"Ron?" bellowed Hermione in disbelief.
"What you bloody doing here?" asked Ron happily.
Luna and Hermione ran into Ron hugging his neck with liberal amounts of love.
"I could ask you the same question." Hermione grinned widely.
"Gerrof me, gerrof me!" he grunted, trying to push them off him.
"We're here for a meeting with Dumbledore," said Hermione, beaming now she had her eyes set on her best friend. "How long has it been? Almost a year!" she pulled a mock angry face.
Laughing, Ron wiped his fringe away from his eyes.
"You need to get that cut, Weasley," said Draco cooly, as he kept his distance.
"Draco, my man!" Ron swept him up into his manly hug. You could see Draco squirming at the feeling of Ron's scratchy sweater on his skin. "Can't believe I'm about to say I'm glad to see you but, hey, I'm glad to see any old face these days. Nah, I'm joking- we're buds!"
"It's been too much of a while," chastised Draco, "you should have met up with us sooner- Luna and Hermione have slowly been turning into battier witches than Professor Trelawney in your absence, wondering at stupid times where you are."
"Me too," whined Neville, "only I kept it to myself..."
Ron pulled a confused face.
"You got time to catch up?" said Hermione quickly. She paused. Funny how quick her mood had changed from inconsolable to beaming. "We're going to be going away for a while, and we haven't seen you for months. Is... everything ok?"
Ron's face darkened. He coughed brazenly. "Things have been better," he eventually said with a vague wisp of his hand. "nevertheless..."
Ron ushered them to their usual places around the fireplace, telling Draco and Luna to slot themselves in wherever. Ron told the four of how rough his months had been since- well, since.
"I've been in Romania, haven' I?" said Ron, as he brought out a flask. From the smell of it, it was a hot Butterbeer. He slurped it all in one, trickles flowing through his small red beard, gasping for breath afterwards.
"Butterbeer always tastes better warm, without butter," said Luna matter-of-factly.
"Ron looks odd, doesn't he?" whispered Harry to Hermione, "looks darker in the face. Guess that what a death does to the people left..."
"Yes, I suppose it does. Shadowed. He's so quiet now..."she replied.
Ron explained, "I've been helping Charlie out with the odd ends, but that's only a cover up: there's spies all over now," he said, meaning to shock. "But, I can't really rebuke them for anything, 'cos I'm a spy for us. I've been getting the numbers of the goblins, giants and other dark magical creatures- Hagrid would be proud! Can name almost all of them. It's been alright. Not so lonely now I've got Charlie rabbiting in me earhole all day. It's not been a picnic though. How about you all?"
"We're here on Dumbledore's order, Ron, we've got one more mission and then we get a big holiday period where we can rest. We haven't had a proper break in at least half a year; we're all so worked off our feet these days," said Luna, drifting off as usual in the middle of her point.
Smiling at how Luna always said 'we', Hermione remained tight lipped about the subject of missions, and rested her head on Luna's shoulders. She sniffed. Luna smelled of hair dye (which reminded her to tell Luna the shocking purple hair looked really nice, although she was a bit dumbfounded to say the least on the point that she had used muggle hair dye rather than a spell) and buttered crumpets: the crumpets being from Hermione's house while they rested only a few days ago. An elongated recuperation period. That was until they got the owl from Dumbledore, requesting immediate meeting.
He'd found a way.
Dumbledore didn't need to specify a means of what he'd found a way to- they knew.
They had been waiting for this.
Ron's droning voice brought Hermione warily back into the present.
"So I got Luna's wand eventually from Avery- but not without a fight."
With a flourish, Ron presented Luna's wand. "Da da da da da daaa!"
"Bless the crumple horned snorkacks crumpled horn- you've got it!"
Luna yanked her wand out of his hand. Already sparks had begun to spit out of the tip. Gleeful, with a tad of revenge in her eyes, she produced Avery's wand from her hair, and pointing her wand at Avery's wide chestnut one, she said "reducto."
She laughed for about eleven minutes until someone calmed her down.
For the last four hours of the day, as the shadows drew closer to Hogwarts and the sky became black, all six of them joined in the shallow laughter. All eyes were on Hermione each time they heard her laugh; only she knew what was to become of them tomorrow. And each time Ron laughed, Hermione's were trained to his; his laugh was so easily fake. What had happened to his deep, but nevertheless feminesque titter? Harry was right, she reasoned, it was the death that most certainly had shaken him, as it had all of them.
Hermione's stomach kept flipping whenever Ron spoke throughout. For what reason, at the time, she was not sure. Maybe it was the reaction of seeing him after near enough a year. Nothing had changed, but things had grown and adapted.
Loss never changes.
There was a quick stolen time for merriment, to reflect back on old times.
"But Umbridge's face- that slimy toadstool- when Grawp was unearthed as The Weapon. That was priceless." Hermione smiled reminiscently.
Behind her, following her as always like an eternal shadow, Harry was in hysterics and Hermione knew from the look on him, that image of Umbridge's was in his mind.
"-wasn't it 'mione? 'mione?"
Hermione was jolted back. "Sorry Draco?"
"I said 'It's all different now', eh?" Draco said in a light voice. "Because I'm not on the wrong side anymore. I just didn't think it'd take that price to change it..." Draco stared into this flagon of firewhiskey, Hermione, Luna, Neville and Harry gazing into the fireplace.
The fire spat again.
"When are you leaving, Ron?" asked Luna, in line with Hermione's fearful thoughts.
"I'm going to stay with Dumbledore for a few days," said Ron, rapping his jnuckles on the radiator.
"I have a SPEW declaration in need of his sign. And he wants me to learn a spell from him before I go back to Romania."
So you cant' come with us. Sigh.
"You just want to keep a close eye, don't you Hermione?" said Harry. "It's understandable. I understand."
"What comes of you in Romania, Ronald?" queried Luna.
"With dragons all day, no doubt," said Neville. "If it was me, Id' probably go-"
"Spare?" teased a twitching Malfoy.
A suddenly snarling Neville swore in Draco's direction.
He'll be barking at you soon enough Nev, toughen up.
Hermione turned to Ron from her seat, "So you're going to be here- busy?" stammered Hermione "You won't be able to come with us, let me keep an eye on my best friend?" she added, pretending to joke.
Ron's ears pinked at the notion of Hermione caring for him wherever he was. She noted it, but she knew that ship had long since sailed. Ron shrugged non-commitally.
Long since.
" So. Now we've all calmed down, without the help of our lovely alcohol," drawled a sluggish Draco (after downing his own personal supply of firewhisky, of which he always kept a full flask upon his person. Which as Draco lectured to Neville was a 'real wizard's drink.) "Hermione. Tell us what's the plan."
Hermione run her hands down the front of her robes, wringing out the sweat that was on them.
"I guess I just wanted to forget it for a while." She waved her hand vaguely. "or make you all forget."
Luna rubbed Hermione's back and whispered to her (although Luna's stage whisper left little to mishear) "We're all ready. More fired up than the tail of a blast ended skrewt," she added eagerly.
"I don't want to say it out loud," admitted Hermione realising it as she said it. "in case I say it and then- " her voice quietened "it comes true."
"The mission's not a nightmare," stated Draco thickly, "The nightmare's everyday life."
"And it will happen 'mione, it will: Dumbledore," was Ron's explanation.
"Fine," She said bitterly. I tried not to tell you.
"Spit it out!" yelled Neville haughtily.
Hermione let out a short splutter. Can't believe I'm saying this.
"Tomorrow."
She looked around to see if the impact had hit them yet. No it had not. They were still hopeful.
"Tomorrow," she repeated "we have ready a modified Time Turner to take us back forty years. Forty years back to V-voldemorts time."
"Hermione, that name doesn't scare you anymore, remember?" said Harry. Hermione looked at him and nodded.
"We are going there to kill him. Or incapactitate him. Dumbledore says we need to get there first, and he'll tell us what we need to do. We can't just walk up and kill him, just like we can't now. The catch is- the, catch, eh." Hermione closed her mouth. Don't say it.
"Hermione, get a hold of yourself!" bellowed Harry, sat behind her.
"We might not be able to come back. We could be stuck forty years in the past. Our families. Our loved ones. It's more dangerous there than it could be here. There's no Order of the Phoenix, and I doubt a Dumbledore to go to- he specified in the future that only to go to the past him in emergencies. And we're going to be in the vicinity of Voldemort every day."
The incredulous looks on all of their faces weren't enough.
"But, Hermione, forty years ago was when the Chamber of Secrets was opened," said Draco slowly. "isn't that when the Dark Lord- I mean, Voldemort- was at school."
"Yes," started Hermione "and so we'll be enrolled into Hogwarts forty years ago."
Their faces.
No-one spoke. Instead they looked at their friends around their room, each wondering where their thoughts lay, and whether the price of their lives as they knew it would be one payment too far for the end of the war.
"There's nothing else we can do, if this is the only alternative Dumbledore can come up with," said Hermione, trying to ease the tension. "This must have been the last resort."
"Well, then there's no escaping it," said Luna with profound sadness. Everyone did a double take when they realised who spoke so.
"Why us though?" said Neville bitterly. "I've only got my Gran left. If I go, she's got no-one. She's a tough woman, but I've always been there for her. And she has for me. Why not someone of the order of the phoenix go?"
"Dumbledore said there was no-one left to do the job. All the other groups of Dumbledore's Army have disbanded for whatever reason: even Ginny and Fred and George. They can't risk their lives anymore. Hagrid can't use a time-turner because he's half-giant, and Dumbledore can't very well pop back forty years when he's the cornerstone from us losing the war!" Hermione stopped for a moment when she realised she had ended up yelling. "The death eaters outnumber us in the hundreds- even more so after the battle of twowands. Tonks was the first to fall of many. There's only a handful of them left and they've all been left to protect the Vault."
Everyone sighed: there really was no alternative.
"Well, If they're all guarding the vault, then I suppose this is it. I'm in," said Luna
"As am I," piped up Draco
"I... I am too," said Neville, swallowing the last of his mead.
"yes." Was all Hermione could muster.
And a nod from Harry in Hermione's direction sealed the deal.
"Well, I'm turning in for the night," said a yawning Draco "I'm going to bag Neville's bed!"
With that, he fled up the stairs to the Gryffindor dorms, a hysterical Neville hot on his tails.
Hermione could faintly hear Neville's attempt of the non-verbal spell (in Neville's case was whispered without him noticing) Petrificus Totalus, and Neville's chuckle.
"You'd better move him!" chided Hermione to the ceiling, "he can't sleep on the floor all night."
A drawn out sigh, then trudging, then the sound of something heavy being dragged.
Hermione smiled in victory.
"I'll head for the sack aswell. I'll need to check my pillowcases for bowtruckles soon enough, so no time like the present to get started," said Luna cheerily.
That left Hermione, Ron and Harry. Harry winked at Hermione and skipped up the staircase to the dormitories behind Luna.
Hermione mechanically began to distinguish the grate, and move around the empty goblets, finally cleaning them with 'Episkey'.
Ron stood up to within arms length of Hermione. She could feel his hot breath reach the hairs on the back of her neck. His breathing was uneven, and fast. She could imagine that behind him his face was radiating red. Most of the red would probably be coming from his ears, but that was a given.
"I'm sorry it didn't work out," he said suddenly.
Hermione caught her breath in her throat just before she gasped. She knew what he meant.
"Me too." She turned to face him, and hugged him tightly. Ron held her tighter, and she felt a wet patch forming on her shoulders.
"In the end it was for the greater good, remember that." She said to him, stroking his hair.
"Maybe it happened when the time was right?" hiccupped Ron, "maybe that was a sign to say we weren't meant for each other? Maybe me and you aren't a match?"
"Maybe, maybe not. But his death wasn't at the right time in any way. I'm going to bed."
With that, Hermione gathered her heavy black cloak and trudged up the steep stone stairs.
"I'm coming with you to, to Voldemort's time," Ron called to her. "I can't see you after six months and then never see you again. There's still a chance." He said the last bit more to himself, but Hermione heard.
Tomorrows the big day.
"You'll protect me, won't you Harry?" she said to Harry, who had been waiting for her at the top of the stairs. He got her hand and squeezed it tightly.
"Protego?" he asked with a smile. "Nah, on this mission you'll be needing more than your body magically protected."
She returned a knowing smile back at him. She carried on up the set of staircase for the girls.
Each step on the stairs remined her of the prospect of the war ending. Like a righteous drum beat, things were now in motion, there was a stand.
And there was now a chance, a beautiful shining tiny chance that things could soon be different, if not for Hermione (for at least forty years) but for the people that now lived around her at this moment in time. It wasn't a sacrifice, not really. It was a debt, and one Hermione most of all now she thought about it, was willing to give.
"No goodbyes," said Dumbledore. "No-one must know what you have done." It was a good thing none of them had picked up on that tonight. She was going to have to let them worry about that at the last minute.
"Goodnight, " she said, as she blew the lantern next to her, heading into her bed.
Dreams flew in and out of her mind, but the one that stayed with her till daylight was her falling onto snakes, hissing and spitting to her to be still as she fell further and futher, down, down until blackness was there, and her eyes finally opened.