After spending the evening working on her homework with the guidance of Ginny and Luna, Belle collapsed into bed feeling exhausted yet satisfied with her day.
She was learning so much. She was beginning to enjoy her time here at Hogwarts.
As Belle drifted off to sleep, she dreamed again of her mother. Belle saw her mother as a student at Hogwarts. The robes looked to be of a different fashion than the robes Belle and the other students wore, but the castle looked the same.
Standing in a corridor, her mother laughed with other students and performed dazzling tricks with her wand for their amusement. Her mother caught Belle's eye and beckoned her over. Belle walked over and her mother immediately turned and rounded the corner, disappearing from sight.
"Wait!" Belle cried, not wanting to lose sight of her mother and ran after her.
As Belle turned the corner, she found herself again in the forest she'd been in the night before.
Hermione was there waiting for her.
"Belle!" she cried, running towards her. "I did it! I took down Forte!"
"The organ?" Belle asked, distracted by the thoughts of her mother. She shook herself a little and called herself to the present moment with Hermione. "That's great! What happened?"
Hermione explained what she did and the Beast's reaction.
"I'm feeling very hopeful now that he'll work with me," Hermione said. "Hopefully this is one step closer to cracking both of our enchantments."
"That's really great, Hermione," Belle said. Hermione's words had reminded Belle of something. "Speaking of enchantments. Did you happen learn how to craft the spell that changed our places from Arithmancy?" Belle asked.
"Why yes," Hermione said, surprised. "I used a combination of principles from Arithmancy and other subjects. How did you know?"
"I had Arithmancy today and Professor Vector said she felt guilty for my predicament as the curriculum covers spell components this year," Belle said.
"Oh no," Hermione said, her face falling. "I certainly don't want her to feel guilty. I had already read about spell crafting in my fifth year when I found out what the N.E.W.T. level Arithmancy class covered. I thought it might help me with my O.W.L.s."
Belle wasn't quite sure she followed Hermione's train of thought but spoke to what she did understand. "I tried to assure her that a professor is not responsible for the actions of their students," Belle said. "I think it helped."
"Thank you," Hermione said. "How are your classes going? I didn't realize it was Monday already."
Belle summarized her day to Hermione and told her about the people she met.
"Luna figured out I wasn't you without Ginny having to tell her," Belle commented.
"Luna can be surprisingly astute," Hermione said. "I love Luna, but I want to caution you not to believe everything she says. Her father likes to invent make-believe creatures and Luna believes in them."
"I see," said Belle, not sure if she followed, but decided not to worry about it. Luna seemed really nice. "No news of my father?"
"No," Hermione said, her face falling. "I'm really sorry about that. Now that I've gotten to a place where I have a tentative truce with the Beast, I will see what I can find out."
"Thank you," Belle said, disappointed that Hermione didn't have more news. "I truly hope he's all right."
"I do too," Hermione said, kindly. "I promise to do what I can to ensure that he's doing well."
"I appreciate it," Belle said again. "It's the one thing that actually keeps me from fully enjoying my time at Hogwarts."
Hermione looked at Belle critically, surprised and pleased by Belle's words. "Truly? Do you mean what you say?" she asked. "You're enjoying your time at Hogwarts?"
"Why, yes," Belle said. "I always wanted to go on an adventure. It's nothing like what I expected but I'm truly enjoying all of the things that I'm learning. I had no idea I had this ability to do magic." Belle sighed. "I only wish I didn't have to pretend to be someone I'm not."
Hermione patted Belle's shoulder. "I'm sorry about that," Hermione said. "I know that must be tough. I wish I had a better answer for you."
"It's okay," Belle said. "I'm grateful for the experience nonetheless."
"Do you still want to come back home?" Hermione asked. "If we can figure out how to switch places."
Belle had to think about it for a moment, but the answer came to her immediately. "Yes," she said simply. "I can't leave my father forever. And I'd love to be able to bring these skills I've acquired back home."
Hermione nodded. "That makes sense," she said, somewhat relieved. For a brief moment, Hermione had wondered herself if she wanted to stay in Belle's world. It would certainly be an escape from her troubles, but it wasn't a long-term solution. She needed to go back to see her friends and reconnect with her family. She couldn't imagine life without any of them.
"What about you?" Belle asked. "Do you want to come back?"
"Yes," Hermione said. "I want to go home too. I want to find out how my parents are doing. I have some business I need to resolve."
"But we still have no idea how to return home?" Belle asked.
"No," Hermione said. "I still need to do some research. Hopefully, now I'll have more opportunity."
"Yes," Belle said. "And perhaps the more I learn, the more I can be of help."
"Definitely," Hermione said. "It seems that you're catching onto things rather quickly."
"In the meantime," Belle said. "Let us enjoy this new adventure that we're on."
"I like how you think," Hermione replied, smiling.