The Plan
"…Me?" She asked confused, "What did I do?"
"No, you miss understand…you have done nothing wrong. We wish to inform all of you about the plan we have pertaining to Lord Voldemort. Seeing as you all, mainly You, Harry, and Ron, have done whatever you could to keep him at bay, as with the rest of us. We feel that you should have a say in this next mission." Dumbledore said.
"What's the mission?" Harry asked.
"It is our job to eliminate Voldemort, and his evil followers. Either by killing him, or keeping him from turning to the dark arts -"
"But the only way to keep him from that is to stop him when he is a teenager, before he takes on the name of Voldemort." Hermione interrupted him.
"Yes, Miss Granger. That is what I mean." Dumbledore smiled at her. "But please, let me finish what I am about to say, then, and only then, you can say your peace. That goes for all of you."
They nodded in agreement, and Dumbledore continued to speak.
"Now, as I was saying…We have come up with a plan that should keep Tom Riddle from turning to the dark arts. It is a very tricky plan, and it will require a special person to carry out this task. We need someone to return to that time period, and infiltrate the snake's lair, so to speak. We want to see if we can introduce love and compassion into the life of Tom Riddle. And we want you to do it…Hermione." Dumbledore finished.
There was a sudden outburst, and Hermione didn't seem to hear any of it. She had a lot of thought running thru her head, and she just barely caught the end of the ranting.
"No! She could be killed!" Ron yelled.
"She won't do it, I won't let her. We're doing fine with finding and destroying the Horcrux's. We don't have to go to this extreme." Harry said.
"Wait!" Hermione yelled, "Just wait a minute."
Everyone shut up and looked at her. Hermione could tell that everyone was scared for her to do such a dangerous mission.
"I want everyone to be quiet for a second. Please. Just let me ask some questions." She informed everyone. "Now, what would I have to do?"
"The plan is for you to go back in time to the year Tom Riddle was in his 7th school year at Hogwarts. We want you to do everything you possible can to befriend him. Make him see that not all people are mean and hurtful…make him see that not all Muggle-borns are non-deserving to become wizards and witches." Dumbledore said.
"Alright. Why did you choose me?" She asked, already knowing the answer.
"Because first and foremost, you are the most skilled witch in the 7th year. You look the part, and you can certainly handle the intelligence of Tom Riddle. You're quick, and agile. You're not easily fooled, and you're a thinker. Not to mention that you can do a glamour charm better than anyone I have ever seen." Dumbledore added.
"Can I have a couple hours to think this thru?" Hermione asked the Order.
"Just a couple of hours? That's all you will need!" Ron asked.
"It's not some tea party, this is a dangerous mission…you could be killed." Harry said.
"I know the consequences of this…Dumbledore wouldn't have chosen me to carry out the plan, if he thought I couldn't do it! You act like I have never faced anything dangerous in my life…You know what…I don't need a couple of hours." She said to Harry, and then she turned to face Dumbledore, "I'll do it!"
"You're absolutely sure about this decision, Miss Granger?" He asked.
"Yes Sir, I am!" She said as she raised her chin high in the air.
"Alright Miss Granger, now we must go over the details of the plan with you…are you ready?" He asked her.
"Ready as I'll ever be. Let's get to work." Hermione said, as she followed the Order members into their meeting room.
Hermione was in there for a couple of hours, going over and over the plan. Making sure she got every detail correct, she didn't want to make a mistake. Riddle was an intelligent man, then and now…she didn't want to screw things up. According to the Order, she was supposed to use the Time Turner to travel back to the year Tom Riddle was a 7th year. She was supposed to get as close to him as she possible could. Without revealing who she was, or why she was there. Her main objective is to make him see the love and compassion in the world, and in every person he meets. She basically had to re-wire him, make him change everything about himself, in order to keep him from becoming evil.
"You will be there, right Professor?" she asked Dumbledore.
"Yes, my dear. And I want you to take this with you." He said as he handed her a long red feather. "This will help me understand that you are telling me the truth."
"I understand. Anything else I should know about?" she asked.
"Yes, I don't think that you should sort yourself into Slytherin. I think that you should stay in Griffyndor. Just so you have a place to call home." He told her.
"I completely agree with you. What can my name be?"
"You can keep Hermione if you like, or you can change it. It's up to you. But before you leave, I must know what name you have picked." Dumbledore said.
"Yes, sir. I will see you tomorrow…bright and early." She assured him that she would be there, and be on time for her departure.
"Good night, Miss Granger." He said, and watched Hermione leave the room.
"Do you think she can do it, Albus?" Kingsley asked.
"I have no doubt, that Miss Granger will be able to do this." He assured the Order.
Hermione walked up the stairs to the boy's room. She knew she had to speak to them; they had to understand why she was doing this.
Knock Knock
She opened the door, and peeked her head inside, "Can I come in?" she asked.
"Sure Mione, come in." Harry said sadly.
"I wanted to talk to the both of you, about this plan. I want you both to know why I'm going to go thru with this." She said.
"No, Hermione, you don't have to explain anything to us. We shouldn't have jumped on you like that. We know you are capable of handling anything anyone throws at you. We are just scared for you. We not being able to be there, and all." Ron said.
"I'm glad you see it that way. And I know it must be hard, but I will be back. You have to trust in me. Dumbledore picked me because he knows I can do this…I just want you to know that too." She said.
"I believe it, Mione. I know you can do anything. Just please, be careful." Harry said as he hugged her.
"Yeah, if we have to come to the past to Avada someone, you bet your bum we will." Ron said, hugging her from the other side.
"Awe, you two are the greatest friends I could ever have. And be sure to keep hunting those Horcrux's…just incase. You guys be careful too, got it?" She said.
Hermione, Harry, and Ron spent the night talking and just being with each other. They didn't want the other to leave without knowing that they were great friends, and always would be. Harry also gave her a tiny stuffed owl, to take with her. "This is to remember me. I want you to take it with you."
Ron gave her an orange Chudley Cannons tee shirt that he had his mum shrink down to fit Hermione. "It's my prize possession. I want you to take it with you…for luck."
"Thanks guys, I have something for you too." She said as she took two small books off the nightstand and transfigured them into silver rings. "They both have an "H" on them, so I will always be with you. Keep them safe…okay?"
The boys placed the rings on their fingers and gave Hermione big hugs. "We will, Mione, we will." Ron and Harry both said. "But I think it's time for us to get some sleep. Stay in here with us tonight, Mione. They won't mind." Harry said.
Hermione agreed, and climbed into the king size bed, "Come on…you can have this side, and Harry, you can have this side. I might not ever see you again; I want to stay close to you both tonight." She said, and they both climbed in with her, quickly felling asleep.