That got everyone's attention with a quickness. Remus stepped away from her and it felt like part of her own heart was being torn from her body. Lily's mouth dropped open, being the only one who had been allowed to ask Hermione questions. She had put some pieces together and realized that she was going to die. Sirius and Marlene were squeezing each other's hands for dear life. She was thankful at that moment that Peter wasn't there. Hermione didn't know if she could stomach the look of betrayal that was sure to be on his face.
"That can't be right Hermione, it's 1976," James said as if trying to make some sense of what was happening. She turned her eyes on him. He looked so much like Harry at that moment, all messy hair and wire glasses. She hoped that her sacrifice would mean that Harry would never have to.
"I know. I was sent back here by…" she turned her gaze on Lily for half a second before she closed her eyes. "You know what that's not important. Regardless, I know how to stop Voldemort before he destroys everything and everyone." She watched the reactions of everyone in the room.
"We believe her?" A dark haired woman in the corner asked. Hermione didn't know who she was.
"We do, Hestia." Hestia Jones. "Her information has been correct thus far." Dumbledore's voice was like nails on a chalkboard.
"Well how to we kill him?" Sirius asked. It was a simple question, one that she was okay with answering. There were others that she was hoping that they wouldn't ask.
"What do you know of Horcruxes?" There were a lot of different looks across the room. Many of them were horrified but she thought she should explain for the rest of them. "He is making them."
"Them?" Moody growled. "As in more than one."
"In my War, he had seven."
Pandemonium.
"What the hell do you mean seven, girl?"
"More than one?!"
"Has that ever been done before?"
"Evil bastard!"
"He's sick."
"WAIT!" Sirius yelled, slamming his hand down on the table. "What the bloody hell are you all talking about?" Hermione smiled at him as a sudden wave of overwhelming fondness overtook her.
"A horcrux Sirius, is an object in which a Wizard can conceal part of his soul. It is done with murder, an ultimate act of evil which tears the soul apart. He puts them in objects." Those who weren't familiar looked confused. "Voldemort, in 1998, had made seven Horcruxes. In order to kill him, we have to destroy those first."
"And you know what they are?" Hestia asked.
"I do and how to destroy them."
"What are they?" Lily asked, ever curious. This is why they got along so well.
"Voldemort is sentimental believe it or not. First is his own diary, Salazar Slytherin's locket, Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem, the Gaunt ring, and Helga Hufflepuff's Cup." They were all looking at her like she was a crazy person.
"And you know where they are?"
"All of them," she said confidently. "In fact, we already have one. Helga Hufflepuff's Cup is in the Headmaster's Office." There was a collective gasp of appreciation.
"And how do you destroy them?" Kingsley asked in that deep voice he had
"Well, there's Fiendfyre," instant uproar, "OR!" she yelled in order to get attention back. "We can use basilisk venom." That just earned some stunned silence. It was almost funny. The amount of truth that they were getting dropped on them was making their minds heavy.
"Where the bloody fuc-" Sirius was slapped – hard. "Sorry, where, pray tell, are we going to get basilisk venom?" Hermione almost laughed because she knew the looks that she was going to get next.
"Moaning Myrtles bathroom."
Crickets..
"I'm sorry. I must have misheard you," James said in wonder. "Did you just say Moaning Myrtles bathroom?"
"Sure did, that is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets." Professor McGonagall looked as if she was going to faint. "We go in, kill the basilisk and stab it with the sword of Gryffindor. Then we can use that to kill them all. When we're down there we should probably take some fangs as well. St Mungo's would probably love to study-"
"Hermione," Lily said gently.
"Sorry! Yes, then we stab them all – preferably at once and then we can kill him." There was some talking after that. Hermione didn't blame them. That was quite a bit of information. Then from the back came a question that she really didn't know how to answer.
"I'm sorry Hermione, I just have to ask." Hestia again. "You said that there were seven Horcruxes, that's only five."
"I'm not sure when his snake Nagini becomes a Horcrux but I can tell you the exact date when he makes the last one. The one he was never supposed to make."
"What's that?" Sirius asked.
"October 31, 1981. He put a piece of his twisted soul into my best friend, Harry Potter."
oOoOo
The meeting went smoothly after that. Hermione was able to stay objective when she was really homicidal. The older members of the Order understood the danger she was in and kept their questions, her knowledge of the future, strictly business. They had a plan for the locket, diary, diadem, and ring. One down, four to go – or five depending on the Nagini situation.
The soon to be Seventh year Gryffindors were very displeased at the idea of using Regulus and Nott. In their minds, all Slytherins were not to be trusted. Hermione dispelled that idea instantly. She didn't know Nott but she knew what Regulus was capable of.
And he was someone who, if possible, she was going to keep alive.
"I just," James started, taking off his glasses to rub his face. "I have so many questions." Hermione sighed. She knew that the ability to stay on task wasn't going to last forever.
"I won't answer most of them," Hermione told him bluntly. "I'm willing to be a victim to the consequences of changing time but I'm not going to drag you all down with me." Everyone looked shocked and almost like they weren't going to accept that as an answer until Lily spoke up.
"Leave her be. Let's solve the problem at hand and then we can get to the Hermione situation." Hermione looked over at her gratefully. She felt cold and really wished that Remus would put his arms around her. It was not something that she thought would ever happen again.
As if Lily knew, she reached out and squeezed her hand.
Hermione was able to take a breath then. She steeled herself once more and scanned the room. There were so many legendary people here, so many familiar faces that were just a little less battered than she remembered.
If anyone was going to do it, it was these people.
If it wasn't going to be Harry, Lily and James would do.
oOoOo
"Sirius, you will be informed when Kreacher is summoned. After that we will move on the locket."
It had felt like days until the meeting was over. Hermione was exhausted but was watching Dumbledore talk to Sirius. This was one of the more interesting parts of their planning. This was going to get the Black boys back together.
"And how exactly is Boy Wonder going to contact me?" he asked, voice like ice. Hermione almost smiled, she remembered Malfoy calling Harry that. She almost missed him.
"He has assured me that you will know when it is time." Sirius didn't look convinced but wasn't ballsy enough to call the Professor out on it. Hermione was and was going to when she felt someone tug her away. James' hand was bigger than Harry's but just as warm and made her feel just as safe. She wondered if she would ever stop comparing them.
"Hermione, talk to me." He was desperate, pleading. Hermione knew what he wanted to ask. She knew exactly what he was begging her to say.
She wished she hadn't told them Harry's name.
"I'm not going to tell you, James. Things will happen the way that they were meant to. There are things that won't change no matter how badly I screw with the timeline." He smiled just a little, looking over at Lily who was hugging Marlene tight. Then he sighed in resignation, almost like he was giving up. Hermione couldn't let that look stay on his face.
"Hey," she said, lifting his chin with her hand. "Some people are just made to be together, okay?" He flashed a dimple and then gave her a hug. If he wasn't so close to her ear, she would have missed what he said next.
"Just give him some time, okay?" It was obvious who he was talking about.
Obvious because as soon as it was okay to do so, Remus had apparated away without so much as a backwards glance.
"Yeah," Hermione started but her voice was shaky all of a sudden. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Yeah, of course."
Sirius came over then and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up off the ground. She squealed in surprised but then relaxed, putting her arms around him as best she could. He talked a lot but Hermione knew that he said way more when he was silent. There were a lot of things going unsaid between them in that moment. She was going to do everything to give him the life that he so deserved. He let her go to grab Marlene's hand who threw a wave and a smile over her shoulder.
"We'll see you guys at the wedding."
It was such an out of place thing to say that Hermione nearly burst out laughing. She remembered another wedding during another war. Maybe it was exactly what they needed.
"Hey, 'Mione," Lily said. Hermione had to remember to send Peter a condolence card for his mother. "Let's go home."
