Hello dear readers,
Here's a tale for ye that has been forcing its way into the daylight, out of my daydreams, for a while now. I've been writing down thoughts and ideas and recently started organizing them. Half the time it's because I read some great story on FF, or off of it, but then I'm disappointed or bored or it's beautiful but still not quite what I was hoping to see. Because of course I have impossible hopes, and I want too much blah blah blah. I'm sure I can't even live up to half the things I'm pinning on this story. And then I guess I can try again!
My first story here, I welcome all your feedback and advice. I have a full outline and quite a bit written. But nothing is too concrete yet. I'm trying to spit this out in the midst of a hectic life and will operate on the idea that I'd rather put something out that's unpolished than agonize over details. Beware, be wary. Rated M for a reason. Themes of romance, adventure, friendship, trauma, pettiness, humor redemption...or so I hope.
Summary -
Hermione and Ginny narrowly escape a battle alive and it forces them to enact a plan to go back in time to 1944. They plan to investigate and support a little known movement that, if it succeeds, could change everything. While Ginny goes into the countryside to learn about what is happening on the ground, Hermione is stationed at Hogwarts to do outreach with the house elves and professors...and students. Their missions are disrupted by a too curious Tom Riddle and his Knights of Walpurgis who are in their seventh year. Their own demons are also finally catching up with them after seven years of war and trauma. Will they succeed or will they get caught up in the past in a way that has dire consequences for the future?
CHAPTER 1: The EscapeRunning through the corridors under a disillusionment spell while curses flew around her was not how Hermione planned to finish her day. She was supposed to stay with Harry and Ginny at Grimmauld Place to have a normal evening before continuing their hunt for horcruxes. In the middle of the day, they got a fire call that fighting broke out at Hogwarts. In a flash they were in Hogsmeade and entering the castle with other members of the Order.
There was fighting everywhere, the battle was destroying the castle and the Order was retreating quickly. The Order of the Phoenix had figured out a way to portkey people to safety out of the castle, and they were currently deploying that plan, but if she left with them now she wouldn't be able to come back for who knows how long. And then it could be too late. She had to leave now.
Hermione gasped as a spell hissed past her head. It caused the rock behind her to crumble and break away. She could smell burnt hair. Hers? She wasn't sure if she was spotted or if it was a stray hex. The blood on her shoes left half footprints every few steps. She wasn't sure if it was hers. She knew she was injured, but the adrenaline made it hard to pinpoint where she might feel pain later. Anyway, there was no time to think about that.
The castle was in chaos. Screams and explosions echoed across it. The hallway she was careening down was empty, but she clutched her wand tightly, ready for anyone she might encounter. She had to fight the urge to turn back and shoved down the feeling that she was making a cowardly choice. She had made a promise. She had to follow through with it. Hermione skidded to a halt at Gargoyle in front of Dumbledore's office, or former office, and took a frantic look around before pointing at the ceiling and whispering, "Telae abscondum."
A curtain shot out of her wand and stood in the air effectively blocking Hermione from view. It was charmed to look exactly like the scene that it hid, minus the people. Save for the light ripples in the breeze, it did a good job.
Hermione looked around her once again, her heart pounding in her throat, and facing the gargoyle she whispered, "Felix felicius!" Nothing happened.
"Polyjuice! Dreamless sleep! Veritaserum!" The gargoyle stared back at her. "Ugh." She looked behind her once more, dancing nervously in place as if ready to sprint or duck or jump at a moment's notice. The hallway behind her was dark and empty, rippling behind the curtain as if it was a dream. If she were deaf to the battle raging in the castle, it would look almost peaceful.
"Wolfsbane?" she said, desperation creeping into her voice. She gave up guessing and extended her left arm, grimacing in pain, and carefully pressed her thumb into the gargoyles tongue, it glowed red. A last resort way of entering the headmaster's office that Dumbledore had devised just for Order members, though only a few of them knew about it. The gargoyle leapt aside and Hermione followed the stairs up to the office, whipping out her time turner as she went, and praying that Ginny was waiting for her at the top.
Hermione entered Dumbledore's office and clamped a hand over her mouth, barely stifling a scream. On the red carpet in front of Dumbledore's desk, well, old desk, lay Ginny on the floor, arms at her side as if she was placed there, and looking like pale, cold death. Blood darkened the carpet around her head.
Hermione locked and warded the door behind her and got on her hands and knees and softly felt Ginny's pulse with her wand hand, too shocked to cry, the cold focus brought by battle numbing her senses. There was a pulse, a strong one.
"Oh thank god," she breathed. Ginny's eyes flew open, and upon seeing a wand at her neck she sat up so fast she knocked heads with Hermione who tumbled backward, her wand flying out of her hand and rolling under a large clock at the far end of the room.
"Merlin's sweaty bollocks Gin! Were you playing dead?" Hermione exclaimed, annoyance flaring as she glared at Ginny and sat up and to rub her forehead.
"I wasn't sure how to meet you here and ensure it was you! I had to think fast." Ginny rubbed her own forehead, a red bruise blooming on her pale skin, but she was otherwise unharmed Hermione noted, just a few nicks and cuts. Ginny had always been better than Hermione at dodging spells, her quidditch reflexes came in handy. Hermione also noticed how being an athlete helped her deal with the stress of battle. The girl had stamina. She knew how to lead and work together under pressure. There was also another quality, grit or something like that, that made it so that Ginny, even after two years of the war, alighting between Hogwarts and Grimmauld place as a spy in the castle and a soldier outside of it for the Order, was still fresh faced and regal – though sleepless nights made lilac shadows under her eyes and her rare temper more frequent.
Through it all she still retained her personality. Still quick to crack a joke or comfort a friend. But she was also often quiet and withdrawn, when that started, Hermione wasn't sure. Who knows what could be due to war or due to regular teenage behavior. As Ginny got older she only grew more well rounded, combining so many qualities of the other Weasleys in fits and bursts. Navigating and charming a large family of brothers made her extremely adaptable, she could eat plate after plate of food and go toe to toe with Ron's temper, play quidditch as well as Charlie, send curses and break them as quick as Bill, talk politics like Percy, and was as quick witted as the twins. Her growth spurt in the last year made her slightly taller than Hermione and the girl's physical differences grew from there. Slim versus curvy, fair skin versus olive, sleek straight hair versus tight curls. One lighthearted and sarcastic, the other more serious and fretful - at least on the surface. They both had become skilled in masking their emotions, in plowing through difficult times with aplomb, in enduring more than they should have to.
Ginny pointed her wand at the rug and then at herself, cleaning the blood off. "I wanted to hide in case a Death Eater came in, but then I didn't want to be hexed halfway to London because I scared the golden girl. And then I feel a wand at my neck and I nearly had a panic attack but then you had spoken and I realized it was you but I freaked out anyway." She paused. "I reacted too much maybe."
"Just a bit," Hermione muttered, still rubbing her own forehead where Ginny knocked heads with her. She was collecting a library of injuries it seemed. "Clever idea I suppose. Was that fake blood on the floor?"
"Weasley's finest fake blood capsules!" Ginny said with far too much excitement for the situation of the day.
Hermione couldn't help but smirk. "I don't see how that could have helped you if Bellatrix and ten other Death Eaters barged in." She stood up and tried to dust herself off with one arm. Her other arm, injured, was hugged to her chest.
"Oh I had a plan." She opened her palm to show the glittery black crystals of instant Peruvian darkness powder. "Once they were all confused and scared in the darkness, I would set off some fireworks in my pocket and after they all maimed each other, I would petrify them and banish them to the chamber of secrets."
"Wow sounds like fun," Hermione said, distractedly, "you really are a Weasley. Both in the pleasure you take from the theatrics and in your daftness in keeping explosives on your person during a battle." She turned to where her wand was partially hidden under a large clock. "Accio wand," she said, and it flew into her waiting hand.
"I have them in an unbreakable leather pouch." Ginny sniffed. "Nice Hermione! You're getting so good at wandless magic. You didn't hesitate a second."
"I actually have my second wand magically glued to my forearm." Hermione said sheepishly.
"Genius. but not very elegant." Ginny said feeling the clunky piece of wood in Hermione's left arm.
"Ow! Be careful! It's hidden by the robes and my sweater anyhow. We'll worry about elegance later."
"Maybe we can get some muggles to help us make a magic wand computer chip." Ginny said, trying to hide her worry as she studied Hermione's torn robes, singed hair, and noticed that she was favoring her left leg. Hermione seemed alert, but Ginny knew her well enough to tell that she was a little dazed.
Hermione paused to think about it. Her cousin was a computer engineer. Maybe she would give him a call if she had some down time...
The girls snapped to attention as they heard sounds coming from the hallway. They looked at each other worriedly.
"Oh bloody hell, stand in the middle of the carpet." Hermione whispered.
They took their places in front of Dumbledore's, well, now Snape's, desk. Hermione wrapped the time turner's thick golden chain around both of their necks, wincing as she had to extend both arms to finish the motion. Ginny grabbed the hour glass and held it tightly so Hermione could cast and turn the dials at the same time. She focused on the time turner, the result of nearly a year of work with ancient magics manipulated by a group of wizards and other magical folk in the Order. A series of runes engraved in the gold decorated the outside, extra rings added jumps and precision, a silvery substance swirled in a column in the core. The sand inside was as black as instant Peruvian darkness powder, its crystals so large they looked like gemstones. "It should be midnight when we arrive and then we can take the portkey out of Hogwarts to regroup and start the school year off."
Ginny nodded, her throat clenching as she looked down at their hands to notice the black nail polish they were both wearing. It was from a rare moment of carefree self care the weekend before. They had spent an afternoon at Grimmauld place, feeling lazy and full after one of Molly's Sunday lunches had the contributions of some rabbits they had caught while on an outing with Firenze and the other centaurs in the Forbidden Forest. They had convinced Harry and Ron to do their nails too. Harry changed his mind after Ginny painted his thumb and though Ron sat through both hands being painted, he threw a fit when he realized he couldn't get rid of it with a simple scourgify. They had laughed to the point of crying. When would they have a night like that again?
The doorknob rattled. Ginny eyed it warily and raised her wand. "Come on Hermione." She said more to herself than to her curly haired friend.
"I need just a few more moments," Hermione said, trying to keep her hands from shaking as she carefully alighted her wand on different runes with each turn of the rings. One wrong move and they could end up in the wrong year, and possibly be stuck there. The protection charm on the crystals of the time turner might not hold up so well against the force of a mistake.
The door knob rattled again. Something rammed into it making the room shake. "Severus, the mudblood is in there, I know it! I can taste it!" A voice shrieked.
"Quite odd that they should find a way to enter when I just changed the password." Crooned a familiar, nasally voice. They could feel the shudders of Hermione's wards coming down.
Ginny's eyes danced from the door to the time turner and back again. "I think I just about have it," Hermione whispered. "1947, 46, 45..." Ginny's hands were white around the time turner and her wand.
"Alohomora." said a weedy voice. The lock clicked. The door knob turned.
"Bombardium!" Ginny bellowed.
"44!" Hermione released the time turner and the last thing they saw were three shocked death eaters being blasted back into the hallway.
Entering Dippet's office in 1944
"Headmaster, surely I can be of some sort of use over the next summer. If I continue my independent research through seventh year, I'm sure I'll graduate with more questions than answers. A few more months helping around here while finalizing my research - it would make all the difference."
A handsome young boy with not a hair out of place sat with a crystal teacup cradled in his lap. Facing him, behind an intricately carved mahogany desk sat Headmaster Dippet, a delighted expression on his face.
"Why of course Tom. I read over your research proposal – quite the tricky subject matter - and it seems most advanced for a Hogwarts student, but I'm sure it's nothing you cant manage. What with your marks and work habit."
Tom kept his face composed and a polite smile graced his features.
"Headmaster, if I may, this kind of magic is most volatile. As transfiguration professor, I believe I would find it hard to advise a student alone. One needs an expert in this sort of...niche topic. There are also questions of ethics that are entirely missing from the proposal." Dumbledore looked over his half moon spectacles at Tom.
Tom made eye contact, his posture relaxed as he smiled at the professor. "Of course, Professor Dumbledore. I completely agree with you, which is why I think this research lies more in the field of defense against the dark arts than transfiguration. Professor Merrythought is more than happy to supervise–"
A flash and a bang erupted in the center of the room, in the middle of the three men gathered and seated together. All of the glass in the office shattered. Tom squeezed his eyes shut just as his teacup exploded in his palm.
"-And eat flaming death!" Ginny finished screaming. The time travellers are blasted to opposite ends of the room by Ginny's bombardment spell. Ginny slid into the wall by the window, and Hermione crashed into the same old clock that her wand rolled under, a mere minute ago.
Ginny recovered quickly and hid the time turner in an inner robe pocket before jumping to her feet. They were unaffected by the sonic boom of their arrival, but it deafened the three men and as the dust settled, their ears started ringing.
"Ohhh." Hermione groaned, her face pinched as she clutched at her arm and tried to sit up. "I much preferred your bat bogey hex. Less collateral damage."
Ginny was at Hermiones side in two leaps. There seemed to be more blood than before. "Oh bloody hell. We need to get you to the hospital wing." Ginny turned to Dumbledore, "She needs a healer." But the men looked at her with strange worried expressions, saying nothing. Hermione slumped to the floor.
"Auditus restituet." Dumbledore said with a flourish of his wand. The ear ringing stopped for the three men. Tom felts his eardrums pop painfully.
"Oh dear oh dear. Students apparating into Hogwarts! What has happened. What is happening?" Dippet wrung his hands, eyes darting from the mess on his desk to the papers floating to the ground, around the room, to the fierce glare of the red-haired girl, to the glass covering his hands, to the other girl slumped on the floor, to Dumbledore who looked far too serene and finally, to Tom who was frozen in place as if he were a statue.
"Ohh." Hermione lifted a hand to her head. She attempted to sit up again. Ginny held her down. "Don't move!" She hissed. "Who knows what other damage we've caused." Hermione slumped back to the floor, her eyes still closed and her expression relieved, as if someone said she could take a nap now.
"How did you get into my office? And where are you two coming from?" Dippet said, his voice rising in pitch almost to a falsetto.
Ginny stuttered, unsure how to respond. They hadn't planned on encountering people, let alone the headmaster and future headmaster of Hogwarts. How could she explain that they were in the middle of war and came back for...well she couldn't tell them that.
"Portkey." Hermione moaned from the floor.
Ginny glanced at Hermione uncertainly but took the cue smoothly.
"Uh, Headmaster Dippet, I presume?" Dippet nodded vigorously. "We're transfer students. We took a portkey from my house in...in France. A lot of things happened at once and maybe the portkey was faulty, I don't know how we ended up here instead of at my Uncles house, Ginny released Hermione gently and stood, dusting herself off, though she didn't even need to try. Compared to the dust and glass covering Dumbledore, Tom and Dippet, and Hermione's torn and blood soaked robes, she looked like she had just finished getting ready for the day. "But we really must leave now because I – I have to meet my uncle before he leaves for a trip."
"You will do no such thing until we clear this matter up!" Dippet's face reddened in indignation. "Students are not allowed to portkey into Hogwarts! Not without express permission. And into the blasted headmasters office at that!"
Ginny was barely paying attention to his cries. She was surveying Hermione's injuries. They wanted to make it to Hogwarts anyways, she thought. Hermione might not last a day if she didn't get medical treatment. Maybe this accident happened for a reason. She looked up, realizing Dumbledore and Dippet were speaking now.
"...current situation, it's not really that surprising, Armando. It's been a long summer, we still have much to do. I'm sure we can save the questioning for after both of these girls see a healer or get their-"
"Yes." Ginny interrupted. Dippet raised his eyebrows expectantly. "Well, not me. I think Hermione might want to stay, seeing as she cannot walk. She can explain when she feels better but basically...we had a surprise visit as we were leaving...which caused us to rush and leave and crash land here. I do apologize but I, however, as I said, I cannot stay. I must dash!" She stepped back as she continued to speak. "See you at the welcoming feast! And before Dippet could say anything she pointed her wand at her watch. "Portus" she said, locking eyes with the boy on the far end of the room. Her mouth dropped to the floor as she realized who it was before disappearing from the office.
Tom, paralyzed with shock for the minute since the sonic boom, was half covered in shards of glass. Hermione seemed to have fainted in the corner. Tom surveyed the rest of the office. The bookshelves were slanted, leaning over each other like drunk men, and all the papers from Dippet's desk were strewn across the office. Dippet's short hair and robes were windswept, as if he had just come back from a joyride on a Cleansweep. He turned his head to Dumbledore, who looked regal and immaculate save for a fine layer of dust that was settling on everything. He was still holding his fully intact crystal tea glass.
Dippet, also covered in shards of glass noticed what Tom was staring at. "Albus, how...?"
Dumbledore was still staring after Ginny and started upon hearing his name, as if noticing Tom and Dippet for the first time. He followed Dippet's gaze to his tea cup and chuckled. "A habit of my less than graceful youth. I always cast an unbreakable charm on my teacups." He placed it onto Dippet's mahogany desk and drew his wand. "Now, we should see this new student to the infirmary. Shall we?"