Hermione woke to the pleasent sensation of having slept more hours than was strictly necessary. Not bothering to open her eyes yet, she reveled in the feeling of waking up with enough sleep, something she hadn't had a chance to do in what seemed like ages. It was odd, though, she thought with a frown; the room was dark, and there was something off about that darkness. Where on earth...
Memories of the previous day came flooding back, and her eyes snapped open. The room that had seemed so comfortingly hers the day before felt suddenly alien. A nights' sleep had, indeed, brought her over her shock and left her able to reason things through. Unfortunately, the clarity in her mind was currently unwelcome.
They had traveled backwards through time. They had traveled farther back than anyone was supposed to be able to. And, in doing so, she was quite certain they had irrevocably changed the future. So many things were uncertain, though. Because, if they truly had changed the future, then their future no longer existed. Were there, prehaps, alternate dimensions? That was the most comforting theory; that their time still existed somewhere, and where they were was simply someplace else. Hermione, however, wasn't prone to agreeing with a theory simply because it was comfortable. And, it seemed to her, the most uncomfortable theory was most likely the truth.
What about the Duality principle, though? Hermione thought, What happens when we're born? Will we simply never be born because we already exist? Or, is birth even the moment you begin to exist? Technically, when does a person become a person? Will we disappear from existance at the moment we are concieved? Will our age suddenly average with our infant selves when we're born? How will we age now that we're in the past - will we age the same, moving forward through time? Or will we not age at all, perhaps?
None of these thoughts were particularly comforting. Granted, she realized, it may just be her currently dark mood, overshadowing her thoughts and bringing to light only theories that boded ill for the time travelers. Though it seemed, at least, that the time-displacement sickness bit was a lie - Hermione hardly felt ill. In fact, she felt better, younger, than she'd felt in years.... Oh, she remembered, I'm thirteen-ish again. Well, not really thirteen, I don't think, because I don't believe my maturity has regressed, but... then again, perhaps I wouldn't know if it had.
A thousand questions, and each brings only more questions. But, does it really matter right now? I mean, the reasons are important, but our actions, for the time being, are more so. It really matters little which theory is correct. I see three possibilities. One, this is the past we know, and this has all already happened. In that case, no matter what we do, everything will turn out the same. Which is depressing, really, because I'd like to think we could do better than that, but at least it would mean we can't do any worse.
The second possibility that came to mind was the alternate universe theory. Not one to dismiss anything out of hand as a plausable explanation, Hermione concluded that, were this truly the case, there was no chance of them messing up the timeline. It would mean that they had a chance of saving the future of "this" timeline, and, better yet, that they might some day go home.
The third possibility was that they had simply and completely traveled back in time. That, upon leaving their own time, and arriving here, the "future" had ceased to exist. A time turner, as Hermione well knew, allowed a person to travel back in time in such a way that it allowed for time paradoxes and such the like; they were sorted out, simply, by magic. Even the top reasearchers of the time had no idea how such things were solved. But magic is sentient, and settles such things in its own way. Which is how a person with a time turner can truly be two places at once, or see their past or future self.
The device itself -the time-turner- was spelled to delay the folding of a person into their other self. It had been perfected, over time, to a useable thing. Originally, it had been unstable, sometimes the person would "meld" with their past self immediately, and sometimes not until the 'momen't their 'other self' traveled into the past. All such things were, simply, sorted by magic. When the additional ingredient had been added, it had changed magics' perception of the intention of the device, changing what using such a thing would do. It had given the witches and wizards working on the project the illusion of control over exactly what was going on.
Which was why they never could figure out how time travel could still have unpredictable results. Yet no matter how much logic they applied, no matter how strictly they regulated the use of the devices, sometimes, magic simply took a different interpretation. A paradox might be sorted one way one time, and another way entirely the next. The person traveling was protected, in a way, as carrying the time-turner with them at all times meant the magic was with them at all times, and was thus continually at its liberty to sort things as it saw fit.
Yet this time, the magic was no longer still with them. The potion had disappeared in the travel. They were no longer solely at the mercy of Magic, but were agian subject to the laws of the logical world. Which meant that any solution they could come up with would almost definately have to work within the confines of logic. In this case, that was unlikely to be a good thing.
Most importantly, however, Hermione was never one to waste time dwelling on the unchangeable aspects of life. What we really need, she realized is a plan. A plan to get us back to the future, research to do, and a focus. Perhaps it will work, and we'll go back, but, even if it doesn't, the work involved in such a project should keep us busy until we've passed our immediate problems. And I have just the thing, and know exactly who to approach first. If I convince him the others will go along with it.
"Hermione?" came a youthful voice. Just the person I wanted to see Hermione thought.
"I was about to go looking for you, Harry." Hermione said, forcing a bright and cheerful tone. If this is going to work, I'd better make it believable. And to start, he can't think I doubt myself at all.
Harry was truly puzzled. They'd just discovered that they had lost everything, and weren't going back. "Uh, Hermione, you feeling okay?" He'd gotten up, and almost immediately decided to go and comfort his friend. He had mostly expected to find her curled up, crying - or at least still asleep. What he had most definately not expected, was -
"Of course I'm fine. And I'm going to be even better when we get back." Hermione confidently declared.
Harry was left speechless. Denial was very unlike his ever-practical friend. Yet there was no other explanation; Hermione herself had told them all it was impossible. "I think you're, well, I mean... it isn't healty to... but you said... Hermione, you said we could never go back. You said there was no way to travel into the future."
"That isn't exactly what I said. I said there was no way to send us back to our own time." Hermione responded, hoping Harry hadn't been paying too much attention; in all honesty, she wasn't entirely sure what she'd said.
Harry ran a hand roughly through his hair. Sometimes, Hermione made him crazy "I fail to see the difference. And I really don't get how any of this is a good thing."
"The difference, oh unobservant one, is that there is no way to send us back now."
Harry was feeling even more lost... and was fairly sure that Hermione had just contradicted herself, though he wasn't quite sure how. "Still don't get it." He responded.
"It's simple. We simply take the future-traveling potion, and find a way to amplify it." Hermione declared, hoping such a statement was enough to make Harry ignore her earilier self-contradiction.
"Hermione. There isn't a future-traveling potion. There isn't a future-traveling anything. You've told me yourself, time and again, that future travel is impossible." Harry was feeling more lost than ever. Hermione had snapped, finally snapped. Harry could surely sympathise, but he hadn't a clue what to do about it.
"That's where you're wrong, Harry. In fact, the very potion we were brewing, the one that ended up sending us here, is the future-travel potion I'm talking about." Hermione proudly declared. She was quite sure that Harry thought she was nuts, just now. But if she could manage to convince Hary that they had a chance, the others would be easy. Or, rather, Neville would. Malfoy... Draco was a different story entirely. Though if he was convinced, he might be a great help in the research.
So that's what Hermione's doing, Harry thought. Well, at least it makes some sense. "Hermione... look, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but things aren't so far down, not yet, that I need false hope just to get me through. I mean, we might even have a chance to change things for the better, you know? Besides, I do pay some attention in class, I'll have you know. I know what that potion is for... it can provide a glimpse of or transport the user to the most important event related to them at the time. It has nothing to do with time travel."
"Actually, the Mudblood is right" drawled a voice from the doorway.
"Malfoy!" Hermione said, shocked "how long have you been there... and how did you get there, anyhow?"
If Draco was surprised at her reaction, he didn't show it. "Long enough to know that you might have someting, there. And not that I have to answer to you, but your screeching was interrupting my dinner."
Hermione didn't know whether to take offence, take the comment at face value, or wonder if the insult was a means of informing them that dinner was ready. She decided to take it as a dinner invite. If nothing else, it would give them the time to discuss this, with everyone a captive audience.
Harry, on the other hand, had more straightforward worries "You mean, there is a way to travel into the future?" Harry said, not bothering to attempt to mask the hope in his voice.
Draco, surprisingly, answered the question. Even more surprisingly, he did so without insult. "Yes. Well, sort of. That potion is the only known way, and it only takes you very slightly into the future. So very slightly, that most people don't even consider it time travel. I don't think it's even capable of sending you forward a whole second."
"Ten seconds is the record, that was the occurance where they discovered the time-travel property of the thing, they've been unable to come even close to the record since, and we should go eat dinner before it gets cold." Hermione stated, not even pausing to transition between the two topics. She flashed Harry a grin and was making for the stairway before either boy had caught up with her train of thought. "Coming?" she asked over her shoulder, as she passed the doorway.
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Neville was already seated at a table placed in the farthest part of the room from the main entry, in front of the huge window when they arrived. He smiled at Hermione, seeming about to say something, and then caught sight of Harry and Draco behind her. He arched an eyebrow, exchanging a glance with Harry at Malfoy's apparent decision to join them for dinner, but fell silent. The huge window seemed mostly as a sheet of black glass, considering it was nearing midnight and in the middle of a storm, but then a lighting flash arched across the sky.
It was beautiful, truly beautiful, and for a moment the four simply shared in the sight. The feeling seemed to stay with them as they sat down to dinner. Dinner was quiet, but not in a depressing way. It was the silent appreciation of something greater than themselves, and none was immune to the feeling of barely restrained power radiating from the storm. The silence went unbroken, the soft clink of silverware on plates only adding to a feeling of rightness that pervaded.
As the meal ended, the spell of the storm seemed to fade, and the silence was ended by Draco's voice "So. About going back."
Surprisingly, Neville was the one to answer. "That is simply cruel, Malfoy." Was all he said, but it was simply stated, as though having everything ripped away from him had made Neville incapable of the fear he once had of Draco.
Hermione was surprised, not only by Draco's comment, but by Neville's as well. "Actually, Neville, it wasn't. We were discussing earlier - we may be able to go back after all. It will take a lot of research, and we'll all need to work together, but I think there's a chance. You see, the potion -"
Neville interrupted, snapping at her. "Potion. Well. In that case, I'll be going. I'd rather not get us into a worse mess, thanks." So saying, and before anyone could stop him. He stood from the table and exited through the door to his room.
Hermione was taken aback. Neville had never snapped at her before. "I didn't mean..."
"Hermione." Harry said. He felt bad for Neville, he really did, but if there was a chance of going back, he wanted to hear about it. "Give him time. He blames himself, and he's the only one who can grant himself forgiveness. Trust me, I know."
Hermione gave herself a small shake, returning to the topic at hand "So, right, well... as I was saying... we just need to do some research. We'll need passes to the restricted section, and a labrotory to work in. We should divide into tasks, I think. We'll need all of us if we plan on getting anywhere in a hurry. Perhaps one of the unused bedrooms here can be converted into a lab, though we'll need some different equipment; access to our own potions stores, or at least those of the current professor, is a must. I think it would be best if we had a way to get to and from the library unnoticed by students. A floo connection to the fireplace in the library might work, but then. Well, I don't know. We'll just have to talk to Dumbledore and work it all out."
Draco looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "Granger, I hate to remind you, but you're twelve. There's no way, none at all, that they'll listen to you."
"Malfoy" she retorted, rolling her eyes "I'm not actually twelve. Just because my appearence has changed is no reason for them to treat me differently."
Draco snorted. "It doesn't matter what age you actually are. They won't be able to look past your pathetically innocent face. No one will take you seriously, they definately won't agree to giving you any kind of access to the restricted section, and they'll never even consider allowing you to have potions equipment like that. There's dangerous stuff you'd need - things that could easily be deadly, or used for the dark arts. I mean, c'mon Hermione, would YOU trust a twelve year old child to such things? Even if you knew, intellectually, that they weren't twelve? Especially seeing as Dumbledore is the only one who knows our true ages? And you can't honestly be stupid enough to expect to be able to tell people what really happened to us. Or to get them to believe you. Although, in fact, it would likely be far worse if they did. Imagine the Dark Lord's glee at discovering a person from the future, who can tell him exactly what to avoid, exactly what mistakes to avoid."
"Well, it's decided, then." Hermione said, as though everyone knew what exacty they'd been trying to decide "We're simply going to have to take an aging potion."
Aging potion, Harry thought. Sounds like a great idea, really. So why do I get such a bad feeling about all of this?
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Meanwhile, had they only known, the four students were the talk of the school. It isn't every day, after all, that someone, let alone four people, mysteriously appear in the entry to the great hall smack in the middle of breakfast. Four boys, ever the ones for mysteries, excitement, and mischief, were still discussing the event, even at half past one. Two couches had been comandeered hours ago for just that purpose, in fact. Though the comandeering was hardly necessary.
For one, the common room had been empty for quite some time; as early as eleven, they could have chosen any seat they wished. For another, that particular set of couches was widely known to be "thiers", and no one messed with the popular group of fourth years. No one who didn't want revenge taken upon them - most often in the form of public humiliation - at any rate. The boys, now styling themselves the "Marauders", were famous for their pranks.
Remus Lupin, quietest of the four, had been the one to come up with the name. Though he had done so quite inadvertantly. Early last year, Sirius and James had, as per usual, done something completely foolish and not some small amount dangerous. Whatever it was had earned them a tongue-lashing from their normally silent friend, who had lectured them on the dangers of "marauding about". For whatever reason, Sirius had latched on to the word, deciding it suited perfectly. Which greatly surprised Remus, as he hadn't thought his friends were listening in the least.
Which, upon questioning, they admitted they hadn't been.
Just as they weren't now, in the midst of his discouragement for their current plan. Which is why he chose to end it then, saying simply "You can't just go looking for them."
That seemed to catch at least James' attention. "Why not, Rem? It's a brilliant plan." He said, sounding actually curious as to what his friend had to say.
Remus Lupin shook his head. He'd been trying to explain 'why not' for the last half hour. Though James appeared to be listening; perhaps there was some chance. "Let me put it simply. One: they may not even be in the castle. Two: even if they are, they may well have good reason for not being about. Not to mention that Dumbledore's no slouch, and if he wants them hidden then they'll hardly be easily found. Three: there's - "
"Remus, you're missing the point." James interrupted. "If they're hard to find, all the better! I mean, it's not like we'll get caught, we've got the cloak. And even if we don't find them, it'll be a marvelous bit of adventure, and an excellent chance for you to work on that pet project of yours."
Remus sighed. James would bring that up. The creation of a map of the school had been entirely Remus' idea; somewhat in hopes of keeping his friends out of trouble, Remus had was fascinated by the subject for the sheer intellectual joy of discovery. And with Hogwarts, there was just so much to discover... secret passageways, hidden rooms, rooms that were there sometimes and gone others. If anything could get Remus to agree to a plan involving night time wanderings, that was it. Something which, obviously, James was willing to make full use of.
Sirius tried his best to persuade his recalcitrant friend "Rem, come on... I'll... I promise to look up that spell you wanted for locating a person on the map. And I'll... we'll... do all our homework for a whole week. And turn it in. On time, even." Seeing his ploy wasn't yet working, Sirius put on his best puppy-dog look... "Pleeeeease?"
Remus couldn't help but laugh, as he caved. "Oh, fine, we'll go. But only this once."