Chapter 1 - Hermione's Plan

1997

It had been several weeks since Harry, Ron, and Hermione lived on the run, but so far they had accomplished nothing. Meanwhile Voldemort kept gaining influence, and the situation was getting more and more desperate by the day. The war was finally taking its toll on the golden trio.

That night was Hermione's turn to keep watch. She was sitting at the edge of their camp, looking outside, Slytherin's locket on her neck. The locket kept whispering "mudblood"and tried to poison her mind with the notion of muggleborns being worthless filth, but she had learned to ignore it. Instead she was contemplating their current predicament.

Hermione was fed up by the war. She had always been a logical person, and to her the war was completely stupid. Voldemort preached about blood purity and all, but he himself was a half-blood. What a hypocrite. Moreover, after six years of studying at Hogwarts, she came into conclusion that blood did not have any effect whatsoever on one's magical ability. Look at Crabbe and Goyle. They are purebloods, and yet they cannot even perform basic spells correctly. It's a miracle that they even passed OWLs. And then, there was her. The brightest witch of her age. And she was a muggleborn. A living proof that blood does not matter.

But Hermione knew that the war was not just about magical blood. The real reason was much deeper than that. Hermione thought about the relationship between the muggle and magical world through the centuries. She thought of the witch hunting during the medieval era, and how thousands of innocent witches and wizards were tortured and burned at stakes. She also thought of dark wizards and witches who killed countless muggles. Like Morgana, or Grindewald, and now Voldemort. Both sides have been the villain and the victim. Having been living in both magical and muggle world, Hermione was disappointed at how little the magical community knew of muggles and vice versa. The muggle studies taught at Hogwarts is rubbish and severely outdated. And Hermione didn't even know the magical world existed until Dumbledore came to her house and explained that she was a witch. Hermione bet that at least half the students at Hogwarts don't know that muggles had gone to outer space or that they were capable of making bombs that could obliterate a whole city. On the other hand, wizards have since long managed feats that are considered impossible by current technology, like teleportation (Apparition), total DNA and atom mutation (transfiguration) and time travel. She bet scientists would be willing to give up their arms and legs just to understand how one can turn a matchbox into a mouse. It must be fun to analyze apparition from physics point of view, or to invent a magical counterpart of internet. Why can't science work with magic? In ancient times people didn't separate science from magic. In those times both were simply known as knowledge, or wisdom.

That's it! All these happen because people are divided into wizards and muggles. And instead of cooperating, both wizards and muggles are cooped up in their own world and ignore each other. Fear of the unknown and fear of something "different", those are the roots of prejudice and discrimination. The truth is, the only thing that separates wizards from muggles is magical ability. Otherwise muggles and wizards are both humans, homo sapiens. To divide people based on whether they have magical ability or not is just as ridiculous as to divide people based on race or skin color. In a sense, it is like apartheid. One cannot help being born magical just like one cannot help being born black or white. Why can't anyone see this?

Suddenly things became clear to Hermione. It's true that at this moment their highest priority is to destroy the horcruxes and defeat Voldemort. But then what? Even if they manage to defeat Voldemort, if the very foundation of society is not changed, the history will repeat itself. Someone will come up with some stupid propaganda, and there will be another genocide. This needs to stop. Being the Gryffindor that she is Hermione felt that it is her duty to take action. However, she knew that she can't do it alone. She needed a strong partner. One who knows both magical and muggle world, one who values knowledge as much as she does, and one who has the power to change the world. She thought of Harry, but the poor boy had already taken more responsibility than he could handle on this battle against Voldemort. She didn't want to add more burden to her dear friend. Ron was out of question, and so were her other Hogwarts friends. Not even the adult members of the Order seemed suitable for the task. Maybe Dumbledore could help, but if what Rita Skeeter had written were true, the subject would open an old, deep psychological wound on her favorite Headmaster. Hermione was getting frustrated and was considering giving up her plan altogether when a name came up to her mind.

Tom Marvolo Riddle.

Hermione cringed. Voldemort would be the very last person on earth she could ever hope to help her with the task. For one, he was the cause of why the war happened in the first place. So, definitely not Voldemort. But what about Tom Riddle before he became the Dark Lord? Hermione thought of what Harry had told her about him after seeing Dumbledore's pensieves. Tom Riddle was brought up in a muggle orphanage, so regardless of his hatred for muggles, he must have known quite a great deal about them. He was also a very bright wizard, and had a thirst for knowledge. And he was, no doubt, powerful. He had the power and the charm to make people follow him. Yes, Hermione thought. He would be the best candidate for the task.

But of course there is a major drawback. Although Tom Riddle might not have been fully evil at that time, he had already had the makings of a dark wizard. Even when he was a student at Hogwarts he had already used dark arts and killed some people including his father and grandparents. He also killed Moaning Myrtle and framed Hagrid for his crime. He was dangerous and trying to mess with him would mean certain death. Hermione did not believe in absolute good or evil, but she knew for sure that Tom Riddle would not abandon the darkness for light. Hermione doubted that trying to steer him off the darkness by being nice and giving him love would work with him. The only way to get the upper hand is to outwit him, to out-power him. She could make use of his thirst for knowledge and power. She needs to convince him that muggles and their knowledge can be very useful, and that he could still conquer the world, albeit in a totally different way. Hermione thought she was going crazy. The idea of Tom Riddle working with a muggleborn to unite wizards and muggles is preposterous. It is downright suicidal. But if she succeeds in changing Tom Riddle, she may have the chance to change the world, and end the conflict between wizards and muggles once and for all. The risk seems to be worth it.

Hermione reached for her bean bag, and took out a metal contraption. The time-turner. Hermione had used it on her third year to keep up with her classes and later on to save Sirius Black. It got broken during the battle in the ministry of magic a year ago, but thinking that she might need it again one day, she kept it with her and tried to fix it whenever she got the time. After struggling for almost one year, she finally got it fixed. If she wanted to change Tom Riddle, she would have to go back before he got into Hogwarts - no, before he even knew he was a wizard. Once he got into Hogwarts and found out about his true heritage it would be too late to try to change his views. But she was eighteen already. She could not go to Hogwarts with him. She would have to find another way then.

Hermione turned to look at her two sleeping friends. If she followed through on her plan, she would never meet them again. There is a very big probability that she would fail and die, and even if she does manage to succeed, she would have altered the time so much that she might not meet her friends . They might not exist. Worse, she herself might not exist. It would be a one-way ticket. Thinking that she would lose her whole world made her incredibly sad, but at the same time the sacrifice would be needed in order to change the world for the better. With that she made up her mind. She would do it.

Hermione took a piece of paper from her book and began writing a letter to Harry and Ron. She could not bring herself to face them and say goodbye. When they saw the letter she would have been gone. Forever. She tried to hold back the tears that had started forming on her eyes. She had to be strong. For her friends. For everyone. After she finished writing her letter and left them along with the Slytherin locket on the table, she turned the dial of her time-turner to 1938. As she felt the magic starting to work, she took one last glance to her sleeping friends. She could not hold back her tears anymore. She felt really bad for leaving Harry and Ron to face Voldemort by themselves, but this was for the best. She hoped that they would understand.

With a flash of blinding light, Hermione Jane Granger was gone.

1938

Hermione landed on the ground with a thud. She was still in the Forest of Dean. Looking at her surrounding it was hard to tell whether she had managed to go back into the past. However, Hermione noticed that instead of midnight, it was early evening. And it was considerably warmer than the chilling November wind. Hermione took her wand and casted "Tempus"

The date "July 5th, 1938" was floating in the air in front of her. She made it. She went back in time. Now that she reached her destination she could not just loiter around. She needed help. And who else is better at giving help than Albus Dumbledore. He knew that it would be a very sensitive topic for Dumbledore, but she knew that she could confide about her knowledge of the future to only to him. In this time Dumbledore was the Transfiguration professor so there was a good chance that she could meet him at Hogwarts. But Hogwarts had always had Anti-Apparition wards so she had to go to Hogsmeade and enter the castle through the secret tunnel under Honeydukes. Without further delay she Apparated to Hogsmeade.

She appeared in front of The Hog's Head with a loud crack. The inn still looked as dingy as it was in her time, the windows encrusted with so much filth that it was impossible to peek inside. Hogsmeade in 1938 didn't look that different from the Hogsmeade that she knew. She could see Madam Puddifoot's tea shop from afar as she walked towards Honeydukes. The tacky and frilly decoration reminded her of Umbridge's office. She shuddered at the unpleasant memory. She walked past Zonko's. In her time, the shop had been closed down and boarded up for some time due to the war. She remembered Fred and George saying that they were considering buying the premise and turn it into a Weasley's Wizard Wheezes outlet. Hermione let a small smile formed on her lips. Even at the darkest times the twins still manages to lift the spirits of everyone around them. She hoped they would be fine. She noticed that the Shrieking Shack was not there. Of course, the shack was built to help Remus in his transformation during dull moon. It would not be built until some twenty years from now. If it would be built at all, now that Hermione had come to change the timeline.

Hermione entered Honeydukes and went to the basement, opening the secret passageway to Hogwarts. She tapped the statue of the humpbacked witch with her wand and said "Dissendio". The statue gave her way and after walking some more she emerged in an abandoned classroom in Hogwarts. She opened the classroom door slowly and looked around cautiously in case there were some students. But Hermione realized that it was summer vacation and all the students would have gone back home already. Feeling relieved that she did not have to sneak around and be worried about getting caught, she walked towards the Defence Against the Dark Arts tower, where the Transfiguration Professor office would be. Bracing herself, she knocked the door.

"Come in," a very familiar voice replied.

Hermione felt her heart skip a bit before she slowly opened the door and entered the the room. In front of her stood a very alive, younger version of Albus Dumbledore. He was wearing his purple robe, and his hair and beard was considerably shorter. But his trademark twinkling eyes were there, giving Hermione a sense of comfort. She had missed Dumbledore. A lot.

"Sit down please, Miss~"

"Hermione Granger, Professor Dumbledore," Hermione could not help but feeling excited to meet her Headmaster again. She took a seat across Dumbledore and look around. Just like the Headmaster's Room in her time, Dumbledore's office was full of tomes and magical trinkets.

"Fancy some lemon drops, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore said, extending his hand to offer some of his favorite sweets.

Hermione was startled by Dumbledore's offer. "Oh, eh. Yes... thank you, Professor". She took one and put it on her mouth. It felt so nostalgic. She thought of the countless times she, Harry and Ron went to Dumbledore to ask for his guidance and advice.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, and Hermione's focus returned to the younger version of Dumbledore in front of her. "I believe that it is summer vacation, and I have not seen you at the school. To what occasion do I have you here, Miss Granger?"

That's right. The Dumbledore in front of her did not know her. Hermione shifted her eyes down, considering what, and how to tell Dumbledore her current condition and her crazy plan. But she had made her decision to come here. She trusted the Dumbledore of her time and she will trust the current Dumbledore too. Hermione lifted her head and looked at Dumbledore.

"Actually, I need your help," she paused, "I had come for the future".

Dumbledore stared at her closely for a brief moment, probably checking whether she was lying. It scared Hermione a bit, but soon after the scrutinizing stare was replaced by the familiar twinkle.

"I see," replied Dumbledore. "Care to elaborate?"

Hermione took a deep breath before she continued. "I came from year 1997. I was a student here. I finished my sixth year, but because of the war Hogwarts was not safe anymore and I could not continue to my seventh year."

Dumbledore looked surprised. Hogwarts was known to be one of the safest place in Britain. But he didn't reply anything, so Hermione took it as a cue to continue.

"There is this dark wizard... He calls himself Lord Voldemort. Seventeen years ago he was almost defeated but he managed to regain his power and now he has taken control of Hogwarts and the ministry. He has a large number of followers called Death Eaters and in these past few months they have killed a lot of muggles and muggleborns. Prior to my coming here my friends and I have been living on the run trying to defeat him but so far there has been no result and the situation was getting more and more desperate. We were running out of time. I figured out that the only way to end the war is to prevent it from happening in the first place, and to make sure that there will not be another war like this in the future. That is why I came here."

"Hmmm... Did my counterpart in the future send you here?"

Hermione swallowed a big gulp. But she needed to tell the truth. "Actually, no... You, you died.. earlier this year. By the Killing Curse."

If Dumbledore was surprised, he was masking it really well. But he knew that the girl in front of him was telling him the truth, and he motioned her to continue.

"I... I knew who Lord Voldemort is. I believe that if I can change him and prevent him from becoming the Dark Lord, I will be able to change the future"

"And how are you going to do that?"

Hermione told Dumbledore about her plan. He listened to her attentively and nodded in agreement when she talked about about wizards and muggles being equal and that they should cooperate rather than stay in ignorance and fear of each other. However, he did not seem very convinced about her plan.

"Miss Granger, do you understand what you are planning to do?"

Dumbledore sighed. "You are planning to rewrite the whole timeline. Do you understand the implication of your action? The future, the world that you know, will cease to exist. You will not be able to go back."

"I know, Professor" Hermione looked down, thinking about her friends and family that she had left behind, the people that she could never see again. But she came here knowing that there would be no way back, and she would rather part with the people she loved than watch them suffer and die under Voldemort and the Death Eaters. As long as there is hatred, history will repeat itself. Finding some confidence, she looked at Dumbledore at the eye. "But I want to end the conflict between wizards and muggles, once and for all"

Dumbledore looked at the young witch in front of her. Her eyes were shining with unwavering determination. He knew that nothing he do would be able to convince her otherwise. The plan that she proposed was indeed a very bold one. And very dangerous.

"I need to see the future that you spoke about,"

Hermione understood what he meant and nodded. Dumbledore performed Legilimency on Hermione and see through her memories. Hermione did not give any resistance at all, trusting the old wizard with everything she knew about her future. From her memories he could see that Hermione Granger was an exceptionally bright witch. She had a loving and compassionate heart, and the bravery and loyalty to protect those who are important to her. Dumbledore thought of his past; his failure to protect his family, and his failure to save Gelert Grindewald from the path of destruction. But maybe, if it were her, there is a hope that it would work. After a moment of pregnant silence which seemed like eternity, Dumbledore finally nodded.

"Well then, Miss Granger. I will do whatever I can to help you."