Disclaimer: See chapter 1, please.
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Hermione froze at his words. It was as though he knew, she thought, fear gripping her. The "I shan't succumb to anything" line showed that the first part of history had come true. Voldemort was seeking immortality......and she was the cause of it. He seeked the Philosopher's Stone, and drank Unicorn's blood. Am I responsible for the rest of his murderous life?
She took out her wand, and fingered it carefully. What's the use of my fifteen OWLs? She thought angrily. Nothing that I've studied had prepared me for this. Brains and cleverness are useless now. I'm a know-it- all who doesn't know it all, she thought wryly.
I'll talk to Johnson. He's the only one who believed me.
************************
"You must destroy him," said Johnson gravely. "Sure, your heart might have fluttered when you first met him and kissing him shows that you've got a 'thing' for that brat, but you still have to destroy him,"
Hermione frowned angrily, and gritted her teeth. "I don't have a 'thing' for him," she said unconvincingly, and Johnson rolled his tiny eyes. "And if I do 'destroy' him, what then? I'll still be stuck here, wouldn't I? In a year where I'm not even born yet, and therefore, I have no identity whatsoever. And what'll happen when I'm born about 50 years later? Would there be two mes?"
Johnson snorted derisively, as he scratched his goatee. "I thought that you had a sense of logic," he laughed. "You see, my dear," he explained patiently. "If you destroy Tom, the house elf wouldn't have given you his Time Portkey. Therefore, you wouldn't even be travelling to the past, which means that you wouldn't be stuck here," he said.
His words brought a sense of hope to Hermione, who had been dreading the subject. So I would return to the present after all, she thought, her eyes shining. But less than a minute later, a horrible thought struck her clever mind. If history can be changed by travelling to the past and killing Tom, how come nobody's done it before? She thought, her hands shaking. Dumbledore could have turned the Time Travel hourglass anytime he wanted, but he didn't. Anybody could've turned the hourglass, and 'destroyed' Tom when he was a baby. But nobody did. Dumbledore or any Auror could've saved Harry's parents but they didn't. Why didn't they?
Her heart hammered furiously, as realisation dawned on her. There must be a reason, she thought. A catch. And the Prophecy did say that only Harry can kill Voldemort. A second thought struck her, and her heart almost skipped a beat. How did Johnson know that the book was a Time Portkey? I didn't tell him that it was. In fact, I didn't even know that it was a Time Portkey. How did he know? She put two and two together, and gasped.
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AN: Well? What do you think? Less mushy and more mystery, or vice versa? Tell me!! *Hint: review*
Dear Mrs.Shigwa.Cobain: Yep, that was a bad chapter. Sorry! *looks shamefaced*
Dear Ariana Althena Evergreen: The chapter is one of my best?? *smiles delightedly* Thanx for your kind words!
Dear Jo-Jo: Er..I don't know if this chapter would still be 'adorable'. It seems to have gone slightly darker.
Dear Miss Mina Murray: As always, you're the best.
Dear Lady Evenescense: He did stop the game to say that, yep! But knowing how cunning Voldemort really is, he might have some other intentions, too, to win Hermione's heart.
Dear Dragoness Kaei: I'm continuing, I'm continuing! *laughs*
Dear Sonya Katz: *looks pensive* To answer your mind-boggling question, I would have to say that no, Harry would still have survived. I personally think that even if he did learn to love, the shield that Lily gave her son would still affect him. It doesn't mean that just because Voldemort loved someone else, he would be able to breach the protection that a mother gave by sacrificing herself. True, if there's one thing that Voldemort cannot understand, it's love. But Lily's mark and Tom learning to love are two different matters. Besides, now we know that Voldemort can touch Harry without getting hurt, right? After he took Harry's blood for his rebirth (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). Correct me if I'm wrong :)
Dear LadyKaresse : I've written more, and I hope you'll like it! *looks hopeful*
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hermione froze at his words. It was as though he knew, she thought, fear gripping her. The "I shan't succumb to anything" line showed that the first part of history had come true. Voldemort was seeking immortality......and she was the cause of it. He seeked the Philosopher's Stone, and drank Unicorn's blood. Am I responsible for the rest of his murderous life?
She took out her wand, and fingered it carefully. What's the use of my fifteen OWLs? She thought angrily. Nothing that I've studied had prepared me for this. Brains and cleverness are useless now. I'm a know-it- all who doesn't know it all, she thought wryly.
I'll talk to Johnson. He's the only one who believed me.
************************
"You must destroy him," said Johnson gravely. "Sure, your heart might have fluttered when you first met him and kissing him shows that you've got a 'thing' for that brat, but you still have to destroy him,"
Hermione frowned angrily, and gritted her teeth. "I don't have a 'thing' for him," she said unconvincingly, and Johnson rolled his tiny eyes. "And if I do 'destroy' him, what then? I'll still be stuck here, wouldn't I? In a year where I'm not even born yet, and therefore, I have no identity whatsoever. And what'll happen when I'm born about 50 years later? Would there be two mes?"
Johnson snorted derisively, as he scratched his goatee. "I thought that you had a sense of logic," he laughed. "You see, my dear," he explained patiently. "If you destroy Tom, the house elf wouldn't have given you his Time Portkey. Therefore, you wouldn't even be travelling to the past, which means that you wouldn't be stuck here," he said.
His words brought a sense of hope to Hermione, who had been dreading the subject. So I would return to the present after all, she thought, her eyes shining. But less than a minute later, a horrible thought struck her clever mind. If history can be changed by travelling to the past and killing Tom, how come nobody's done it before? She thought, her hands shaking. Dumbledore could have turned the Time Travel hourglass anytime he wanted, but he didn't. Anybody could've turned the hourglass, and 'destroyed' Tom when he was a baby. But nobody did. Dumbledore or any Auror could've saved Harry's parents but they didn't. Why didn't they?
Her heart hammered furiously, as realisation dawned on her. There must be a reason, she thought. A catch. And the Prophecy did say that only Harry can kill Voldemort. A second thought struck her, and her heart almost skipped a beat. How did Johnson know that the book was a Time Portkey? I didn't tell him that it was. In fact, I didn't even know that it was a Time Portkey. How did he know? She put two and two together, and gasped.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
AN: Well? What do you think? Less mushy and more mystery, or vice versa? Tell me!! *Hint: review*
Dear Mrs.Shigwa.Cobain: Yep, that was a bad chapter. Sorry! *looks shamefaced*
Dear Ariana Althena Evergreen: The chapter is one of my best?? *smiles delightedly* Thanx for your kind words!
Dear Jo-Jo: Er..I don't know if this chapter would still be 'adorable'. It seems to have gone slightly darker.
Dear Miss Mina Murray: As always, you're the best.
Dear Lady Evenescense: He did stop the game to say that, yep! But knowing how cunning Voldemort really is, he might have some other intentions, too, to win Hermione's heart.
Dear Dragoness Kaei: I'm continuing, I'm continuing! *laughs*
Dear Sonya Katz: *looks pensive* To answer your mind-boggling question, I would have to say that no, Harry would still have survived. I personally think that even if he did learn to love, the shield that Lily gave her son would still affect him. It doesn't mean that just because Voldemort loved someone else, he would be able to breach the protection that a mother gave by sacrificing herself. True, if there's one thing that Voldemort cannot understand, it's love. But Lily's mark and Tom learning to love are two different matters. Besides, now we know that Voldemort can touch Harry without getting hurt, right? After he took Harry's blood for his rebirth (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). Correct me if I'm wrong :)
Dear LadyKaresse : I've written more, and I hope you'll like it! *looks hopeful*