A/N: Next chapter ready. :)
Due to the scatty mess of the Battle of Hogwarts it's not absolutely certain how much Ginny knew of the things Hermione knew. So it's a little guess work as to what they might have discussed, and that there were some things Ginny had heard of but not in detail...such as Snape's death.
10: Helen and Joan
The atmosphere in the sitting room was almost crackling with realization, with fear, and with uncertainty and a need to understand.
"Another very good set of questions," Dumbledore answered Hermione. "The problem is that Riddle already suspects I am keeping a closer eye on him, and in regards to the place you must go to find the Gaunt house...a shack really, he is likely to have already marked the place. This past year he has taken an almost unhealthy interest in the village of his father and mother, and as I do know, he will go there with another purpose other than sightseeing. It's possible he has warded the area and would know the moment I entered the place, and certainly anyone Apparating to it. I also can not take too much part in the road you must travel. I am of this place and time and must remain as I always did. You two however are not of this place and have a little more freedom. As to Professor McGonagall, she would never leave the school and the students, her duty is there with them and that can not be altered, the same can be said for Professor Flitwick, although with Filius he also has the problem of not being able to blend in with muggles so easily. Just as a very large person stands out, so does a very small one. And again, he sees his duty the same as Minerva."
"From what you've said it sounds like you know the village or town where the Gaunt place is?" asked Ginny hopefully.
"Yes, and that much I can tell you. It's on the outskirts of a village called Little Hangleton quite a bit further north from here. Both the Riddles and the Gaunts have lived and do live there," the wizard said.
"Harry...he's been...he went to the graveyard there...," Hermione whispered, almost to herself.
"So we definitely can't Apparate there?" Ginny asked, with anxiety present in her voice again, wondering if any warding didn't include themselves.
"No, you can't Apparate directly to it. We don't know how wide any warding might be and it would be a good idea not to use any magic at all, as hard as that sounds, but you don't want to draw attention to the wrong people that something is going on in the village."
"We can't use a stunning spell on Gaunt to get the Ring off him?" Hermione asked.
"If you have to, you have to, but always think of a back-up, and maybe consider another option first. One use of magic might be enough to cause many things to happen and all of them targeted at you," Dumbledore told them. "As it is, you'll have to travel most of the way there as muggles, just to be on the safe side. It would be disastrous for anyone to know of your intentions before you got anywhere near to your goal."
"That might be a bit problematic, sir," said Hermione thoughtfully. "We don't have muggle money, not for this time period, we don't have any indentification, and from what I know people were required to carry some form of identification at all times. And lastly, would two people such as Ginny and myself be travelling a long way from wherever we're supposed to come from in 1943?"
"I'm impressed with your knowledge," Dumbledore said. "It might prove to be very useful, and sounds like it has been already. I must say I'm so pleasantly surprised to find someone thinking beyond the normal limitations and thinking in the way that I do."
Dumbledore smiled warmly at both the young women, then he got up from his armchair and went to one of the cabinets in the room, removing a leather folder from a drawer, before sitting back in the armchair and opening the folder.
Firstly the wizard took out a small coin purse and a wallet. "You'll find in the purse every type of muggle coin in use, halfpenny, threepence, sixpence, shilling and so on and I'm hoping that you'll be able to transfigure any money you have or other objects into the money you require. The wallet holds the notes of the era, but in truth most people would only see a ten shilling note, very few people were wealthy enough to carry around pound notes and very rarely five pound notes. However there are examples of those in there, should you need more money. I'm sure I don't need to warn you, but this doesn't mean you have a right to print money; only transfigure what you really need, it's also less suspicious if you don't have much money on you. You are able to transfigure money?"
"Yes." Both Ginny and Hermione answered, knowing they were both capable. Hermione's work on the DA coins were proof enough of that kind of magic.
"Good," said Dumbledore, as he then removed from the folder some small pieces of card and papers. "We prepared some identity cards for you. Thankfully most in 1943 didn't require a photo. There are also some ration books. We thought it best to create a new identity for you both, just in case our plan has been infiltrated in some way and the other side have people here too, and in such cases one becomes extremely paranoid. It's best to be prepared for such things. I doubt anyone could do what you have done, but one never knows."
He handed the first identity cards to Hermione, who wanted to laugh at the peculiarity of the whole situation when she saw her name. According to the card she was Helen Summers, and not only was she a couple of years older than her real age but upon looking at the other card she had been handed, she also answered to Corporal Summers in the...
"Oh my god!" Hermione said, giving a little laugh. "I'm a WAAF!"
"You're a what?" Ginny asked.
"According to these cards, I'm in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force!" the brunette said, giving another giggle.
"Yes, we've given you references and passes for being part of the WAAF who travel from base to base for something to do with signals and the rather ingenius methods muggles call telecommunications," said an enthused Dumbledore. "Our knowledge base tells us, that one such as you would have a little freedom to go about her business, providing you have the correct papers, which you are holding. You can be seen virtually anywhere and most people will think you are meant to be there. You will only have to use those names if you are checked up on somewhere or you have to stay somewhere. I am told that sometimes women such as yourselves would occasionally be assigned to look at trees all over the country, for usage in the military...telegraph poles and so on, or setting up communication lines."
"Alright then, what am I to become?" Ginny asked, half anxious and half bordering on excited.
"Ahh, I just need to...," Dumbledore said as he waved a hand over the other identity cards and papers he still held to change some details. "We were not sure if Hermione would be accompanied but if she was we thought it might be one of your brothers. No matter, the change is easy enough," he said as he handed her the cards.
Ginny looked over the cards and and saw that she was also in the WAAF, and was called Joan Townsend, but she didn't understand the title on her military identity.
"I seem to be an 'Aircraftswoman Class 1', do I outrank you Hermione?" she asked, wondering.
"I'm not really sure," the brunette replied.
"I'm afraid not," Dumbledore said. "We needed one of you to be slightly higher ranked than the other. One to have more authority than the other and appear to be in charge of their task."
Hermione laughed. "I get to order you around, Ginny!"
"Great, Corporal Hermyhoney has made my day!" replied Ginny.
Even Dumbledore was amused by the banter between the two young women.
"Sir?" Hermione began again, as another problem arose in her busy mind. "If we have these identities, wouldn't we be in uniform? Have we got to transfigure our clothes in some way?"
"In one of the bedrooms upstairs you will find all the clothes you need in a wardrobe. Any male clothing can be easily transfigured to the female version as you'll have a least one set to work by. You'll find some information on how to wear the uniforms and how to look like you really are what you're supposed to be."
Dumbledore looked at the clock and saw that it was approaching 11am. "I must leave you now," he said ready to rise from his chair. "I have told you all I can for the moment."
"Professor, if we succeed and we get the real Ring, what do we do? Do we come to Hogwarts to find you? Do we take the Ring somewhere?" asked Ginny.
"No, never come to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said very sternly. "It is far too dangerous for yourselves and for 'time' itself. If you can, try to come back here and contact me via my mother's portrait. If you're unable to return, things will be more difficult, but I have faith in you to work something out. If you succeed, please guard that Ring with all you have, never let it out of your sight, it is most important."
Hermione and Ginny stood up and walked through to the kitchen with Dumbledore. He shook their hands and gave them his most encouraging, warm smile.
"Always remember how far you have come, and that even in the darkest moments your true Gryffindor spirit can always be found. The Sorting Hat never makes a mistake. Farewell and goodluck."
The wizard turned and walked out of the kitchen, through the scullery and in moments he had Disapparated from the back garden and was gone. It left Hermione and Ginny feeling drained, and overwhelmed by the whole meeting with the younger Dumbledore, and that was before they tried to digest the news of just what their task was and what it would involve.
Hermione flopped down on one of the chairs at the kitchen table, and Ginny did the same, expelling a huge sigh as she did so.
"Wow!" was all Ginny could say.
"Yeah," Hermione answered.
"They don't expect much do they?" Ginny said, breaking the few moments of silence, sounding slightly angry now. "Find a dangerous, complete nutcase who only speaks parseltongue and swap his ring, all before another total nutcase can come and kill his father and turn the said ring into a bloody horcrux! Oh, this is as easy as an essay on the uses of frog's eyes!" she gesticulated a little wildly with her arms. "And yes, while you do this you'll be in the middle of a muggle war dressed up as a soldier, and use a different name, because just in case, there might be other people here out to get you! And by the way, try not to use magic!"
"That's about the gist of it," Hermione said drily. "I noticed that he didn't say why they want the Resurrection Stone? And it seems to me, that unless we actually have the Ring or have a fate worse than death situation, that he doesn't seem to want to have contact with us."
"Yes, I kind of noticed the, 'if you can't get back here, tough luck, I can't really help!' tone he had," Ginny said. "The next question is, when do we set out on our nutter-hunt?"
"I suppose that depends on us," Hermione replied. "We can't leave it too long, but we ought to get used to our clothes and identities a little. We need to look at our papers and get an idea about the journey we're making and sort out a few little details as well. I noticed we have papers to use trains, so that shouldn't feel too odd for us."
"Speak for yourself, Helen!" chuckled Ginny.
Hermione had to smile at that, but added another thought to their problems. "He never said anything about what happens if we can't get the Ring, if we fail. Is he confident we can do this? Or is he saying, that we can not fail at all costs?"
"Arghhh! It seems to me there were a lot of things he never said," answered Ginny. "I don't know, maybe failing here...means we fail back there...our Hogwarts."
"Perhaps he didn't want to add to the pressure?" suggested Hermione. "Maybe that's why he didn't say what this whole thing hopes to achieve?"
"Or maybe he keeps too many damn secrets?"
"I'm afraid to say, that you might be right on that score," said the brunette, unable to forget all the things she had read about Dumbledore in that biography by Rita Skeeter and all the things Aberforth had told them. Even if you only took a third of the issues as having some basis in fact, it still didn't give a picture of Dumbledore as someone who told the whole truth, or more accurately it pointed to a man who kept back vital information and for reasons only he himself knew.
Another few moments of silence ensued as the girls were deep in thought, still trying to process the information they had been told.
"I think we have to trust him," Hermione suddenly said. "We have to trust this Dumbledore and the one we knew."
Ginny looked astounded for a moment, so Hermione continued her line of thought.
"This whole situation must have taken so much planning," said Hermione. "It is dangerous, not just for us, but to time itself. Dumbledore would never risk something so serious on a vague chance or whim. He told us to remember our Gryffindor spirit, which is similar to things he always told Harry before he ended up in some dangerous situation. We have to trust him, because if we hold too many doubts, we'll never have our full hearts into this task and we need everything we have to get close to making this work."
"Trust him, even though he so obviously hasn't told us everything?"
"He must have his reasons," Hermione said, thinking. "He never told Harry about the true connection to Sirius Black that year, because he feared Harry would hunt him down, and in some ways that nearly happened. He was trying to protect Harry and take away the wrong options for him. He tried to shield him from the mind link with You Know Who...okay it didn't work, but he was trying to protect Harry."
"Do you know what he meant about Snape doing something that he asked him to and it came to pass?" asked a thoughtful Ginny. "He can't have meant asking Snape to get himself killed by You Know Who, surely? It sounded more like...something to do with his own death?"
"I'm not sure," her friend replied. "We were there when Snape died. Harry, Ron and I were there when it happened. He desperately wanted Harry to have his memories...you know, for the pensieve. It took the last of his strength to do it. But we have no way to know if they held something important about Dumbledore, the Battle or You Know Who, because Harry had the memories and we separated off and then...well, we know what happened."
"You Know Who kills one of his best supporters? Essentially his righthand man? Maybe Snape was...," the redhead tailed off thinking hard.
"That's what I'm thinking. Maybe Snape was a double agent, being all close to Him but really working for the Order, and You Know Who discovered his duplicity amongst other things. I've thought a lot about some of the events that have happened. Snape killing Dumbledore just seems odd...the timing of it, everything. I can't say what it is, but I'm not sure what we think happened is exactly what did happen."
"But, Harry saw it!"
"I know, Gin," Hermione replied. "I believe him too, of course I do. But, something about it all, is wrong. What if Snape killed Dumbledore to save Draco Malfoy?"
"What? And Dumbledore stands there smiling and says 'Of course' I'd much rather die from your wand, Snape, than Malfoy's'?" asked an incredulous Ginny.
"I don't know," the brunette continued. "I just think there's more to the whole thing than we know. But I do know we have to trust Dumbledore...both Dumbledores."
The thoughtful Ginny, studied her friend for a moment, taking in all that she had said; she knew Hermione was right, and they had so little to cling to that they had to trust something.
"We'll trust him," Ginny said. "But I think we should trust each other more."
"Agreed," Hermione said, actually feeling a surge of strength rise inside her as she thought of herself and Ginny facing their task together. She reached across the table and grabbed Ginny's hand. "Together, whatever we have to face."
The redhead had a tenacious look on her face as she clasped Hermione's hand firmly in return. In that moment it was nearly as though they had made an Unbreakable Vow, to each other and to the task they had been set. They both seemed to know the significance of the moment, and smiled and nodded to each other. It was an unspoken 'Right, we're going to do this!'.
A/N: A little note on pronounciation. The abbreviated term 'WAAF' was said as one word and pronounced as 'waff'...like naff. Sometimes RAF would be said similarly as 'raff'.