Miss Granger,
I request your presence this evening at 8 o'clock. I would appreciate your discretion, these are dark times.
Prof. Dumbledore
P.s I've always had a fondness for Fizzing Whizbees.
Hermione felt her anxiety building throughout dinner. It was unheard of for Professor Dumbledore to ask her for a meeting, she wasn't Harry after all, and she couldn't figure out what he wanted from her. Asking for her discretion only made things worse; what on Earth could he have to discuss that meant she couldn't tell the boys he'd asked to meet with her? Could she tell the boys? He wasn't clear. He knew that Harry had shared his own private lessons with Dumbledore with herself and Ron, surely nothing he could have to say to her could be bigger than that? Still, it was probably better to err on the side of caution until she'd checked.
The year had been decidedly odd so far, it felt as if she were waiting. Within Hogwarts, she felt almost cocooned from the realities of the war outside it's walls in a way that she hadn't been since she'd began her first year and she'd have been lying if she said it didn't make her feel on , she was aware that Katie had been cursed, but unlike her previous years, there wasn't the feeling of a build up to some grand finale. Because of that, she was fighting not to give in to Harry's paranoia, refusing to stalk Malfoy because he believed he was a Death Eater. He was a 16year old boy. Surely even the Dark had a line that was uncross-able? If nothing else, what use could a 16 year old sequestered in a boarding school, whose movements would be monitored by a multitude of teachers and students be to a murderous megalomaniac? At ten to eight she realised that she couldn't put off leaving any longer. Throwing a "Just need to check something in the library." over her shoulder at the boys where they were sat playing a game of exploding snap, she hurried out the portrait hole and headed to the Headmasters office.
"Miss Granger, I am sure that you are wondering why I called you here this evening?" The Headmaster peered at her over the rim of his spectacles and Hermione had to fight not to fidget under his gaze.
"Yes, Professor." she murmured.
"As you know, our world is currently in a perilous situation, a situation that I fear will only worsen. I am an old man, Miss Granger and despite what I may wish, I will not live to see this war through." At this Hermione's head jerked up as she looked at the Headmaster with wide eyes. He smiled gently. "I believe that you deserve to hear what I have to say in its entirety. Once I am done, if you do not wish to keep the knowledge of this conversation, I will obliviate it from your mind, if you agree to what I am about to ask you, I will require a vow that you will not repeat this to anyone, including Mr Potter and Mr Weasley. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sir."
He smiled at her. "Wonderful! Miss Granger, I'm sure that you have noticed my hand?" At her nod he continued, "It is cursed, due to my own weakness and is untreatable. Professor Snape was fortunately able to keep the curse contained to buy us a little more time, however I will not live to see the end of this school year. I do not tell you this to worry you, or to gain sympathy for a foolish old man. I merely wish you to understand why it is imperative that we have this conversation now." He sighed slightly as Hermione watched him sadly, fighting to keep the tears at bay. Whatever this was, it was not the time for her to allow her fear to take over nor to fall apart.
"Miss Granger, I fear that I am going to ask something of you that I have no right to ask and as such, there is no shame in you walking away from this. You are the brightest witch our world has seen for many generations, but your unfailing loyalty and your ability to look after those you care for is what sets you apart. This war has spanned several generations, taken countless lives and torn families apart. While I have every faith that our side will win, I worry that the cost will be more than we were ever prepared to pay and as such, I have devised a contingency. I am sure you are wondering why I am telling you this, rather than Harry or even Minerva or Remus or some other member of The Order. You, Miss Granger, will be at the forefront of this war; I do not think it is worth my time to even try to convince you that your place is not at Mr Potters side and as such, you will be aware of things that those others are not, you have been, and will continue to be, tested in ways they are not and Harry, I simply fear already has too much resting on his young shoulders. It is not fair but it is unfortunately how things are; if I could go back, I would do many things differently." He paused to reach into the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a heavy looking gold chain with a clear quartz pendant. "This is a device of my own making. I am asking you, that should things become so bad that they feel untenable, if the cost of this war reaches a point where it outweighs the future we may have or, if the Dark looks set to win, I would like you to activate this device. Make no mistake, Hermione, this is a last resort. To activate, hold the pendant in your wand hand and say itero, regeneratio."
"Redo, rebirth" Hermione murmured looking at the innocuous looking necklace sitting on the Headmaster's desk, her mind whirring with the realities of what he was asking of her. "Sir, I'm not sure I understand. What if I was to use this at the wrong moment, if things weren't as bad as I felt they were? How will I know that it's really that bad? What does it do? If I use it at the wrong time will it even work?"
Dumbledore held up his uncursed hand to stop her questions. "Miss Granger, I trust your judgement, if you feel that things are desperate enough to consider using my invention then I trust that that is actually the case. Either way, this will work regardless. I only asked for your caution because once it has been activated, it cannot be undone. As for what it does, I do not have a definitive answer, there were limits in my ability to test it, and as I have explained, I am under an unexpected time constraint. I can tell you what I believe it does, which is another reason that I have asked you to wait until you have no other choice but to deploy it. I believe that this device will act similarly to a time turner, however unlike a traditional time turner where you are limited to five hours, this device should take you back years, to a set point that I have pre-programmed into it. Make no mistake, this is a one way trip; you will be permanently altering your timeline. If I have done the calculations correctly, it should transport you back to 1970, not long after I first founded The Order of the Phoenix. My hope is that with your help we would be able to prevent Voldemort from gaining the power he has now. You would, of course, need proof of your claims, which is why, should you agree, I will give you these." At this he held up a pair of delicate earrings, a tiny teardrop sapphire surrounded by diamonds with a pearl dangling from a while gold setting. " They were my mothers, my father had them commissioned for her after my birth, etched within the sapphire is her name. You could not replicate them and as the me in that time will be able to check that he still has them, they are easily verified. You will wear them, charms will ensure that they are not noticeable; I will make it so that the removal of these charms is linked to your magical signature, a simple Finite Incantatem will work for you but no one else."
"Sir, bad things happen to people who meddle with time! However, if your invention can take someone back to the beginning of the first war, why not send someone now? Surely if we can stop it now, more people will be saved. Harry won't have the fate of our world on his shoulders and they would be able to change things so that he has his parents, and Sirius, so that the deaths that happened up to now could be prevented. Wouldn't that be better than waiting until the very last moment?"
The Headmaster smiled at her gently. "Yes, Miss Granger, with a time turner where time is a closed loop, bad things do indeed happen to those who meddle. This is not a time turner, there is no loop and while I cannot be sure, it should create a space for you within the new timeline that is not considered disruptive as it will end your current line. There will be no magical baby Hermione, no Hermione entering Hogwarts with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, only Hermione Granger, the adult in 1970. My past self will of course have to give you some sort of background to ensure your legitimacy. I am hesitant to do it now in case there is a story that would be most beneficial at the time you arrive. And in an ideal world, sending someone back now is exactly what we would do. However if you recall, I did say that I have not been able to test this as thoroughly as I wished and as such, I can only hypothesise on what will happen when it is activated. Of course, I have reasonable faith in my calculations, I am considered to be somewhat clever and my best guesses are usually accurate. However, we are not currently without hope, and as such I cannot in good conscience send someone back to what may amount to nothing but death. There is no one that we are able to sacrifice from the war effort, even if they were willing, unless we truly have no other option. Do you understand, Miss Granger?"
Hermione thought for a few moments, and then nodded slowly. Truthfully, she didn't fully understand. If there was even the slightest chance that this could all be stopped, if time could be rewritten so that Harry had a peaceful childhood, free from abusive relatives and being hunted by a deranged dark lord surely it was worth the risk. The sheer number of lives that could be saved by being able to give a timeline of the attacks and deaths in the first war was surely worth the risk. While she understood that each person was important, surely no one was so important that their potential loss was greater than all of the previous losses as well as all those guaranteed to come if they remained on this trajectory. However, she also knew that there was no way to make the Headmaster change his mind once it had been made up. She had the choice to be obliviated and therefore remain in the dark, regardless of the outcome or she could agree to work within his rules, at the very least until the end of the school year when he believed he'd be dead. She took a deep breath. "If I agree to your proposal, what will happen?"
He smiled at her again, eyes twinkling as he regarded her over his desk. " I will hand both the necklace and the earrings over to you. I have already charmed them with a notice-me-not charm of my own invention so that once you've put them on they cannot be seen or felt by anyone other than you and I until you Finite them. I will require a modification of an unbreakable vow, as I cannot bring anyone else in and an unbreakable vow requires a bonder. Unlike an unbreakable vow, breaking it will not kill you, you will however lose your magic. If you wish to take some time to think about this, Miss Granger, I will understand. It is, afterall, asking a great deal from you."
She shook her head. "No Professor. I've made up my mind. If we get to that point I will feel better having another option. However, is there a way to transfer it in case I don't survive?"
Dumbledore paused for a beat looking thoughtful. "Not currently, however it is something I will consider further. For tonight Miss Granger, I hand these over to your safekeeping." He watched as she first put on the necklace, tucking it under her school shirt, and then the earrings and smiled. "On to the vow Miss Granger. Clasp my arm, up near the elbow, that's it! Now, do you, Hermione Jean Granger, promise to not reveal what we have discussed tonight unless I give you permission?"
"I do." Hermione watched as a small fire-like phoenix shot from Dumbledore's wand and flew in circles around their joined arms.
"Do you Hermione Jean Granger promise to abide by the terms I set you, even after my death, and not employ my invention until you truly believe you have no other choice?" She faltered slightly as Dumbledore looked at her knowingly over the rim of his glasses. She hadn't banked on not being able to use it once he had died, however took a deep breath to steady her voice. "I do." She watched as a second phoenix shot out to join the first; as they disappeared, seemingly sinking into their skin, Dumbledore let go of her hand.
On her wrist, sat a tiny phoenix tattoo.