Chapter Two

"Hermione you can't really be serious about this. It's insane, it's crazy! You're risking everything on a slim chance that this new time turner actually works. Sometimes, we just have to let go." Harry followed steadily after Hermione as she made her way through the Forbidden Forest.

"Harry I'm doing this. I need to do this. You go back to the dedication. That's where you are needed right now. All those people are waiting to see you, to see that you still have faith, and no regrets. One year ago people were just beginning their day, not knowing that night would fall, and the final battle would take so many loved ones from us." She turned and walked resolutely ahead.

"Hermione, I regret all of that. I still think of all the people that died for me, for no reason. I wish I could go back and save them all, but I can't. You can't either." Hermione paused and turned back to a tearful Harry. Walking back, she pulled him into a tight hug.

"You shouldn't blame yourself for the things Voldemort did. I certainly don't, and I don't believe anyone else does either. I know I can't save everyone that I love, but I can save the one I love the most. And I will. I will find who ever killed Ron and kill them first." Her last words were ferocious and snarled. Harry almost backed away from the venom in her voice.

"That's the wrong way to go about this Hermione. Come back to the castle with me, mourn with me. We will move on with our lives."

"No."

"If you back you could die before you save anyone. The forest was filled with Deatheaters that night, it wasn't safe, for anyone."

"I can handle myself Harry. I put my last year at Hogwarts to good use. I studied harder than ever trying to become a stronger witch. At first I just wanted to find out who murdered Ron and make him face the punishment he deserves; but now I can kill the bloody bastard and save Ron."

Harry was speechless. He had had no idea that Hermione was so set on revenge. He knew Ron's death had been hard on her, it had been hard on everyone. Harry had lost a best friend, the Weaslys another son, but Hermione had lost a lover.

"Fine, but if this works you have to meet me back here in a few minutes." Hermione nodded. "Don't forget Hermione, you're leaving for a year, just remember to come back to me. Promise me, please." Harry pleaded, desperate not to lose her too.

"I promise." She walked away from him. He did not follow her to the clearing, there were too many bad memories there. He began walking away, back towards the large gathering at the lake. Harry turned at a sound behind him. With a gasp he rushed forwards before stopping short at the sight before him.

HGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDM

Hermione stepped into a familiar clearing. This had been the spot where he died. Hermione had come to the clearing almost everyday over the past year, to read, or practice new spells. Mostly she came to remember, she never wanted to forget the time she had spent with Ron.

She took a deep breath and put the thin gold chain over her head. She knew that by turning the fourth axle she would go back one year. She knew, from various accounts of the night, that Voldemort and his Deatheaters had not invaded the forest until well after sundown. She would have plenty of time to find a safe hiding spot close to the clearing.

All at once she closed her eyes and gave the axle one turn. Her breath caught in her throat and her lungs contracted as her body was squeezed through time. It felt very different from her previous experiences and was extremely uncomfortable. Finally the squeezing stopped and she opened her eyes. The small clearing looked remarkably the same, some of the ground shrubs were smaller but that was all.

Looking around for a place to hide she decided to build a small tree fort. Part of her seventh year schooling had involved magically enhancing plant life to grow to her will. She looked at a sturdy tree set a little ways back from the clearing. Using magic she bulged the trunk slightly to form a subtle ladder into the green canopy. Gripping a branch tightly with one hand she caused multitudes of small branches to weave a platform between two massive limbs. Testing the platform gingerly without letting go of her support branch she decided that it would hold her for all the time she needed. Glancing at her watch she gave a slight giggle when she realized it was now a year off in its time, although the time was correct. She had hours left before that final battle. Pulling a book from her beaded purse, she rested against the sturdy trunk to read.

Several hours later Hermione awoke to a loud bang. Looking around she saw that night had fallen and the final battle had come. Preforming a quick series of charms to shield herself from the war makers below, she readied herself for battle. Cutting a small hole through the woven branches of her platform gave her a clear view of the forest floor. She was shocked when she saw the activity going on below. Deatheaters were running every which direction but mostly towards the castle. She was astonished to see the sheer number of Deatheaters, many more than she or any Ministry officials had ever guessed. Giant spiders followed, along with werewolves, dementors, and other unsavoury creatures that Voldemort had gathered. Hermione shivered as the dementors passed her, she could not protect herself from their power, it would give her away to the crowds below.

Suddenly a voice echoed loudly throughout the forest, and the rest of the grounds, Hermione knew.

"I know that you are preparing to fight. You efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood." Voldemort paused. "Give me Harry Potter, and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded.

"You have until midnight."

Again Hermione shivered and struggled to remember what was happening outside the forest. Hermione remembered now, clearly. Ron and her past self were down in the Chamber of Secrets, destroying Helga Hufflepuff's cup, also known as Voldemort's fifth horcrux. That meant that the battle would begin in earnest quite soon. It still scared her.

Hermione looked down and saw that most of the activity below her had ceased, all the deatheaters were at the castle fighting for Voldemort. Hermione climbed higher into the tree. The clearing was near the edge of the forest and one of the tallest in the area. She had a clear view of the destruction being wrought at Hogwarts. The sight caused her to gasp and fight tears. Her only memories of the battle had been finding Harry, helping him to destroy the horcruxes, and against all odds, kissing Ron for the first time. She continued to stare towards the castle as the booming voice echoed throughout the grounds once more.

"You have fought valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery.

"Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste.

"Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat, immediately.

"You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured.

"I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, the battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."

Hermione shivered as the voice echoed into silence. She slipped back down the tree to watch the direction of the retreating Deatheaters. Again she was shocked by the massive numbers moving past her. It dismayed her to know that even a year later many of the killers below her walked free.

A while later the movement below slowed to a trickle. Finally the flow stopped and Hermione resigned herself to another long wait with just her memories to occupy her thoughts. That was until a slow moving figure entered the clearing. It stopped and seemed to look around the clearing, as if searching for someone.

Then the figure spoke.

"Does it hurt?"

"I didn't want you to die. Any of you. I'm sorry, right after you'd had your son ... Remus, I'm sorry."

"You'll stay with me?"

"They won't be able to see you?"

"Stay close to me."

The figure set off again, at a faster pace than before. Hermione realized that it must be Harry and wanted to shout out to him. She clamped her hands to her mouth before she could. He needed to do this.

A short time passed and then the sound of hundreds of feet moving through the forest filled the air. Hermione saw Hagrid carrying Harry's lifeless body, murmuring to it through his tears. Even though Hermione knew that Harry was alive, the sight of his still body caused her great pain, more pain even then the first time she had seen it as her past self.

She knew now that it would not be long until she would finally unmask Ron's killer. Lost in her thoughts of revenge she almost missed the first set of footsteps running through the forest. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy ran past her tree without a glance behind them. Hermione knew that if the elder Malfoys were running then surely their son would be right behind them.

And he was.

"Hey! Malfoy! Where do you think you're going?" The roar of Ron Weasley's voice echoed through the forest as Draco Malfoy skidded to a halt. Draco glanced around desperately, finally noticing a subtle ladder in the trunk of a tall tree. Moving quickly he climbed the ladder into the safety of its canopy. A small squeak alerted him to the presence of the trees original occupant. Launching himself at her Draco grabbed Hermione by the mouth and wrapped his long arms around her body to restrain her.

"Don't speak, don't move." His breath was warm in her ear. Movement below caught Draco's eye.

"Bloody hell, where'd that bastard go now? I almost had him too. I'm going to kill his whole family for what they did to Hermione." Ron continued to mutter to himself as he walked away towards the castle.

Draco released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. A slight squirming in his arms brought his attention to the girl he was holding. Her face was red and beginning to turn blue, her struggles weakening the longer he held her mouth.

"Shit, Granger," He released the hand over her mouth. "What the hell are you doing here?" Looking more closely he noticed that Hermione had fallen unconsciousness.

"Ah shit, now what am I going to do. I need to get out of here but I can't just leave her here, she'll be eaten." He looked around for a way down before sighing and conjuring some sturdy rope. Tying the rope around Hermione's waist he gently lowered her to the ground. After climbing down the ladder, Draco gathered Hermione in his arms and walked towards the boundary line of Hogwarts' grounds.