This is my first attempt to write a McGonagall/Hermione story but I've had this idea in my head for ages begging to be written. This is an AU time turner story and I've taken the liberty of changing a lot of things that happened at the end of Deathly Hallows as well as the epilogue. I've also changed McGonagall's date of birth as well as the date of when Dumbledore began teaching at Hogwarts to suit my needs, so there. This will be a femslash involving MM/HG and Hooch/HG so if that's not your thing feel free to leave. I don't own Harry potter or the characters I'm just borrowing them and temporarily putting them in rainbow colored shirts.
The Challenge For A Witch's Love: Chapter one
It broke her heart to see this place in shambles, this place that she considered her second home. It tore at every seam in her soul particularly the very room she stood in now.
It has been three days since the great battle at Hogwarts and while some had immediately returned home to mourn their losses others, like Hermione, remained to help with repairs. All of the Weasleys and Harry included had left the following morning. Mrs. Weasley had tried her best to urge Hermione to come to the burrow as well if only for a few days to rest. Hermione had kindly declined however stating that now that the danger of the past seven years was finally over she now found herself full of excess energy to burn.
Now here she was standing before the crumbling walls of professor McGonagalls private chambers. Over the years she had come to this very room many times to talk with her favorite professor. The two met at least once a week to discuss the latest articles in Transfiguration Today or debating Gamp's Law of elemental transfiguration versus Waddell's theory of evolutionary transfiguration over a cup of tea.
The young witch sighed deeply as her fingers skimmed over the remarkably still intact mahogany desk where her mentor would sit to grade classwork. She always loved this desk, from the spiraling legs that twisted down into clawed feet to the beautiful coat of arms molding beaming out in the front.
Hermione knew the symbols almost as well as she knew her own name, it was the McGonagall family crest. It was a shield with the left side displaying an eagle in the midst of taking off in flight with a fish in its beak symbolizing bravery and leadership but also generosity. The right side consisted of a fox standing on its hind legs with it's fore legs resting on the hilt of a sword imbedding in the ground. This part representing wisdom coupled with honor. A stag stood on either side of the shield and the two sides were separated by a long feather. Above the shield there was a banner with the words Innleachd Onair Faoil Sàsta, Intellect honor generosity and peace of mind, the McGonagall family motto.
The young woman smiled fondly at the image before moving along to the window. She frowned once again as she viewed the goings on out on Hogwarts grounds. A section of the grounds was being sectioned off and turned into a burial site for the casualties who had no family to claim them. Off to the right side of the castle just behind the Quidditch pitch there was an area of flat ground, this was the chosen location for the impromptu cemetery.
Hermione's heart saddened at the thought of all those that were lost in the war. Images of Fred, Tonks and Lupin came to her mind first and she tried to hold back the tears that threaten to fall.
For all his faults in his inability to be serious she would always remember what a wonderful person Fred was. His talent of bringing laughter everywhere would be sorely missed. She knew that George would never be the same of that she was sure and for that reason her sadness deepened.
Tonks had been a great friend to Hermione and Ginny for the last three years. Other than Ginny Tonks was one of the only girl friends that Hermione had and the only one that she didn't feel the urge to roll her eyes every so often because of boy talk or gossip or makeup tips. Tonks had a way of bringing light into a room no matter how dark the situation seemed. To know that little Teddy Lupin would never experience that made Hermione feel that the world had cheated the young boy of one of the greatest gifts he could ever have.
Remus Lupin, the one person other than her mentor who Hermione could relate to most, another gift lost to fate's unkindness. The silliness and creativity that his mother would have given Teddy would have been perfectly balanced with his father's wit and intellect. The love that they had held for one another was the kind that lives on in books and fairy tales.
The list of others went on but it was at that moment that Hermione's train of thought was broken by the voice behind her. "It is best to not to stare too long my dear. I find myself unable to keep from shedding my fair share of tears if my eyes linger."
Hermione turned to find Professor McGonagall standing stoically aside her desk. She hadn't even heard her enter the room and considering how much rubble littered the floor that was truly a feat. The older witch had a kind but sympathetically sad smile upon her face. Taking the remaining steps forward she took a quick glimpse out the window. "There is not a day that goes by that I do not dwell in thoughts of those we have loved and lost."
The younger witch followed her gaze before nodding in agreement then back at the elder. "Do you miss him terribly? Dumbledore? I never knew how close you two were but at his funeral I could see the pain in your eyes."
McGonagall's lips tighten into a line as she looked away from the scene just beyond the window's ledge. "He was one of my dearest friend, one of two of my best friends. He became the transfiguration professor when I was in my third year and was responsible for my deep love of the subject. He had taught me so much and encouraged my eagerness to get my third level mastery of transfiguration as well as come to Hogwarts to teach. I think in some ways he was more of a brother to me than my own siblings were."
She looked back at the young woman, her eyes cloudy and her control slipping just a fraction just enough to allow a single tear to fall. "It is not just him that I miss though. I've always thought of the students here as my own children and there is nothing more tragic to a parent than to see your child die before their time right in front of you. It is the memory of those innocent lives lost that will haunt me more than any other horrors I have witnessed in my life."
Hermione nodded again after one more glance out the window. "To the wizarding world we are heroes, Ron and Harry, you and I. All of the ones that fought the dark side and lived are celebrated and honored. But it's them that I honor, the ones who didn't make it. The ones who gave their lives to prevent our world from turning into the Hell that Voldemort would have made it into. I would give anything to have been able to prevent so much death. There was really only one person who deserved to die in all this and after taking so much from so many people over the years he still managed to take more the day he died."
McGonagall took the remaining steps forward and placed an arm around her student's shoulder. "Yes he did. It is truly sad to see what one can become when love holds no place in your heart. He had no love for any other and no one loved him. In a way one could actually feel some sort of pity for him, however minimal it may be. To think that perhaps if one person had been able to show him love in whatever form it may be that all this could have been prevented."
With that said McGonagall gave a slight squeeze to Hermione's shoulder before stepping away and turning to the disarray of her suite. "Well my dear I suppose we have our work cut out for us today. Again I must thank you Ms. Granger for your assistance in the repairs of the school. Goodness knows we needed all the help we could get."
Hermione moved over to a pile of stones and personal effects that blocked the way into what she could only assume led to the professor's bedroom and bathing area. "I couldn't in good conscience have left with the castle in the state that it's in. I think the work we've put in to put the building back together has actually helped me a bit in the healing process."
McGonagall smiled in understanding, she felt the same way. She point to the wreckage in front of the girl and motioned towards her things that lay scattered among the debris. "Just take any of my things that you find in that mess and put them into the boxes there. I will sort through them later. Once we've collected everything we can begin to reconstruct the walls and such."
The young woman knelt down and began to grab anything that was stuck under a large piece of stonework and did as she was told. Quills, papers and books were placed in one box while things like photos and other mementos were placed in another.
One of the things that Hermione had come across in her chores was a photo that she had seen numerous times sitting on the professor's desk. It was a picture of McGonagall standing in front a beautiful stone fountain, water spout carved into the shape of a nymph with the water pouring out of a jug. The professor looked to be about seventeen or eighteen when the photo was taking and she looked so much more carefree than the reserved woman she was today.
Her long black hair was loose and blowing back and forth in the wind and her arm was wrapped around the waist of another woman. The other woman had light brown hair that came to just below her shoulders and her hawk like eyes went from look at McGonagall with mirth to looking at the person taking the picture with love and admiration. McGonagall had the same look as well when she looked at the photographer.
The first time Hermione had seen this picture she knew that there had to be quite some story behind the look and had asked the professor about it. McGonagall had only told her that it was a picture her and Madam Hooch, the two had been best friends since their first year at Hogwarts and still were. She did not go into any more detail than that however and only gave a wry grin when she saw the look of dissatisfaction on her protégé's face.
Hermione moved to pick the photo up from the ground and as she took hold of the broken frame a fragment of the shattered glass nicked her finger. She quickly dropped the offending object and stuck her finger in her mouth with a hiss.
It was then that she noticed something shiny and shimmering on the floor beneath the picture. This time carefully grabbed the frame she moved it over to see what lay beneath it. There lying on the ground was another item that Hermione was very familiar with, a time turner. The very one she had used in her third year, the one she later discovered personally belonged to the very professor that had given it to her.
The hourglass was cracked and some of the sand had seeped out onto the floor but most of it still remained in the object. Hermione picked up the time turner and held it in her hand ready to bring it over and place it in the box. As she stood and the item moved about in her hand a few of the grains of sands began to spill into her hands and made its way into the cut in her finger.
With the chain of the time turner hung around her wrist Hermione hissed once more as her injured finger burned with the intrusion of the sands. Once the time turner had been released it swung dangling around her forearm and with her knowing the hourglass began to rapid turn.
Hermione was startled as she noticed that the room was spinning. It room suddenly was rebuilt as though nothing had happened and figures were moving about in at a dizzying speed. One moment the room was light from the sun shining through the window and a second later it was dark with barely any moonlight.
Looking down at the time turner hanging from her arm her heart stopped to see that the hour glass was spinning and spinning faster than it ever had when she had previously used it. She grabbed it with a fumbling hand and suddenly the room came to a sudden stop.
Hermione's heart was thumping out of her chest, her pulse racing. She knew she had gone back in time, the question was how far back. She looked around the room but hardly recognized it, Professor McGonagall things were not there.
"Excuse Miss?" A voice behind suddenly startled her as she turned around. Her jaw dropped at the person who had spoken. "But you mind telling me who you are and what you are doing in my rooms?"
There stood none other than Dumbledore, well at least she was pretty sure it was Dumbledore. In truth this particular man, he looked to be in his early thirties with long brown hair tied behind his head and a long beard. But she knew this was Dumbledore because of the one thing that did not change in is elder age, those twinkling knowing blue eyes of his. "Professor Dumbledore?"
The man looked her curiously because of the familiar tone and surprise in her voice. "Yes that is who I am. And you are?"
A still stunned Hermione could only gap as she mechanically told him. "My name is Hermione Granger. Please sir you could you tell me the year?"
Professor Dumbledore looked down to the girl's hand and that was when he noticed the object she held. A look of understanding passed over his face. "We are currently in the year 1918 Ms. Granger."
The time turner slipped from Hermione's hand as darkness took over her vision and she fainted.