OTHER CHAPTERS WON'T BE AS LONG AS THIS ONE BUT I HAD TO GET THIS OFF MY CHEST SO ENJOY! ALSO I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR MERLIN!

Hermione grimaced, clutching her newest cut across her stomach, she had been hunting the last of the death eaters but they had ambushed her and run, leaving her with a cutting spell across the abdomen as they fled. She quickly apparated to headquarters and stumbled to the medicine cabinet, swallowing the potions that would heal the slice and vanish any future scarring. She sighed as the cut mended itself, the skin knitting back together as the sharp stinging slowly faded into a dull throb then vanished altogether, she would have just healed it but the hex was cursed and could only be cured with the antidote.

She tested the healed area with a few quick stretches, the pain did not return and she smiled, reaching a hand up to her head and untying the knot that held her hair in its severe bun. Her curls cascaded over her shoulders and the familiar comforting weight returned to her neck. She grinned and skipped through the hallway, taking a sharp turn into the main office in which they held their briefings. She stopped short, her smile still in place when she saw the gathered group. Harry, Ron and the Weasley family as well as McGonagall, Dumbledore, Snape and her Slytherin friends: Draco, Blaise, Theo, Daphne and Pansy sat around the large desk, their faces masks of sorrow and anguish.

"What is it?' Hermione asked timidly, walking quickly towards Harry's side to discover the problem. "Mione, the escaped death eaters, the ones who got loose, they well they went to Australia and found your parents," Harry said, turning to look into her eyes, "My parents." She muttered, sinking to the ground, her face buried in her hands. "Did they hurt them first? Don't lie to me Harry," Hermione said, glaring up at him as he went to speak. He visibly deflated and faced away from her, clasping his arms across his chest as he surveyed the faces of those in the room.

"They were tortured for information Hermione; someone must have arrived to help them because there was evidence of a magical battle. Your parents were found in the study and diagnosed, they were under prolonged use of the cruciatus curse as well as stabbed, cut and whipped. They also had broken bones, they didn't give in Hermione. Just like you they stomached it so it got worse and worse until they finally succumbed and died. They were left there for you to find, obviously a message of some kind." He deadpanned, his lips thinning.

Her eyes watered but she held them back, tightening her grip on her arms she shuddered, imagining her parents there, refusing to give in. They didn't give in because they knew what would have happened if her greatest secret had been discovered by the death eaters or the order. Neither could know until it was time that was the saying her mother taught her. Supposedly she would feel when the time was right and then her world would change forever, she was sceptical to say the least. Keeping a secret since birth had made it hard for her to even think of trying to tell someone, oh she was tempted every time someone threw a derogatory name her way but if that was the way it was meant to be so be it.

Her parents, the people who had raised her from birth, made her what she was today were dead, tortured and killed for something that she did, it was her fault and there was nothing she could ever do to change that. She took a deep breath and schooled her face, the emotion dropping from her features and the feelings pushed to the back of her mind, she had a job to do. "I understand that what happened is horrible, detestable and sickening but why does that merit a meeting of the council of the order?" Hermione asked, placing herself into the nearest chair.

"The death eaters have used an ancient and forbidden potion to go back in time, they have not gone to change anything, they know that they cannot without changing the future and what will happen but they went to escape justice, to start a new reign in a different time," Dumbledore explained, leaning his head forward onto his clasped hands, "How far back did they go?" she asked, her eyes shining with worry, "A little farther than we expected my dear. They went back to the time of Camelot, the time under the reign of King Uther who is soon to be killed. My dear do you know who else was around that time?" he asked, his eyes twinkling, "Merlin," Hermione breathed, her face a picture of wonder.

"Yes Hermione, Merlin. But there's a problem. The potion that they used is the last of its kind and it can never be remade, one of the most important ingredients was a vial of Slytherin's blood and he never bleed except to create that one pint of potion, Voldermort owned that so they took it when he died. The only other way that anyone can travel that far back in time is if they are the one of the ancient bloodlines, the one who is a child of one or more of the four founders and a ritual is performed on a full moon, the full moon is tonight we only have a few hours till the ritual has to take place or we have to wait another month, we have to find them. We have records of Slytherin's and Hufflepuffs wedding as well as Gryffindor's and Ravenclaws, their great great great great great great descendants married and now they have one child that has the blood of the four founders running through their veins." Harry explained, dropping his head to the table.

Hermione gasped and stepped back, aware of the worried glances directed her way. "Do you know something about this person dearie? Do you know who they are? Where they are?" Molly asked, walking around the table." Hermione looked away, focusing her attention on the flickering flames of the golden fire. "It might be easier to understand if I showed you," she said, stepping towards the fire and throwing in a large handful of the green powder. "aoudrtys neroq" she hissed, stepping into the flames and beckoning a hand back to the others to follow.

The group stepped out of an intricately carved fireplace, dusting off their robes as they stared in amazement at the grandeur of the mansion. The drawing room alone was as large as the entrance hall at Hogwarts, the ceiling I much the same fashion. "Where are we?" Ginny breathed, her eyes taking in the luxurious furniture. "Welcome to Founders Manor, the home of myself and once a long time ago, the Hogwarts four," Hermione answered, sitting delicately in the grand armchair, her back perfectly straight and her posture excellent, "You mean you're a descendant. You're not a muggleborn?" Ron asked, scratching his head.

"Yes Ron I am the descendant of the founders, of ALL of them. I was forbidden by my parents to tell anyone until the time was right. I guess now was the time," she answered, her eyes flickering between the faces of the order. "Hang on how can you be a descendant? Your parents were muggles" Harry stated, pushing his glasses back into place with a confused frown. "My parents weren't muggles Harry; they were squibs, the first in their line but that was foretold eons ago. Harry there are a lot more prophesies out there, most are never told and just play out as they would, the ministry decided that this was one that must be heard," she sighed, pulling out her wand and waved it in an intricate motion. A silvery ball floated in the centre of the room and began to speak in a low eerie whisper.

When a child born to the lines of the raven, badger, lion and snake
Is in a situation of grave danger the sands of time will be reversed
The child shall travel the path of that already trodden
Her choices shall determine the fate of the world both ancient and futuristic
A love so great it surpasses the bonds of history to match them
The child born shall be hidden from the world, known as that of ordinary birth
Friends with another of great destiny she shall face many hardships
Love, power and wisdom shall be her greatest gifts against the shadows,
Changing the way the world was meant to be with her courage
The heiress to the great ancestors of magical royalty shall rise above the pain
Her sacrifice shall bring about the safety of both times she graces

The prophecy cut off, leaving its final words to linger in the air. Everyone turned to stare at Hermione in surprise, causing her to drop her eyes to her feet, "You are destined to be our saviour aren't you Mione?" Harry asked, a tear slipping past his glasses. "Yes Harry, I knew that I had a great destiny I just didn't realise it was this big or that I would have to leave all of you forever," she finished, the last part spoken as a whisper but they all heard it. "What do you mean leave us forever Mione? You're just going back to kill the death eaters then come back. Aren't you?" Ron asked, startled at the thought of never seeing his best friend again.

"You can't leave us Mi," Pansy cried, her hands clenched into fists, the other Slytherins nodded in agreement and she smiled sadly, they had become good friends when they all went back to Hogwarts for their final year after the war. Hermione had been one of the only ones at first who didn't judge them for their past, they had switched to the order's side during the final moments of the war after all and the Slytherins soon accepted her as one of their own. "You guys don't have the books I do; a ritual like this is a one way trip. I can go back but I can't come forward again, when I go back, I'll be leaving you guys forever. That means that I can never see you, talk to you or contact you again," she muttered, her voice cracking at the thought of leaving her friends forever.

"Wait a minute dearie it said in that prophecy that you were magical royalty, what does it mean?" Molly asked, her eyes scrunched up in confusion. "If we lived back then you would have to address me by my proper title of Princess but you have to understand, the days of the founders were of ancient customs, there were no governments only monarchies, the founders were the royalty of the magical world because they were the most powerful, influential and rich. It was only after their 10th descendant that my ancestors finally managed to get any semblance of democracy into the world and even then it was highly biased towards those of fully magical blood but back then it was because we were scared our blood would die out if combined with theirs." Hermione explained, staring into the fire as she recalled the history her mother had taught her.

"The founders would have been richer and more influential than the court of Camelot even but not many muggles knew their true nature, most believed them to just be very powerful and rich people who lived across the waters from Camelot. Did none of you ever wonder how my family could afford all the holidays, school tuition, my books, our house, clothes, money and all the extras I got on a dentist's salary? Dentists don't make that much really. My ancestors had a huge fortune, they invested it and it has grown more and more plus the tax that got added when they put it into Gringotts when it first opened, over hundreds of years that money has grown in size," Hermione said, smirking slightly.

"How much money do you have now?" Fred piped up apprehensively, "Well over 750 billion galleons," Hermione giggled at seeing their dumbstruck faces, "What are you going to do with it all when you go?" Snape asked, his face set in an expression of genuine curiosity, "Well I was going to take quite a bit of it, you know bit less than 1/100 of it then I thought you know I would divide the rest up among all of you," she finished, glancing out the window at the light coating of frost that covered the pane, the world outside looked like a winter wonderland. "What?" Arthur managed to choke out; he was the only one able to talk at the moment as the other stared at her in absolute shock.

"Listen here. First things first you guys are my family no matter what anyone says and you have loved me like that since I first met you, well most of you but the others have more than made up for it." She stopped to smile at the Slytherins and they smiled back, albeit timidly. "Number two when I go back to the past that means my line ends with me in this time line, if I ever have family they will grow up in the past and create new lines. You guys are family to me and I will not have the money sit useless" she said, grinning sadly. "Please just take the money, I need to do this, I need to know that even if I'm not here to help I can still do my part," she said, grasping Dumbledore's hands.

The people in the room nodded firmly, knowing what this meant for the young woman who would have gladly sacrificed her life it meant theirs were saved. She nodded thankfully and turned to stare out the window. "I need to make a call to Gringotts and have them transfer the money soon so this ritual can happen, I guess I will have to say goodbye," she grimaced and gracefully rose, heading straight for the fire, "I'll be back soon please get the ritual ready," she whispered, throwing in a handful of the green powder and stepping into the flames, "Gringotts," she muttered, the others watched as she was swallowed up by the green flames.

"Come on guys better do what she says," Theo offered, gesturing for Dumbledore to tell them what to do, tears glistened in all of their eyes but they held them back. An hour later Hermione stumbled back through the fireplace, a small bag attached to her waist and several bunches of keys held in her hands. She moved swiftly around the room and pressed a key into each of their hands, waiting till she was done before answering. "With the amount of money I was depositing Gringotts made me open new accounts for each of you so here are your keys, you all get one but the married couples I have put both of yours in the same vault and you both have keys so Bill and Fleur, Molly and Arthur you guys have combined accounts. Each account has about thirty-five billion three-hundred and 57 million, one-hundred and forty-two thousand eight hundred and fifty seven dollars and ten sense," she said, calculating the numbers in her head, "The joint accounts for the couples have double that amount," she finished, looking up to see all of her friends just staring at her.

Fleur was the first to react, throwing herself into Hermione's arms and sobbing her thanks for the wonderful gift she had given them, Ginny, Molly, Pansy, Daphne and even the whimsical Luna joined her, all crying their thanks and hugging her tightly. The men held it together better but you could see the tears in their eyes and the way they all held on extra-long when they hugged her. "It's time for me to get ready isn't it?" Hermione questioned sadly, Dumbledore nodded slowly, his grandfatherly eyes twinkled guiltily at her and she smiled softly, shaking her head that I wasn't his fault.

She quickly exited the room, heading straight for the grand staircase that lead to the upper levels of the manor, the other women rushed after her, not wanting to leave her alone until she had to go, and to offer fashion advice. The men looked at each other comfortingly and went to find a place to sit and wait. Meanwhile Hermione had entered Helga's and Rowena's old walk in closet, they had a lot of dresses from that era and Hermione bet that she could alter them slightly with magic to suit her tastes.

She heard the other girls rushing after her and smiled, running her hand along he soft fabrics, her mother had made sure to have her clean out this closet every summer so they would stay clean and good as new, it was her favourite room when she was a child. She loved to come and bury herself in the soft silk and imagine herself as a fine lady of the court in ancient times. She grinned slightly to herself at the irony.

"Merlin Hermione, these are gorgeous," Ginny gasped, burying her hands in a light blue dress the colour of the sky, Hermione smiled over her shoulder at them, going back to her musings. "What would you like to wear for the… journey?" Daphne asked, faltering slightly on the last word. "I have the perfect dress," Hermione said, heading straight for the back of the closet. She reached her hand into the rack and pulled it back out, holding a dress that made her friends gasp.

The girls shrieked in excitement and rushed to her, helping her prepare. Once they had finished with her clothes they moved onto makeup and hair, discussing the perfect way to manoeuvre her hair so it complimented her dress. When they were done they all took a step back and led Hermione over to a mirror, stopping her in front of the flat surface, Hermione had to stop herself from crying at the image of her in the mirror.

The dress was a deep forest green with tiny strands of gold woven in that sparkled lightly when the dress moved. It had long off the shoulder sleeves and a scooped out back that was held together by golden strands. The neckline was plunging but not too much to be indecent and the dress hugged her chest and waist before falling to the ground from her hips. She smirked and pulled up the dress to reveal a matching pair of dark green slip on flats. Half of her hair was swept back from her face in a complicated bun with the rest of her hair falling in its usual wavy ringlets over her shoulders; a golden band was clasped around her forehead, bringing out the gold in her eyes.

Her makeup was very natural with a coppery brown eye shadow, light blush and deep burgundy lips that brought out the red in her hair. Her eyelashes were left alone and the dark strands complimented her wide eyes still filled with a childlike innocence. She grinned and hugged all of the girls, holding them tightly. While she had been admiring her new look her friends had brought out three saddle bags all done in deep blue colours with silver lining. She took a peek inside and grinned when she saw that they were enlarged on the inside.

"Which dresses do you want to take Mione?" Daphne asked, fingering a mint green one. Hermione did a quick once over and hurried to a different rack then another and another. She picked around 15 more dresses then stopped to examine them. She had several different styles all in unique colours there was a sapphire blue, a ruby red with gold hems and a gold ribbon tied around the waist, very Gryffindor. She had also picked out a Slytherin green with silver accents and a dusty rose pink that showed off her curves. Another of her favourites she grabbed was one with dark purple velvet ball gown with a black sash around the waist and black roses sewn across the entire surface of the dress, it had sheer black sleeves that stopped just before he elbows.

Her Recamier (backless couch thing) was soon littered with dresses of many different colours, she counted 17 in all. There were the Slytherin and Gryffindor colours as well as the dusty rose pink and black and purple ball gown, the sapphire blue had been buried at the bottom long ago. The other 12 dresses were in an array of colours there was a white, a teal, molten silver, sunny yellow, lilac, a sunset design and many more all were crammed into one of the saddlebags, and the other held her makeup, shoes and accessories.

The other was full of personal items and anything else, her money, books, potions, pensive and scrapbook, the scrapbook was full of pictures from her life, before Hogwarts, her family, first through to 6th year, Dumbledore's Army, the Order before the war, Quidditch, all of Colin Creevy's from Hogwarts, the people she loved who had died and finally those she had only recently added, the new and improved order, her Slytherin friends and on the final page a picture of all of the young survivors that had fought for their school and their right to have magic. She took a deep breath and steeled herself for the journey.

She made her way downstairs, the girls trailing behind her solemnly behind her as they waited for the inevitable to come. The boys stood up as they saw them walking down, their eyes widening as they saw Hermione in her new look, Dumbledore was the first to get over his shock and he walked forward, placing a small plastic box in her hands. She looked up at him questioningly and he gestured for her to open it, holding his breath as the lid came off, "It's Terra," Hermione remarked, surprised as she pulled the object from its box.

She set it on a nearby table, revealing a beautiful mare with a chocolate coat and golden mane that tossed its head wildly when it saw its Mistress. "Why is she that small?" Hermione asked, reaching down to run a finger down the length of her back. "So you can take her with you, I have cast an air charms so she can breathe in the box and all you have to do when you go to Camelot is take her out of the box and un-shrink her then you have a companion with you," Blaise explained, reaching forwards to pet the miniature horse.

"Thank you," Hermione whispered, gently scooping her up and placing her back in the box, making sure that the lid was tightly secured then nestled her into the last saddlebag tightly so it would not move. Fred and George stepped forward, pulling her into a tight hug, "I will always believe in you two, from the time I first saw you I knew you were secret genius's I could tell that you would be something great. You have been the best brothers I could ask for, I remember after the Yule ball you sat with me for hours because you knew how upset I was with Ron, never even complained. Don't ever give up on your dreams, I don't care what anyone tells you, pranking is where you hearts lie," she murmured, crushed against them. "Thanks sis, we'll miss you" they said in unison, stepping back to allow the others to get to her.

Molly, Arthur, Bill, Fleur, Charlie and Percy all stepped forward, each pulling her into a tight hug before relinquishing their hold. "You know the first time I saw you I knew that I would one day call you my family, you were so warm and happy, so full of life and that was what we all needed at the time, a little bit of life in the darkness. Fleur the first time I saw you I thought you would be like all the other girls, more worried about looks than books but you proved me wrong, I got to see the real you, a soft girl who truly cared about others. For that I am grateful," she said, giving the part veela a quick squeeze.

The Slytherins were the next to say goodbye and they all pulled her into a group hug, placing her in the very centre, "You know I spent so many years hating what you pretended to stand for that I never really thought about who you were then that final year I got to know you, I reached out and you reached back. Daphne, Blaise you to are probably one of the best kept secrets at Hogwarts, 4 years of going out and no one noticed, Blaise you can be quiet just don't be afraid to speak up and Daphne, I know you only joined for your sisters safety, that counts for something to me. Draco, the amazing bouncing ferret, I hated you so much at one point that I almost never found the real you, the sensitive insecure boy who was only trying to gain his father's love but you don't need him Draco you have a whole new family now and a girl who loves you for the real you not your money or your fame, hang onto her yeah," she said, giving his hand a squeeze.

She turned to Pansy and the girl looked up at her through watery eyes, "You were once one of my worst enemies and now your one of my best friends, I am so happy that you gave me a chance to see the real you not that fake mask you once wore, you have people who accept you now, a boy who loves you even if he's a little thick at times, take care of the ferret for me," she said, the final Slytherin stood silently, his lower lip trembling, "You know Theo it took me till fifth year to actually put a face to your name, you were always in the shadows, always sneaking around and hiding. You don't have to hide anymore and you needn't be afraid of shadows of the past because if you start to slip into them then you have over 20 people willing to pull you back out, kicking and screaming if necessary," she said, giving him a quick hug.

She turned to McGonagall and Snape, "You know for all my years at Hogwarts you were complete opposites to me, McGonagall was my favourite teacher, the one who was always fair but a little strict, you had patience but it sometimes lacked, Snape was one of my least favourites, he was a little harsher and biased but that was okay because it actually helped in the long run, the only truly bad thing was the way you treated those of lesser abilities than you. Over the years it wasn't just you two observing us was observing you watching as you both became a little less like yourselves and a little more like war driven people, the same as all of us. Yet somehow you both managed to keep the spark that made you well you and for that I respect you." She finished, giving both a quick tight hug, though Snape grimaced slightly.

That only left Dumbledore, and the three that had always been there, she went to Ginny first, wrapping the fire haired girl in a hug, "Gin I can still remember you as that scared little girl on the platform that worried more about Harry Potter not catching the train than her own brother. I watched you grow up throughout the years and I know that the only reason you really went out with others was to show Harry what he was missing out on. Don't be too hard on him 'kay, he really thought he was doing what was best for you, what idiots we have protecting us right Gin, let him be there for you the way I wish I could. Besties forever, no matter what time we're in," she finished, pulling back and wiping away tears.

Hermione walked over to her brothers, gathering them in a hug, "I can still remember you two as the scared little boys that came to rescue me in the girls' loo because you cared enough to save me. Then as the years went by and times got worse and worse you two were my rocks, the ones who kept me steady and upright when all I wanted to do was fall an never get up. I was the brains of the group but you two were the heart and soul, I don't care what anyone said. Ron I know you can be a little hot-headed at times but that is a good thing, it shows you care and I may or may not know a certain someone by the name of Lavender who had been trying to get your attention for years, don't give up on her. Harry you were the brother I never had, you were there when I needed you the most always comforting and understanding, you were the one who gave me hope at the end of the day when things seemed too bleak to even think of continuing. You two are my boys; my brothers and I don't care what time I'm in that will never change" she whispered, pulling them close with an arm around each of their necks.

She turned to say goodbye to the final person, "You know I always thought that when you looked at me it was like you were looking at my soul, like those glasses gave you some magical power to see everything I was thinking and feeling no matter what it was. Then as I grew older I realised is as you, you had this uncanny knack of finding out exactly what was wrong with someone, you didn't outright push people but you nudged and meddled until we were headed in the right direction and for that I will always remember you, it didn't matter if it hurt you, or stained your memory because at the end of the day you knew that as long as everyone else was happy and safe then it was all worth it." She said, leaning forward and drawing him into a hug, she could feel him smile against her hair as she leaned up and whispered her final words to him.

His grin became more pronounced and she pulled away, watching as he smiled serenely and walked away, heading towards the group of people who huddled around each other for comfort. Snape glanced quickly at the clock and sighed, motioning to the others, "Headmaster, it is time," he announced, Hermione smiled up at him and walked quickly outside, not bothered by the rush of cold air and snowflakes that greeted her. She marched out into the snow, her strides determined and her friends had no choice but to follow, clutching jackets closer to their skin for warmth.

A few minutes later they arrived at their destination, a large stone alter was set up in the middle of a clearing, ancient druidic symbols were carved into its surface and a strange glow pulsed from within. Hermione sighed once and motioned for the others to enter the clearing, which they did so reluctantly, she lay down on the altar, pulling her bags close to her and closing her eyes, fully trusting those gathered around her.

The clouds overhead parted, a single beam of moonlight slipped through the darkness and cloaked her in its light, illuminating her figure. Her family gathered around her chanting as strands of golden light intertwined with silver crept up from the altar, covering her in the glow. Each figure thrust out their right hand, a painted symbol each glowed a different colour, a single strand emerged from their palm and wove its way into the net covering her. As the final strand settled she gave them one last brilliant smile, showing them she was not afraid, before she was whisked away and the night rang silent.

"What did she say to you Professor?" Harry asked, watching the place that his best friend had disappeared from, "My boy she said that she would place her memories of everything she went through in the founders memories somehow, now all we have to do is find them," he said, turning and calmly walking back to the house, the moon once again hidden behind a thick layer of black cloud.

SO WHAT DID YOU THINK? REVIEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED :D