𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐑 ❧ sirius black

X - A Saturday Surprise

Trapped in a dreamless sleep, Hermione lay still in her bed, not knowing that she was the only one in the room. The curtains could barely shut out the pressing sunlight from entering. This sunny Saturday morning was almost as gorgeous as its Friday counterpart, but it wasn't the light of the early sun that woke Hermione from her short slumber.

A blast of confetti jolted Hermione from her sleep, and she felt more startled than when she spun her time turner for the first time. Confusion hit her like a truck as she sat up in her bed, trying to comprehend why small pieces of confetti were now scattered all over her bed. Hermione groaned, as usual.

Eyes squinting due to the bright light, Hermione pulled herself out of bed, and soon realized that she was alone, raising even more confusion for the new girl. It was just Hermione and Pickles, the cat, in the dorm. So much for a surprise, Hermione thought.

The cool stone floor caused her toes to curl as she finally stood up, and soon her eyes caught sight of a note with her alias' name boldly written across the top. She held the note in one hand, and tried to comb her hair with her other, but what was written on the note caused Hermione to stop and think. It read:

Harper Slughorn,

Ever since the first day that you stepped on to Hogwarts' grounds, the nine of us knew that you would fit in and be a great addition to the school. It only seemed fitting that we put your knowledge of the past two-ish weeks to the test. So, Harper, welcome to your official initiation.

Hermione paused for a moment and removed her fingers from her tangled hair. An initiation? she thought, this sure will be interesting. Reading as intently as she could, Hermione continued with the letter, hoping that this initiation wouldn't bring out the side that she was trying to keep hidden.

Today, you will receive a series of clues leading you to several places across the Hogwarts grounds. Some will be easier than others, depending on how much you've been paying attention these past few weeks. Once you arrive at each spot, one of us will instruct you to complete a task, and you can't move on to the next clue until you complete the task.

There's a cloak in front of you. It'll make you invisible so you're not seen going from task to task. Make sure you don't damage it, I swear James will likely kill you if you do, (just trust me). We hope that we don't drive you back to Beauxbatons after this.

Best, Sirius

(p.s. Here's your first clue. Good luck, little Sluggy)

Be careful of its branches,
For it won't hesitate to kill.
Don't make it mad,
Otherwise it'll spin you like a windmill.

Having just finished the letter, Hermione's eyes danced over the parchment, making sure she had read everything correctly. This had never happened to her before, something that wasn't a life or death situation that still somehow made her nervous. Would they not want to be friends with her if she screwed part of this initiation up? Would some part of her true self get revealed in the process? The endless what if's took over Hermione's brain as she stood motionless in the near-empty dormitory.

Soon enough she picked up the cloak belonging to James, identical to the one that she snatched from his son before traveling away from her own time. Although the cloak she would be using wasn't technically belonging to her best friend, wearing it reminder her more of Harry than she ever could have expected. The little reminders, like James' cloak, helped keep Hermione sane in a time period where the couldn't fully open up to anyone—even if she wanted to.

Now with the cloak in hand, Hermione analyzed the clue that Sirius had messily written out for her and figured it out within no time. It was without a doubt the Whomping Willow.