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Somewhere in Time	By : serpentinred Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Hermione/Voldemort Views: 64471 -:- Recommendations : 6 -:- Currently Reading : 8
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and I don't make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
A/N: Many thanks to my betas (Lildaani, Noybate, Hajnalmadar, and Mattie) and my reviewer (Ardara).

Ardara: Glad you're enjoying! Hope you enjoy this chapter, too!

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Chapter 8

After nearly a week of torture, Hermione was finally allowed to leave the Infirmary. Happy to have her face back to normal again, she found it easy to ignore the taunting laughter of the girls she met in the hallways.

To everyone's relief—Slughorn being a notable exception—there were a lot fewer squabbles in the Potions classroom. Since Tom had kept to his word and had brought her notes and homework every day, Hermione felt the need to be politer to him. Nevertheless, the nagging feeling that he might have had ulterior motives haunted her and she took extra care when she interacted with him.

Augusta Rookwood and Abraxas Malfoy proved to be more irritating than the Heir of Slytherin himself. When Augusta had seen her enter the Gryffindor common room, a sigh of disappointment had escaped her mouth. Hermione had been led to believe that she was lamenting that no marks were left on her face from the foul potion.

Abraxas, on the other hand, had taken to reenacting her fainting episode with one of the other Slytherin boys. Although she did not particularly find it embarrassing, he was still quite annoying. Additionally, he saw fit to add some sort of dialogue (something along the lines of "Please hold me, Tom!" and "If only I could be in your arms forever, Tom!") to the scene. This, of course, spawned the displeasure of Tom's fan club, which led to Hermione's inconvenience. She could hardly walk through a hallway without getting death glares from one of the female students. Once or twice, she had even received a Howler through the owl post.

Nevertheless, none of that could dampen the uplifting news of an upcoming Hogsmeade trip. It was scheduled to be the weekend before Halloween. When Dumbledore saw Harry, Ginny, and Hermione fretting about not having the proper permissions for Hogsmeade, he had informed them with twinkling eyes that they had already been sent in through owl post. Thus, the trio left Hogwarts in high spirits and with all worries behind them.

"I wonder if many things will be different," Ginny commented as they walked towards the carriages that were taking them to Hogsmeade.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Joseph and Gareth climbing onto one of them with a couple of other Gryffindors.

"I bet they will be," Harry answered as he pulled his cloak a bit closer. It was not freezing yet but the weather had turned considerably colder. "I can't wait to go to Honeydukes and Zonko's though."

"If they are open, that is," Hermione mentioned with a grin on her face.

When the three of them reached their destination, they understood that the strangeness and fun of Hogsmeade never changed much. In fact, there were a couple of other shops that apparently would be closed down in the future.

Students from Hogwarts swarmed around the streets in groups, chattering with loud excitement. Display tables laden with goods stood in front of most shops, the attending sales-witch and wizards beckoning to customers to come and browse their wares.

On the roof of Zonko's was an enormous jack o' lantern. Instead of candlelight, its eyes were charmed to wink when people gawped at it. A life-size coffin was placed in front of the joke shop, attracting many curious glances. Occasionally, a mummy or a zombie would jump out of it, scaring a handful of unsuspecting passersby.

Different candies were charmed to fly around directly above Honeydukes, forming different messages such as "Happy Halloween", "Treats are better than tricks!", and "Satisfy those tricksters … and yourself! With products from Honeydukes!" At random moments, the candies would crackle and explode, showering free samples on the people standing in front of the sweetshop.

Apparently, fortune-telling was more popular during the forties than the future. In front of many shops, witches sat behind tables with signs advertising the type of divination in which they were skilled; most, if not all, of the tables had a line of people queuing up to have their fortunes told.

"Merlin! This is even better than the one we know!" Harry exclaimed as he looked at CharmIn' Hats, a shop that had unorganized piles of hats behind the windows and signs that claimed to have hats "For Friends or Foes!"

"I do wonder why some of these shop will be closed down in the future," Hermione whispered as she, too, looked at the store of colorful hats.

"It's probably because of the reign of You-Know-Who," Harry scowled.

Hermione sighed and nodded.

"So she's still at St. Mungo's?" they suddenly heard a familiar voice ask.

They turned their heads and found Abraxas walking arm in arm with a pretty young lady with blond hair; Draco was walking next to him. Neither of them acknowledged the trio's presence. Tom strolled slightly in front of them. He turned his head just as they noticed the Slytherins and he nodded to Hermione as a greeting which she returned with a nod of her own. She was glad that Ginny and Harry were so absorbed in the conversation between Abraxas and the unknown witch that they had not noticed this little interaction.

"Yes. Nobody knows what happened to her," Abraxas drawled in a bored manner.

"At least Tom won't have to suffer her unwelcome attentions then," a good-looking young man with black hair and twinkling black eyes commented.

Abraxas smirked as he looked over at him.

"We know you're jealous of Tom, Cygnus. Just admit it," he joked.

Cygnus waved him off as if he were a mosquito, which earned a round of laughter from the rest of the people walking with them.

"Who are they talking about?" Hermione questioned.

Harry and Ginny shared a glance before looking at the witch.

"Iris Parkinson," Ginny replied. "She was found by the lake three days after you were brought to the Infirmary, but nobody knows what happened to her. She was sent to St. Mungo's the next day."

Hermione furrowed her forehead in thought as they walked further down the street.

"Let's go to the Three Broomsticks for a drink," Ginny suggested after a while.

Harry and Hermione nodded in agreement.

Miniature bats flapped around in front of the pub, forming an arch before the door whenever a potential customer got too close it. To the right of the entrance was a small table with an orange cloth draped over its surface. A miniature vampire figurine pursued what seemed like a cup of Butterbeer. Right next to the comical chase was a basketful of candies with a note in front of it:

"Take what you must,

And leave in goodwill.

Shatter my trust,

You're in for a thrill."

The three of them eyed one another and mutually decided to refrain from taking anything out of the basket. They did not fancy discovering what "thrill" might mean.

The pub was just as crowded as they remembered. Harried waiters and waitresses bustled around the packed tables, delivering orders. Madam Rosmerta was behind the bar, seemingly unchanged from their time, leaving them to ponder the question of the lady's age. Jack o' lanterns hung from the ceilings, creating an orange haze around the room.

Harry, Ginny, and Hermione greeted the people they knew from Hogwarts as they made their way to a table that was at the end of the pub, near the windows. Luckily for Hermione, a certain Head Girl was nowhere to be seen.

With much trouble, they finally reached the table of their desire. A feeling of nostalgia washed over them as they sat in the seats they had so commonly taken in the future.

"Good day, my dears! Never saw the three of you before. What may I get for you today?" Madam Rosmerta asked when she approached the table, looking just as pretty as they remembered.

"We'd like three Butterbeers, please," Hermione ordered.

Madam Rosmerta gave her a brilliant smile as she took the order and inquired if they would like anything else, to which they politely declined.

"I wonder what Ron would say if we told him how old Madam Rosmerta might be," Harry chortled after the lady went off to bring them their drinks.

Ginny promptly giggled while Hermione felt the familiar feeling of something missing again. It was becoming more and more pronounced with each day she spent in the forties.

"I've gotten you something," Ron had said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes and slight blush on his cheeks right before they ended up in 1944, "but you will have to wait until Christmas."

Had he found out that they were missing, that they had somehow traveled through time? Was he worrying about them? Or would it be like the time with the Time Turner? Would they go back to the future and end up being in Borgin and Burkes again without a second being lost?

"He'll tell you to bugger off," Ginny replied, bringing Hermione out of her reverie.

Harry laughed and she managed to smile as well.

"I really do wonder how she does that though," Hermione frowned after Madam Rosmerta brought them their drinks.

"What? You mean her looks?" Ginny asked, swallowing a mouthful of Butterbeer.

Hermione nodded as Harry shrugged.

"Are there any spells for it?" he asked.

"Yes … but they're not exactly legal," Hermione replied uneasily.

"Or she could be … well …" Ginny leaned forward, "non-human."

Harry and Hermione exchanged a look. It was quite possible for all they knew. After all, how often would they come across someone who appeared the same after so many years?

They chatted for a while longer before Ginny excused herself to go to the the ladies'.

"I'm still worried about Ginny," Harry said when she was gone from view.

Hermione grimaced. She knew he was talking about Tom cornering Ginny before their Potions classes.

"I'm still counting on Dumbledore to find a way to get us back to the future," she replied in a low voice, "although it's been nearly four weeks already."

"And there's still nothing from him," Harry added before he took a sip of his Butterbeer. He frowned. "What if the way that we were sent here was invented in the future?"

"I don't know," Hermione answered softly, a worried expression on her face. "That … that would possibly mean that we're stuck here, doesn't it?"

Harry sighed. "I hope not."

Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Any more of that rubbish and I might have to take it out on those foul Slytherins," she declared vengefully, which caused Harry to laugh.

They remained quiet for a moment before Harry looked at her carefully.

"You miss Ron, don't you?" the Boy Who Lived questioned sympathetically.

Hermione stilled for a few seconds, closing her eyes in the process as if she was trying to block out a painful memory. She opened her eyes and nodded slowly.

"I'm just glad that he doesn't have to endure You-Know-Who," she said darkly. "Ron's even more rash than we are and I could just imagine him trying to," she laughed a little, "as he always said, 'do him in' every single day."

Harry smiled before he reached out and held on to her hand.

"Don't worry, Hermione. We'll be going home soon enough," he comforted.

She smiled slightly and nodded, though she knew the chances of them returning to the future "soon" were close to none.

"What's taking Ginny so long?" She frowned, noticing the prolonged absence of the redhead.

Harry looked towards the direction of the loo.

"I don't know."

"I think I'll go check on her," Hermione stood up from her chair, followed by Harry.

"I'll go with you."

She nodded while he took out some coins given to them from Dumbledore (who reassured them that they could repay him in the future) and placed it on the table. They walked over to the loo and felt a sinking feeling in their stomach when they found the door opened.

"Ginny," Hermione called out as she looked inside.

There was no one there.

"She … where is she?" Harry questioned frantically. Hermione stood there, feeling her heartbeat speed up but having no answer for her best friend. "It's … nobody knows her. Where would she go? She would've told us if she was leaving."

Hermione looked at him.

"Let's go ask Madam Rosmerta."

They rushed to Madam Rosmerta, startling her.

"Have you seen the girl with us? The one with red hair?" Harry asked.

"I haven't seen her, no," Madam Rosmerta replied. "Did you check the ladies'?"

"Yes, but there was no one in there," Hermione answered.

With a frown, Madam Rosmerta's walked to the back and asked her employees. She came back to them, shaking her head.

"Nobody's seen her. Are you sure she didn't leave by herself?" she offered.

Hermione and Harry shared a worried look, turned, and ran out of the pub.

~-0-~

"I should've known," Harry said through gritted teeth as they walked around Hogsmeade, looking for Ginny. "I should've known that we should've been more careful about him. Even though it's nearly fifty years in the past, he's still a bloody murderer. If something happens to Gin—"

"Harry!" Hermione interrupted, her voice a higher pitch than usual. "Nothing's going to happen to Ginny. Nothing will happen to her. She'd been through … through You-Know-Who's … she will be alright."

Harry nodded with a nervous expression on his face.

They hurriedly checked all of the shops, asking people if they had seen Ginny. They even ran into Joseph and Gareth but they, too, had not seen her. It seemed as if Ginny had suddenly vanished from Hogsmeade, which was something Harry and Hermione did not want to think about.

Suddenly, Harry stopped in his tracks, almost causing Hermione to crash into him.

"Malfoy," Harry muttered as he pulled out his wand and quickly walked up to his former nemesis.

He looked at Draco so menacingly that Hermione gently pulled his robes, willing him not to rush to conclusions with her mind.

Draco's eyes slid from the wand that was now pointing at his throat to the dark-haired boy standing in front of him.

"What do you want?" he asked.

His association with the future Dark Lord seemed to have strengthened him. Draco was certainly a lot braver than he was when he was younger.

"Where's Ginny?" Harry snarled.

A frown appeared on Draco's face, the annoyance apparent beneath it.

"How am I supposed to know?" he asked. A smirk graced his features. "You're asking me when you've lost your girlfriend? I've told you already. I have no interest—"

"Why wouldn't you know? You're always with them," Harry cut him off scathingly, ignoring his inquiries.

"Them?" Draco inquired as he narrowed his eyes, completely oblivious to what Harry was trying to say.

"The followers of You-Know-Who," Harry replied.

A look of realization dawned on Draco's face before he sneered again.

"Are you honestly that dense, Potter?" he drawled.

Harry made a lunge for Draco but was pulled back by Hermione.

"Harry!" Hermione screeched before she turned her face towards Draco. "And it's Evans!"

Draco looked off to the side and lifted his eyebrow condescendingly as an answer.

"Don't lie to me, Malfoy—"

"It's Malloy!" Hermione hissed as she looked around to see if anyone had noticed the slip.

"I know he took Ginny. No one else would have any reason to kidnap her," Harry continued, breathing heavily.

"Or any desire to," Draco jeered. "After a few minutes spent in her company, whoever took her would beg you to take her back."

Harry cursed and made another move towards him but was kept back by Hermione.

"Malloy!" she reprimanded.

Draco looked at the pair of them impatiently while he crossed his arms and tapped his foot.

"Think before you act, Pot-Evans. I've only been here for less than a month. Do you honestly think that they trust me enough to tell me anything important? Abraxas is the only one who actually treats me somewhat like a friend. The others could care less about what happens to me. They still believe that I'm your friend," he finally answered, saying the last two words in a mocking manner.

The two Gryffindors looked at one another. They could tell that Draco was not lying. However, where could they go to find Ginny now?

"However, I do know that they were planning something," Draco drawled. "I don't know what they were planning, of course, as I have just told you, and I don't know when they plan to do whatever they wanted to do. They've held meetings in the common room for a few nights already and we, as in the people who were not part of their group, were not allowed to be in the common room after eleven."

Harry and Hermione shared another uneasy glance at one another.

"I have to go look for her," Harry declared as he turned around and looked toward the road they had not explored yet. He looked back at Hermione. "Hermione, you have to go back to Hogwarts and tell Dumbledore about Ginny being missing."

"I'm going with you," she spoke up stubbornly.

"Hermi—"

"You're not going alone. How many times do I have to remind you that you're not leaving me somewhere and go charging off after danger by yourself?"

Harry's features softened.

"How touching," Draco mocked from the side, which was ignored by Hermione and Harry.

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said softly.

"Don't be stupid," Hermione chided, moving to continue the search for Ginny. "Ginny's my friend, too, you know?"

~-0-~

Ginny struggled against her captors but the two of them were too strong for her to break free.

They had captured her when they were at the Three Broomsticks and had Apparated with her to somewhere she did not recognize. They then led her off into the forest that she soon recognized was the Forbidden Forest. When they reached an area where the trees completely blocked the sunlight, they threw her on the ground.

She glared at her captors before looking around her. The familiar feeling of fear and anxiety welled up in her chest as she looked at the young man in front of her.

~-0-~
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Somewhere in Time