Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the world in which he exists.
Chapter One
What is Time?
Late - occurring, coming, or being after the usual or proper time.
Hermione Granger was late.
She had never been late in her life.
But today she was late and at the risk of sounding like C.S. Lewis in Alice in Wonderland she was late for a very important date.
Her heels clicked as she sped towards the lecture hall at the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic. She was a first-year apprentice unspeakable, already multiple cuts had narrowed the potentials down to a select few none of whom Hermione had known at school.
With a flurry of parchment and coffee in her hand Hermione Granger stopped briefly to tap her wand at the entry of the secure department in order to enter it safely. She continued on her way reminding herself to attempt joining the gym because running was not her thing.
She entered the lecture hall and quickly glanced around finding an empty seat at the rear of the class.
"Glad you could join us Miss Granger." Professor Tempus reprimanded from the chalk board at the front of the room without so much as turning to see whom the late student was.
"Sorry Professor I slept through my alarm this morning." She apologised out of breath and barely able to speak.
"What is Time?" Professor Tempus asked turning to face the young members of the lecture hall. A rush of hands shot in the air, Professor Tempus a sharp looking woman whose nose looked more like a equilateral triangle than a nose paid no attention to the rush of hands before continuing "Time is the system of those sequential relations that any event has to any other." She paused for effect before continuing yet again "Past, present, future – indefinite & continuous."
Hermione pondered her Professor's definition briefly before she jotted down some notes.
"The relationship between time and magic has never been a positive one." Professor Tempus continued Hermione snorted knowing that was infact incorrect. "Something you wish to share Miss Granger?" Professor Tempus questioned.
"Only that it is dependent upon the circumstances as to if the relationship between time and magic is positive." Hermione said without skipping a beat "For example a time turner was used to save an innocent man and an innocent hippogriff from certain death, something I do believe should be considered as positive." She finished.
"Right you are Miss Granger – But did you consider the effects that you may have had with regards to the future should you have allowed these two innocents to be dealt with as was deemed?" Professor Tempus questioned her eyes sparkling with a gleam. Professor Tempus was not one for favourites but she had been watching Miss Granger and she was convinced that she would be the one to right it all.
"Well no, they were innocent, what was the issue with changing the timeline if they didn't deserve the punishment?" Hermione questioned.
"Ah, but what if it changed the course of events? What if Sirius Black was meant to live without happiness in his soul for the rest of eternity? What if his death was to be earlier in the timeline, how would that have affected the outcome?" Professor Tempus questioned.
Hermione pondered silently as Professor Tempus continued her lecture on time. As the clock ticked around to 11:00am Hermione realised she had not paid attention at all to anything that the Professor had said other than the posed question. Dismissing her students with an essay to write on adjusting an event in the timeline and the effects it would have, one she always enjoyed reading because it required students to explore their imagination for how events would play out, she noticed one bushy haired student remaining in her seat.
"Can I help you Miss Granger?" Professor Tempus questioned quietly, her stern appearance not fitting with her nature.
"I am curious Professor as to what you meant when you spoke of the outcome, did you mean the war or just within that one incident of time?" Hermione questioned.
"Well Miss Granger, it all depends on what you constitute as a whole or the incident of time." The Professor paused "Do you think that the events of the Department of Mysteries would have occurred had Sirius Black still been reincarcerated in his own personal hell?" She finished.
"I'm not entirely certain, that's the thing about time you don't really know. I mean the laws regarding time are so set in stone it doesn't really allow for any kind of exploration to see if changing one penultimate event would change the course of history." Hermione said with a small smile gracing her features.
"Well Miss Granger, as much as the laws of time serve a purpose, you have never really been one to abide by the rules have you?" Professor Tempus said with a smirk.
"Well, I have tried to stay within the rules but I'm unsure what you are insinuating." Hermione replied.
"Miss Granger, I look forward to your essay, I have a feeling you will most certainly make a valid argument for the exploration of time as a whole." Professor Tempus responded before collecting her items and departing the lecture hall.
Hermione pondered her thoughts a little longer before deciding to pop in on Harry and questioning him regarding time.
Harry Potter had aged, for the nearly twenty one year old he looked decidedly more mature, whisperings of grey hair showed in his unruly black hair his glasses sat unevenly on his face making him look like he had not slept in a month of Sundays. A soft knock at the office door indicated he had a visitor not looking up from his report he grunted letting the person know to enter.
"Harry, you look horrid." Hermione said with a small smile. Harry looked up at his long time best friend and grinned.
"Thank you Hermione, you look rather horrid yourself." Harry responded with a laugh.
"Truthfully though Harry are you sleeping?" Hermione questioned concerned with her best friends state of mind.
"Well it depends on what you classify as sleep?," Harry started "Ginny kicked me out of bed at three am this morning to sleep in the spare room because of the nightmares." He finished with a yawn.
"Honestly Harry have you seen a healer? Or taken a dreamless sleep potion?" Hermione chastised as she sat opposite him.
"Well we all know how that went down for you." Harry smiled recalling Hermione's visit to a healer who came off second best to Hermione's devilish temper.
"Yes, well, you weren't accused of being insane were you?" Hermione said with a pointed look.
"Well, no," Harry paused "But I might be!" He laughed with a snort.
"I don't think so." Hermione replied. "Can I ask you something?" she finished.
"Is this another one of those what if questions from one of your lectures in Mysteries?" Harry questioned raising and eyebrow "Because if it is, I know I have the relevant clearance but I serisouly doubt it will be of any assistance." He said with a sigh.
"Harry, I wouldn't ask but you are the only one with the relevant clearance." She grinned knowing he full well couldn't turn her away.
"Oh fine, shoot." He said with a small smile.
"Do you think that we changed the timeline significantly when we saved Sirius?" She asked
"Well way to start with a loaded question." Harry said letting out the breath of air he'd been holding onto.
"Well do you?" She asked yet again.
"I'm unsure, I mean now I look back I don't think so." Harry said with a pause "but that's like asking if you went back in time and killed Voldemort outside my parents house would I grow up normal, would we be friends?" Harry finished.
"Well, Harry that's kind of a major point in the timeline I'm unsure that if I went back and killed Voldemort that we would be able to be friends." Hermione said, "Only because I wouldn't be able to return I would cease to exist in this timeline and you'd probably end up being friends with some other girl called Germione Haranger." She laughed.
"I'll be sure to tell Ginny to put Germione on our wedding guest list." Harry laughed with a snort.
"But in all seriousness Harry, if that event was changed it would create a sensational dent in the timeline." She paused and slowly continued "However it might even break the fabric of time meaning that this reality we sit in right now wouldn't exist, because you would have a family, siblings even, Sirius wouldn't have died or gone to Azkaban, Dumbledore would probably still be alive, Remus & Tonks, oh I don't know if they'd get together, but they'd be here…"
"You are rambling." Harry interrupted.
"But Harry I think I'm onto something." Hermione smiled, Harry sighed knowing that he had lost his friend to her thoughts. She got up and quickly departed. Harry chuckled to himself the girl was like a dog with a bone.
A/N: Hello! So I've been reading a few time travel stories and I thought why not give it a crack. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I will be hashing a bit more of a plan with this story this evening but in the mean time any feedback would be great. Don't worry the Marauders will appear soon, but possibly not for a chapter or two.