Tempus Magia

Part One

Chapter 11: Changing Time

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?

Ginny watched Hermione apparate home, her hand clutching the bit of parchment in her pocket. Her studious friend had, predictably, taken the 'homework' bait.

"You know," said a dreamy voice behind Ginny that made her jump out of her skin. "In some cultures, it is considered a great sin and in others the greatest show of love to sacrifice everything for a friend."

"Umm… okay? Did you need me to sacrifice a lamb or something for you Luna?"

"Hmm… did you ever hear the story of the wizard who stole from the muggle?"

Ginny felt her skin heat beneath the dress. "No?"

"The wizard stole from the muggle to protect the muggle from death but the wizard didn't know that muggles have their own version of monitoring charms. When the muggle woke and found out he had been violated the wizards were arrested and the family was forced to arrest family. It didn't make for a happy ending."

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

"Er… Ginny, what did the wizard do?"

"I don't know," Luna replied. "It's a story. Good night, Ginny."

Luna walked into the apparition point and went home. Ginny stood dumbfounded before popping over to Ron's.

Ron came out of the shower, his eyes were tired and drawn. He took one look at his sister and sighed. "What happened?"

Narcissa hissed at Ginny as she stumbled beside her, they were walking up the pavement to the Granger's house. "Seriously, you need to lighten up Narcissa. It's broad daylight and Hermione's neighbors have seen me before. They'll probably think I'm just visiting. Hermione's not due back until five. Stop worrying."

"Ginny!" Ginny turned around just as she heard Narcissa curse almost silently under her breath. Behind her, walking extremely slow was an elderly couple Ginny knew well.

"Hi, Bertie. Hi Arnold," she replied to the elderly woman. "How are you?"

"Norman?" Narcissa breathed. Bertie's husband stared at her, his hand-drawn to the inside of her left arm where Narcissa's wand holster was. "I… I apologize you look like someone I went to school with."

"Aye," Arnold replied his eyes darker than Ginny had ever seen the docile man who liked the crossword and a good sherry. "My younger brother went to your wizarding school and they killed him."

Ginny looked from Narcissa to Arnold in confusion. It was Bertie though, that finally broke the tension. "Umm… how about we take this conversation inside Arnold?"

"I don't want their kind in my house. I told the Grangers not to let Hermione go to that school and look what happened to them," he replied stubbornly.

"Arnold Bryan Stewart, don't you dare take that tone with me," his wife replied sternly, in a similar manner to Professor McGonagall searching the rooms for Weasley Wizard Wheezes products. "We will invite this nice young woman and Harry's wife into our home and offer them biscuits and tea. Now move, before I shove you." Her tone brooked no argument about what anyone was going to be doing. While they walked away from Hermione's house, Ginny wondered if she was going to be like Bertie when she was old and grey. Bitter and hateful of people that had wronged her. She set her eyes on their front door and resolved herself to working on being kinder and stopping to allow hate to dictate her life.

They entered the small home and true to her word Bertie set about making tea and giving them biscuits. They sat politely across from a stewing Arnold. He was holding a long metal rod with bits of wood about the end close to his chest.

When the tea was served, they all sat about quietly. It was Ginny, who in a rare fit like Ron, broke the silence. "Mister Stewart, your brother was a muggleborn?"

"Yes, and damn proud of it too. Proud to be the first muggleborn in history to get into the house of Slytherin." Narcissa's teacup rattled in her dainty pureblooded hands. Ginny had a sinking feeling she knew how this story ended. "Then one summer the hooded terrorists killed him and my Mum. Left green fireworks in the shape of a snake eating a skull over our house in Dorset. We found their bodies and…"

Bertie's eyes clouded over and his hand gripped the metal pole in his lap.

"Bertie, love. Put down the rifle." Ginny and Narcissa tensed. They had no idea what he was holding, but they both knew the word. All magical beings did. Ginny had never seen one before. "Dears, there is no need to be worried. It's terrible manners to shoot your guests over tea."

Neither Ginny or Narcissa felt any less tense. Narcissa was discreetly palming her wand, as was Ginny. They were going to blow their entire mission over poor sweet Bertie who lost his brothers to Death Eaters. They needed to do something before tensions rose any higher. Ginny eyed Narcissa pleading with her.

"Yes," Narcissa rested her arm on her arm above her wand holster. "I remember Norman from school. He was funny and charismatic. I believe he was very gifted at transfiguration as well."

"Until your lot killed him."

"Yes," she replied honestly. "But in turn, Ginny, Hermione, and I killed all of them. So, I guess you can say we made up for Norman's death."

Arnold looked like he was going to say something but he snapped his mouth closed as soon as Hermione's name came into the conversation. Bertie took over.

"What… what does our little Hermione have to do with anything?"

"Hermione was one of the key players in the war." Ginny offered. "She's the main reason we won."

Bertie set down her teacup and shook her head. "Then why are you sneaking into her house after she left for work? Why were you arguing? Is something wrong? Is our Hermione in trouble?"

Narcissa and Ginny exchanged a look. What was the expression Hermione and Harry always said? In for a penny, in for a mound? Or was it pound?

"Hermione is in trouble and we are trying to help her. The only problem is the only way to protect her is illegal and we were caught on a muggle… er, non-magical monitoring system doing things and we need to get rid of the evidence. If we can't get rid of it Hermione could end up in prison next week for the rest of her life."

Okay, now that Ginny said it out loud she realized how crazy she sounded. These two were definitely going to call the muggle aurors and they were going to get killed with the rifle.

Instead of immediately yelling witch, by the looks of Narcissa, they were both expecting, the couples were in a deep conversation by just looking at each other. Whatever was being said ended with a stalemate and Arnold threw his hands up in the air in annoyance almost dropping the rifle.

Narcissa stiffened and Arnold, rather sheepishly put the thing down on the sideboard behind him.

"We can take you there and remove the video system. I think we should remove the entire thing. It's recording on a loop and if you go back into her house it will just record you again. We can pop the three camera's out and give it to the neighbor's dog."

"The things a menace," mumbled Arnold. "No one will doubt that he climbed and yanked them all off of the pole."

"Is there anywhere else these… images can be reviewed?"

"No," responded Bertie. "They had everything locally stored and Arnold knows how to wipe it. He used to work Domestic British Intelligence."

Ginny looked at Narcissa in confusion. Did he work on being smart? Was he an educator?

Arnold rolled his eyes, "For a powerful lot, you're stupidly sheltered. British intelligence is a secret government law-enforcement agency that collects information."

"Oh," Ginny and Narcissa replied in unison.

"Yes, oh." Bertie scowled. "Now let's get this over with. I'm tired and I'm missing reruns of MASH."

They walked over to Hermione's house, managing to avoid any neighbors. Though, if Bertie was a retired intelligence officer like he said he was, he probably knew everyone's schedules and timed their exit. Harry knew every single one of their neighbors, their schedules, and their guests' schedules. It was no wonder he was exhausted all of the time.

Bertie pulled out the spare key under the planter and Ginny lifted the wards. She knew Hermione would notice when she got home but she had packed dinner for her under stasis as her guise for being in her house.

Narcissa looked about the house curiously as Arnold pulled black strings from the wires and opened a silver metal box with knobs and light switches in it. The entire process took him ten minutes and after Ginny left Hermione's dinner with a small note attached to it on the counter, they hurried out.

As they walked back towards the Stewarts home, Arnold tossed the small mirrored and metal cylinder tubes over a fence. A loud barking could be heard from over it and Ginny couldn't resist a smile when she watched the elderly couple high five in front of her.

Merlin, she wanted to be like them when she got older.

Tuesday was a day from hell. Hermione was convinced she was in actual hell. First, her wards went off a half an hour after she got to the office. Then as she was heading back out she got a memo from Harry that Ginny was dropping off dinner for her because Molly still thought she was too skinny.

She was dragged into three inter-departmental meetings. One to address what happened with the teens, one to address racial slurs in the workplace, and a mandatory class for all employees on workplace etiquette. After the meetings, little work was done as everyone was gossiping about the meeting and Shauna and Fauna's noticeable absence. She barely ate any of her lunch as the lunch room was overcrowded and she had sensitive material in her office and she couldn't bring food inside. She ended up eating in the hallway because there was no room inside the lunch room. Hermione ended up stuck between Ernie Macmillan and a Slytherin boy two years older than her that she couldn't name. When she finally pulled herself away from them it was after four and Hermione barely had time to go through her memos, let alone finish the last of the Malfoy books.

Hurrying out at five, Hermione tried to hurry through the throngs of witches and wizards. It seemed today was just not her day. In the line for the lift, she met three people who had to talk to her and while they were enjoyable conversations, she missed three lifts and delayed her way home. Disappointed and frustrated Hermione smiled weakly at Harry from across the main atrium and appreciated home. She thanked every deity and the great woman that was Molly Weasley for the hot chicken pot pie and ate it in the bath while she was surrounded by bubbles.

Exhausted, she fell asleep in her robe while she was getting ready for bed. Her empty pie bowl still on her nightstand and her work for the Project uncompleted for the night. She didn't care about any of that because she was so tired and full, she slept soundly until morning.

Hermione woke early Wednesday morning with a fresh mind and bright eyes. She rushed through her morning routine and ate a granola bar in her closet while she reviewed the Project. She was giddy. There were no other words to describe it. Hermione had the incantation down pat. She had all the wand movements. All the calculations supported her theory. She was ready. She was ready to time travel via a charm.

It had never been done before.

Oh, god. What if she failed? What if she time splinched herself? What if she wrote herself out of existence? What if-

Was that the Floo?

Hermione glanced at her watch. It was six forty-five. Who was Flooing her at six forty-five? She stood and closed up the Project, meticulously concealing the room entirely.

Raising her wand defensively, she opened the Floo. "Hello?"

"Hermione?" Not a day would go by when she wouldn't know that voice.

"Ron?"

"Yeah, are you going to let me in? I have breakfast from that weird place you like. You know the one with the tiny pastries in tins?"

Of course, Ron remembered the food she liked. She smiled and took down the rest of the wards. Ron stumbled through the Floo as Hermione pulled out the Orange Juice and made Ron a cup of coffee.

"Were we supposed to-?"

"No, no. I… er… I've been talking it over with a mind healer and I think… I think it's time for me to… you know…" Hermione understood what he was saying without him having to say it.

"It's okay Ron," she said kindly. "Just because we couldn't be happy together doesn't mean you can't be happy with someone else."

"Thanks, Mione. I just don't want you to feel like we're leaving you behind. I still love you and I always will but..."

"We were always better as friends?" she finished, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

"Merlin, yes." Ron paused as he pulled the confections of the pink and white bag and placed them on the table. He got one of every single thing Hermione liked from the store. "I'm not challenging enough for you and we're bored to death by each other's occupations. I'm proud of you but…"

"We're better as friends," Hermione repeated more firmly this time.

"Yes. I don't want to lose," Ron pointed between the two of them. "This."

Hermione handed Ron his coffee and he sipped appreciatively. She popped a mini eclair into her mouth and licked her fingers clean while Ron chuckled. "Hermione, my mum told me you went by. It was… It meant a lot to them. Thank you."

Hermione nodded. Why was she suddenly getting her life together when she was most likely going to do something detrimentally stupid within the next twenty-four hours?

"So," Ron smiled playfully from over the rim of his cup. "Think I can beat you to the pastry first?"

Hermione scoffed. "You may be able to eat an entire roast chicken but you cannot best me in the pastry department."

Ron put down his coffee cup and rolled up his sleeves, "You're on!"

Hermione rolled into work two hours later rubbing her aching belly. She could barely manage walking and was essentially waddling, she ate so much. In hindsight, she really wished she had just stopped and let Ron win. Was it really her fault she liked winning? Yes, her stomach grumbled, yes it really was.

Hermione slumped down into her chair and opened her Malfoy case. She was almost done and she wanted to-

"Miss Granger, may I request your presence in my office?" Hermione bolted upright to see Unspeakable Travis Scott in her doorway. He was in charge of Fauna's department, the Research of Time Department.

"Of course, sir," she replied shakily. Why did he want to see her? Did someone notice the missing sands? Was she being arrested? Her mind swirled with theories and possibilities as she stood and exited her office. Hermione walked into his office, her body a jumble of nerves and her fingers shaking in her robe pockets.

"Thank you for meeting Miss Granger, I know you are busy closing the Malfoy project. Unspeakable Duncan speaks very highly of you," he said. Hermione noted that his desk was clear and that his attention was solely on her. The distinct lack of Auror presence helped stop the shaking of her hands. He had sent her a letter on Monday apologizing on behalf of Fauna for her behavior but she hadn't thought much of it. Maybe he wanted to apologize in person? It really wasn't necessary. "Olinda..."

Whatever else he said was cut off by Hermione's Olympic-worthy breakfast struggling to make an appearance. She spent the next ten minutes wrangling it back down and the ten minutes after that struggling to understand what was going on in this meeting. It was in the third set of ten minutes that she realized he was working up to a speech. He was currently listing the great strides and accomplishments his department was going through. She had been so concentrated on her stomach that she didn't realize he was trying to poach her from the Time division. "And your suggestion to Olinda actually helped us expedite the fixation of the Time Turners. Honestly, I wanted to give you a medal but Saul insisted you would not appreciate it at all."

She nodded, Saul knew her well. He continued talking about his department and arguing why it was better than her current department and besides a raise in pay, she would be mentally challenged more than she was now. She loved the Research of Time Division, but she enjoyed the constant variety of working directly under the Director of the Department of Mysteries. Comfortable that she wasn't being tossed into Azkaban, she engaged him in conversation. She asked detailed questions and surprising him with her general span of knowledge. When his secretary Susan, alerted him of his next appointment he walked her back to her office closing their conversation at her office door. She learned that there was a Hogwarts tour planned and made a mental note to keep her door closed.

"I must say, Miss Granger, even if you don't join my division you're a shoo-in for the Head of Department of Mysteries. Amalaya and Saul were pretty insistent that you were the best fit and I see why now. Thank you for your time and have a good day. Keep an eye out of wandering Ravenclaws!"

Hermione chuckled, "You too sir, the conversation was most enlightening."

Hermione returned to her work, finishing one more book before lunchtime. She grabbed lunch from the canteen and ate at her desk. She wasn't particularly excited about going back to the breakroom any time soon and she was desperate to avoid Hogwarts students hoping to catch a glimpse of the war heroine that worked for the DOM. After a quick lunch that consisted of a solitary egg salad sandwich and tea, Hermione finished the Malfoy project and owled Draco and Narcissa that it was completed, putting a copy in their file.

When the project was all put away, she opened the next urgent folder. Another Pureblood family wanted their books back, except these books gave the last Auror boils that required a visit to Saint Mungos. Gathering the shrunken down parcel, she headed to the 'Controlled Room.' Bernie was on-shift today and she handed the happy guard the cards she had promised. She had owled Harry for them over the weekend. Waving hello to several other employees, she cleared her mind and set up her work table.

Since she was in a room with other people it was easier to gauge the time and packed up at five along with everyone else. She had some minor burns on her fingers and her brain needed a thorough washing from the pornographic contents of the books, but most of them were essentially harmless. The Rowle project took longer than she would have liked because everyone else in the room kept coming over to snoop at the images whenever she blushed. The day was spent with a lot of giggling, confusion, and debates whether or not some images were actually possible to do in real life. She also learned a little bit more about Alicia Francis and her sweet unassuming husband than she had ever planned on knowing.

She returned the parcel to her drawer and locked up for the day. She passed Saul's office and waved at the older and tired looking wizard. It must have been the tour today. She really liked Saul and loved working under him. She hoped to be as good as a supervisor to others, as he was to her one day. Her career was important to her and she needed the mental stimulation that the Department of Mysteries provided. As she walked into the lift she thought about what her life would have been like if she had become a Healer as she had originally planned.

Having served in the Second Wizarding War, she had acquired a basic knowledge of medicinal healing and she was enthralled at the subject, however, she had also acquired post-traumatic stress and a lot of mental healing that needed doing. Her decision to work for the Ministry had come even before The Project. Working in a field that would remind her of her parents every time she lifted her wand to see a patient, was too painful. If she was honest, she wasn't sure she would be able to heal indiscriminately. If an escaped Death Eater came in and needed treatment, she wasn't sure she would be able to heal him or her. There were articles of Healers who lost their healership license because of it. While she understood their refusal, it was a requirement of the job and the reason she couldn't become a Healer.

Hermione was so engrossed in her thoughts, she almost missed her stop on the lift. Hurrying out, she squeezed into the masses and was grateful she wore flats that day. Through the throngs of people, she saw Harry again at the Floo. He was on the line for the East Floo's on the other side of the Atrium and when their eyes met he brightened and she waved cheerfully. He waved back, narrowly missing poking a witch next to him in the breast. His face flushed and she could see him stuttering an apology. The witch, who had been annoyed until she turned around, was honored to have been nearly poked by the Chosen One. At least that was what her gushing hand movements detailed. His emerald eyes were bright and his smile wide as looked back at her one last time before going into the Floo. She was still chuckling, when she made it to the Apparition point.

There was a soft breeze that ruffled her hair as she turned onto her block. She made a point to stop and talk with Bertie and Arnold who were sitting on their front porch eating danish biscuits in a tin. Arnold was acting a bit unnerved and when Hermione asked if he was okay, Bertie blamed it on his arthritis. As Hermione climbed the stairs into her house, she wondered if there was a wizarding paste she could give him. Fleur had finished her Medi-witch training last year, she would owl her and maybe tomorrow-

Hermione turned the key in the lock and walked into her quiet house. It was humming with magic. She closed her eyes and let the magic fill her. She dropped her key distractedly onto the desk with the mail and slipped her shoes off at the door. Tonight, she had decided that she was ready tonight to do the charm. She cleaned up her house to ease her nerves and then ate a light supper of eggs and a few crackers. She took a quick shower and dressed in the Auror clothes, that she hadn't returned to Harry yet. If she was going to be apparating into the middle of a warzone, she was going to need gear.

When she couldn't procrastinate any longer, she retreated to her room and removed all of her furniture so she would have room for her spell. She opened her closet and began.

Crookshanks must have realized something was going on because he dashed out of the house after she came out of the shower. This was going to be big and dangerous magic and she had planned on spelling her beloved familiar away from her house, to begin with. She had already placed multiple enchantments around her house to conceal the sheer amount of magic that was going to be summoned into her modest home. She had learned the spells from one of the Malfoy books, naturally.

Reading over the spell she knew as well as she knew her own name, she gathered her utensils she would need. She would need to make circles of salt, ash, dirt, and the sand. Each represented a different part of the spell and were intricately weaved together in circles that crossed in old Celtic runes. In the very center of the even circles was a small circle about three feet wide, with the Time Sand. The smallest of the circles being the sands of time and the larges being salt, with the circle of ash and dirt being sandwiched between the sand and the salt.

With her wand, she patiently drew the runes for time, debts, gratitude, and life so that they hovered between and above the circles. The runes themselves took over an hour to draw and she was drained by the end of it. She closed the Project room and entered the circle feeling the powerful magic seal her in. She stood in her room robed in Auror gear and her wand drawn and firmly between her fingers.

She would use the charm combined with the wand movements that she discovered from Ginny. She would bring Remus back and damn the consequences. Teddy wouldn't be an orphan. She could…. Hermione wondered idly what were the consequences for plucking someone away from an unfair and early death? Surely, Azkaban wasn't punishment enough?

It would be worth it, though. Remus would live.

Raising her wand and repeating the symbols and movements she began to chant first in Latin, the mother language of magic and then in English her mother language.

Magia audiret eaque militia mea,

Per spatium tempusque me remittas

Summa ope in necessitate

Ut vitae debitum reddit, et bene factum.

Magic hear this spell of mine,

Send me back through space and time

To aid in his greatest time of need

To repay a life debt with a good deed.

Silver mist swirled around Hermione as the gold dust from circle closest to her lifted minutely off of the floor. The ash was hovering around her waist in a floating hula-hoop, while the salt rest in a neat halo around her head.

A voice floated through Hermione, it radiated calm and peace. Love and life. She knew in her core, who she was speaking with.

"Qui quaerit hoc de magia?" Hermione felt her chest flutter. Her entire body was frozen and she could not respond. How could anyone respond to something so pure? She felt her magic sing under her skin, her heart drumming in her ears, and blood pumping to the tune of her magic in her chest.

The same magic that helped her swish her wand in Ollivanders shop when she was eleven, then learn spells and fight for the light.

"Ego Hermione Granger," her magic said.

"Quis tu, ut et vita debitum?"

" Lupinus Remo."

"Ah, alter. Fieri petitionem vestram. Tempus Magia mitto eam!"

The salt and ash collapsed around her and the golden specs of time dust began to lift until a wall of sparkles surrounded Hermione. She felt a familiar pull in her navel. Was it supposed to feel like a portkey? Well, she was moving to a different place, it made sense. She had hypothesized-

The rest of Hermione's thoughts were jumbled as innumerable scenes flashed before her eyes making her feel like she was falling backward and forwards at the same. Like she was petrified in one place, but her body was being bent back and forth like a seesaw.

Just when she thought she could take it no longer, the wall of sands burst into her eyes momentarily blinding her. She felt as if she literally spat out from hell and she fell face forward onto the floor.

Disoriented Hermione tried to get her bearing. She was about to enter a warzone! She had to save Remus! "Remus," she murmured.

She was struggling to her feet when a strong pair of arms, righted her. She looked into the round glasses of her best friend. She was pleased he caught her. He always would but-

No! Why was Harry catching her?! She was supposed to save Remus! She was-

Harry's face swam from view and suddenly Harry's body became blurry and there were two of him. She blinked as she tried to sort herself out but it only made it worse. Clutching to Harry's chest, she noticed the distinct lack of a scar on his forehead and that his eyes were not green, but a fudgy brown.

It was at that point that her body decided it had had enough for the day and she crumpled into Harry's arms. He shouted for someone over his shoulder, "Shit, Harry. I think I royally fucked up this time."

And then the world went dark.

A/N:

The translated conversation between Hermione and magic:

"Who asks this of magic?"

"I, Hermione Granger."

"And who do you owe a life debt to?"

"Remus Lupin."

"Ah, the other. Consider your request done. Time Magic send her!"

This is the last chapter of part one. We will be returning to the future but not until chapter 33. Hope you're enjoying! -Chefke