DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters used hereafter.
CHAPTER 11: REVELATIONSHermione's mind was reeling as she walked through the empty corridors of Hogwarts. Everything that had happened was so confusing. It felt like she had been here a lot longer than she actually had been. Was it only a month since she, Harry and Ron had been attacked and chased by Deatheaters? Only a month since she'd been forced back through time? She shook her head. Maybe her sense of time had become confused, but it must be true. Calendars never lie. Or do they? Now that was just a silly thought. She was being over-paranoid again.
Shaking her head roughly Hermione quickened her pace and hurried in the direction of Dumbledore's office. Taking some of the short cuts Harry and Ron had shown her, it didn't take long before she was standing in front of the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Dumbledore's office.
Standing there in front of it, staring into it's eyes, Hermione realized that one of the only people who was in any way connected with her former, or rather future life, was Dumbledore. And then a thought struck her. What if the future Dumbledore knew? It was possible. Maybe she was meant to have been sent back in time, or rather not meant but destined to be? What if the future Dumbledore had known but hadn't said anything because it was supposed to be her, it was supposed to happen?
Sighing Hermione realized that there was no way she could find out, unless she managed to get home, but not even her own Dumbledore would know that yet. It was all quite confusing, even for her. Hermione was snapped out of her stupor by a gentle cough from behind her.
"Are you quite all right my dear?" said a kind and slightly amused voice.
Turning sheepishly Hermione came face to face with none other than Dumbledore himself.
"You know, the Gargoyle requires a rather sweet password, excuse the little pun, before it will allow you entrance."
Hermione blushed, "Sorry sir, I was just thinking about things. It really was a very good pun." she added.
"It's quite all right my dear. We all need our time to think and yours just came upon you while you happened to be standing here. Looking for me no doubt. I don't think it was a very good pun. I've never really been that great at them. Sally Calembour, now there was a mistress of puns if ever I saw one. Quite remarkable what she could do with a few simple words." he replied gazing out the window with a far off look in his eye before his eyes moved back to Hermione.
"Shall we then?" he asked.
"Oh, of course sir." Hermione smiled, he really was quite an extraordinary man.
"Very well then, Jelly Slugs." he said to the gargoyle and Hermione watched as it jumped aside to leave an entrance leading to a moving stairway.
"After you my dear" said Dumbledore gesturing for Hermione to go in with his hand.
Hermione stepped onto the staircase and into the office above. It was exactly the same as the office of Dumbledore in her own time. Collections of small silver instruments whizzed and whirred from all around the room, cupboards of potions and other strange instruments lined the walls, pictures of past headmasters and headmistresses snoring loudly, the old sorting hat sitting comfortably on it's shelf and of course...
"Fawkes!" smiled Hermione walking over to the phoenix's perch and stroking his fiery feathers lightly.
"Ah, I see you have been in my office before, or rather will have been" smiled Dumbledore amusedly.
"Yes sir, in the future with Har... with two of my friends. We had a habit of getting into er... situations you could say." she replied.
"Quite so. It is evident that you must have some experience with the abnormal, even to the wizarding world. Otherwise you would not have done as well as you have so far in your situation." he smiled.
"Thank you sir. What I really came to talk to you about today is quite serious though, or at least it could be. Which is why I came to talk to you." said Hermione as she continued to stroke Fawkes.
"Quite." said Dumbledore in a more serious tone, "Please, have a seat and tell me."
"Thank you." said Hermione moving away from Fawkes' perch and sitting in one of the large comfortable chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk.
"Well sir, I guess I should just say it straight out, I've been having these sort of, fits I suppose you could call them."
Dumbledore leaned forwards and clasped his fingers together peering at her over the top of his half moon glasses, a concerned look on his face.
"I sort of," she didn't want to say this, "stop breathing and I see things but I can never remember what they are, I just know they're there. And then last night, I think it was a dream, or maybe a vision or something, it was so real. There was a man. He was standing in the middle of the room but not quite there. His edges were all blurred and he didn't seem to know I was there. He was dressed all in black and then he turned slightly and I saw part of his face and I gasped. He knew I was there then and he turned to face me. He started screaming, it was horrible." her voice quavered slightly as she recalled the pale face with shining red eyes, "sir, I think... I think it was... it was Voldemort."
Dumbledore stood up so quickly that Hermione jumped in shock.
"Are you sure?" he asked, "Are you absolutely sure?"
Hermione nodded.
"How long has this been happening? Does it happen often?" asked Dumbledore coming around the side of the desk.
"The first one was shortly after I left the hospital wing and it's happened only a few times since. The dream was last night." replied Hermione.
"This is quite worrying my dear. Not only because it is harming you, but also because I think that last night was not just a dream."
Dumbledore turned to one of the portraits on the wall "Philleas, will you please contact Alaster for me and ask him to come and see me as soon as possible."
The man in the portrait nodded and silently left through the edge of the frame.
"Alaster Moody?" asked Hermione confused.
"I see you've heard of him. A great auror, the best." Hermione realized that during this time, Mad-Eye Moody was still an auror well respected by the ministry, not like the Moody she knew. The paranoid, disfigured Moody.
"Now my dear," said Dumbledore snapping her out of her thoughts, "I want you to tell me every detail about this vision."
Hermione racked her mind for details but all she could remember was seeing Voldemort, there were no details of where he was.
"I'm sorry sir, all I could see was Voldemort himself. Nothing around him. He did seem to be doing something though. Some sort of spell or incantation perhaps, a ceremony maybe. I couldn't hear anything though. Not until he noticed me and started that dreadful scream. It was so loud, I felt like it was right inside my head."
Dumbledore smiled grimly, "Unfortunately my dear, it quite possibly was and having Voldemort in your head, whether he knows of it or not, is never a good thing."
"Yes sir. I understand that." Said Hermione grimly knowing only too well what Voldemort was capable of doing if he got inside your head.
Harry and Ginny were perfect examples of this. Hermione had watched as Harry had felt like he was going mad while Voldemort constantly invaded his dreams and as the diary version of Voldemorts young self had controlled Ginny and made her do awful things. She didn't want any of that happening to her.
"Hermione?" asked Dumbledore gently.
"Sorry sir, just thinking again." She replied.
"Understandable my dear. There are a few things I must insist upon."
"Anything sir." Said Hermione.
"Hermione, I want you to promise you will come straight to me if anything like this happens again. Even if it is just a daydream in class. We can never be too sure. If I am not here I want you to go to Professor McGonagall. She is your head of house and also the Deputy Headmistress. I also trust her impeccably and will inform her of this immediately. You must also mention this to nobody. No matter how much you think you know them. It is of utmost importance that neither Voldemort nor any of his spies get a hold of this information. Voldemort will no doubt want to know what a sixteen year old girl was doing in his mind and if she saw anything of importance. You could be in grave danger." He finished grimly.
"Yes sir, I understand. I promise to do that." She replied.
"Good then, I suggest that you go now and enjoy the rest of your Saturday. I believe that there is to be an exciting quidditch match after lunch today which involves two of your new friends and no doubt they will want your support." He smiled and opened the door for her.
"Thank you sir. Thank you for listening." Said Hermione.
"Anytime my dear." And he closed the door behind her.
Hermione stood still for a moment or two and realized, this is how Harry deals with everything so well. He has a great mentor to guide him. Smiling to herself despite everything that had happened Hermione descended the stairs and made her way to the great hall for lunch.
A/N: I finally got time! Yay! I've been away for about the last 2 weeks and before that I was really busy working so I didn't have time to write at all. Now that I'm back I'm really busy again, but today while talking to probably the coolest person I know he helped me to decide, screw it, I'm going to take time to write because if I don't take any time to do fun stuff I'll turn into a boring workaholic. So there we have it, I'm rebelling from my busy life and writing. Apologies to you all and I'll update again real soon, maybe even tomorrow. Please read and review, thanks!
need-courage-to-write: thank you for the compliments and the threats, I love getting them from you. The arrangement was me writing it, forgetting to space it and falling asleep straight away. You also get a cookie for spotting that mistake as no doubt my sleepy mind got extremely confuzzled and did that well done.
Fk306 animelover: thanks for the review, I'm glad it was too. Although I should have know, hehe.
PaulC: thanks for being honest. I didn't like it either, that's why I went back and edited it and used some of your advice too. Spacing is no longer a problem of mine I hope, I just fell asleep before I remembered to. Whoopsies
Kidden: thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked it. the spacing was forgotten due to me falling asleep, sorry about that.
Remmy's Gurl: hehe, sorry about that. Didn't mean to mislead you. I thought it was about the right time for that scene and it doesn't bother me at all that you guess what I'm going to write next. It's kinda fun actually so you can keep doing it if you want. Sorry this is more than a bit late, you're one of my first and longest reviewers so I value your opinion as always.
Raspberri13: thanks for the review! Here's the update!
Brittany Malfoy: She certainly will kick ass later, all will be explained in time. Thanks for the review!
Missy87: thanks for the review, hope you like this chapter!
amrawo: yay! You're back! Hope you had a great time. As you can see I didn't get as many new chapters as I promised done but I'm glad you enjoyed what there was, thanks for the review as always!
Hippie Jade: cause I'm completely evil and I love cliffies, here's the next chapter for you, thanks for the review!