Hermione found herself gazing into the face of James, mirroring Harry’s to almost perfection. She didn’t mean to, but her hand trembled toward him, her hand gaining a mind of its own.
He has soft hair, Hermione realized, fingering a jet black lock. Peering at his straight nose, his lidded eyes and heavy brow, she felt as if it was Harry himself. Hermione had to tear herself away when Ron flew by, touching her shoulder comfortingly.
“Don’t worry, Hermione, we’ll get Harry to Madame Pomfrey’s in no time. What was he doing with that girl, and did he put powder on that scar? I can’t see it at all!” Ron bent down to brush away some of his imagined ‘powder’ when she slapped his hand back.
“No!” she wanted to yell. “Do you want everyone to get into this mess? Do you want reporters swarming around?”
But instead Hermione closed her eyes and pressed her hand against her temples. Surely a headache was coming on. What was she to do, with a bunch of unconscious, time traveling people?
“Ron,” she said tiredly, “just… go get someone. Get Dumbledore. We need to get them out of here before anyone sees.”
Instead Ron donned a face of pure confusion, one that was worn almost every minute of the day. “What are you talking about?”
Hermione cast her eyes upward, toward the skyscraping ceilings of Hogwarts. Freshly cleaned floors glistened beneath her, and stern faced men stared coldly from their hanging spots. She was about to retort tartly, when the even sound of footsteps came within ear.
She stopped cold, and whispered, “Ron?” He, still oblivious, was starting back onto Potions. “What is it this time? Ickle reporters chasing you down?” He meant to sound like Peeves, but it wasn’t working.
She sighed huffily and scanned around her. Walls, walls, walls. No doors in sight. Then she could have quickly ducked there with Ron, as well as hide James and Lily from roving eyes and unlimited imaginations.
When Ron’s eyes widened larger, his gangly form standing taller than ever, Hermione knew he heard the steps.
“Ron, this is urgent!” she pleaded and placed her palm in his. “Remember any trap doors or… magical disguised hangings?”
He wanted to laugh at this, but his panic kept everything inside. “I recall Fred and George telling me about something…” he said, his face screwed up from concentration.
“Think, think!” Hermione nearly screamed. She recognized those silken tones, deep and musical, the whoosh of thin robes and the padding footsteps. Snape was coming.
Ron grinned. “I remember!” He jumped up and down, engrossed in his own discovery. “Over there… tap it a couple times; it was George’s secret way to…”
Hermione ignored this, but pulled out her wand and tapped the place.
“Nothing happened!” she screeched.
Ron yelled, “No not there! The tapestry”it’s a magically disguised hanging!”
She silently rolled her eyes as she flicked the wand against the faded hanging as it transformed into a jelly like substance, revealing a darkly lit room inside. Flinging herself in, she motioned to Ron to enter.
But he hung back as he lifted the feet of James, leaving Lily on the floor her arms outspread. Grunting in exhaustion, heaving James onto the platform, he lumbered in, face bright red.
“I couldn’t get the girl,” he gasped. “Two… was… too… much…”
Hermione put on a face of courage and simply touched the wall again. This time it transformed into solid stone, leaving only a small candle to light the room. The secret room was small, only seven feet wide and five feet long. Hermione found herself wishing that she could make it a little roomier when James started stirring.
“Oh, gosh,” she thought as his eyes opened a bit. The eerie candlelight only dimly showed his features, but it was enough for her to see his eyes fluttering open.
“Harry, mate, don’t worry. We’re just in this secret room… wicked, I know…”
She bit back a comment on how it was NOT Harry because she didn’t want James to know what would happen to him. She never knew what Ron would say, so better to not inform him.
It was hard, knowing Snape was right next to her. Hermione held her breath and spoke in whispers, but soon she had more things to think about too, like what Snape was saying outside. Snitches and snatches were coming to her, but she had to hear more. Positioning herself so her ear would lean flat against the wall, she could hear the flowing voice of Professor Severus Snape quite finely.
“I was telling you, Minerva, Weasley and that Granger never showed up.”
“Severus, I believe you, but why would they do such a thing? They wouldn’t have a reason, except if Potter were getting them into some sort of adventure. Granger is a perfectionist, why would she skip?”
“Something is brewing here, I know it,” and Hermione could almost see him tapping his large nose.
Next she heard was a gasp, from Snape as it sounded deeper. McGonagall made a choking sound. Hermione guessed they had found Lily.
“Is this some sort of… joke?” Snape managed to say, though his superior voice diminished to a weak lumber.
“Severus, it couldn’t be… if it is I will punish the student who did this to you…” Minerva assured.
What did this have to do with Snape? thought Hermione. Was something going on here none of us know about?
“Get Dumbledore, Minerva, leave me here. I will try to decide what charm was placed on her… if it is really Lily… how did anyone find out?”
Hermione found her ear almost raw from the pressing. Rubbing it softly, Hermione gasped when James, still a bit bent from unconsciousness, rushed over.
“First, I’m going to overlook where I am, who you are and why I’m stuck in a small dark room. But what did he say about Lily?” James demanded. “I’m the reason she’s here!”
Hermione gulped. “James, I think we’re going to have to have a talk.”
“I’m going to have to get her. I’m responsible, I caused that accident because I want to impress her,” he admitted, ignoring her comment.
“I… can’t…let you go,” she murmured, forgetting she ever said the thing about a ‘talk’. What would happen if Snape caught them?
“Who are you??? Why do you have the right to control me?”
“I have a wand,” Hermione reminded him, “and I’m Hermione Granger. This is Ron Weasley. We’ll say why you don’t know us later, once we’re out of here.”
Trying to break the tension, Ron jumped over and leaned against the wall. He was saying things such as, “Snape is walking… Wicked! He’s talking at the same time!”
Besides that it was all silence. Hermione stared at the small candle watching the flame dance. A sudden, low tone broke the apprehension.
“Why not?” James asked.
“What?” said Hermione, utterly confused.
“Why don’t you let me go?”
“It’s dangerous, and you might be seen.”
“Well this is Hogwarts, isn’t it? Why would I be afraid to be seen?”
“James, I just don’t want Sna… I mean anyone to see you.”
“Why?”
“I’ll tell you later. It’s sort of complicated.”
The room was left in silence, except for the occasional exclamations of Ron.
The silence grew twisted and angry, almost writhing on the floor. Simply to fill up space, Hermione started to whisper her father's favorite phrase... Something that correctly applied to the situation, she thought.
"Always look on the bright side of-"
“Shut up,” James prompted and Hermione snapped her mouth shut.
“No, every one of you shut up!” Ron cried excitedly, ear poised and hand held out. “I think Snape’s gone.”
A soft scrabble was made for the outer wall, and Hermione nodded her head eagerly. “Yes, yes, I’m positive he’s left!” James jumped out, and at this point, there were no more words but only a scrape of stone against hand. Lily was being lifted up and carried away, to the secret tapestry.
Ron heard James’s voice as he said loudly to them, “Tell me about everything… or mainly why I don’t know you?”
Hermione crawled out and muttered, “I’ll explain at Potions. You’re going to have to pretend to be someone you’re not, okay?”
She honestly did not like having James come along for class, but there was no other option. It was this or skip it, and although she already missed about half of it, she still wouldn’t have been gone the whole lesson.
James muttered as Ron jumbled out, “I always did like playing charades… but I always liked it better when I knew who I was playing as.”
Ron whispered to Hermione, as they crept down the hall, “I think Harry had a concussion. He doesn’t know where he is, or who we are!”
Hermione ignored this as she led them to the dark passageway that would take them to James’s doom.
Potions.