Hermione was certain that this would be her end, left to the mercy of death eaters, which would be non-existent. Maybe they would let her live if she was a pureblood, but muggleborns had no place in their world. An ironic world where the son of a muggle was their leader. It wasn't worth being sad about, after all, she wasn't the one in control.

If only Harry had won.

"Hermione." A voice whispered from outside her cell. A white blond boy stood with her beaded bag and wand in hand, a sad look on his face. "You have to stop them."

"How?" Hermione asked, rushing forward to feel his skin under her fingertips. "You know the prophecy. It's all over."

"Snape found a way to send you back." Draco whispered, reaching past the bars to cup Hermione's face. He thrust the wand and bag into her hands, a tear falling down his face. "Go live in a world where you can be happy. Back before any of this started."

"In a world without you?" She asked, tears falling down her cheeks. "I can't do that." She breathed, her heart breaking.

"Neither can I." Draco admitted, his voice cracking.

"I love you." Hermione panted, her voice desperate. She pressed a kiss to his lips through the bars, not holding anything back. This could, and most likely would, be the first and last time she could tell Draco she loved him. "I love you."

"I love you too Maia." He spoke, his voice barely a whisper.

With a swift flick of his wand, Hermione felt herself being wrenched from the cell, pulled away from Draco who was duelling with a group of death eaters.

"No." Hermione yelled as Draco's body fell in a flash of green light. The world turning black.

CHAPTER 1

Hermione had only been allowed out of the hospital wing several weeks after she had arrived unexpectedly in the past, though she was only awake for a few days of it. Her assumed name had been easily chosen, Maia Germain, although she knew that she would have trouble keeping her appearance as unassuming as possible in the event that she could not change the timeline as she had been instructed to do so by Draco Malfoy, who had been the one to send her back. Professor Dumbledore gladly handed over a very interesting book on transfiguration to aid her in subtly changing her appearance so that she would only seem like a distant relative of her future self and not a clone. She subdued her unruly mess of hair into soft silky auburn locks before growing it out so that it sat an inch or two past her waist. Her eye colour was changed to a deep indigo, a suggestion made by the old wizard. If she had one feature that stood out above all else, the rest of her appearance may fade from people's memories. Other than a subtle change in her cheekbones and jawline, she remained unaltered, glad for the permanence of the spells she had used to do so, though they weren't exactly legal to perform, sitting in the grey area between approved and forbidden.

She quickly found herself being sorted into Gryffindor and informed that she would not be sharing a dormitory with the sixth year students but would be supplied her own room so that her abundance of scars would not cause any problems. She had been offered for them to be removed with a wave of a wand but she quickly disagreed. They weren't normal scars but inflicted with many different dark curses. Her skin would be marred for the rest of her life and there was no way to remove them, even simple and complex glamours alike having no effect on them.

And so she found herself stood in Dumbledore's office, her affairs in order and her new identity perfectly crafted. But there was still one last thing Dumbledore requested of her.

"Miss Germain, there is a ritual, considered rather dark and unknown by the ministry however I believe that it will lend perfectly to our advantage." He pulled a letter from a drawer in his desk and handed it to Maia, a rather apprehensive look on his face. It was short, aggravatingly so.

Professor Dumbledore,

Though you have no reason to do as I ask, I would request of you to procure a vial of blood from a pureblood male and a forest nymph female and keep them until the time is right. A ritual will need to be performed and you will know when the time is right to perform it.

I trust that you will soon realise just how far this letter has travelled to be in your possession. Please take that knowledge as certainty that this is of the utmost importance.

A well-wisher.

"I received this letter many years ago, and after studying it learnt that it came from many years in the future." Dumbledore explained, the knowing twinkling in his eyes emerging. "I believe that this letter was sent for me to prepare for your arrival."

Maia simply nodded, not tearing her eyes away from the all too familiar handwriting of an older Professor Snape. Clearly Dumbledore hadn't realised who the letter had come from but it could only be a good thing. If he knew who it was from, especially while the sender was studying the dark arts, he may have never believed that he was truly going to help.

"What ritual is it that you need me to do?" Maia asked, folding the letter and handing it back to the ageing professor.

"A blood ritual, that will change your magical core and possibly certain aspects of your appearance, though it will not render your spellwork needless." He explained. "It will make you, for all intents and purposes the child of a pureblood and a nymph. Your appearance will only change because your blood will change."

"It would erase all signs of me being a muggleborn?" She asked, though it wasn't really a question.

"Indeed it will, but I will not force you into this. The other changes were necessary; however, this will only solidify what we have done so far." He spoke, awaiting Maia's response.

She thought it over for several minutes, debating the thought of removing her parents from her very existence. She would not share their blood, and she now barely shared their features. She would be turning her back on everything she had known for the last seventeen years. But if Professor Snape sent this letter, who she had recently discovered was not in fact a death eater but had orchestrated the plan to send her back, then he would have not sent such a letter back in time on a whim. The amount of magic that it would take to accomplish such a thing and the energy that it would drain would not have been worth simply a further precaution. It was something he believed was necessary for her survival in a foreign time. Despite their hostile past, he had done something she would have believed impossible and so she placed her whole trust in the man. A man that had devoted his life to keeping Harry safe, and in the process keeping her safe too. This was the man that had used a counter curse during Harry's first quidditch game and the man that had stood between her and a werewolf.

"I'll do it Professor." Maia agreed, finally breaking the silence in the room.

"Very well." The professor smiled. He procured a wooden box from the back of his office and a rather thick and weathered tome before leading her through the castle, onto the grounds and deep into the forbidden forest, not at all worried by the existence of many dangerous creatures that called the forest home. Though if she were as powerful a wizard as Albus Dumbledore then she wouldn't be too worried either. They eventually reached an old ruin, covered in vines and moss and many white budding flowers. It was a large circle of pillars, some of which had crumbled away leaving some of them more stumps than pillars. He tenderly placed the box on the ground and removed the contents. A silver bowl with a ring of runes carved delicately around the outer rim. A dagger made of the same metal, carrying the same runes. Three vials, one filled with a silvery liquid and two filled with blood. Several different herbs and a red feather. It was all rather curious but she knew that it was integral to the ritual he had mentioned.

Maia walked closer to inspect the ingredients. The feather was that of a Phoenix, most likely Fawkes who had been sleeping on his perch during their meeting. The silvery liquid could be anything but quite possibly contained unicorn blood or maybe some hairs, there were few other things she could think of that would make a liquid that colour, and most could not be used in a potion. She could not identify the herbs as they were ground and contained in small jars. The runes of the bowl and dagger were just as foreign to her, possibly not the runes she had been taught in her own time but a long forgotten language that had faded from memory.

Dumbledore placed the feather into the bowl, waving his wand over it while muttering a long incantation that he read from the tome. He next poured the vials of blood over the feather, speaking a different incantation and performing a different complex wand movement. The herbs were added next, one scent notified Maia that one of the ingredients was bergamot, though the others remained a mystery. Another incantation was cast, the silver liquid was added and another incantation was spoken.

"Miss Germain." Dumbledore beckoned, the silver dagger in his hand. Maia unquestioningly walked over and kneeled on the other side of the bowl from the professor. He took her right hand and made a deep cut across her palm and then submerged it into the bowl. Expecting pain, Maia bit her lip as she did so but was surprised by the soothing warmth that met her wound. Dumbledore performed a long spell and another complicated wand movement which he repeated over and over, though Maia could not know how long.

She felt the warmth spread up her arm and through the rest of her body. What was once soothing quickly became a sharp heat that began to burn her from the inside. It was like she was under the cruciatus curse again and she didn't try to hold back the intense scream that ripped from her throat. Slowly, the burning began to cool into a cold freezing sensation. It was strange, being able to feel her blood change. Her skin began to feel cold as she noticed a slight green hue take to her skin, though this was not a temporary product of the ritual. This would be permanent.

When the ritual was finally over, Maia removed her hand from the bowl only to note that she was no longer cold and her cut hand was perfectly healed, not even a scar or a red irritation on her skin.

"I was not expecting such a drastic change." Dumbledore admitted, noting Maia's skin. It was the only thing that had changed, though she knew that it would suit her new eye and hair colour beautifully. It was not an obvious green but a subtle colour that would not go unnoticed but not look too out of place among her classmates.

"Thank you professor." Maia smiled, trying to hold in the need to cry, the shock of all that had happened since the few hours she had been awake was finally sinking in. It was cold out but the residual effects of the ritual still seemed to warm her.

"The other students will be arriving soon." Dumbledore spoke, waving his wand over the bowl, leaving behind only a pristine silvery shine and the dagger, all traces of what they had done washing away. All traces of the very illegal thing they had done. "I will announce your arrival at dinner." He spoke, leading Maia out of the forbidden forest and back into the castle.

"We never decided, what's my cover for being in a coma for so long?" She asked, remembering that one crucial detail.

"As a forest nymph, your magic will have been tied to a tree that was planted the day you were born." Dumbledore began, clearly thinking as he spoke. "Your wizarding blood saved you from dying when your home was burnt down and your tree along with it. Your mother was less fortunate and your father had perished as well." He pulled the door open and led Maia to an antechamber off of the great hall that faced the side of the professors table. "You were found unconscious and were due to attend Hogwarts if your home schooling was unfinished before the death of your parents. With no other family to care for you or to pay for the care you would need at st mungo's I allowed you to be treated in the hospital wing, just as any other student would be."

Maia simply nodded, taking a seat on a spiral staircase that led up and away from the chamber.

"You should only need to wait here for a few minutes, the students are already entering the hall." He smiled, turning and leaving Maia to listen to the faint murmuring and laughing of the returning students.

Just as promised, Dumbledore began to address the hall after a few short minutes.

"As most of you will know, we have been treating a young woman in the hospital wing for several weeks now, and she has finally regained the strength to begin her studies." She heard his voice, the door swinging open.

Maia walked through and glanced across the tables, trying to look as unassuming and calm as possible, though it was hard when all she could hear was the

murmuring about her appearance. Her green hue being the most abundant topic of discussion.

"I trust that you will all help her adjust to her new situation." He smiled, putting a stop to the whispering. Only a small group of students seemed to still be whispering, though Maia had expected this, having been made aware that a certain group had seen her in the hospital wing and had taken to finding out all they could about her. "Miss Maia Germain will be joining Gryffindor house for the remaining two years of her studies."

With that, Maia quickly paced over to a free seat at the Gryffindor table, which just so happened to be with the four boys who had continued to murmur after the rest of the hall went silent.

"So, miss Germain," a black haired boy smiled, clearly thinking that he was being suave in his approach. "What brings you to Hogwarts?" No, Sirius black was not as talented at charming women as he was in the future.

Maia simply laughed, earning strange looks from the people immediately around them. "Does that usually work?" She asked, managing to suppress her laughter.

The boy simply stared at her, clearly it did.

"I'm at Hogwarts for the same reason everyone is." She shrugged. "Unless you're not here to learn about magic."

"Ignore my friend, he's not very subtle." Another boy smiled. James Potter, a face very similar to that of her best friend, though he did not look as similar to his father as people claimed. His hair was just as unruly and he shared an almost identical pair of glasses but that was where the exact match to Harry's appearance ended. There was something about his nose and his chin that reminded her of Harry, but a lot more of him must have come from his mother than just his eyes and his temperament.

"That's quite alright." Maia smiled lightly, feeling a little too shy to put any food on her plate. She simply took an apple from a small basket and took as small bites as she could, amazed by her change in taste buds. It must have been the nymph side to her new heritage, as they were rarely known to eat meat other than on very sacred occasions. She didn't mind avoiding it, as the smell seemed different than it did before she travelled back, it wasn't nearly as appealing as it had formerly been.

"Why are you green?" A small pudgy boy asked in a quiet voice. This was Peter Pettigrew, the man who betrayed his friends, the man who sold his soul to Voldemort.

"My mother was a forest nymph." Maia explained, trying to keep her voice as even as possible, which clearly worked.

"Was?" He repeated, his voice growing louder.

Maia winced, though not for the reason his friends must have assumed. She simply hadn't wanted half of the great hall to suddenly stop their conversations to listen to her. "There was a fire." She said simply, staring down at the apple in her hand.

"Oh." Peter spoke simply, physically drawing back as her words sunk in. At least this Peter knew how to feel more than a hunger for power and a crippling fear of his master. Perhaps there was hope for him.

"I'm sorry." A sandy haired boy frowned, placing a hand on Maia's shoulder. Remus Lupin, ever the compassionate man she remembered.

"You know my name but I don't know yours." Maia deflected, wanting the attention to be turned away from her. If she knew anything about Sirius Black, then he would jump at the chance to talk about himself.

"I'm Sirius Black, the most handsome one and the smartest of all the marauders." He grinned, puffing his chest out. "This is Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin and James Potter." He pointed to each of the boys as he spoke. "They hang on to me for dear life, knowing that they couldn't possibly make it through their studies without me to guide them."

Remus rolled his eyes. "To guide us into detention is more like it." He laughed.

Her diversion had worked, the hall returned to their meals and earlier conversations.

"Ignore Black, he hasn't many brain cells." A girl's voice cut through. She had beautiful ginger hair and piercing green eyes. "I'm Lily Evans." She extended her hand to Maia, which Maia shook with a small smile.

"Typical Lily." James smiled adoringly. "Ever more of a gentleman than we will ever be."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Lily frowned, clearly displeased with the boy's choice of words.

James simply beamed, as if he had caught the snitch forty feet in the air without a broom.

Dinner continued on, with the group sharing their knowledge of the castle with Maia, though she didn't need it. They also shed some light on the 'cursed' defence against the dark arts position and their long string of slightly inadequate teachers.

"Maybe you should teach someday Remus." James grinned through a large spoon of mashed potatoes. "You'd never be affected by the curse."

Maia grinned knowingly. Her Professor Lupin had most certainly left at the conclusion of his first and only year of teaching.

"You're very curious." Lily spoke, turning her attention back to Maia, who had only eaten an apple during the half hour they had been talking. "Your diet must be similar to that of a full blooded nymph."

Maia shrugged. She had attempted to eat a steamed carrot but had immediately ruled out that as an option for her meal, the taste and texture being utterly repulsive. "I guess I'm just used to fresh fruit and nuts." She silently thanked every god there was that she had read several books about forest nymphs over the years.

They didn't ask her any more questions after that, instead drilling Lily about what she knew of nymphs, Maia simply had to nod or shake her head to confirm Lily's words.

Dinner quickly ended and the group led Hermione up to the Gryffindor tower, where she hesitated to divulge the existence of her private room, the door to which did not rest atop the spiral staircase.

"I'd like to look out of the window a little longer." She'd smiled politely when Lily spoke of going up to bed. She had left Maia to her thoughts and gave her directions to the dormitory.

After everyone had cleared out of the common room, Maia made her way over to the portrait of a lion which was hung above the fire. "Temps oublié." She whispered and made her way over to a slightly shimmering stretch of tapestry before walking through it. It was much like the barrier at King's Cross station.

The room inside was rather inviting, with the Gryffindor colour scheme absent. A dusty forest green set of curtains, dark mahogany wood and a light cream paint erased all signs that she was in the Gryffindor tower, which didn't bother Maia at all. The sheets were the same forest green as the curtains as was the plush armchair that sat next to a fireplace and a window that overlooked the forbidden forest. It seemed that the castle had given her the most perfect space in which she could forget about her past and her mission in 1976.

She noticed two fabric backpacks and a letter addressed to Maia Germain at the foot of her double bed. Inside the bags was an assortment of clothing that she recognised as worn by many nymphs. Light, rather revealing and decorated with vines, plants and other adornments. They must have been supplied for her cover. She also found a selection of books on wandless magic for magical creatures and all of those that she would need for her lessons.

She opened the letter to find a simple message from Dumbledore explaining that she would need to dress as a nymph would during weekends so as to solidify her cover. It also contained a wish for good luck as she began her studies. Luckily for Dumbledore, it was a Friday so she would begin to wear her clothing upon waking in the morning.

Maia changed out of the uniform Dumbledore had supplied her with and pulled on Draco's old quidditch shirt, which had been in her beaded bag, an item she was most glad for having. It reminded her of the nights they would spend curled up together in the room of requirement, whispering promises of love to each other into the early hours of the morning. During her sixth year, Draco had been her rock and she had been his confidant. She never judged him for his impossible task and he never lied and never held anything back. The time she sent with him had seemed like a scene in a book, perfect and utterly unforgettable. As she breathed in his scent, she began to feel homesick, wishing he was with her to keep her from falling to pieces as she did what many had called the impossible. To change the course of time completely.

Maia cried and cried, curled up atop her new bed, it being a perfect replica of the one the room of requirement had supplied. She didn't want to sleep under the covers, knowing that when she'd wake, Draco wouldn't be there dropping lazy kisses across her skin. She was finally dragged into a fitful sleep, though it was sleep nonetheless.