Tale of a Smart Witch: Rebrewed
by Teddylonglong
All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes. Warnings: Completely AU. Time travel.
Before Hermione's mind was able to fully understand the implications of the date, which her tempus charm had delivered, four figures landed on their brooms in front of her. 'Gryffindors,' she realised, only to let out a sigh of relief upon recognising "Remus, Sirius, Harry. Oh no… What? James Potter? Oh no!" she mumbled in horror, as she scrambled up from the ground, allowing her brain to do the simple calculation to come to the conclusion that she found herself nineteen years in the past.
"Yes, I am James Potter," the boy replied, sounding upset, as he glared at her. "Who are you by the way, and what's your problem with me?"
Hermione shook her head. "I am sorry. I totally messed up," she confessed. "I was trying to use my time-turner to go forward to the beginning of my fifth year and ended up going back nineteen years in time."
"You've come from the future? Can you prove it? Do you know us from the future?" James enquired, seemingly surprised by Hermione's reaction.
"Yes and no," Hermione admitted in a small voice. "You're my best friend's father, but it's the first time for me to meet you in person. Crookshanks, stop it," she lightly admonished the kneazle, who was hissing at Peter in apparent displeasure.
Casting her a feline glare, he then proceeded to rub himself against Sirius' legs, much to the Marauder's obvious surprise.
"I am a canine Animagus, just so you know," he informed the cat.
"He knows that, but you and he were good friends in the future," Hermione explained, smiling. "Maybe I should go and see the headmaster," she decided. "If anyone can help me to get back to my own time, it's him."
"Let me take you to him," Remus agreed. "We're sixth-year Gryffindors by the way, and I am a prefect."
As quickly as she could, Hermione followed Remus out into the still empty halls of Hogwarts, glad that the early morning light began to flood the corridors. 'At least it's not the middle of the night,' she thought. 'Maybe Professor Dumbledore is already up and about. Breakfast in the Great Hall should commence shortly.'
HP
The headmaster was already sitting behind his desk, gently petting his phoenix Fawkes' crown feathers, when they stepped into the room.
"Good morning, Mr. Lupin," he said friendly, his eyes twinkling, "what brings you here this early in the morning, and who's our guest?"
"Good morning, Professor Dumbledore," Hermione replied quickly, feeling very self-conscious, "I'm Hermione Granger, a fifth-year Gryffindor and a prefect. I had an accident with a time-tuner and ended up travelling nineteen years into the past."
The twinkle vanished from the headmaster's eyes, however, he still continued in his usual, grandfatherly voice. "Welcome to Hogwarts of 1976, Ms. Granger. Please be so kind and tell me what happened. Oh no, wait a moment. Perhaps we should call Professor McGonagall here as well. I trust that she'll still be the Head of Gryffindor in nineteen years' time?"
"Yes sir," Hermione confirmed.
"Mr. Lupin, will you please send Professor McGonagall here then?" Dumbledore addressed his sixth-year prefect. "Afterwards, you may return to Gryffindor."
"Yes sir," Remus replied and quietly took his leave.
"While we're waiting for Professor McGonagall, may I ask you to tell me what caused your accident?" Dumbledore suggested, and Hermione informed him about her parents' death and her attempt to use the time turner to travel right to the beginning of her fifth year from the end of her fourth. She diligently placed her memory of her attempt to over-use the time-turner into the Pensieve. When her head of house arrived, the two professors headed straight into the Pensieve, while Hermione pondered her situation.
'Well, time-turners only allow people to go back in time, not to proceed forth,' she thought, feeling very much unhappy with her situation. 'I should have considered that beforehand. But I thought that my rune would take care of it. If Dumbledore doesn't have any other idea, I'll be stuck here in this time.'
Dumbledore soon confirmed her fears. "I'm sorry, Ms. Granger, but you'll just have to make yourself comfortable in this time. This is going to be your time from this point onwards."
"So, I'll only be able to see my friends again in more than fifteen years, when they'll come to Hogwarts together with my younger self?" Hermione blurted out, horrified.
"I'm afraid so, yes," Dumbledore responded in a grave voice. "From which year exactly did you come?"
"From the 20th of June, 1995," Hermione informed him, feverishly trying to suppress the tears that began to well in her eyes.
"Where did you get the time-turner?" Dumbledore then enquired.
"From Professor McGonagall in my third year, because I needed it to be able to get to all the elective classes which I wanted to attend," Hermione admitted, causing the two professors to exchange a glance, which could be interpreted as exasperation.
"In this case, I don't have to tell you that it was foolish to attempt going forward in time, and that you mustn't change anything during the nineteen years that are going to come," the headmaster continued in a strict voice, while McGonagall gave her a stern look.
"No sir," Hermione replied, before she blurted out, "Do I really have to watch all the people getting killed without preventing one or the other thing from happening?"
Dumbledore's expression softened some. "You may make minor changes, but don't change anything that would alter history or might even prevent you from being born in the first place. Think about everything carefully. Although Professor McGonagall and I shouldn't acquire information about the future, in the worst case, you may always come and speak with us. I won't obliviate Mr. Lupin either, so if you really feel the urge to speak with someone, you might even speak with him or with Miss Evans, our other sixth-year prefect, provided that no one else is listening in."
"She's going to be dead in five years' time," Hermione blurted out, "together with James Potter, just leaving their fifteen-month-old son. Oh well, I promise that I'll try to not do anything that's going to change history at large," she then promised.
"Please see to it," the headmaster instructed her, his eyes twinkling again.
"Ms. Granger," McGonagall finally spoke up for the first time during their conversation, "I'll ask Ms. Evans and Mr. Lupin to take you to Hogsmeade shopping right after breakfast. Is it correct to believe that you did not bring any belongings with you?"
"I brought everything needed for my fifth year in my time, Professor." Hermione sighed, feeling devastated. 'At least I know some people in this time, but I'm going to badly miss Harry and Ron.'
HP
At breakfast, the headmaster shortly introduced her to the students as a transfer student from a small wizarding school in Ireland. Professor McGonagall asked Lily and Remus to accompany Hermione to Hogsmeade to buy everything that the girl would need, considering that the books required for her classes might differ from those she possessed.
"I'll excuse you from your morning classes," she promised, causing Sirius to blurt out, "Why the prefects? Don't you think that I'd be much more predestined to accompany a new girl to Hogsmeade? I am already friends with her cat."
"Surely not, Mr. Black," McGonagall replied, rolling her eyes at Crookshanks who was perched on Sirius' lap, before she made a beeline for the head table.
HP
Despite the situation, Hermione thoroughly enjoyed her trip to the village with Lily and Remus, and by the time they returned to Hogwarts, she had the impression as if she had already gained two friends, even if Remus was not exactly a new friend.
HP
Hermione's first afternoon class was Arithmancy. Unable to fit all of her classes into the timetable, Professor McGonagall had crossed out Muggle Studies and Care of Magical Creatures and left Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, much to Hermione's relief. 'Thank Merlin it's not the other way round,' she thought, gratefully.
Since the Marauders and everyone else she might know were in their sixth year, Hermione walked to the Arithmancy classroom just by herself and lowered herself into an empty seat, not caring where she was sitting, as she probably would not know any of the students anyway.
However, a glance to her right side made her look at her neighbour surprise. The fifteen-year-old boy sitting next to her bore a great resemblance to Sirius Black. He quirked an eyebrow at her in silent question.
"I'm sorry, is it all right to sit here?" she asked, hesitantly.
"If you must," he replied, shortly, before turning his attention to the teacher.
To Hermione's relief, she noticed that the Arithmancy class of her own time seemed to be much advanced in comparison to this class. The teacher apparently realised the same, and Hermione managed to answer three questions, of which no one else seemed to know the response, and received thirty points for Gryffindor. She realised that the boy next to her had to be Sirius' younger brother, when the teacher called him by his surname. 'How strange,' she thought. 'I never knew that Sirius has a brother at all. I wonder what happened to him. Oh well, he could also be a cousin though.'
During a short break between the double period, Hermione addressed the boy next to her. "Excuse me, are you somehow related to Sirius Black?"
"And what if? He's a blood traitor." The boy's voice was firm.
Hermione sighed. "Do you still believe in your parents' prejudices? I am Hermione Granger by the way."
"Regulus Black." The boy's expression remained emotionless. 'Somehow, he faintly reminds me of Professor Snape,' Hermione thought, smiling at him. Before she could further ponder the matter though, the class resumed.
At the end of the class, the teacher kept Hermione back. "You seem to be much advanced for this class. Would you perhaps be interested to work on a special project with one of my sixth-year students? We have an uneven number of students, and you could work together outside of class."
"Sure," Hermione replied, eagerly. "Thank you, Professor."
"I shall introduce you to him after dinner tonight."
HP
After dinner, Professor Vector introduced Hermione to none other than a young-looking, sixteen-year-old Severus Snape and informed the boy that Hermione would be his partner for a combined Arithmancy – Potions project.
"Library tomorrow after dinner," Severus hissed to her before following his classmates out of the Great Hall without even bothering to wait for her response.
'Who does he think he is, ordering me around?' Hermione thought, shaking her head in annoyance. 'In this time, he's not a professor yet.'
HP
"What happened?" Lily asked, when she followed her housemates back to the Gryffindor common room. "You seem upset."
Surprised as to how observing Lily was, Hermione sighed. "Oh, nothing really. I have to do a project together with Severus Snape, and he just ordered me to be in the library tomorrow night. I mean, he could have asked me."
"Oh," Lily replied in apparent understanding. "He's been my friend for many years, but he's much into the dark arts, and after he called me a really bad word, I ended our friendship," she explained in a small voice.
"Oh well, maybe I can prevent him from becoming the frustrated, unfair git that he was in the future," Hermione replied, just when they stepped through the portrait hole into the common room.
"Good luck," Lily whispered, smiling, causing Hermione to mouth, "Thanks."
HP
During her classes, Hermione had been distracted enough to not mull about her new situation, however, when she was sitting in the common room doing her homework, she could not help thinking about Harry and Ron and how she missed her friends.
Suddenly, Remus lowered himself into the empty spot next to her on the sofa. "Hermione, are you all right?" he asked, gently.
"Of course," Hermione replied, giving the boy a faint smile. "I just miss my friends," she added in a small voice.
"Oh, but don't tell us that we're not more charming than your old friends could ever be," Sirius spoke up, cheering at her from across the table.
"Exactly," James added before asking, "Do you play Quidditch by the way?"
"Not at all," Hermione admitted. "I'm more interested in studying."
"Well, then you're better off with Remus in any case," Sirius commented. "He's the studious one."
"We'll see if we can manage to change your opinion of flying nonetheless," James added, grinning.
Hermione could not help smiling at their antics, before her eyes fell onto Alice and Frank, who were quietly studying together in front of the fireplace. 'Only a few more years, and four of them will be gone forever,' she recalled, unable to keep the smile on her face.
Suddenly, she remembered her earlier class and cast Sirius a questioning look. "In which way is Regulus Black related to you?"
Sirius' expression darkened some. "He's my brother, the good brother who is following into my parents' footsteps."
Hermione cast him a pensive look. 'Perhaps, I can still try to become friends with him,' she thought. Somehow, she felt disgusted on the one hand but intrigued on the other by the Slytherin boy, not that she would admit such a thing to any of the Marauders.
HP
At their Herbology class the following morning, Hermione shared a table with her Gryffindor roommates. Marina, who was one of the fifth-year prefects, and Anna. Happy that the girls invited her, she sat with them, relieved when her Herbology class went as well as every other class so far.
Their second morning class was Transfiguration, and the three girls headed back towards the castle to be on time for the class with their head of house.
They had just crossed the entrance hall, when Hermione saw what she knew to be Bellatrix Black and who she thought could be Rudolphus Lestrange, her future husband, pester two much younger girls.
"Leave them in peace!" she shouted and was just about to take points from Slytherin, when she remembered that she was not a prefect in this time. 'Too bad, after Professor McGonagall promised that I was going to be one,' she thought in annoyance.
"And why does that concern you?" Bellatrix enquired, turning around with her wand pointed at Hermione, Marina and Anna.
"Fighting in the corridors is forbidden," Hermione insisted and managed just in time to cast a strong shield charm to save her and her roommates from the curse that Bellatrix sent at them – which rebound, hitting Bellatrix square in the chest.
"What's happening here?" a strict voice came from behind the two Slytherins, and Hermione saw the Potions teacher, Professor Slughorn, arrive.
"She hexed Bella," Rudolphus complained, causing the professor to turn to her.
"That's not true," Marina immediately came to her defence. "Black cast the spell, and Hermione merely put up a shield charm which reflected the spell."
"Exactly," Hermione agreed, "and she only turned on us, because I reprimanded her for harassing younger students."
The professor reached for Bellatrix' wand and cast the Prior Incantatem spell. "The girls are obviously right," he commented and took twenty points from Slytherin before instructing, "Lestrange, take Black to the hospital wing."
"Let's go then, we're late for class," Anna whispered to Hermione and Marina, who immediately set to follow her.
"Thank you very much," the two younger girls said to her, eyeing her with what seemed to be admiration.
"You're welcome," Hermione replied, smiling.
However, when she entered the Transfiguration classroom behind her roommates, explaining that they had to help younger students against two Slytherins, McGonagall was not pleased and informed her that she should leave such things to prefects or teachers.
'Oh well, for her I'm just a normal student in this time,' Hermione thought in disappointment, used to being her head of house's favourite pupil as well as a reliable student and soon-to-be prefect to all professors.
HP
After dinner, Hermione headed to the library to work on her Arithmancy project together with Severus. Noticing that he was already occupying one of the tables, she quickly sat on the chair next to him.
"Finally," Severus commented, grimly.
"I'm sorry, but I just only now finished dinner," Hermione replied, trying to keep her voice void of anger. "Now let's begin." Ignoring his grumpy expression, she began to work, talking to the boy as if he were the best company that she could imagine. To her relief, it only took a few minutes, before Severus dove into the matter as well and seemed to have forgotten any animosity towards her.
"I thought that we could try to improve the Wolfsbane potion through Arithmancy and possibly try to find a cure for Lycanthropy," Hermione suggested after separately skimming a few Arithmancy books.
"The Wolfsbane potion?" Severus queried, quirking an eyebrow.
'Oh no, maybe it wasn't even invented in this time,' Hermione thought, however, replied, "Yes, the potion that makes a werewolf keep his mind during the transformation." 'I really need to pay better attention to what I say,' she reprimanded herself, letting out a small sigh.
"I've never heard of it," Severus replied. "Are you sure that you didn't merely dream about such a thing?"
"Absolutely," Hermione informed him, took a small parchment and wrote down the recipe, having studied that specific potion in detail in order to possibly brew it for Remus one day.
"Hmmm, interesting," Severus commented. "I'll have to check that out later. Your idea is surprisingly good though. Let's work on it then."
From that time onwards, Hermione and Severus met in the library every other evening and sometimes even spent large parts of the weekend working on their project.
HP
"I don't understand why you always hang out with Snape," Sirius told her one evening, when she returned to the common room just before curfew.
"We're working on an Arithmancy project," Hermione replied for the umpteenth time. "We were assigned the project together."
"What kind of project is it?" Frank Longbottom enquired. He was also a sixth-year and was said to love Arithmancy.
"It's a combined Arithmancy – Potions project, and we're trying to find a remedy for an illness by improving a potion through Arithmancy," Hermione explained. "Of course, we don't know if it'll ever work, but we'll try," she added, shrugging.
"What illness is that?" Lily asked with apparent interest.
Knowing that Lily intended to become a healer after finishing Hogwarts, Hermione supplied in a small voice, "Lycanthropy."
"What?" Sirius blurted out, looking at her, wide-eyed.
"Shhh," Hermione replied, giving him a stern look. "As I said, we have no clue if it's going to work, so please don't talk about it."
"All right," Sirius promised, glancing at Remus, who had fortunately been otherwise occupied and had missed that part of the conversation.
HP
In spite of the grumpy expression that Severus used to wear, he soon became used to Hermione's company and slowly began to open up towards her. Hermione realised that he was much friendlier to her than his older self had ever been. He even once asked her about a Transfiguration homework, which he just could not understand, and Hermione patiently explained the matter. After a few weeks of studying together, she had the impression as if they were on the way to become something close to friends.
Frequently, Hermione sat next to Regulus Black in some of their classes, and her Slytherin classmate did not protest in spite of the attitude he had shown her at their first encounter. He even slowly opened up to her just like his older housemate and exchanged one or the other word with her. 'Thank Merlin the Slytherins don't know that I'm muggleborn; otherwise, they'd harass Regulus and Severus about it,' she thought one day after witnessing another fight between Slytherins and Gryffindors in a corridor.
tbc...
A huge thanks to the kind reviewers. Your comments mean a lot to me.
