Breaking Hermione

Herbology

The dream ended too soon.

"Wake up you lazy troll! You're gonna miss breakfast!"

I shot out of bed like a recently released bludger to find Jade standing with her hands on her hips, this sadistic Shalini like look on her face. "You're unbelievable. Didn't anyone tell you what time to get up?" She snapped.

It was then that I realised it was Shalini. Just behind her Jade was standing over by the door looking smaller than usual.

I turned over, trying to hide my disappointment. I was in the past, not the present. Without being obvious, I checked the Time Turner. 7:20am. Great. A day with Shalini and Tom Riddle in it was equivalent to a day ruined.

"You're lucky we even waited." Shalini was saying, taking a small hand mirror and applying an ointment to her eyelashes labelled witches choice! eyelash lengthening serum. "If it wasn't for Tom's insistence I would've already been in the Great Hall eating by now."

"Wait a minute... Tom Riddle asked you two to wait for me?"

"Only one of us, idiot." Shalini spoke like she was talking to a dim witted giant. "For some reason Jade decided to wait as well, although I have no idea why."

"Why would he ask you that?" I pressed, ignoring her entirely.

Jade gave me a look which said all too clearly don't go there.

"Oh I don't know." Shalini threw up her hands dramatically. "He's your boyfriend isn't he? Why don't you ask him?"

I got dressed in silence, the twins had stepped out of the room to give me privacy, thank god. I was thinking back to yesterday, and the horror of it all hit me like a kilo of Hagrids rock cakes.

Tom Riddle was probably one of the most puzzling and upsetting people I'd ever met. He seemed to.... delight in causing discord amongst everyone around him. Never in my entire life had I volunteered to be in the company of such people. Well, until now.

It was weird remembering I was in the past. Every time the thought crossed my mind I felt a surge of homesickness that made me want to throw up. How long would I have to be stuck here? When could I go back to the present?

I looked out the window, it was hard to believe that this beautiful day was about to be ruined by Voldemort.

I threw my hair into a messy braid and followed the twins down and out of the common room, looking here and there for any sign of Tom but he wasn't in the Common Room. Perhaps he was already having breakfast. Or then again he could probably also be waiting outside his first class reading a book. It was hard to believe a demon such as Tom even ate breakfast. Didn't he just feed of fear and despair?

We walked into the Great Hall, making our way over to the Slytherin table. The enchanted ceiling was a beautiful, radiant blue. I looked longingly over at the Gryffindor table where everyone was chatting animatedly. People there seemed a lot friendlier compared to this dismal crowd.

I sat down heavily. Almost every Slytherin shrivelled around to look at me giving me the sudden impression I was surrounded by multiple Mad Eye Moody's.

"Finally. I thought you all weren't going to make it." A pale faced Slytherin boy said by way of greeting.

"Oh, Mulciber." Shalini plonked herself down, positively glowering at the boy sitting directly opposite her. "It wasn't our fault. After all, it doesn't help when you've got a new girl who doesn't even know what time to wake up."