Sometime into their journey on the Hogwarts Express, Harry stood up and pointed out that they should get changed into their robes, reaching up to the rack above the carriage chairs to extract a slightly rumpled pack of robes.
Hermione caught Tom watching them carefully over the top of his book, surveying them intently though trying not to appear to do so. Upon catching her eyes however he ducked his gaze back down to his book, though she very much doubted he was actually reading it.
Smirking internally at this thought Hermione reached for her own robes from her case. Naturally she located them easier than Harry; having mastered packing charms in their year running around trying to hunt Horcruxes.
Harry had already been wearing a shirt and his black pants, meaning he simply added a tie and slipped his robe on over the top of his head before balling up his muggle jacket and throwing it back in the case. Returning to his seat he leant against the window, drumming his fingertips along the window frame as he peered out into the lashing rain beating down on the somewhat miserable looking countryside.
"Aren't you going to use the changing room?" Tom burst out after a moment, a faint tinge of pink on his high cheekbones, not looking at either of them.
"Changing rooms?" Hermione asked in shock, not having heard of these being on the train before.
Abandoning all pretence of reading his book, Tom pushed it to the side and glared up at her.
"Yes." He answered simply, standing up and holding the door open for her. Looking unsure, Hermione bit her lip and glanced back to Harry before following him. Harry watched them go uncomfortably, looking not entirely sure how he felt about this situation.
Once in the corridor thoughts began racing through her brain about the predicament she was in.
Sure Harry's scar wasn't hurting, and this was usually the measure of when "Voldemort" was near. It wasn't a simply guarantee that this meant he was currently not a threat, but rather the result of nothing in this time had yet connecting them. Ignoring this unpleasant thought, Hermione took a deep breath and followed him.
"You and your cousin have a peculiar relationship." Tom remarked, not seeming to require an answer, merely stating something he had observed. Shrugging, Hermione decided it couldn't hurt to feed him a portion of the truth to make him feel like they had truly accepted him.
"We have just been through a lot together I suppose."
Looking back at her, Tom frowned slightly as though wishing to know more but somewhat frustrated by this fact in the same moment.
The rest of their walk passed in silence, and as they passed a gaggle of Hufflepuff girls clustered together looking very "giggly", Tom indicated the door at the end of the corridor they had been walking down.
"Just through there." He promised, "I trust you can find the way back?" Without waiting for an answer he nodded at her and turned back the way he had come. Rolling her eyes at his arrogant stride down the corridor Hermione hurried in the direction he had indicated and rushed to get changed.
When the train finally pulled in at the station, Tom stood up quicker than both Harry and Hermione, sparing them a brief glance and nod before setting off. Watching him from the glass doors of the carriage Hermione saw him pin a badge to his robes and walk purposefully off the train.
"I forgot he's a prefect!" Harry said behind her, clearly having been watching him too.
They were one of the last few off the train, and took advantage of this situation to hold a brief whispered conversation.
"He's already just as demanding and manipulative." Harry huffed under his breath under the pretence of coughing.
"We can still stop it." Hermione replied just as quietly as they approached the Thestral drawn carriages.
Stopping briefly Hermione shook herself as she took in the winged skeletal beasts pawing at the ground in front of them and watching the students apprehensively. Wondering why she had stopped, Harry poked his head out of the carriage he'd started to climb into. The question already formed on his lips, but dying instantly when he saw what she was looking at.
"Best not to think about it." He told her gently, extending a hand down to help her inside.
Accepting his hand and allowing herself to be pulled inside, Hermione sat close to the window, still watching the creatures which began to move their carriage forward by instinct when the door was shut behind them.
She knew Harry was right, they had a mission to work on, and dwelling on the fact the war meant she could now see Thestrals was a sure way to fail in what they were currently trying to achieve. It wasn't very easy to simply "not think about it" as he'd directed.
The road up to the castle was a lot bumpier than it was in their day, and Hermione was glad she had not purchased snacks on the trolley like Harry had, he was now starting to look distinctly queasy in the chair opposite her. It was probably not helped by the fact they were riding in silence with two Ravenclaw boys who were determinedly avoiding looking at them leaving little doubt that they had not been welcome in this carriage.
Eventually the ride was over and they slowed to a stop outside the large oak front doors, and for the first time since they had travelled back in time, Hermione felt herself truly relax, not even having to fake the contented smile and sigh as she stepped outside and stared with reverence at the doors like they were her personal saviours.
It truly felt like she was coming home.
"Excuse me Sir, would you mind if we had a quick word?"
Dumbledore had been instantly recognisable to them the minute they laid eyes on him. His robes (though more current with the 1940's style) carried with them a distinctly "Dumbledore-ish" aura to them with their long sweeping style and pale blue cloak wrapped around a set of red and green robes. He'd finished it off with a yellow hat rimmed in purple along the edge. Supressing a giggle, Hermione realised he was wearing all the house colours in one outfit. Although his beard was not as long as it was in their day, it still looked rather grand as it came to just below his shoulders and was a handsome tawny colour.
Upon hearing their request, he turned to face them and they noted he was wearing his usual half-moon spectacles and his eyes still had that famous twinkle in them.
"Yes? What may I do for you?" he inquired.
Hermione and Harry paused, looking at each other and nodding together before suggesting it would be better explained in private.
Looking intrigued, Dumbledore held out an arm indicating a small door to his left.
It took almost an hour to explain the whole thing to Dumbledore, not helped by the fact every so often they broke off looking awkward, trying their hardest not to reveal something too specific about the future.
Eventually, they'd finished, and Dumbledore leaned against the table behind him, stroking his chin slowly as if deep in thought whilst Harry and Hermione waited awkwardly with bated breath, hoping that he would understand and help them. He was after all, their only hope of pulling off being enrolled in Hogwarts.
"I take it you have thought up a cover story?" Dumbledore asked them. Nodding quickly, Hermione reached into her bag to pull out the papers her and Harry had made before they got here. It had been hard to procure the official ministry documents detailing how they were orphans and referencing there previous education and grades attained, but it had been even harder to make a strong enough glamour on them to change the dates and names involved.
"These are most impressive." Dumbledore proclaimed after reading over them.
"Hermione always was the brightest witch of her age." Harry beamed, causing her to blush bright red under the praise and the new way the headmaster looked at her, as if X-raying her.
Whatever it was he did, he seemed satisfied when he looked away.
"Come, I do believe we have missed the ceremony but we will go to see the headmaster about getting you sorted." Then he paused, "Again." He added as an afterthought. Blinking Hermione attempted to wrap her head around the idea Dumbledore was not headmaster in this era, merely a Professor.
"This will take some getting used to huh?" Harry asked her on their way out.
Think it is slightly shorter, but oh well. I tried. I'm very tired and need to sleep as I have work tomorrow haha. Hope you enjoyed it. x