Summary: The war is won but at a great cost. But how far is Hermione willing to go in order to save all those who died during the Second Wizarding War. What if she's not alone in her endeavours to change the past? Hermione's future takes a drastic turn into the past as she is sent through time after an attack that changes her life forever. Time Turner! Marauders' Era!
Hermione trailed her way through the rubble and dirt, down the empty corridors of what once had been a stronghold for all that was good in the world. The war that they had been fighting so furiously for was over - but at a great cost. Voldemort had indeed been vanquished but along with Harry and not to mention Ron, Neville, Molly, Fred and countless others who had come to mean the world to her over the years. All duels that were being fought by death eaters and Order members alike ceased immediately, when Harry and Voldemort finally met in the courtyard of Hogwarts school. The duel was long, powerful and yet evenly matched, but nevertheless ended with both wizards destroying each other in the process. That evening the world no longer had to fear the dark wizard, but also lost a great and dear friend. Once the realisation of the severity of what had happened settled, the rest of the order pulled themselves together determined not to allow Harry's death, to hinder their chance of solidifying victory. They assembled quicker than the death eaters and were eager to rid Hogwarts of the vile followers and once again spells began to fly. Most fled as soon as they had seen their dear master die, with the knowledge that Azkaban awaited them if they were to be caught. Yet the death eaters that remained loyal to their departed master's cause, namely the deranged Bellatrix Lestrange, the Carrow's and Dolohov, attempted to continue the battle themselves. Overpowered and outnumbered the remaining death eaters were rounded up by the Order and placed in an empty classroom, bound and wandless until the Aurors arrived.
Hermione was finally free- the war that she and her friends had been battling since they were 11 was finally over. Yet she had felt more alone than ever with most of the Order gone as well her two best friends, she felt lost and confused. She had removed herself from the company of those who were left, soon after the last of the death eaters had been rounded up. Professor McGonagall had given her a sad smile when she had approached the women after the battle. As her old professor placed her hand comfortingly on her shoulder and gave her a tight squeezed, Hermione was grateful for her presence that reminded her of a happier time. After all, she was her favourite teacher and a skilled witch, who undoubtedly would not rest until Hogwarts was returned to a safe haven of exemplary magical teachings. Making her way towards the Forbidden Forest, Hermione was lost in her own thoughts as she attempted to find comfort in the silence. As she began carefully stepping over the broken branches and logs that littered the forest floor, the memories that she had shared with Harry and Ron, since her first year at Hogwarts when they were merely 11 began to fill her mind. There would be no more laughing around the Gryffindor fireplace or sharing a room at 12 Grimmauld Place or even sneaking around under the invisibility cloak that they had all outgrown. The realisation struck her that as of this ungodly past hour, the same memories that she shared with her boys were to never be remembered first hand by anyone else, ever again. Hermione's two best friends were gone, and there was nothing she could do about it. She felt weak and powerless, which had seemed to become a regular occurrence during the uprise of the Second Wizarding War. Turning back around to face the castle that had been her home for so many years, she was confronted with the sight of her home that had once stood proud and impenetrable now a crumbling, decaying mess. Letting out a sigh, her gaze shifted to that of Hagrid's hut. The hut had not yet nearly recovered from the damages inflicted by Bellatrix the year before and brought tears to the young witches eyes. How she longed to be young again and sitting in his oversized armchair, wrapped up in the warmth Hargrid's hut with a cup of tea resting in her hand. Hermione smiled fondly as she recalled the many times she has sought comfort from the peculiar half-giant who had become a dear companion to her after the many years of torment from Malfoy and his posse of Slytherins. Malfoy's silly antics seemed so incredibly futile after the war they had just been through. She now pitied the boy who had so clearly been misguided and influenced by his poor upbringing. Yet in the end Malfoy had proven himself and not revealed hers', Harrys' and Rons' identities that fateful night at Malfoy Manner, for that Hermione would be forever grateful and reminded herself to one day thank him for the deed that was done at a great risk that day.
A loud crack of a branch woke Hermione from her trance and she was now aware that she was no longer alone. The sky had darkened around her and the sun was beginning to fade into the vast darkness completely. She had only then realised just how far she had walked - quite further than she had expected too and was now deep into the forest. The only evidence of where she was, was the faint outline of the Astronomy tower that was illuminated by the almost full moon. Crap. Her attention was drawn to the sight of the moon, peaking through thick clouds. Almost full. Almost. At the thought Hermione let out a sigh of relief with the knowledge that she would not have to worry about werewolves tonight as apart of the list of the dangerous creatures that haunted the forest at night. A shiver ran up her spine as once again she heard the rustling of leaves and the small cracks of the twigs that were on the floor, that were too subtle, too ominous to be an act of nature. Squaring her shoulders, Hermione retrieved her wand from the back pocket of her jeans and held it out in front of her. Looking around, she felt her eyes squint in attempt to adjust to the creeping darkness. Muttering Lumos under her breath, the light from her wand provided a small security to the now panicking young witch. Her head shot around her, scanning the woods around her with quick, jagged movements. Gathering her courage she boldly spoke into the night.
"Whose there?" Hermione was met with silence. Taking another deep breath she asked again.
"Whose there?" Again only met with a silence.
The next time she spoke, she did so with more force in her tone and her wand poised higher and ready to attack if need be.
"Reveal yourself". After a few seconds of eerie silence Hermione was ready to discard the noises as forest animals or simply the wind. Yet after a few more moments, her ears were met with a most terrifying sound. The low growl erupted from within the depths of the trees that towered over her. The growl was soft but unmistakably that of a wolf and sent a wave of shock through her body, forcing her ridged.
Hermione slowly began to back away from the deep growling, longing to be safe within the walls of the castle. To be out in the forest on such a night as this was a reckless and half-hearted decision. Silently cursing to herself under her breathe on her poor decisions, she made another quick yet questionable decision. Hermione was not yet sure that it was the best one, but she needed to do something. Now. She did not at all like the darkness that had started to pervade her every one of her senses. Something was definitely not right. She turned and started a sprint towards the castle, her heart beating so fast that she wasn't sure that it wouldn't fall out of her chest with due time. Her legs were already sore from the battle she had just partook in and yearned to stop. Yet her intuition told her to keep running. Keep running and don't stop. Pushing down harder each time her foot hit the forest floor, she became aware of the growl once again. Not that the growl had faded away, but instead intensified. The growls turned into howls and were accompanied by the sound of feet hitting the ground in pursuit of its prey. And tonight the creature, whatever be the nature of it, was hunting Hermione. Remembering her wand, she began to hastily throw spells of all sorts over her shoulder, all the while trying to navigate her way through the thick array of trees. She ran and she ran; yet the clearing to her former school did not appear. She again cursed her self for her serious lack of judgement on such a night. With the full moon being merely days away and Voldemort's army consisting of all manners of dark creatures, including the werewolves who had so long ago disregarded their humanity and morphed into the half human – half werewolf creatures, Hermione was very aware of the possibility that her attacker was one of the creatures her thoughts were dwelling on. A small cry escaped her lips at the thought of a creature like Greyback chasing after her. She remembered his cold, hungry eyes that had feasted upon her at the Malfoy Manner and she had no desire to ever face with the wizard again.
Hermione skidded to a halt as her ears were met with a sudden silence. She strained her ears and attempted to slow her breathing once she realised that she was indeed to far into the depths of the woods to be able to outrun her animal company to safety. She heard the distant hoot of an owl and the whistle of the forest bugs. But no growling nor the sound of bounding steps. Night had completely fallen with a darkness surrounding her, the thick foliage of the trees that towered above her - let not one strand of moonlight in and it became impossible for Hermione to see where she was. Franticly Hermione surveyed her surroundings. Her heart was still pounding underneath her just and her upper lip began to quiver in fear. Think rationally Hermione, come on! Attempting to pull herself together she tightly gripped her wand. Taking a few deep breaths she once again muttered the spell that was to illuminate the tip of her wand that had gone out in the midst of all the commotion. She was greeted with nothing other than the bare woods - calm and mysterious at the same time. Hermione visibly relaxed and began to walk towards Hogwarts.
Then she felt it.
A warm and most foul breath grazing her right shoulder. Frozen in fear, Hermione's grip became so tight around her wand, that her knuckles had began to turn white. A low growl immerged from the creature that stood behind her, sending a chill down her spine that radiated to her very core. This was not good. Quite aware of the magnitude of danger she was in, Hermione turned to face her attacker. Greyback.
This was not good at all.
She watched the mans mouth curled into a malicious grin at the sight of his vulnerable prey.
"You're mine mudblood" The low growl resonated from the mans' throat as he inched closer to her. The man, no wolf. Hermione wasn't even sure what to call him – was now standing inches from her. Greyback's stench invaded her nose, the wizard smelt of wet dog and death. Hermione knew as many did how notorious this half man – half werewolf was for investing in the young to rise as his own personal werewolf army. Her breath become shallow and ragged as she continued to back away from the werewolf. Yet with each small movement, the werewolf would further advance atop of her and with every step he took, his grin and eyes became wider and hungrier. He always enjoyed a good chase before he ate. Before Hermione could turn to run, turn to do anything, she Greyback roughly grip her arm – his unnaturally long fingernails digging deep into her skin through the thin material of her shirt. He leaned in towards her, his face nuzzled at the nape of her neck. He drew in a deep breath and let out another hungry growl.
"LET ME GO" Hermione shrieked, unable to wrench herself from his tight grasp.
"You know, even for a mudblood, you smell delicious". Hermione's eyes widened with fear and hastily yanked her head backward and thrusted it forward hard bring her forehead down on the wizards head. Stunned by the sudden blow, Greyback released her from his tight grasp and stumbled back. Not wasting a second of time, Hermione once again took of running. She stumbled and often lost her balanced, using the trees around her for support most of the time. The blow had succeeded in allowing for her escape, but nevertheless, had definitely made the young witches head spins causing her to become furiously dizzy. She heard Greyback let out an aggravated growl which he soon followed by a loud howl that seemed to travel through the entire forest and caused nearby owls to flee from their perches high up in the trees. Trying to push the sounds out of her mind, she continued to stumble through the forest, not sure if she was indeed running towards Hogwarts or distancing herself from it further. She just knew she had to keep going. Once again the chase resumed but this time Hermione's body was too weak. Her legs had been strained from overuse and the dizziness in her head blurred her vision. She had become so occupied constantly looking over her shoulder in search of the wolf that the neglected to evade a thick root that lay above the ground. This was her worst nightmare. Running for her life and she trips over a tree trunk. Fantastic. Hermione reached out for the base of tree to haul herself to her feet, but failed. Miserably. She lost her footing and landed once again at the base of the tree in a tired, defeated mess. No. You must keep moving Hermione. You did not survive a bloody war only to be taken out by a tree. She tried and she tried but to no avail. Her head had become clouded and her vision started filling with black spots. She cried out for help, but knew it was useless with her being so deep within the woods. Clutching her wand for her life, she positioned herself up against the tree, with the determination that if she could run no longer, that she would not give him the satisfaction of the hunt and would duel him until she could duel no longer.
A harsh cackle filled her ears and Hermione closed her eyes, preparing herself for what was to come. Readjusting her grip to her wand, she saw his figure immerge from behind a tree several meters away. Then it began.
Hermione furiously began to throw all manners of curses at the wolf. Yet with her current state, her aim was lousy and sloppy and was easily avoided by the wolf – who with the full moon soon at its peak had gained extra speed and strength. Hermione soon felt like he was running in circles around her, and with each circle he ran – unknowing to her, he inched closer and closer to the base of the trunk. Knowing she was too weak to keep circling the tree without falling he continued dodging her spells for his own sick enjoyment. Hermione gritted her teeth together and let out a frustrated cry as tears began to spill from her eyes. Despite the deep sorrow she had found herself in, earlier that evening - She didn't want to die. She wanted to live.
Greyback met her cry with another cackle. "IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT?"
"EXPELLIARMUS!"
Having taken out his own wand for the first time that night, the wolf casted a disarming spell and was now in possession of her wand in his spare hand. Discarding her wand on the floor, he – for the second time that night, stalked closer to Hermione Jean Granger.
"You're not going to enjoy this mudblood"
Hermione let out a piercing scream Greyback sunk his teeth into the side of her neck.
End chapter 1.
Authors Note: Hi guys! Sorry for the short chapter but this is a new idea I'm just trying out and didn't know if it was worth to continue. This will eventually be a time turner story set within the Maurander's years at Hogwarts. To make it a bit more interesting there will be an incorporation of Draco Malfoy within the story. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, more to follow (hopefully). Please review on any ideas/criticisms/compliments! All are welcome.
DarkMajishian.x
P.s Yes I am aware that, that is not how you spell magician.