The displaced Granger's jaw dropped, her expression full of outrage.
"So you're saying," she began, "they brought all those Dementors to our school for nothing?!"
"It would appear so," Richard replied calmly.
"Bastards!" the time traveller exclaimed.
The original Hermione shook her head disapprovingly and turned to her double.
"The more I listen to you, the more I realise how much better things are here. We have a normal Minister for Magic, there isn't a basilisk slithering through the school corridors and Petrifying students, justice is actually done, and your friends don't try to get you killed by locking you in a loo with a troll. It's as though you came here from some sort of mad world—a twisted looking-glass version of ours."
Suddenly, the time-travelling Hermione's gaze fixed on Filch. The girl looked as though she had just remembered something important.
"Er..." she whispered. "I don't actually have permission to go to Hogsmeade. I don't even have parents in this world."
A smile involuntarily crept across the original Hermione's face.
"Well, you can stay at Hogwarts, then," she said. "The library will be empty now..."
"Miss Granger, why did you only think of this now?" Richard asked with mild reproach. "Hermione, please give me your permission slip."
Granger from this world pursed her lower lip in displeasure, but nevertheless handed the piece of parchment to her friend. Richie turned his back and discreetly drew his wand.
"Cover me," he said shortly.
The two Hermiones positioned themselves so that Richard was hidden from the caretaker's view. They looked at one another like rivals, jealousy glinting in the original Granger's eyes, while irritation could be seen in her double's.
With a deft flick of his wand, Grosvenor copied the permission slip, then put his wand away, turned round and handed the parchments to the girls.
"A Doubling Charm!" Richard's friend exclaimed delightedly.
"But that's cheating," the time traveller said quietly, with a note of reproach.
"Exactly." The mocking smile crept back onto the original Granger's face. "Since you're such a goody-two-shoes, you can stay here. We'll buy you a chocolate bar."
The displaced Granger dug her heels in and seized on the permission she had been given. She remained firmly where she was, a determined look on her face.
Before long, the last few students in the queue reached the front. Filch scrutinised every permission slip with great suspicion, while three pairs of eyes watched his every move intently. Then he opened a large register and ran his eyes down the list of students. Looking up from it, he peered closely into each of their faces. One glance at the caretaker made it perfectly clear: no one was getting through without proper permission.
"Well, well!" Filch narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "There's only one Hermione Granger on the list."
The girls were caught off guard, so Richard had to take the initiative.
"Mr Filch, sir. Professor McGonagall must have made a mistake and forgotten to add the second Miss Granger to the list."
"A mistake?!" Filch's lower jaw began to tremble. "That's a likely story! Think you can fool me, do you? Not a chance. I can see right through you little scoundrels. Got one of the older students to copy a permission slip for one of the twin sisters, I'll wager... Only one of you is going to Hogsmeade!"
Under the caretaker's piercing stare, the displaced Hermione's shoulders slumped, and she trudged dejectedly back towards the castle. One would have thought that the original Granger would be pleased now, but for some reason she felt sad instead. She turned after her double and said quietly:
"Remember what I taught you!"
The time traveller stopped dead. She seemed to be trying to remember something. Then realisation dawned. The girl straightened her shoulders and immediately looked more cheerful. With a much livelier step, she headed towards the castle.
Richard and Hermione passed through the gates. Once they were far enough away, Grosvenor could no longer contain his curiosity and asked:
"Hermione, what exactly did you teach your double?"
"How to use the ninja suit, of course," Granger replied cheerfully. "How to turn invisible, climb walls. She can easily get over the Hogwarts wall without being noticed, or simply walk through the gates while invisible."
"Well, that's one solution. But do you know what I don't understand?"
"What?"
"Hermione, there's quite a lot you can do at Hogwarts without parental consent. Firstly, you can play one of the most dangerous sports imaginable without any safety equipment, risking a fall from a tremendous height and, if you're lucky, only breaking a few bones. Secondly, you can fight all sorts of dangerous monsters and deranged house-elves. Thirdly, you can fall victim to demented staircases, a poltergeist, and curses cast by other students. So what can't you do at Hogwarts without parental consent?"
"What?" Granger asked ironically.
"Visit a perfectly safe village five minutes' walk from the castle to relax, stock up on sweets and visit a couple of shops in the company of other students."
A warm smile spread across Hermione's face.
"You've got a point," she agreed. "Richie, what are your plans? I'd like to visit the local bookshop."
"Hermione, enjoy yourself. I'll wait for you at the Three Broomsticks, the popular local pub."
Hogsmeade looked like something from a pastoral postcard. Quaint little houses with thatched roofs, shops with brightly coloured displays, and tree crowns still dotted with the remnants of multicoloured autumn leaves.
Up ahead, the boy and girl spotted Harry, Ron, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Ernie Macmillan, who tumbled into Honeydukes with cheerful laughter to replenish their stocks of sweets.
(End of Chapter)
P@treon: /SadRaven
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰