Window into the Past

🌙70🌙

"I know, it's tiring," Tia pointed out. "We've been doing this for four hours," I panted, bending over resting my hands on my legs.

"Do you want to get attacked?"

"Not particularly, no!" I grumbled. "Then we have to keep going, New Year's we had no idea that attacking you was even a possibility but they tried once and they will try again," Tia painfully reminded me. "I know it's annoying."

"Annoying is the biggest understatement in history!" I ranted. "Though London is exciting and yes, I am kind of looking forward to it, but the forest was my home and now that's unsafe, I don't think I'll ever feel safe again."

"We'll feel safe once they're all dead and buried," Tia muttered. "Anyway, they don't want you dead."

"They want me alive, I know but they'll use torture and kill you and Sirius and Dad...I don't want you guys to die because of me," I murmured, sitting on the grass.

"Joy, these are just ifs and maybes, Mouldy Shorts isn't even back, it's just some stupid Death Eaters drowning in their own ego, nothing's gonna happen," Tia reassured me. "Now back to it, you need to give them a good beat down if you don't have your wand, I recommend a chair sometimes."

"And if they tie me up?"

"You're a witch, you'll think of something."

***

"Good morning," I greeted my friends the next day. "What have I missed?"

"Hermione pissed off the house elves," Ron told me, helping himself to bacon.

"The one thing I told you not to do," I sighed. "We also brought eclairs to Snuffles," Harry told me. "That'll cheer him up," I smiled. "Ooh, the post," Hermione smiled as a copy of the Daily Prophet was dropped in front of her. "But that's for me, Biscuit dropped that down."

Much to her surprise, several envelopes dropped in front of her. "Oh this can't be good," I muttered.

Hermione picked one up and shook her head. "Oh for goodness sake," she grumbled, opening another one. "What does it say?" I asked her. "Oh the same crap, 'you don't deserve Harry Potter and he can do better,' blah blah blah," she muttered. She opened another one and Bubotuber pus gets all over her hands. "Ow!"

"Get to the hospital wing," Harry advised her and she ran off very quickly. I raised my hand and clicked my fingers, the envelopes bursting into flames, as well as the pus. "I told her not to annoy Rita Skeeter and look what's happened!" Ron grumbled.

"That's not going to help," I rolled my eyes. "Let's just get to class."

Hermione didn't show up for Herbology or Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid opened up a crate, showing black furry with long snouts, like a cute furry platypus. "They're adorable," I cooed and I picked one up. "These are Nifflers, they usually live in mines and they like sparkly stuff, such as jewellery and gold, there have a look!"

The Niffler who was perched on my shoulder, snatched the charm bracelet Sirius had given me for Christmas. "Oi!" I protested. "Give it back."

I caught the Niffler and took my bracelet back. "Thief," I rolled my eyes. "Now, I've buried some gold coins around, everyone grab a Niffler to find them, there's a prize for whoever finds the most."

This lesson was fun, I'll admit, despite the Niffler trying to steal my bracelet again. "Alright, let's see how much gold you collected," Hagrid said. I emptied my pockets and I had just a tiny bit more than Ron. "Joy wins!" Hagrid announced, handing me a bar of chocolate from Honeydukes."

"The girl does not need more chocolate!" Ron exclaimed. "Poor choice of words," Harry muttered under his breath.

Hermione joined us at the end of the lesson. "What happened to your hands?" Hagrid asked her. "There was Bubotuber pus in an envelope of hate mail I received," she sighed.

"Once that Skeeter woman wrote that stuff about me, I got a lot of that too," Hagrid told her. "I don't open it anymore, I just burned it."

"All you can do is burn it and keep your head held high," I told her. "It's why I don't talk about..that anymore nowadays."

"In case she's listening?" Hermione wondered. "I don't know how she knows all this stuff but I watch what I say now," I told her.

"I need to get her back for this," she growled. "Ooh, revenge, reminds me, I need to get Peeves back for locking me in a closet the other day," I muttered.

***

The hate mail got worse from there, a couple of Howlers flew in and they were shrieking insults at Hermione. She asked Moody, since he could see through Invisibility Cloaks, he told Hermione there was no sign of her.

"Damn it," she swore after leaving. "It's not an Invisibility Cloak!"

"Maybe you should let it..." Harry muttered but that just pissed her off more. "No!" she snapped, startling the boys greatly, Harry actually flinched. "She is eavesdropping on private conversations and I want to know how!"

"Maybe she bugged you?" Harry suggested. "Electricity doesn't work at Hogwarts," Hermione pointed out. "My aunt could work out how to bypass it, maybe Skeeter did too," I added.

"Can't we just drop it?" Ron sighed. "We have other things to worry about more than a stupid vendetta."

"Fine! I'll do it myself then!" she huffed.

Things started getting worse for Hermione on Easter Sunday. Tia got us all big Easter eggs, which brought a huge smile to my face. "Easter is Joy's favourite," she said as she placed them on the table.

"It's International Chocolate Day, of course it's her favourite," Ron rolled his eyes.

"And especially after a full moon," I muttered, wincing a little. "Are you alright?" Hermione asked me. "Eh, same old usual stuff, uncontrollable weeping this month." 

Hedwig flew in with a basket of eggs from Mrs Weasley along with a letter from Percy for Ron. Harry, Ron and I got huge eggs but Hermione got a tiny one.

"Oh, shit," I murmured. "I forgot Mrs Weasley reads Witch Weekly."

"What do you..." Ron looked at Hermione's puzzled reaction. "Oh."

"This couldn't get any worse," Hermione complained. "Well, Percy was no help whatsoever," Ron grumbled.

***

"What are you up to, Diggory?" I asked Cedric as I followed him down a corridor. "You said you wanted to do the cliche Muggle date," he told me. "Yeah, I wanted to see Jurassic Park, my dad watched it so did my aunt, I want to know what's so good about it."

"You haven't seen it?!"

"No," I admitted. "I really want to though." 

"Your wish is my command." 

Once we reached the end of the corridor, Cedric started pacing and started whispering something under his breath. "What are you do.."

A door suddenly appeared in the wall. "Holy fucking shit," I muttered under my breath. "This school is still full of surprises."

"It's called the Come and Go Room, or the Room of Requirement," Cedric explained to me. "Anything could show up if you have the imagination, a second bathroom, a kitchen, now a movie theatre."

"This is so cool," a big huge dopey smile grew on my face. I walked in and my eyes automatically scanned the entire room. "Thank you for showing me this," I smiled up at him. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him. "I hate being short."

"Well, I think you're cute," he said to me, making my cheeks turn red. "Thanks," I murmured, tucking a strand of my hair behind me ear. "Hopefully this works or else it'd be embarrassing," he said to himself.

It did work thankfully.