Author's Note: Welcome! First few chapters are shorter than the latest chapters. They start to increase in size as we go along.

Edited on 22/03/2016, beta'ed by ThisVioletofMine!

Hermione was standing, lips pursed and eyes cast in a glare at everybody else in the room. "No." She stated, not even offering any explanation to her decision. It was unlike her to not question it further or find out more information before responding- especially to something of this magnitude.

Professor McGonagall had obviously expected that answer as her expression did not change in the slightest. "Hermione-"

"Nothing you can say will make me agree. Bad things happen to people who meddle with time. Not to mention the ripple effect," Hermione interrupted.

Professor McGonagall nodded. "I understand that completely. This isn't an easy decision to make or even to consider, but after an extensive amount of research-"

"What research?" Hermione interrupted the Professor again, more out of curiosity than anything else.

McGonagall silently observed Hermione for a few moments, as if debating asking her to do this after all. "I personally finished the research, examined it and looked into all of the theories. I've finalised all of the details to ensure it is necessary and would not cause any unjust danger. Dumbledore began the research; his research spanned over ten years- it's almost foolproof."

"But we've defeated Voldemort! He's dead!" Hermione protested, knowing the reasoning behind it, but still hoping to find a crack in the Professor's reasoning.

Professor McGonagall nodded. "Indeed he is- along with hundreds of other wizards and muggles. It was prophesied that Harry would destroy Voldemort as a child- as a baby. However, because of the Horcruxes, that was not possible."

"Wait, so you want me to travel back in time and destroy them just so that he's dead for sure. But Harry's parents will still die and Harry will be brought up by his horrible aunt and uncle?" Hermione asked.

The Professor shook her head. "Mostly, you are to betray them or at least take the blame. Sirius could raise him. But the most important thing is to make sure that Voldemort dies on that night. And, no, it won't be you destroying them. You'll just make sure that Dumbledore has all the information he needs."

"This is ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!" Hermione said, sitting down in the chair she had previously vacated.

"A near massacre, the first major strike by the Death Eaters, was of about fifty people- only five survived," Professor McGonagall instantly started to explain. "They were all placed there under security, from different countries, and some were Muggleborns and their parents. That is where you're going to go. You'll be eleven-"

"Eleven?" Hermione interrupted.

"Allow me to finish," Professor McGonagall said before continuing. "It will be presumed that your parents were killed. You have to make sure you don't die then, so as soon as you get there, hide. When they find you, remain silent. Nobody can know you're from the future at all. Nobody. Due to the scar on your arm, you'll have to remain Muggleborn." She took a breath.

"Before you go, you'll take a potion and I'll have to perform an incantation. This will evidently turn you eleven again; recently-turned eleven. This would make you one of the younger students of the year instead of one of the oldest. Due to the spell, every injury you received between you being eleven and now will reopen or reappear…"

"What?!" Hermione asked, wide-eyed.

"You will be in the same year as James Potter and Lily Evans. It would be easier for you to make friends with them," Professor McGonagall continued, ignoring the younger girl's horror. "Any questions?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "You want me to take a potion that will make me seven years younger and could possibly kill me, send me to the past, which could possibly kill me… into a house with Death Eaters who could possibly kill me… to lose everything I've ever had, just so that I can slip information to Dumbledore while I am at Hogwarts, redoing my Hogwarts life. So Voldemort dies during the first attack on Harry, where Harry will lose his parents anyway?" She asked.

The Professor nodded.

"What would happen when I turned up in Harry's first year again?" She asked.

The Professor sighed solemnly. "That's where the difficult part for you comes: when the younger you is born, you need to strip her… you... of powers. There's a potion you must make sure the baby drinks and an incantation you will need to perform."

"And then I'll never be a witch," Hermione said sadly.

"You have to understand that this needs to happen. The course of history has changed. Voldemort was supposed to die on that Hallows night, but he didn't."

Hermione looked up, her attention and reasoning changed.

"This needs to happen, and you are the only one who can do it. You were close enough to everything- the war and Harry. You understand everything and you will never be recognised."

"Do you know how crazy you sound right now?" Hermione retorted, before adding a polite, "Professor." She groaned. She didn't want to lose everything she had made of herself- also, she knew about the past- and that was dangerous. "I am not the right person for this; I know too much, so I could easily slip up and cause drastic changes. Not to mention the time anomalies."

McGonagall sighed. "I am not going to force you to do this, Hermione. But so many lives were lost before their time- so many children will never grow into the bright young witches and wizards they were meant to become."

Hermione looked down; she knew she would probably regret agreeing, but she would regret it more if she didn't agree. If she had the chance to save hundreds of innocents, she felt like she had the responsibility to at least take it. Her eyes darted around, taking in everything around her. "Fine, I'll do it." She agreed reluctantly. She mentally said goodbye to Ron and Harry- she knew she couldn't do it face to face. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

Pain. Pain. More Pain. That's all Hermione felt after drinking the potion. She felt her bones moving- shrinking, but, most annoyingly, her head felt like it was about to explode. The sound of McGonagall's voice was ringing deafeningly in her ears; she attempted to listen to her, to ground herself, but failed quite miserably. Pain. Her blood was boiling- was that normal?

Hermione felt everything and nothing at the same time; she couldn't explain the feeling- not even to herself. Suddenly, everything went black. The feeling of falling- or was it flying?- became overwhelming. She couldn't work out what was up or down, much less where she was; was she in the present? The past? What was the year?

Suddenly, after what seemed like hours, she slammed down onto a hard, bloodsoaked floor. Pain. Hermione's ears were ringing, debilitating her, but she thought that she heard something through the cacophony of chaotic noise: footsteps. Then a voice uttered one small word: Crucio. Once again, Hermione was thrown into an immense amount of pain. The excruciating agony was, thankfully, short-lived for some reason; the Death Eater stopped after a few short moments.

Hermione attempted to take a deep breath, but it came out as a cry of pain. Her mind was so hazy that she couldn't focus on anything or even push herself into a seated position. She felt somebody touch her shoulder and instantly recoiled, expecting pain, but it didn't come. Slowly opening her eyes, she attempted to focus on her surroundings, which took a lot of effort. Eventually she became aware that she was looking at Moody- but he looked different... younger. As her focus slowly started to return, she couldn't help but stare at him, not noticing other Aurors filling the place as he moved toward her. His lips were moving and she pushed herself to sit up, but her eyes blurred suddenly and blackness overtook her vision.

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