Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter or its characters. They belong to JK Rowling.
Explanations:
1) This is set somewhere in Half Blood Prince, just after one of Harry's meetings with Dumbledore. (HBP)
2) Percy returned to his family after the Voldemort vs. Dumbledore duel at the Ministry.
3) It starts out as strong H/Hr but will be T/Hr later on. (so don't lose hope!)
4) Hermione knew that the ghost of Ravenclaw was the Gray Lady.
I might not continue this story, I'm not the stick-with-it type. Plus I have two other fanfics to work on, and an original story of mine. Oh, yeah, and if you make videos, I'd appreciate a trailer for this. :D
VERY IMPORTANT - I was inspired by Lady Moonglow's Have You Ever? tom/hermione fanfic. I really reccomend it for an awesome fan fic. And if you've read that story, don't think I ripped it off completely.
Rated for future content. Anyway...Ta-Da!
Chapter 1
Breaking the News
Hermione watched Harry walk into the room. He headed for the Trio's signature place in the common room and sat beside her.
"What happened?" she asked, concerned.
Harry related to Hermione and Ron what he had seen in Dumbledore's Pensieve. Instead of finishing with a confused question, however, he turned to Hermione and said:
"Professor Dumbledore wants you in his office now."
"Why?" asked Hermione.
"I don't know. He just said it's extremely important."
"Blimey!" exclaimed Ron. Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron and turned to look at Harry
Chocolate brown eyes met brilliant green ones, and she bit her lip.
He nodded slightly.
"Well, then," she said, "since neither of you are going to wait for me, I'll just say goodnight now."
Ignoring Ron's protests, she seized both him and Harry in a group hug and said:
"Goodnight."
"Night, Mione," said Harry, patting her back.
She released them and walked out of the common room. As she moved through the corridors, she noticed that all the ghosts she saw were giving her pitiful looks.
What's that about? She thought, as the Bloody Baron waved his hand in a tiny wave.
Hermione was even more confused when the Gray Lady, the ghost of Ravenclaw, burst into tears and began gliding another way when she saw Hermione, wailing:
"Why wasn't she in Ravenclaw? Why? WHY?"
Finally, Hermione reached Dumbledore's office, standing in front of the gargoyles.
To her surprise, she was not alone. Professor Dumbledore was standing right near one of the gargoyles.
"Good evening, Miss Granger," he said, clutching something in his hand.
Hermione cast a wary glance at it. "Good evening, Professor Dumbledore."
He opened his hand and Hermione saw what was in it, and gasped. She knew all too well what it was, having used it in her third year.
"But I thought all the Time-Turners were destroyed," she said.
"They were," responded Dumbledore. "But this is rather a special one. You see, Miss Granger, the Time-Turner you used in your third year could only turn back hours, days at the most. This Time-Turner can go back any number of years."
Hermione frowned. "But why do you have it, then, Professor?"
Dumbledore sighed sadly. "Your loyalty to Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley has never wavered, Miss Granger. I have been searching long and hard, and an idea came to me, that, if you are successful, Tom Riddle will not become Lord Voldemort. Harry Potter will not have his scar and will not have lost his parents. The wizarding world will be at peace. You want this, right?"
Hermione nodded vigorously.
"Then listen carefully, Miss Granger. I am going to send you to fifty-five years ago, when Tom Riddle was beginning his first year. You will go to Hogwarts with him. Try to become his friend, and free him of his dark ambitions."
Hermione bit her lip at the thought of becoming friends with a potential stonehearted murderer.
"Why me?" she asked. "Why not Harry or Ron?"
"Miss Granger, do think! How difficult would it be for Mr. Potter to befriend the person who killed or will kill his parents? Harry would not be able to stay one minute in the same room with Riddle, without destroying him. And I do not think Mr. Weasley would do the job well, since his fear of Voldemort runs quite deep."
"So why don't I kill him?" asked Hermione.
"Would you really be that coldhearted, Miss Granger?" asked Dumbledore, his bright blue eyes boring into her. "Don't you agree that by a little pushing in the right direction, Tom Riddle could be a completely different person?"
Hermione looked at her feet, nodding.
"Good," said Dumbledore.
Dumbledore's face darkened. "But there is another thing, Miss Granger. You cannot come back to this time."
Hermione gasped. "You mean, I'll die before Harry and Ron are even born? I'll never see them again?"
Dumbledore nodded.
There was a long silence.
"I know it is hard for you, Miss Granger," said Dumbledore. "All these events have brought you and your friends closer to each other than any normal situation. I understand you have grown extremely close to Mr. Potter. But he is suffering, as you very well know, and you might be able to spare him this pain."
Hermione's heart was breaking. She had spent almost six years building up a strong golden friendship with Harry. She had been with him through everything, and had earned herself a place in his heart. It was impossible to redo all she had accomplished.
Harry won't have his scar…and he won't be the Chosen One…his parents will still be alive. Are you going to be selfish and give all that up?
Tears sprang into her eyes and she said, in a choky voice:
"When will I do it?"
"Tomorrow," answered Dumbledore. "I have spoken with your teachers. You, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley will come here right after breakfast."
"Is there anything else?"
"No."
"Well then, goodnight Professor."
She left the office, and after checking the corridors, began weeping. She cried for all the things she would stop from ever happening. She cried for the people she wouldn't see anymore. She cried for everything.
"Hermione!" hissed a voice.
She looked up.
"What on earth happened?" asked Harry.
Hermione told her raven-haired lover everything that Dumbledore had said.
He pulled Hermione into a tight hug.
"It's okay, Hermione, you don't have to do this," he said.
"No, I-I must," she said. "It would be so selfish of me if I didn't, and I would never forgive myself."
"No, Hermione, really. I can handle all this, really."
"No, you can't! I see your face every time you see the Weasleys, or someone's family, or hear them talk about their family. If I do this, you will have a family! And you'll be able to talk about your dad who's the perfect Quidditch player, and your kind-hearted sweet mom who's a great cook! And you won't live with those horrible Dursleys, you'll live with your own family! Where your dad teaches you to play Quidditch, and your mom helps you with your homework."
She saw Harry's eyes fill with longing, envisioning that life.
"But, Hermione…" he began.
"No buts!" she said. "Think, Harry! You won't have the scar! You won't be gawked at wherever you go! You won't have Death Eaters and Voldemort searching for you! You won't have to be protected by the Order, and watch people you love die around you. In fact, there won't be any Voldemort, or Death Eaters! The whole wizarding world will be at peace."
"No, Hermione! I love you too much, I won't let you do this! We'll both suffer, and you know it!"
Hermione's eyes started filling up. "I'll be so much older than you guys when you and Ron start school…again. You won't know Hermione Granger."
"NO!" exclaimed Harry. "Hermione, please, don't."
He grabbed her cheeks. "Please, Hermione. Don't you love me?"
Hermione sobbed into Harry's wrists. "I love you with all my soul, that's why I'm doing this!"
Harry pulled Hermione into a tight hug and kissed her on the mouth.
"Listen, Hermione, I'll never forget you. I love you."
He helped her to her feet, and she buried her head in his shoulder. Together, they walked back to the Gryffindor common room.
Each one wanted to spend as much time as they could together, so they fell asleep on the couch, holding hands.
As Hermione snuggled into Harry's arms, she whispered in his ear:
"I love you so much."