How the Mighty have Fallen

Authors note: I apologize for the long paragraphs sans breaks in chapter one. I hope what follows is an improvement, but if it is still too long than just let me know.

At first Hermione was surprised that the impact didn’t come but she quickly realized the time turner finally set time travel in motion. She barely had a moment to wonder what the landing would be like when she crashed into the ground at the bottom of the steps, breaking the majority of her impact by bracing her hands in front of her and subsequently breaking both wrists. Her wand skidded across the hall, taking the time turner along, sending a jet of sparks into a suit of armor that clanged loudly on impact with the stone floor; but no sound was more deafening, to Hermione, than the sound of glass shattering on impact with the wall indicating the small time turner was broken.


She ruefully thought, “Now the bloody thing comes off.” And, as the last clang sounded she thought riley that she couldn’t have had a more conspicuous entrance.


Severus spun around at the disturbance and drew his wand; didn’t they ever get tired of bullying him? Even the mere thought of those insufferable Gryffindors caused his lips to thin and his eyes to narrow in disgust and suspicion. This seemed like the beginning of a prank but as no one had jumped out and cursed him he decided to turn back around and head to his original destination, the Great Hall. He stopped abruptly when he heard a small groan of pain and against his self-preservation instincts he quickly but cautiously went to investigate his wand redrawn. He stood-stock still the moment he saw her; he hadn’t expected to find a girl especially one that had seemingly fallen down the steps.

Hermione tried to move when she first noticed the presence of another but her injuries impeded any progress, try as she might; but as he approached she realized it was just a boy. “Well, school is in session” she thought “that means I appeared a few weeks before the battle was waged?” That seemed reasonable; the time turner had been turning for some time. “Lovely, it wasn’t like she hadn’t enjoyed battle the first time,” she thought irritated, “but this time I’ll have to hide from myself as well.” That is if this boy, he was a Slytherin, was willing to cooperate with her. If not, well, she could easily obliviate him, “once she had her wand and the ability to move her wrists,” she thought annoyed.

His panic lasted mere moments and he asked the obvious, “Are you hurt?” presumably to break the silence.


She moved her head in reply but even that small movement made her grimace in pain.
He glanced down and noticed that her wrists were swelling and knew they were broken.


“I can heal your wrists, but I don’t know how to diagnose or treat any other injuries,” he offered. And raising his wand he muttered a variation of the bracchium emendo spell before Hermione could protest. Her eyes shone with shock and amazement when she discovered he had done the spell correctly.


“Oh, there’s the Head Boy,” he said quickly when he noticed him out of the corner of his eye; “I’ll just go get him.”


“Pomfrey” she said quietly because the adrenaline was wearing off and the pain was setting in.


“Gone” Severus said before he yelled, “Malfoy, there’s an emergency!”


Internally Hermione was panicking but the pain in her ribs wouldn’t allow her to move far so she decided to stay immobile looking directly at the floor. “Well, there was no reason she had to make it easier for him to identify her,” she reasoned. A cold dread infiltrated her body as she waited to be found out, cursed, or killed. “Probably the lot eventually,” she figured silently.


She noticed his immaculate black shoes before she heard him drawl, “Who are you?”


“Was he taking the piss?” she thought angrily, “it wasn’t like they hadn’t gone to school together for the past six years,” she sarcastically thought. But she supposed that he hadn’t seen her for most of the year and he seemed different to her as well, “that didn’t sound like his voice at all,” her mind intoned , “it sounded surprisingly similar to… no it couldn’t be.” And with a quick raise of her head her eyes took in his form and her sharp intake of breath caused her eyes to tear in response to the pain. Even her blurred vision recognized this was not Draco; the man standing before her was none other than Lucius Malfoy.