"It is very rare that the regret of having lost a friend is not joined by the even more cruel regret of having sometimes afflicted them."

Celine Fée

Hermione was in the grounds of Hogwarts on her last night at the castle. The students would be leaving the next morning at nine o'clock and although she would not be taking the Hogwarts Express, she had to go like everyone else. It had been a special year, but with everything she had been through in each new year, she could not expect to have a relaxing year. However, never a few years ago could she have imagined that her seventh year would be in 1977, twenty years earlier than it would have been, if she had been in a world without a dark mage. She had met her best friend's parents, revealed her magical potential to the whole school, made wolfsbane potion, become friends with her former, or future, potions teacher, coloured the hair of everyone in school, destroyed a horcrux, become friends with someone she didn't even know existed before she went back in time, told him her secret and explained her complicated life, then fought against Death Eaters in Hogsmeade, lost that same friend. This year had been a hard one, like all the previous ones, but Hermione knew that the next ones would be just as hard.

She decided to go back to the castle, she wanted to enjoy the fabulous food one last time and then her evening in the Astronomy Tower and spend her night roaming the castle one last time. She knew that she would not aim there again. This place she loved so much, which had seen her grow up, take her first steps in the magical life, which had forged her, she would no longer stay there. She might go back, after all, the founder of the Order was Dumbledore and there would always be debriefings for him, but she would miss the castle. Where it had all started. She just hoped she wouldn't have to fight here again, she didn't know if she would be able to. She knew that beforehand, her memories would come back and Remus wouldn't be able to help her deal with her crisis. So Hermione pleaded with Morgana, with Merlin, with the five founders, but she knew that fate liked to play tricks on her. Fate was mentioned in the third riddle of time, but the witch was sure she wouldn't stop at her time travel. Hermione hated not being in control of her life and her actions, but the more time that passed since she became 'Time Chosen', the more control she lost over her life and Hermione didn't like surprises at all, least of all when it was a sixth year Slytherin heading her way.

"Black. What do you want?" she asked wearily.

"You saw what you did to me!"

Hermione looked at him, he had his arm in a sling, a black eye and a thin scar on his face. Madam Pomfresh had fixed it for him, but his leg still hurt so much that he was limping. He was in a sorry state but Hermione, after the emotion of the last few days, didn't care. She had warned him that they would never be friends, their sides were fighting each other, but he had persisted in believing that he could learn something from her and the fall hurt.

"I told you we would see each other on the battlefield, I didn't think I would anytime soon but I did. What did you think? That I was going to spare you because we had spoken three times? Your kind hurt a lot of people, a fourth year lost the use of his leg because of you. Mary is dead!"

"It wasn't me who killed her!"

"Your cousin! By a spell invented by your family! If you haven't killed anyone, you will next time. You think I didn't see you cast the cruciatus? You think it's fixable, that it's nothing, but I could have killed you if I wanted to. Be thankful I didn't, but I'm perfectly capable. "

"You almost killed Lucius."

"So he's not dead? Too bad, I'll have more fun doing it next time."

"You think we're scum, but you're no better. You admit that you would enjoy killing us, isn't that Death Eater behaviour?"

"Oh, my principles are the opposite of yours, by killing you, I prevent you from killing hundreds of other people, from raping, from torturing innocent beings, because of their blood. So yes, I would take pleasure in taking the life of every one of your companions because that is all they deserve. They are already too mad for Azkaban. I will fight you with the same weapons you use. The unforgivable ones, dark magic. You whine because you have a broken arm, but what happens in your life will be far worse Black. Just because you're in the dark camp doesn't mean you'll be safe from torture!"

"You will pay for what you did to me Grace. You don't humiliate a Black that easily!"

"That's right, threaten me. You still don't understand that I can kill you with a snap of my fingers. Your master can do it too. You'll never be safe anywhere. And you dare to threaten me when I've shown you my superiority twice, with dark magic and Muggle combat."

She gave him a scornful look and left without waiting for an answer from the wizard. She walked up to the Astronomy Tower but when she got there, much to her regret, it was not deserted. The person turned abruptly when she heard the witch's footsteps behind her.

"Helena, you've been avoiding me for days, I've been trying to talk to you."

"What is wrong with you Slytherins. It's a competition, who's going to piss Helena Grace off the most? The prize is fabulous, Death-Eater-in-chief and Voldy-chou's right-hand man. What do you want, Snape?"

"Snape?"

"We're not on the same side anymore. I'm not gonna call you Sev'. I can't. I thought I was stronger than that, but I can never forgive you."

"What are you talking about?"

"You dare to ask me that? You're worse than I thought. It's your fault Mary's dead!"

"I didn't kill her! I don't even know this spell!"

"Of course you don't know the spell! It was Lestrange who cast it. But you're the one who cast the sectusempra on Sirius. You think I didn't recognise you? It's not just a mask that's going to stop me recognising you. If I wasn't busy healing him, Mary would never have had to stand in front of me. She sacrificed herself for me. Because of you!"

"How do you know about sectusempra? Did you throw it at Lucius?"

"Who do you want it to be? And is that really what matters? He's not dead as far as I know, and even if he was, I wouldn't give a damn. Mary, on the other hand, isn't coming back. "

"Well, you want me to say, I didn't care about her. I don't care if she's dead."

Hermione didn't have time to take offence as she slapped Severus hard across the face. The young man was about to walk away when she stopped him with a gesture.

"You can't possibly think you're going to get away with this. Don't give me the excuse of the impulsiveness of the buffoonish, you insulted the memory of my friend, you must pay."

As soon as she finished her sentence, she attacked with a spell, which the young man parried without any problem. They were linking spells at a disconcerting speed, even more so than during their previous duel. They were each sending complex dark magic spells at each other, without really thinking about the consequences of their actions. Even though few students made it to the top of the tower, the spells must have caught them off guard, as there was a whole group of first and second years gathered next to them, but the more sensible ones still kept well away.

"Crucio"

Hermione took the spell with full force and fell to her knees. She struggled to keep from screaming, even though the spell was far less virulent than the one Malfoy had cast a few days before.

"You want to play that, Snape" she said through her teeth.

She breathed in and then stood up, before throwing an impero at the Slytherin, she then made him throw the spell he had just administered at himself, but the wizard quickly shook it off. The spells continued to escalate in intensity and just as Hermione felt she was finally getting the upper hand, her wand slipped out of her hand.

She turned around, stunned, to see Dumbledore with a dark look and a shocked expression.

"Never since Hogwarts was founded has anything like this happened. In my office, immediately. The rest of you, disperse, I believe you have some packing to do."

When they both arrived at the Headmaster's office, Hermione and Snape saw their respective Heads of House waiting for them. Dumbledore invited them to sit down with an icy stare and although neither wizard felt like doing so, they obeyed grudgingly.

"You can both be glad that the year is over and that your course is over, you would have been expelled on the spot. Do you realise the seriousness of your actions? You have used dark magic within the school, in a duel, with first year students as spectators. Never before has such behaviour been seen since the school was founded. The noble founders of Hogwarts must be turning in their graves. I hope you are ashamed of yourself. Hogwarts is a school. Dark magic has no place here. You tried to cast torture spells on yourself. You could have killed yourself. It will go on your record. I doubt very much if any of the training academies will accept students like you."

"Professor, the Potions Academy..."

"will judge for itself whether you are worthy of admission, Mr. Snape."

"And you, Miss Grace. What did you want to do before these events?" asked Slughorn, not very happy that his best student probably couldn't become a Potions Master.

"I don't intend to study, it doesn't change my plans."

"Excuse me?" said Dumbledore.

"I'm not going to study. I'm going to concentrate on fighting Voldemort and I'll see once I've exterminated him and every one of his little dogs."

"You speak his name."

"The fear of a name only heightens the fear itself, Professor" she said in a sweet voice.

Before Dumbledore could reply, the marauders stormed into the office followed by Alice, Dorcas and Lily. The latter slowed down and told her boyfriend in a loud voice to wait outside.

"Did you ask for us, Professor?" Sirius asked casually.

"We might be interrupting something."

"No, we were finished" Hermione said in a neutral voice.

"Miss Grace! I don't believe I allowed you to leave my office."

"What else do you want to tell me, Professor? You said it yourself, the year is over, you can't change events and no matter how sanctimonious you are, I won't regret my actions. I've been using dark magic for several years and that's not going to change now. You can't stop me from studying, I won't do it. And if by some chance I survive the War, I will revolutionise the archaic and conservative system of the Ministry of Magic. I am no longer your student, you have no authority over me. I don't care about the respect you have earned for defeating Grindelwald, if you stand in my way, I will not allow it. No one will, and certainly not you. Professor McGonagall, Professor Slughorn" she finished with a nod.

"As long as you are under this castle, you are under my authority."

"I am under the authority of Hogwarts and Gryffindor. But don't worry, I'll be leaving the castle immediately. "

Hermione walked out of the room to the astonished looks of those present. No one had ever dared to question Dumbledore's authority and accomplishments, let alone so frankly. The two teachers took their leave and the Headmaster invited the students to sit down in the chairs that had miraculously appeared. They all waited for their mentor to speak. They wondered why he had summoned them.

"Let me tell you about the Order of the Phoenix."

Hermione had retrieved the few remaining items from the Room on Requirement, put them in her beaded bag and left the castle with a last look. She would miss this place, that was for sure, but she was also relieved to be leaving. As soon as she entered the Gryffindor common room, she saw Harry and Ron playing chess, Neville talking with Seamus and Dean, Oliver Wood thinking up new Quidditch tactics. When she walked through the corridors, she expected Colin Crivey to turn up with his bloody camera and the Weasley twins to trap the first person they saw with their new prank. When she entered the Room on Requirement she expected to meet the entire DA, practising defence against the forces of evil. The one time she'd been to the Quidditch pitch, she'd seen Luna with her lion's head and all the red and gold cheering their team on. Hogwarts, as beautiful as the place was, was full of memories that Hermione struggled to forget and leaving the castle could only be better. Still, it was with a tearful look on her face that she looked around the castle, before disapparate.

She came to a small alleyway in Knockturn Alley. She entered the first shop she saw. It was a dark magic shop, similar to Borgin and Burkes, and Hermione wandered through the shelves. The shop was deserted, which was hardly surprising considering the time of day. Hermione saw a silver necklace shining in the corner of a shelf. She saw that it was not adorned with a stone but with the sign of the Deathly Hallows. She took it, but to her surprise, she did not feel the dark magic emanating from the jewel. She was about to ask the witch who ran the shop for an explanation, but she stopped when she saw someone she knew all too well enter the room. It was Lucius Malfoy, followed by Rodolphus Lestrange. They made their way to the back of the shop, where the most dangerous and darkest objects were stored. Hermione, as a precaution, put on Harry's invisibility cloak and slipped in beside them to listen to their conversation. She would have liked to avenge Mary by challenging them to duels and ending them in pain, like any good, impulsive Gryffindor, but her mind told her that this was neither the time nor the place.

The master is looking for something more powerful Lucius. Something that will destroy every Muggle within a mile. It will be a great asset in the next battle.

"I hate to have to get all these mudbloods so close. Where will it take place?"

"London, Oxford Street, I think. Look for something for the master instead of focusing on the muggles. They're not the ones who'll throw cruciatus at you if you fail. Not that, it's not powerful enough."

Hermione held back an exclamation of surprise. So Voldemort was already planning to attack again. Muggles this time. The street in question was one of the busiest in the city, she had often gone there with her parents as a child. If there was an attack there, it would be carnage. She waited for the Death Eaters to come out of the shop before stripping off the cloak. Fortunately, they didn't seem to have found anything powerful enough and suitable for Voldemort. Hermione walked up to the counter to buy the Deathly Hallows necklace when she saw a dagger, which she recognised immediately. Her gaze fell on the mark on her arm, which had started to bleed again.

"How much do you sell this dagger for?"

"The man who just came out reserved it for his wife."

"But he didn't buy it. I can put in double that."

"Two hundred galleons."

"You're joking!"

"That's my final word. Take it or leave it."

"Right. "

Hermione walked out with the necklace around her neck and the dagger in her bag. It had cost her a lot of money, but really it was Harry who was paying for it. She couldn't resist taking it. This cursed dagger, with which Bellatrix Lestrange had marked her forever, could not fall into her hands again. How many more innocent people would she mark? How many lives would it take away? Hermione couldn't have that on her conscience. The very sight of it made her want to vomit, but she couldn't let Rodolphus Lestrange give it to his wife. Hermione glanced at her watch and saw that it was already one in the morning. It was far too late to think about going to the Cauldron, but she wasn't tired anyway. She wandered around London, thinking about her life, about what she had become.

The little Hermione Granger who had met Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley on the Hogwarts Express was gone. Oh, Helena Grace had not replaced her, the young woman still had a lot of trouble with that name. Hermione Granger had simply become Hermione. Behind the know-it-all, behind the bookworm, behind the mudblood, was the real Hermione. Many people had never sought to know Hermione, just as they had never sought to know Harry, only the chosen one, the survivor, and the same for Ron, who had first been known by his last name. No one had sought to dig beneath the shell of the Golden Trio, as they were called. Some had tried, like Neville, Luna or Ginny, and somehow they had revealed themselves to them. But no one would ever know Hermione better than Ron and Harry. Their trio complemented each other perfectly, their friendship was indestructible. Even Death had not been able to break it, it had only managed to separate them, but Hermione knew that one day she would find them again.

Hermione grew tired of wandering aimlessly through the streets of London and slipped into a dark alleyway and transformed into a beautiful phoenix, which flew up into the sky, a bag of pearls stuck in its beak. Dawn was breaking and Hermione blended perfectly into the red sky. She was flying to a place where no one could find her. She was flying to her dreams.