Changing Granger's ways

After the ceasefire. A little talk with Thorfinn. Helping Granger change. A new group of friends. Thorfinn and Sophia admit their feelings,,, to themselves. Sophia ponders Thorfinn's future. Thorfinn bides his time. Harry becomes an unwitting accomplice.

A/N: A little question for you, the readers, to ponder at the bottom.

That evening, the whole Great Hall seemed shocked when Thorfinn Rowle walked in, hand in hand with both Sophia Snape and Hermione Granger. Everyone, that is, except the Slytherins who had already known what was going on. They walked down the center of the Hall to where they had to separate to go to their own tables. Sophia and Rowle joined the Slytherins and Granger headed for the Gryffindor table. For a moment, Sophia thought they weren't going to make room for her. Then Potter looked around their table, frowning, and reached out to pull Granger down on the bench with him. They began chatting and waving their arms around.

Sophia turned around and smiled at Thorfinn. Very possibly, her idea was already beginning to work. If she could get her to loosen up enough to let other people have a chance in class, she was sure that, along with getting her a friend or two along the way, would be more than enough to help her get back to her own time! Unnoticed by Sophia and Rowle, Cory and Tony were both taking note of how much happier they looked now that they weren't fighting anymore. The two boys exchanged glances. They were becoming more and more positive that Rowle and Sophia belonged together. They decided they needed to have a little talk with their Chaser.

After dinner, as the Slytherins headed out of the Hall, Cory sent Sophia ahead with the other first years as Tony held Rowle back. Thinking it was Quidditch related, Sophia willingly went on, waving happily. She would go ahead to get on their couch to start her homework. Cory let her think that.

"So. You and Sophia are getting along great now, considering how bad you two hated each other when she first got here." Cory mentioned as he and Tony guided the younger boy between them.

Rowle nodded warily. "Yeah, we are. We, um, came to an understanding. She isn't sure whether or not she's actually going to stay here yet. Right now, she's still trying to figure out if she's ready for here or going back to Beauxbatons."

"Beauxbatons? Why would she WANT to go back to Beauxbatons? You're here!" Tony blurted out.

"Why would me being here stop her from going back to Beauxbatons?" Rowle asked, puzzled.

"You're right, Finn. It wouldn't make a difference. We just wanted to, um, point something out to you. That's all." He glared at Tony over the boy's shoulder. "Listen, Rowle. I've, we've been noticing something. When is the last time you left the common room? You used to wander all over the castle, chatting up any girl you met, remember? What happened?" Cory asked, reaching around and slapping Tony in the back of his head. Tony winced and shut up. It was best to let Cory do this. He was the smooth talker.

Rowle actually looked shocked. Apparently he hadn't even noticed his own behavior pattern had changed. "I, uh, I guess I just haven't wanted to? I mean, Professor Snape is always telling me to buckle down and get more serious about my studies. If I don't, I won't pass my OWL'S next year."

"So Sophia Snape has nothing to do with you staying in every night. Or getting more serious about your homework. You've been much friendlier lately, did you know that, Rowle? Much more approachable. You've even been nicer, slightly, to your own house's first years. Now, you and Sophia are trying to befriend that little Gryffindor girl. What's going on with you two? Are you planning to get a match with her? She'd be a good match for you. Let's face it, in this house, you could do a lot worse than her. Think about it." Cory slapped the youngster on the back, right before the three of them entered the Slytherins common room.

Rowle drifted into the room, deep in thought. He honestly hadn't thought anything about slipping out of the commons anymore after Sophia arrived. Nor had he given a second thought to any of the girls he'd been chasing. 'Did this mean that he, Thorfinn Rowle, was ready to settle down? With just one witch?' He knew they wouldn't be so enthusiastic about her if they knew who she really was. Sometimes, he forgot who she really was. There had been times, knowing it was a sixth year girl in a first year body, that, yes, he'd been tempted to touch her. He hadn't because if they'd been caught, it would be his ass in the sling, not hers, his future that would be ruined! Not that he intended to let her get away unscathed. Sometime right before she went back, he fully intended to kiss the girl. But he had to time it just right! Give her something to remember him by in the future! Besides which, KNOWING that she would be leaving soon, he was trying his best to guard his heart, trying not to get too attached to her. It didn't seem to be working, however. He was almost positive now, after that little 'chat' with his friends that he had gone and done something he'd sworn never to do: fallen in love, giving a woman the power to control him, hurt him.

He made it all the way to their couch before he realized she was already there, looking at him fearfully to see if she was finally allowed to sit there again. He dropped down beside her, pulled her close and said. "Damn, firstie! I've missed teasing you!"

Sophia breathed a sigh of relief. She really was allowed back on the couch. "Believe it or not, Rowle, I've missed you calling me firstie!"

Cory and Tony nodded at each other. They could tell Rowle was seriously thinking about the bug Cory had put in his ear, concerning Sophia. Now it was up to the fourth year to make the next move. Thorfinn sat quietly beside Sophia as she worked on her next Potions assignment, pointing out little things here and there that she could correct. The common room slowly emptied until it was, again, just the two of them. He kept his arm around her and she never attempted to get away from him.

"Do you really have to go back?" he asked her suddenly. Sophia looked at him and sighed.

"Yes, Thorfinn, I do have to go back. Believe me, if it wasn't so important, I would stay here. I'm definitely enjoying myself more than I ever did in my first few years of school. If I thought for even a moment, I could change the worst parts of the future, I'd stay but I can't change linchpin events. These will happen regardless of what I do. All I can do is try to smooth out rough edges here and there before I go back." She told him seriously.

She turned to fully face him. As she did, she let her guard drop. Sixth year Hermione Granger stared at the fourth year Thorfinn Rowle and felt her heart break a little bit. He looked so sad. All she wanted to do, suddenly, was find a way to take him back with her. He'd been so different this time. Of course, she hadn't antagonized him this time, aside from the makeup. She knew, in this first year body, she had to be careful around him. She had to admit, it had been fun flirting with him. But sooner or later, she might well tempt him too far.

After watching Cory and Tony coming into the common room with him, then look at her, she'd suddenly had a feeling their little 'Quidditch' talk with him had concerned her somehow. Now he was asking if she really had to go back. They had surely noticed the sudden closeness between them. She had tried, really she had but she just couldn't bring herself to talk to Draco and Theo when the only one she was really interested in was Thorfinn Rowle. She didn't even know how it had happened this fast. She'd heard her mum talk about how fast she'd fallen for Hermione's dad but she'd never believed it could actually happen that fast! Somehow, over the course of the last week and something that she'd been here, Hermione Granger had fallen head over heels in love with Thorfinn Rowle! She hoped to bloody hell this wasn't something that she shouldn't have changed!

"Listen, Finn. This has been the best week of school I've ever experienced. You have actually been a huge part of that. This last week, running away from you, recruiting Peeves, this is the most harmless FUN I've ever had here. There hasn't been that much the past few years for me to laugh about. Thank you. I'll never forget you, Thorfinn Rowle." She put her arms around him and hugged him as tightly as she could, feeling him return the hug. He kissed her on the forehead and sent her on up to bed. Then he stretched and went to bed himself.

The next Potions class, Sophia took the lead in changing Granger's ways. She didn't want to make herself unrecognizable in the future. She did want to go back knowing she had eased some of the tension she always felt. Professor Snape had just announced that they were starting a new project. It would require them to work with someone from another house. Before anyone else could claim her, Sophia shot her hand in the air and politely requested Granger for her partner. She was granted her request.

She smiled as she moved her belongings to the table normally shared by either Potter or Weasley. She looked back at Theo and nodded at Potter. That would help her kill two birds with one stone. She needed to get acquainted with Theo, for Ginny in the future. Granger worried about Potter falling behind without her there, helping with his homework. She told Granger they could now meet in the library to work on their project. She reminded Granger that she was to come to the Slytherins Quidditch practice so Rowle could take her to view the giant squid.

For the next week, in every class, she would pair up with Granger. The first day, she would wait until the teacher had finished their lecture. Then as the question and answer portion began, she would reach over and poke her, prompting a giggle and preventing her from answering the question. The second day, Granger was more prepared but she willingly held her own self back from answering too many questions. Most of the students were pleased to be able to win points for their houses. Ron Weasley was displeased with all the points Sophia was 'costing' them by not letting Granger answer any questions. Sophia fired back by having Rowle stick him to the wall again.

Now that she had her loosened up in class, it was time to corral her runaway homework. All that took was just a gentle reminder that teachers had a limited amount of time to grade papers. They had to also make time for parent-teacher conferences, make lesson plans, help the prefects patrol and keep their doors open in case any student needed advise. Granger apparently hadn't considered that while writing her overly long essays. To that end, she began modifying the length of them. She still slipped and wrote an inch or so longer than needed. But she no longer turned in twenty inches on a ten inch essay.

Sophia became the unofficial leader of a motley crew of students. She had Granger, of course. There was also Pansy, Daphne, Parvati, Lavender, Padma and Hannah. They basically took over the biggest table in the library. They would have picnics at the side of the Black Lake on the weekends. They took up one whole section of stands whenever they went to cheer the Slytherins on during practice and during the games. Granger was always torn between cheering for Rowle and Potter, until Sophia reminded her that she would have Harry until she left school, but Rowle would be graduating in a few years. Then she threw herself into cheering for Rowle. Though the crew was mostly girls, there were a few boys included: Harry, Draco, Theo, Blaise and Neville. Ron refused to hang out with them just on the principle of their leader being a Slytherin. Again, Sophia had Rowle decorating the wall with him.

It was soon, unofficially, apparent that Rowle and Sophia were a couple. Though they did no more than hold hands and exchange quick hugs, the other boys figured out fast that, to try your luck with Sophia was opening yourself to a world of pain, courtesy of one Thorfinn Rowle!

It was getting harder and harder to sit beside him each evening. She wanted nothing more than to throw herself on him but she couldn't. Not in this body. Not at this time. It would ruin his entire future! She knew the Thorfinn Rowle of HER time was a famous Quidditch player, pictured with a different witch each week on the cover of Witch Weekly. He played for the Ballycastle Bats and lived in Ireland, she was almost positive. She might have to become a fan when she got back to her year!

Present time

An owl showed up the next morning during the mail run with a big package for Harry. To his surprise, though, it wasn't actually for him. Thanks to another note (added at the late minute by Rowle), it said, "Harry, some of Hermione's summer friends are coming in from their school for fall break and Thanksgiving. They wanted to tell Hermione they would love to see her. They have enclosed little presents for her. Please have her answer back soon. Thank you, Jean Granger. P. S. Much love from her father and myself." Rowle had found out where her Muggle home was and her parents' names from letters sent from Snape and answered by her parents. Snape wasn't sure if he wanted to know WHY Rowle wanted that information.

It was addressed to him and from her parents at their muggle address. Hermione had said her parents were finally getting the hang of owl post! Totally unaware that he was being used, Harry Potter unwittingly accepted the package of a Death Eater on behalf of Hermione Granger.

Down in Hogsmeade, Rowle, who had been pacing, twirling a coin on a necklace, stopped and grinned. Cory and Tony straightened up. "Thor?" He turned to look at them triumphantly. Then he began to laugh loudly.

"It's done, mates. No turning back now. When she gets back from her little adventure, she'll take it and then," he looked at the coin he held. "She's mine! She'll be mine for the rest of our lives! As soon as she takes it."

"Takes what, Thor?" Cory asked cautiously. With the increasingly erratic way Thorfinn was acting, he wasn't really sure he WANTED to know.

"Never you mind, Cory. The less you know, the less you can be blamed for." Thorfinn told him.

"Please say it's nothing lethal or illegal, Thor." Tony urged. He felt helpless in the face of what was happening to his friend. 'Damn Granger! What the bloody, fucking, HELL was that little chit doing? Was she really unaware of the damage she was doing? Did she not realize she was destroying Thorfinn's future?!

"Nothing like that, Tony, don't worry. If it was anything like that, I'd walk myself straight into Azkaban." Thor answered him. He was still staring at the coin. "Any day now, boys, she'll be back any day now. I can feel it!"

Cory and Tony were too restless, after that outburst, to sit still. They jumped up and began pacing, right along with Thorfinn.

Back at the castle, everyone was looking at the package Harry Potter was carrying. "What's that, Harry?" Ron asked, coming up for air and peeling away from Lavender.

"Dunno, it's not for me. It's for Hermione. Her mum sent it. Some of her friends sent her some presents." Harry said.

"Well, let's open it. See what she got. She's not here, she won't mind." Ron reached for the package. Harry lifted it out of his reach.

"No! We won't. It's not ours to open. I'm putting it up until she comes back." He opened his trunk and laid the package inside. Ron was unaware of his good luck that day. Had he opened the package, he'd have been greeted with a lethal burst of Fiendfyre. Thorfinn had cursed the package to make sure Hermione was the ONLY ONE who could open it without injury.

"And if she doesn't come back? What then? There's been no sign of her, Harry, not one bloody sign!" Ron sighed.

"She'll be back. I know it. I don't know where she is or why she's there but she will be back." Harry said firmly.

"Whatever you say, Harry." It was clear that Ron, while wanting to support Harry, just didn't believe that Hermione would be back.

A/N: Next chapter should see Hermione coming back to her own time. Time for a serious question. At least once in both this chapter and the last chapter, a possible kiss has been mentioned. I'm debating whether to include this or wait until she's back to her own time.

I have a specific time and scene thought out if I do include the kiss. But the question is, do you want to see the kiss in this next chapter or would you prefer to wait until she's back in her sixth year?

Before anyone goes haywire over it, let me just emphasize: IT WILL ONLY BE A KISS, nothing more, nothing less. The only reason I'm so iffy about including it is: she IS in the body of a first year and he IS a fourth year.