"We need to get out of here!" shouted Ron, over the noise. The Order was losing the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry was dead, and the Death Eaters were winning. Ron and Hermione tripped over bodies, urgently trying to get out of Hogwarts. "Once we get out, we can start a new resistance, but if we stay here it's suicide!" yelled Ron. Tears were trickling down Hermione's cheeks and she nodded, miserably.
Then Hermione screamed as a brilliant green flash struck Ron. His mouth opened in shock as his eyes rolled up into the back of his head. She lunged forwards, catching his body before it hit the ground, collapsing onto her knees with a thud. Ron's body was already stiffening in her arms. Tears blinded her and her head bowed over his motionless body. Ron looked emotionless in death, his face a blank mask.
Hermione heard a bout of shrieks and screams of agony and, sparing Ron a last, miserable, look, wiped the tears from her eyes and ran towards the sound. A small, red-haired girl was writhing on the ground, under the influence of the Cruciatus Curse. Hermione sent a stunner at the masked Death Eater cursing Ginny Weasley and Ginny's screams changed to sobs as the spell was lifted. The nameless Death Eater tried to curse her and Hermione dodged.
They began to duel and Hermione's spells grew progressively darker. One of the Death Eater's spells caught her left arm and blood began leaking from her at an alarming speed. Hermione paused her dueling to stop the blood-flow and took another spell, this one a bone-breaker to her left wrist. She thanked whatever deity watching over her that neither spell had hit her wand arm.
She in-capacitated the Death Eater and slit his throat with a cutting curse. She knelt next to Ginny, checking the girl's pulse and was relieved to find one. The rustle of robes behind her warned her and she spun around, casting a shield spell. The dark curse rebounded off her shield and hit its conjurer. A spell breached her shields and hit Ginny. The girl screamed and Hermione heard the sounds of breaking bones and blood began pouring from Ginny's chest.
In a four against one duel, Hermione desperately tried to protect Ginny and herself. Another spell hit Ginny and this one Hermione recognized. The Nightmare Curse- forcing the person into a coma in which they relieved their worst memories again and again until they went insane.
Fury filled Hermione as the red-head stilled, blood still leaking from her chest. Hermione slashed her wand at the roofs and a horrible cracking noise filled the room as the part of the ceiling above the Death Eaters fell in, crushing them. Hermione turned to Ginny and began to desperately try and heal her chest wound. Giving up, Hermione cast a spell on Ginny to put her in a state of magical stasis, to prevent her from losing more blood.
She picked Ginny up, holding her bridal style, and stumbled through the wreckage. Stray spells occasionally grazed her, creating several bleeding wounds all over her body. The doors to the Great Hall were heavily guarded and Hermione smashed a window and jumped, casting a cushioning charm on the ground below them. She almost let go of Ginny as she hit the ground with a thud, the fall still knocking the wind from her, though she didn't break any bones. Stumbling back to her feet, arms screaming at her to let go of Ginny, she ran, awkwardly, to the gates. Without pausing for thought, Hermione cast the Killing Curse on the Death Eater guarding it. The Masked man fell and something gold fell out of his robes. Hermione's breath caught in her throat and she stumbled forwards, falling to her knees, still clutching Ginny with one hand, as the other reached out to pull the object from the dead man.
The Time-Turner shone gold against her muddied and bloodied hand. Hermione felt a tear slide down her cheek as she remembered her third year. A whole separate world. Then Hermione noticed the crack in the Time-Turner. Dread flooded her body. Never break a Time-Turner. That had been the most important rule of all, regarding her Time-Turner. Extensive spell-work had been placed upon the tiny hourglass to prevent even the slightest crack.
And now the shimmering dust was leaking onto her hand, and around her body. The golden dust surrounded her and Hermione dropped the hour-glass, and clutched Ginny. She swore slightly as she noticed a shard of glass from the hour-glass cut her skin, and had lodged inside the cut. Then the dust was spinning around her like a tornado, making it hard to think, whipping her hair and clothes around her body. The dust stung her eyes and she shut them, clutching Ginny urgently.
It felt like she was being lifted into the air then she hit the ground with a jarring thud. She opened her eyes a crack then opened them fully. She was crouched inside the gates of Hogwarts, but this Hogwarts was different. This Hogwarts wasn't smoking, with large chunks laying on the ground, with a Dark Mark floating up in the sky. This Hogwarts was magnificent and the sky was clear, save a few fluffy white clouds and a brilliant golden sun.
Tears prickled Hermione's eyes as she decided it was a dream, and the salty liquid stung her cheeks as they fell. The pain brought her out of her daze, and made her realize that it wasn't a dream. She was coated in blood, dirt and scorched marks. Her clothes were torn, bloodied and burnt. She examined her body and noticed that in her right palm, where the shard of the Time-Turner glass had pierced, was a tiny gold tattoo of a miniature hour-glass. Hermione touched it, hesitantly, and tiny number flashed. A date, Hermione realized. 1976. Hermione gasped. She had travelled back in time- it was the only explanation.