BITTERSWEET

Chapter 4: Answers

September 1996

Ron stared at Draco, his expression growing angrier every second. Draco looked stonily back at him, his perfectly chiseled features in a mask of indifference.

"If you hadn't been here, this never would have happened." Ron could barely form the words; each syllable was choked out slowly. "Leave now or I will not be responsible for my actions." A flicker of nervousness crossed Draco's face, but it quickly disappeared as he replaced it with sneer.

"I don't know why you care so much about Granger," Draco spat out, "after all, she's nothing but a dirty mudblood." He turned and walked out of their compartment, just in time before Ron wrestled his way out of Harry's restraining arm and leapt. The door slammed in his face as Draco went to find his bodyguards.

Harry walked over to Ron worriedly. "You okay, mate?"

"I am," Ron responded. "But I'm not the one you should be worried about." Ginny came to stand at Harry's side.

"How far back do you think she went?" she asked.

"I don't know, but it was more than six years or we would have seen her appear," Harry answered. He wrapped his arm around Ginny's waist protectively and pulled her closer. Ron forgot all about Hermione for a moment as he watched his baby sister maturing before his eyes.

"Are you two... um... you know?" he stammered. Ginny looked up at Harry with a question in her eyes.

"Be my girl?" he murmured. She flushed and nodded, her eyes sparkling. Ron gulped, then took a deep breath.

"You treat her right, mate," he said. "I don't want to hear you broke my sister's heart." Ginny rolled her eyes, but Harry just nodded seriously.

Ginny cleared her throat. "Um, I don't want to change the subject from this touching moment, but I think we have a more serious problem on our hands than whether you approve of my dating your best friend." Ron looked guilty.

Harry took a deep breath. "Okay," he began. "We're going to have to wait until we get to Hogwarts to go see Dumbledore. He's the only one that's going to be able to help us. Hopefully he'll know what to do." Ron and Ginny nodded in assent, and the three of them sat back on the benches, each lost in their own thoughts.

Ginny gazed out of the window until her eye caught on her older brother. He looked miserable, and she thought she saw a glimpse of a tear shimmering in his eye before he blinked it away. Realization dawned on her. "You like her, don't you?" she asked softly. Harry looked up at the Weasleys.

Ron opened his mouth then shut it again. "It's, well, um."

"It's okay. We won't tell anyone," Ginny prodded him.

He began again slowly. "I've always liked her as a best friend, but then this year, well, something changed. She looked different, in a good way. And I was sort of thinking that I might want to be more than just friends this year. Go on, laugh if you want."

"There's nothing funny about that, Ron," Harry said. "I think you'd be good together."

"You think so?" Ron said. "Well, maybe I will say something. If we ever see her again, that is."

The three of them sat through the rest of the train ride in silence.

Harry, Ron, and Ginny leapt out of the train and hopped onto a carriage the moment the Hogwarts' Express pulled up to the station. Without waiting for the other students to get out of the train, Harry reached out to prod the thestral into movement so they would have a minute to speak with Dumbledore before the feast began.

As soon as they had reached the edges of the castle, the three ran inside Hogwarts towards the Great Hall. The ghost they passed looked both surprised and miffed, except for Peeves who did his best to hinder their progress.

"Not now, Peeves!" Harry shouted angrily as Peeves continued to pelt them with bits of parchment.

"Naughty students in the castle before allowed!" Peeves yelled as he zoomed off. The three were just rounding a corner when they skidded to a halt right before they crashed into Snape.

"The term has barely started and you're already breaking rules? Tut-tut. You know students are supposed to wait outside until the professors lead you in. I'm afraid I will have to deduct ten points from Gryffindor--each." Snape looked anything but sorry at placing Gryffindor in last place before the house competition officially started.

"Professor, please, we need to talk to Dumbledore. It's important!" Harry panted.

"Nothing could be important enough to need to bother the headmaster before the feast," Snape said dismissively. He turned around to walk away.

"But Professor!" Ginny burst out. "It's Hermione! She's gone back in time!"

Snape froze. "So it's true. That was her," he muttered. He looked back at them as a sneer crossed his face. "You needn't worry about your precious know-it-all. She's in good hands--or shall I say, paws?" He glided away, leaving three very puzzled students behind him.

"Wonder want he meant by that?" Ron asked to no one in particular. He was just turning to leave when Dumbledore appeared. The look on his face was graver than usual, and his eyes lacked their normal sparkle.

"Please follow me, Mister Potter, Mister Weasley, Miss Weasley. Severus has told me of the issue at hand." Harry, Ron, and Ginny silently followed Dumbledore to his office.

"Skiving snackbox," Dumbledore said to the gargoyle. It leaped aside to let them pass. Ron and Harry were too concerned about Hermione to wonder how Dumbledore knew of Fred and George's pranks.

"Please sit down." Dumbledore beckoned them to three plush armchairs. He himself sat behind his desk. All three teenagers started to talk at once, but Dumbledore held up a hand to silence them. "I know you are concerned about the whereabouts of Miss Granger. I admit it is highly irregular for one of our students to travel so far back in time, but you do not need to worry about her. First of all, were you the only ones to see her leave?"

"No, professor," Harry said, "Malfoy was there her also."

Dumbledore looked up at one of the portraits on his wall. "Please fetch Professors McGonagall and Snape, and Mister Malfoy."

Looking back at Harry, Ron, and Ginny he continued. "Hermione has gone back about twenty years." He looked at Harry. "I believe she appeared in the same year your parents were sixth years." Harry was speechless.

Dumbledore continued to talk. "I was headmaster at that time. I remember a girl coming to me and telling me she was from the future, but appeared after an accident with her time-turner. She agreed to go through her sixth year in that time while Prof. McGonagall and I worked on a solution to send her back to her time. I believe it worked, as she disappeared from that time and will most likely be appearing here at the end of this year. She befriended many of the students from that time under the guise of a transfer student from Beauxbatons. Only four people knew the truth of where she came from, although I think several others suspected. Those four were James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Lily Evans. I don't want to tell you anything else of what she experienced, as I feel that it is her right to tell you when she is ready."

At that moment a knock sounded on the door, and McGonagall, Snape, and Draco walked in.

"Severus, I'm sure you've already figured it out, but just in case, you should know that the Hermione Mandelin of your sixth year is our Hermione Granger of this time. The students then were kept in the dark for security reasons," Dumbledore explained.

Snape nodded. "I had assumed as much."

Dumbledore turned to McGonagall. "Minerva, you remember as well as I do."

"Indeed I do, Albus," she responded.

Dumbledore lowered his gaze to Draco at last. "Mister Malfoy, I understand that you were witness to Miss Granger's departure?"

Draco nodded sullenly.

"You are to speak of this to no one for fear of suspension," Dumbledore ordered. Draco nodded in assent. "That goes for all of you," Dumbledore said, addressing the Gryffindors. "None of the other students should find out where Hermione has gone to." They agreed readily.

"Now, Mister Malfoy, I remember Miss Granger coming to me thirty years ago. Her memories were very interesting of what had occurred right before she disappeared. I viewed them myself, so please do not try to contradict me. I believe that a thirty point deduction from Slytherin is in order, for harassment of students?" he said.

Draco looked enraged. Snape sputtered, "You can't do that!" Dumbledore turned to him, a severe look on his face. "I can and I will," he replied. "Be glad it isn't much more than thirty."

"Now," Dumbledore said to the room in general. "It is understood that this shall be discussed no more, am I correct?" Everyone nodded.

"Then it is time we attend the feast."

Harry, Ron, and Ginny slipped into their seats silently, trying to ignore the stares they were receiving. Draco preferred to do nothing of the such, but instead walked calmly over to the Slytherin table, sending a piercing glare to anyone who attempted to make a comment about his lateness.

Dumbledore stood up at the head table to make an announcement to the school. Everyone fell silent as they waited. Finally, he began to speak. "I'm sure some of you have noticed the absence of one of our students. Miss Granger will not be attending Hogwarts this year, but will be back to continue her schooling seventh year." Murmuring from the students rose up, but then subsided as Dumbledore raised his hand. "Do not ask questions of her whereabouts; you should not expect to receive an answer from any of us. Additionally, do not bother her when she comes back. She will have been through a lot and will have no need for you to pester her," he explained. "That said, carry on with your feast."

"Finally!" Ron said. "I'm starved." He proceeded to load up his plate with the various types of food that kept appearing on the table. Harry and Ginny just looked at him.

"What?" Ron asked through a mouthful of steak.

Ginny sighed, and turned her worry-filled eyes to Harry. "Shhh," he soothed. "We'll see her again at the end of the year." She nodded, and Harry wrapped a protective arm around her to keep her safe while they ate.