Anamoran

Chapter 2: The Discovery

A/N: Fewer updates to this chapter than the first. Again, thanks to the following folks for their assistance in helping this story along: brownlark42, ladyofsilverdawn, SassenachStarbuck, and MrsBennettFrazier

Sandra-Sempra made amazing cover art for this story. See it on my Tumblr crochetawayhpff.

June 16, 1944

Hermione Granger came to slowly.

She was aware of a slight glow above her head, and when she opened her eyes, she could see diagnostic charms hovering above her bed. Blearily, she looked around, trying to make out where she was—it looked an awful lot like the Hogwarts Hospital Wing. But the last thing she remembered was the Killing Curse flying at her chest. Logically, she knew she should be dead. Maybe she was. This would be a very strange afterlife if that was the case. Blinking slowly, she tried to get the room around her to come into focus. She attempted to move her head but gasped when the pain hit. Pain meant that she was alive. How was she not dead?

Suddenly, her blurry vision was filled with a dark-haired boy. At first, she thought it was Harry. But that couldn't be right: Harry was dead. She'd watched him die at Voldemort's hand.

She blinked up at the boy, and he slowly came into focus. No, he wasn't Harry; although, he did look familiar. This boy's hair was much neater than Harry's had ever been. And his eyes weren't brilliant green but a deep blue. So blue they almost looked black. He had a long straight nose and perfect eyebrows, the kind that arched in the middle. His lips were full, and dimly Hermione wondered what it would be like to kiss them.

The boy smirked, and his handsomeness was revealed in full. He was gorgeous. Perhaps the most handsome boy Hermione had ever seen. But at the same moment he spoke, she remembered who he was.

"Tom Riddle, at your service," he nodded at her.

At that, she remembered exactly what had happened to her. Lord Voldemort had cast the killing curse at her. Was she in hell? And no sooner had that thought crossed her mind that her vision went black.

Hermione crawled along the stands where the teachers were sitting, doing her best to keep one eye on Harry, who was barely hanging onto his broom. She didn't know how he had been able to hang on as long as this. It seemed to take her ages to run from the Gryffindor stands to the professors' box. Professor Snape was still staring at Harry, muttering under his breath.

Hermione frowned. She would have to do something drastic. But what?

Then she remembered the bluebell flames, she could conjure those with nothing more than a whisper. Professor Flitwick had said she had a fire affinity after she'd asked him about it. The last thing she needed would be to get caught by the sour Potions master.

"Velox Ignis," she muttered under her breath and was happy to see the flames appear in her hands.

She liberally spread her hands all over the bottom of Professor Snape's robes, blowing on the flames, encouraging them to grow higher. When they did, she pulled her hands back and extinguished the flame in her hands.

Slowly, Hermione made her way back through the crowd, still trying to keep her eye on both Harry and Professor Snape. It didn't take Professor Snape long to realize his robes were on fire. He yelped and knocked into Professor Quirrell who was sitting in front of him as he tried to put out the flames.

As soon as Professor Snape broke eye contact, Harry was able to recover his broom. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and made her way back to the Gryffindor stands.