Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters no matter how much I wish I owned Draco or rather was owned by him ;)...Moving on. After pouring through several stories I have decided to venture in Tomione. It is a serious story. It disregards the epilogue and starts from where the war ends. Reviews are much appreciated...
I have made some changes. The previous version Hermione felt very mushy, also I didn't want her to trust Dumbledore. Please take a minute to re-read this before you venture further. Also anyone interested to be a beta?
"The thing that was hidden in the snitch," he began, "I dropped it in the forest. I don't know exactly where, but I'm not going to go looking for it again. Do you agree?"
"My dear boy, I do" said Dumbledore, while his fellow pictures looked confused and curious. "A wise and courageous decision, but no less than I would have expected of you. Does anyone else know where it fell?"
"No one," said Harry and Dumbledore nodded his satisfaction. (Page 846, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)
Hermione listened to the conversation with a mounting sense of dread and spoke up, "Harry...Professor...I don't think that's a good idea. In the wrong hands, it might prove to be dangerous. You don't want Voldemort to find some twisted way to torture us from beyond the grave if the stone is found by his followers."
Ron chuckled quietly and said, "Hermione, we just won the war. Can you at least not think of the next doomsday for 2 hours?"
Hermione gave him a scathing look, "I don't expect you to understand the gravity of the situation Ron, but it is integral that we stop something before it can start. If death eaters start regrouping citing the orders of Voldemort from the stone, do you want another war? Haven't we lost enough to become proactive. Besides death eaters may have apparated out being the cowards that they are, but their spawns are still roaming around."
Ron flushed red while Harry replied, "Hermione, no one knows where it fell. Besides I doubt that anyone would know what it is even if they found it. Besides I don't want to keep it as it's sure a down trodden path to temptations which lead to self-destruction." He was vividly able to recall meeting his mother and Marauders few hours ago, and the urge to apologize to each one of them over and over again was overwhelming.
Hermione shuffled and winged her hands agitatedly and looked up to find Professor Dumbledore peering at her curiously over his half-moon spectacles. He asked, "Ms. Granger, what is it that still plagues you? Your opinions matter a lot."
Hermione looked up at him and paused before speaking. Had Dumbledore spoken these words a year ago, she would have been flattered and blushed at being recognized, but now she regarded him as a person who had made grave errors in his life and left teenagers with half-information to fight the war, all for the "greater good". She hadn't shared her thoughts with Harry or Ron, for she was not sure they would share her sentiments, but with time she had come to resent Dumbledore more and more.
She looked at Harry and continued, "The artifact is not only one of the three most potent magical creations rumored to beat death, but it has also been passed on through generations in the family of one of the founders. The magic it contains must be potent enough to not get destroyed with the destruction of a Horcrux. Also, do you have any idea, the number of magical imprints it might carry of all the wearers? If you were able to use it in its broken state, then do you really think such an object would lie somewhere hidden among mud and pebbles in the dingy corner of a forest?"
Harry and Ron both looked uneasy and thoughtful.
Hermione carried on, "It will be a siren's call for rescue, and just as people sought the Elder wand, they will be attracted towards it. We need to find it and safeguard it in a place where no one else can access it or destroy it if you please. We don't need to use it but imagine if it falls in the hand of any person with a misguided notion who wants to continue Voldemort's work and decides to conjure up him or any of the followers."
"I agree", Ron spoke up, "we need to at least pick it up and keep it somewhere safe."
Hermione looked at him and when their eyes met, Ron looked down blushing. Hermione felt strange standing there thinking back to sometime ago, when they kissed. She felt unsure of her feelings but decided to ponder upon them later, after taking care of immediate problems in hand.
Harry ran a hand through his mussed-up hair and concurred, "I agree with you Hermione. Although I don't think anyone will recognize it when they see it, we cannot be 100% sure. Let's go search for it."
Hermione turned to Harry and said, "Harry, you should stay here and decide on what you want to do with the wand. I know you will be sentimental, but I want to you to think with a clear head about the power you are wielding and its ramifications before you do anything foolhardy. Ron and I will go look for it, if you can tell us the tentative directions."
Harry cracked a smile and nodded his head. He gave them the exact spot he had last discarded it. They left him there to consult with both the previous headmasters and started walking down the stairs.
As they passed outside the Great Hall, they could still hear the jubilation. Hermione albeit happy at the outcome, felt a heaviness settle in her bones. The taste of all the lives lost was still lingering in the hair. The metallic smell of blood she still teasing them, while around them the ground was red. While Ron walked unsteadily, with the recent loss of Fred weighing him down, Hermione walked with a purposeful stride, just as she had led the Horcrux hunt.
They reached the edge of the forest, the direction where Harry had pointed.
"Accio Resurrection Stone!", Ron tried with his wand. Nothing happened. He looked at Hermione's raised eyebrows and shrugged, "it was worth a try." She smiled at his idiocy as they lit their wands and started searching the grounds.
As they ventured into the deeper part, Ron called out suddenly, "Hermione! Look there," and started sprinting towards the direction he pointed. She looked up and saw a bright light which cast a reddish hue and immediately followed Ron. As they neared a clearing, they came across a ghastly sight. There at the edge lay the stone surrounded by blood which was highlighted in the unearthly light it was shedding. And in the light, they saw a hand marred by the dark mark holding a wand vanishing within the stone. Without a second's thought, Hermione cried out, "Expelliarmus" and the wand flew to her hand. The hand which almost vanished was glowing in a contrasting green, as it got completely sucked in by the stone. The light dimmed all of a sudden and all that was left was the broken stone.
"What was that? We need to take it to Harry immediately. Maybe Dumbledore can help us," cried out Ron. He ran towards the stone. Hermione who was rooted to the spot but as saw Ron bending down to pick up the stone she came out of her stupor and shouted, "Ron, don't touch it!"
Ron looked up at her while she joined him. He was visibly shaking with the thought of the next doom awaiting them, while she too had fear and uncertainty written all over her face.
She told him, "We don't know what happened. What if you too get sucked in if you touch it? We need to think clearly. The war is over. Voldemort is dead. There is nothing to panic. This is something else. I am sure between Dumbledore and Snape, they will be able to help us out and explain this." She felt that her words were hallow as she didn't trust either of her Professors, but Ron seemed to relax a little.
Hermione started levitating the stone and they head back to the castle. They slipped in through the gates and immediately sprinted towards the stairs and reached the headmaster's office. They came running into the office with the stone flying in front of them and found Harry standing there with his own wand, while the elder wand was lying on the table.
He turned towards them, smiled and said, "I repaired my wand. I am going to place the elder wand in Dumbledore's tomb again." He noticed their faces and spoke up, "What happened? What's wrong?"
Hermione looked at Ron and towards Harry, speaking with a tremble in her voice, "We found it surrounded by blood. It was emitting an unnatural light and we just saw the hand of a death eater vanishing. And then it just stopped. I don't know how is this possible. It's a resurrection stone which can call the soul of a person, not a portal."
Harry's eyes widened, and he too helplessly looked at Dumbledore, who was staring at it pensively. Hermione levitated the stone towards the table and placed it next to the wand there. She placed the wand she had acquired from the hand next to it. All three of them wore a similar mask of worry as they looked at their professors for some advice as to what happened.
Dumbledore spoke up slowly, "I can't really help you as this is the first time I am hearing of this. The stone has no malicious properties. It must have been enchanted with another spell that is strong enough to mix its magic with that of the stone's."
Suddenly the stone started vibrating and started emitting a similar red light. Ron was rooted to the spot behind Hermione, while Harry was transfixed at its sight. An unearthly eerie music poured out from the stone. Harry moved towards it with outstretched hands as if in a trance. Hermione saw his face and cried out, "Harry, stop! Don't touch it!" She saw in vain as her words didn't register with Harry, who possessed a blank look on his face. She turned towards Ron, who immediately came up and held Harry tightly from behind. Harry started struggling to be let free with hands still outstretched. The stone's vibrations intensified, and it suddenly leapt up in the air and flew towards Harry's hands. Just as it was about to reach his hands, Hermione caught hold of it. She cried out in pain and clutched her right hand. There was a blinding pain as if something was being burned into her and then suddenly the pain stopped. She opened her palms and found that she could not remove the stone from her hand as if it was stuck there. Surrounding the stone, a circular brand was etched into her skin and it read, "Plexus magicae apud tempus et locus autem vincere".
Harry seemed to be coming back to his sense, as he shook his head and saw Hermione's hand. His momentary confusion turned to full-blown panic and both Ron and Harry tried to pry the stone out of her hand.
"Don't worry Hermione, we will get you out of this," shouted Harry to a dumbstruck Hermione, who got the feeling that a paramount shift was about to happen. She realized that their efforts were futile as the stone was stuck to her palm and had started glowing again.
Ron cried out, "Hermione!", while staring at her feet. As she looked down she could see her feet vanishing into air like ashes flowing away. With panic-stricken eyes she looked up and met Dumbledore's eyes and an unsaid understanding passed between them.
Harry looked up and snarled, "Hermione please say something. How can we stop this? Try something."
Ron was clutching at her hands tightly as if that would hold her back.
Curbing her fears, she told them calmly, "We don't have much time Harry. This magic is tempered to mate with time and space. I don't know for sure, but it seems I will be following our death eater friend. I will find him, and I will find my way back. I promise."
Ron turned towards her and was in her face, "Hermione no! You are not going anywhere. Why did you have to touch it! Please!" She turned towards Harry, who had a broken look in his face. She had to assure him before time ran out.
She said, "Harry, don't beat yourself over this. Listen to me carefully. I will find my way back. I know you both won't rest till you find a way to bring me back. The Latin words translate to 'Interwoven Magic with Time and Space will Conquer'."
Harry looked at her resolutely. Her lower half had already vanished. He quickly took out his invisibility cloak and thrust it into her outstretched hands. He spoke with determination, "Wherever you are, you stay alive. No need to go after anyone. We will come get you."
Hermione looked down at her hands which started fading and she felt an intense pain shooting within her. It started intensifying so much till she could feel nothing but the pain. Her last look before her eyes were shut with darkness was a panicked Ron who was helplessly trying to stop her and Harry whose desperation marred his entire feature.
She tightly closed her eyes and let the pain and darkness consume her. She again heard the eerie music from a distance. It increased in intensity till she felt that the voice was coming from within her. She could feel her entire being vibrating with every cell undergoing a temporal transformation. She felt a pain worse than the Cruciatus. Soon the music and the pain reached its peak and she cried out noiselessly. As suddenly as it began, it stopped, and she was thrown on the hardwood floor.
Her entire being was paining and she could feel her heart flutter against her chest in a mad tandem. Somewhere far off she registered footsteps nearing, but she could not open her eyes. She felt a soft material in her hands, and recalled Harry thrusting the invisibility cloak at her.
She felt for her beaded bag hooked to her belt, a safety measure she had undertaken during their travels. She quickly draped the invisibility cloak over herself and rolled towards a chair. She heard the sound of a door being opened and saw the shuffling of feet in her periphery as she slowly opened her eyes.
A potbellied man scuffled in tightening his night coat around his waist. He held his wand aloft and looked around. Hermione had no clue whether he was a friend or foe but looking around she realized she was still in the headmaster's office. If she had any qualms regarding the 'travel through time and space' part, looking at the pristine condition of the office, much different than what she saw minutes ago, cleared any such notion.
"Must be someone trying to get through the floo…why can't they let us be to sleep…stupid wards going off at ungodly hours. I am doing Pringle's duties…," the man muttered to himself.
Hermione surmised he must be the current headmaster, but she didn't wait to find around more lest she find herself locked here. When the man was bent over checking the fireplace, she wobbled pass him, trying to make as little noise as possible, despite the pain shooting through her limbs.
She slipped out of the door and started making her way to the seventh floor. Despite the physical pain and the mental upheaval looking at everything intact, she didn't stop till reached the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. She did a double take once she stood in front of the wall. This was were she almost lost her life few hours ago. The fiendfyre had almost crashed in on the trio as they looked for Ravenclaw's diadem.
She could feel herself heaving and sweating. As she felt darkness edge her way, she mustered all her strength and walked past the stretch of wall three times asking for cozy place to rest and recuperate with access to books and latest news. She was not sure if the room could provide that but she was willing to take her chances.
A door appeared, and she entered what appeared to be a replica of Gryffindor common room. She wondered if the magic of the room could understand the essence of a person and bring forth their wishes suitably. She swiftly locked it while a hint of a smile ghosted on her lips, due to the overt familiarity and feeling of 'home'.
In front of the warm fire, she found a huge couch stuffed with pillows and a warm comforter. There was a table in front of it where she placed her cloak and bag. Only then she realized she didn't have the stone with me. She couldn't recall ever having the stone in her hands since she woke up. She surmised just as the previous time, the stone stayed backed after gobbling her self for her friends to figure out the mystery.
The weariness caught up with and she was about to collapse on the couch when she noticed the Daily Prophet placed at the side table.
A part of her was highly sceptical trying to delay the inevitable, what is one evening of rest going to cause, when every was messed up already. She still steeled herself and picked up the paper. Although staring at the news of an attack on a muggleborn family raised her hopes of being around the right time, they were quickly squashed as she saw the mention of Gillert Grindelwald.
She slowly brought her eyes up to the top edge of the page, gearing to see the date. Despite all the trials and tribulations, nothing could have prepared Hermione Granger to find herself at Hogwarts on August 4th, 1943.