Knowledge is A Dangerous Thing
Prologue

Warnings: This story will contain femme-slash. So I guess if you don't like that, then you shouldn't read it. This story also will be very out of character later on. You've been warned, that's all I'm saying.

Disclaimer: Obviously, I'm not making any money from this or I would not be nineteen and living in my parents house. I'd be living in LA, with a poolboy that looks like a young Tom Riddle, and have that special little card that they give you in California. Anyways, I don't own the characters, or plot, just the words.

Author's Note

Hi there, everyone, I'm starting yet another story. This is a challenge response to the Pair and Plot Challenge on the Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges forum. Although it is a challenge response, I very much enjoyed writing this chapter and look forward to writing it. I hope that if you like it, you'll stay for the ride. But anyways, here we go!

Kaley

Hermione Granger was not your average girl. She was the brightest student in her class, yet she was a muggle born. She was a part of saving the world, at least once a year for the last six years, along with Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. She spent more time in the library than some of the books did, and that is where our story starts.

You see, Hermione was a very curious girl; eager to learn new things about the world and assist with the downfall of Lord Voldemort. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had tried everything to rid the Wizarding World of the darkest wizard of all time. The Horcruxes, although that was the only way Voldemort could be defeated, were extremely hard to find and more people were dying every day. Hogwarts was barely a school anymore, it was more a safe-house for threatened half-blood and muggle-born families.

Everyone needed a solution quickly, because there was no time to wait on Harry to find and destroy four pieces of Voldemort's soul. Although they were still searching for the objects, Hermione was busy trying to find a solution.

And she found it, in a random paragraph of a book she happened to pick up. The answer was staring her plainly in the face,

Time travel.

Hermione nearly smacked herself in the face. She could not time travel to change the past, it would change far too much. She could see it happen in her head. Tom Riddle, a teenager, tragically murdered in his sleep. And years later, Harry Potter as an eleven year old sitting with his parents in Godric's Hollow, his Uncle Sirius chatting animatedly with them as he receives his Hogwarts letter. Neville would be learning spells and things from his parents, they would be sane because they were never tortured. Hundreds of lives would be saved, and all she had to do was go back in time, and change one thing. One tiny speck, that grew to be one of the worst things to happen in history.

Time manipulation was dodgy, at best. She wondered what else would have changed. Hagrid might have graduated Hogwarts and went to do more, if it weren't for Voldemort. Moaning Myrtle would be alive, with a husband and a family possibly, now. She'd have a life, instead of haunting a bloody girls' lavatory.

Hermione would be able to go on with life, and not have to worry about her friends anymore. She put her head in her hands.

If she went back in time and did what she had to, Harry, Ron, and her would not be friends. They only became friends because they saved her from the troll. If she were to kill Riddle, he would never have possessed Quirrel, the troll never would have been let in, and the three of them would never be friends.

She resigned herself that that would be fine, if she could save the Wizarding World, everything would be absolutely splendid. Sacrificing her happiness, so that people could live and be free of evil, was worth it.

Hermione quickly gathered up all her parchment, checked out the books, and headed straight for Professor Dumbledore's office. If she was going to do this, she was going to be smart and not mess everything up. She did not even know if there was a way to go back that far, and come back. She needed answers and help.

Professor Dumbledore took counselling his students very seriously. He kept a close watch on all of them, and if something seemed to be wrong with someone, he would ask. This is how Pansy Parkinson came to be in his office. She was upset and crying. Her parents were murdered two days previously, by Death Eaters. Her parents were neutral in the war, but apparently Voldemort's cronies thought, 'well, if you're not with us, you're with them'. She just received the news last night.

The Headmaster poured her a cup of peppermint tea to calm her nerves and after a few minutes she was able to speak. Pansy apologized vehemently to the Professor, for being rude, for the torment of the muggleborns in the school, in general she was making amends for her wrongdoings. She no longer wanted to act like a Voldemort follower, because what they did made her sick. She didn't even feel safe in her own dormitory, she slept in the Room of Requirement last night.

"Miss Parkinson, I must say again how very sorry I am for your loss." The old Professor removed his half-moon spectacles and looked at her. She could see he had aged significantly these past few years. "When my parents died, I was also very upset. They weren't murdered, but I took their deaths hard. My father died in Azkaban, and my mother died at home with my younger sister."

Pansy never realized that Dumbledore had a family, that he had a sister. She had never wondered about the old wizard's past. "I'm sorry, Professor." She would have asked about his sister, but didn't because she assumed it was a touchy subject. That was the same reason she didn't ask why his father had been in Azkaban.

"It's quite alright, dear." His eyes were watery for a second but he shook his head and put his glasses back on. He smiled, "You know, Miss Parkinson, I never would have thought you would come to me for advice or help. However, I'm glad that you did. The Order would love to have you as a member, and I'm quite shocked that was the first thing you asked me when you came in here today. You must realize though, that revenge is not a good reason to join a cause. I trust that you aren't joining to get revenge on the death eaters that killed your parents?"

Pansy shook her head vehemently. "No, sir, I want to join because it is the right thing to do. I want to help people. I hate what Voldemort is doing and I want it to end."

"Very well-" Dumbledore began but was interrupted by his door opening and Hermione Granger walked in with an arm full of books and parchment.

Pansy, her face still red and swollen, and Professor Dumbledore both looked at her.

"Oh, Professor, I'm sorry." Hermione felt embarrassed. She should have knocked, really, but she hadn't even thought about it. She looked at Pansy quickly. "I'll just come back later."

"No, no, dear. Please stay." The Headmaster motioned to the chair beside Pansy. "Have a seat, we were just discussing some things. You seem flustered dear, what's on your mind?"

Hermione gave Dumbledore a look. "Its about the project. I believe I've found a solution for that particular problem, and I would like to get your thoughts on it." She gave a sideways glance to the Slytherin, "I could come back in a bit, I see that you're busy and it wouldn't bother me to wait outside."

Dumbledore smiled, "You can speak freely, Miss Granger. Miss Parkinson has decided that she'd like to help us with our goals."

Hermione looked at Pansy with slightly wider eyes than usual. She noticed that her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and that her black hair was tied up in a messy pony tail.

"My parents were murdered two days ago." Pansy answered the unsaid question, looking down at her hands and fidgeting a bit in her chair. "I just want it all to end, I want things to be normal. I don't want anyone else to die. Except Voldemort, just him. Then send all the Death Eaters to Azkaban to rot for eternity."

Hermione was shocked. The girl that followed Draco Malfoy around like a puppy-dog, that she was sure was one of the few female death eaters herself, was sitting here wishing away all the evil and ready to fight for the good. Her parents were in Australia, because she couldn't bring them here, and they weren't safe in the muggle world with its daily attacks.

Another thing was tacked onto her mental list of positive changes that would be made were she able to go on this mission.

"I'm sorry about your parents, Parkinson, you have my condolences." She spoke softly to the girl before turning to Dumbledore. "I have some questions, and a solution to the war, if what I want to do is possible. I don't want Ron or Harry to know about it, and I don't know if it will even work, but I have to try."

Professor Dumbledore looked at Hermione sadly, he knew what she was going to ask before she asked it. Hermione fidgeted in her seat, looking back and forth between the other two people in the room. There was a small silence before she spoke.

"Sir, what is the year limit on time travel?" The brunette asked quickly. "If it isn't less than sixty years, I can go back, and I can fix this. I can take him out before he's even a problem. I can go back in time, and kill Tom Riddle. Everything will be okay then. Harry's parents will be alive, so many people will be alive, if I do this. Can you please help me?"

There was a desperation in her voice. All she wanted was for everyone to be safe, with their families, and not have to worry about inferi and werewolves and attacks. She wanted everything to be normal, and if she could she would make it that way.

Professor Dumbledore was quiet for a moment before he nodded. "There is a way, Miss Granger, but you must know that what you are doing is very dangerous. Tom was a terrifying person even at your age, a dangerous person. If you go back, Miss Granger, there is no guarantee that you will come back. Return tomorrow, after you've thought about all the consequences, and if you would still like to do it, then I will assist you."

That's the end of the Prologue. The chapters themselves will be quite long, I'm aiming for 4,000 words per chapter. The way that this story has to be told, requires a lot of back story and development and I'm going to do my very best on it. Anyways, review if you liked it. Or if you didn't, you can add constructive criticism. Flame me, and I flame you.

Love, Tea Cakes, and Fanfiction,

Kaley