A/N: This part is extremely long. Well, it kind of had to be done. I don't like this part as
much as the others, but be uplifted! It will get better. Trust me. Read! ~
She landed facefirst in the dirt, her tears wet on her cheeks. "Oh, Lily!" she sobbed. "James!
It's not fair!"
"I'm sorry, Hermione," came Dumbledore's voice, very faintly, in her ear. "But that's not the
last of it, I'm afraid. You don't want to miss this last memory. It's very important."
Hermione got up shakily, her shoulders shaking with sobs. She pushed herself up to a
standing position and looked around.
It was a cemetery, small and old, and the moon shone in the sky. It was night again. A
huge, sagging old house moldered far away on a hill. With a gasp, she realized the object
she had used to lever herself up was a headstone. She let go of it with a jolt.
And suddenly, she heard quiet voices nearby.
She turned quickly and found herself face to face with a fourteen-year-old Harry in torn
robes.. and Cedric Diggory. Oh, no. She felt her knees go weak.
"..Wands out, d'you reckon?"
Cedric Diggory .. alive. Hermione's stomach gave a funny jolt.
"Yeah," came Harry's voice, and they both pulled out their wands.
Hermione knew what she was about to see. It was what had happened after the Portkey
had transported them both .. away, on the night of the third Triwizard Tournament task.
Harry had never told her and Ron exactly what had happened that night, where he'd gone,
how he'd come back alive .. or how Cedric had died.
"Someone's coming," the younger Harry said.
Hermione squinted. Someone was coming. Someone in dark robes, carrying a bundle like a
baby.
Who is that?
Without warning, Harry let out a yell and collapsed to the ground, his hands over his scar.
What? -
"Kill the spare," said a high, cold .. familiar voice.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Green light flashed, and Cedric was suddenly lying on the ground.
Dead.
Just like that.
Hermione stared in shock at Cedric's motionless body for a long time. How could that
happen? He was dead .. dead!
There was a scuffle, and Hermione suddenly came back to life. The figure had reached
Harry, and was dragging the fourteen-year-old towards the center of the graveyard.
Hermione followed, dread rising in her throat.
Harry was obviously too stunned to do anything as the figure slammed him against a
tombstone and began to tie him tightly to it. As the robed man tightened the cords, the
wandlight fell on his face beneath the black hood -- and Hermione recognized him.
"You!" she said in surprise, in unison with Harry.
Wormtail!
Wormtail finished tying the cords and went off somewhere into the darkness. "Gah!" she
gasped as a huge, green snake appeared out of the night and began to circle Harry and the
tombstone.
Wormtail reappeared, dragging the biggest cauldron she had ever seen. It was full of a
potion that Hermione didn't recognize. He set the cauldron down in front of the tombstone
that Harry was tied to and lit a fire beneath it.
"It is ready, Master."
The cold voice came now from the bundle of robes that Wormtail had carried earlier.
"Now.."
Wormtail crossed to the bundle and picked it up again. Hermione saw the - creature - and
let out a gasp of horror.
Is that what's left of Voldemort?
In a momemt Wormtail had dropped the bundle into the cauldron. Now he was taking out
his wand, pointing it to the ground of the headstone that Harry was tied to and saying
something.
"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"
The dust at Harry's feet crackled; a thin sliver of dust wafted into the potion. It turned
blindingly bright blue.
What is he doing? It's certainly not a potion I've ever heard of.
"F-flesh of the servant, willingly given, you will r-revive your m-master."
Wormtail was holding a knife to his wrist. Hermione watched in disbelief - how could you
do that to yourself? - as his hand dropped into the potion, turning it sparking blood red.
Now he was turning towards Harry - oh, no, Harry - what is he doing? The dagger he had
used to cut off his own hand was pointing at Harry -- Hermione squeezed her eyes shut --
no, he's only taking a bit of Harry's blood.
This turned the potion bright sparklingly white, and suddenly thick clouds of smoke began
to billow from the cauldron. Hermione cowered. What's going on?
From the steam, a figure appeared, standing tall but bone-thin, with a face truly of
nightmares ..
Hermione dropped to her knees next to Harry's tombstone. Voldemort .. Voldemort has his
body back..
Of course, she knew it was so, had heard the rumors and seen the bodies that accompanied
the Dark Lord's return, but to see it so vividly brought a fresh bone-chilling thrill through
her.
And some part of that new body is made from Harry's blood, she thought dazedly. Does
that mean they can't kill each other now?
Voldemort bent and pulled out one of Wormtail's arms. Hermione glided closer, trying to
see what he was doing. She saw, on Wormtail's forearm, an ugly red tattoo -- the Dark
Mark. Voldemort pressed his finger to it, and it turned jet-black. Wormtail howled.
The Dark Lord straightened and gazed at the stars. He whispered something, more to
himself than Harry or Wormtail: "How many will be brave enough to return when they feel
it? And how many will be foolish enough to stay away?"
He began to pace back and forth across the grave of his dead father. Hermione stayed out
of his way, although she knew she was only a spirit here and he couldn't reach her, and
scooted behind Harry's tombstone. After a minute he stopped and looked straight at her -
for a moment she thought he could see her - but no, he was talking now to Harry.
"You stand, Harry Potter, on the remains of my late father. A Muggle and a fool .. very
much like your dear mother.."
Hermione's blood boiled. Harry gritted his teeth.
"But they both had their uses, did they not? Your mother died to defend you as a child ..
and I killed my father, and see how useful he has proved himself, in death .. You see that
house on the hillside, Potter? My father lived there. My mother, a witch that lived here in
this village, fell in love with him. But he abandoned her when she told him who she was ..
he didn't like magic, my father .. He left and returned to his Muggle parents before I was
even born, Potter, and she died giving birth to me, leaving me to be raised in a Muggle
orphanage .. But I vowed to find him .. I revenged myself upon him, that fool who gave me
his name .. Tom Riddle .."
Hermione had almost began to feel sorry for the man. Sick, twisted, yes, but she could see
where he was coming from .. abandoned and orphaned .. much like Harry, now that she
thought of it. But then she remembered Lily screaming to James as she fled with Harry .. "I
love you, James.."
"Listen to me, reliving family history," Voldemort continued, breaking into Hermione's
thoughts. "I am growing quite sentimental." (Hah, Hermione thought.) "But look, Harry! My
true family returns .."
Hermione jumped. From all around them, wizards were Apparating. The cemetery was
suddenly full of them -- around every headstone, nearby the yew tree, men in black robes
were hurrying forward to close around her, Harry, and Voldemort in a not-quite-complete
circle. Hermione backed up against the tombstone, looking warily around.
Then, one by one, they all fell forward and began to kiss the hem of Voldemort's robes.
"Master .. master .." they whispered brokenly. Hermione was disgusted. Fools, she thought.
"Welcome, Death Eaters," said Voldemort in his cold voice when they had all finished
groveling. "Thirteen years .. thirteen years since we last met. Yet you answer my call as
though it were yesterday .. We are still united under the Dark Mark, then! Or are we?"
He threw back his head and sniffed the air with those horrible nostrils. For a terrible
moment Hermione thought he was going to smell her out..
"I smell guilt," he said. "There is a stench of guilt upon the air. I see you all, whole and
healthy, with your powers intact - such prompt appearance! - and I ask myself .. why did
this band of wizards never come to the aid of their master, to whom they swore eternal
loyalty?"
Silence filled the air. Voldemort laughed dryly. "And I answer myself," he continued, "they
must have believed me broken, they thought I was gone. They slipped back among my
enemies, and they pleaded innocence, and ignorance, and bewitchment .. And I ask myself,
but how could they have believed I would not rise again? They, who knew the steps I took,
long ago, to guard myself against mortal death? They, who had seen proofs of the
immensity of my power in the times when I was mightier than any wizard living? And then
I answer myself, perhaps they believed a still greater power could exist, one that could
vanquish even Lord Voldemort .. perhaps they now pay allegiance to another .. perhaps
that champion of commoners, of Mudbloods and Muggles, Albus Dumbledore? It is a
disappointment to me .. I confess myself disappointed .."
One of the Death Eaters stumbled forward. He cried, "Master! Master, forgive me! Forgive
us all!"
"Crucio!"
Hermione gasped and covered her eyes as the Death Eater writhed on the ground in pain.
It was the first time she had seen the Cruciatus Curse performed on a real human .. she
could feel Harry shaking and felt her heart go out to him ..
Voldemort lowered his wand, and spoke in a low, cold voice, "Get up, Avery. Stand up.
You ask for forgiveness? I do not forgive. I do not forget. Thirteen long years .. I want
thirteen years' repayment before I forgive you. Wormtail here has paid some of his debt
already, have you not, Wormtail?"
Wormtail was still sobbing over his hand.
"You returned to me, not out of loyalty, but out of fear of your old friends. You deserve this
pain, Wormtail. You know that, don't you?"
"Yes, Master .. please, Master, please .." Wormtail moaned.
"Yet you helped return me to my body," Voldemort said. "Worthless and traitorous as you
are, you helped me .. and Voldemort rewards his helpers .."
He raised his wand and swung it. Something like molten silver hung in the air, then formed
itself into a human hand, which attached itself to Wormtail's wrist.
Wormtail stopped sobbing. He lifted the new hand and flexed its fingers. "My Lord," he
whispered, lifting a twig and crushing it into dust, "Master .. it is beautiful .. thank you ..
thank you.." He scrambled forward and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes.
"May your loyalty never waver again, Wormtail."
"No, my Lord .. never, my Lord.." He got up and took his place in the circle of Death Eaters,
marveling at his new hand. And Voldemort crossed with him and began to pace along the
row of black-hooded figures, speaking to each in turn.
Hermione caught the names of Crabbe, Goyle, Macnair, Nott, and of course, Lucius Malfoy.
Lousy scum, she thought, you idiots, what d'you think you're doing? The snake circling in
the grass neared Harry and she yelled, "Go away!" Of course, it did not hear her. It lifted its
head and stared through her at Harry, and Hermione didn't like the look in the beady little
eyes at all.
Harry wasn't noticing, however; he was listening to Voldemort's voice. Hermione tuned
back in:
"..And here we have six missing Death Eaters .. three dead in my service. One, too
cowardly to return .. he will pay. One who I believe has left me forever .. he will be killed of
course .. and one, who remains my most faithful servant, and who has already reentered my
service."
Who's that? Hermione wondered.
The other Death Eaters shifted uncomfortably in mention of a "one faithful."
"He is at Hogwarts, that faithful servant, and it was through his efforts that our young
friend arrived here tonight .. Yes," Voldemort said, a horrible grin stretching his white face
as the Death Eaters turned to look at Harry.
"Yes, Harry Potter has kindly joined us for my rebirthing party. One might go so far as to
call him my guest of honor."
"You are sick!" Hermione said to Voldemort, and although he couldn't hear her, it made her
feel better to say it.
One of the Death Eaters - Lucius Malfoy - stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Master
we crave to know .. we beg you to tell us .. how you have achieved this .. this miracle .. how
you managed to return to us?"
"This is very important, Hermione," said Dumbledore's voice in her head, and Hermione
jumped.
"Ah, what a story it is, Lucius," Voldemort said calmly. "And it begins - and ends - with my
young friend here."
He began to walk towards Harry and Hermione, and the unseen eyes of the Death Eaters
followed him, so that all was focused on the tombstone of Voldemort's father.
"You know, of course, that they have called this boy my downfall?" Voldemort said softly.
His voice sent chills up and down Hermione's back.
"You all know that on the night I lost my powers and my body, I tried to kill him. His
mother died in the attempty to save him - and unwittingly provided him with a protection I
admit I had not forseen .. I could not touch the boy."
His bony white hand was rising from his robes .. up to Harry's face .. as the long fingers
reached up they stopped an inch from his cheek.
Hermione balled her fists ..
"His mother left upon him the traces of her sacrifice .. This is old magic, I should have
remembered it. I was foolish to overlook it .. but no matter. I can touch him now."
The pale tip of Voldemort's finger touched Harry's cheek. Harry was clenching his teeth
against the scream of pain that was fighting to get out ..
Voldemort laughed softly into his ear and turned away.
"I miscalculated, my friends, I admit it. My curse was deflected by the woman's foolish
sacrifice, and it rebounded upon myself. Ah .. pain beyond pain, my friends; nothing could
have prepared me for it."
Yeah, well you deserved it, thought Hermione.
"I was ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost .. but still, I
was alive. What I was, even I do not know .. I, who have gone further than anyone on the
path that leads to immortality. You know my goal - to conquer death."
"We are losing time, Hermione, and it is of the essence," Dumbledore's voice said in her ear.
"I will need to merely tell you the gist of what transpired .. Voldemort will explain that he
had no body, could only inhabit the bodies of others, and that Wormtail came to him in
yours and Harry's third year. Wormtail helped Voldemort capture Bertha Jorkins and she
told them all about the Triwizard Cup, plus the existence of Barty Crouch Jr., and then they
killed her. Voldemort needed three powerful things for re-birthal: Wormtail's flesh - that of
a servant - his father's bone - henceforth this graveyard - and the blood of an enemy."
"Harry's," Hermione whispered. "Harry's blood. His mother's protection .. is that in
Voldemort now too?"
"Yes. He used the one faithful Death Eater, Mr. Crouch, to rig the Triwizard Tournament
and make sure that Harry was brought here by the Portkey."
The memory speeded up. Hermione blinked; it was like watching a Muggle movie with the
fast-forward button. Voldemort moved back and forth like he was running; then, time
slowed down, and Hermione caught the tail end of Voldemort's sentence.
"And here he is .. the boy you all believed was my downfall .."
He turned to Harry and raised his wand.
"No!" screamed Hermione, realizing what he was about to do.
"Crucio!"
Hermione had actually reached over to try and block the spell. It went right through her
hand, of course, and hit Harry full-on.
Hermione squeezed her eyes shut. The Death Eater's laughter pounded in her ears as Harry
writhed in pain. How was he ever going to live .. oh, Harry!
Voldemort lifted his wand. Harry went limp in the ropes, his hair wet with sweat, and
Hermione felt stinging tears prickle her eyes again.
"You see, I think, how foolish it was to suppose that this boy could ever have been stronger
than me," said Voldemort. "But I want to be no mistake in anybody's mind. Harry Potter
escaped me by a lucky chance. And I am going to prove my power by killing him, here and
now, when there is no Dumbledore to help him, and no mother to die for him. I will give
him his chance. He will be allowed to fight, and you will be left in no doubt which of us is
the stronger. Now untie him, Wormtail, and give him back his wand."
You sick freak! Hermione thought wildly. How the hell do you think you're going to prove
yourself master of the world by killing a fourteen-year-old boy? Some equal chance! He
doesn't have half the training you do!
Wormtail was at Harry's side, cutting the bonds, pulling out Harry's gag. Harry stood on
unsteady legs for a second, and Hermione squeezed her eyes shut again.
The new silver hand gave Harry his wand, and the circle of Death Eaters closed in around
them.
"You have been taught how to duel, Harry Potter?" Voldemort said mockingly.
Hermione snorted. Lockhart's Dueling Club .. like that had helped. She had a feeling that it
would be useless of Harry to say so, of course.
"We bow to each other, Harry," Voldemort said, and barely nodded his head.
Don't do it, Harry ..
Harry didn't. He stood there wand in hand and refused to move.
"I said, bow!" Voldemort raised his wand and from the way Harry stumbled forward, she
knew he had somehow made him bend ..
"Very good," the Dark Lord said, lifting his wand, and glinting his eyes in the darkness.
"And now you face me, like a man .. straight-backed and proud, the way your father died ..
"And now, we duel!"
Voldemort said it so quickly that Harry didn't have time to move. Not fair! screamed
Hermione. Voldemort whipped his wand up and hit Harry once again with the Cruciatus
Curse.
Harry was screaming in pain this time, down on his knees, wrenching Hermione to a new
level of hatred of Voldemort. Damn you, damn you, she thought, clenching her fists, if I was
real here, I'd kill you so fast!
Voldemort lifted his wand and Harry got quickly to his feet, though he was shaking
violently. He lost his balance and staggered into the Death Eaters .. they shoved him back
towards the Dark Lord.
"A little break," Voldemort said, his red eyes shining with a maniacal brilliance, "a little
pause .. That hurt, didn't it, Harry? You don't want me to do that again, do you?"
Harry was silent, trying to stop shaking. He would not answer.
"I asked you whether you want me to do that again," snarled Voldemort. "Answer me!
Imperio!"
The Imperius Curse - hah! That won't work on Harry, you idiot, he resisted it in class!
Hermione watched the familiar, dreamy look take Harry's face. But then it was obvious .. he
was fighting something .. something he would not do, could not do ..
"I WON'T!" Harry screamed.
"You won't?" Voldemort said softly. "You won't say no? Harry, obedience is a virtue I need
to teach you before you die .. Perhaps another little dose of pain?"
No, he can't stand another one! thought Hermione desperately.
But she saw him get that tense little quiver a split second before the spell burst from
Voldemort's wand, the one that meant he was about to do something quick .. and sure
enough, with strength it hadn't looked like he had, he dived a split second before the curse
hit him and rolled behind the headstone. The Cruciatus Curse missed him.
"We are not playing hide and seek, Harry," Voldemort said. "You cannot hide from me.
Does this mean you are tired of our duel?"..
Hermione glided over to get a closer look at Harry. He was crouched behind the headstone.
His eyes were closed as Voldemort drew nearer. . and suddenly, she saw him grit his teeth
and open his eyes. He looked resigned and determined.
"Expelliarmus!" he yelled, springing out from behind the tombstone and fixing his wand
upon Voldemort.
"Avada Kedavra!" screamed Voldemort, at exactly the same time.
Green and red light blasted from each direction and sparked together in midair.
Hermione's hands clenched.
Yet not red or green, but gold was the color of the bright beam that was suddenly
connecting the two wands. Hermione gasped. Both Harry and Voldemort looked as
suprised as if the other had turned into a rabbit.
The golden beam vibrated and - Hermione stared along with the Deah Eaters - began to
rise into the air, taking Harry and Voldemort - each gripping their wand - along with it.
They flew away from Hermione and the Death Eaters - she ran after the pair, following the
golden brightness like a beacon in the night. They came to rest on a patch of grave-free
ground. The Death Eaters scrambled after her, cursing and yelling questions to Voldemort.
Suddenly, the golden beam split in half - again - again - and again, until hundreds of small
golden splinters were surrounding Harry and the Dark Lord in a beautiful glowing cage.
What the hell is going on? Hermione thought.
I wish I could see more --
Without really thinking about it, her feet left the ground and she began to float upwards,
towards the golden cage. Her body passed through the golden cords easily, and she could
see inside.
Harry's face was lit by the golden light. He looked unearthly and strange, somehow
angelic, bathed in light, glitters of gold off his hair.
Voldemort's face was contorted with a horrible snarl.
And then - incredibly - sounding distant and far-off - something like beautiful music,
unearthly, smooth music, was coming from every strand of the golden web. Hermione had
never heard it before. But Harry seemed to recognize it. She saw his lips move as he
murmured, Phoenix song.
Phoenix song? Hermione wondered. What does that have to do with anything?
The original beam was changing now, too. Something like glittering golden beads of light
were forming on it, moving along the current. They were moving steadily towards Harry's
wand.
Hermione watched apprehensively as they moved closer to the wooden tip of the wand.
Harry was fighting to keep a grip on it. Sweat was visible on his face.
The beads of light neared Harry's wand ..
Something told Hermione that it would not be good if those beads connected with the
wand.
Harry closed his eyes tight and gritted his teeth very hard .. he seemed to be fiercely
concentrating on something .. a drop of sweat dripped off his brow .. and the beads of light
began, ever so slowly, to reverse direction. They were moving now closer and closer to
Voldemort's wand.
Harry - you're stronger than him? Is that why they're moving that way?..
The largest bead was ever so close to Voldemort's wand. He looked furious and his face
was contorted in concentration, as Harry's was.
The bead moved closer ..
closer ..
and connected.
Immediately, Voldemort's wand bucked and did something like a scream of pain .. it was
jerking violently, quivering, screaming.
A smoky hand flew out of the tip of Voldemort's wand and dissolved; Voldemort's
glimmering eyes went wide.
And then ..
Something else, something big, gray, was coming out of Voldemort's wand. Larger. A
human.
Cedric Diggory.
Hermione's mouth fell open .. dear god ..
It spoke, nearly causing Hermione to faint. "Hold on, Harry."
More screams of wand-pain .. and another human began to emerge from the wandtip. An
old man, limping heavily. "He was a real wizard, then?" said the old man, eyeing
Voldemort. "Killed me, that one did .. you fight him, boy .."
A woman it was this time .. and Hermione recognized the profile of her face from a notice
in her Daily Prophet. Bertha Jorkins. "Don't let go, now!" she said to Harry, her voice
strangely echo-y. "Don't let him get you, Harry - don't let go!"
The shadowy people began to prowl the edges of the golden web .. Hermione stayed out of
the way as they stalked back and forth, hissing words to Voldemort that she couldn't hear.
And then .. oh, no ..
The tall man pushing himself out now was the very image of Harry at sixteen. She could
have recognized him in her dreams.
James Potter.
Harry's mouth fell open. Hermione could see tears sparkling in those big green eyes.
Harry, if we knew what you went through! screamed Hermione into the spirit world. Why
didn't you ever tell us?
Another woman - Lily Potter - was appearing out of Voldemort's wand now. Oh, Lily .. I
wish you could have been there to watch Harry grow up ..
She whispered words to Harry, who looked as though he might cry, but nodded. James
and Cedric whispered to him, too.
"One.." whispered James.
Hermione suddenly got a notion of what they were planning.
"Two.."
She turned her gaze on Harry. Cedric said, "Take my body back, will you? Back to my
parents."
"Three..let go now!"
"NOW!" Harry yelled, and he yanked his wand up and out of the gold beam's grip. The
cage of light flickered and disappeared. The haunting music faded. But the shadowy James,
Lily, Cedric, and others remained, closing in on Voldemort, encircling him..
Harry leapt forward and began to run before any of the Death Eaters could catch him.
Hermione silently urged him on. Go, Harry!
The Death Eaters recovered. They began to chase Harry. Spells flew past, narrowly missing
him. "Stun him!" she heard Voldemort scream.
Harry! -
"Accio!" Harry screamed, bringing the Triwizard Cup towards him. He gripped Cedric's
limp hand and the Portkey worked its magic ..
Harry was gone. And only a graveyard full of Death Eaters and a very angry Voldemort
was left.
The Pensieve swirled, and Hermione's feet lifted, and she was once more carried into
Dumbledore's office.
She fell to her knees as her feet hit solid floor again. She didn't look up, her face awash in
tears. "Harry!" she said to Dumbledore. "Why didn't he ever tell us what he went through?
Why? We would have helped him!"
"Come, Hermione," Dumbledore's voice said, and he helped her to her feet. "It was Harry's
judgment. I believe he was afraid that you two would look amiss at him if he told you
exactly what happened."
As Hermione lifted her head, she saw that Ron and Cho were sitting as well in
Dumbledore's office. Ron was extremely white; Cho was in tears.
"They were watching as well through the Pensieve," Dumbledore explained.
Ron nodded. Cho burst into fresh tears.
"I was so stupid!" she wailed. "He tricked me - the boy on the lake - he said Harry killed
Cedric!"
Hermione was suddenly struck with a wave of hot anger towards Cho. "Yeah?" she yelled
at Cho, unable to contain herself. "So what did this magic boy that appeared out of nowhere
say to you that made you think Harry killed him?!"
"Hermione, please!" said Dumbledore, looking rebukingly at Hermione. "Accusations won't
help Harry. What we need to know is, where did they take him?"
"I don't know!" sobbed Cho. "T-they attacked us - they w-went for him - he was
d-defending me - but I grabbed his w-wand away - and they knocked him unconcious and
A-Apparated away!"
"You grabbed his wand away?" said Dumbledore, his voice suddenly urgent.
Cho nodded guiltily.
"Do you still have it?" Hermione asked, beginning to see what Dumbledore was getting at.
Cho blinked at them; then brightness began to dawn in her face. She plunged a hand into
her robes. "I think I do!" She held up a very dirty wand, which Hermione recognized as
Harry's.
"Wonderful!" Dumbledore said, his eyes blazing behind his glasses. "This may be the very
clue that can lead us to Harry. Hermione," he said, fixing the bright blue eyes on Hermione,
"have you perchance come across the spell known as the Locator Spell in your readings?"
Hermione bit her lip. "That sounds familiar .. yeah! It's a spell you can perform on a magical
object belonging to the person .. like Harry's wand. And it'll show you where he is!"
"Correct." Dumbledore reached for Harry's wand and pulled out his own wand. "Disclose
locale!"
The wand began to glow and twitch. Dumbledore released it and it hung in the air by itself,
quivering. Then, quite suddenly, it snapped up and began write shimmering letters in the
air as if someone was writing with it.
Godric's Hollow, England.
Then the wand dropped to the floor.
Dumbledore, Hermione, Ron, and Cho stared at the writing.
"Godric's Hollow?" said Ron.
"There isn't a Godric's Hollow anymore!" Hermione burst out. "The spell somehow went
wrong!"
"What's Godric's Hollow?" said Ron. "Why isn't it there anymore?"
"It was the Potter's place of residence," said Dumbledore softly. He was still staring at the
words. "Fifteen years ago."
"Oh," Ron said.
"They renamed it after that," explained Hermione. "It's now a park. A magical community.
No one wanted to stay there after the attack. They turned it into a park and renamed it out
of respect to Lily and James."
"Well, that's not good," Ron observed.
Cho sniffled.
"I don't get it, Professor!" exclaimed Hermione, running her hands through her hair. "What
does it mean? Why would .."
She trailed off, as Dumbledore had grabbed her arm.
"Hermione!" he said feverishly. She looked at him. "What?"
"He's gone to Godric's Hollow - and the only place where that exists is in the past!"'
Hermione gasped, suddenly realizing what Dumbledore meant.
"Huh?" said Ron.
"Fifteen years!" Hermione exclaimed. "Fifteen years, Ron! What if Voldemort's taken Harry
into the past? If he defeats the baby Harry .. then all the good that his parents' sacrifice, all
that has been done to drive Voldemort back will be undone! He'll be back at the height of
his powers!"
There was a sudden silence in the room.
"That would not be good," Ron said.
Cho, Dumbledore, and Hermione all glared at him.
He shrank back and held up his hands. "Hey, don't kill the messenger."
Hermione turned back to Dumbledore. "We need a Time-Turner, don't we? Do you have
one?"
Dumbledore opened a drawer of his desk and drew out a small hourglass hanging on a fine
chain. Mutely, he handed it to her.
"So -- we're going to go and help him, right?" Hermione said, taking the hourglass and
holding it tightly against her palm.
"We are not, Hermione." His gaze met hers.
"You are, however."
*
A/N: Reviews, reviews, don't you want the next part? ;)