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Hermione set her suitcase down on the bed and started to unpack. She had a week away from the Magical world and Ron pressuring her about their lack of a relationship. All her friends knew was that she’d spun a globe, picked a spot at random and was going to be gone and out of touch for a week. Little did they know that she hadn’t gone very far. A stroke of fate landed her finger on England, then she’d pulled out a map of England and thrown a dart, which had landed on a little village in Suffolk. Doing some research she’d booked herself into the Silver Chair Inn, and fully intended on relaxing and enjoying her time away from London and the Magical World.
The war had ended several years ago, and while she’d joined the Ministry and made great strides in changing things for the better, Hermione still felt unfulfilled. A short relationship with Ron after the war opened her eyes to how incompatible they really were, but he seemed to feel differently and was constantly pressuring her into settling down with him.
It wasn’t that she was opposed to the idea of marriage and a family, but only with the right person. And she knew in her heart that Ron was not that person.
It was growing late after she’d eaten in a cafe down the street and she decided to call it a night a bit early so she could be up with the sun and explore the countryside. Sleeping proved fruitless, however. Not even an hour after drifting off she was awakened by the sound of a horn. It called a few times and she looked around the room to determine where it was coming from. Soon enough the noise stopped and she tried to get comfortable again. Within another hour the horn sounded again. Irritated she got out of bed and put her ears to the walls to see if one of the neighbouring rooms was the culprit. The sound didn’t last long enough for her to determine the source, though. The third time she decided it was coming from behind the applewood wardrobe and she went down to the front desk to complain to the manager about her rude neighbour, only to find out that room was currently unoccupied. After the seventh call, fuming mad, Hermione grabbed her wand, threw open the doors of the wardrobe, pushed aside some positively ancient fur coats, got tangled and fell into the wardrobe.
She braced herself, knowing she would knock her head on the back of the wardrobe but instead she fell flat into a flower bed. Pushing herself up and using her wand to syphon off the dirt and mulch she didn’t notice the other person standing nearby staring at her in shock.
“You’re a witch!” a startled male voice cried out.
“Bugger,” Hermione muttered to herself, she’d just been caught doing magic by a muggle. Hoping if she obliviated him quickly she could avoid the Ministry finding out she surveyed him and stopped, lowering her wand. He was dressed rather oddly in period clothes like he was part of a renaissance reenactment group, and by his side, he loosely held a horn.
Forgetting about him being a muggle after eyeing the horn, sleep deprived and irritated she ranted at him, “So it was YOU blowing that blasted horn all night! It’s rude to do such a thing when people are trying to sleep you know!”
“I apologise. This is the only time I can escape to this secluded part of the gardens and use the horn. And what do you mean all night? I only blow the horn a couple times once a night, hoping for Sus...one of the Pevensie’s to answer my call.”
“What do you mean only once a night? I heard you blow that blasted horn seven times in as many hours!” The name he’d said rang a bell but she dismissed it as coincidence.
“Seven times. Yes, I blew the horn and made the call the last seven nights,” the handsome young man said.
Looking around and realising this was most definitely not the Silver Chair Inn’s garden, seeing as they were surrounded by opulent flower beds and high castle walls, Hermione carefully and calmly asked, “Where am I exactly? What is your name?”
“You’re in Narnia, and I am King Caspian.”
The word Narnia triggered another flash of recognition and Hermione merely nodded. The world swayed as she thought to herself of the stories she’d heard growing up about Narnia from her nana. Exhaustion, stress, and the bizarreness of the situation soon caught up with her and as she slumped to the ground in a faint she was caught in strong arms and felt herself being carried. The last thought she had before unconsciousness took her completely was that it felt nice to be held in Caspian’s arms.
The guards looked concerned about the strange girl Caspian carried in with him from the gardens but didn’t question it when he shook his head at them and passed by, carrying the mystery girl into a room near his own chambers. Now that he could see her more clearly by lantern light he blushed, realising she was in what amounted to her underthings. He quickly tucked her into the bed and couldn’t resist gently pushing back some of the curls that had fallen into her face.
Caspian thought she looked angelic as she slept. Her wild curls were splayed out like a lion’s mane and he wondered if Aslan himself hadn’t sent her. He couldn’t bring himself to go back to his own rooms and instead pulled a chair closer to the bed to keep an eye on her throughout the night.
He understood that she was from a different world, presumably the same as the Pevensie’s had come from, and didn’t want her to be startled when she woke. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep himself, wondering about his new guest and if she could help solve the problem he currently faced.
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Light streaming in from the windows eventually fell on Hermione’s face as she slept, waking her. She found herself in a ridiculously comfortable bed and was loathe to get up for the day. Stretching she suddenly remembered the events of the previous evening. Carefully she turned to survey the room she was in and found King Caspian asleep in a chair next to the bed.
As she eyed him in the morning light she couldn’t help but admire his good looks. He looked regal even while asleep she decided. She wondered if he was the same Caspian her grandmother had told her stories about. Snuggling deeper into the bed, Hermione tried to recall all of the bedtime stories her Nana had told her about Narnia. It was always the same two adventures, and only one featured Caspian. Growing up she’d assumed they were just fairy tales her grandmother had come up with to entertain her, but now she realised they were more than likely completely true. ‘It shouldn’t be all that surprising,’ she thought to herself. ‘Magic turned out to be very real, so why am I surprised to find Narnia is real too?’
Lost in her thoughts she was a little startled to find piercing brown eyes staring curiously at her.
“Oh, er, good morning Your Majesty,” she mumbled.
He smirked a bit and nodded his head in reply.
Not able to hold in her curious nature anymore, she started firing questions at him. “Are you the Caspian? The one my grandmother told me stories about? And are we really in Narnia? Oh my gosh no wonder you reacted like that to seeing magic, I swear I’m not an evil witch like the White Witch!”
He chuckled softly and held up a hand to interrupt her. “First, can I know your name?”
“Hermione Granger.”
“Thank you, lady Hermione. I do not know who your grandmother is so I do not know what stories you have heard of myself or Narnia, or if indeed I am the same Caspian. Technically I am Caspian the Tenth.”
“You mentioned the named Pevensie last night, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I am friends with the family. Do you know them? Do you know Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy? They also have a cousin, Eustace.”
Hermione’s smile dimmed a bit. “I know Susan. She’s my maternal grandmother.”
“What of the others? How much time has passed in your world? I saw Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace just two years ago.”
Remembering that time could run very differently in Narnia from the stories she’d been told, Hermione dreaded having to tell Caspian. “They all passed away. There was a railway accident a long time ago before my mother was even born, and they all died. Nana Susan wasn’t with them so she’s the only one who’s left.”
“I see,” Caspian replied looking crushed at the information.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” she murmured, sitting up and reaching out to him helplessly. “As for how long it’s been in my world, I think Susan was seventeen last she was here?” At his nod she nodded back and did some quick math, “She’s 77 now, so it’s been 60 years.”
Swallowing his sadness and shock, he was amazed that so much time had gone by in their world and yet so little for himself. It had only been a handful of years since he’d seen his beautiful Susan, and he was disheartened to realise that she was a grandmother now, which meant she had moved on and had a family.
Hermione could tell he was upset and shocked, so she tried to change the subject. “Why were you blowing the horn? You said you’d done it seven times, once a night for a week, correct?”
“Yes, the last week. I was hoping it would call Susan back to Narnia, or maybe one of her siblings. Really anyone who can help..” he trailed off.
“I heard the horn once an hour, it was keeping me from sleeping. I was staying in an Inn you see on a vacation,” she explained. “I finally pinpointed that the noise was coming from the wardrobe...Oh, Merlin! That must be THE wardrobe, the one nana told me about in her stories!” she gushed. Shaking off her excitement she continued. “So that must mean that one day here is approximately one hour in my world right now unless it changes again... Wait, you said problem? What kind of problem?”
Caspian found her excited rambling to be rather adorable and it lifted his spirits a bit from the sad news he’d received. Unfortunately, the mention of his problem sent his spirits plummeting once more. “I’m being forced to get married.”
“That’s barbaric!” she cried in outrage.
He smiled fondly at her outrage for essentially a stranger and further explained, “I have to find a bride by my 25th birthday, in just four months, or the council will decide on one for me.”
Hermione’s hair sparked in indignation. She’d heard nothing but good things from her gran about the handsome King and was upset he would be forced to marry at all, much less have his bride picked out for him! “No, there has to be a way out of that. You shouldn’t have to get married if you’re not ready!”
“It’s in the law books lady Hermione, as King it’s vital that I marry and produce an heir to secure the kingdom.”
She blushed at that but did some quick math in her head. “My vacation is a week long, that’s 168 days here, let’s say an even one hundred to be on the safe side since I can’t verify exactly the rate of time difference, but I’m sure I can help you find a way out of this sham of a law in just over three months! We’ll get you out of this requirement and that will still give me time to figure out how to get back.” She nodded decisively, moving to get out of bed and get to work when she suddenly looked down and realised she was still in her tank top and sleep shorts from the night before. Blushing furiously but refusing to be embarrassed she held her chin high as she faced down Caspian. “I’ll need clothes, and then a look at that law and possibly a library. If there’s one thing I’m good at it’s research, your Highness.”
Caspian was merely sitting there gaping at the bold woman. He blushed slightly at her attire but was completely floored by her passionate nature and indignation on his behalf. “Stay here, I’ll send for clothing for you. You know you have no obligation to help, I-”
She glared at him fiercely, “I’m going to help you whether you like it or not. Partly because I’m stuck here until I find out how to return, and also because no one should be forced into a relationship they don’t want.”
He could sense there was something deeper to her last statement but let the matter drop and quickly excused himself, searching for a maid to get clothes for the remarkable woman who had fallen from the sky in answer to his call.
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The one hundred day deadline was fast approaching and Hermione despaired that despite all her best efforts she hadn’t found a way out of the law for Caspian. Over the three months she’d spent with him they’d become rather close, meeting every day to discuss her findings or lack thereof, and just getting to know one another. Her wand had caused quite the stir, as witches were still feared in the kingdom, and Caspian had to issue a royal proclamation that yes, Hermione was a guest of the crown, indeed she was a witch, but a good one and was currently helping the King himself. Included in the notice was that she was a descendant of Queen Susan, which assuaged most of the populaces fears. Susan was held in high regard, so a descendant was probably no one evil. It was now common knowledge that the High Kings and Queens of old were from another world related to their’s and that time passed differently between the two.
Some advisors worried he was being controlled by some nefarious spell, but eventually most came around to have a positive opinion of the woman.
At one point, about halfway until the deadline, Caspian thought that Hermione needed a break and to get out of the castle. He took her on a week long tour of the kingdom and showed her the places her grandmother had mentioned in her stories. She loathed to lose the research time but was in awe of seeing her bedtime stories come to life. Talking animals were a bit of another shock, but after being introduced to the magical world at age eleven, including magical creatures, it wasn’t that much of a shock that all these mythical creatures were real, just when so many could talk to her. She decided centaurs here were decidedly more friendly than their Earth counterparts and weren’t nearly as hung up on the stars.
She’d caused quite the stir amongst the guards when after the week tour she’d refused to ride back to the castle, utterly tired of horseback. Instead, she made a portkey and when she offered to take Caspian with her, he’d agreed, always eager to see more magic. The guards had protested despite her promises that she would return him safely. Not letting the guards stop them the pair were whisked away and the guards scrambled as fast as they could back to the castle in a panic, barely giving their horses time to rest. Two hard days of riding and they found the pair laughing in the gardens. Reluctantly impressed, the head guard asked if a person needed to have magic to use a portkey and when he found out that it could be enchanted to only need a phrase or go off at a certain time he had her make one for the King so he could always escape if the situation arose where he was captured.
During her research, she kept her eyes open for hints of how to return. She knew from Caspian himself that her family had returned to their home by Aslan’s magic the last two times they’d visited, but the first time during their reign they’d simply vanished while on the hunt for a white stag. The only accounting of the incident was a recording of Edmund’s talking horse, who said they’d been in the woods by the Lamppost. That was her only clue as to the approximate location of where the wardrobe might be found in Narnia, but that didn’t explain how she’d fallen through the wardrobe only to land at Caspian’s feet. When she discussed it with him their best guess was that it was a combination of the magic of the wardrobe and horn that had brought her directly to him.
Slamming the book that she was reading shut, albeit gently, it was a book, after all, Hermione sighed and pushed it away. She looked over at her companion as he read over her notes and she caught his eye. “Caspian, it’s no use. We’ve been over everything, three times now, and there’s just no way out of this law. I’m so sorry!” she despaired.
His heart broke a little at her sadness. He’d come to the same conclusion.
“And worse yet I’ve taken up all your time! Your birthday is in a month, that doesn’t give you any time hardly to go and find a potential wife you’d actually like, much less come to love!”
“Hermione, calm yourself. It’s not your fault. And to be honest the woman I’ve found I would choose I cannot have, so it’s a moot point. I will just have to go with what the council deems best when the time comes.”
The wild curls around her head bounced crazily as she whipped her head to look at him. “I hadn’t realised that you had someone in mind. Is it that they won’t have you? Who would refuse you?”
He smiled sadly at her, “I have not discussed it with her because she plans on leaving Narnia soon.”
“To another kingdom?”
“No, another world altogether,” he whispered, leaning over and tucking a curl behind her ear.
Tears filled her eyes as she realised what he was saying. He wanted to marry her! Over the last few months, she had fallen hard for the handsome King but never imagined her feelings would be returned. She smiled at him and cupped his face gently. “I had no idea you felt the same.”
He smiled brilliantly, happy to hear her confess her own feelings. But both of their smiles dimmed when they remembered her looming departure.
“I want to stay Caspian, I truly do, but what about my friends? My family? Gran is my only remaining family. I’d never get to say goodbye to them. I’d be leaving my whole life there…I need to think, excuse me.”
He nodded, resigned to her decision to leave him, and Narnia, but knew she would take some time to come to that conclusion herself.
Going back to her room she collapsed on the bed and cried herself to sleep.
Her sleep was restless until finally, a peaceful presence seemed to take over her fitful dreams. She was standing on a cliff overlooking the ocean, behind her Narnia stretched in all directions. Soft padding was the only audible signal that she was not alone but she wasn’t alarmed to look over and find herself facing a rather large lion. “Aslan,” she greeted him with a smile.
He smiled back in a way ordinary lions could never duplicate and butted her hand at her side. As she scratched his head and mane he spoke. “Hermione, daughter of Jean, daughter of Susan. Why are you sad my child?”
“I have to leave soon. But I don’t want to go. I’ve fallen in love with Caspian and want to stay but I know I have to return to my world soon.”
“Have to?”
“I don’t?”
“No my child, the choice has always been yours to make. You’re always welcome to stay here in Narnia. It was fated for you to come here, just as your family did. But your fate was always to make the choice to stay or leave.”
She hugged him but shook her head, “But isn’t that like giving up on my life on Earth? My friends? Grandma Susan?”
Looking out over the sea he explained, “No, it’s just choosing the life that will make you happiest. You’re not being a coward by choosing your own happiness, and you’re not abandoning your friends or family. In fact, you’re being very Gryffindor and brave to do something that not only helps you but helps Caspian as well. You’d be giving up the world you know for a new one, again, and that’s a very brave thing indeed.”
“I’d never get to say goodbye to them if I stay, though,” she replied sadly, sniffling.
Aslan was quiet for awhile before he spoke again. “I will tell you something to reassure you. You will be reunited with all of your friends and family again, eventually, in my country. The ones who are still alive and the ones who have already departed. In fact, it is because of you that Susan will go to my country when her time comes.” At her confused look, he explained. “Susan had stopped believing in Narnia and magic and grew up. It wasn’t until she had a grandchild, you, that she saw magic in the everyday world again. And when you discovered you were a witch and she knew that actual magic was real even in that world she was fully redeemed and has my blessing to join her siblings and family when the time comes. Only those who are magical or believe in the magic of life can come into my country.”
Hermione was happy to hear that her family would be reunited again, eventually, including her parents, but was still saddened by her looming choice.
“If it helps, I can grant you a day in your world to say your goodbyes, my child.”
Hermione looked at Aslan in shock, “You’d do that for me?”
He merely smiled and nodded. “Yes. You’re right that time flows very differently between the two worlds. But for this occasion, I can promise that one day there will equal one day here.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful! I can never thank you enough!” she exclaimed as she hugged him and kissed his head. “Will I find the wardrobe by the lamppost?”
He nodded again and her dream started to fade. “Be well my child.”
As she woke up she was both nervous of her decision, but terribly excited as well. She raced off to inform Caspian. She knew it would be hard to say all of her goodbyes to her loved ones and make her explanations in only one day, but at least they would all have closure rather than her just disappearing, and she would be at peace knowing they knew she was happy and loved. Having the knowledge that they would all one day be reunited in Aslan’s country also reassured her that this was the right decision.
She found Caspian in his rooms and didn’t give him time to react other than to catch her as she jumped at him and hugged him tightly. “I’m staying. I choose you. We have a journey to make, but you’re my choice, now and always.”
He lit up at her words and spun her around. Setting her down he gazed into her eyes to be sure, cupped her face and kissed her gently on the lips. “Then will you do the honour of marrying me, my love?”
She beamed at him, “Yes.”