Timeless Pet

A/N-  This fic was written as a gift for TwistedTale in a Secret Santa gift exchange on a forum I belong to.  As I was not permited to take credit for the story until today I decided to make it my New Years story this year.  I will be posting all the chapters at one time.  I hope TwistedTale enjoyed the story and that all of you do as well.  I would like to thank Eclectic Pet for being the awesome beta she is and helping to bring all my work to life!

Hermione entered the 3rd year boy’s dorm holding her ill-tempered ginger cat tightly under one arm and a large bag under the other.  It made her smile to see her two best friends already looking through the gifts at the ends of their beds.

“Don’t bring him in here!”  Ron said as he quickly snapped Scabbers from the mess of his bed and thrust him into his pajama pocket.

Instead of listening Hermione dropped Crookshanks onto Seamus’s bed and stared wide eyed at the new broom in Harry’s hands.  He had gotten a Firebolt from somewhere and it seemed like quite an impressive present.

“Oh, Harry!  Who sent you that?”

“No idea, there wasn’t a card or anything with it.”  Harry said as if it was no big deal getting an expensive gift from an anonymous source.  Hermione blinked and frowned, as she looked at the broom in a new light.

“What’s the matter with you?” Asked Ron.

“I don’t know,” Hermione started slowly shaking her head, “But it’s a bit odd, isn’t it?  I mean, this is supposed to be quite a good broom, isn’t it?”  She asked looking at the boys for confirmation.

Ron sighed annoyingly.  “It’s the best broom there is, Hermione.”

“So it must’ve been really expensive…” She tried to lead her friends in the same direction her thoughts were going.

“Probably cost more than all the Slytherins’ brooms put together.”  Ron said with gleeful look in his eyes.

“Well…”  Hermione started getting a bit fed up with hour dense the two were being.  “Who’d send Harry something as expensive as that, and not even tell him who had sent it?”

“Who cares?”  Ron asked like she was a crazy person.  “Listen, Harry, can I have a go on it?  Can I?”

“I don’t think anyone should ride that broom just yet!”  Hermione said exasperated with them.

Both Harry and Ron looked at her dumbly.

“What d’you think Harry’s going to do with it, sweep the floor?”  Ron asked.

Before Hermione could answer the stupid question though Crookshanks sprang from Seamus’s bed toward Ron’s chest.

The redhead’s eyes went wide as to tried to protect the rat from the rampaging feline.  Once he had pushed the cat off his chest, he started to pick up packages to throw at the cat.

“RON STOP!”  Hermione yelled as both cat and rat circled the room as one chased the other.

“GET. HIM. OUT. OF. HERE!” Ron yelled back picking up a round package from the bag Hermione had brought in with her.

Hermione felt like she was watching in slow motion as Ron tossed the enchanted snow globe towards her familiar.  Not knowing what else to do she ran to put herself between her friend and her cat.

Hermione was never the most coordinated of witches, and even less so in only a dressing gown.  Reaching out to grasp the globe, she tripped on the hem of her dress, and went colliding right into its path.

Everything really went to hell as the snow globe shattered against her chest.  The room around her looked as if it was being ripped apart; her friends looked down at her with confused faces before they too were gone.

For a moment she was in complete darkness, as if she was nowhere at all, then the next she was in a very cold snowdrift.  Hermione felt the pain in her chest at where the globe had hit her and found the time turner with flicks of sand drifting away into the air.