Prologue
Change. It's amazing how powerful one little word could be. So much of it had happened in Hermione Granger's life, starting with the fateful day that she received her letter to Hogwarts. It seemed like a gift then, a dream; she could save the world with her magic, just like they did in fairy tales. She'd be able to fly on broomsticks (which she later found out that it wasn't so pleasant for her), make things fly, and move things from halfway across the room. She was talented, and even though some people thought she would never amount to anything due to her non-magical family history, she was determined to prove herself.
But little did she know that change isn't always good. Her life gave way to a disastrous turn when she found her parents dead during Christmas holiday. Since then, she used her gift, her magic, to fight a war that seemed to be at a stalemate for years. And even though she was not yet 18, Hermione Granger was willing to risk her life for the thing that had turned her life around…
Change.
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"HARRY! NO!" Hermione yelled out to the-boy-who-lived. She cried out in pain a hooded death eater sent a Cruciatus curse. It felt like a thousand knives were piercing her body. She'd felt this kind of pain before, after all, it was all part of the war against the Dark Lord, but every time it seemed to be worse. Her body screamed at her to give up, to let go, but she couldn't. She had to save Harry. She fought the pain and the tears, concentrating on getting to Harry. She lifted her wand and muttered a stun that hit the death eater, ending the torturous curse. Hermione dragged herself up and sprinted with all her might towards Harry. "HARRY!" She saw him, he was merely a few feet away. She had to get to him, help him, and fight with him. A flash of green light and she saw her best friend crumple to the ground. And then, everything went black.
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Hermione opened her eyes. She winced, the harsh sunlight hitting her eyes. Groaning, she forced her aching muscles to move. Her muscles protested, having been battered and used well past their limit.
Hogwarts was decimated, destroyed. Everything that Hermione Granger, the studious Gryffindor bookworm knew and called home had been wiped out. Her friends, Ginny, Ron, Harry, everyone, was nowhere to be seen. Tears stung her eyes as she stared at the faceless corpses that lay littered around at her feet, the bodies of the fellow Hogwarts students that had shared the same sense of safety and home with her, the Hogwarts students that she would never be able to meet, the Hogwarts students that she would never be able to be talk to.
And then she thought of her parents, who'd been killed by a death eater attack. Tears streamed freely down her cheeks as she recalled what had happened. She'd arrived back at Hogwarts after winter holidays, only to find that her parents had been killed.
What do I have to live for? My friends, my family, my world has been destroyed.
Hermione continued to limp around, ignoring the pain that pierced through her leg every time she walked. She ignored the huge cut she had on her forehead. She wanted to find someone, some thing, anything, that might help her continue on…
Something shiny on the ground caught her eye. She bent down, wincing as her muscles on her back protested. The familiar object brought back memories of her third year, when she had used it to save Sirius and Buckbeak. Ha! What a waste! They're both dead too. She thought bitterly.
Then, something struck her. She would go back in time and change everything. Somehow, she'd find a way to show Tom Riddle compassion. She would find someway, anyway, to change him for the better and prevent this future from happening.
For the first time in Hermione Granger's life, she didn't stop and think about the consequences. She didn't think about how she might get stuck in time and never be able to come back. Instead, she took a deep breath and set the time turner back…
…to 1944.