Another Universe

Another Universe

Chapter One: The P.T.C.

Hermione was excited as she walked to Defense Against the Dark Arts class with Harry and Ron. It was their second week of school.

She personally liked the new DADA Professor, but Harry insisted that Lupin would have been better, and Ron agreed with Harry. That wasn't something new. Still, it was so good to be back at Hogwarts.

It wasn't that Hermione didn't like spending time with her parents since she only saw them during the holidays and she was their only child, but she did feel that Hogwarts was where she belonged, as a witch.

"What do you think Professor Gedenis has for us that's so great?" Ron cut off her train of thought.

"I don't know, but I know that I am looking forward to it!" Hermione exclaimed.

Ron rolled his eyes at Hermione. "You're always looking forward to classes, Hermione! It's not like that--"

But Ron was cut off in mid--sentence. There was a blur of movement, and then she saw Ron sprawled on the ground. His things had fallen out of his bag and were all over the ground, and there was somebody right under him with white blond hair. She knew who it was. Nobody else would push Ron off like that.

"Ugh! Watch where you're going, Weasel," said a cold voice that Hermione knew she would recognize anywhere anytime, a voice that belonged to somebody she would hate forever.

"It's not my fault your parents can't afford to buy you glasses," Malfoy spat.

Malfoy got up quickly and Hermione noticed a piece of parchment fall out of his robe pocket. It floated and ended up with Ron's things on the floor. Hermione looked at Harry and Ron, but it seemed none of them had noticed, even Malfoy didn't pay attention to the paper. Ron got off the floor and brushed off his robes. He opened his mouth to say something, but Malfoy had already gone away, not looking back. Now that wasn't something that happened everyday. It was not usual for Malfoy to just leave like that.

"Well, that was a bit...unusual, let's say?" Harry said with an amused but also confused look on his face.

Hermione just nodded. "Come on, you guys, we're going to be late for class."

She and Harry helped Ron gather his stuff off the ground. Hermione picked up the paper that had fallen from Malfoy's robes and looked at it curiously. She quickly hid it in her pocket. This will be interesting to read and discuss with Harry and Ron later, she thought. She couldn't help feeling that it was something important. The thought that she would be late to her class was the only thing that stopped her from reading it right there and then.

She put her hand in her pocket and felt the scratchy paper. Yeah it must hold something. But a different feeling came over Hermione. She had the feeling that the paper had something to do with her.

So was the paper a letter? Notes? Homework? Or was it blank? Hermione frowned. Ok, I am going nuts over a piece of paper, how great! she thought. Did it have to do with the way that Malfoy had just acted? Malfoy had been different

Hermione had noticed that Malfoy had changed a bit over the summer. But who hadn't changed? Harry and Ron had. Oh, for God's sake, she had, too. They all had, both mentally and physically. Oh God, no, not the blush again. She always blushed whenever something like that was mentioned in a conversation, or was just in her thoughts. Yeah, so what that everybody had reached puberty? They had to "grow up." But she always blushed or trembled when something of that sort was involved. She didn't feel like thinking about that then. She knew it was childish of her, but she didn't quite care at that moment.

But Malfoy's change was different; it was kind of a mystery. But it wasn't that she had ever even known anything about Malfoy. All she did know was that his father had been in prison with some other death eaters, but that was past.

She knew that Lucius Malfoy had died just months ago. Everybody had been suspicious of the cause of the death, but the rumors had gotten old, and they had all agreed he'd died of some sort of sickness. But that wasn't true. Lucius Malfoy's health had been perfectly fine when he had entered Azkaban. And nobody before him had died of sickness, had they? Dumbledore had started to tell them what happened one time in the Black's house; they had been there most of the summer after the fight with Voldemort. But Dumbledore hadn't been able to continue his explanation because none of the other Order members had thought Harry, Ron, or Hermione should know the truth.

Hermione gave a little snort at the thought. They always seemed to find out, anyway!

So could Malfoy's change have to do with the death of his Father? Maybe the change had to do with the paper she held? Nah, the paper isn't that important, is it? Hermione pondered. She shook her head to clear her thoughts as she found herself in Defense Against the Dark Arts class. She looked around the class, and remembered that they had been informed that the Slytherins would be spending the morning classes with them.

Damn! Did they have to mess up everything? And it was supposed to be a really great class.

But something else caught her eye. At the front of the room was a large rectangular box covered with a shining silver blanket or bag. It looked like a coffin that was standing up on end.

"What do you reckon is under it?" Ron asked with a frown on his face.

Harry gave a shrug. "I bet it's what we're going to be talking about," he said, taking a seat.

"Yeah, that could be." Hermione gave a sigh as she took the seat next to Harry. Then her excitement came flooding back again. What could it be? Professor Gedenis had said they would be talking about something very advanced and powerful. That had caught Hermione's attention completely. In fact, it had caught everybody's attention.

Hermione noticed that most of the students had anxious looks on their faces. Some were on the edge of their seats, and others had their faces screwed up in concentration, as if trying to guess what the box could be.

Oh, if only Professor Gedenis would just come and tell them what it was!

While they waited, Hermione looked around and saw him. There he was, the Prince of Slytherin. He was sitting alone.

His long legs were stretched in front of him on the table. His arms were crossed at his chest. And his hair, which was usually slicked back with gel, was now loose. Some of the golden silvery locks were hanging in his eyes.

Then his cool gray eyes met her brown ones. He smirked and mouthed something at her.

Hermione looked away from him when she heard the classroom door open.

A slim, slightly tall woman entered; her auburn hair had been up in a ponytail. "Well, good morning!" chimed the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor.

Most of the students smiled back at her; others just waited anxiously.

Professor Gedenis moved to the front of the classroom and looked around one more time. "As I promised, I brought the project that I was talking about last week." She cleared her throat. "I see that many of you are as excited as I am! We are very lucky we are allowed to do this. It is something lots of people would give a lot to do. So let's began, hm?"

Numerous students just looked at her, waiting patiently, and others nodded excitedly. Hermione herself was on the edge of her seat, waiting with all the patience she had.

"Of course we are not going to be using it," said the professor. She stopped and saw that the excited faces had been replaced by frowning. "Oh come on. It's only for today, or at worst, a little longer. Okay, now that's better. We're going to be learning about it today and gathering information. But of course we have to see what were talking about, no?"

She then put her wand up and said something that Hermione couldn't hear but was sure was a summoning spell, and the silver cover on the mysterious object was removed.

Oooohs and Ahhhhs were heard around the class. Hermione heard Ron say something to Harry, but she couldn't make it out since all her attention was on the object that had just been revealed.

Before them was a box large enough to fit one person. It would probably take two people, but they would have to be disturbingly close. It was made of dark wood, chipped in some places, and looked really old. It had a door with a small glass window that Hermione couldn't see through because there was so much dust. There was a brass handle and red and yellow buttons in the right hand corner.

"It's a P.T.C.," Professor Gedenis said. "They're very rare these days; there are only two in the whole world. We have one here, and the other is somewhere in Asia." The students absorbed every word the professor said. Even the Slytherins, who usually looked uninterested, gave her their full attention. "I will tell you what it does, but first, does anybody know what P.T.C. stands for?"

Everyone looked blankly at her except Hermione. Her hand was in the air the moment the question was asked. She had read about them, but she hadn't imagined them to look so plain. They were known to be very powerful, though, and that counted for something.

"Miss Granger?" asked the professor.

"P.T.C. stands for Place and Time Changer. It takes a person to a different place and time," Hermione said in the confident voice that she usually used when answering in class.

"Great job, Miss Granger. Ten points to Gryffindor," Professor Gedenis said with a grin. "However, this one does not work well." She was interrupted by Filch ambling in. He came up and stood right in front of her.

"What is it?" Hermione could hear the professor say.

"It's that knucklehead, Peeves, professor. He took something of yours! I think it was that big box that you put the little creatures in."

Gedenis turned toward the class. "I will be back in a moment." And with that, she left the room.

Hermione looked at the P.T.C. Then she turned her attention to her two friends. "Isn't this great?" She beamed at them.

"Yeah, totally, but Hermione, could you tell us more about it?" Ron asked. Harry nodded in agreement.

"Sure." Hermione was a bit taken aback by her friends' hunger for knowledge. "I guess that would be okay." But before she could begin, a little crowd of Gryffindors formed around her. More nervously this time, she began, "Well, it's really--"

"Is little Mudblood Granger showing off again?" Malfoy's voice reached Hermione's ears.

Hermione turned and glared at him. He looked like he would commit murder if you only gave him a good reason. Let him try to do something, I have your paper, Malfoy! Blackmail! Hermione thought. And yes, she, Hermione Granger, would blackmail.

"Shut it, Malfoy!" Ron said hotly.

"Oh, does the Weasley King have a crush?" Malfoy said. He put one hand over his heart and the other on his hips.

Hermione didn't know why, but she kept feeling there was a difference in the boy. She didn't know if it was how he looked or how he acted, but she knew he was different. Did it have to do with the paper she had, or was it his father's mysterious death? Or...did the paper have to do with the death of his father, which had changed him? Ugh, it's just a normal piece of parchment, and I'm acting as if it's a treasure map or something! Hermione thought.

"Are Gryffindors that stupid? What does this thing look like to you? It's a machine that changes time and place!" Malfoy said, retuning to his usual cool drawl. Hermione could have sworn on her life that something had changed in him. "Here, look, shall we have little demonstration?" Malfoy said, a smirk on his face.

What could have changed? Oh, that's it! She knew!

He was alone! How stupid could she have been not to notice it? He was by himself now. Malfoy never used to be by himself. Crabbe and Goyle, that's what was missing.

Where were they?

Hermione's train of thoughts was interrupted when Malfoy came towards her with a smirk on his face. Uh-oh, this isn't good.

Hermione tried to back away, but he was faster. He grabbed her wrist in a tight hold.

"I'm sure Granger would like to show us how this machine works, wouldn't you, Granger?" Malfoy said, raising an eyebrow.

She struggled in his grip, but she knew it was useless. She thought she heard Harry and Ron in the background, but she wasn't sure. All her attention was on the pale face with the cold eyes. "Malfoy," was all Hermione could manage.

It was too late. Malfoy had already got her inside the machine. She felt a power pull her back. Hermione's head snapped back to make sure that a person wasn't there, and there was nobody. There it came again, a force pulling her into the machine. It all happened at once. She heard somebody scream. She saw Harry and Ron running toward her. She wanted to reach for them; she wanted them to help her. She felt herself being pulled back harder. She did the only thing she could; she kept Malfoy linked to her.

It got even more confusing when the force got harder and stronger and she and Malfoy were both pulled back, and then the door shut.

Hermione felt like she was in the middle of a tornado. She was squeezed in between the P.T.C.'s back wall and Malfoy. She didn't know what to do. Was the machine working, and if so when and where would it take them? And more important, how was it working?

All she knew was that this was bad.

Not only that, but she was with Malfoy.

Could it get any worse?