Hello all! This is my first serious fanfiction. I usual just read fanfics obsessively, but I love the Sirius/Hermione ship and I hadn't been able to find a story with the exact ending that I wanted. SO I decided to just write it myself. I, of course, want the story to be enjoyable and possible to read, but I do not necessarily care about making it perfect. I want this to be my fun writing away from my academic writing. I would love to receive constructive criticism if it is pretty important to the readability of the story, but I don't care as much about the minor errors. I plan to update once a week (more if possible) and will try to keep the chapters around 2,000 words each. I have a detailed plan for the story but am not quite sure how many chapters it will be. I'm thinking at least 25, but no promises. Also, I promise to never abandon this story, even if it sometimes takes me longer than usual to update. Abandoned stories frustrate me! Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy every word.

Chapter One

"We'll be there, Harry," said Ron.

"What?"

"At your aunt and uncle's house," said Ron. "And then we'll go with you, wherever you're going."

"No—" said Harry quickly; he had not counted on this, he had meant them to understand that he was undertaking this most dangerous journey alone.

"You said to us before," said Hermione quietly, "that there was time to turn back if we wanted to…" and then she tailed off. She had intended the statement as a reassurance to Harry that they would not turn their backs on him, but a taunting idea struck her mind mid-sentence. The words "turn back" and "time" floated around in her head forcefully.

Harry looked worried. Hermione swayed in place, feeling suddenly weighed down now more than ever by horcruxes, Dumbledore's unexpected death, and an impossible hunt. For too long now, her world had been pummeled by the unexplainable, the illogical, the magical. In such a reason-based mind as Hermione's, even the beauty of magic could often be frustrating.

"Is everything all right, Hermione?" asked Ron with a loving tone.

"Yes, of course. I just need to run to the toilet. If you'll excuse me…" she dashed off without further explanation. Her mind raced furiously over the logistics of her plan. She could plan it just right so that she would be back the moment after she left. Her skills with time surpassed most other wizards and witches. She knew how to make things clean-cut, precise. Hermione raced up to Gryffindor tower, into the sixth year girls' dormitory, and grabbed a small, beaded bag from under her bed.

"Accio time-turner" she whispered, even though no one was in the room to hear her. She felt nervous and guilty, but her mind needed time to go back. It needed clarifications. It needed all those damned missing pieces of the puzzle. Shakily, she gave the artifact just the right amount of turns and then took a deep breath as she let go and it rested against her chest.

It hadn't been her proudest moment, steeling that time-turner from Dumbledore's desk at the beginning of sixth year, but she felt it imperative to have access to the passages of time during this maddening war. She only expected to have to use the object for small leaps in time, such as if they make a mistake that gets one of them captured or injured by a death eater, but this giant leap in time could prove exponentially useful in their search for the horcruxes, and it would also give her weeks, maybe even months, to prepare herself for the trials of the future. She could stay in the past for practically as long as she wanted without losing any real time.

It was bold and dangerous, but Hermione had made the leap from June of 1997 to August of 1977. When the slight tightening feeling dispersed, she opened her eyes to the nearly unchanged sixth year girls' dormitory. Her overworked mind hadn't quite considered whether or not she would be allowed to stay at Hogwarts during her visit, but she figured a quick chat with a somewhat youthful Dumbledore would resolve many of her worries.

She walked across the room, out the door, and made her way to the headmaster's office, making sure not to be spotted by any professors lingering during the summer holidays. Unsure of a password, she started naming off various candy names. None worked. Soon, the gargoyles moved to Dumbledore exiting his office.

"Why, hello! And who might you be young lady?"

"Hermione, sir. I was on my way up to see you, but I didn't have the password."

"Ahh…" he said understandingly, and then he mentioned the name of some leader of a Goblin rebellion. Even with her always-absorbent brain, she felt that such a difficult password was unnecessary.

"Sir, have you thought of using easier passwords such as lemon drops or every flavored beans?"

"What an interesting idea," he pondered for a moment but then refocused and said, "Let us return to my office so that I can make sense of your appearance Miss Hermione."

He waved his hand toward the now-revealed door, allowing her to enter first. She stepped in and nervously took a seat in a cozy grey chair across from his desk. It felt strange sitting across from a man whom she had just been mourning. If only she could tell him all that she knew, but her sense of rule-following kept her from influencing the timeline so drastically as soon as she had gotten here. She looked into the man's eyes and thought Please don't die.

"Now, who are you exactly, and how did you come to be at Hogwarts?"

"My name is Hermione Granger. I am a muggleborn witch. I just finished my sixth year at Hogwarts, but in the year 1997." She stopped for a moment to take in his reaction. Dumbledore's face was stone. She continued, "I time traveled here because there are some severe situations going on in my time, and I needed some answers and a break from the weight of it all. I was hoping that you would allow me to stay here for a while as one of the seventh year students. I could claim to be a transfer."

Dumbledore sat quietly, thinking hard for at least ten minutes. Finally, and to Hermione's great relief, he said, "I'll allow it, but I have some rules for you. First, you must go back at some point Miss Granger. Don't get attached to this time. Second, try not to change things from how they would normally occur. Third, do not tell anyone else from this time that you are not from this time. Understood?"

Hermione nodded, feeling confident that she could easily stick to the rules that she had practically already set for herself.

"Now, I'm sure you don't want to stay in the castle almost entirely alone for a month. I'll call in a favor so that you'll have somewhere else to stay until September."

"Wow, thank you, sir. Of whom are you calling this favor?"

"A lovely wizarding family, the Potters. I know they'll be happy to take you in."

Hermione stiffened, but tried not to make a face. She didn't want to reveal that she was connected to the Potters in any way. She certainly had to practice keeping a straight, unknowing face around all the people of this time.

Dumbledore did not seem to notice her reaction. "Why don't you head down to the hospital wing? I presume you know where it is. Madame Pomfrey can have a look at you, make sure your health is well after all that time travel. Then, you can stay the night there, and in the morning I will accompany you to the Potters' estate."

"Yes, sir. I'll be on my way." She gave him a swift nod and exited his office. Dumbledore was strangely more serious and strict in this time. She still admired him, but she missed the odd, whimsical man of her time. She walked slowly toward the hospital wing, admiring the statues and suits of armor, the draping and alcoves, and all the paintings she passed on the way. Her sixth year had been stressful to the extent that not once had she appreciated the beautiful castle that was her home away from home.

That night, after Madam Pomfrey had done a thorough inspection of Hermione's health and Hermione had eaten a small meal that a house elf brought up for her, she lay awake for many hours thinking about anything and everything. It was the first time in a year that Hermione had time to just rest and contemplate. She didn't have to think about schoolwork or the constant threat of Voldemort and death eaters, even though they still had not been defeated. For once she could consider people. She thought about Dumbledore and the importance he has always had in the wizarding world. She thought about Harry and Ron, hoping that when she returned they would be none the wiser to her travels. She thought about the worry etched in Harry's eyebrows as she left them, and for a moment it felt that that would be the last time he would ever look at her as a best friend, but Hermione didn't know why she felt that way. Then, she thought about James Potter… how little she knew. She knew some hard facts about the man, all including dates and such, but she knew nothing about his character, his emotions, his essence. She felt nervous, but also very excited to spend a month getting to know the man that was responsible for Harry's existence.

Suddenly, an unconsidered fact popped into her mind. She realized that in the summer of 1977 Sirius Black had already moved out of his family home and in with James Potter. Her nerves increased tenfold. She certainly knew what a character the aged Sirius Black could be, but she could only imagine the sorts of things his teenager self got up to. How would she handle herself around these martyrs in their merely hormonal states? And how much worse it would be if Remus Lupin ever visited! Yikes! How could she keep her secret, find useful information, and remain unattached to this time in the presence of ones that needed understanding and saving. She hadn't even met them yet, but she wanted to warn them of all the horrible events so near in their futures.

Finally, she thought of the loathsome Peter Pettigrew, and bile rose up in her throat. She certainly wouldn't be able to look at him without sending a nasty curse his way. When she drifted off to sleep, her dreams were just as thoughtful. They took her through the ups and downs she had with Ron during her sixth year and then floated on to fantasies of happy times where such thing as a death eater had never existed and Tom Riddle was born a squib.

In the late hours of the morning Hermione's eyes fluttered open just a moment before Dumbledore entered the hospital wing. "Good morning, Miss Granger. I hope you got a good night's rest."

"Not really, professor, but thanks for the sentiment. And yourself?"

"No, I was up all night studying the effects of transfiguration on certain rare metals."

"Ahh. Well I am ready to travel to the Potters' if they've agreed to have me."

"They did, quite enthusiastically. It seems that their son James and his friend Sirius have been causing a ruckus all summer. They hope that a young female presence in the house will cause the lads to straighten up their acts. I hope that it doesn't do just the opposite."

Hermione smirked, knowing Sirius' reputation, but she felt assured that she could straighten James up with promises of help in achieving Lily's affection.

Dumbledore waved Hermione over to the large fireplace at the end of the row of beds. She made sure that she had her small bag with her and allowed Dumbledore to use the floo first so that he could make introductions before she arrived. Once Dumbledore had disappeared, Hermione took a shaky breath, threw down the powder, and said "Potter's residence!" with all the courage she could muster. That familiar feeling came back to her like she was sliding through a chute. Everything was dark and blurry for a moment. Her heart rate increased, and then drastically stopped as her feet hit firm ground and her eyes were flooded with light. Momentarily blinded, she only knew she had made it to the right place when she heard Dumbledore say, "Here she is Dorea, Hermione Granger."