A/N: This is a Time-Turner fic because I love those and wanted to try writing one myself. I hope you all enjoy it and feel free to leave any constructive criticisms!

The first chapter is short, but the rest will be longer.

This is an M rated story, so keep that in mind. I'll leave a message above any chapter that contains M rated material.

July 4, 1997

"He's dead," he said.

"Dumbledore's dead," said another.

They had all just returned from Dumbledore's funeral, and everyone was still in shock over what happened. The wizard they thought would be vital in helping stop Voldemort was gone and no one knew what they were going to do to prevent the Dark Lord from taking over.

"We're in way over our heads," said Ron. "We can't stop Voldemort without him!"

Hermione wasn't sure who Ron was talking to as he paced their common room. Everyone was sitting around in shock at the night's events. Their beloved Headmaster was killed by none other than Severus Snape, a man whom Dumbledore trusted.

What no one knew was that it had to happen. Well, no one except Hermione. Sometime before his death, Dumbledore gave Hermione a mission that until now, she wasn't sure if she would do. Why hadn't he asked Harry or Ron to do it? Why her?

But she knew why. She had no ties to the magical world as they did. Asking either of them to do what Hermione was about to could complicate things more than they already were.

"We can't beat him," he said, "he's just too strong."

This time Ron's voice was barely above a whisper. Hermione looked up at him from her seat, and his expression pained her. She felt just as helpless as he did. With Dumbledore dead and Harry nowhere to be found, it felt like everything was falling apart.

"We'll figure something out," Hermione said wanting to comfort her red-headed friend.

"There's nothing to figure out, Hermione. We're done for."

With that said, Ron retreated to the boy's dormitory with a sullen look on his face. He had given up.

Hermione headed to the girl's side and rested in her bed while thinking about everything that had happened over the past few weeks.

She knew it wasn't possible to stay here if she wanted to save her loved ones, but how could she leave when she knew they would all be facing a war soon? What if things didn't turn out the way she wanted them to? What if instead of making things better, she made them worse? Would she be able to live with herself if more lives were lost than saved because of her decision? How was she going to tell her friends that she was going to leave and might never return? Would her plan even work?

There were too many questions and no way to answer them until she took action and went through with it. Out of fear that they would stop her, or she would chicken out, Hermione decided not to tell anyone that she was leaving. Only one person knew what she was planning as it was him who gave her the idea, without directly telling her to do it of course, and he was dead now. That was the only reason she decided she had to do it. What she was doing was risky, but it could save a lot of people. At least, that's what she told herself. Hermione knew that the only way she could end this was, was to prevent it from happening. She had to use the Time-Turner.

With a deep breath, she packed the last of the things she would need in her small, purple, beaded handbag that had been enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm and snuck out of the girl's dorm and gave the Gryffindor common room one last look before silently leaving.

She soundlessly walked through the halls and headed towards a secret exit only a few students knew about. It was used to sneak in and out of Hogwarts and head to the Hog's Head Inn in Hogsmeade. From there she would Apparate to London, and that's when her plan would begin.

Once she made it to London, she checked to make sure her Time-Turner was still safely placed around her neck. Clutching the small, golden necklace that would ultimately take her to a time utterly unknown to her, she thought about how many times she would need to spin it. One hundred seventy thousand three-hundred seventy-six. That should take her to August 1977.

A time when Voldemort was in power, but Regulus Black and Severus Snape had not yet become Death Eaters, Peter Pettigrew had yet to betray his friends, and the Potters were still alive.

She was only one hundred seventy thousand three-hundred seventy-six spins away from beginning to create a new and better world. A world where Harry wouldn't have to grow up without his parents, Sirius wouldn't be sent to Azkaban for 12 years for something he didn't do. And hopefully, Voldemort no longer existed to destroy the lives of countless others.

Hermione rushed into the nearest pub she could find and pushed her way through a crowd of people. She headed straight for the bathroom, needing privacy to carry out her task.

She was going to head back in time. Looking in the bathroom mirror, she looked at her reflection and frowned at the girl who stared back at her. She had dark circles around her eyes from sleepless nights, and her hair was more unkempt than usual. Her cheeks were gaunt, and her skin was a dull shade of gray. She didn't have the luxury of caring for her appearance while also trying to figure out how to end a war.

How she looked didn't matter. What mattered was getting to 1977 and finding Dumbledore.

With one last glimpse in the mirror, Hermione thought about all the things she needed to accomplish upon her arrival and began to spin the Time-Turner. There was no turning back now.