As before, I do not own Harry Potter. Just to tell you, in this story I'm trying to write it from the perspectives of Hermione and Vulpine, meaning that there will be wildly different opinions between perspectives, e.g. Vulpine has a rather different view of Ron than Hermione does. Just a note.


Granger didn't look too convinced, but Vulpine's luck had come through for him. Frankly, he felt it was about bloody time, but the portal had dropped him in his Third year, just as Ron and Hermione were leaving to go to Hogsmeade without him. Just before he received the Marauders Map. Thank God, Vulpine thought, realising that this gave him the perfect chance to come up with an actual plan, like the one Granger almost certainly would have planned out to a tee. He needed a plan, given that he was pretty much winging it here. Managing to keep his act practically flawless, Vulpine bid farewell to Weasley and Granger and headed back towards the Gryffindor Tower, racking his brains for what would happen next.

Unfortunately, other than a vague remembrance of getting the Map and getting into trouble with Snape, he had no real memory of this day. Vulpine just hoped that Granger was similarly hampered or his cover would be gone in a blink, and while Vulpine was sure in his superiority over Granger odds were she would tell Dumbledore and he would be ludicrously outmatched. Vulpine considered that he did have some chance, though. Even Granger couldn't have a perfect memory, and she likely wouldn't immediately suspect that he had followed her. He also had the advantage of knowing her well and, of course, being just as sane as Granger was. Vulpine was also a good actor, and that might give him a chance to manage. His acting skills were tested as he was hailed by Fred and George Weasley and followed them to an empty classroom. Ah, his favourite Weasleys, by which Vulpine meant the only Weasleys he knew and liked. Ginny was just a little…bland, he didn't know most of the rest, Percy was annoying and the less said about Ron the better. Vulpine somehow managed to maintain his look of incomprehension as Fred and George showed him how to work the Marauders Map, and demonstrated the appropriate level of awe and gratitude as they gifted it to him. He was honestly grateful though: the Map had been invaluable during his time at Hogwarts and the cannibalised versions of Diagon Alley and the Ministry he had created had been even more useful- until the bloody Resistance had stolen them. Ah well.

Fred and George left him with the Map, and Vulpine found himself with a dilemma as his eyes focused on Gryffindor Tower, and the tiny dot labelled 'Peter Pettigrew'. Pettigrew. Vulpine was tempted to go up to the Tower and stamp on the little rat, but restrained himself. He needed Pettigrew alive if he was going to help Sirius…bloody hell, Sirius. He could actually help him. He just needed a plan to deal with Pettigrew, a believable plan moreover, which meant no stamping, no cursing, no spells he shouldn't know, no Animagus transformation and no giving away the secret of the Map. Not easy. Vulpine absently snapped his fingers, cast a Disillusionment charm on himself and set off for Gryffindor Tower. On the way he sneaked past Neville, staying quiet- he could help Neville with his issues later. Maybe. Maybe not, Vulpine had to admit that he was largely ruled by whim. Vulpine retrieved his Invisibility Cloak- how he had missed it- and returned to the passageway, thinking all the way. He could do with another wand, he thought, as a spare was always useful, especially a spare without the Trace that he could use during school holidays. He could craft one, probably, but he'd need ingredients…Laburnum wood, Acromantula silk and Basilisk bone, if he remembered correctly. Vulpine wondered if he could…borrow...the Time Turner that Hermione had possessed this year to give him the time he needed. That too would need a plan, he mused as he walked through the tunnel to Hogsmeade, and his Animagus form would come in useful…if he still had it. To test it out Vulpine pulled of his Cloak and transformed for a few minutes. When he returned to himself he was smiling, satisfied that he still had his abilities, even if his magical power had been lessened in the trip. He was, however, more powerful than he had originally been at thirteen- perhaps some of his old magic had taken the trip with him. Interesting. He seemed to have retained all of his skills as well, including his remarkable talent for the offensive Mind Arts. Breaking, manipulating, leeching information…all things Vulpine excelled at. The rash reactions people had to his taunting weren't entirely their own fault, but he would have to be careful. Granger…Hermione, best not let himself slip into the naming trap he had warned her about not long ago, had top grade Occlumency mind defences, strong enough to prevent Vulpine from manipulating her, and she would soon identify the traces of his handiwork if he used it on anyone else too blatantly. Caution would have to be the order of the day. Damn. He couldn't tell her, and he didn't want to hurt her, given that they had much the same goal, but it would probably grow tiring playing this game. Especially with the Weasel around…Vulpine quashed the pulse of anger that rose up in his throat at that thought. They had never believed him when he told them the red head had betrayed them. Not that he could blame the Resistance…he was hardly a shining example of honour and truth. At least, he hadn't been by that point. He had best be careful…Vulpine pulled his Cloak back on and sneaked into Honeydukes sweet shop, trying to remember how he had acted all those years ago.

Hermione was troubled. Once she had been a lot more trusting…a lot more naïve, but things had changed over the years. She was more suspicious, more wary, more cautious. And there was a lot of things that were suspicious around here. Firstly, Vulpine…Harry. Harry had stumbled, and he had seemed…off? Off. That was her feeling, but that feeling was worrying. What if the time portal had allowed more than one person through? No. Luna had been in the room and Vulpine had been locked up securely. He couldn't have escaped, surely…but she would keep an eye on Harry regardless. Second was Ron. She had never believed Vulpine when he had told them that Ron had joined Voldemort. Yes, Ron had joined, but as a spy, and he had become a trusted member of the Death eaters to aid in his spying. Vulpine had insisted that Ron had turned on them, become a double agent, but by that point Ron had been dead and Vulpine had become…different. Hermione would have said insane, but Vulpine didn't act it entirely. He was too calm, too logical, too smart for her to call him insane. Not that calm and intelligence ruled out madness, if it was well hidden. Still. Hermione decided that she needed to stick to the plan that she and Neville had devised.

The plan had two main aims: one was to deal with Voldemort before he took over the Government, and the other was to stop Harry from becoming Romulus Vulpine. To do that she would have to inform Dumbledore, and probably save Sirius. Hermione decided that it would be best to inform Dumbledore first, and get his help in working upon a plan. She moved automatically as the day continued, her mind working constantly. Everything happened as she remembered: meeting Harry in Honeydukes, hearing about the Marauder's Map, even making the right protests- although, Hermione thought, she could change things if she wanted to. Nobody would know. Hermione sat silently in the Three Broomsticks as she relieved the episode of hearing about the alleged treachery of Sirius Black, knowing that this would be new to Ron and Harry. Just as she had to, Hermione acted shocked, tried to console Harry, her mind still working on plans until they returned to the castle and she could make an excuse of going to the Library to head to the Headmaster's office.

"Let me in!" Hermione growled at the gargoyle that blocked the passageway to the Headmaster's office, frustrated beyond words at her inability to get past this first obstacle. It hardly boded well for her…and the anger was multiplied by the knowledge that Vulpine had found his way into the office on several occasions to commit murder. She should have interrogated him more…if there had only been more time and Veritaserum…fortunately for Hermione, Albus Dumbledore did check the outside of his tower on a regular basis, and he found her waiting for him after barely ten minutes.

"Miss Granger?"

The old man sounded bemused, Hermione thought, as she looked up at him.

"Headmaster…I have something to talk to you about. Can we speak in your office?"

Dumbledore looked curious, but agreed, as Hermione had suspected he would. It wasn't as though he had much else to do. She followed the tall Headmaster up into his office, mentally cursing her much shorter thirteen year old body as she did so. Once in his office Dumbledore sat behind his desk and looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What is this all about Miss Granger?"

Hermione took a deep breath and let her Occlumency shields drop, knowing that the headmaster would probably use minor Legilimency to determine the truth of her words.

"What do you know of time travel, Headmaster?"

A snow-white eyebrow rose fractionally.

"Time travel? It has two forms…one is with a Time Turner, in which things cannot be changed as what happened in the past has already happened. The other is theoretical…and would truly rewrite time…but that is purely hypothetical."

"What if it wasn't?" Hermione asked softly, leaning forward. Dumbledore frowned, and Hermione felt the feather-light touch of his Legilimency probe- not quite as subtle as Vulpine, but more so than any other she had experienced. The Headmaster seemed to pale.

"How long?" he asked softly. Hermione smiled sadly.

"Ten years."

"The future?"

"A nightmare."

The old wizard slowly drew his wand, looking thoughtful.

"Do you mind if I see…"

Hermione sighed.

"Look away, Headmaster, but be careful." She said softly. The old man nodded, then spoke,

"Legilimens.", and Hermione fell into memories.

Voldemort looks triumphant as he stands before his army, the battered remains of the Hogwarts Defenders defiant before him, but beaten. Five years of hopeless resistance, he says, five years you have delayed my victory. A pale hand stretches out to encompass his army as the red headed man steps up behind the Dark Lord and draws his wand, so slowly. The man wavers, shifts and a black haired man is there instead, smirk visible as he waves his wand. Flames coalesce into roaring beasts, consuming half the Inner Circle and the snake with them, and as Voldemort turns in shock a knife meets his face.

Memories waver and flash past, too fast to understand.

Diagon Alley. The Resistance, fighting to save a group of their own, and the advantage is to none as the Ministry holds them in a battle of attrition. Hermione swings her wand, screaming spells, and the ground quakes. All around her the earth rears up into skeletal hands that crush and pierce, indiscriminate and terrible. She turns and he is there, ragged black hair blowing in the breeze and eyes vivid with delight as he cuts through both sides, moving inexorable towards his target. An Auror, a former Death Eater, who screams as the spell tears his torso into tatters and the Ministry retreat. Hermione shouts for the others to follow her and runs towards the man, three of them close behind.

The man is on his knees, his broken right arm cradled close to his chest and blood running down his face from a scalp injury. The others three lie dead around her as he looks up, his narrow, handsome features twisted into a pained smile. He grins with teeth stained red with his own blood as he speaks.

"Inevitable, wasn't it?"

Hermione sucked in a rasping gasp of air as she sat straight up. Opposite her, Dumbledore seemed to sag sideways before he recovered.

"Did you see it?" she asked, her voice hoarse. The old man nodded, looking shaken.

"Was that-"

"Vulpine. Romulus Vulpine. All you saw was his first betrayal and his capture." She said quietly. The old man looked troubled, even more than before.

"The Prophecy…"

"Was fulfilled the moment that knife hit Voldemort. Vulpine coated it in Basilisk venom. We thought he was our Saviour…but he left the moment his duties were done. We ran, all of us, let the Malfoy's take over the Ministry. Vulpine was always around, but he was never really on our side. All he cared about was killing." She said bitterly. The old man looked sorrowful.

"I assume you have returned to change all of this?" he asked. Hermione began to restore her mental shields as she spoke.

"That's right. I think that with my future knowledge I can change things for the better- especially if you help me."

Dumbledore smiled.

"Of course I will help, Miss Granger. What is the first thing we have to do?"

Hermione smiled, relieved.

"Well, the first thing would be a certain criminal named Sirius Black…"

Vulpine was annoyed. This in itself was unusual, as he tried to keep down emotions that might cause him to act rashly, but he was being repeatedly frustrated in his planning. He had no doubt that Weasley and Granger-Ron and Hermione, he reminded himself, - thought he was planning to go after Black. Actually, they weren't entirely wrong, as he had considered finding Sirius and telling him everything. Unfortunately, that had its issues, namely proving what he said and how Sirius would react to Vulpine's choice of career. Professional assassin probably wasn't high on the approval list of Sirius Black, Vulpine thought gloomily. He also had no idea on how to 'borrow' Hermione's Time Turner short of ambushing her, taking it and then Obliviating her, but he had his doubts over how long the Obliviation would last given her structured and formidable mind. Ordinarily he would have gone out and either killed or maimed something, but with Dementors all around the school that was hardly an option. Oh. The Dementors. His plan for hiding who he was from Hermione was shot already, he realised. If he changed nothing he would have to save Sirius again, which meant casting a Patronus…which had no longer been a stag back in the future. Vulpine immediately acted, hurrying up to his dormitory to grab his Invisibility Cloak. He used a strong Legilimency probe to force a feeling of apathy into Ron- rarely had he been so thankful for the redhead's complete lack of skill concerning the Mind Arts and inability to resist compulsions- and rushed off towards the seventh floor. The Room of Requirement. Vulpine entered the Room, calling up the Room of Hidden Things, and spoke the incantation, concentrating on his happiest memory.

"Expecto Patronum!"

A silvery mist spilled from his wand, and condensed into a small, four footed shape. A fox, gambolling happily around Vulpine, who smiled despite the definite indication that he would not be able to hide for long. His Patronus always comforted him, made him calmer, allowed him to plan more easily. So…plans. First, the Time Turner. He would have to take it while Hermione was asleep, which would mean getting into her dormitory and taking it from around her neck. That meant getting past the wards that kept boys out of the girls dormitories, past the wards Hermione was sure to have set upon herself, doing what he needed to, replacing the Turner and rebuilding the wards. No easy task, even with his experience and ability in getting into places he shouldn't be- witness several incursions with murderous intent into the Headmaster's office over the years between his killing Voldemort and his trip through time. So. Assuming he got the Turner, what then? He would have to fetch the Laburnum wood and the Acromantula silk in one trip, which meant going into the Forest and getting past the Dementors. That would be easy, with his Animagus form and some Point-Me spells. The Chamber of Secrets held the final ingredient of his wand, and would be a good workshop. Also, that would give him plentiful access to his favourite toxin, Basilisk venom, so long as he could find some glass containers for it- that was where this Room of Hidden Things would come in useful. For a moment Vulpine considered finding and destroying the Horcrux- the container of a fragment of soul- of Voldemort that was in this Room, but if Hermione had gone to Dumbledore it would look very suspicious if they couldn't find it. So he would ignore it for now. Vulpine checked the Map and, yes, Hermione was in the Headmasters office with Dumbledore. So now he would have to watch out for the old man as well as Granger. Bloody fantastic. Just what he needed. Vulpine ran a hand through his hair, wishing it was longer. He liked his hair being longer, it was less messy, less…distinctive. Focusing again, he collected a dozen glass bottles from the Room, shrinking them and hiding them in a pocket. Thinking ahead, he also picked up an old broomstick and slipped off to the dungeons, to the second entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. On the way he successfully resisted the urge to shove Draco Malfoy down a flight of stairs by reminding himself what he had done to the blonde Slytherin in the original timeline, and cast a spell on the Slytherin Common Room door that would cause any words spoken to it to sound like gibberish to the portrait. Good luck getting in there now he thought with a malicious glee. Vulpine made his way into the Chamber and sighed.

"If anyone knew I'd done that my reputation would be ruined." He noted idly as he made his way over to the massive carcass of the Basilisk and set about draining the venom sacs into the glass bottles. He hummed as he worked, using his wand exclusively- he had actually become nigh immune to the effects of Basilisk venom after his second year, but it still hurt abominably. At least it wasn't corrosive, like so many people thought- he wasn't sure why. Vulpine was very fond of the venom. Add a drop to a potion, anyone who drank it died. Coat a blade in it, a scratch could kill. Get really imaginative and it was even more effective. So useful, especially in his trade. Unfortunately, again he would have to be sparing with it, to avoid alerting Granger. Or…Vulpine paused as he thought it through. Granger was going to find out about his presence, it was inevitable, so why should he be overly cautious? Perhaps he should change things as much as he could, just to see how long it took for Granger to realise that it wasn't all due to her being different. Vulpine mentally wagered it would take several weeks- Hermione was quite arrogant when it came to her own abilities. He would have to make his own wand first, though. His holly and phoenix feather wand, the one he had gotten on his eleventh birthday, no longer responded to him quite as well as it once had. It was good enough, but it didn't suit his style nor his preference, especially compared to a wand crafted personally. Clicking his tongue, the now thirteen-year old filled the last glass bottle and neatly stored them in a corner, setting some rudimentary wards around them on the exceedingly slim chance that someone made it into the Chamber before setting off back to Gryffindor Tower, mentally bemoaning his shorter stride.

He made it back to the Tower just a few moments before Hermione and placed himself in a chair next to the fire, drawing his features into a scowl. Astonishingly, the mental compulsion he had placed on Ron was still in effect. Astounding. It hadn't even been a charm, just a slight mental nudge. Maybe Weasley was just that lazy by nature? Vulpine was pulled from his musing by Hermione talking to him, telling him not to go after Sirius. Odd. She knew Black was no danger, she should have at least had the courage to change things like that. Maybe she was relying on Dumbledore…pathetic. Vulpine had relied on the old man in the past and people had died for it. The problem would be working around him and his 'Thou shalt not kill' philosophy. The Order of the Phoenix had followed it and been destroyed. The Resistance had followed it and been decimated. Not this time. This time Vulpine would see Voldemort dead, his followers dead, and all his obligations fulfilled. Then…well. Then his life would be his own again.

That night, once Weasley's snoring was filling the small dormitory room, Vulpine climbed out of bed, fully dressed. He cast a small illusion spell that would make it seem as though he was still sleeping, and made his way out to the grounds, scavenged broomstick shrunken in his pocket. Once outside he unshrunk the broom and flew up to Gryffindor Tower, making use of the Point-Me spell to locate the dormitory where Hermione slept. Once there he hovered outside the window, hidden by a Disillusionment Charm, and considered. From what ward detection spells he had cast he knew that the spells keeping males out of the tower applied only to human males, which would allow him access in his Animagus form. However…Vulpine chuckled to himself as he saw that the spells blanketed the whole tower. Any reversion to his human form would provoke an alarm- which he didn't need. Carefully, he cast a spell to unlatch the window and edged it open, thankful that there was little wind. His spell on Hermione revealed her own set of defences. None of the wards were deadly, but most would give a nasty shock, and there were very few exceptions to them- actually, only her cat, Crookshanks. A weakness. Vulpine smiled as he worked his own magic and, five minutes later, he was also allowed past the wards. Now it was just a matter of getting in…very carefully, he edged the window fully open and stood on his broom. In one movement he launched himself at the open window and transformed in mid-air, sailing through the window and rolling as he landed. If this form could have smirked it would have been. Now all he had to do was…Vulpine froze. Granger was lying on the chain. He couldn't get the chain off her neck. Not without reverting to human form or cutting the chain, and neither of those were possible. Cursing his idiocy he tried anyway, but the chain caught the instant he tried. Mentally swearing, Vulpine slunk down to the Common Room and resumed human form once he had checked that there was no-one there. He looked at his watch and thought. It was the holidays tomorrow. He could sleep in. He could handle tiredness. He could make it through the Forest tonight.

Mind made up, Vulpine retraced his steps to the outside, Summoned his broom and headed towards the Forest. He switched to his Animagus form before he got close: the Dementors were a risk unless he snuck past in animal form, plus he could move faster. Once well into the Forest he returned to human and cast a Point-Me spell for Laburnum wood, the poisonous tree that formed part of his wand. His luck was in, and there was a tree barely a dozen paces away from him. Vulpine took a few branches, shrinking them and storing them in a pouch he had brought for this very reason. After that…another Point-Me spell to direct him to the Acromantula hive for the riskier part of this night's adventure. As he walked Vulpine debated the merits of trying to intimidate the massive spiders as opposed to sneaking in, grabbing some silk from a web and running for it. In the end caution won out, and he went back to his oft-used Animagus form, wrinkling his now more sensitive nose at the smells of the nest. Luckily the Acromantula were hunters of larger creatures than he was now, and he was able to steal over to a dark corner, revert to human and steal a large amount of silk from a web before he left, all unnoticed. Vulpine decided to remain changed all the way back to Hogwarts: it would not do to bump into Sirius on this late night excursion, assuming that the escaped criminal was hiding in the Forest of course. Vulpine made it back into Hogwarts without incident, making his way down to the Chamber of Secrets dungeon entrance and amusing himself by terrifying the caretaker's malevolent cat, Mrs Norris. Speaking of cats…Hermione's had hated him from the moment he became an Animagus. He would have to brew the potion that masked his Animagus abilities from the beast…yet more to do, he thought tiredly as he dumped his prizes in the Chamber and made his way back up to Gryffindor Tower.