The Time-Turner: Part II -- From Both Sides

A.N.1: Yes, I know it's been more than two months since I last wrote. Sorry; I'm busy and I had a writers block. Unlike Chapter I, this is 3rd Person limited in Harry's P.O.V. as opposed to Hermione's. Not that you really care. Anyway, I'm starting each new chapter with the last few lines from the previous; this is an idea I got from Draco Sinister and..um...what was the sequel called? OK, I totally for got. Anyway, I'm not copying or anything, I just thought it was a good idea. BTW, I saw the review that said at this time there were no more Jews left, but let's just for the purposes of the story say that there were two families left, OK? Who knows, maybe there were. It has to be 1941 because 1941 is 60 years before 2001, and I'm saying that the present for the HP characters is 2001. Warning: there is some cussing in here, but what can I tell you. They're fifteen years old or so, they're going to curse some.

A.N.2: Hope you enjoy. The beginning's a bit slow, I'm afraid. Please review -- I live off them!

Disclaimer: All I own is the plot and anything that I made up. J.K. owns the rest.

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She finally said after she had calmed down a bit. "O, Herr Gott, was machen wir jetzt?" ("What are we going to do now? Oh, God, what are we going to do now?")

And, unfortunately, no one knew the answer to that question.

Resignedly, Hermione said, "Well, I suppose we might as well wander on. Little else we can do. And so that was what they did: they walked. And walked. And walked.

At long last, Ron said, "This is stupid. Just plain stupid. Here we are in a place inhabited by Nazis and all we do is walk."

"What, and you have a better idea?" Hermione said waspishly, glaring at Ron. Harry sighed. He hated when the two acted like that, but of all times to do it, why now? This was NOT a good time to fight.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," Ron replied, returning her glare. "We could be getting ourselves out of this damn situation."

"Oh, and I don't suppose you would care to enlighten me as to how we are going to do this?" Hermione said, not even bothering to admonish Ron for using damn.

"You're the smart one. You figure it out," Ron said.

"Yes, why don't I?" Hermione said sarcastically. "After all, it really is proper protocol for a boy who's been shamelessly flirting with a girl to get pissed at her and then tell her to figure out how to get out of a major crisis." Hermione sounded totally un-Hermione-like, and Harry was starting to worry. Harry could guess what was next. They we're going to --

"I'm not speaking to you!" They both said at the same time.

--Stop speaking to each other. Harry finished his thought.

"Guys, please," Harry tried to intercede, "You're both being stupid. This is not a time when you should stop speaking. Do it when we get back to Hogwarts or something, but not here."

"If we get back to Hogwarts, you mean," Ron said angrily. "With all the help she's giving us, it doesn't look likely." Harry noticed that, other than a slight grunt, Hermione ignored it.

Harry sighed seeing that his attempts at reconciliation between the two friends were futile. So he kept walking, and Hermione and Ron, who in truth had no better idea, kept on doing the same.

It was about forty-five minutes before Hermione spoke again. "Harry, I have an idea. I remember reading a book called The World's Wizards: Magical Communities Throughout the World and it mentioned that there were three in Germany: One in Munich, another in Berlin, and another in Dresden. And...well...we're in Dresden."

Harry's mouth formed into an "O" in realization. Why hadn't he thought of it? "Hermione, you're a genius! How do you remember all this stuff."

Hermione blushed slightly. "I don't know...I just do. Anyway, here are the directions. Go to the City Plaza -- that shouldn't be too hard to find since I used to live here in Dresden and we went there all the time -- and then just walk along the path until you come across the small grey building with the words Der Sprudelnd Kessel (the Bubbly Cauldron) written across it.

"She finally figured something out," Ron muttered. "Took little genius long enough."

Hermione would have given Ron some back-talk if it wasn't that they weren't speaking. Instead, she turned to Harry and said, "He's being a total jerk, isn't he?" And though Harry didn't want to take sides, he couldn't help agreeing personally.

As they walked, snow began to fall again. Though they had noticed the snow on the ground, they hadn't realized that it might actually start snowing. The three all shivered in their robes, feeling the snow go down their backs and melting on their skins. Right when things had started looking up a bit, things had went wrong.

They hurried, trying unsuccessfully to fight the cold. After what seemed like an eternity but was only about ten minutes, Hermione said, "Here we are. Now we just have to take the path. Keep your eyes out for a grey building." And so they did. But the atmosphere was sour here somehow -- soldiers patrolled the park, snow chilled Hermione, Harry, and Ron, the sky was grey and looked as though it would always be so.

The three finally stopped for rest, sitting with their knees tucked up to their chests for warmth. They silently watched the quiet scene before them, quiet, scared, subdued by the sheer impossibility of the problem. Happy German couples laughed; a Hitler Youth Group meeting was held in a near-by field; and two pitiful figures, Jews, a mother and a daughter, stood together, looking frightened.

Soldiers approached the two and yelled something at them in German that clearly meant that they were going to be deported sooner than they could say the word Heil. The two huddled closer, crying as they succumbed to what they knew was the inevitable, and one young woman stared, eyes hardened by anger, and spoke what Hermione translated later: "You fucking assholes! You unjust destroyers of humanity! You wait! Our time, the righteous' time, will come one day, and then you'll be sorry! You'll apologize on your hands and knees, and some of you will get death. And you know what? When you get your sentences, I'll be laughing. I'll be laughing while I remember how arrogant and self-assured you were while you dragged people away to work their asses off and then die!"

Hermione looked in surprise and admiration at the woman as she numbly translated the words. As she was clearly being taken away, Hermione spoke, "Nice to know not all German's are Nazi's or sympathizers. Pity there aren't more." She suddenly began to cry. "Oh why do we have to come here. God, why? Why do I need this reminder. It's bad enough to think about it every day at home, every time I see my relatives, every time I see our so-called friends. It's bad enough that it haunts my dreams, isn't it? Why do I have to have this, damn it? Can't it just leave be alone for one fucking second?"

Harry and Ron looked shocked. Their friend was acting totally un-Hermione like and, what's more, appeared to be having a mid-life crisis before she even got in the middle of her life.

Harry began to speak quietly to Hermione and even Ron pat her on the back gently and told her he was sorry. Harry said, "Listen, Hermione. I don't know what in the blazes this is about. But whatever it is, I'm really sorry. Would you tell us what you're so upset about?"

Suddenly appearing to come to, Hermione said, "Did I actually do that? Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. Sorry, I get nervous sometimes. You know. It's just I'm getting...um...really stressed out, so I'm starting to snap. It's really nothing."

"Starting to snap," said Harry, "is putting it mildly. And it is NOT nothing. Whatever it is, it is something. And it is something major. I know you, and I know you don't just randomly break down when you get stressed out or whatever. I know you well enough to know that, even if I don't know you well enough to know what the hell the problem is. And I really don't know why you haven't told us because we're really good friends, but I wish you would."

Hermione looked anguished. "Okay, look, maybe there's more to it. But you know what? I don't share every damn thing in my personal life to everyone, not even to my best friends. I have a lot of personal issues that I've never told you and that you never are going to know. And you know what? Let's keep it that way. I'm sorry if I'm scaring you or something, but this is not an easy time for me and I wish you'd just respect that and leave it at that. "

Ron finally interceded, "Um, Hermione, we're really worried about you, but, um, I guess we'll respect your wishes if we have to, um, right Harry?" Ron was nervous and clearly didn't know how to deal with the situation.

Harry, worn down, tired, confused, angry, and sad, said, "I guess so. All right Ron, I guess we will."

Hermione smiled a smile that didn't reach her eyes and said, "Thank you. Listen, I'm really sorry about all this. I didn't mean to affect anyone else. Come on, let's go. We're bound to get to the wizarding community eventually." And so, weary, sad, and basically fed-up, the three walked on, waiting and wondering.

They, at long last, found the grew place they were looking for and walked in. To their surprise it was a very nice little coffee shop in spite of the unkempt appearance of the outside. "Why don't we each have a little bite to eat and some hot chocolate?" Ron proposed.

"Good idea, I'm famished," Harry said. "I've got money, just a moment and I'll get it out." He rummaged around in his pocket before realizing that it, along with his wand and the time turner, were also gone. "Oh God," he said, "I don't have any money. Great. Now we can sit here and starve with no place to stay and no wands and no money and no way to get back home. How fun."

Hermione sighed. "Hold on, I know we won't be able to get rooms, but maybe I can haggle out a deal with the owner of this cafŽ that'll get us at least a little something to eat." She turned to the coffee shop owner, "Hallo, wir sind Kinder und wir haben kein Geld. Wir wei§en nicht wo unsere Eltern sind, und wir haben hungar. Bitte, kšnnen wir Brot haben?" (This means, "Hi, we're kids and we have no money and we don't know where our parents are. Please, could we have bread.)

The coffee shop man looked at them and said in German, "Poor kids. Ever since the depression, no one's had money -- not muggles, not wizards. I guess you can each have a loaf of bread. Do have good luck finding your parents, now." He handed them each a loaf and, after Hermione had thanked him, they hurried out into the wizarding world.

It was a place bustling with wizard from all over the area. As they strolled along the place, each time they passed a shop they read the words, "Wir geben keinen Glauben," which Hermione translated as, "We give no credit." Finally the three resigned to their fate and sat down under an awning to protect themselves from the snow and decided to just try to sleep and at least escape everything for a few hours.

Harry was cold, he was tired, but he couldn't sleep, and he could tell it was the same for all of them. He was worried, sad, and utterly confused. Things seemed like they could get no worse. And yet, they did. Because just at that moment, a dark looming shadow came over them. And when they looked up to see who it was, they all somehow knew who it was, and in trembling voices said his name in unison:

"Grindelwald."

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A.N.3: Haha, cliffhanger. Hope this encourages everyone to review and to read Part 3 when it comes (I promise it will happen sooner than this one!). Now, do review -- I love to read my reviews!