Do Not Go Gentle
Chapter 2
It took Hermione a few minutes before she could talk. There was so much she wanted to know, so much she didn't understand. Dumbledore was patient enough to give her the time to gather her thoughts together. She glanced hopelessly around the room, her eyes taking in the sleeping portraits of the previous headmasters and headmistresses. All she wanted to know was how was this even possible?
"Is it possible for someone to go so far back in time?" she asked.
"That would depend," Dumbledore said. "Just how far back have you gone?"
She hesitated a moment. It seemed foolish to just reveal so much about herself, and in the process, the future. Yet she felt that she needed to confide in someone. If Hermione couldn't trust Dumbledore with her secret, then there was no one she could trust.
"It was July of 1996."
Dumbledore's kindly expression did not change. "Indeed."
"Yes. I was with my friends and one of them; his older brothers own a joke shop. They had a box in the back and I know I shouldn't have touched it, but it had materials to make up a time-turner. I ended up at Hogwarts and I'm not quite sure how, but it was an accident, I swear. I was not trying to trespass or anything like Mr. Filch said I'm doing…" she stopped then as she realized she was rambling.
"It might be best," Dumbledore told her, "if you don't reveal too much of this to any of your fellow students. If you don't mind, I think it should be kept between us."
Hermione nodded. "Does that mean I'm going to be staying here?" she asked.
"Oh yes." Dumbledore nodded. "It would be safest here for you, as a future student of this school, than out in the world. There is, as you might know, a war going on in wizarding Britain at this time. The school is the safest place for an underage witch or wizard, particularly one in your strange predicament."
Hermione felt relief. The headmaster believed her. He would surely help her get home, there was no one better. There was one last thing, however.
"Professor Dumbledore, about the war, in the future…" she trailed off as Dumbledore held up a hand.
"Please, it would be best if anything to do with the future is kept from everyone, myself included. No one should have all of the knowledge ahead of time." He smiled at her then. "Which reminds me, you must have a name and a back-story until we find out if you can be sent back."
"I have…" Hermione began but she stopped at the look Dumbledore was giving her. "Right." Not her real name of course. "It's…Perkins."
"Indeed?" Dumbledore said again. Realizing he was willing to let her handle this on her own, she continued.
"Rose Perkins." The name rolled off the tongue easily. Her mother's maiden name. Her father's mothers first name. "I'm a half-blood," she said as Dumbledore continued to watch her. "My mother is a witch, my father a muggle. She taught me at home." Yes that sounded good, but why would she suddenly send Hermione to Hogwarts if she had been educating her at home, especially after she had already missed the O. ? "…and she is dead," she finished sadly. "She died just this summer and Dad thinks that I should come here. He can't teach me magic being a muggle and all." She looked up hopefully at the headmaster.
For a moment he said nothing. Then: "I am very sorry for your loss, Miss Perkins. Your father was right to send you to us. I'm sure that you will be an excellent addition to our school."
Hermione smiled back. "Thank you."
"Now, you will be needing your school books, as well as ink, quills; potions ingredients should you chose to take potions. Which classes were you planning on taking, Miss Perkins?"
"Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, Defense against the Dark Arts, Potions, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes," Hermione answered.
"Excellent," Dumbledore said. "I will see that one of the teachers takes you to Diagon Alley to collect your school things. We just sent out the lists yesterday."
"Headmaster, I cannot pay for all of this," Hermione told him. She felt more at sympathy with the Weasley's than ever before.
"That is an easy fix," Dumbledore told her. "At Hogwarts, we are always ready to accommodate those less fortunate when it comes to money. There may be a few second hand items amongst your new school things, but we will make sure that you have everything that you need."
Hermione felt immensely grateful to the aged wizard sitting in front of her. She needed at least one person on her side in this and she could think of no one better. He stood up suddenly, his long sweeping blue robes and pointed hat a sight of great comfort as he strode around the desk and took her hand in his. "Welcome to Hogwarts, Rose Perkins."
Three days later found Hermione following cheerful, little Professor Flitwick around Diagon Alley as they made their way down the list of things that Hermione would need for school. Her eyes wandered from building to building, almost as though she expected Harry or Ron to head out of one of them, bags in hand, to fall into step beside her.
"Now you have a wand already, so it is best that we head to Flourish and Blott's first, get all your school books out of the way," Professor Flitwick said. "I'm rather fond of that shop myself, an excellent choice of reading material. Even a decent number of Muggle literature."
Hermione agreed. "I've been there as well and I love the store also."
Flitwick beamed at her as he held open the shop door. Hermione felt her spirits lift at the rows of books, new and old, that met her eyes. The store was filled with people, most of them students from the looks of it, gathering around and checking over lists.
Hermione ignored the painful reminder that she knew no one here as she glanced around. The Charms professor was watching her with something like satisfaction in his eyes as she headed for the nearest shelf.
"History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot," Hermione read. She sighed in longing. "…and here's Hogwarts a History." These books were like old friends come to say hello. Her face then fell as she remembered that she couldn't buy them with the little money she had left.
"Pick one." Professor Flitwick had appeared at her elbow. "Whichever one you want most, I'll pitch in the money for."
Hermione shook her head wildly. "No, I couldn't ask that of you."
"Miss Perkins, you are not asking, I'm offering to buy one for you. Unless there is another book you would like better?" he added kindly, gesturing towards the packed shelves.
Hermione smiled. "I've would really like one of these." She missed having her copy of Hogwarts, a History.
Professor Flitwick took the book from her. "It is an excellent choice. I'll just hold onto it while you finish your shopping." He looked so good-natured, so happy to do this for her that Hermione could no longer argue.
"Thank you, Professor." She quickly began to search the shelves for the rest of her books, not wanting to get caught up in looking for things off her list that she couldn't have. There was always the Hogwarts library for that. The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 6 was quickly pulled from a shelf along with One-Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi and Advanced Potion Making. It took a little while but eventually she found her books for Arithmancy and Ancient Runes as well. They paid for her books with the money Dumbledore had given her and left the shop.
Hermione bought her new robes next, and then set about finding new quills and ink. Finally after she had gotten everything, they headed for the Leaky Cauldron where the landlord Tom, an elderly, toothless man, greeted them.
"This is a new student Tom," Professor Flitwick said excitedly. "She is going to Hogwarts for the first time."
Tom grinned at Hermione. "Really? You'll love the school, everyone enjoys Hogwarts."
"I can't wait." Hermione hoped she didn't look nervous.
"We will just be grabbing a bite to eat before heading back, Tom," Professor Flitwick said. The two made their way to an empty table, past a pair of bickering warlocks and an old hag with a long green veil. Settling herself across from Professor Flitwick, Hermione looked down at his smiling face.
"Thank you for doing this for me, Professor." She gestured towards her bags. "And thank you for the new book."
"It's no trouble," Professor Flitwick said. "I would have done the same for any new student in your predicament. I'm glad you like to read, the castle is filled with great books that you may enjoy." Tom came over with drinks for them then. "Ah, my favorite." Flitwick picked up his little cherry soda and took a sip. "Wonderful."
Hermione drank some of her own. They placed their orders when Tom next passed them by, then spent their time talking about the castle, the library and in particular, Ravenclaw Tower.
"…and then I was told that I had better come quickly before the whole ceiling fell in. I was up out of bed in a flash and able to put it to rights but not before most of it was demolished."
Hermione was shocked. "They destroyed the ceiling?"
"Most of it." He looked remarkably cheerful in spite of this. "It's the usual case. A student or two start an experiment, they rope others in, and the next thing you know, the ceiling is blow in, or everyone has blue and bronze hair. I always encourage creativity, but sometimes my students take things a bit too far."
Hermione barely noticed as her meal was placed in front of her. "No one was hurt though?"
"Of course not," Professor Flitwick told her. "I couldn't possibly speak so calmly if any of my students got hurt." He paused to take a bit of his chicken. "In Ravenclaw, you learn to deal with all possibilities. Many of the students like to experiment. I just make sure that they know they can come to me if anything is wrong. I won't punish them. I just need to know everyone is okay."
Hermione began to eat as she considered this. The hat had once considered her for Ravenclaw. She had thought it put her in Gryffindor because that had been the house that she had wanted. Was her lack of interest in experiments the reason it hadn't? Hermione didn't feel very creative.
"I know that my colleague Professor McGonagall understands me when I say that being gotten out of bed in the middle of the night by rowdy students is nothing strange," Professor Flitwick continued. "Her Gryffindor students are always creating a ruckus." He was far too kind and polite to say it, but Hermione could tell that they both thought the same thing. At least His students were learning when they did this.
Hermione spent the rest of the summer at Hogsmeade in a room rented for her by Professor Dumbledore. She read through her school books, re-read Hogwarts, a History and the day before she was due to go back, packed and repacked her trunk no less than five times. It was nerve wracking; being aware that she was going back to school tomorrow and yet wouldn't be seeing any of her classmates, but instead new faces.
With a sigh she sank down on the bed. She wondered if they had realized what happened to her by now. Would anyone try to get her back from her own time? Would Dumbledore figure out a way to send her home?
"I'm not going to worry," she told herself. "Dumbledore will get me home. I'm sure of it." The headmaster was the most brilliant wizard she knew. With him behind her she couldn't fall to pieces.
It was a cool, crisp day when Hermione headed to Hogwarts from Hogsmeade. The train was already making its way to the station, carrying with it the brand new students as well as the old. She thought longingly of her trips with her friends, with Harry and Ron, and Neville, Ginny and even Luna. What she wouldn't give to be returning with them for a new year.
She was met at the gate by the most wonderful sight she had seen in awhile. Hagrid's bushy face was looking down at her, waiting to let her inside.
"Yer Miss Perkins, are yeh?" He beamed at her, and then took her school trunk from her. "Yer early, so yeh'll have ter wait before the sortin'" She followed him along the grounds, trying not to feel hurt by him not knowing her. It was expected and necessary, but that didn't make her loneliness decrease at all.
"Yeh'll enoy Hogwart's," the half-giant encouraged her as they neared the front doors. "It's the finest school in all o' wizardin' kind. I'm the groundskeeper here. The name is Rubeus Hagrid."
"It's nice to meet you," Hermione said softly as she followed him inside. "I can't wait to start learning."
He grinned at her. "I heard old Flitwick took yeh to get yer school things. Sounds like somemit his students would say." He brought her into a small antechamber behind the great hall. "Yeh'll have to wait here. The headmaster says he'll be down in a minute to talk with yeh. I've gotta go wait fer the first years down by the lake. Nice to meet yeh."
"Nice to meet you," Hermione said again, nearly buckling as he patted her shoulder before leaving. She waited for what felt like an eternity before the doors behind her opened and the headmaster entered. He was wearing robes of deepest purple with a matching hat.
"It's good to see that you made it here in one piece, Miss Perkins," he told her with a smile. "The students have just arrived in Hogsmeade and are any minute now to make their way up to the school. I must ask that you be patient for a little while longer."
"Yes sir." She could hear the teachers filing into the Great Hall in preparation of the students and felt her heart thudding in her chest. It was almost like being a first year again, except this time she was going to be the odd one out, the older, new student amongst those who had already been there for five years and knew everyone.
The headmaster had slipped quietly into the hall, leaving her alone with her thoughts. A chair had been conjured up beside her and she gratefully sat in it, staring at her hands clenched tightly in her lap. The noise from the Great Hall was getting louder, the students were here. It was barely a minute more before Dumbledore ushered her into the hall. Standing beside him, she could see students staring at her and exchanging curious looks with each other.
A group of first years, led by Professor McGonagall, made their way into the hall then. Hermione saw her place the hat down but she was not listening to the song. Her eyes were looking through the hall, searching from table to table. Had she met any of these people as an adult?
The hall had quieted considerably. The sorting had begun and the students were making their way forward one at a time. As each one was sorted, their new housemates cheered and clapped. The list eventually wound its way to the last student and a silence filled the hall as Dumbledore got to his feet.
"Welcome everyone! As you all may have noticed, we have a new student here with us today. Miss Rose Perkins has been home schooled for the past five years but will now be taking her place amongst our sixth year students. I hope that you will all do your best to make her feel at home." When he had finished, he beckoned Hermione forward. She took her place once more under the sorting hat.
'Hello, haven't I sorted you before? Yes, it's all here. Now this is interesting. I've never had a time traveler before.'
'It was an accident.'
'Yes, but a rather reckless one, don't you think. Yet, I can't help but think your curiosity might pay off, somehow. There's a very good mind here, plenty of intellectual interest, hmmm…I see...yes, I know what I must do with you…best of luck to you, better be…
"RAVENCLAW!"
The table to the right burst into cheers as Hermione took the hat off of her head. She headed over and took a seat towards the end across from several girls who looked to be her own age. One of them leaned over and shook her hand.
"Great to have you," the blonde smiled. "My name is Pandora Brightman. We needed more girls in our year. Ravenclaw only has three." She gestured to the girl nearest her. "This is Aurora Sinistra." A brunette with midnight-blue eyes grinned at her. "…and that's Emmeline Vance." A dark-haired witch with emerald green eyes nodded solemnly.
Hermione smiled back. "It's good to be here." She glanced at Emmeline as she said this. This girl had died working for the order just a few weeks ago in her own time and yet here she was, not a day older than sixteen, sitting next to her future Astronomy professor. "I have heard a lot about Hogwarts."
"All good things, I'm sure," Aurora said as she reached for a plate of chicken that had just materialized in front of her. "This is the best school there is for magic." Her dark blue eyes had an almost faraway look in them as she glanced up at the sky. "I feel like in evenings like these, we are at the very center of the universe."
Pandora rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like that's not conceited." She offered Hermione a grin. "You must excuse Aurora. She is always saying things like that." She gave a dignified toss of the head, the effect of which was ruined by the fact that she was clutching at a chicken leg.
"That's alright, I feel a bit like that myself right now." Hermione filled her plate with potatoes and lamb and started to eat.
From across from her, Aurora offered Hermione a small smile. "You will like it here though. We have the best classes, the largest grounds and the most amazing castle. There are so many secrets to discover, I'm sure I haven't found out half of them, and I've looked."
"It's all she ever does," Pandora added. "That and study." She nudged her friend slightly. "You need to get a life Aurora."
"I live through you though," Aurora replied sweetly. "The vicariousness you regularly display keeps me going."
Pandora rolled her eyes. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione could swear she saw Emmeline smirking slightly. Feeling amused, Hermione concentrated on her meal. After filling herself, she glanced up at the High Table just in time to catch Professor Flitwick glancing her way. He beamed at her and then resumed his conversation with Professor McGonagall. The dinner soon gave way to desert and then the plates cleared just as Professor Dumbledore got to his feet.
He gave his usual speech about the Forbidden Forest being out of bounds, reminded students about items that were banned (for both of these, Hermione noticed him throwing a glance at a rowdy-looking group of boys over at the Gryffindor table) and finished by welcoming them all and sending them off to bed. The sound of hundreds of students climbing to their feet and chattering amongst themselves could be heard as Hermione filed out with her new roommates.
"We will make sure you don't get lost your first week," Pandora told her, linking her arm through Hermione's. "After that you're on your own." Aurora laughed. The four made their way through the hall, up the stairs, up all the way to Ravenclaw Tower. The entrance was blocked not with a portrait, but with a bronze door knocker shaped like an eagle. A cool, musical sounding voice sounded from the knocker:
'What has four fingers and a thumb but is not living?'
Hermione blinked. She had expected a password. It had never been said in Hogwarts, a History that the Ravenclaw common room required you to answer a riddle to get in.
"It's a corpse," a little girl with pigtails had come up behind the group. Aurora and Pandora both shook their heads.
"No, it's a monkey," a dark-haired boy beside her piped up. Pandora laughed. The little first year girl looked annoyed.
"Monkeys are alive, idiot!"
He rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed. "Then it's a dead monkey."
Several more students had gathered around them. Hermione opened her mouth, an idea having come to her but Aurora shook her head. "Oh no, we always give the first years dibs the first week or so. How else will they learn?"
From beside her several more first years had joined the group. Several looked worried, others interested. The older students who had gathered were watching closely.
"A clock has fingers!"
"No, it has hands," a skinny blond boy piped up. "The answer is a glove!"
'Very good,' the voice responded and just like that, the door opened into a wide circular room. As the students headed over the threshold, Hermione was looking around in interest. The ground was covered with deep blue carpet; the domed ceiling seemed encrusted with stars. Arched windows covered with light blue and bronze hangings were against the farthest wall and bronze doors off to each side led to the dorms.
Hermione let the others pass her as she took in the various tables and chairs and the bookcases filled to the brim with books. She would love to look through their contents. Making her way towards one, she stopped by a white marble bust of a long-haired witch that she had seen in pictures of the founders: Rowena Ravenclaw.
"Rose, over here!" Pandora and Aurora beckoned her over to where they were standing. She followed them upstairs and to an airy room with beds covered with blue sheets and bronze hangings. A small bookcase was next to each bed and several desks were up against the windows which were covered with light blue hangings.
Hermione found her trunk at the foot of a bed near the windows. She found the pajamas she had purchased in Hogsmeade with her leftover school money. Settling into bed, she called out goodnight to her new roommates and was asleep almost instantly.
