When Hermione woke, she felt different, pain no longer tormented her. Her curiosity got the best of her. She seemed to be at a crossroads, the paths made of beaten, dusty earth, dark trees looming over her from every side, making her suspicious.

She swallowed hard. Don't cry, she thought. Am I really dead?

Standing there looking like an idiot wasn't going to solve anything, so she walked on, hiding her wand. She blinked, she was at the same place they had been camping, the Forest of Dean, yet turning to apparate resulted in... nothing. She didn't feel any wards, though, and the light was all... wrong. The place was strangely silent. This wasn't truly the Forest of Dean.

I don't like this, she thought. Is this what death is like?

"Not quite. We never really die.", she froze at the soft voice behind her and fingered her wand. Not a Muggle, then. She was certain she hadn't voiced her thoughts. The presence didn't feel hostile either. "That's because I'm not." Right. Because this isn't freaky at all. "Bit sarcastic, I see." Who are you? Hermione started to turn, but found she couldn't. "You may call me Qui-Gon." Hermione sighed.

That's a bit of a curious name, but I'm really not one to talk. "Indeed." You're not human, are you? Only silence answered her. Did you bring me here?

"Yes. Unless you'd rather become one with everything sooner rather than later. That can easily be arranged." Ahumm... "Good. We can now begin to prepare you for your next great adventure." Now you sound like Dumbledore. May I turn now?

She could and she did so.

The entity appeared as a tall blue eyed man. His brownish hair was partially bound, while the rest flowed past his shoulders, a beard and a moustache graced his kind looking face. He used brown leather boots and throusers, and a sort of kimono, along with a brown cowled robe. He had a metallic cilinder in his left hand, which couldn't be a wand, but Hermione was keeping her mind open to such a possibility, no matter how improbable.

"You do well, being careful." She arched an eyebrow. "You never know when someone might want to decapitate you or carve an insult on your arm." Hermione simply stared and gripped her wand tighter. "You have been called here for a reason, young one." Care to share what my next greatest adventure is going to be? "Well... in a galaxy far far away, there is or was a young slave boy who grew obssessed with a young girl named Padme, who so happened to be Queen of Naboo at the time. Unfortunately, this obssession grew into love." Hermione waited for an elaboration and, when it didn't come, she finally spoke aloud.

"And that is bad... why? What's so wrong with such a thing?"

"He will suffer an even greater loss, which will make him fear losing such a love, and in his efforts to avoid such a thing, he will turn dark."

Hermione lowered her eyes and observed a reddish leaf right in front of her.

"Darkness doesn't necessarily mean evil. What do you mean with dark? And... you are talking about the past and the future like... I can't tell if you consider them set in stone... or not.", she muttered, and sighed. "Am I supposed to embark on some crusade, here? I'm guessing this love is either forbidden or going to make a lot of other people utterly miserable, or I wouldn't be here, right?"

"Both, actually", answered Qui-Gon.

"How... nice.", she paused. "What is Mr. Mistery like?"

"Caring and compassionate. However, some would say the emotional bonds he forms with others are too strong and cloud his judgement. He fears loss."

"Everybody fears loss, in some degree or another.", she cleared her throat. "So... why me?"

"You are strong, brilliant, adaptable... and a wielder of Magic. Or so they call it, in your world." He smiled. "We call it the Force."

"Who is we."

"The Jedi."

"You... you want me to... interact with this person and do what? Make him not fall in love with a Queen?", she rolled her eyes. "Like I can compete with that."

"Your qualities surpass the Queen's. And you are strong willed enough to handle the Jedi council. And so selfless."

"I am not selfless."

"Then why did you sacrifice your life to save the Boy-who-Lived-and-just-wouldn't-die?"

Because I loved him like a brother. Because I'd rather he lived than... Harry sacrificed so much.

"So did you. And now... it's time for you to change what was."

"Terrible things have happened to the wizards who meddled with Time."

"You won't be meddling with Time, and I'm not a wizard. Now. We shall begin your lessons."