Tempus Magia

Part One

Chapter 3: The Time Chamber

Hermione Granger made a grave error during the final battle that resulted in Remus's death. Working as an unspeakable she spends two years working on a spell using powder from time turners to go back to Remus's greatest hour of need. What if Remus's greatest time of need wasn't in *this* war?

Hermione woke at her desk buried under a mountain of parchment to the alarm on her wand blaring. It was only that loud when she slept through the first three alarms and if she slept through her first three alarms that meant she was late. Shit.

Hermione dashed out of the room and got dressed for work in a dizzying spell that involved wearing two different shoes that she transfigured into the same shoe in the lift in the Ministry. Thank Merlin, for Percy Weasley.

Hermione hurried through busy Wednesday morning rush on level nine, towards her desk.

"Look at that Perfect Prefect Hermione Granger, is late. Whatever shall the wizarding world do?" Shauna Trawlenny sneered.

Of all the people to catch her on a bad day, "Shove off Shauna. No one asked your opinion. Don't you have love potions to administer to muggles or something?"

Shauna's pale complexion reddened, "That was an accident!"

Hermione snorted. "Sure, I'm sure the muggle felt the same way."

"You bitch-"

"Is there a problem here?" Amalaya Bode asked. She was the head of Shauna's department and unlike the rest of the morons in the Ministry, she was of the few that were not fooled by Shauna's simpering act.

Saul had been at Amalaya's side when she pushed for Shauna to be fired after it was discovered she had given one of her neighbors a love potion. Shauna had played dumb and said she had taken samples home by mistake and the muggle had come over to borrow sugar, of all things, and drank it by mistake.

If there was even an ounce of truth to that story Hermione would eat her wand. She got off due to a lack of evidence and having just been obliviated the muggle couldn't exactly defend himself.

"I asked if there was a problem Shauna? I do hope you aren't delaying Miss Granger from getting to her office. She has very important work to get to in the Time Chamber today." Hermione nodded an affirmative.

"She's late. I believe it's Ministry protocol for any member coming after-"

"She was running an errand for me." Saul showed up behind Amalaya. "It was already delivered to my office. Thank you, Hermione. Now, let's hurry along there is no need to cause a scene."

Hermione looked around and realized that she had, in fact, caused a scene. Her cheeks burned as she followed her boss into his office. He sat behind his desk and waved his door closed, his eyebrow raised.

"I'm so sorry! I slept through my alarm and-"

Saul raised a hand, requesting her silence. Hermione thanked every deity that existed because she had no excuse except for the extremely illegal research she was doing in her closet.

"Hermione, do you know that you have actually broken records for being one of the most timely and efficient employees in the Ministry? Not even Barty Crouch was always on time. We've been working together for almost two years and you have never been late. I actually met Auror Potter on the way here and he said you two had dinner last night."

Saul leaned back in his chair his expression more serious than Hermione had ever seen on him. "There is only one thing I have to say and the rest of your day will depend on your answer," Her heart hammered dangerously in her chest. Was she being sacked? No, no, no. The plan wasn't complete! She needed this job to finish- "Hermione?"

"Yes?" She whispered.

His expression melted into a smile and Hermione was sure her heart actually stopped. "How could you never tell me you cooked?! Harry was going on and on about the chicken you made and the little potatoes and do you know that I love potatoes?"

Hermione stared at her boss, gobsmacked. "I'm… confused."

"Why I love potatoes? Well, they're crunchy little blighters that you can eat for breakfast lunch or dinner and sometimes-"

"No, not the potatoes. Potatoes are… lovely." Translation her boss was insane. "Am I not getting fired?"

Saul laughed. "Hermione, you were four minutes late. The Ministry is not in the habit of firing its best employees the first or any time they're late. I mean, Auror Potter hasn't been on time a single day of his career. Not that you heard that from me…"

"Sir, it really was an accident and… wait what do you mean Harry doesn't come in on time?" Someone was getting a strongly worded letter during her lunch break.

Saul decided to change the conversation, "You still won't call me Saul?"

Hermione smirked, making a note to add to her tally on her desk. "Maybe when you retire?"

"Well, I can't retire until you're ready to take over the department and I don't think you're there yet. Now about today's case…" Hermione was barely listening. He wanted her to take over the department? How could she? I mean the Project took over her entire life, how could she-

"Hermione, are you listening? Oh right, did you have a coffee this morning yet? Why don't you go grab yourself a cuppa and we'll meet in the Time Chamber after you've gotten yourself together? There are a couple of things we have to go over."

Hermione thanked him and excused herself to the Ministry canteen to grab a cup of coffee. Armed with coffee and a compliment from the Canteen witch, she hurried back to her office to look over her notes for today's requisition.

The artifact they were looking over was an onyx pendant of Professor Dumbledore's that temporarily suspended time around him. It also resisted even the worst Legilimency attempts. According to her inquiry at Gringotts, it had once belonged to the Potter line and Hermione wanted it returned to Harry.

Today she was going into the Time Chamber where she would confirm its status in their department. Hermione was the most qualified to deal with the object, however because of her connection to Harry she tagged Saul in on the case. She wanted to make sure that there would never be a point where the Ministry could take back the pendant from Harry.

He'd already lost so much.

Hermione grabbed her notes and hurried towards the Time Chamber. They had some of the strictest security in the department of mysteries. If someone lost a love potion it was fixable or if someone floated off in the Space Chamber, that too was fixable. Ruining time was not fixable, ironically because that was exactly what Hermione plotted to do with her evenings.

"Hi Bernie," she greeted the Auror stationed outside the room.

"Good morning, Unspeakable Granger," he replied happily as he registered her wand and authenticated that she was, in fact, Hermione Granger and not someone under polyjuice or a metamorphmagus. He had just begun checking her clothing for anything hidden when she started speaking. She needed a distraction so he wouldn't concentrate too hard on her wrist.

"Did your son like the chocolate frogs?" she asked. The man's entire face lit up with parental pride. This plan had been in motion for several months. Hermione had the guards schedule memorized for over a year. One person catching so much as the flu would set her back months.

"He was so happy! Tiberius said it was favorite birthday present he's ever gotten."

"Well, he is only seven. If he wants any more autographed cards I can ask Harry and Ron when we get together for brunch on Sunday."

Bernie smiled as his wand passed over her wrist. "Really? You wouldn't mind?"

Hermione felt the pressure leave her shoulders, "It would be my pleasure."

"I'll drop off some cards at the end of my shift. Thanks, Unspeakable Granger!" Hermione smiled. "Oh, wait! That bracelet-" shit "It's lovely. My Janice would love a bracelet like that."

"Oh, it's a charm bracelet from the muggle world. My parents bought it for me. I can write down the store name for you if you want?" Hermione scribbled down the store name and address and handed it to him. "See you later."

Hermione exhaled heavily as she entered the Time Chamber. Her father had bought her the charm bracelet because each of the charms opened and she could smuggle illicit sweets inside. As dentists, her parents abhorred sweets but her father had a hard time saying no to his little girl. Her mother had no problem when sweets were involved. Hence, her father bought her the bracelet and had it customized privately so that each of the charms opened.

She would need the bracelet if she was going to pull off one of the greatest theft attempts since Quirrell attempted to steal the Sorcerer's Stone from Gringotts and then Hogwarts.

Hermione walked into the room and nodded to different groups. She waved hello to some of her co-workers and walked over and chatted with others. While she was asking the new transfer, Olinda Oliveira about her work on repairing the broken time turners and some applicable theories to Hermione's own work, Hermione slipped some of the subject matter off of the desk and into her empty black inkwell. After a short conversation, she thanked Olinda for her input and promised to send her a follow-up owl later. She would have to, to keep up the charade of the theft she was in the middle of.

Shuffling her papers in her arms, with her parchments pressed against her chest she switched the dust from the inkwell to her charms hanging from her wrist. She had spent the last four weeks practicing this particular switch at home. She had gotten the switch down to just under eleven seconds.

She had just done it in seven. Daddy would be proud. Working her butt off and surpassing the goal was a trait she inherited from her father. He would never agree to theft, but he didn't understand. There was no other way around it. She needed the sand from the time turners.

She had done the research. Time was a loop and when using a time turner, you could only do things that you had already done in the past. Hermione needed to fix what she had already done and she knew that Remus was gone. She had seen him die, she had felt it.

However, that theory only applied to an actual time turner . If she could use a spell with the assistance of the sand from the time turners, she could save Remus. She knew she could. She could feel it as real as she felt that same ache in her chest that she felt when Remus died.

"Hermione," Saul called her from a conjured table top. Hermione rolled up her sleeves and got to work. She had a pendant to validate and time sand to safely take back home with her.

"I'm all caffeinated up and ready. Let's get Harry back his family heirloom."

The two worked for the majority of the morning and into lunch. The pendant was odd, it wouldn't respond to Saul's magic probing it or anyone else in the room. It would, however, respond to Hermione. She had no idea what it meant but Olinda theorized that because Harry considered Hermione family, it recognized her.

Regardless of the pendants loyalties, it was cleared for a clean return to Harry at two thirty. Hermione was so happy she thought her face would split.

"Thank you, sir. I can't begin to articulate how much this means to me."

Saul patted her shoulder as they left the Time Chamber, Bernie waving at them as they left. Leaving with Saul was paramount. No guard ever checked Saul, "I am glad to be able to help you, Hermione. Now go give that to Potter and go take lunch. You can work on the reports after lunch."

Hermione nodded and had to stop herself from skipping to her office. She dropped off her notes, her empty inkwell, and double checked her bracelet before setting off to the lifts. She got off at level two and walked towards Harry's office.

"Hermione, lovely seeing you here." Luna Lovegood said dreamily. "Often I wonder if you have time enough to see me."

Hermione blushed. "Of course, Luna! I always have time to see you. We could grab lunch if you want."

"That would be nice," she smiled her radish earrings swinging above her shoulders. "I'll let you return the item you brought with you. I'll wait in the canteen."

Luna smiled at her dreamily and then slid off towards the lifts.

Hermione nodded and hurried into Harry's office. He was out, as was her plan. Harry's Floo was not as heavily monitored as the department of mysteries. She took off her bracelet and slid it into an envelope in her pocket.

"Granger's Home," she called to the Floo before sending the envelope through. She smiled as the package sailed into her closet and she locked it behind her as the Floo connection died. Hermione sat in front of Harry's desk and checked her watch twice. She had about twenty seconds left to go before-

"Yeah, well tell Kingsley I have to write up my paperwork. It's not as if it's a secret what I do from three to five every day. Sheesh, you'd think he'd make meetings when I was bored all morning."

Harry opened the door to his office, his emerald eyes wide with shock. "Hermione?"

"I have a gift," she held out the pendant. Harry's eyes filled with tears.

"Mum's pendant?" he whispered.

Hermione nodded. "Croaker cleared it himself. It's yours to keep, Harry."

Harry hugged Hermione tightly. "Thank you, Hermione. I can't… I can't even express how much this means to me."

Hermione withdrew from the hug and wiped away one of Harry's tears. "You don't have to. You're family, Harry and I love you. Now, I have a lunch date with Luna, get to your paperwork."

Hermione walked into the lift and proceeded to the Atrium on level eight. The newly installed Canteen boasted sandwiches, soups, specialty drinks, and a lot of danishes. Hermione was always drawn to the danishes and the soups of the day.

Luna was sitting at one of the many tables that were scattered around the Canteen. She was smiling to herself while she bit into a danish, the bottle caps from the necklace around her neck swinging erratically creating a bit of noise distracting an upset looking couple at the next table over.

Luna, being Luna, didn't notice the couple's unease as she was happily tucking into a danish. Across from her was a mushroom barley soup and a chocolate croissant, they were both Hermione's favorites and she slid into the chair next to Luna.

"Thanks for the soup, Luna? Will you let me know how much I owe you?"

Luna smiled at her dreamily. "Think nothing of it. Actually, I was wondering if you would wear this bracelet?" Luna drew a bracelet made of blindingly neon green pipe cleaners, with pictures so small they were illegible hanging off of it.

Hermione smiled, she had a hard time saying no to Luna for just about anything. She had even taken an extended weekend last month to look for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. Hermione was still sure they did not exist, but the trip to Sweden made Luna happy so Hermione went along happily. It was similar in the way that Harry and Ron each took her flying over random snow-capped mountains because she was sure that a rare subspecies of the Yeti lived there.

Honestly, even if they hadn't felt guilty they probably still would have taken her. Luna was a dear friend and it was nearly impossible to be mad at her. Neville who had broken up with her after two years of dating still went on weekly lunch dates with her to discuss her excursions.

The subject for the golden trio's guilt was the circumstances of Luna's father's death. Xenophilius Lovegood was killed by Death Eaters after the trio visited him to ask about the Deathly Hallows. While Luna recovered in her own Luna way, the three each felt responsible for bringing death to the Lovegoods front door.

"Guilt does not have to frame your life, Hermione."

Hermione choked on her soup, "I beg your pardon?"

"It's okay to be sad but it's more important to live your life among the living then mourn amongst the dead."

Like all things with Luna, they needed clarifying. "Are we talking about your father?"

Luna looked over at the quietly arguing couple next to her. Upon closer inspection, she recognized the woman. She worked in the filing offices, but her sister Fauna worked in the Department of Time and was friends with Shauna. They made quite the comedic and bullying duo whose friendship was started based on the fact that they're names rhymed. They were basically the female versions of Crabbe and Goyle.

There were rumors that Fauna was looking into filing for a divorce after her husband, an over-aspiring Hufflepuff, slept with someone in the patents office to get something passed faster to beat out his competition. Ginny mentioned it had something to do with revolutionary broom polish, although honestly Hermione was only half listening.

From the looks of the couple, Brambles or Bambles, was it? They were most certainly not heading towards a long and loving relationship.

"They have a choice you know."

"Who?"

"The Brimbles." Ah, so that was the last name. "Every relationship has its trials and in order to nurture the relationship one must overcome the trials."

"Are we talking about Ron now? I told him I would come to the Weasley family brunch Saturday morning."

Luna hummed happily as she finished off her danish. Hermione had a headache.

"Just remember, no matter where we are or where we go our loved ones never leave us. They follow us in this life and the next and where there is a will there's a way."

That was oddly... clear.

Hermione stood, "Thanks for lunch but I have to get back to work. Want to do lunch next week?"

"For me, sure. I'll be here."

Hermione hugged the blonde and hurried back to her office. She had to finish up her paperwork and then she had a charm to perfect and a Professor to protect.