A Paws in Time

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, as revolutionary an idea like that may seem to you. JKR owns the Potterverse.

Summary: During the "final battle" Hermione is hit with a curse and falls through the veil. Time Travel HGSB

Chapter 11: Determination

The walk to Dumbledore's office was swift and silent. Both Sirius and Hermione were anxious to get the headmaster's opinion on the plan. If it worked, they could be back with Harry, Ron and Remus. If it didn't…well, the consequences didn't look too good.

"Fudge Flies." Sirius gave the password to the gargoyle. Reaching the top of the stairs, Sirius squeezed Hermione's hand reassuringly and knocked on the door to Dumbledore's office. Hearing permission to enter, Sirius opened the door slowly and held it open for Hermione to go in first.

"Have a seat," the old man told the time-travellers approaching his desk. "Anything you wanted to tell me?" he asked.

"Well…you see… I may have found a way to go home. Back to our own time, I mean." Hermione answered timidly.

"And how did you reach this plan?" Dumbledore asked.

Hermione grew more brave as she answered. "It's to do with the fundamental nature of the veil. When I first arrived, you told me that the veil sends you to a time and a place that's important to you. All the books that I've read have made that quite apparent as well. So, in theory, if we were to go through he veil while thinking about our own time and the Hogwarts then, then we'd be able get back home. It's kind of brilliant in its simplicity if you think about it."

Dumbledore sat quite still, stunned in shock. He himself had been contemplating the issue of his visitors returning to their own time, yet the easy answer of going back the way that they had come had eluded him.

"I mean, if it works." Hermione concluded, nervously.

"Miss Granger, that is a brilliant plan. My hat is off to you."

Hermione blushed. She didn't know what the fuss was about. She had simply used the facts she had been given to reach a hypothesis. If it did work then she would take any praise, but until then…

"Great. There's just one problem. How would I know where and when to concentrate on going to?" Sirius's voice came from the chair next to Hermione's.

Dumbledore produced the answer from a cupboard in his office. "With this."

Hermione gasped. In front of her was a stone basin with runes etched around it. She read them as "A memory placed in here will be kept alive."

"A pensieve," Hermione breathed. She stared at the rare object the headmaster was holding.

"How does that help?" Sirius asked, confusion evident in his voice.

"We place Miss Granger's memories of that time and place into the pensieve. You then watch the memory from inside of it, and think of it as important while walking through the veil."

"Ok. So when are we going to do this?"

Dumbledore considered this for a second before replying that tomorrow, Saturday, would be more than suitable and that they should make the most of the time they had left in 1977.

Taking this as a dismissal, Sirius and Hermione left the office and made their way to Gryffindor Tower.

"What?" Sirius asked, sure he had misheard.

"We're leaving tomorrow, and we can't come back." Polaris repeated for the third time.

"What?"

"Ignore him. Where are you going?" James asked. He had avoided looking at Hermione since she and Polaris had arrived.

"London," Polaris answered. Hermione looked to him and he nodded.

"James, can I talk to you quickly?" She whispered to her best friend's father. They walked to the other side of the room.

"What's up?" SMACK! Hermione's palm made contact with James's face.

"You bastard! I'm glad I'm never going to see you again. I'm glad Harry'll never…" Hermione's yelling stopped with Polaris's hand on her arm, restraining her from slapping again.

"Once was enough. We're going now, it was great knowing you guys. I wish we could meet again." The sorrow was obvious in Polaris's eyes, yet his voice conveyed none of the emotion that he felt. After leaving the room, Remus's voice called out to them.

"What's going to happen to us?" He asked. "Why do you look like you're never going to see us again? We're still…alive aren't we?" His voice quivered at the end.

"Of course you are. Don't be ridiculous," Hermione answered firmly. She turned quickly, unable to look the werewolf in the eye after blatantly lying to him.

"I'm sorry, Remus, there's one thing we really have to do tonight and it could take a while. I'll see you again, I promise." Sirius turned away only to feel Hermione's hand take his and hold it tightly.

"Where would he be?" She whispered.

"This close to dinner time? I can only think of one place. Come on."

"Mr Pettigrew, a word please." Professor Polaris called across the Great Hall. Peter got up quickly and followed his defence professor to his office. Once there, it was over almost as quick as it began. Two different curses hit the teen: Jelly legs and furunculous. He was unconscious before he hit the floor, ugly growths formed on his face. He was then levitated out towards the dungeons and the people who found him later, still out cold, assumed that he'd been attacked by some Slytherin students out for revenge for one of the many pranks his friends and he had pulled. The group accountable for the actions were never caught.

A/N reviews are always appreciated. This is the last full chapter. The next one is the epilogue and starts with Sirius and Hermione…well, now that would be telling. Review both this one and the epilogue, which I will be posting as soon as I've typed it up and spellchecked. Thanks to my beta, Coolkitten12 – she is awesome. Lul, J xxx