A/N: "Thank you again for all the kind reviews last chapter! Enjoy!"— E
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Hermione had awoken late that morning in one of the small rooms overlooking Diagon Alley. The talk and laughter of early morning shoppers drifted through her window as she stared up at the wooden ceiling overhead, and it took barely a moment for the realization to set in and for her to remember exactly where, and, more importantly, when, she was.
After a quick lunch she settled her bill with the inn, careful to use only coins with old dates, and headed out in Muggle London. She walked the busy streets for a short while, taking a moment to observe what ten year's change looked like. It was somewhat amusing to see who was on the magazine covers and what movies were being advertised, as another natural temptation pulled at her; her childhood home wasn't far away. But Hermione pushed the longing aside and, after finding a deserted alleyway, appartated to just outside Hogsmeade.
The small, wizarding village was busy with afternoon shoppers and everyone preparing for the arrival of Hogwarts students. It was enormously strange returning here. Walking across the old stone square towards Honeydukes, Hermione had almost forgotten what the town looked like before the war destroyed it. Everything had been rebuilt naturally, but it was now much more modernized, the charm of her schooldays somewhat missing after. Again, Hermione let herself wander for a moment, remembering the times she, Ron, and Harry had spent there on Hogsmeade trips. There was Scrivenshafts, the quill and parchment shop always a stop on her list, and the HogsHead Inn, where they had their first DA meeting. There was also Madam Puddifoot's, though Hermione had never been to that location. The teashop had reopened in Diagon Alley after the war and Ron had taken her there on once over Valentines Day. They'd both been relieved to find that the other, too, found it silly and ridiculous.
Hermione made her way down the street, her eyes lingering on the splattering of Wanted! Sirius Black posters and a partial view of the Shrieking Shack just visible down the road, before heading towards Honeydukes. The sweetshop was fairly quiet and as the witch behind the counter tended another customer, Hermione was able to sneak into the back and down to the cellar unnoticed. She had never used the passage before, remembering only what Harry had told her, but it only took her a few minutes to find the trapdoor and slip down into the tunnel.
The plan was simple enough.
There were so few people she could trust here, but one name came easily to mind: Albus Dumbledore. It was strange to think back to the man and all that had happened so many years ago, but Hermione knew he would be able to understand such a delicate and dangerous situation. The students would be arriving in the early evening, giving Hermione plenty of time during the afternoon to sneak into the castle and meet him. However, luck didn't seem to be on her side. As the secret path began to rise and earthen walls turned to stone under the castle, a damp coldness filled her in a way mere stone walls never could; dementors.
Albus Dumbledore hated dementors, but Hermione remembered the fear Sirius' escape had left on their world and she doubted he had much say in keeping them out while the school was empty. Nevertheless, as the dementors swept Hogwarts one last time, Hermione would be unable to enter the castle without detection. Unfortunately by the time the damp sadness at the end of the tunnel receded, she had missed her window. The amazing smells wafting up from the kitchen along with her large, golden pocket watch told her dinner would be starting shortly and the halls would soon be full of students. Finding Dumbledore and explaining her situation before then wasn't possible.
Hours later, hungry, and with her back killing her from sitting on the stone floor all day, it was finally time. Crouched in the hump of the one-eyed witch, she listened to the distant voices of hundreds of students, laughing and talking as they made their way to the Great Hall for the start-of-term feast. When silence once again filled the corridor, Hermione pushed up on the statue and climbed out.
She walked the empty, silent halls. With each turn and each corridor, Hermione was flooded again and again with the memories. Last time she was here had been the memorial dinner, celebrating the rebuilding of Hogwarts and those lost in the battle that destroyed it. And while they had all been encouraged to walk and re-explore the halls that night, everyone agreed there was something changed about the grand old castle.
Reaching the stone griffin, it was easy enough to guess the password and take the revolving stair to the headmaster's office. Some of the portraits gave Hermione a wary look, Fawkes, too, bristling his feathers upon her arrival, but they soon took no mind of her as she sat down in one of the chairs facing Dumbledore's desk. And as Hermione waited, looking around at the books and the delicate instruments, at Fawkes now dozing on his perch, her stomach churned, not just from hunger, but anxiety and anticipation.
She never really knew the great wizard personally. Even with her connection to Harry, Hermione had only shared a few words with him, something that now felt so odd since she was one of the few who truly and completely understood how much Albus Dumbledore sacrificed to save them all. Hermione could see Dumbledore's broken body at the base of the tower, remembering so well the shock that came with it and the long road it had sent them all upon. It seemed like a lifetime ago, and yet this would be one of her first true conversations with the man who's copy of 'Tales of Beatle The Bard' now sat on her bookcase, one of her most prized possessions.
She heard the groan of the stair and stood, ready to see him again and explain her case. However, Hermione hadn't expected another person to be with him, yet alone Remus Lupin.
"You!"
He was clearly surprised to see her there while Dumbledore looked strangely amused as they walked into the room. Remus' hand moved to the pocket in his robe where Hermione knew he kept his wand, but Dumbledore held out his arm and stopped him.
"This is most unusual," said the headmaster.
"Sir," she started. "I do apologize for intruding like this, but I must speak with you."
"Yes, I'm quite sure you do." He walked further into the room towards Fawke's perch. "Now, I assume this is more than just a complication with an age potion, yes? Please, won't you sit down—"
"I don't know if that's wise, sir," Remus interrupted. "Hermione, is it? Hermione Granger?"
Hermione didn't answer him. She shifted, angry at herself, but really not that surprised Remus had figured it out. Turning back to Dumbledore, who was stroking Fawkes absentmindedly, she continued on.
"Please, sir. I would really prefer to talk to you in private."
"You work with Guillaume?" asked Dumbledore as he moved to his large, leather chair.
Hermione was taken aback. "How do you know Guillaume?"
"Oh, we worked together many, many years ago," he sat down with a sigh, though his eyes were sparkling as he looked at her, "And seeing you here as you are now, Miss Granger, yes… yes it seemed a likely possibility—"
"Sir?" Remus called out again. Dumbledore nodded and looked up at him.
"I'm glad to see your instincts are still sharp, Remus, you are quite right to be suspicious. But, please, sit down." He turned to Hermione. "If Miss Granger tells us what I suspect she is about to, this is a very dangerous situation we are in."
Hermione didn't say anything, her anxiety growing as Remus frowned at her, then took one of the empty seats. Dumbledore turned to her.
"Miss Granger, I do encourage you to extend your confidence to Remus as well, especially as it seems he's already deduced who you are."
She didn't reply. This was stretching the rules to the breaking point. Dumbledore knowing Guillaume and suspecting her problem was an unexpected advantage, but still; the fewer people she told the better.
And yet…
While this wasn't part of her plan, this was Remus Lupin. There was a reason she had been so happy to see him in the Ministry, so relieved she had forgotten everything. Remus had fought with The Order in two wars, one of them alongside her, and of all the people she had known throughout her life, he was absolutely one of the most trustworthy. They had such a history together.
Hermione sat down in the other chair, and then nodded.
"A wise decision." Dumbledore smiled at her. "Now, please go on."
She could feel Remus' eyes on her but Hermione ignored him. Instead she took a deep breath, and said the words she had been trained very specifically not to say: "I am an Unspeakable within the Department of Mysteries, working specifically on time and time manipulation…"
They both listened without interruption as Hermione explained, under limited details, what had happened. She explained how a simple, stupid accident had thrown her back; how she had woken up in a deserted office with a gash in her head, no idea of where she was; and how running into Remus, she had been so relieved to see a friendly face she had broken almost every rule in the book and confronted him prematurely. "That's why I pulled my wand on you," she explained. "I needed to erase that moment. You weren't supposed to remember ever meeting me, but you were faster than I expected."
Dumbledore smiled at Remus. "Yes, it is nice to know you haven't gone soft."
"Will it be hard to get back?" asked Remus, ignoring the headmaster.
"Under normal conditions with the right tools it's quite simple, really." She frowned. "But that's the problem right now. I need a time-turner."
Dumbledore sat up suddenly, nodding. "Which is what brings you here."
"Right," said Hermione, pleased he seemed to be understanding. "I need my time-turner—the one from my third year, I mean."
Dumbledore leaned back into his chair in thought and Hermione waited patiently. The details were far too complicated to explain to them and the rules of time not hers to share, but as Hermione sat amongst them she understood that this was the time-turner she needed to get back. "Time isn't linear," Guillaume had once said. "Rather it works in loops and a careful observer will see those moments it overlaps onto itself. Don't fight it."
"But, of course," started Dumbledore, frowning. "You can't have it. At least not right now, correct?"
Hermione sighed; it was the only fault with her plan. "That's right."
"Why not?" asked Remus.
"My younger self needs it," answered Hermione. "I can't use it until she is done with it."
"The young Miss Granger was very ambitious and signed up for every class available," Dumbledore explained to Remus, that usual twinkle in his eye. "We gave her the time-turner to help her attend all of her classes. To take it away now and transport this Hermione to the future would disrupt that. It cannot be done." He turned back to Hermione. "When would you be able to use it?"
"Not until the end of the school year."
Dumbledore nodded, once again looking pensive, and Hermione waited patiently as the old wizard thought over everything she had said. Looking back, Hermione remembered that night when McGonagall called her aside before the sorting and handed her a small velvet bag. The contents had opened a world of possibility to her, not only in her third year, though the time-turner would be crucial to so much during that time, but laid a foundation for the rest of her life.
"Then you must stay at Hogwarts," said Dumbledore after a moment.
"Yes, I've thought about that, or perhaps travel abroad?" suggested Hermione, hating the idea of imposing upon the school. "It's only ten months. I could hide out in The States or something, someplace without a language barrier or—"
But Dumbledore shook his head at this, and even Remus interrupted. "For almost a year?!"
"I'm muggle-born and can assimilate into that lifestyle if needed. I also have extensive camping experience—"
"No, I insist you stay here." Dumbledore frowned. "While I'm certain you could manage on your own and respect the rules of time enough to stay silent, there are too many who would want to abuse your future knowledge. Besides, we have the room and resources to accommodate you, here."
There was a lot of truth in what he said, and even though Hermione hated the idea of putting more pressure upon them, she had known from the beginning this was one of the safer options. She didn't know what would happen in the next ten months and the more limited access and influence she had, the better.
"Alright," she said after a moment. "Yes. Thank you, sir."
"A very wise decision." Dumbledore smiled warmly at her then leaned back into his chair, clasping his hands together. "So we will have you move in with Remus immediately."
oOoOoOo
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A/N: "Oh, Dumbledore. No matter how I rework it, he always seems so sassy there." – E
