This is AU, if you didn't already know. The Golden Trio hunted for Horcruxes in the summer of their Sixth Year and killed Voldemort at the beginning of their Seventh Year. I've wanted to do the cliché of Harry going back in time, but I couldn't find a lot where it was the all three of the Golden Trio, just Harry, or Harry and Hermione. I also twisted it so Harry is a girl and her name is Danielle Lily Potter, aged 17. :)

Snape also didn't 'mind rape' her as some people put it. He actually helped her build her Occulmency shields and create a mindscape full of traps and things that people have to get past if they want to read her mind. McGonagall also helped her reach her Animagus form(s). (Sorry I also like that cliché.)

Disclaimer: TheFourEyedWonder doesn't own any of this wonderful world that J.K Rowling created with just her imagination and general amazingness. I'm just grateful that she lets us play in her sandbox.

Enjoy everyone.

The Time-Travelling Lions

Prologue: No-Real-POV, Hogwarts, November 11th

Danielle sighed as she rubbed her temples; this made no sense! How were they evading them? They'd tried everything; Danielle had even used herself as a lure … how many times? She couldn't even remember! Nothing would get those stupid rogue Death Eaters out of their probably literal caves!

Danielle groaned in frustration and banged her head down on the table. Hermione jumped, startled by her friend's noise; Ron merely grunted and turned back to a map of all of the potential places the remaining Death Eaters could be. "Are you okay, Danny?" Hermione asked quietly as she took in her friend's miserable face.

"Yes, no, I'm not even sure anymore, Hermione! We have to get these last couple Death Eaters! If they were to find each other, no matter how small the group, they could cause some serious damage! We're still recovering, and Hogwarts isn't even close to being fixed. Look where we're sitting, Hermione. This used to be the library! What is it now? It's a pile of rubbish and some lucky tables and a small handful of chairs. In fact, I think we're sitting on the only chairs in here!" Danielle ranted.

Ron looked up this time. "We know, Danielle," he said gruffly. "We're not completely blind, and I'm getting batter at this emotional stuff. Even I can tell that's not all that's bothering you."

Danielle put her face in her hands. "Wow, Ron, that was almost three whole sentences!" she joked weakly and they smiled anyways. Well, Ron did after he scowled at her.

"I'll have you know I am perfectly fine with how little I say nowadays." he teased back and Danielle smiled for maybe the first time in forever. "You didn't answer my question, though." both he and Hermione gave her pointed looks and Danielle sighed.

"Okay fine! I can't stop blaming myself, y'know? All of those deaths, because of me! If I had found out about the Horcrux thing faster, we could've saved more lives. Lavender is barely surviving, and if we were a second later she would be dead! But now she has to deal with being a werewolf too, and I'm pretty sure she thinks Dean hates her now and won't go anywhere near him, and he thinks she hates him and he's becoming depressed and – UGH! And Colin, poor Colin, he tried to help, but he just died, and for what?! To prove he was a Gryffindor? There was no POINT in him dying! And we TOLD them to stay in the Common Rooms! And-and Remus and Tonks!" tears were streaming down Danielle's cheeks now.

"Now little baby Teddy is an orphan! And his grandmother can barely stand to look at him because he can metamorph just like Tonks, and he has Remus' eyes! I end up taking him every week nearly when I'm not working and I can barely take care of myself! How the bloody hell am I supposed to take care of a baby?! I don't know how to do anything anymore! I can't – I just can't anymore! Sirius is gone! Mum and Dad have been gone for a long while! Poor Luna doesn't have her Dad anymore and now she's running the Quibbler by herself and trying to print things to cheer people up, but she can't even cheer herself up! George doesn't have his twin! You're missing a brother! The Weasley's are missing a vital member! One of the only two people who could bring a smile to people's face and laughter to even the most depressed of people! And now George can't do it! He doesn't have the person who would make him smile and laugh! He's an empty shell, Ron! Hermione doesn't even have her parents anymore, and it's a whole of a lot worse for her than it was for me, because she actually knew her parents! Life doesn't feel worth living if there aren't people there to keep you going on! You two are all I have left, I can't take care of Teddy, I don't know what to do, and F-Fred's gone and I-I just can't, okay?" Danielle started to cry in earnest, and Hermione immediately rushed over to her and let Danielle cry on her shoulder.

"Oh, Danielle, I am so sorry! I had no idea you were blaming yourself for all of this! It's not your fault! You did what you could and then even more! I am so sorry, Danny! It's not even close to being your fault! I can't believe you would even suggest such a thing! Listen to me!" Hermione pulled away and looked at Danielle with a stern look that she'd seen McGonagall give her tons of times. "You did your best and that is all you could do. There was no way you could have been everywhere at one, Danielle. There is no way. You know this; but still you let the guilt you shouldn't have weigh you down until you start to sink through the muddy waters of despair, and we'll never get you back." her voice cracked, and a lone tear trickled down her cheek. "None of anything that happened was and never will be your fault, do you understand?"

Ron walked over uncertainly, and joined in on the hug. "I won't have you blaming yourself, Ickle Danny-Kins. I'm not going to lose you, you were my first friend and my second sister, I will not lose you, and do you understand me?" Ron's declaration was a lot shorter than Hermione's, but it was okay, because he didn't talk much anymore, and his words were filled with matter-of-factness that said the matter was over and if she even thought about blaming herself again, she wouldn't properly remember what she was blaming herself about in the first place.

"How sweet," a voice sneered from behind them, and they jumped apart finding themselves in defensive positions. The Golden Trio's blood ran cold when they saw who had spoken and the people surrounding them. "I think we should show them how sweet they're going to be when everyone finds them dead in the safety of the Hogwarts Library.

"How did you get in?" Hermione demanded and stared them down.

One of the Death Eater's in the back levitated something in and Danielle let a whimper escape her throat.

It was Professor McGonagall. And she was dead. Her eyes weren't there to be lifeless, though, just empty sockets where they should have been. Her emerald robes were stained scarlet with blood and blackened with soot. Her right arm was hanging by a muscle and her throat had been torn out.

"Professor," Danielle found herself whisper, and then her vision was as red as the blood on the cat animagus' robes. She tried to leap at them, but she found herself held back by Ron's arm.

"Don't. What did I tell you just seconds ago?" he said softly, and Danielle's vision turned back to normal very slowly.

All of the sudden Hermione grabbed her and Ron's hands and held onto something around her neck, which was glowing a bright gold through her fingers. "Tempus est retrorsum," she yelled, and Danielle gasped.

"Hermione! No!" but it was quite too late. The Golden Trio were all suddenly reliving their lives, but backwards, and one at a time.

Hermione's was first.

They saw her yelling the spell; and then there was the end of the Final Battle; the dead bodies she had seen upon walking into the Great Hall; seeing Danielle 'dead' in the arms of a sobbing Hagrid; begging Danielle to not go; hunting Horcruxes; sixth year; summer before sixth year; Sirius dying (Danielle flinched violently); fifth year; being yelled at by Danielle (which brought a smile to said girls face); Danielle coming back with Cedric dead in her arms; fourth year; the Quidditch World Cup; third year; summer before third year; being petrified; summer before second year; first year; becoming the Golden Trio; getting her Hogwarts letter. Danielle and Hermione had to magically stop Ron from trying to bodily harm the memory bullies from Hermione's childhood.

"Well there's my life," Hermione declared weakly, and Danielle sent her a look, but Ron's life was starting.

They saw Ron's declaration in the Library; all of the funerals of the dead the end of the Final Battle; Danielle 'dead' in Hagrid's arms; Hermione destroying the Hufflepuff Cup Horcrux; pleading with Danielle to not go; walking out on them and then spending every waking moment he could trying to find them (Hermione nearly cried); breaking into Gringott's; escaping Malfoy Manor; Remus and Tonks' wedding; Dumbledore's funeral; sixth year; summer before sixth year; being attacked by a brain; seeing Hermione cursed by a Death Eater; riding something he couldn't see (i.e. a thestrel); the DA meetings; being yelled at by Danielle (she smiled again); the third task; being stuck in the Black Lake; making up with Danielle; ignoring Danielle (she winced and Ron apologized profusely … again); the Quidditch World Cup; finding out Scabbers was Peter Pettigrew; third year; summer before third year; being stuck with Lockhart when he had no memory; finding out Ginny had been taken; second year; saving Danielle from the Dursley's; the summer before second year; first year; becoming the Golden Trio; getting his Hogwarts letter; his childhood.

Ron gave a small chuckle, "Not nearly as bad," Danielle winced, because she knew what was coming next.

They saw Danielle wallowing in depression that nobody knew about except her (Ron and Hermione paled drastically); they saw her giving speeches at the funerals and after them crying herself to sleep; they saw her ending it with Voldemort; they saw her walk to her 'death'; they saw her see her parents, Sirius, and Remus; they saw her watch Snape's memories; hunting Horcruxes; Remus and Tonks' wedding; Dumbledore's funeral; Dumbledore's death; sixth year; summer before sixth year; chasing after Bellatrix; Sirius dying; the vision Voldemort sent her; the DA meetings; Umbridge's detentions (Hermione grabbed her hand and choked out a sob); fifth year; the Dementors; yelling at Ron and Hermione; being nearly choked by Uncle Vernon (Ron snarled); summer before fifth year; being part of the ritual that resurrected Voldemort; Cedric dying; the cup; the maze; the second task; the first task; Ron ignoring her (he cringed and apologized … again); her name coming out of the glorified sippy cup; summer before fourth year; scaring her relatives with the threat of Sirius; finding Sirius; the Dementors at the Quidditch game; sneaking out to Hogsmeade; third year; summer before third year; the basilisk; Hermione being petrified; second year; summer before second year; Quirrell; becoming the Golden Trio; going to Diagon Alley; getting her Hogwarts letter from Hagrid; and her abusive childhood.

Ron and Hermione looked at her in horror, not noticing that their surroundings were becoming less white and more defined. Danielle steadfastly ignored them and tapped her fingers against her jeans. "W-what was that?" Hermione asked shakily, breaking the tense silence.

"That was my life," Danielle responded dully, "you saw it just like I saw yours."

They were all unaware of being in the middle of a group of people who were staring at them in shock. "B-but that was terrible!"

"Maybe,"

"Maybe, that's not maybe Danielle!" Ron yelled. "They have a word for what you went through, it's called physical and emotional abuse and neglect of a child!" the watchers were speechless.

"Way to go, Ronald, you figured it out," Danielle snapped. "I know that, I was the one who lived through it!"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Hermione asked softly, and Danielle scoffed.

"How would you bring that topic up in a conversation, Hermione?" she questioned scathingly. "It's not like I could just go: 'Hey can you pass the butter – and did you know I spent the first full ten years of my life living in a cupboard under the stairs? And doing everything the Dursley's wanted me to do? Including being their personal punching bag and stress reliever?' Not going to happen,"

"You could have tried!" she yelled. "You could have tried, Danielle! Not matter how much you want to deny it there are people that actually care about your wellbeing! You are my sister; I need to know these things! I need to know them so I can go and heavily maim whoever pissed you off, because that inadvertently pisses me off!"

"So you want to maim me? I'm inadvertently pissing you off right now, aren't I?"

Hermione's anger deflated, "Smart-arse," she shot off.

"You know you love me,"

"Who are you?"

That question made the Trio jump, and they whipped around and had their wands pointed threateningly at the speaker. When they saw who it was, the wands fell out of their hands.

"Dumbledore, is that you?" Danielle asked in shock as she took a step closer and poked his beard. "It's him!" she jumped on the man she considered her grandfather and hugged him. "Oh my Merlin, Dumbledore, you have no idea what went on after you died – how are you alive anyways?" she released him from the hug and took a step backwards to fall beside Hermione.

"What? I haven't died. I'm sorry, I'm afraid don't know who you are, my dear." he replied perplexed.

"Uh, that's because it's 1977, Danielle," said girl choked on the air she was breathing and fell into a coughing fit.

"What?" she wheezed and Ron patted her on the back. "But that's-that's impossible,"

"Tempus est retrorsum," he said softly, and it all clicked into place.

"You sent us back," Danielle said accusingly. "You did this on purpose!"

"Did you want to die?"

"Yes!" the 1977-er's were shocked once more. "Fred would be there!" Hermione's eyes widened and she looked ready to cry while Ron looked like he'd been sucker-punched and then roundhouse kicked in the face.

"So that's how you really feel," Hermione said shakily, and Danielle looked confused.

"Well you would've died with me, idiots," she rolled her eyes.

"I repeat Albus' question: Who are you?" Minerva McGonagall demanded, and Danielle's eyes lit up.

"Professor McGonagall! Oh it was terrible! The Death Eaters killed you and Ron wouldn't let me avenge you and then we were whisked back here," McGonagall narrowed her eyes.

"I am very much alive, now: who. Are. You?"

"Danielle Potter, you know this, you've taught me for seven years. You helped me find my Animagus forms. A life or elemental phoenix and a Thestrel, remember? It took me my whole sixth year along with those Occulmency lessons from Professor Snape?"

"Danielle, may I repeat myself. We're in 1977. She hasn't met you yet. You actually haven't been born yet." Hermione sighed, and the Hogwarts Professor's gasped.

"Time-travel is extremely dangerous, Miss …?"

"Granger, Hermione Granger; she's Danielle Potter, and that's Ronald Weasley."

Danielle looked like her world had been shattered before she composed herself and wiped her face clean of any and all emotion. "So, what now; are we going to go back?"

"We can't,"

And that's when everything went black.

When Danielle woke up, Ron and Hermione were sleeping beside her chair and Hermione's head was on Ron's shoulder. He was snoring; as always, and she was curled up beside him with her arms around his waist and his cheek on her head.

"Oh good, you're awake," a voice said from the foot of her bed and she blinked, rubbing her eyes and blinking the sleep out of them only to remember that she needed glasses. Her right hand blindly groped for them as she kept her head angled at whoever was standing by her bed. She found them and slipped them on, watching everything immediately come into focus and groaned.

"I was hoping it was all a new nightmare," she muttered sadly, "seems Fate really likes to screw me over."

Dumbledore chuckled, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was ripped out of my time and deposited in my parent's," she replied dully and leaned back onto her pillows, staring at the ceiling. "I wonder why,"

Next to her bed Hermione stirred, causing Ron to wake as well. She looked the scene over with sleepy eyes and yawned. "Good morning, Professor," she mumbled and rubbed her eyes. Ron just took everything in wordlessly, like he usually did nowadays.

"Good morning, Miss Granger," he greeted cheerfully. "Would any of you care for a Pumpkin Pastry?"

"What happened to the Lemon Drops?"

"What's a Lemon Drop?"

"A Muggle sweet you were really fond of in our time," Hermione answered and sat up straighter, happy to answer questions like the lovable bookworm she was.

"Okay, no more pleasantries," Ron interrupted gruffly. "What're we going to do here?"

Danielle frowned, it wasn't like she knew what was going to happen, and she actually hadn't thought about that.

"How old are you?" Dumbledore inquired.

"Seventeen,"

"Seventeen,"

"Eighteen, I was born a year before them, my birthday's in September."

Dumbledore nodded with a smile, "Then I know exactly what you three will be doing," he announced, and they leaned in. "You will be transfer students from a smaller school that was attacked by Death Eaters and your Headmistress killed."

Danielle gaped at him. "Are you kidding me?!" she exploded, then stopped and considered it. "Never mind, we did skip Sixth Year back – forwards – no; in our future's past?" Danielle sighed and Hermione giggled. Ron just smiled.

"I think he gets it, Danny,"

"Well thanks 'Mya, I would've never guessed,"

"There's no need to be rude, Danielle."

"There's always a need to be rude, Hermione."

"No that's just you,"

"Fine then, I guess that the 'there's always a reason to go to the library' is just you?"

Hermione glared at Danielle, who just sent her a cheeky grin.

"So!" Dumbledore clapped his hands, and Danielle nearly fell of the bed. "I believe we need to get you sorted, follow me." They were almost to the door when …

"Albus Dumbledore! Where do you think you're going with my patient?" Madam Pomfrey demanded, basically materializing in front of the group.

Danielle made a face, "I'm fine, M- uh, ma'am, I really am."

"You would say that even if you were dead, Danielle," Hermione commented, and Danielle glared at her.

"You are not helping the situation, Hermione."

"Sorry,"

"Why Poppy, I'm sure young Danielle will be fine to be sorted into a house. She had her bed rest after fainting, she'll be fine." Dumbledore let his eyes twinkle at the Matron and she huffed, sending him the stink eye and marching back into her office.

Danielle breathed a sigh of relief but Madam Pomfrey was right back a second later with a potion bottle.

"Drink," she ordered, and Danielle pulled a face.

"Do I have to?" Madam Pomfrey leveled her with a glare. "Okay fine," she plugged her nose and downed it, not letting it touch her tongue, but still shivered at the feeling of it washing down her throat. She could practically feel it's disgusting taste coating her esophagus. "Yuck, I bet you make it taste nasty on purpose," she muttered and handed the Matron the empty vial.

"If you have an attitude I might reconsider letting you leave,"

"I mean wowza! That potion was delicious! You're the best! Bye!" Danielle bolted out of the Hospital Wing, and headed straight towards Dumbledore's office. She ducked behind a tapestry and ran through the secret passage, coming out right behind a suit of armor beside her destination, and nearly walked out, but a group of four walked past right then.

"What prank do you think we should pull next? It has to be a good one for the start of Seventh Year." 'Start?' Danielle mouthed confusedly, 'it's November 11th,'

"I agree wholeheartedly, Prongsiekins." an all too familiar voice laughed.

"It's Prongs, not Prongsiekins, Padfoot."

Danielle cursed quietly and Remus turned to look at the suit of armor. "Did that just swear?" he asked and the other three stopped walking.

"What are you talking about, Mooney? Suits of armor don't talk, much less curse." James grinned. "But that would be a brilliant prank."

"No, I heard it swear, maybe there's someone behind it." Danielle felt like acting like an Auror (they had a much more extensive swearing vocabulary than sailors). Instead, she crept back into the passageway (which was just a fake wall) as they peered behind it.

"I don't see anything, Moons," Sirius commented, and at that exact moment Ron, Hermione, and Dumbledore rounded the corner.

"Ah, hello you four!" Dumbledore greeted cheerily, and Danielle let out a sigh of relief, which had Remus looking distrustfully at the wall.

"Hello Professor! Who've you got with you?" James responded, and pulled Sirius out from behind the suit of armor.

"This is Miss Hermione Granger and Mister Ronald-"

"Ron,"

"Mister Ron West. Have you seen a girl around here, she ran off before I could give her directions."

"I think this is the suit of armor with the passageway behind it," Remus muttered and ducked behind the statue. He placed a hand on the wall, and it sank through. "Aha! I told you, Prongs!" Danielle's eyes went wide, and she searched almost desperately for a place to hide in the small tunnel, but to no avail. As a last resort, she meta-morphed, not even caring to specify what she looked like.

Remus' head popped through the wall and he came face-to-face with Danielle, who was wide-eyes and staring at him. He yelped and jumped backwards into the suit of armor, crashing into the floor ungracefully.

Danielle's head popped out of the wall, "Oops, was that my fault?" Hermione let out a little shriek as she saw the floating head and Danielle turned to her. "Hello, Mya." her eyes went wide as she realized that it was Danielle. "How was your trip here? Was it as eventful as mine?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "You almost gave me a heart attack, Danny!" she scolded, and Danielle smirked.

"Are you getting old on us, Hermione?"

Hermione gave her a stink eye and Ron hid his grin very well. Danielle stepped out from the wall and walked up to the gargoyle. "Pumpkin Pastry?" she guessed, and the gargoyle sprung to live and moved to the side. "Knew it," she started up the steps and looked over her shoulder in an annoyed fashion. "Are you lot coming?" Ron smiled and started up the stairs after her, causing Dumbledore and Hermione to follow.

When they all were sitting comfortably on their chairs in Dumbledore's office Danielle spoke again. "So what's my cover last name? I can't saunter around with the last name Potter like Ron can't with the name Weasley."

"I was thinking maybe you could play as my sister, and then you did the whole morphing into me thing."

Danielle froze, "Wait – I morphed into you?" she conjured a mirror, and there she was. She could completely pass as Hermione's twin. The only thing different was her eyes; they were the same emerald as always. Her hair was now brown and tumbled into perfect curls at the bottom, she had freckles dotting her cheeks and her lips were curved into a smirk.

"Whoa, twinny-twin-twins, much?" Hermione smiled. "I wasn't even thinking about who to morph into. I guess you're my first speed-dial," she grinned at Hermione, who looked particularly happy at that statement.

"Okay, so I'm Danielle Granger, twin to Hermione Granger and Ron is my twin's boyfriend who we met on the ride to our school that was attacked by Death Eaters." Danielle clarified, and Hermione nodded.

"Now we get sorted,"

Ron went up first because as Dumbledore said, "This isn't normal circumstance, so we'll go backwards!" that old man was still as crazy as he was in their time.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the Sorting Hat bellowed, and Ron smiled happily.

"Means I won't ever leave you two again," he declared, which made the two girls grin at him.

Hermione was just as eager to be sorted as she was the first time. Slamming the hat on her head, it took about five minutes to sort her. "RAVENCLAW!" it declared, and Hermione beamed excitedly.

Danielle walked up nervously. So far Ron and Hermione were in different Houses, and she had no idea if she would be joining one of them or going into a different House.

"Hello," the Hat spoke to her and she jumped just like last time. "You need to be sorted do you? Well, I'll need to see your memories." Danielle took down her mental walls, but only a little bit, and when the Hat was in, she slammed them back up.

"Better safe than sorry," she explained, and the Hat smiled.

"Superstitious, I see,"

"No, just ready for everything." she corrected, and the Hat laughed.

He sorted through her memories one by one and nearly everyone caused him to comment in some fashion. When he reached her old Sorting he raised an eyebrow. "You were all three in Gryffindor, I see," he noted. (He had started out at her birth and went on from there.) "The best of friends, but now the other two are in different Houses now. They turned different through time, but in a positive way. You, now, are more cunning and ambitious, and I have to agree with my future self. You would positively thrive in Slytherin."

Danielle bit her lip, and then though of who would be in Gryffindor that she would have to deal with every day if she was in Gryffindor with them: Dad, Mum, Sirius, Remus, and Pettigrew. Then she thought of the people in Slytherin she would have to deal with: Snape, Malfoy, Avery, Crabbe, Goyle, Bellatrix, the LeStrange twins, Narcissa (Draco's Mum), and more Death Eaters.

But then I could mess with the Death Eaters without them even thinking it was me. I could be the perfect Slytherin.

And with that thought, the Hat decided on my Fate.

"SLYTHERIN!"

And here we have the story that won't leave me alone no matter what I do. I have given up on ignoring it and am simply letting it flow through my fingers. I'm updating CRHW right after this, but I couldn't not let this story free for people to read. It has been demanding that I write it – and NOW!

So here's the prologue, it's longer than my normal Prologues, but I honestly forgot and it all flew out before I could tell it where to stop and start a new chapter. I really hope you guys like this story. I do, and I'm proud of it too, even with the completely OOC Danielle at the beginning, but this is AU, and Danielle is kind of my character, since I'm just using all the situations that J.K put Harry through, and even then I changed some so she's technically a different character.

All of you can have a bajillion internet cookies. Go crazy, use your imagination. I know you have them.

Signing off,

TheFourEyedWonder.