Hermione sat up quickly, her head spinning. The children were lost in time, she'd been lost in her subconscious and finally Ron her precious Ron had broken her out, he'd entered her mind and saved her from herself. He'd hovered ghost like over her body as she watched his soul re-enter his own body. She watched as his eyes shot open and gave him a watery smile as he stumbled over to her, hugging her in his strong embrace.
"Hermione, your back, your safe," he whispered lovingly.
"Ron, we need to save the children, we need to enter the Department of Mysteries and get everything they have on time travel." She said in a determined voice whilst pulling out of his hold. She stood up without another word and walked to the fireplace in the corner of the room. Stepping into it she took floo powder off the mantel and sprinkled a handful into the grate whilst shouting, "The Ministry of Magic," that said she was flamed away before anything else could be said.
Once she arrived at the Ministry, Hermione marched past the memorial fountain that held the names of those that had been lost during both the first and the second wizarding wars. She headed straight to the golden lifts that would take her to her destination. Once inside she pressed the shining number 9 and tapped her foot impatiently as the lift moved to the level in which the department of mysteries was on.
The doors opened not two minutes later, and Hermione marched down the dark marble corridor to the door she had entered once before when Voldemort had sent Harry dreams of Sirius been held hostage. This time was different though. Today no one was dying, and she didn't have anyone with her. She was a War Hero, a Mother, a respected member of the Ministry of Magic as well as a member of The Order of the Phoenix. She was on a mission and she was not going to stop until she got what she wanted.
Taking out her wand she blasted the door causing multiple alarms to sound throughout the ministry. She did not worry though because she was the brightest which of the age and had friends in high places, no one would arrest her for this. She continued into the room with all the doors. Like last time they all spun but this time she was prepared. She froze the room then blasted all the doors away before walking into the one that was the time room. Twisting towards the door she cast a charm that created a barrier that only she could remove. She did this with all the other doors into the room as well.
She could hear footsteps approaching the room, but no one was entering, unless she said they could. She walked around the room her hand skimming over strange objects that were embedded with magic. She could feel the heartbeat of time emitting from the clock that contained the sands of time. She'd be able to create a new time turner but first she needed an Unspeakable.
Turning to the barrier that covered the blasted door, she could see Ron, Harry, Kingsley and loads of other Aurors, hit wizards and Unspeakables. Ron was shouting something, but she didn't hear due to the silencing spell embedded within the barrier. Waving her wand, she summoned an unspeakable from the crowed and tied them to a conjured chair whilst disarming and binding them. The Unspeakable was someone she recognised from School a boy who was a few years her senior.
"Hello Marcus, how lovely to see you again," She purred knowing him to be one of the males whose eyes followed her when she moved. "Now I'm in need of your help and then I'm going to set you free," she spoke to him quietly, whispering the words into his ear.
"Granger your mental, whatever you want from the department of mysteries I can't help you with," Marcus Flint told her whilst trying to wandlessly free himself.
"Oh, but Marcus, that's where you're wrong. Do you know what's happened today? My children, my nieces, nephews, and friend's children have been sent back in time to the summer before my 5th year. Do you know what that means Marcus?" She asked straddling him and whispering in his ear whilst rolling up the sleeve of his left arm and trailing her long slender fingers over the scarred remains of his dark mark.
"Voldemort's alive, your master however much you didn't want to be in his service is alive and twenty-five innocent children are trapped in that time with knowledge of the future. They know who wins, they know who dies. If they tell the wrong people, they risk changing the future. They could unknowingly prevent the downfall of Voldemort. You don't want that do you Marcus," She whispered sensually into his ear whilst nibbling on it softly and causing him to moan. She could feel him hardening under her and stepped away from him, choosing to circle his chair like a shark after its prey.
"Hermione, I can't help, I'm under oath not to speak of my job," Marcus tried to explain to the angered witch.
"I know all about the oath, I invented it. Although it causes pain it doesn't cause death like the unbreakable vow. Marcus, I need to know everything about time travel, we need to get the children back. Your godson is among them; Scorpius is trapped in the past. Help me please," Hermione begged.
"I can't Hermione, not without clearance to tell you. Get clearance and I will tell you everything you need, I promise," Marcus argued.
I'm sorry Marcus but we don't have the time, I need the information now and it takes weeks to get clearance. Even Kingsley can't give it to me. It's going to hurt you but it's for the greater good, we can't risk the world as we know it or the lives of the children. Your immune to Veritaserum and you've got strong mental defences. I'm going to have to weaken you to get the truth. It will hurt. Will you let me do it, give me permission I don't want to hurt you against your will." Hermione asked her strength weakening as tears burned in her eyes.
"Hermione, your right we don't have time and there's too much to risk. You're going to have to break me to get the information you need. Before you do it though, kiss me, remind me of what I could have had if I weren't such a plonker," Flint begged his eyes full of unrequited love.
"Marcus what we had was an accident, we were drunk, and the war had just ended. Ron had broken my heart because he was grieving over Fred and you wanted comfort because your sister had died, and your parents were in Azkaban. It went on for a year, but we used each other. You were never meant to fall for me, for me it has always been Ron and you know that" Hermione was in tears as she said this but lent in none the less to grant what might be his final request. As she kissed him his binds broke, and he brought one arm up to tangle into the hair at the back of her neck whilst the other rubbed soothing circles on her lower back.
He pulled away and wiped the tears from her cheeks and planted a light kiss to her forehead, "don't cry, I love you," he whispered to her as he wiped away her tears.
"I L-love" she began.
"Don't lie Mine, do it" he demanded.
Raising her wand shakily she whispered the dreaded curse that had featured in so many of her nightmares; "Crucio!"