Now up: Hermione in wonderland! Don't ask where this came from. I'm not really sure.
"Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot."
― Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Do Not Go Gentle
The next evening saw Hermione walking out in the grounds with Remus before her detention. It was bitterly cold, the wind hitting their faces as Hermione clutched her scarf to her face for warmth. For his part Remus hardly seemed to notice, so focused was he on her.
"You seem distracted lately," he told her as they stopped by the lake. Even the squid could not be seen out that day, Hermione observed as she listened to him talk. "Is everything alright?"
Hermione hesitated. Though she was sure he would be more understanding than his friends, she could hardly tell him that she had been attempting to reeducate Regulus Black on his life views and reading habits. What if that got back to Sirius? She thought carefully for a moment before answering.
"I'm just wondering what makes us all hate each other."
Remus looked confused. "Who do you mean by each other?"
"Well muggles and wizards," she explained. "People of different blood statuses and of different houses. Even family members." She took out her wand and cast a small heating charm on first herself and then Remus. Smiling he leaned in and put his arm around her for even more warmth.
"I think," he began somewhat hesitantly, "that it makes people feel somewhat better about themselves if they have someone to hate. It takes away some of their dislike for themselves and their life if they do."
Hermione thought about that before nodding. "It makes sense," she told him. From across the lake, she could see Hagrid making his way back to his cabin, a sack of some sort slung over his broad shoulders. "People also probably hate what they can't understand. It happens all the time in the muggle world so why shouldn't it happen here?"
"Exactly." He grew quiet then and simply leaned against her, before exhaling softly. She wished she could tell him then that she knew about him and that it was okay, that she would never tell anyone and that she wouldn't judge him badly. But he had been tense enough about being a werewolf as a man. She couldn't imagine how he might react as a boy to her knowing. It would likely come out in time, but she couldn't break up this moment just to make him even more unhappy.
Remus took her hand in his as they stood there, their backs to the wind. "You're a very good person," he told her. "So you think that everyone else has to be good too. You don't want anyone unhappy. I don't either and so I admire that about you."
"I'm glad someone does," she said smiling. "Because I don't."
Remus frowned. "You should have a higher opinion of yourself," he told her. Hermione decided against telling him the same. He blushed before continuing: "I mean you are a good person, bright and kind and…" he blushed before adding, "and pretty."
Hermione pressed her lips against his then in lieu of further talking. He responded instantly, his mouth moving at first gently and then more urgently against hers. His lips were soft but cold and Hermione felt slightly saddened by the fact that as enjoyable as this was, she knew that it wouldn't last. There would always be a gulf between them, years and years of an impenetrable gulf. His other hand came to grip her about the waist and Hermione felt a shiver go through her that had absolutely nothing to do with the intense cold around them. For a moment they stood like that, kissing softly, before the wind picked up and began to whistle in earnest.
They broke apart then, their faces still gently touching. "I've never kissed a girl before you," Remus said softly. He grinned sheepishly. "The girls always liked Sirius best; you know he was the bad boy type and girls always seem to go for that."
"I like nice boys," Hermione told him, squeezing his hand. "The kind that kiss girls out in the cold and aren't afraid to admit that it's their first kiss."
Remus's face brightened at her words and she felt they almost made up for any lies and misunderstandings between them. "You know he never cared for any of them though," he added thoughtfully. "I don't think Sirius cares for the girls half as much as they care for him. His concern has always been more focused on his friends."
"That's not a bad thing though," Hermione said. "He has some very good friends. Namely you."
Remus smiled then, a look that never failed to bring out the boyishness in his face and Hermione felt very cheered in that moment. "I'm lucky to have them," he said quietly. "I didn't have friends before Hogwarts."
"Neither did I, "Hermione said truthfully. "And I'm really thankful for them now."
"My friends are the best thing that has ever happened to me," he told her. "I know that you don't like them very much, but they have stuck with me through everything, and I'm so grateful for it."
Hermione's mind flashed up an image of Harry and Ron as he said this. "I understand completely," she said softly. "More than you know."
The next day was Hermione's second to last detention with Regulus Black. It was a good thing that he seemed completely uninterested in speaking to her in favor of trying to finish the book she had given him, because Hermione was completely unable to communicate with anyone. After eating breakfast in the morning she had started to feel funny. She had spent the day in a fog, her head aching and her throat tickling. As soon as she was able she made her way back upstairs and crept under the covers, her lids heavy, and her body even more so. The dormitory was deserted, Pandora and the others still down in the mostly full common room doing work and talking.
"I wonder if he likes the book," she murmured sleepily to herself as she settled under the covers. "That was one of dad's favorites. It was…" She fell into a deep sleep before she could even finish the sentence.
Hermione dreamed that night that she was back in the Gryffindor common room with Harry and Ron. They were sitting before the fire in their favorite seats and she was piling books up as the boys laughed. The more her friends laughed, the higher the pile of books got, to the point where she was soon unable to see their bodies and soon after, their faces. The last thing she saw was the tip of Ron's bright red hair before the last book covered even that from view.
She could hear their laughter though, as familiar to her ears after five years of friendship as ever, Ron's slightly higher pitched, Harry's quieter and more intense. Whatever it was that had them laughing they weren't sharing the joke with her. She bristled at this unpleasant idea as the fire crackled and the boys laughed with merriment. "What are you laughing at?"
No answer. Just more laughter, louder than ever. Again she asked: "What are you laughing at? Is it me? Are you both laughing at me?" Why did they always have to leave her out?
"It's your fault," a small voice from her right spoke up. Pettigrew smiled his nasty little smile as he regarded her from an armchair. "You did leave them, you know. And nobody likes to be left. I should know. My friends do it all the time to me."
"It's true," Remus added sadly as he came to stand beside Pettigrew. He was holding The Invisible Man in his hands. "I'm just second best or maybe even third best compared to Sirius and James. I think I'll turn invisible. That will make everyone happier, won't it?"
"No," Hermione told him. The fire continued to crackle to her left. She felt like putting it out, it was starting to get so warm. "I don't want you to be invisible."
"No, because that's what you are," Pettigrew said happily. "The Invisible Girl. Everyone thinks they can see you, but they are not seeing anything real." He grinned at her. Harry and Ron laughed from the other side of the pile of books and the fire burned.
Hermione flushed. It was really getting to be so very warm in there. "You're no different Pettigrew. Nobody really knows you, do they?"
"Maybe not," he told her as Remus came to lean on her chair. "But they will never know you. All you will ever do is lie."
"Oh dear, and I always thought you knew better than to lie," another voice cut in. Hermione's mouth dropped as she turned to regard her grandmother. Rose Granger stood in the center of the hearth, her curly grey hair and long blue dress untouched by the flames. She was holding Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
"Nana?" Hermione felt as though the flames were touching her instead, it was so warm. "Nana what are you doing here?"
"Just reading," Rose told her cheerfully. "You always loved fairy tales but I can't read aloud to an invisible girl, now can I?"
Hermione looked down and cried out. Her body was almost gone, her hands vanishing before her eyes. Pettigrew, Remus and Rose Granger all gathered around in the flames, watching with interest as she disappeared more and more. The flames were brighter than ever, the heat intense as she struggled and cried pitifully against the waves of invisibility.
"Nana, Nana help me!" She cried against the flames. It was so hot, everything was so hot, she must also be on fire, and would someone put her out?
"Nana!"
"Rose! Rose wake up!"
"Nana! I'm burning! Help me please before I burn away!"
"Rose, please wake up!" Water hit her then, cool and for a moment refreshing but not nearly enough to quench the flames. Hermione's eyes shot open. She could just make out in the darkness a blonde haired figure leaning over her. Water dripped into her eyes and she closed them in exhaustion.
"It's so hot," she moaned, as she clutched at the wet bed-sheets. "So hot!" Her throat felt like it was burning and everything ached. "It's too hot!"
"It's okay Rose, I'm going to get Madame Pomfrey!" Another voice called from across the room.
Hermione couldn't answer because she was unfortunately burning. Into the flames she had been cast and Fred and George were looking down at her, their identical faces grinning mischievously. "Now don't you know better than to touch our things?" Fred asked her. "After that nasty black eye you got?"
"I'm sorry," she tried to say but the words wouldn't come out of her sore throat. George leaned in with a stick and poked her.
"A little more on the other side," he said cheekily. "I think this side is well done."
"Please help," she finally got out. To her immense relief a third figure appeared. A woman, one who Hermione hadn't seen in months, with long brown hair and tired brown eyes. She too, was wearing a blue dress. Hermione felt immense relief wash over her. Here was someone who would help.
"It's time to take your medicine dear," Mrs. Granger said gently as she held out a small clear vial. Hermione reached for it eagerly and gulped down every drop. Her throat instantly began to burn less as her mother stared sadly down at her.
"Will you stay?" she asked hopefully.
Her mother shook her head. "You know I can't."
Hermione didn't understand. The fire was still burning, though not as intensely and nobody was putting it out for her. "Can you at least stay until the fire goes out?"
Once again her mother shook her head. "You put yourself in it Hermione Granger, and only you can pull yourself out." And then she left and Hermione was stuck there burning.
Harry and Ron came to laugh some more but she didn't even have books to throw at them. Regulus Black came too and he looked down at her with great satisfaction. He was holding The Invisible Man and she couldn't help but in a sort of detached way think that the book got around a lot lately.
"I burn too sometimes," he told her. "So why shouldn't you?" She had no answer to that. She struggled to get up but it was impossible.
Then Sirius showed up and hit him with an oversized boxing glove and he went flying off into the distance like on an old cartoon. Hermione would have laughed at the image but her throat had gone back to burning and she could only stare.
"You should have watched your health." Lily Evans and Severus Snape had both showed up to see the fun. Lily offered her a smile while Snape scowled. He too had a copy of The Invisible Man clutched in his thin hands. Hermione found that strangest of all, for surely Professor Snape didn't read fiction.
"What do you think Severus, is she overworking herself lately?" Lily asked him.
"I think that she's an idiot," he replied in his usual sour way. "Ten points from Gryffindor Miss Granger for not taking proper care of yourself. You should have known better by now."
Lily glared at him. "But she's no longer a Gryffindor so you can't take points from that house."
Snape glared back. "Oh, and ten points from Ravenclaw too," he added without looking at Hermione.
Lily's face was as red as her hair by now. "I'll turn you into a bat if you don't restore those points to Gryffindor!" she yelled.
"Ten more points from Gryffindor!" he yelled back. "For threatening a professor!"
"Stop it both of you," Hermione begged them. "Can't you see I'm burning to death over here?"
Snape rolled his eyes. "Enough of your theatrics Miss Granger you are not dying."
Hermione was fading away. Above her there was talking, but she could no longer make out the words being said. She felt everything growing heavy and then she was drifting off into the distance. She wondered if it would be nice there. Anything was better than lying here with heat consuming her.
There was a rabbit with Professor Dumbledore's hat on in the hallway ahead. How odd. She followed it, noting that as she did the burn grew a little less intense. It continued to hop and she had to walk very fast to keep up.
"You need to tread carefully Miss Granger," it told her in Dumbledore's calm voice, its nose twitching as it spoke. "The future is not a toy."
"I know," Hermione said. "I just can't get back to it." The old burn flared up again for a moment and her throat ached at her talking but she continued anyways. "I can't get back. I've tried to just live here, but I don't really know what to do. I'm very confused."
The rabbit reached into a purple waistcoat pocket and pulled out a watch. "It's time for you to wake up Miss Granger," he said gently. "Go on now, wake up." And with that she drifted away once more into the darkness.
When she woke up it was to find herself in the infirmary, sunshine streaming through the nearest window and Madame Pomfrey fussing around making up a recently emptied bed nearby. When she spotted Hermione looking at her, she straightened up and came over to her.
"Oh good, your awake," Madame Pomfrey said. "You gave us quite a fright young lady. Oh no, none of that," she added sternly as Hermione sat up. "You are going to lie back down and relax. You were horribly ill."
"For how long?" Hermione asked. Her voice sounded hoarse to her ears.
"For three days," she was told by the school healer.
Hermione could believe it. It had felt like a hundred days that she had lain there, burning and aching. "So today's Sunday then?"
"Yes, you have the day to rest and I expect you to get it," Madame Pomfrey said firmly. "Now if you will excuse me, I have to tell the Headmaster that you are awake."
Hermione was confused as to why Professor Dumbledore needed to know that she was awake but it wasn't long before he showed up to put her curiosity to rest. "Miss Perkins," he nodded curtly. "If we may have a few minutes alone Poppy?" he asked gently.
Madame Pomfrey hesitated. "Alright, but please remember that Perkins here needs her rest. She has been through an awful ordeal."
"I understand implicitly, Poppy," Dumbledore said to her. "Just a few minutes then, if you please."
Madame Pomfrey nodded. She turned and walked back to her office, closing the door after her. Now alone in the hospital wing, Hermione and Professor Dumbledore looked at each other.
"It would seem that you have an unfortunate enemy Miss Perkins," the Headmaster told her. "Traces of Chelidonium Miniscula were found in your system. Do you know what that potion does?"
Hermione nodded. "It causes the body to heat up and a person to grow fatigued and feverish over time."
"Exactly," Dumbledore nodded. "Its properties are slow to appear compared to most potions but remain in the system for far longer. Though easy to cure, if left too long in the body, the person may grow extremely sick."
Hermione felt sick just thinking that someone had tried to poison her right in the Great Hall. The Headmaster must have sensed her nervousness for he continued.
"Madame Pomfrey has removed the potion found in your system, so there is no harm done, but I should still like to know if you have any suspicions as to who could have done this."
Hermione thought on that. There were no Ravenclaws that she had a bad relationship with, or Gryffindors, or for that matter Hufflepuffs. But amongst Slytherin she had already made several enemies. Still she didn't feel completely sure and she told him so.
"I see," he nodded. "Well, we will be keeping an eye out for anything suspicious in the future. Thank you for your time Miss Perkins. I do hope you are feeling better."
"Thank you sir," Hermione tried to smile. She watched him leave, feeling like a weight had settled in her chest. She had been back in 1976 for less than six months and unless she had missed her guess, she already had several enemies. There was one in particular that gave her a nasty feeling that she couldn't shake. There was another conversation that was due and she had to have it very soon.
So the plot thickens. Sort of. In case you're all wondering Harry Potter wiki defines Chelidonium Miniscula, as a mild potions believed to possibly be used as a poison. Since the wiki doesn't have much info, I essentially added the effects of the poison myself to create Hermione's little fever dream. Next chapter we will have Regulus's thoughts on world literature and Hogsmeade with Lupin. Stay tuned and thanks for the reviews.
