Not Our World (Harry Potter Fanfic)

Forumlating Plans

RabbitsWinter was the user name Hermione chose for herself, which in turn meant she could log into the school network and check out the forums only to find herself greeted by a tutorial on how to use the forums she couldn't skip, explaining things such as the terms forums and sub-forums along with how the forums were organized in such a manner that students could find the sub-forum for each of their classes either under the classes sub-forum followed by the sub-forum for the given class, or by going to the sub-forum for their year and the year's sub-forum for classes.

And there was a sub-forum for practically everything, it seemed, although students were currently locked out of the house sub-forums until they ended up sorted into their houses. There were no posts to any of the class forums outside of a welcome post linking the first years back to an introductory post and a post set up by the prefects so the first years could get to know the older students who would be looking out for them that year.

To which the first of the introductory post from Pro-F that read, "Professor Prewett and Professor Prewett would like to welcome our incoming first-years who are already using the forums, but for those needing a little extra help, we are jointly in charge of both Muggle Studies and the Computer Studies classes for which we'll provide you the material in class. For your summer homework, we'd like to know your experience with not only computers but anything Muggle. There is absolutely no wrong answer, but you'll see us respond with either this account which is Fabian's, or the one belonging to Gideon. Be sure to check out the group sub-forum for the clubs and other activities at Hogwarts, but feel free to start your own group."

"So the ones who solved the problem with tech are not only professors at Hogwarts, but they're in charge of the Muggle Studies and Computer Studies class, of which both are now mandatory for first years? But they joint teach them?" To say she was perplexed would have been an understatement.

She knew the following post to the forum thread was from Regulus Black as the image he'd picked to represent himself in the forums was, in fact, her Crookshanks, but his user name was LittleKing. "I'd like to welcome the incoming first years as well, but I am Professor Black, and I am your professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts, which we also call DADA. I'm looking forward to another year teaching the class."

"Of course, he'd have to be the professor teaching that class this..." Hermione paused, reading over the first part of his post again. "Wait. Didn't he teach the class the previous year as well? Which means the curse on the class isn't in effect?"

"I'm looking to having all of you in class, but your summer homework is to think about what your favorite dark creature is for when we meet up in class!"

Hermione shook her head slightly. "Why am I not surprised? He's a Black after all, and you were there when they attempted to clean out Grimmauld place of all those creepy Dark Magic stuff that the Black family had accumulated."

"Don't judge Professor Black for being a former Death Eater," Professor McGonagall had told her.

"Except, that's not it. Is this Regulus Black who took my Crookshanks the same person who sacrificed himself so that Voldemort might be defeated, who cared about House Elves that much? Something doesn't feel right." She continued frowning.

"Of important note—first years should remember that while we professors can assign them summer homework, we're not allowed to count the assignment towards your end of the term grades, although your potions professor may act otherwise the first day of class."

Hermione's mind mulled over the post, suddenly feeling what was written felt much more severe than the man she met cooing over how "fluffy and very orange" and a "handsome creature" Crookshanks was while lamenting how he'd yet to have a first-year to escort. He was as much of an enigma as her missing Muggle father was, an enigma that frustrated her as she couldn't figure the puzzle out.

The following post read, "Please refrain from mentioning my class in your posts Black as it's off-topic," wrote someone who wrote as Hermione would expect Snape to write. "You've also neglected to mention that you're the head of the Slytherin house despite your idiocy and in charge of Slug Club."

"Wait. So..." Hermione frowned, finding herself a tad confused.

"Those things are irrelevant," wrote Professor Black.

"Only you would think that," wrote who Hermione thought was Professor Snape.

And then, someone called NevilleLongbottom popped up. "Hi. I'm Neville Longbottom. I am a first year. My family didn't know I could use magic until my uncle dropped me out of the window."

To which another account popped up. "Professor G. Prewett here. The first thing we need to discuss in Computer Class is internet safety, but my brother and I will help you reset your user name then. If you ever want to change your user name for the school forums, you've got to see me, my brother, or even Professor Black. And never see Professor Binns about anything computer-related as he's a ghost. Yes, your history professor is a ghost, so we also run the History of Magic forum thread in case any of you need help studying."

She was left with the group's sub-forum to check out, none of which remotely interested her at that point. However, she found herself interested in making a group, to which she found she could limit who was able to join that group which was when a rather wishful thought crossed her mind. "What if I'm not the only one from my world who's fallen through a mirror as I did? How would I prove it?"

To which she created the DA, having the feeling that in particular would be something, anybody, from her time that would be attending school around the same time as she would, in fact, know, to which she set the requirement to joining a question, "Name something only a person familiar with DA would know."

She didn't expect any response, though, as it was simply wishful thinking. But then, close to when she needed to leave for Hogwarts, she received a response from someone called Seeker-ofthe-Future. "DA stands for Dumbledore's Army, Harry Potter made seeker during our first year, Professor Black isn't supposed to be alive, and that cat he uses for a pic isn't his cat."

She let the person through, wondering if she was lucky enough for the person to be Harry or Ron. Yet, she didn't ask, having been unprepared for anybody answering the question that would determine whether she let them into the group. The only thing she prepared was a welcome post.

They replied, "You're Hermione Granger, aren't you?"

"Yes. How did you know?"

After a bit of time, they responded, "Who else would think to start this group, who also in our year?" was their response, but then they asked, "That wasn't the name I'd thought you would pick. How did you pick it?"

Which felt a little personal yet left her wondering how they picked their user name out. "The Granger tradition is to pick names from Shakespeare's works, and mine is from The Winter's Tale, which explains where the winter part comes from. Rabbit is my dad. It's mom's nickname for him."

"So you're close to your dad? How did he and your mom react to finding out you're a witch this time? Was it the same as before, or did you arrive after they found out?"

She wondered if she should be honest with the other person despite not knowing who they were, yet they were the only ones aware of the alternative world she'd come from. So she answered truthfully. "In this world, it's just my mom and me this time around."

"Wait. Aren't you Muggleborn?"

"What of it?"

"That means both of your parents are Muggles, so why would the changes have affected them like that?"

"I don't know. I'm still trying to figure out what happened to my dad, but you're right in saying it is odd. I'll see you at school then?"

"I guess so."