Are you Sirius?

CHASER 1: Write about the Truth leading to a death OR write about a Dare saving someone's life.

Prompts: 2. (emotion) scared; 6. (colour) midnight black; 10. (word) wither

Words: 2986

Hermione Granger was a smart, rational human being. Hermione Granger was a snoopy, inquisitive witch. Hermione was an excellent researcher. Hermione Granger was a true and loyal friend. All of this must be stated to understand the utter unlikeliness of the situation that was presenting itself for her next task.

Hermione Granger had gone back to Hogwarts after the rebuilding following the war and had gotten Outstanding in Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Astronomy, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic, Potions, and Transfiguration, and an Exceeds Expectations in Muggle Studies. (She was a bit peeved about the latter, but dismissed it because her Professor was a "ditz" who had never lived outside the wizarding world and would not know her toaster from her iPhone, or so Hermione told me.) Hermione Granger is now gainfully employed as an Unspeakable researcher in the Department of Mysteries. That is why she has been called in to the Head's Office.

"Hello, Analisa," Hermione greeted the administrative assistant and brains behind the running of the department. "Mr. Jenkins owled me to meet him first thing this morning. Is he in?" She set a muggle mocha latte on the desk in front of Analisa Bones. "This is for you."

Analisa Bones was a second cousin of Susan Bones, former classmate of Hermione's from Hogwarts. Analisa sipped the chocolaty coffee that Hermione had brought. "Yes, he's in and waiting for you," she replied. "I don't think he went home last night because he was here when I left yesterday, wearing the same clothes, sitting at his desk, staring at the same file as yesterday. You can go on in." As an afterthought she added, "Good luck!" She added, "She'll need it," in a whisper as Hermione entered the office following a rap on the door.

Hermione placed a tea on the desk near her boss's right hand, but far enough from it to avoid his spilling by accident. Mr. Jenkins didn't acknowledge her presence, but picked up the tea and took a sip before he looked up from his reading. The two had worked together long enough that they were in tune with each other's habits. "Sit!" he commanded. "What do you know about the Death Chamber?"

Hermione shuddered remembering her first and only visit to the room. "It holds a portal to the next world," she replied quickly. "Maybe. Do we really know what it is?" She thought a moment, "I've also heard that it is a portal to another world. The muggles have a motion picture about such a portal called 'Stargate'. I have wondered if this might be like that. There really isn't much available for research."

Mr. Jenkins took another sip of his tea, reached into his drawer and brought out a package of store-bought biscuits. "Want one?" He offered the package, then he pulled it back when she took her head. "No, there is very little written about it because it is a touchy subject. It is related to the time-turner area of expertise." He gave her a withering look indicating that he knew she had been involved in the destruction of the time turners. Currently they were being replaced, but Hermione was not allowed in that portion of the Department of Mysteries. "The Veil absorbs persons at intervals and then expels them later, or an earlier date in some cases. Therefore, there is not much written down related to the veil. It would completely disrupt the space-time continuum." He paused so Hermione might process what he had just told her. "I am entrusting you with this information because the runes are beginning to glow in a pattern indicating a return. I may not be around the next time this happens as I am nearing retirement and my 125th birthday next month. As the holder of the information in this folder, I am passing my information and responsibility regarding the Death Chamber to you. I hope to be here when the return happens, but the message in the runes is not clear."

He stood from his desk and said, "Come with me." Taking one more sip of his tea he slowly led the way out of the room leaning heavily on his cane. It had always intrigued Hermione that purebloods of a certain age, or linage, had hand carved canes with wands concealed in them. This one was midnight-black ebony with a silver lynx as the end of the wand and hand hold. It had obviously been handed down through many generations of Mr. Jenkins's family.

Hermione followed him out the door, closing it behind her, and walked a couple of paces behind her supervisor. They paused at the center of the room where the various doors were at the end of what seemed to be spokes of a wheel. He turned and reminded her to clear her mind, "Forget everything you have been told about the Death Chamber and the Veil." This was like what Hermione had been told when she began work as an Unspeakable. "Forget everything you have been told about the Department of Mysteries. We can access the doors we need, or we'd never get anything done. We would just be looking for our offices. If you were not an Unspeakable, you would not have the correct access."

Once they entered the Death Chamber, the door closed behind them. Hermione shivered at the memory of her last time here. She, however, put on her "poker face" so that Mr. Jenkins would not know she was scared to return to the place where Harry Potter's godfather had fallen through the veil during a duel with his cousin. The echo of the memory of Bellatrix Black LeStrange's laugh chilled Hermione to the core. This time she had more time to look around her at the room. It was at least 15 feet from floor to ceiling with only the arch which was shaped like the twisted portion of a Mobius strip and the reflection in the polished floor seemed to be the remainder of the strip. Hermione could not help but wonder if the infinite properties of the strip had anything to do with the time-travel properties that Mr. Jenkins had spoken of earlier.

The old wizard started, "You will notice that the arch is centered in the room. When you move behind it there is no explanation how someone could fall through it to someplace else. The last time the runes on the surface began to glow, a traveler came 200 years from the past. This is exactly why we don't discuss travelers, nor even mention their existence. Can you imagine the havoc that Tom Riddle could have caused if he had known?"

"That would have been catastrophic," Hermione replied. "Could he have controlled whether he would have gone to the past or to the future?" She shook her head and said, "No, you said that there is no way of knowing. Does the rune pattern remain the same for travelers?"

"No, we have no way of knowing," the man said with a wistful look in his eye. "The only thing we know is that someone is coming. The traveler does not age or lose age during the time they are in the Veil. This is the only constant. The pattern of runes has been different every time and they change from day to day, hour to hour. Therefore, I slept here last night. I am getting too old for this, consequently I am turning over the responsibility to you. As the time is near, we need to watch closely. I will be relieving you for a few hours each day for you to sleep, but you need to go home and bring your "go bag" and let your family know you will be unavailable for an unknown period of time, probably no more than two weeks."

"I always have my "go bag" with me," Hermione stated and indicated the purple beaded bag she had attached to her belt. The older wizard shook his head and was sad for the young woman. Here was a thirty year old war heroine, attractive, smart, witty and powerful witch who should have a family outside her work. "Just hold your wand up when you come back and think of this room. When you entered with me, it was keyed to allow entry."

She watched as was her mentor examining the lit runes and writing the information on a notebook. He paused and said, "I note the time, the color of light emitted from any lit rune plus the translation of the rune. I also describe any anomalies. For instance, this one that means "love" is glowing gold, but changes to silver, then blue, followed by red. The red color remains steady for about five minutes then it becomes gold again for the rest of the hour cycle it seems to be on. In all the silver and blue are only about two minutes each, but this last time they blinked alternating silver and blue for a minute as they were changing. The change to red was just abrupt, as was the change from gold to silver. I've never seen it happen in all the times I've received returners."

"How is one selected to go through the Veil?" Hermione asked, thinking of Sirius Black who was forced by his cousin.

"You'll know when an appropriate candidate appears and has a valid reason. They always have to be reminded that they will be the same age when they return as when they left and they have no control over the year they will return to." He smirked, "Talk about your ultimate trip. Generally, travelers are single and have nothing to live for in the current time." His look said, "Like you." But it went unsaid.

They sat silently watching the arch and the runes that were changing from time to time. They noted the changes and the time of the change. Then they waited. After four hours, he said, "Go get lunch and then come relieve me so I can get mine."

Hermione returned to find her supervisor sitting exactly where she had left him. "Would you ever want to try?" she asked nodding toward the arch.

"I don't know," he replied thoughtfully, then gave her a smirk, and a wink. "Who's to say I already haven't?"

"Okay," Hermione answered thoughtfully, "what's the protocol when we have a return?"

"It depends on how long they have been gone or whether they've come from the future. The wizard that came from 200 years in the past was taken to a safe house, given a new identity and taught how to live in the twentieth century. He is now an Unspeakable."

"What if they are from the future?"

"The protocol is the same. We try to not change their memories because we get some really innovative ideas and revolutionary developments this way."

Hermione thought a minute more and asked," What do we do about people who have not been gone long and come back when people that knew them are still alive?"

"Since I haven't come across that in any of the notes," he answered, "you would have to make it up as you go."

"I have another question," Hermione stated.

"Of course, you do. Please go on."

"When one travels through the Veil, assuming they are prepared, but do not want to work for the Ministry, how are they financed?"

Her mentor chuckled, "Are you planning on leaving? If you plan to go you naturally take a suitable number of galleons out of Gringotts."

Hermione frowned.

"Galleons are not date stamped and are goblin made. The coins made yesterday look exactly like the ones made fifty or five hundred years ago or two hundred years in the future. This is what have funded time-travelers through the ages. If you are strong enough you can take a mint in galleons with you. Unlike the pound which will look different when Charles becomes King, the galleon is unchangeable."

"I wish I had packed more when we were on the run during the war. We could have eaten better," she laughed.

"I think that it is amazing that when you robbed the bank, all you took was a half-blind dragon."

This time Hermione laughed even harder. She wiped her eyes and said, "The goblins insist on bringing me money from my vault rather than letting me go down. Harry has the same problem. Fifteen goblins brought trays of engagement rings from the Potter and Black vaults so he could choose a family heirloom for Ginny when they were betrothed."

The two recorded another cycle of runes and then her mentor told her to go home for eight hours of rest.

The next morning Hermione brought Mr. Jenkins's Earl Gray tea and a bag with fresh scones to the Death Chamber. As she entered she noticed his notebook on the floor in front of the arch, but he was nowhere to be seen. She assumed that he had gone to the loo, or to get some food. When he didn't show up for over an hour, Hermione went to the main office.

"Analisa, have you seen Mr. Jenkins?" Hermione asked.

"No, I thought he was with you in the Death Chamber," the assistant answered. As Hermione turned to return to the Chamber, Analisa called out, "An owl just delivered this for you." Hermione stuffed the envelope into her pocket.

All day she sat in the room watching the runes cycle, "Love", "Wisdom", "Peace", "Hope", "Family." The cycle was constant and unchanging. She was about to give up and return to the office when she felt the letter in the pocket of her robes.

"My dear Hermione,

I know you will have the wisdom to handle everything in my absence. I have talked to Minister Malfoy and suggested that he appoint you as my replacement. He seems to think that I am taking terminal leave on my way to retirement. In a way, I am.

I failed to tell you that when the runes show a return is coming, you need to find a replacement. This is the hardest part of the job. You need to find someone that will not take advantage of the situation that they find themselves in whenever they return. I have offered myself to travel again, and yes, I was the one who came from 200 years into the past to 1998. I have no idea who will be returning, but please treat the witch or wizard with the utmost care. Most, though prepared, really are not ready for what the world will offer.

Your return will come within twenty-four hours of my departure. The safe house is my residence and you will now be the secret keeper as you have visited me. You'll have to apparate the person who appears. Apparation can be done from this room near the door. (It cannot be done into here, in case you are curious.) They will be in a state of suspended animation. No key for the cottage is necessary as your wand is keyed to the Death Chamber. The cottage is on the floo network, but it is closed until you open it. Just tell Healer King at St. Mungo's you are to take her to my residence. She will know what to do.

I am proud to have known you. You will be fine. The first one is always the hardest.

Regards,

David Jenkins"

Hermione was flabbergasted. The hints had been there through the years she had been working for him and more frequent the past week. She had hardly time to finish the letter and not even digest all the information contained therein, when the runes around the arch began to flash even faster and in a random pattern. Not knowing what to expect since she had barely had time to read the first part of the folder that he had left her, she moved Mr. Jenkins's notes away and neared the arch. The cloth of the Veil glowed with an opalescent white light then turned gold. The black arch was now lit with the gold runes in a star shape.

Suddenly a person was thrust out of the light and onto the floor at Hermione's feet. The body was tightly wrapped in a white cloth, but there was evidence of life in the shallow breathing. Hermione stared at the bundle before her then remembered the letter. She picked up the folder and notebook from the floor and put them into her beaded bag. She sprang into action using a Levicorpus spell to move her bundle. Hermione took hold of the bundled person and apparated away a pleasant white cottage with a thatched roof named Faith House.

They landed with a gentle thud on the front lawn of the cottage. Hermione laid bundle down on the lawn and moved to the door. Tapping the knob, it opened to her touch. She took in the layout of the cottage to refresh her memory. There was a large sitting room as she entered. To her left she could see a kitchen and to the right a hall, where she assumed there would be bedrooms. Moving down the hall, she looked into the rooms. There were two bedrooms and a hall bath. The larger bedroom was set up as a hospital space and was nearer the entry. The second was smaller, but still decent size where she assumed would be where she would stay until the traveler was able to be on his or her own.

Returning outside, but leaving the door open for easy reentry, she carefully lifted then moved the bundled body using Levicorpus. After carefully lowering the body to the bed, she pulled back the blanket that was covering the face. In shock, all she could think of was the old joke, "Are you Sirius?"