Author's Note: Okay... here is Chapter One! It took some time to get it up and going (I had a bit of an epiphany on my novel that I am currently writing and I stopped writing on my fanfics late last night to write it down.) but, I am pleased with how this chapter turned out! I hope you all agree!
Hermione walks calmly out the door to her hospital room, trying and succeeding in calming her racing pulse. 'Don't make a mess of this Granger.' She mentally tells herself as she walks down the deserted corridor. She was grateful that no one was down the first couple of hallways she went down as she made her escape, suddenly the brunette felt a change in the air as a magical ward shifted into place. 'Shit, someone must have discovered that bloody doctor!' Glancing around the next bend to make sure no one is lurking within, Hermione feels her heart leap into her throat as she hears faint footsteps from somewhere in the maze of corridors behind her. Turning the corner, she quickens her pace when she sees a door ten metres ahead on her left was left ajar. Sliding quietly into the room, she breathes a sigh of relief when she closes the door just before the echoing footsteps turn into the passage she had just left from. Once she felt that she was safe, Hermione glances around the room for the first time.
The room was long, but narrow with the walls lined with shelves, filled to capacity with phials. 'This must be the potions' store room.' She muses to herself as she scans the bottles after locking the door. 'Antidote for Common Poisons, Essence of Dittany, Wolfsbane, Skele-Gro, Murtlap Essence... Ugh, all common curatives.' Hermione reads the potions as she walks further into the room, 'Wait, what's this? Veritaserum? What would a hospital need with that?' She pauses slightly as she thought of the reasons why St. Mungo's would need truth serum, when a familiar concoction catches her eye. Inside a phial, one shelf above the veritaserum, was a dark, muddy looking potion that Hermione knew how to make just as she knew how to breath. "Polyjuice Potion." The brunette murmurs as she reaches up to grip the smooth, cool glass bottle. She feels her chest tighten with excitement as she clutches the phial close to her chest, quickly letting it become her new saviour. Quickly yet quietly, Hermione rushes back to the door after she hears the voices and footsteps that were echoing in the hallway quiet down with her wand at the ready. Cracking the door just a bit, she peers out for any sign of a passerby. 'Some lout is bound to pass by here without an entourage in tow and then I will get my chance.' The brunette thinks to herself as she waits impatiently for her time to strike.
After five minutes, Hermione felt her composure slip slightly. Doubt crept into her mind as she waited for someone to pass by her hiding spot, niggling its way into her soul trying desperately to tear at her resolve. 'What if she died? What if all this is for naught? I will be carted away to Azkaban for my behaviour here, and I will comply like a lost child if she is dead.' Hermione feels a tear trek down her cheek as the thoughts ravage her mind. Shaking her head to soothe the pain of the 'what ifs', the brunette sighs. 'No... every time my mind wanders to thoughts of her porcelain skin, dark eyes, and midnight curls, I feel more alive than ever before. She is alive and I know it. I just have to find her.' Hermione nods her head at the thought, steeling resolve.
Two sides of the same coin, her mind has been tossing back and forth all the 'what ifs' and 'why fors' that have came up since she had first found out it was all just a dream. She knew the answer would lie outside of the hospital, she just needed to find her escape.
Suddenly, a sound knocks all the thoughts out of the brunette's mind. A short staccato of heels against linoleum echo through the now empty corridor, signalling the arrival of a lone woman in her vicinity. Taking a deep breath and gripping her wand tighter in her hand, Hermione silently casts a stunning spell causing a petite blonde to fall helplessly to the floor. 'I am glad I perfected my silent spell casting abilities.' She thinks to herself as she drags the witch's lithe form across the floor and into her temporary hiding spot.
Once the witch was divested of her robe, name badge, wand, and several hairs, the brunette smirks as a thought of the next spell lingers on the tip of her tongue. "Obliviate."
The thrill of casting the memory charm made Hermione's soul soar with glee. The mere thought of it being cast against people who were in league with that so-called doctor, made her feel that she was in complete control even though the odds of her escape seemed slim. Shrugging off the euphoria that had descended upon her, Hermione uncorks the phial and drops the few hairs into the potion and watched as it changed from the murky brown to a violet hue.
"Bottoms up." She murmurs to herself as she lifts the bottle to her lips and drinks the concoction. Shuddering as the potion lids down her throat, Hermione almost drops the phial as her body is suddenly racked with immense pain as her body shrinks and contorts to the smaller, bustier witch's frame. Reaching her hand up to her head, the young witch looks at her now golden locks and smiles. She changes out of the regulation hospital gown, that has always been a bit disturbing in her mind 'Why do they always insist these bloody things show your bum off to everyone with eyes!', and into the now memory modified witch's robes.
Making sure every stitch of clothing was in place, Hermione looks about her to see if she had forgotten anything. 'Of course, her shoes!' Slipping the heels on quickly, the brunette takes one last look about her and walks out the door while silently casting a spell to lock the door behind her.
Straightening her back and holding her head high, she walks towards where the reception area was located and within the room, she knew there were fireplaces set up to the floo network. Hermione walks towards the one of the fireplaces, that was ready to transport her to freedom, when a woman's voice from behind the reception desk calls out. "Nurse Watson."
Hermione turns around to face the other witch, "Yes?"
"I need to check your wand before you leave. Since the ward went up, security has told us to check anyone, who tries to leave, wand before they are free to go."
"I was wondering what was going on when I felt the shift, do you know what happened?" Hermione asks as she hands 'her' wand over to the portly receptionist.
"Well, I heard that a patient escaped and almost tried to kill Doctor Killjoy, the others are working on him now as we speak but they are unsure if he will make it or not." The stout brunette shakes her head solemnly. "I hope that our security team will track the person down who did this. When they catch them it is a one-way trip to Azkaban for that witch, even if she played a part in the down-fall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." She hands the transformed Hermione back the wand. "Everything seems to be in order Nurse. I hope you have a good day."
Hermione smiles, "I hope they are able to catch the person who did that to him... I don't understand what could have got into her to do something such as that to a doctor."
The receptionist shakes her head, "I don't know... from what I hear she had been travelling with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley for almost a year, tracking down things needed to destroy You-Know-Who. Maybe the things she saw while on those travels did something to her or it could have been that knock on the head she received during the Battle of Hogwarts. Or... it could have been seeing those two lads die during the final battle. There is just to much to that could have caused her to snap that no one can possibly know what did it in the end."
Hermione shakes her head in agreement. 'If only she knew who she was really talking to, she wouldn't be standing there insinuating that I am mental.' "You are right who knows what really happened to cause her to snap. Well, I must be getting on." She turns back towards the fireplaces and steps inside. Taking a deep breath, she drops the floo powder from her hand. "The Leaky Cauldron."
A/N 2: Let me know what you think! Next on Hermione's agenda, after her escape, finding out why Minerva wanted her to forget!