Hermione woke to a bright white light shining directly into her face and immediately closed her eyes again, already feeling extremely pissed off. If she had died after all of the bullshit she had gone through in the past forty-eight hours, she was going to be having a very serious conversation with whomever was in charge of the afterlife about exactly what "bad timing" meant.

She slowly opened her eyes again, still facing the blinding light, but forced herself to let her eyes adjust. Instead of the afterlife, she realized that she was merely in the hospital wing of Hogwarts, lying in one of the beds by the window.

"Ah, you're finally awake," a stern, yet feminine voice said. Hermione jerked her head towards the sound, only to wince as her head exploded in pain. The nurse came into view, sighing. "You've got to be careful still. You've suffered from some very serious injuries. We almost had to send you to St. Mungo's."

Hermione forced herself to relax against the pillows.

"Where is my wand?" Hermione asked.

The nurse smiled kindly. "On the bedside table, dear. But you don't need to worry. You're safe here."

Hermione stopped herself from immediately reaching for her wand. Nodding slowly instead, she folded her hands in her lap and steeled herself for the barrage of questions that were sure to come.

"I know this is a bit odd," Hermione said. "But I've been so out of sorts. Could you tell me the date?"

"Of course. It's September 3, 1944."

Hermione nodded, deep in thought. If she remembered the timeline correctly, then Tom Riddle was already on a disastrous path. He would have already opened the chamber by now. Myrtle was dead. Tom Riddle Sr. was dead. Any notion she'd had of saving the future Lord Voldemort's soul was thrown out the window. Well, she reasoned, that was one less thing to worry about. Now, all she needed to do was convince the headmaster to let her stay.

As if on cue, two men surged into the room, robes billowing out behind them. The taller one, Hermione recognized almost immediately. The half-moon spectacles and brightly colored robes were consistent with the man from her own time period, even if the auburn hair and beard were somewhat unexpected. Albus Dumbledore stared at Hermione with nothing but suspicion in his eyes, and she felt her hopes drop. Dumbledore would not be on her side this time around, it seemed.

The shorter man already had a head of white hair and a matching beard. He was plump, but not fat, and appeared much friendlier than Hermione's former – future – headmaster. She suspected that he was Armando Dippet, the current headmaster.

"Good, good," Dippet said. "Glad to see you're awake. And not in such a horrid state as when you arrived. Quite lucky, that."

"Thank you for healing me," Hermione said quietly.

"Of course, of course. Now, if you would be so kind as to tell us your name, and perhaps what you're doing here," Dippet said.

Hermione nodded slowly. "My name is Hermione Graves. I was travelling…travelling in France with my parents. We were in the countryside. We didn't think the war was bad out there." She paused, looking down. In order for her plan to work, she needed to be believed, especially by Dumbledore. She took a deep breath. "There was an attack on our house. Grindelwald's forces." She allowed a slight tremble to creep into her voice.

"Your parents?" Albus pressed.

"My father was killed instantly," Hermione said, not meeting his eyes. "My mother and I managed to get out of the house, but they were following us. She told me to come to Hogwarts, that I would be safe here. Grindelwald's men caught up to us just as I was leaving. My mother stayed behind to fight them off. I am sure she is dead now."

"Is there anyone we can contact for you? Your remaining family, perhaps?" Albus asked.

Hermione shook her head slowly. "My only other relatives were killed in a muggle bombing."

"You poor dear," the nurse said as she handed Hermione a glass of water. The nurse glared at the two older men. "This girl needs her rest, as I'm sure you can imagine. You can question her further later."

Dippet nodded, then turned to Hermione. "We will, of course, offer your sanctuary as a student. I assume you've had some sort of magical education?"

Hermione nodded. "My mother taught me."

"When you are fully recovered, we will have to have you tested so we can place you in the proper classes, of course," Dippet said. "Until then, do try to rest up."

Author's note:

Thanks for reading :)

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