she was instead with a familiar face that her entire body froze as she met hazel eyes that reminded her so much of someone in the past…or future.
"Yes?" she managed to choke out, and the student walked in fully, hands behind his back, eyes crinkling as he grinned at his professor.
"Hello Professor Granger, I stopped by to ask you a question about the assignment you assigned to us in the previous lesson." He was so polite, so kind, her eyes pricked with burning tears and she had to slap herself mentally, there was no emotion in this new and improved harmony, there was no use to feel.
"Of course, Mr. Potter, what can I help you with?" she instead chose to say, her voice regaining some control it lost when Fleamont Potter first entered her quarters. He looked so much like Harry and so much like James Potter that she found herself trying to stay upright, and not hug the young man in front of her.
Harry Potter, regardless of his countless stupid actions and irrationality, was her best friend. She loved him with every fiber in her being, regardless of the dark magic that swirled in her veins, and the darkness that continuously swallowed her on a daily basis. She left him that day, to pursue her own mission, to make the world better for him.
Fleamont Potter had the same messy black hair that all Potter men sported, and he, like every male of the Potter breed, had horrible eyesight and required glasses to see in front of him. He was a charming young man, yet another trait that all Potter descendants carried, and his eyes, although not the same color as Harry's, had a familiarity to them, in the way he regarded her with such kindness and such trust, like she could never hurt anyone and that he would stand by her if she were her friend that his loyalty will never waver, regardless of the situation.
He was Harry but in a different time.
"I just wanted to check with you, if it was alright to mention some personal references to do with the Patronus charm, and not just references from the book." He spoke, his voice warm and deep, and it was so like Harry's that she almost gasped with the rush of memories, but she remained composed.
"That is perfectly fine Mr. Potter, in fact it would be interesting to read some of your own evaluations on the Patronus charm, it isn't always the right thing to just reference a textbook, it doesn't reflect one's experience." She gave him a small smile, she would allow herself this.
"Thank you, professor, I'll make sure to not disappoint." He gave her yet another heart-clenching grin, and she felt sad that Harry would never know his grandfather, like he'll never know his father.
No…that was why she was here, wasn't it? To create a future for Harry and those she cared about that wasn't so tirelessly painful and dark.
"Have a good day Fleamont" she bid him a goodbye, and as the seventh year Gryffindor began to exit his classroom, he turned around and said to her words that burnt themselves into the muscle of her heart.
"You really are an excellent professor, I've learned more with you in our lessons this term than I have with any professor in the last seven years I've spent in Hogwarts." And he chuckled as he said this, like it was so easy to bestow such kind words on such an undeserving person.
"Thank you Fleamont" she allowed herself yet another smile, and couldn't help the blush that rose onto her cheeks, her hands instinctively reaching to press against her warm cheeks, trying to cool them down.
"Of course, Professor, I don't get the feeling that anyone ever acknowledges all that you do." Before he left the class, and she couldn't help the bitter emotion that rose in her chest, they never do notice all that she does for the fucking wizarding world, they never see her sacrifices. But Fleamont did, and Harry did and she could bet on her magic and her life that James Potter would've noticed too, it was yet another admirable trait for the Potter men.
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Hermione's class with the Slytherin's and Ravenclaws today was enjoyable to say the least. Her mood had somewhat lightened since her encounter with Fleamont Potter, but it was no surprise that only someone from the Potter elk could somehow lift her mood from the dump it was resting in since her arrival in this time period.
However, her mood was increasingly better after she performed various practice spells on a certain Theodore Nott, as promised to herself from her last encounter with the belligerent and foul boy.
The class began with her announcing that today she would like to introduce the class to the Unforgivable curses, however rather than outright screaming a Crucio in the direction of the filthy group of Slytherin's, she instead pulled herself together, like she always did, and began with a discussion on the three well-known curses.
She asked various questions and was happy to know that the class wasn't completely useless, and had a basic knowledge on the curses and what they did, but never have they been witness to the powerful curses, of course excluding Tom Fucking Riddle and his group of idiots, but she was happy to see the faces of her student's pale when she said she would like to show them the power of one of the courses.
Although she could at times be heartless, and even possibly aggressive towards her students, she knew well enough that cursing them with the torture curse, and performing the Killing curse is against school policy, in fact all three curses were prohibited on school grounds, but it was important for the students to know what could happen to them in battle, or even in the safety of their own homes.
"I will, of course, not inflict any pain on any of my students, unless it is hurtling a book at your heads for not paying attention, or giving you a rather horrifying detention, but never torture. I am not that cruel. However, the Imperius, although not painful, is still very dangerous and a perfect example of how a dark witch or wizard can use it against you." She had her hands folded in front of her, her eyes flitting from one students face to another, gauging their reactions with a pleased smirk as each one gulped visibly, in fear of being chosen to be the class example.
However, Hermione knew perfectly well who she would be choosing, her mind didn't falter once when her finger pointed in the direction of Theodore Nott, and she saw him quiver, actually quiver, in his seat.
He'll soon learn that calling her a raving bitch would only result in his harm, words meant nothing to her after being called a 'mudblood' consistently throughout her entire Hogwarts career.
"M..me?" the boy stuttered, and she rolled her eyes.
"Yes Mr. Nott, do I seem to be pointing at someone else? The Imperius will cause you know harm unless the castor wills it to, so please, stop wasting my stand and come stand by me so that I could give the class a good example, and maybe humor them, and myself a bit." A wicked smirk painted her lips and she felt so gleeful at the way the rude boy was now shaking in his own robes, fearful of what she capable of. She hoped that this reaction to her would remain this way, especially from those Slytherin's and their righteousness.
Getting up from his seat, Nott came to stand by her, hands tucked behind his back, but she could clearly see him tugging on his robes and twisting his fingers repeatedly.
"Oh relax Mr. Nott, I won't hurt you…too much." Before she lifted her wand, and with a practiced and strong voice, she hissed, Imperio and watched as the look on Nott's face eased completely, all emotion disappearing and his eyes become glazed with lack of any brain activity of his own.
"Now Mr. Nott, I want you to…give us a little dance." And the class began to giggle as the large and brute boy began to jump around and perform pirouettes around the classroom, even his own mates seemed amused.
"I want you to sing for us Mr. Nott, a nice performance by the very lovely Celestina Warbeck!" and the class now had no qualms as they roared with laughter at the expense of the fucker, as he sang in an off-tune, tone-deaf and utterly ear-bleeding voice the infamous song by Celestina Warbeck, "Love Potion".
"And now Mr. Nott, I want you to apologize to me… for calling me a raving bitch." She spat out in a voice that was dark, and venomous and that had stopped the class from shaking with laughter. She distinctly heard the crack of Tom Riddle's neck as his head snapped up in their direction, eyes widening than turning into slits, a sneer almost fully making its way to his lips, as he realized that the stupid bint was making a fool of one of his henchmen on purpose. She was openly defying the Dark Lord, and the bitch, he wasn't even sure but he could sense it, she fucking knew it.
"I apologize for calling you a raving bitch." Nott said loudly, his voice clear and bouncing off the walls of the silent room.
This was the end of her little show as she released him from the spell and watched as he stumbled forward, shaking his head, as if trying to remember what he had done prior to standing beside her before the class, prior to the spell.
But she could see the clenched fists of Riddle, and she could see his eyes flashing red, and this time she was surely not mistaken of the color bleeding into his irises. But she held no fear when it came to him, she witnessed him rise to power, torture and kill muggleborns, half-bloods and purebloods alike, without his charming good looks, and his teenage hormones to hold him back.
This to her, was nothing. He was a boy, and yes he could possibly kill her or torture her until she was bleeding on the ground before him, begging for mercy, but she was more powerful than him in this time, she was stronger and she had seen and fought more. He was still sheltered by the walls of Hogwarts, regardless of his lack of parents and affection, he was still somewhat spoilt with his ability to be a teenager and not worry about fighting a dark wizard.
He took away her childhood, and she would never forgive him for that. But more importantly, he stripped harry of every single thing he loved because the boy that sat before her was jealous of any person who had loved at all, and he would never love and never feel the loss for anyone and she couldn't bring herself to pity him. He was an arse, and a disappointment and shame of a man and wizard.
She will not allow him to rise the way he did, and at times the darkness within her clenched itself in desire at the feeling of his magic rubbing against hers when they were in close proximity, but the rational part of her mind stopped her from leaning forward, stopped her from showing him that in some sense he had a small hold on her, but she was stronger, she needed to remind herself that.
"Class dismissed." She muttered, and walked out of the classroom before her students, heading towards the Room of Requirement for a drink and a nice long bath, with thoughts of Tom Riddle and Fleamont Potter circling in her mind.