Time Has No Boundaries

Hermione opened her eyes. At first she didn't know if it had worked. She turned around and took in the view of the landscape to see if anything was different. Everything looked mostly the same, except she noticed that the infamous Whomping Willow was nowhere to be found. The timeturner was no more, as well.

It took her a full five minutes to gather her composure.

She walked into a familiar Great Hall filled with unfamiliar faces. All eyes were on this peculiar bushy-haired girl struggling to carry several luggage bags. Headmaster Dippet got up from his seat at the front of the hall.

"Can I help you, Miss?" the rather portly man said with a pleasant grin.

Hermione felt the wave of tension ease a little.

"Yes, sir. I'm new here. My name is Hermione Granger. I'm a fifth year student."

Professor Dippet put his hand out.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Granger. Welcome to Hogwarts. I'm Professor Dippet, Headmaster."

Hermione shook his hand and smiled.

"Nice to meet you as well, Professor Dippet."

After a minute or two of small talk, Professor Dippet lead her outside the Great Hall to where the first years were nervously waiting to be sorted.

A little girl with red hair and freckles squinted up at Hermione through big, blue framed glasses.

"You sure are a big first year."

Hermione laughed for what must have been the first time since Harry and Ron's death.

"That's because I'm not a first year. I'm a fifth year, but I'm new to this school, so I have to be sorted into my house just like you."

"Oh, ok."

"Children, line up! It's time for the ceremony," the teacher said to a sea of nervous faces. They walked out into the Great Hall by twos. Hermione felt rather... tall. She stuck out like a sore thumb and saw many curious looks and people pointing at her and whispering. News travels fast at Hogwarts.

"Did she flunk out, or is she just a rather tall first year?" said a blonde Hufflepuff boy to his twin, who was sitting right next to him.

His brother rolled his eyes.

"She's a new student. Fifth year, I heard. Really, Sean, your stupidity surprises me so much sometimes that I wonder how identical we really are. We're certainly not identical in the brains department!"

A Gryffindor girl wearing entirely too much makeup for her age laughed to another, "Oh my, she sure needs detangler!"

Hermione waited as all the names were called to be sorted. When her name was called, she sat up on the same stool and put on the same hat that she had when she was first sorted, except that each was younger and in a little bit better condition.

After a few seconds pause, the Sorting Hat yelled "SLYTHERIN!" Hermione thanked God for that. It would be much easier to get to Tom if she was in the same house as him.