Preface

Why had Harry gone alone to the forest?

Hermione had not believed it when Hagrid emerged from the forrest carrying a limp, lifeless Harry towards the waiting light side. As they drew closer and the screams of Ginny rang through her ear she expected Harry to spring alive, almost as if were playing a sick joke on all present. The seconds dragged on though and as Voldemort made a demonstration of Harry's body, Hermione hopes that any second he would become animated once again began to dwindle. It wasn't until she really studied Voldemort's face; his warped features constructed into a vision of glee, that the realization sunk it.

Harry was dead.

Then Neville, brave and valiant, had stepped forward and gave an inspiring speech that was meant to rally the troops. Voldemort toyed with him but his courage was still a beacon of resistance. He even managed to slice the head off of that wretched snake Nagini, but that seemed to do nothing but anger Voldemort. Nagini's head had not even hit the ground before the Avada had struck Neville square in the chest, his lifeless form falling next to the open jaws of the massive snake, sword of Gryffindor still in his hand.

The battle started up once again, but the light side was fighting scared, making careless mistakes that turned into fatal mistakes. Hermione found herself in an intense dual with Dolohov, he seemed to be hell bent on revenge from their confrontation in the Department of Mysteries during fifth year. In her periphery she saw Professor Flitwick fall at the hands of Yaxley, and it cost her a scotching hex to her side. Falling backward she saw Dolohov raise his wand with a look of delight, green shot out of his wand, but a tall figure jumped between the two of them and took the impact of the killing curse.

Hermione quickly sent powerful stunner at Dolohov, he flew backward into the stone wall. The impact was hard, his head hitting before his body and he fell to ground, blood pooling out of the back of his skull. Dead. Quickly Hermione flipped the familiar body in front of her, a tear falling down her cheek as she closed the glass eyes staring back at her.

Ron, dead.

Another curse flew over Hermione's head and she turned to see Bellatrix Lestrange finish off McGonagall and turn her frenzied eyes onto her. Jumping to her feet Hermione tried to think of what to do. There had to be a logical solution, some way to turn the tide back in the light's favor. There is no way this can be the end, there is always a solution.

The memories.

Whatever Harry had seen in Professor Snape's memories had been the key to stopping Voldemort, maybe there was some secret hidden in there. Making the decision in that moment Hermione turned and dashed out of the great hall and sprinted towards the familiar gargoyle statue.

Hermione was rushed along by the constant maniacal laughter from Bellatrix Lestrange that followed her through the castle.

"Come here my pretty pet," Bellatrix's voice echoed off the empty hallway walls, "Our time at the manor was cut short and I know you were enjoying our time together!"

As Hermione approached the gargoyles she was surprised when they sprang aside without need of a password. She dived into the opening as soon as the gargoyles moved out of her way, they immediately took back their post guarding the door for her. Rushing up the stairs and into the office she slammed the door and put up as many wards as she dared waste time on. She had just finished her last spell when the door in front of her rocked. Bellatrix had made it through the gargoyles.

Turning, she went to the pensive, only to find that the memories that should be swimming in those depths were missing. It was empty. Harry had took them with him. Her heart dropped and she turned to see the sullen look of Severus Snape looking down at her from his portrait on the wall.

"What's the secret," she implored the painting in front of her, "how do we defeat him? What did you show Harry that made him sacrifice himself for all of us?"

The only sound came from the assault on the door behind her, the man though was silent.

Hermione shifted her eyes to Dumbledore and begged, "How do we stopped this, Him?"

Once again, no answer.

She could feel her wards dropping one by one, mere seconds from being face to face with death again.

"Any of you?!" Hermione's voice rang out at the headmasters and mistresses adorning the walls around her. Tears fell silently down her face as the whole room shook again from the force of spells being thrown at the door.

A small, golden object on a chain fell from a high shelf, shattering onto the floor below. Hermione picked up the broken object and cradled it gingerly in the same hand as her wand. A humorless laugh left her raspy throat, a time turner.

A broken time turner.

Its golden sphere dented and warped, the glass shattered and sand spilled into Hermione's hand. The one thing in this entire world that could have changed everything. She looked up sadly and eyes came face to face with Severus Snape's black eyes once more, they looked almost regretful.

The floor shook one last time and Hermione felt her last ward drop and the door bust open. Reflexively, her hand closed tightly around her wand, crushing the rest of the time tuner in her palm, glass making deep cuts into the skin. Hermione began to conjure up a defensive shield just as a shot of purple left Bellatrix's wand and hit her wand hand first, sending excruciating pain searing up her arm and towards her chest.

Hermione feel to her knee cradling the arm, the veins rising up her arm were discolored black as is a poison was coursing through her body. She relaxed her wand hand and looked at the deep cuts made by the time turner, blood pouring from the wound and mixing with the residual sand that had spilled from the broken hour glass. Suddenly, the floor shifted below Hermione spinning around her, she felt a pressure build up around her body. She felt as though she was being pulled a million different directions at once.

Hermione heard Bellatrix's yell out in anger and then everything stopped. There was nothing but blackness and pain.