Desperate Measures

When Dumbledore let go of the Time Turner, Hermione began to spin, quickly, once for every day she traveled. More than 20,000 times she span. After about twelve, she became dizzy and had to close her eyes to stop herself from getting sick.

When she felt the spinning stop, she opened her eyes for a moment before falling to the floor and closing them again. Feeling extremely sick and disoriented, she stayed on her hands and knees for a few seconds before she heard a voice from above her. Her head was still spinning, however, and it took a moment for her to realize that someone was talking to her. She opened her eyes, glad to see that the spinning was mostly gone, and tried unsuccessfully to get to her feet. Frustrated, she got to her knees and was about to try again when a hand appeared in front of her. Slightly startled, she took it, and with the help of the stranger, she stood up.

She looked around; she was on Platform 9 ¾, she saw, but it was definitely a different time. Her trunk was on the ground next to her. She blinked a few times to clear her head before looking at the person who had helped her up.

It was a girl; she looked about seventeen. She had longish brown hair, past her shoulders, and looked like she hadn't slept much the night before.

"Er - Thank you," said Hermione, slightly embarrassed, and hoping the girl didn't ask too many questions she was unprepared to answer.

"My name is Elizabeth Derkins. I don't believe I've seen you before," she said.

"I'm Jane Levvens," she introduced herself, making sure to give the proper name to avoid complications. "I'm a transfer. I got special permission to be here for my seventh year, from Headmaster Dippet. He told me I should find the Head Boy or Girl; I have a paper for them," she told Elizabeth; she said it a bit faster than she should have, perhaps, but Elizabeth didn't notice.

"I'm a prefect, so I have to go meet with them. Why don't you come along with me?" Hermione - or Jane, as she was now officially known - considered herself extremely lucky to have found someone so helpful so soon.

"That would be excellent," she agreed. Elizabeth and Hermione/Jane - with little difficulty - got their trunks on the Hogwarts Express. Hermione (she couldn't stop calling herself that, though she was trying) followed Elizabeth to the prefect's compartment, pretending she didn't know where it was.

When the two girls entered the compartment, Elizabeth received a few "Hello"s, and 'Jane' received a few stares. Elizabeth introduced 'Jane' to the Head Boy and Girl.

"Tom, Bethany, this is Jane Levvens. She's a seventh year transfer. Jane, this is Tom Riddle, Head Boy, and Bethany White, Head Girl." Trying very hard to seem as if she was nervous because it was a new school and not because the future Dark Lord was standing in front of her, Hermione handed the letter, with a slightly shaking hand, to Tom.

"This is from Headmaster Dippet; he told me I should give this to you." She didn't know what the letter said; Professor Dumbledore, though he had taken care of all the arrangements, wouldn't divulge everything to Hermione; he thought it would be better if she found out at the same time Jane did.

Tom read. "It says that you've already been sorted into Slytherin." Hermione tried not to gasp, as that would cause much suspicion; Tom looked rather pleased, she saw.

"It also says that we should find a seventh year to show you around the castle," added Bethany. This was no surprise to Hermione; after all, she wasn't supposed to know anything about Hogwarts. Bethany looked up from the paper, turning her sharp brown eyes authoritatively from Hermione to Elizabeth. "Elizabeth, would you mind? After all, you are a prefect, a seventh year, and a Slytherin."

"Of course. I don't mind at all."

"Right then. Now that that's settled, we have a prefect meeting to get to, so if you wouldn't mind, Jane?" Bethany nodded her head towards the door.

"I'll find you when we're done," said Elizabeth reassuringly. "Just - find somewhere for us to sit, okay?"

'Jane' nodded and walked out of the compartment, glad that she had overcome the first hurdle and that she hadn't fainted or screamed when she met Tom Riddle. She walked around a bit, looking for an empty compartment; after about ten minutes, she found one that only had a few people in it.

"May I sit here?" she asked politely. The girls nodded their heads, and so she sat and waited for Elizabeth to show up and the plan to continue.