It wasn't supposed to end up like this. One moment, they were reading muggle fairy tales, the next minute, they were in a fairy tale. And Hermione was sure it was Harry's fault. He'd been the one to pick the fight with Draco that ended with a odd burst of magic hitting the books and everything turning white. She'd been reading in the library with Ron and Harry, hoping for a calm evening of talking and reading, when Draco Malfoy and some of his friends came in. It was after the war and it wasn't like she hated him, or that he still had evil intentions, but when they came in, she hoped they would just pass the table up. Of course, as fate would have it, they came straight to the table. Draco was trying to be nice and make amends, but he and Harry still didn't get along very well, and a few misplaced words had ended in both of them pulling out their wands. When they did, Harry's wand was strangely attracted to one of the books and a strange spell burst from the wand and hit the book. It all happened before anyone had a chance to react, everything had gone white.
Hermione had then woken up in a beautifully decorated room, alone, and gowned in a beautiful dress. Quickly, she'd recollected herself and stood up, trying to find out where she was. And that had led her to the book on the bejeweled desk. She now cursed to herself as she remembered just what had happened. That Harry, leave it to him to get them into another mess. She thumbed through the pages of the old book, skimming it's pages until she got to a place where the end pages had been washed clean. There was no ending, the book was incomplete! She shook her head, realization dawning on her.
They would have to finish the story in order to get out! She'd heard of things like this, an old magic used for children and adults who wanted to be a part of a story. The practice had ended when many people had gotten killed when they made the wrong choice or got into the wrong story. The book in her hand was one of usual lore, a princess, a kingdom, dragons, and knights type of story. She gently placed the book down and looked into the mirror that had been laying on the desk. She had a small, silver crown with sparkly jewels adorned in the swirls and designs of the delicate metal. She, then, must be the princess. It did explain the fancy room and dress. There was a knock at the door and she jumped a bit, then took a deep breath. "Who is it?"
"It's your maid, milady. The queen would like you to come down to the dining room." A slight wave of panic flew through her stomach, but she pushed it away. She had no clue where the dining room was, but she was sure she could find it. She'd done harder tasks.
"Tell her I will be right down." She hoped that was the right way to say it, or the right things to say. She checked her dress and the shoes on her feet. She looked fine, great, actually, which surprised her a bit. The dress wasn't wrinkled, although she's been lying on the floor when she woke up. And, for whatever reason, every hair was exactly in place. She walked to the door and opened it, her heart beating fast. What if she couldn't find it? What if she messed up and got them all killed? The door opened slowly, and she saw that a girl was waiting for her.
It was Luna, but dressed as a maid. Hermione silently apologized to her, as she felt bad about being a princess while Luna was a maid. But when she looked at her, Luna didn't look as if she knew what was going on. Her eyes were glazed over. Hermione decided to test her as Luna ran to her side. "Harry did it again, didn't he?" The girl looked at her weirdly.
"Princess, are you okay? What are you saying? Who is this Harry?" So Luna didn't remember. Hermione gave the worried girl a smile.
"I am just talking. The queen would like to see me, you said?" Luna bowed and guided her to the dining room, much to Hermione's relief. She was left with a boy who looked as if he was a butler. She recognized him too, but said nothing. His eyes were glazed over too. She was led to a large room, one she was sure she recognized, and sat at the table.
She sat quietly, trying to calm herself. She'd been separated from her friends, but they had to be here somewhere. Would they know what was happening? Who was the queen? How would she find her friends? She had no answers for herself. All she knew was that they had recreated Hogwarts and everyone in it. Her brown eyes swept across the room, taking it in. Though the decorations were different, she felt sure she knew where she was. As she racked her memory to try and remember, the large doors opened and in walked the queen. Hermione's eyes widened and she stared. It was Molly Weasley! She wore a beautiful dress, fit for a queen, and a crown. But despite the royal dress and pamper, she still had a motherly smile.
