Rather a big ask

A/N: I have finally decided to be more active as an author on here, here's to hoping people like Tomione as much as I do

"Miss Granger, take a seat," Professor Dumbledore spoke solemnly, his eyes lacking their usual twinkle. Hermione took a deep breath and sat herself opposite Dumbledore, very aware of the dozens of portraits staring down at her in curiosity. Dumbledore poured himself some tea from the set on his desk, offering Hermione a cup, she shook her head in decline of his offer. "Very well." he said, "I suppose we should get down to business then, Miss Granger"

"I think that would be a good idea, sir, respectfully I think the Order could do with my aid." She spoke with confidence that she didn't quite feel, but she supposed she needed some of her Gryffindor bravado given the apparent seriousness of the conversation that was to take place.

"Indeed. Miss Granger, I am afraid we are losing this war. Badly. Tom Riddle's forces are triple the size of our own and he has the favour of a multitude of magical creatures, something the Order cannot counter. His horcruxes are causing us a major issue, and I am afraid that we simply do not have the means to destroy them all and take him down," Dumbledore hung his head in clear disappointment at his own Order's failings, "this leads me to now, this conversation Miss Granger has the capability to turn the tides of the war." It was all very cryptic, Hermione thought, although he had admitted to the apparent failures of the Light, he hadn't actually told her what she was here for; if she was here to be severely disheartened about the war efforts, she supposed he had succeeded with his little speech. Hermione huffed, sick and tired of being kept in the dark, when it was evident most of her illustrious headmaster's plans revolved around her and her best friends - mostly her, she figured, since Harry and Ron seem to be finding difficulty getting their heads out of their arses.

"I'm afraid you're being rather unclear, Professor, and that just won't do anymore. What exactly, sir, am I here for?" Her eyes narrowed in determination to get the answers she was so desperate for.

"Ah, yes, I presumed you would be rather put out about being kept out of the know, Miss Granger," his eyes began to twinkle again, "I am afraid I have a rather big ask of you..." he began to trail off, clearly less confident that she would agree to his plans after seeing how direct and, quite frankly, cold in her interaction with him.

"Sir?"

"I would like you to teach Him what He knows not." He put simply. What? She scoffed to herself. Surely it's a bit late for that, He is far beyond learning anything other than new ways to make everyone's lives fucking miserable.

"Sir, it feels rather silly to have to point out that He is far beyond saving, especially if the one trying to save him is a mudblood!" she cried out at him towards the end, her frustration with his cryptic clues to what he wanted was beginning to come out.

"Yes, I rather suppose He is beyond saving now. But, my dear Miss Granger, he was not beyond saving in 1942." This had to be some kind of fucked up joke. 1942?! 5th year Tom Riddle was surely just as dangerous then, if not more so, given his good looks at the time.
"Sir, you cannot be suggesting that I go back in time to change him, mere months before he unleashed his beast of a basilisk upon the school?!" She exclaimed, properly shocked at her Headmaster asking her such a think, she was about to take her bloody OWLs and she certainly didn't need to be entertaining this nonsense.

"That is exactly what I am suggesting, Miss Granger. It is apparent to me now that Mr Riddle was rather without intelligent companionship in his youth, and he was without many friends until 1943, when he was able to prove his heritage to his housemates. Something of an outcast, he was, despite how many points he earned for his house. I feel if anyone would be able to change his outlook on Wizard kind, it would be someone who can understand him, and how alone he was early in his schooling." He was trying to pull on her heartstrings there, knowing full well she was an advocate for the broken and alone, "I admit I left something to be desired as a mentor, distrusting him from the moment I met him, in hindsight I suppose I only pushed him further down the path he chose." He shook his head, as though he was disappointed in himself, but she could still spy the twinkle in his eye, and Hermione reckoned he wasn't the least bit ashamed he had caused the creation of his adversary, more that he was disappointed he hadn't been able to stamp him out the way he did with Grindlewald.

"Headmaster, I will do this, but I need a backstory and I need a clear instruction, none of this indirect nonsense you have given me thus far!"

"Ah yes Miss Granger, I am glad you are up to the task. You will be sent back to August of 1942, to Wool's Orphanage, the Hogwart's owl should find you there to deliver your letter, as the books will update when you are present in the past. You shall be known as Mia Smith, and you will pass as a Half-blood, having to flee the continent after your muggle mother and Pureblood father were slaughtered by Grindlewald. You will tell Tom Riddle, and anyone else who asks, that you fled to London with no clue where to go and walked until you found Wool's Orphanage, you will not even tell past me about your true nature. You will befriend young Mister Riddle, and you will do your best to become his paramour." He stated this all to her as though this was some simple request, something they both knew it was not.

"Alright." She said simply, if she could change things, change how the events of the past turned out, then maybe Harry could grow up with parents, maybe people like her wouldn't be persecuted. It was a long shot, she supposed, but she didn't expect to make it out of this war in any capacity, so she might as well give this task her all.

"Excellent." And with that he slung a rather large time turner around her neck and twisted it 53 and a half times, she counted. This was it then. No chance to say goodbye to anyone. She rather thought she disliked Dumbledore now, but she figured that was no matter now, as she had already started spinning.