Adrift in Time

Adrift

September 1, 1995

Hermione had been lying awake for hours. She was woken up promptly at 6:45, all thanks to a very chatty Ginny Weasley who couldn't stop talking about her newly acquired boyfriend: Michael Corner; whom the redhead had met at the Yule Ball the year before and started dating at the start of that following Summer. Naturally, Ginny wasn't particularly fond of the idea of informing her brother, Ron, about her newfound relationship with the Ravenclaw. And of course, she couldn't just go and converse with Harry about Michael. First, because the boy had been suffering all summer with the guilt of Cedric's sudden- and quite frankly, very mentally scarring- death during the last leg of the Triwizard Tournament that July. And of course, there was the small detail of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named being back amongst the living. Not to mention that Ginny had just gotten over her crush on the dark haired boy only a few months before she started dating Michael. All in all, that left only Hermione to serve as Ginny's confidante. Not that she was complaining.

"I'm so ready to finally go back, Hermione," Ginny said excitedly as she sat up in her own bed. Hermione turned to face her with a smile.

"I wonder why," Hermione replied playfully. Ginny retorted by sticking out her tongue and rolling her blue eyes. However, this action didn't keep Hermione from happily noticing a slight blush creeping up her cheeks.

"No-"

Hermione snorted.

"I mean, yes. But not only because of him," the redhead laughed. "I meant that I always look forward to a new school year and I have a good feeling about this one." She flopped to her back and stared at the ceiling with a smile but in rare silence. "Plus, I'm also excited to take Divination," she added with a knowing smile towards Hermione who let out a frustrated groan.

"I've told you a million times, Ginny Weasley, Divination is complete and utter rubbish," she said. A slight scowl adorned her face as she stared disbelievingly at Ginny. Trelawney's class had not shown the potential of teaching her anything. Which is why she'd dropped that class third year; walking out, never to come back. If that's how the ministry decided who had the potential to be a seer, anyone could fake their way in. I even bet that if I took the Divination O.W.L.s I'd get an Outstanding without a doubt. She laughed at her own idea but stowed it away in her mind for future "research" purposes.

"But it's so easy, Hermione!" Ginny cried. "After all, who wouldn't want to take an easy class for easy marks?"

"Exactly!" Hermione interjected. "Anyone could say whatever, and Trelawney would believe that they're gifted with the third eye!" she argued. "I'm not stating my disbelief that seers actually exist," the bushy haired girl added as she ran a hand through her locks. That is until it snagged on a knot. She frowned and removed her hand opting to just untangle her hair in the shower later. "I'm just saying that she's in no position to teach a gaggle of teenagers how to become them." Ginny sat back up and was about to quip back when Molly Weasley let out a shrill yell from downstairs.

"KIDS! The Hogwarts Express is leaving in AN HOUR AND A HALF and I don't want us to be getting there at 10:55 like last year!" She yelled. There was indiscernible chatter and then a loud crash outside the door of the small room Hermione and Ginny shared. "FRED, GEORGE! Do NOT make me come up there young men," Molly threatened and the girls could hear the twins laughing on the landing. Hermione shook her head— disappointed that she actually expected this behaviour from the twins— but broke out in a smile nonetheless. The brunette stretched before standing from her bed and making her way towards her school trunk with the purpose of finally getting ready for the day in mind.

"Look, Ginny. All I'm saying is to take classes that don't waste your time," Hermione said with a shrug as she hummed an old Celestina Warbeck tune she had heard Molly singing while they were cleaning up Grimmauld Place for the past couple of months. She stopped her journey to her trunk in favor of the foot of Ginny's bed where the younger witch was staring at her. "What?"