This is dedicated to my sister LadyLapisLazuli, who has been hounding me mercilessly to update, and without whose erm…assistance…this story would probably not exist.

Jealousy

The next morning, Eragon rose early and went to the tent where the captives had spent the night. He greeted the guard, who nodded tiredly in recognition.

"Little blighters kept up a fine racket all night," he informed Eragon wearily. "Wailing and shouting and crashing like you wouldn't believe. If it weren't for my orders…" he trailed off menacingly.

"You did well," Eragon told him calmly. "You may go now, I shall see to them." The man smiled gratefully and trudged off to his bed. Cautiously, Eragon opened the tent door and walked inside.

It seemed that the soldier had spoken true. What had once been a small spare tent now looked like a hurricane had passed through it. Chairs had been flung around, and the bed had been upended and the covers strewn around. The fabric of the walls had been clawed and pulled, and Eragon noticed a patch of scuffed dirt on the floor by the wall, where it appeared the captives had attempted to dig their way out.

The three were gathered in the centre of the room. Their shoulders were hunched, and they looked utterly miserable. They did not notice their visitor. Eragon cleared his throat, and they whirled around, startled.

"Do not fear," Eragon soothed the frightened captives. "It is only me."

"Oh, that's comforting," Ron snarled sarcastically. "We were so worried it was someone else."

"Ronald!" Hissed Hermione, elbowing him in the side.

"What?"

"Shut up!"

"What if I don't want to? Since when are you in charge anyway?"

"You're not making this any easier, Ron."

"Well maybe if you…"

Eragon cleared his throat again. Ron and Hermione fell silent, abashed. Eragon smiled briefly.

"As you may see," he began, "You have arrived at a rather inconvenient moment. We have just been engaged in battle, and our hospitality is not quite what it might otherwise be. I believe that your intentions are innocent, and you may be assured that no harm will come to you while you are under my protection. However, we must now decide what we are to do with you." He paused, and looked up at the captives expectantly.

"We need to get home!" Harry snarled. "Why are you keeping us here like this? We haven't done anything…" he was cut of abruptly as Hermione stomped on his foot.

"What are our options, sir?" she asked meekly, shooting a warning glance at Harry.

"Please, just Eragon," he insisted gently. "I am afraid there are not many options. We will, of course, attempt to find a way to send you back to your own world, but that could take months of research, and it is not certain that we will succeed. Nothing of this nature has ever occurred before in recorded history. In the meantime, what are you to do now? Until we find a solution to your…predicament, we must find somewhere for you to go. Our company departs tomorrow for the city of Aberon. You can travel with us that far, but where will you go afterwards? We are still engaged in a war."

Hermione swallowed nervously, and glanced at her companions before speaking. "Is there any way we could help you?" She asked nervously. "There must be some way we could be useful." Harry and Ron stared at her, but she avoided their gaze determinedly.

Eragon looked at her thoughtfully. "We are always in need of more people to help," he said slowly. "And I believe you will not betray us. You can use magic, can you not?"

"We can in our own world," she said, "but our wands don't work here."

"Wands? You do not need wands to perform magic. You can easily learn how to harness your magical power without a wand. If you are willing, I will secure a teacher for you."

Hermione smiled shyly. "Could we have a few moments to talk about it?" she asked.

"Very well," said Eragon. "I will leave you for a while to discuss my proposition. Do you require any refreshments in the meantime?"

"Yes!" Ron interrupted, before Hermione could open her mouth. "We haven't had any breakfast, and that dinner you gave us was pitiful! I'm starving!"

If Eragon was taken aback at this rudeness, he gave no sign. He said calmly, "I will have one of the soldiers bring you breakfast. I ask that, for the moment, you remain in this tent. I must consult with Lady Nasuada, but I shall return to speak with you as soon as time and duty allow." With those words, he left. Hermione looked after him, her mouth slightly open as though surprised.

"What's up with you?" Ron demanded, looking rather annoyed.

"What? Nothing!" She snapped. "So, what do you two think? I think we should help him."

"He says he trusts us, but how do we know we can trust him?" asked Harry slowly.

"I trust him," said Hermione simply. "It isn't as though we really have a choice. What harm can it do?"

Harry shook his head. "Well, before I make any commitments, I want to know more about him. What's this war they've been in, for instance?"

Ron scowled darkly. "I can't believe you two are even considering this," he spat.

"What is your problem, Ron?" Hermione shouted at him. "You've been so rude ever since we arrived here! Can't you just grow up?"

"Come on. I've seen the way you look at him." Ron hissed angrily.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she shrieked. "You're just jealous of him!"

"Why would I be jealous of a scumbag like that?"

"This is exactly how you acted with Victor. I thought you'd grown up since then! Obviously, I was wrong." Hermione glared at him furiously, and stalked over to a corner of the tent, where she sat down with her back to the room. Ron did the same in the opposite corner. Harry was left standing in the middle of the room, pondering what had possessed his friends to become so childlike.