Waking up in the bronze and blue of the Ravenclaw Tower, reality crashed down on Hermione. It wasn't a dream. She closed her eyes to keep the tears at bay. Rolling out of bed, she tugged on her Hogwarts uniform. Hermione choked back a sob, even the uniforms were different. The skirts were longer, the socks were higher, and she had a blazer she had to wear over her shirt and under her robes.
Looking around at her still sleeping roommates, she snorted. And here I thought Ravenclaws woke before dawn.
Trooping down the stairs and into the common room, Hermione headed for the exit; hoping to get a bite of breakfast before speaking to anyone.
"The nargels have clustered around that Firsties head, haven't they, Pandora?" Xenophilius Lovegood stated good naturedly.
"Xenophilius." Pandora smiled airily at him, before she floated over to Hermione. "You, young missy, went up before we could introduce ourselves. Very rude of you, you know."
"Sorry." Hermione mumbled, trying not to gawk at the older students.
Xenophilius waved his hand. "Oh, nonsense, you don't need to apologize."
"We are your Fifth Year prefects." Pandora smiled, her eyes strangely vacant and twinkling.
"And you are?" Xenophilius tilted his head to the side so much it almost touched his shoulder.
"Hermione Granger."
"I'm Pandora Lovegood and this strapping young man is Xenophilius Lovegood; my second cousin and betrothed." Pandora smiled dreamily up at him.
Hermione's eyes widened. "Right. Well, I'm going to breakfast…"
"We haven't told you were the Head Boy and Girl are, silly." Giggling, Pandora grabbed her arm. "Head Boy is Fleamont Potter."
"A very strapping young man and chaser." Xenophilius commented.
Pandora continued on, without acknowledging the interruption. "And Head Girl is Minerva McGonagall."
"A very handsome young lady and a beater." Xenophilius smiled airily. "Can you imagine that, a woman's a beater?"
"Lovely meeting you both." Hermione murmured, slipping away from the looney prefects and out of the tower.
After a week of classes, Hermione came to a few resounding conclusions. McGonagall was a better Transfiguration professor than Dumbledore, Horace was creepier than Snape, Binns was still boring and the classes were easier. They hadn't even been assigned homework yet, for Merlin's sake!
Deciding to make use of the unlocked Restricted Section, Hermione headed toward the Library. Keeping her head down, she watched the floor and not where she was going. She nearly ran into the Head Girl, who was, thankfully, paying attention to where she was going.
"Ravenclaw." A much younger, but familiar voice called out.
Hermione slowly turned about and looked upon the face of a much younger Minerva McGonagall.
"Minerva McGonagall, Head Girl and a Gryffindor." She grinned, extending her hand.
"Hermione Granger." Hermione shook the proffered hand. "Ravenclaw."
"I can see that." Minerva arched an eyebrow.
Not as intimidating as it could be. Hermione had to fight not to smile.
Minerva smiled good naturedly. "I'm sure you have more important things to do than talk to a Seventh Year."
Nodding, Hermione scurried of toward the Library. However, much to her consternation, five hours of searching proved fruitless. The Library had absolutely zero books on any kind of Time Magic.
Sinking onto the nearest desk, Hermione rubbed her temples, before blindly reaching out and snagging the closest book off the shelf. Opening it, she began to read. After getting a few pages in, she grinned. Perhaps being sent to the past wasn't bad after all – if it meant she could study up on magic now that she would be thrown into Azkaban in her time for studying.
The Library became a sanctuary for Hermione; no one bothered her there, no questions were asked that she couldn't answer, and no one judged her. It was a safe place to cry; after all there was no Harry or Ron anymore, she was alone, with her books. And she was fine, perfectly fine.
No one heard her cry herself to self every night. No one asked for help with their homework. And, most importantly, no one called her a know-it-all. Sure, Hermione answered enough questions correctly to have average marks, but she wasn't supposed to be here. Besides, why study material she already knew when there was a plethora of new material in the Library, just waiting for her.
Around Christmas, Hermione discovered the section on Occlumency, Legitimacy, and Memory Spells. She quickly read through those. She didn't want anyone finding out her secret, she could only imagine the amount of trouble she would get into. Going to Azkaban was the first thing that popped into her mind. She shuddered. Perhaps, I'll study up on the Patronus next.
On December 25, Hermione woke with a crick in her neck. She had been studying a book on Ancient Runes, hoping to find something that would give her a hint at how to get home and she had fallen asleep in the Library, again. The current Liberian, Madam McCarthy, was old and never left the front desk.
Sighing, Hermione stretched her arms over her head and felt her spine pop, from her tailbone to her shoulder blades. Rolling her neck produced more pops. Lifting her bag over her shoulder, Hermione slipped out of the Library.
Walking down the corridor, laughter drifted in from an open window. Glancing out, a sad smile appeared on Hermione's face. A group of Hufflepuffs were pelting each other with snow balls. My boys asked me to go play in the snow with them. A lone tear slid from her eye and she quickly wiped it away. I must not cry.
Hurrying from window, Hermione didn't pay attention to where she was going and found herself in the Transfiguration wing. McGonagall isn't a professor, but Harry trusts Dumbledore… Slowly walking toward the Head of Gryffindor's office, Hermione found the door lightly ajar.
Peaking in, Hermione nearly gasped in shock. McGonagall was naked and leaning on a desk while… Dumbledore! Hermione scrubbed her eyes, jaw dropping when she looked in the room again. She slowly backed away, she didn't want either of them to catch her.
Once she had retreated to the safety of the Library, Hermione frowned. While McGonagall was of age, she was still Dumbledore's student, he should spurn her advances, unless… he had approached her. Hermione's brow furrowed as she picked up a book on wizarding laws and by-laws. There had to be a rule against underage student/teacher relations.
Sniffing back tears, Hermione wished she could go talk to McGonagall about this. But this McGonagall wasn't her McGonagall.
Spring came, the snow melted, and Hermione's teats dried up. She realized that she wasn't going to go back to her time and decided to make the best out of this time. Which meant spending all her time in the Library and if she forgot an assignment, oh well, it wasn't like she was drawing attention to herself anyway.
Since Hermione never went to a Quidditch match, she missed Gryffindor destroying Slytherin. And was not prepared to witness the fallout.
Walking from the Library to the Great Hall, raised voices caught Hermione's attention. Peering around the corner, her jaw dropped. The Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch ream took up the whole hallway and McGonagall stood in the center, smirking at the Slytherin captain.
"You little bitch!" He shoved her backwards. "You aimed the bludger at out Seeker's head!"
Minerva merely laughed. "Of course I did. It's Quidditch and I'm going to make sure my team wins."
The Slytherin captain whipped out his wand, Minerva was quick to follow suit and soon everyone in the hallway was point wands at the opposing team.
"Do you really think you can beat me?" Minerva taunted, arching an eyebrow.
"Enough!" Dumbledore voices caused multiple people to start. "What is going on here?"
Minerva simpered. "We were about to duel, professor."
Hermione gagged a little at McGonagall's flirting.
"If you do not want me to take House Points you will disperse. Immediately!" Dumbledore roared when no one moved.
The two teams scattered; however, Minerva stayed.
"Something I can help you with?" Dumbledore cupped her face. "Minerva."
This is sickening. Hermione scowled. No one wants to see this, get a bloody room.
"Would you really have taken points from me?" Minerva purred.
Albus smirked. "Oh no, my dear, I would have given you detention."
It's like watching my parents. Hermione whined. Wishing to be anywhere but there, but was too afraid to move lest they hear her.
"Why don't we go to my office?" Dumbledore grinned. "And we can discuss your… punishment."
Gross. Hermione made a face. Waiting until she was sure they were gone, Hermione decided to boycott the Great Hall and just get something to eat from the Kitchens. She sighed. I really should have talked to the elves before I started S.P.E.W.
With the End of Term fast approaching, Hermione was worried where she would go for the summer. She was so worried that she couldn't sleep and had taken to wandering the corridors after curfew.
One night, Hermione was wandering the Fifth Floor when a doorway suddenly appeared across from a unicorn tapestry.
Easing the door open, Hermione smiled. There was a couch in front of a roaring fireplace, bookshelves lining the walls and a twin sized bed in the middle of the room. Stepping across the threshold, she walked to the door on the right side of the room.
Her jaw dropped.
It was a bathroom with a normal sink; however, it had a large shower and a decadent jetted tub. The towels were monogrammed HG.
Frowning in confusion, Hermione backed out of the bathroom and into the main room. Opening the door on the left, she was met with a spiraling stair case. Creeping down the stairs, Hermione worried about what she would find on the bottom.
Slowly opening the door at the bottom of the stairs, Hermione was met with… the Hogwarts' Kitchen.
"Miss Hermione, what is yous doing heres?" The head elf, Pinky, asked.
"I…" Hermione turned and looked at the door. "I was in a room on the Fifth Floor…"
Pinky clapped her hands together. "Oh! Miss Hermione finds the Come and Go Room! Yous best nots misuse it."
"I won't, Pinky." Hermione smiled at the elf. "I promise."
"Wes not tells the professors that's yous being living theres." Dot promised.
"I, thank you." Hermione blushed.
"Pinky tilted her head, her big ears flapping. "Yous no wheres to goes, yous stay here. Wes being keeping yous safe."
Hermione ducked her head, very glad she had spoken to the elves about their servitude. They seemed to really like her now.
"Heres yous go." Dot handed Hermione a small loaf of zucchini bread. "Fors when yous forgets to be eating."
"Thank you, Dot." Taking the bread, Hermione smiled before heading back to the Come and Go Room.
A few weeks in the summer hols, Hermione was sitting cross legged on the floor. She was attempting to produce a wandless and wordless Patronus. She could produce on silently with a wand, but she had stumbled across a book on wandless magic in the Library and had started practicing all the spells she knew windlessly and wordlessly.
Hermione had been trying to cast a Patronus for five hours; she had been able to produce one normally in forty-five minutes and wordlessly took only an hour and a half.
She was getting frustrated.
Closing her eyes, Hermione brought forth, yet another, happy memory. This time an ethereal otter appeared. As it floated around her, Hermione's laughter bounced off the room's walls.
Falling backwards onto the carpet, Hermione's smile stretched so wide that her cheeks hurt. She had done it! She had finally done it! She had cast the most difficult spell she knew, silently and wandless.
Hermione sat up quickly. Time to find a new subject to study!
Glancing out the window, Hermione smiled at the lights coming off the Black Lake. Pulling her robe on, she snuck out of the Come and Go Room and made her way to the Great Hall. Hermione slipped into the throng of students as they entered the Hall. No one noticed her join the crowd.
The Great Hall doors banged open as Dumbledore led the First Years in to be Sorted.
As her fellow Ravenclaws debated where each Firsty was going to be, Hermione rolled her eyes at them. Idiots, it's not like you will always be put in the same House.
"You have fewer nargels buzzing around your head." Pandora slid down the bench to sit next to her. Xenophilius stayed where he was, talking at a bored looking Seventh Year.
"Perhaps." Hermione hummed, turning a page.
Pandora tilted her head to the side. "You think I'm crazy."
"Not crazy." Hermione shook her head. "Dotty perhaps, but not crazy."
"And what's the difference?" Pandora asked, putting her elbows on the table and laying her cheek on her interlaced hands.
Sighing, Hermione put a book mark in her book. "While you and your cousin way talk in circles and riddles, you both have the highest marks in your year. Not looney."
Pandora gave her an airy smile, before turning back to the Sorting Ceremony.
Hermione merely turned back to her book, having no interest in who got Sorted where. The hairs on the back of her neck suddenly prickled and she subtly glanced up at the Head Table, but none of them were watching her. Hermione narrowed her eyes, before turning back to reading.
A second year Slytherin also wasn't watching the Sorting, his attention was focused solely on the bushy haired Ravenclaw.
Hermione couldn't help but smile, it was already six weeks into term and there was no mention of an heir of Slytherin or the Chamber of Secrets. She was going to be at school for the whole year! And not petrified half way through.
"Someone's happy." Betrice Clearwater, one of Hermione's roommates, remarked. "Granger!"
Hermione turned around. "Yes, Miss Clearwater?"
"Ugg, sooooo formal." Andrea Jordan sighed dramatically.
Katie Patil sniggered. "We're all friends here, call us by our first names."
"Perhaps." Hermione stuffed her things into her bag and opened the door, before pausing and turned partially around. "You are all friends, but why would I want to be friends with any of you?" Slipping out of the room, she left the door cracked.
Hermione hated her roommates. They were, somehow, worse than the girls she had lived with in Gryffindor. They were so petty and airheaded. To think they had been sorted into Ravenclaw!
"They probably wouldn't even notice if I lived here." Hermione muttered; pulling out a quill and her Transfiguration essay, determined to slip in a few grammatical and spelling errors, as well as leaving out a conclusion. While she couldn't do anything about her handwriting, she would get mediocre grades.
Watching the students bored the train, Hermione sighed and sank onto the window seat the Come and Go Room had provided.
She found it funny that a student could hide in the Castle the whole summer and the professor were unware. They were gone for six weeks out of the summer too.
A few tears gathered in Hermione's eyes. She dashed them away before they could fall. After all, what good would crying do her? It wouldn't take her home, it wouldn't make her friends (not in this time), it would only make her appear weak and she refused to be weak.
She would learn everything about magic she could. Light. Dark. Grey. Black. It didn't matter. To her, magic was magic. No matter the name given to it, Hermione was determined she would learn it and damn everyone else.
A/N: So, I doubt every chapter will be this long, and they won't span two years either. From now on out, chapters will span, at max, a single year.