Rewrite the past

Chapter 12

"Maggie, Florence, you need to wake up, it's time for breakfast," said Hermione, trying to wake her new roommates up.

"Already?" groaned Maggie, sitting up in her bed.

Hermione didn't answer, but instead just referred to her watch.

It took the two other girls a bit to realize that it was high time for them to go to the Great Hall for breakfast if they didn't want to be late to class.

In the end they all already sat at the table when Severus and Remus entered the hall because Hermione had a way of making them hurry more than needed. She, after all, had to deal with Harry and Ron for years.

"Morning," mumbled Severus as he was sitting down next to Hermione while Remus sat down opposite them without saying anything.

They both looked more tired than anything else.

"Good morning, you two. You don't look as though you've properly slept the last night," replied Hermione before handing each of them a glass of pumpkin juice.

"Not really, no," grumbled Remus who looked as though he was ready to fall asleep anytime then.

"Care to elaborate?" asked Florence who was currently chewing on a piece of bread.

"No, not now."

They were not really happy with that reply, but they nevertheless accepted it, seeing as they could not really do anything about it.

"What do we have first?" asked Maggie as they were making their way to the exit.

"Divination if I am not mistaken. Professor Avonsdale is said to be quite eccentric but we will see, won't we?" answered Hermione barely able to hold back the snide in her tone.

Even though Professor Avonsdale was not Trelawney, Hermione still had some kind of hatred for the subject in itself. Nevertheless, she would have to endure at least another two years of it until she would be able to choose arithmancy and ancient runes.

Upon entering the divination classroom up in the tower Hermione felt as though she was back in her own time. The exact same thick air filled the room and it felt as if there was no real air left to breathe.

She walked in and sat down on the table next to the window in hopes of being allowed to open it at some point. Severus and Remus sat down at the same table.

"Let me guess, you chose this one in hopes of opening the window rather soon, didn't you?" laughed Severus to which Hermione did not reply but instead just smile slyly.

"At least that's over for now!" exclaimed Remus as soon as they left the room.

"I'm glad. I cannot wait for the next two years to be over. This is going to be the first subject to be replaced by either arithmancy or ancient runes as far as I am concerned," answered Severus as they walked to their next lesson namely History of Magic.

"You know, my grandmother told me not to be surprised when it comes to History of Magic. It is being taught by a ghost who never bothered to retire even after his death. She also told me that falling asleep in his class is nothing to be ashamed of, whatever it was she meant by that," said Hermione when they neared the end of the corridor leading to the classroom for History of Magic they would now be sharing with the first year Gryffindors.

Hermione was quite intrigued about how certain students would be behaving around Severus. She was not really convinced that separating the group of four was all it needed but for now she would have to sit and watch everything unfold.

Severus, Remus and Hermione sat down next to the windows again, a place Hermione knew quite well. Sometimes something interesting was happening on the grounds and she would not let a chance pass to watch something more interesting than the dead professor's lessons.

It was not long before the Gryffindors came and entered the room. Lily, no matter how many people around her, was always to be seen, her bright red hair standing out in the small crowd. Without hesitation she walked over to their little group and sat down next to Remus seeing as the seat next to him was still unoccupied with Hermione and Severus seated behind them.

They all sat there, idly chatting until Professor Binns floated into the room only stopping by his desk. Without really welcoming them he started with reciting their curriculum in his usual monotone voice that tended to make students fall asleep within mere minutes of listening to him going on about the goblin wars.

In the middle of the lesson Hermione looked around herself and saw that many of her fellow students had problems with keeping their eyes open and some had already surrendered to the urge of sleeping.

As it was nearing the end of the lesson some more students had fallen asleep and Hermione truly anticipated the ringing of the bell which would undoubtedly wake them up in a not-so-gentle way.

Still sleepy the students practically fled the room and left to eat lunch in the Great Hall.

Following their lunchbreak, they walked to the transfiguration classroom speculating about what they would be doing secretly hoping Professor McGonagall would allow them to try and cast very simple spells to transfigure things just like Professor Flitwick and Professor Rawlins had the day before.

Professor McGonagall was already in the room when they entered, and Hermione automatically went to her old seat in the second row.

Some things never change, apparently, was her inner comment when she realized that.

Their hopes about casting any spells, however, were soon destroyed when Professor McGonagall said: "Just in case some of you were in high hopes of casting transforming spells really soon, that will not happen. Before we can move on to start with transfiguring things you need a solid base of knowledge about the things we will be doing. There is no other way. Now let us start with the first lesson which will be about the history of transfiguration spells. If you all could open your books at page five, please?"