Rose found herself very well and determined to get to the bottom of this otherworldly mystery. She was to find someone like the Doctor but who might not know it? If her suspect didn’t know it, how could she? Rose knew she needed more help from the Doctor but with him teaching different classes than the ones she was taking; it wouldn’t be easy to get time together without alerting any onlookers. Rose had to wreck her hair to try and come up with cover ups on the spot and she was worried she might mix them up if she wasn’t careful. As she looked at the Charms Professor, she had to force herself to remain in the present. She couldn’t let her mind wander off to the books she was now smack dab in the middle of or to the Doctor who was an alien traveling in a big blue box, who had just saved the world. She especially couldn’t think about her mother and friends back home. She missed them but at the same time, the change of pace was too exciting to take lightly.

Mr. Smith then countered her statement by saying she also looked a bit out of place. Rose knew for a fact that Mr. Smith was out of place, he had to be the one she and the Doctor were looking for. But to make a statement that he was also a Time Lord or whatever, was a bit risky. If she overstepped any sort of line, things could become ruined beyond repair and if Mr. Smith was someone important to the Doctor, Rose didn’t want to mess things up. So should she keep her distance or not? It was a tricky situation and she was growing more frustrated with it. “Um thanks I think.” Rose replied and brushed some of her hair behind her ear nervously. The rest of the class continued, Rose sat in the back and took notes while doodling a little. When it ended and lunch rolled around, Rose held back and kept close to Mr. Smith.

When she made it to the Gryffindor table, everyone was eating. “Hello.” She greeted and saw Ron pat the saved spot beside him. Rose caught Hermione who rolled her eyes a little. Rose took a seat and started to make herself a plate. “How was everyone’s classes this morning?” She asked, mostly as way to be polite and to get her mind off of certain things. It seemed like everyone had a nice morning, as was the usual for the beginning of any week. The blond from London however, kept glancing up at the table where all the staff resided. “Is there a way to get a teacher’s help, say after hours? Should I stop by their office or something?” She asked Hermione as they ate. Maybe there was a way Rose could get “help” from Mr. Smith and the Doctor and it wouldn’t raise any red flags. Hermione explained students could tutor one another in the vast library while teachers could answer questions during their allotted office hours.

That was enough for Rose, it was a place to start.

Things went by as smoothly as possible for Hermione.

Double Potions was uneventful much to her relief. Hermione was worried that the spat with Malfoy would put Harry in a rotten mood but he seemed to brush it off soon enough. By now, she was used to the blond’s outrageous remarks. They did very little to get under her skin but they could still irritate Ron and Harry and that was something she would have to deal with. With Umbridge stalking the castle and making ludicrous rules every other day, they had to be careful. Not to mention, his first detention with the portly devil had injured him. She didn’t want her friend getting hurt and she didn’t want Umbridge to get away with it either. From being baited in Defense Against the Dark Arts to Potions and Charms, there were plenty of pitfalls laid out for the golden trio. Hermione had every right to be worried about them, rather than the brat, Draco Malfoy.

As Double Potions let out for the start of lunch, she saw Umbridge wobble in and ask to speak to Professor Snape. Hermione had no intention of sticking around for whatever discussion was about to unfold. “Come on.” She said gently to Harry and they headed up to the main floor of the castle. “So tonight we can probably do most of our homework and get it out of the way.” She mentioned as they headed into the Great Hall. They were reunited with Neville and Ginny, with Ron trailing behind Harry and Hermione. Five minutes later, Rose had joined them and inquired about extra help with classes to which Hermione was more than happy to explain. As she finished her lunch, Hermione looked across at Harry who had the displeasure of having Ginny next to him but it seemed like he didn’t really pay mind to the redhead.

“How about we head to the library?” She suggested. Hermione couldn’t shake the feeling that perhaps, perhaps Rose was a time traveler. Harry had made some good points and some research could take their mind off of the rocky morning they had. “See you.” Hermione waved to her friends and headed off with Harry since it was clear Ronald had no interest in tagging along, which was fine with Hermione. They headed out and went up the staircase. “I’ve been thinking about what you said about Rose.” She told Harry as they walked toward the library. “And the blue box is also very peculiar. If she is a time traveler, she could be from the future if she used something besides a Time Turner.” She mused as they finally arrived at their destination. Not many students were in there, as most were either at lunch or roaming the castle and avoiding any unnecessary work. A break didn’t appeal most students if it was in a library after all. 

“And if she is from the future, I feel like it’s for a reason.” She finished her train of thought as she scanned the shelves of books. “I just don’t know what. Do you think it has something to do with Umbridge and the Ministry’s sudden and unjust interference?” She asked her friend.

After Luna parted ways from Mr. Logan, she headed off to her next class. Her mind kept drifting back to the two Professors who were clearly hiding something. She didn’t have anyone to confide in though. She had Cho but they weren’t close. And there was Ginny but Ginny was always busy with Quidditch or those in her own House. And while she sometimes like to chat with the Gary Lady but she felt like she really hadn’t a soul to turn to and it made the girl feel utterly lost. So the best she could do was jot down her musings in her notes and write to her father. As lunch rolled around, she pushed the food around her plate and decided to do some wandering around. It was one of her favorite past times 
 
She got up from her seat and quietly headed out. She only just exited the grand room when she heard someone call out her name. Luna whirled around. “Hello?” She asked but then a loud crash greeted the top of her head. She looked down at herself as a purple goo coated her entire body. She saw Draco and his goonies run off as she put a finger to her nose, trying to discern what she had been hit with. She hadn’t a clue and before she could go wash up, an intense pain overtook her. Luna fell to her knees and let out a loud cry. Thankfully some students had exited the Great Hall and notified the nurse to someone having been attacked. Luna was promptly taken to the infirmary and diagnosed. 

 When she finally came around, she found it terribly hard to breathe. 

Luna tried to move her hand but then when she looked at it, it appeared to be changed. Slightly, but still changed. She sat up and put a hand to her chest. Something felt off. Something felt not right. Something was wrong. She rubbed her head and saw Madame Pomfrey standing by her bedside. “You’re alright Ms. Lovegood.” She said.

“What happened?”

“You were attacked with an aging potion and it’s been botched so the cure isn’t as readily as it would be.” She replied.

“It was Draco Malfoy, he threw a vial at me.” Luna insisted, an anger rising inside of her. “Someone has to do something.” It hadn’t yet hit her that she was older, different than ever before. She then noticed Harry and Hermione in front of her bed looking concerned and slightly shocked. Hermione handed Luna a mirror and Luna looked at herself. She was older by perhaps ten years. She looked similar but her features were more smooth and mature. Now her heart was beating too fast and she quickly went to set the mirror down but instead it broke on the floor, having fallen from her shaky grasp. “What’s going to happen?” She whispered. As a student, Hogwarts was her home but if she was too old…where would she go? How could she fit in? Time had been so hastily taken from her and everyone was acting like nothing was wrong!

“Dumbledore is talking to your father as well as Draco’s.” Hermione said timidly, unable to digest what Draco had done. Somehow in the back of her mind, she told herself it could be her in Luna’s position and it sent chills down her spine. She grabbed Harry’s hand tightly. “Don’t worry, I’m sure this can be fixed…” She tried to assure her friend. Having heard about the accident while at the library, the two hurried to find out what had happened. And in that moment, the bookworm was ready to lash out at Draco with everything she had.

Meanwhile, Rose had gotten up from the table sometime after Harry and Hermione. She decided she could go make an appointment with Mr. Smith and maybe in doing so, she could find out more about him. She had made an effort to stop by Mr. Logan’s office as well but he wasn’t anywhere to be found which bothered Rose, as she felt like she had been left to fend for herself. All she could do was just carry on see if Mr. Smith was around. She knocked on his door and slouched against the wall to wait. She dug out her cell phone which she stashed in her pocket and saw no signal, which wasn’t a surprise. It just solidified the fact that she couldn’t call her mother, who was probably worried sick. She put it away with a heavy heart and saw her number on suspect coming down the hall. 

Now she wished she had made a better plan because all she could blurt out was, “Have you got time to tutor?” She asked, which to her sounded a bit absurd.