Chapter 22: The Unthinkable
"Die for You" by Meagan McCauley.
Regulus was pacing around the small cave, occasionally running his fingers through his hair as he tried to collect himself. Hermione had taken his place, sitting on a large rock. She'd given Regulus a similar explanation to the one she'd given Lily. With Regulus, she went into a little more detail about what obtaining and destroying Slytherin's locket would require. She also mentioned the recent attack that resulted in Charlie Weasley's death, at the hand of Peter Pettigrew. Regulus had been relatively silent throughout Hermione's entire explanation, only stopping her a couple times to ask questions about Harry, Ron, Dumbledore, or Snape, for the most part. Her explanation finished, Regulus was beside himself.
"Hermione, I believe you," he said, "but I'm not sure I believe what you're saying we have to do is possible! You saw how the Dark Lord reacted to what happened in the forest! How the hell are we supposed to steal and destroy a piece of his soul without him killing both of us?!"
"Harry, Ron, Dumbledore, and I have already destroyed all the Horcruxes but the locket and Nagini," Hermione reminded Regulus, "and we're all still alive."
"Not according to the Dark Lord!" Regulus reminded her exasperatedly.
"That's Voldemort's mistake, not ours!" Hermione countered. Regulus stared at her. He hadn't flinched at the sound of Voldemort's name, nor had he protested Hermione's use of it, but he was clearly still adjusting to this side of her that he hadn't seen before—the side of her that had been doing far more dangerous things than saying Voldemort's name since her first year at Hogwarts. He found that he both admired her and somewhat feared her for that. When he spoke again, he spoke without the challenging or startled tone he'd been using moments before.
"You just told me that I died for whatever I did in this time," he said. "Somehow, I'm okay with that. I'm not sure why, but I am. What do you really think is going to happen to you, though? If we do manage to get this Horcrux, and if you do make it back to your time, do you really expect to survive what comes after that? Do you really believe you, Harry, and Ron can kill the Dark Lord and not get killed yourselves?"
"We're going to try," Hermione answered. Regulus frowned at her.
"What if you can't?" He asked, "What if after coming as far as you have, against impossible odds, you can't finish it?"
"Then someone else will have to pick up where we leave off," Hermione said softly, her eyes glistening with tears, but clearly showing her resolve. "Don't you see, Regulus? It's not about what the prophecy said, or Harry's scar, or any of those other things people keep trying to use to justify or explain what's happened. Me, Harry, Ron, Dumbledore, Snape, the Order—we're fighting because we want to—we're all fighting because someone has to. If that means we have to die fighting, we will. Those who survive will be crushed by it and they'll grieve for us, but they'll keep fighting. Once the Horcruxes are destroyed, anyone who can get lucky with one curse can kill Voldemort and end this war for good. If making that possible means we have to die, then we'll die, and we'll take as many enemies with us as we can." Hermione was suddenly reminded of the first day she spent with Regulus in Hogsmeade; there was a sparkle in his eyes again, a fire shining from within.
"Hermione Granger," he said, "I'll die for you any day."
It was one o'clock in the morning and Lily and Remus were still sitting in the common room, still waiting for Hermione's return. When Remus found Lily and told her that the Death Eaters had taken Hermione with them to meet Voldemort, she'd nearly fainted. Once she collected herself, Lily told Remus everything that Hermione had told her. Remus had come very close to passing out too. They both sat by the warm embers left in the fireplace, praying that Hermione was still alive. They both scrambled to their feet when the Gryffindor portal swung open.
Remus and Lily both made it out of the portal before Hermione could step inside. They both hugged her so fiercely that the force of their collision nearly toppled all three of them over. In truth, they probably would've fallen over had Regulus not been there to steady them. Remus and Lily both blinked at him.
"Disillusionment Charms," Hermione whispered to all three of them. "Stay quiet and follow me."
Hermione, Lily, Remus, and Regulus all casted Disillusionment Charms on themselves. They found each other's hands, since they couldn't see one another, and the held on to each other as Hermione guided them down to the Room of Requirement. Once they'd stepped inside, dispelled the charms on themselves, and taken a moment to marvel at the room only Hermione had ever seen before, Hermione turned to Lily and Remus.
"Snape is going to tell Dumbledore that I'm a spy for the Death Eaters," she blurted out quickly.
"What?!" Lily and Remus spoke simultaneously.
"Hermione, we have to stop him!" Lily said anxiously, "We have to tell Dumbledore the truth! He'll understand—"
"No," Hermione said firmly. Lily and Remus both looked at Hermione as though she'd just uttered an Unforgivable. "It has to be this way," Hermione explained to them. "Voldemort was about to kill me, Peter, and Regulus. If Snape doesn't malign me to Dumbledore, his life might be the fourth one on the line. I messed up. I made Voldemort and the other Death Eaters too suspicious. The only way I could remain in a position to get the Horcrux was to appear completely committed to their side."
"So you have to let Dumbledore believe you're our enemy?" Remus asked.
"Not just Dumbledore," Regulus spoke for the first time, making Remus and Lily jump, "all of you." Remus blinked.
"All of us?" Remus repeated, going very pale.
"While she remains close to any of you, she's in the way of Wormtail's spy work against you, and she's too much of a threat," Regulus explained. "We told the Dark Lord about the fight she had with you, Remus. We convinced him that if Dumbledore was also given reason to reject her, it wouldn't be long before all of you believed she had betrayed you."
"So you have to hold up your end, Remus," Hermione said imploringly. "You have to act as though you're still angry with me—furious, even. You'll also have to tell the others that you found out I'm working for the Death Eaters. James, Sirius, Frank, Alice, Molly—they all have to think I'm their enemy. You as well, Lily."
"Hermione," Remus whispered, looking devastated, "I can't… I can't do that to you…"
"You have to, Remus," Hermione said firmly, though she also looked crushed.
"You made all of us love you, Hermione," Lily said softly, starting to cry. "If the others believe it was all a lie, they'll hate you. Especially if Severus is the one who gives you up to Dumbledore—to think that he's on their side and you betrayed them, it will crush them. And for Molly, pregnant with her second son—Charlie, right?" Lily blinked when she saw the look that crossed Hermione's face at the mention of that name. Hermione had worn the same expression right after Molly had told her that she was pregnant, right before she, Hermione, had run out of the room in tears.
"Hermione, what happened?" Lily whispered worriedly. Regulus looked between Lily, Remus, and Hermione, surprised.
"You haven't told them?" Regulus asked Hermione.
"Haven't had the chance before now," Hermione told Regulus. "It was the real reason I was so upset earlier," she said to Lily and Remus. She opened her mouth to continue but her breath caught in her chest. Her eyes shone with tears again, and she forced herself to take a deep breath. Regulus gripped her shoulder comfortingly.
"I can tell them, Hermione," Regulus said. Hermione sniffed. She stared at Regulus for a moment, then she nodded. Regulus looked back over at Remus and Lily. "The Death Eaters, in her time, found the Weasleys," he said. Remus and Lily instantly looked sick. "Harry, Ron, and most of the Order flew to Hogwarts to protect them. A huge fight broke out, and Harry and Ron broke away from the group to try and hide the Weasley kids inside the Chamber of Secrets. They were caught by a group of Death Eaters before they could all make it inside. Harry, Ginny, and Charlie Weasley were cornered. Charlie sacrificed himself so Harry and Ginny could make it inside the Chamber. Wormtail killed him." The room was deathly silent. Hermione, Lily, and Remus were all crying slow, mournful tears.
"Charlie's dead?" Lily whispered. Hermione nodded.
"That's why finding out Molly that was pregnant upset you so much," Remus said softly, his fists clenched tightly. "She's carrying the son of hers that was just killed in your time, killed by Peter…" Cold fury mixed with great pain in Remus' face. A kind of hate like no other seemed to bubble beneath his skin. "He betrayed James and Lily to their deaths," he whispered. "Then he killed one of Molly and Arthur's children with his own hand… I'LL KILL HIM!"
"REMUS, NO!" Hermione screamed as Remus ran toward the door. Regulus darted ahead of him and blocked the door. Hermione grabbed hold of Remus from behind, her arms locking across his chest. Lily jumped in front of Remus and grabbed his arms, helping Hermione restrain him. "Remus, you have to act like I'm the traitor," Hermione said pleadingly. "You aren't supposed to know about what Peter is going to do! You aren't supposed to know about any of it! You're supposed to be angry with me!"
Remus stopped struggling against Hermione and Lily. His body remained tense and his breathing heavy. Once Lily and Hermione had both released him, he turned around to face Hermione. There was so much hurt in his eyes as he looked down at her, Hermione could barely stand to hold his gaze. "How can I knowingly make our friends feel about you the way I feel about Peter, right now?" Remus asked her. Hermione turned away from Remus and walked over to her bottomless bag. She pulled out the same picture she'd shown Lily: The picture of Harry, Ron, and all the other students in Dumbledore's Army practicing Patronus Charms. She walked back over to Remus and handed the picture to him. Remus took the picture with a shaking hand.
"By thinking of them," Hermione said.
"YOU TWO-FACED SNAKE!" Molly shrieked when Hermione entered the girls' dormitory after her afternoon Herbology class. Hermione barely dodged the book Molly threw at her seconds later. "So, that's where you were always sneaking off to! You wolf in sheep's clothing, we trusted you!" Molly tossed another book at Hermione. Hermione drew her wand.
"Protego!" Hermione shouted and the book was deflected by her Shield Charm. Molly glared at her. Hermione tried her best to reflect the look of disdain, though it pained her to do it. "I came to have a bath before dinner," Hermione said, after a tense moment. "Last I checked, that's not a crime."
"Your presence in Gryffindor Tower is a crime," Molly said coldly. "You belong in the dungeons, with the rest of the Slytherin scum." Hermione said nothing, afraid her voice might give away just how much Molly's words stung. Molly couldn't know the truth. Hermione forced her face to appear indifferent and walked into the bathroom. She pulled her two-way mirror out of her bag as soon as she'd shut and locked the door. She needed to speak to her real friends again.
Harry and Ron both felt sick by the time they'd finished speaking with Hermione. Their plan had come way too close to being ruined. Hermione had been taken to a Death Eater meeting, to Voldemort, and had only survived the encounter by consenting to let Snape ruin her reputation with her friends, so he could gain Dumbledore's trust. What if Snape didn't end up double-crossing Voldemort like he was supposed to? Was Snape placed on the correct course, or had a terrible mistake been made that would completely alter past, present, and future when Hermione returned and the Glitch was broken? Such consequences were unthinkable. Harry and Ron jumped a foot in the air when the Snape from their time suddenly spoke from behind them.
"Did Granger just contact you again?" He asked, his eyes on the two-way mirror still clutched in Harry's hand. Neither Harry nor Ron actually registered what Snape said. They were staring, dumbstruck and confused, at the person beside Snape: Draco Malfoy. A couple seconds later, Harry and Ron both launched themselves at Draco, tackling him to the floor before he or Snape could react. Snape quickly drew his wand and waved it in a long arc, down toward the pile of three young wizards. They all flew apart as though they'd each been launched out of separate cannons, all three of them colliding with a different wall.
"Save your energy for your enemies," Snape said firmly, "all three of you. You're all on the same side now."
"What?!" Ron blurted out, staring at Snape like he'd just uttered a very sick joke. "Him, on our side?! He helped Voldemort and the other Death Eaters hunt down my family! He's part of the reason Charlie's dead!"
"I didn't mean for him to die!" Draco suddenly shouted, looking so genuinely hurt and upset that Ron was stunned into silence again. "I didn't mean for anyone to get killed!" Draco continued, "The Dark Lord threatened to kill me if I didn't help him find your family and catch your sister! I had no choice! I didn't know what else to do! I didn't know how my mother really died, or that Snape was really on your side, or that Dumbledore was still alive, or I would've tried to get out of all of it ages ago!" Harry and Ron were both staring at Draco in a stunned silence. He had never looked so vulnerable, not even when Harry had seen him crying in Myrtle's bathroom. "I never wanted to become a Death Eater in the first place," Draco continued softly. "I was scared. I… I'm sorry…"
Though Draco's discomfort in saying those last words was evident on his face and in his voice, he'd meant them. Harry and Ron were completely disarmed by them. Not knowing what to say to Draco, or Ron for that matter, Harry turned back to Snape.: "Yes, we just spoke with Hermione," he said. "She might be in trouble, though. We need to talk." Snape raised an eyebrow in question.
Lily and Remus took off toward the Room of Requirement as soon as James and Sirius left for quidditch practice. Molly, Frank, and Alice had all gone along to watch, so Remus and Lily finally had a chance to go meet up with Hermione again. Lily pulled the Protean Charm coin Hermione had given her out of her robes once she and Remus were inside the Room of Requirement, signaling Hermione with it. Hermione and Regulus both arrived at the room about ten minutes later.
"Regulus and I will have to act within the next couple days," Hermione said before she and Regulus had even stepped completely through the door. "Voldemort keeps summoning all the Death Eaters. Regulus has already been to see him three times in the past four days. I think Voldemort still suspects that something is up. If Regulus keeps having to go meet up with him, I'm going to run out of time. Regulus?" Regulus still hadn't closed the door. He was looking suspiciously up and down the hall outside.
"Making sure we weren't followed," Regulus said. "I could've sworn I heard footsteps behind us a couple times. Nothing out there, though." Regulus finally closed the door and turned to face Lily and Remus. Lily gasped.
"What happened?" She said, staring at Regulus' black eye.
"Fight practice with the other Death Eaters, at our last meeting," Regulus said bleakly. "I actually looked a lot worse, by the end of it. I'm a fair fighter, but that's the first time I've ever had most of the others gang up on me all at once." Lily and Remus cringed.
"They might've let up a little sooner if you'd kept your mouth shut," Hermione said grimly.
"You didn't hear what they were saying about you, Hermione," Regulus said exasperatedly, "and no, I'm not going to tell you." Hermione frowned, but she didn't push the subject. She and Regulus had clearly had this conversation before.
"So, what can we do to help?" Remus asked.
"I'll need to contact Harry once more before we go," Hermione answered, "to confirm what exactly we'll have to do to reach the Horcrux. You two will have to be sure you have your time's Marauder's Map when we go. You'll need to create a diversion if anyone tries to follow us. I'll have the map from my time, of course. I'll take everything of mine along in my bag."
"Why would you do that?" Remus asked abruptly, looking worried.
"I shouldn't come back here once I've destroyed the Horcrux with Regulus," Hermione said. Remus and Lily both immediately opened their mouths to protest, but Hermione spoke first. "My time with the Glitch is almost up, anyway," she said. "Besides, I need to get back to my own time, to Harry and Ron. Whatever problems the Voldemort in this time is causing, he's not going to be mortal. The Voldemort in my time, twenty-one years from now, is the one Harry, Ron, and I have to kill."
"And Hermione doesn't need to see what happens to me," Regulus said. "I don't want her to watch me die." Everyone in the room shifted uncomfortably.
"Thank you, Regulus," Lily said softly. "You're being so brave about this. For what it's worth, I know Sirius would be proud of you if he knew. He'd be proud to be your brother."
"Thanks, Lily" Regulus said. "That means a lot." Lily smiled at Regulus warmly. Remus smiled too.
"The others would all be proud of you," Remus said. "We misjudged you. I'm sorry." Regulus nodded understandingly to Remus.
"Thanks" he said. Hermione shifted and everyone looked over at her. She blinked and changed the subject.
"I'm leaving the two-way mirror and the Protean Charm coin I gave you, Lily," she said.
"You're leaving the mirror?" Lily asked Hermione, surprised.
"I put a spell on it that will make it shatter when the Glitch breaks entirely, so a third mirror isn't left here when Sirius already has two," Hermione said. "I read more about that too: In Flamel's book, it shows a few notes written by Garus—If someone in this time utilizes time travel, a partial break referred to as the 'Catch in the Glitch' will occur and that person's future self will remember everything I've done here in this time, up until the point at which their past self used time travel. They'll remember the rest of it at the same time as everyone else, when the Glitch is broken entirely by my return to my real time, or within forty-eight hours of my death, should the unthinkable happen."
"Why do we need the mirror, though?" Lily asked.
"Once Regulus and I leave to go after the Horcrux, I'll signal you every half-hour with the coins," Hermione answered. "If I miss a check-in, that will mean that something has gone wrong, and you'll need to use the mirror to tell Harry and Ron…" Hermione choked slightly and her eyes glistened with tears.
"Hermione…" Lily whispered and she stepped forward to hug Hermione snugly.
"If something does go wrong, I'll still get the Horcrux," Hermione whispered. "Whatever happens, I will destroy that Horcrux. If I don't make it back to my time, you have to make sure Harry and Ron go on. They have to finish it, no matter what…"
"Okay, Hermione," Lily said. "I know you'll be okay, but if you aren't, I'll do it. I'll keep the plan going. I promise." Hermione sniffed loudly and she and Lily separated.
"Regulus and I already planted the note in Flamel's book, and Regulus took it back to Grimmauld," Hermione said. "I brought the note Harry found in the decoy Horcrux with me too. There's no need for Regulus to write a note I already have with me. I can just put the note I already have inside the decoy."
"Which I also brought from Grimmauld," Regulus said, referring to the actual locket the note would be left with. Lily and Remus both nodded their understanding. Hermione checked Garus' watch for the time.
"We should go," she said. "Everyone is going to be out in the halls soon, heading for dinner. We can't risk being seen together." Lily and Remus both nodded and they led the way out of the room. Regulus and Hermione waited about five minutes before they also left the room. Regulus kicked out, seemingly randomly, as they stepped through the door and allowed it to vanish behind them.
"Did you feel that?" He asked Hermione. She blinked.
"You were trying to kick me?" Hermione asked, confused.
"No," Regulus said, laughing slightly as he realized how strange his behavior was appearing to her, though his expression quickly turned serious again. "I felt something brush against my leg as we were coming out the door," he said, looking up and down the hall but only seeing a few students passing by. "You didn't feel it?" Hermione shook her head, staring at Regulus worriedly. Regulus scanned the hall once more, but seeing nothing he shrugged it off. "Forget I mentioned it," he said to Hermione, "let's go."
"Not to the Great Hall," Hermione said as they walked down the empty hallway. I don't think I can handle that tonight. Besides, I should take advantage of the time to check back with Harry and Ron once more, so we'll know exactly what to do. Let's go up to the Astronomy Tower."
Regulus and Hermione weren't the only students who didn't go to the Great Hall for dinner. Snape, Bellatrix, and Lucius were seated together at a table in a dark corner of the library. They were sitting in a strangely tense silence until Lucius jumped slightly and kicked out at something invisible on the ground. "Change back first, Wormtail," Lucius hissed softly, "then we'll remove the charm."
Once Pettigrew had returned to his human form, Snape waved his wand and silently dispelled the Disillusionment Charm on the animagus. Seeing his expression, Bellatrix laughed and started to ask if he'd run into a hungry cat. Pettigrew cut her off. "You were right," he said urgently.
"What?" Bellatrix asked, her mocking smile dissolving.
"Hermione isn't the one helping Regulus," Pettigrew said, "Regulus is helping her. Both of them were just meeting with Remus and Lily in a room that appeared out of nowhere. I followed them into it. You won't believe all I just heard. We have to go tell the Dark Lord!"
"Tell the Dark Lord what?" Snape pressed.
"Hermione is from a different time!" Pettigrew nearly squealed.
"What?!" Snape, Bellatrix, and Lucius all spoke at once.
"She's from twenty-one years in the future!" Pettigrew continued, "A future where she and some friends of hers have figured out how to kill the Dark Lord! She mentioned something about Regulus helping her destroy a Horcrux, whatever that is. Remus and Lily are in on it too, but I don't think anyone else knows. We have to tell the Dark Lord!" Bellatrix, Snape, and Lucius didn't need any more explanation. They were on their feet in seconds and they hurtled out of the library, Pettigrew struggling to keep up, bringing up the rear.
Hermione tucked her two-way mirror back into her bag once she'd finished speaking with Harry and Ron. She stood up and moved to stand by Regulus. He was standing by one of the telescopes, frowning down at something on the ground far below. Hermione blinked when she saw Snape, Bellatrix, Lucius, and Pettigrew, running in the direction of the front gates. "Did your Mark burn?" She asked Regulus.
"No," Regulus said, "but that's got to be where they're headed. I had a feeling we weren't alone earlier. We might've been found out. You'd better signal Lily and Remus. We have to go now. We need to go destroy the Horcrux tonight."
"Tonight?" Hermione repeated, staggered by the readiness in his voice and face. "But, Regulus, you—"
"Don't say it," Regulus interrupted. "Don't say it now, don't say it later. I'm ready to do whatever I have to do. Just don't talk about it. Don't say goodbye either. Whatever happens, you just go on and finish what you started." Though Regulus was trying to appear calm and collected, he was beginning to choke on his words, his anxiety strangling him. He opened his mouth to say more, but his breath caught in his chest when Hermione suddenly hugged him. She hugged him close and tightly, her strength startling him at first. He wrapped his arms around her and held her with all his strength, his face in her hair, the fresh pine scent from the Pensive Perfume calling him to a home he'd never known.
Even though Regulus knew about Ron now, Hermione still felt a little guilty for the affection she showed Regulus. She felt even worse about the fact that she was still questioning her relationship with Ron. In this time, she missed him and worried about him and Harry constantly, but she kept thinking there was something missing. She kept expecting something to happen that would tell her, for sure, if she and Ron were going to work out, but no such thing had happened. Regulus told her not to say goodbye, and she didn't want to. He didn't deserve to die. His life could have been so different.
"I should probably shrink the bag down, so it can fit in my pocket," Hermione thought out loud, stepping back, "and I'll wear the decoy locket."
Peter stumbled backward and collapsed onto the dusty floor. He pushed himself up quickly and stood between Snape and Bellatrix. Voldemort had been livid enough when Peter had explained that Hermione was from the future, but the moment the word 'Horcrux' was spoken, he'd assaulted Peter with Legilimency.
"Of course the girl didn't mention which Horcrux she's here for," Voldemort spoke more to himself than the four young Death Eaters in front of him. Lucius shifted uncomfortably.
"My Lord," he spoke softly, "if I may ask? What is a Horcrux?"
"No, you may not ask," Voldemort hissed. "Hold out your arm!" Lucius promptly held out his left arm and pulled up the sleeve of his robes, exposing the Dark Mark on his forearm. Voldemort touched the tip of his wand to it and all four of the Death Eaters before him winced slightly as their Marks burned. A series of sweeping and popping sounds could be heard a moment later, signaling the arrival of the older Death Eaters Apparating just outside the manor. By the time the last one of them had walked into the hall, another round of similar noises signaled the arrival of the other young Death Eaters from Hogwarts. Voldemort bore down on them the moment they entered the hall.
"Where is Regulus Black?!" He demanded, striding down the hall toward the students, barely acknowledging the older Death Eaters as they scattered out of his way, staring at Snape, Lucius, Peter, and Bellatrix. "He came with you, didn't he?!" Voldemort demanded again, glaring at all the cowering students in Slytherin robes.
"N-No, my Lord," Nott stammered nervously. "We tried to find him, but the last time any of us saw him was when he left for dinner with Granger."
"What happened, my Lord?" Rodolphus asked in a voice that was forced calm.
"Regulus betrayed us!" Bellatrix said angrily, making no attempt to disguise her disgust at her cousin's behavior.
"What?!" Several stunned and angry voices responded, young and old.
"Hermione's from the future," Peter spoke more timidly. "In the future, she and her friends are close to killing the Dark Lord, but she had to come back to this time to get Regulus to help her destroy a—"
"Crucio!" Peter yelped in pain and fell to the floor. Voldemort lifted his curse quickly. "Do not speak of it! All you need to know is that Regulus and Granger must be stopped at all costs," Voldemort told all the Death Eaters. "Normally, I would want to deal with traitors like Regulus personally, but not now. There is no time for that. Regulus is to be disposed of as quickly as possible. Granger, however, is to be brought back to me alive. She and I have much to discuss before I kill her…" Everyone in the room shuddered. There was a dark and malevolent hunger in their master's voice—a thirst for pain and blood that even the senior Death Eaters were shaken by. However much any of them hated Granger, even their stone hearts were compelled to pity the girl for what would happen to her, should they catch her.
"Regulus wouldn't risk not coming here when summoned unless he believed we knew the truth," Snape said. "He and Granger must suspect they've been found out."
"If that's true, we could already be too late," Bellatrix said. "If Regulus and Granger have already left, we may never catch them."
"Wormtail," Voldemort's voice whipped, "take all the students except Snape, Bellatrix, and Lucius back to Hogwarts and search the place for Regulus and Granger. You know all the secret passages throughout the grounds. Check them all. Since Lily Evans and Remus Lupin seem to be in on all this, track them down too. Forget caution and inhibition. Pick off anyone who seems to be involved. Make them tell you where Regulus and Granger are headed."
"Yes, my Lord," Peter nearly squeaked and he rushed toward the hall doors, all the young Death Eaters but Snape, Bellatrix, and Lucius following him.
"Rosier," Voldemort said, turning to the group of older Death Eaters, "take your older fellows and guard all the exits from the school grounds. Stop anyone who tries to escape."
"Yes, M'Lord," Rosier responded much more calmly than Peter had and led the pack of older Death Eaters out of the hall, where they Disapparated.
"And you three," Voldemort said, turning to face Snape, Lucius, and Bellatrix, "go down into the storage room and find a time-turner in a green box. It is broken, but should have one use in it, enough to travel at least half an hour back in time. We'll catch those two, one way or another."
"Yes, my Lord," the three young Death Eaters chorused and sped out of the hall, toward the storage room.
"There," Lily told an anxious looking Remus, "the coin just felt hot. Hermione and Regulus are safe. They must have left the grounds by now." Remus nodded and touched a finger to the coin in Lily's hand, feeling its relieving warmth himself. He and Lily were heading up the stairs, toward Gryffindor Tower. Just as they reached the top, their path was cut off.
"Where are they?" Peter demanded with an abnormal air of confidence, likely due to the fact that a group of angry Slytherin Death Eaters were flanking him, their wands drawn and aimed at Lily and Remus. Lily closed her fist tightly around the coin in her left hand and drew her own wand with the other. Remus mimicked her movements.
"Not on your life, Wormtail," Lily said coldly. "Rats like you aren't good enough to touch them!"
"Have it your way, Mudblood," Peter said equally harshly, raising his own wand to chest height.
"Expelliarmus!" Five unexpected voices shouted and Remus and Lily dodged out of the way as all the Death Eaters were blasted down the staircase behind them, their wands flying in every direction. James, Sirius, Molly, Alice, and Frank were all standing just behind where the Death Eaters had been, their wands drawn and held steady.
"You back-stabbing scum!" Sirius growled at Peter, starting to run down the stairs after him, but Remus grabbed his arm.
"Not now, Sirius!" Remus said urgently, "Go to Dumbledore's office!" Remus released Sirius and looked up at his other friends. "All of you, now!" He ordered.
"We'll explain later," Lily added, striding forward and grabbing hold of James' arm. "Let's go!" Remus and Lily led their friends at a run. They almost ran into Narcissa as she came out of the library. Remus continued to lead the other Gryffindors onward, but Lily halted abruptly.
"Narcissa, come with us!" She panted and everyone but Remus gaped at her, including Narcissa.
"What?" Narcissa almost laughed, "Why would I—"
"Hermione's in trouble!" Lily interrupted. Narcissa blinked and her expression changed immediately.
"What happened?!" Narcissa asked anxiously, but she was distracted by the sound of shouts and running footsteps coming toward their group.
"No time!" Remus said, grabbing one of Narcissa's hands. "Come on!" Remus pulled Narcissa forward and Lily urged all her other confused friends on. They all jumped when several spells crashed into the wall behind them. They dashed around the corner and down another hall, finally reaching the gargoyle outside Dumbledore's office.
"Metamorphmagi," James said the password as quietly as he could, so their pursuers wouldn't hear it. The group of Gryffindors and Narcissa sped around the gargoyle as it cleared the path to Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore opened the door for them before they could reach out to knock on it. Their pounding footsteps had been warning enough of their coming. The Headmaster didn't even seem surprised to see all the Gryffindors piling into his office, even at the late time of night. His gaze became more calculating when he saw Narcissa.
"Ms. Black, good evening," he spoke politely before the shouts of the angry young Death Eaters below confirmed that the students before him had more urgent needs than usual. "What happened?" He asked the group calmly. All eyes turned to Lily and Remus. Lily hesitated, choosing her words carefully.
"We can't really say much just yet, Professor," she said. "Only Remus and I know everything about it, but we can't tell you now. All we can say is Hermione is on our side. She's been pretending otherwise, as have Remus and I, to protect her and Regulus."
"Regulus?!" Sirius and Narcissa spoke at the same time. They exchanged wide-eyed glances then, mildly horrified that they'd said the same thing at once.
"He's on our side too," Remus said. Sirius and Narcissa gaped at him.
"Regulus and Hermione betrayed the Dark Lord?!" Narcissa asked fearfully. "He'll kill them!"
"Exactly," Lily said. "That's why those Death Eaters attacked us."
"They've obviously worked out the truth," Remus said. "They were looking for Hermione and Regulus, but they're already gone."
"Gone?" Almost every voice in the room chorused.
"Gone where?" Molly asked, but Lily shook her head.
"We can't tell you anything else right now," Lily said. "Right now, all we can do is stay away from the Death Eaters and keep an eye on this." Lily held up the coin in her left hand. "Hermione put a Protean Charm on it, so she can signal us as long as she's still safe. She has another coin with her."
"You should stay with us too, Narcissa," Remus said gently, trying to keep her as calm as possible. "I'm sure Hermione would want you to be here. You don't have to say or do anything that might get you into more trouble with your friends or Voldemort. Just stay with us?" Narcissa stared nervously at everyone around her before she responded.
"Hermione and Regulus are my friends, too," she said softly. "I'll stay."
"Good," Lily said, grabbing one of Narcissa's hands and giving it a comforting squeeze. "You'll be safe here. That's what Hermione and Regulus would want."
"Lily, what should we do with this?" Remus asked as he pulled the two-way mirror that Hermione had left behind out of the pocket of is robes.
"How did you get that?" Sirius asked, recognizing the object. "I always lock both of those two-way mirrors in an invisible trunk I got at Zonko's."
"Both of those mirrors are still in that trunk," Remus responded honestly, not knowing what else to say.
"But, I recognize—" Sirius began, but Lily cut him off.
"Later, Sirius. Oh!" Lily glanced down at the coin in her hand. "Another signal from Hermione! Has it been thirty minutes already?"
"I guess so," Remus said. "They've probably found the cave by now."
"Cave?" Narcissa asked.
"Later," All the Gryffindors and Dumbledore chorused before Lily or Remus could answer. Lily laughed half-heartedly and looked down at the coin again.
"You can do it, Hermione…"
Hermione wiped her own blood off the coin in her hand and stuffed it into the pocket of her robes. She and Regulus were both crouched down behind a large rock, panting and trying to quickly heal what wounds they could. Voldemort, Snape, Bellatrix, and Lucius had come out of nowhere. Hermione and Regulus had just begun Disapparating to the cliffs above the cave when their four enemies had jumped out of the shadows and grabbed hold of them. Hermione and Regulus had barely managed to shake their captors off , landing in a clearing about two miles from the cliffs, nearly splinching in the process. Their pursuers had fallen into the clearing too, attacking without pause.
Regulus and Hermione had thought they would be able to reach the cave before Voldemort and the Death Eaters could even begin to respond. How could they have caught up so quickly? Hermione and Regulus had struggled to evade their deadly pursuers for half an hour before they had been able to find decent shelter. Hearing footsteps nearby, they dared not make a dash for the cave. As it was, it was a miracle that Voldemort hadn't recognized the area. He had yet to realize they were near the cave. Enraged to the point of distraction, apparently. The sound of footsteps grew louder and Hermione and Regulus both held their breath when they heard Bellatrix's voice. "This terrain is so rough, they could be hiding anywhere," she said. "REGULUS!" She called out loudly. "WHY ARE YOU HIDING FROM YOUR COUSIN?! I JUST WANT TO TALK!"
Hermione grabbed one of Regulus' hands and held it tightly.
"Who knew those two had it in them?" Lucius said, "Avoiding us this long? If we hadn't used that time-turner, we might've never tracked them down."
Regulus and Hermione exchanged horrified glances. Voldemort, Snape, Bellatrix, and Lucius had used a time-turner! They'd tripped the Catch in the Glitch!
Draco and Rodolphus were helping Snape, Bellatrix, and Lucius to their feet. A few feet away, Wormtail was helping Voldemort back up as well. Minutes ago, Voldemort and the three Death Eaters had collapsed. They had remained conscious but briefly immobilized by what seemed to be terrible, dizzying headaches. After a minute or two, the headaches seemed to end as abruptly as they'd begun. Bellatrix, Lucius, Snape, and Voldemort still seemed a little disoriented.
"What the hell was that all about?" Dolohov asked them, "What happened to all of you?"
"I think you'll know soon enough," Lucius said, pressing his fingers to the spot between his eyes where a vague headache still lingered.
"How did that little Mudblood pull that trick off?" Bellatrix asked, looking over at Voldemort. "All my memories of seventh year just changed."
Both fear and fury seemed to smoke off Voldemort's skin. "It must be the Garus Glitch. Haname Garus created it about three years after I graduated from Hogwarts. It was confiscated by the Ministry three years later, but I still remember most of what it involved. I once spoke with Garus herself about it…" Voldemort trailed off, deep in thought. Bellatrix was about to ask him more about the Glitch when he spoke again.
"It all makes sense now," he said. "We haven't been able to find Granger because she is twenty-one years back in time, having used the Garus Glitch. It seems that the 'missing' Horcrux wasn't missing at all, but it was destroyed in the past. Granger went back to make sure it was done. I could give all of you a better explanation of how it works, but only three of you would understand right now. You will all understand soon enough. Severus, Bellatrix, Lucius, and I only remember now because our past selves tripped the Catch in the Glitch—"
"But what about the rest of it?!" Lucius interrupted, clearly shaken by all that he'd just remembered. "The last thing I remember is the four of us using the broken time-turner to go after Granger and Regulus!"
"Regulus?!" Several voices in the room chorused.
"Regulus Black?" Draco asked. There was an angry rumble among the older Death Eaters.
"That coward—"
"As you wrongly remember him!" Voldemort hissed. "You'll also remember the truth eventually! At that same time, the four of us will remember the last part of the Glitch," Voldemort explained, glancing at Lucius, Bellatrix, and Snape. "Regulus didn't leave us out of fear. He betrayed us to help Granger!"
"What?!" Every Death Eater but Snape, Bellatrix, and Lucius, and Draco growled as one.
"SILENCE!" Voldemort shrieked. The room seemed to freeze in an instant. "You'll all understand soon! We can't control what Granger is doing in the past. We must prepare for what will happen when she returns, if she returns—even if she dies, everyone who saw or heard of her will remember everything. Potter, the Weasleys, and the Order will be ready to fight the moment that happens. Lucius, take Nagini to your home and guard her. Draco, go with him. Snape, Bellatrix, go check for Order guards around the Ministry. If someone is waiting for Granger there, get rid of them. The rest of you, prepare for the fight of your lives—the end of this war is near!"
Bellatrix and Snape Disapparated immediately, while everyone else scattered to follow their own orders. They Apparated inside a dark alley near the main entrance to the Ministry. Snape's mind was reeling as he sped down the alley with Bellatrix. He couldn't believe all that he had just remembered. To say he'd underestimated Granger would be an understatement. For that matter, he'd also underestimated Pettigrew. Everyone had. He was a true Death Eater to the core. Beneath his awkward and timid exterior lurked a true monster—a liar, a traitor, and a blood-prejudiced murderer. Because of that skittish beast, Hermione had been found out. For all he knew, his own past self was about to kill Regulus and capture her, leaving her at the Dark Lord's non-existent mercy. After all, he was still loyal to the Dark Lord in the true past that he'd just remembered. He had to warn Potter, Weasley, and the Order of what he'd seen. Doing so would not help her, but it would brace her friends for what might happen. They had to be ready to push forward, even if the unthinkable did happen…
"Bellatrix, I just thought of something—a way we might be able to intercept Granger before anyone here at the Ministry can." Snape spoke suddenly. Bellatrix halted abruptly. "Go back to the hideout for a while and help some of the others prepare. We'll meet back here later." Bellatrix opened her mouth to reply, but Snape Disapparated before she could speak.
Snape Apparated outside the Hogwarts gates and ran up to the castle as fast as his legs would carry him. He ran into the Great Hall, where Harry, Ron, the other Weasleys and the entire Order, Dumbledore included, were still lingering over empty dinner plates. All conversations in the room stopped abruptly and everyone looked up at Snape, startled by his oddly timed appearance.
"The Catch in the Glitch was triggered," Snape answered their silent questions. "Lucius, Bellatrix, the Dark Lord, and I remembered Granger's presence in the past prematurely."
"Is Hermione alright, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, noting the unusual amount of anxiety in Snape's voice, though it hardly showed in his face.
"I don't know," Snape answered honestly. "The last thing I can remember is using a broken time-turner to go after her and Regulus, with Lucius, Bellatrix and the Dark Lord. We found out she was from this time. Wormtail overheard the truth while spying on her and Regulus. They had already left to go after the Horcrux, by the time we'd worked out the truth, but using the time-turner might have helped us catch them. If, by some miracle, she and Regulus make it to the Horcrux, she might not make it any farther…"
Every face in the Great Hall was deathly pale. Harry and Ron looked horribly ill. Ron gulped and looked down at the two-way mirror on the table in front of him. A tear fell from his stinging eyes and splashed across the glass.
"Hermione…"
After what felt like hours, Regulus and Hermione could no longer hear the voices of Voldemort, Snape, Bellatrix, and Lucius. Their four pursuers had proceeded along a different path without spotting their quarry. The shaken pair climbed out of their hiding spot and resumed their course toward the cliffs. Though she tried to remain as calm as possible, Hermione's hands shook as they walked. She started to hide them in her pockets, but Regulus grabbed one of them with his own. Hermione gasped and her eyes glistened with tears.
"It'll be okay, Hermione," Regulus said softly. "Even if they know you're here now, they can't do anything about it. We're going to destroy that Horcrux and get you back to your time, and you're going to win this war. I know you will."
"No you don't, Regulus," Hermione whispered. "You can't know what will happen—maybe we'll be able to kill Voldemort, but what if—"
"Stupefy!"
Hermione and Regulus both dove to the ground and Hermione screamed as large rock exploded into sharp-edged pieces that rained down on her and Regulus. Hermione quickly shot her Patronus down toward Voldemort, Bellatrix, Lucius, and Snape. She and Regulus scrambled to their feet and charged toward the cliffs ahead of them.
Regulus and Hermione both stumbled when the ground beneath them shook violently. Hermione whirled around and saw Voldemort bearing down on them, the ground continuing to shake under his power. His eyes locked onto hers and she froze. Her mind screamed at her to run, but her body wouldn't move. Voldemort had her. She couldn't escape, until…
"Avis!"
Birds darted out of Regulus' wand and flew at Voldemort, attacking his face and breaking his eye contact with Hermione. She could move again. She shot her Patronus toward Voldemort and the three Death Eaters again. Regulus grabbed her free hand and pulled her onward, toward the cliffs. The ground stopped shaking, but their enemies were still gaining on them.
"Hermione, we have to go somewhere else!" Regulus shouted over the explosion of a couple more curses that narrowly missed them. "If we go any closer to the cave, he'll realize where we're going! We have to throw them off! Change course!"
"This way!" Hermione shouted and made and abrupt right turn. Regulus followed close behind her. Hermione risked running uphill, toward a densely forested area just north of where the cliffs dropped of into the ocean, where they would have to swim to reach the cave. Just as they reached the trees, Bellatrix aimed one more curse at Regulus.
"Sectumsempra!"
"NO!" Hermione screamed and whirled around, but too late. Regulus' blood sprayed across her clothes and her face. Regulus keeled over, clutching at the deep cuts across his body. He rolled over and his watery, emerald green eyes looked into Hermione's glistening brown ones.
"Run, Hermione…" Regulus whispered weakly and a tear rolled from his eyes, mixing with the blood on his face. Hermione choked on her own tears. Her stunned, devastated gaze held Regulus' pained, longing gaze for another moment, and then she sped into the trees, hiding amongst the dense brush and branches. She held her breath as she heard Bellatrix's voice, as she approached Regulus with Snape and Lucius coming up behind her.
"Truly impressive curse, Snape," Bellatrix said with chilling calm. "I hope you don't mind my borrowing it this time."
"Not at all, Bellatrix," Snape's voice spoke evenly. "Just don't make a habit of it."
"Fat chance," Hermione heard Regulus choke out defiantly. Hermione winced when she heard Regulus yelp as Lucius kicked him.
"Blood-traitor scum!" Lucius spat, "You chose her over us?"
"Don't waste his last breaths on pointless questions, Malfoy!" Voldemort hissed as he approached the Death Eaters standing around Regulus. "He has minutes left at most. Snape, you stay here and take advantage of that time. Use Legilimency if you can sustain it well enough. Lucius, Bellatrix, we'll continue to look for Granger. She is of far more value to us than this pathetic traitor."
"Yes, M'Lord," Snape, Lucius, and Bellatrix replied. Hermione gasped for breath, strangled by her tears, and she forced herself to turn away and run. She sped through the trees as tears splashed down her face. She made her way back toward the cliffs without even realizing she was doing it. When she reached the steep drop-off into the ocean, she jumped without a flinch or pause. Landing in the icy water from such a high drop felt like crashing through glass. The cold waves bit at her skin like needles, washing away Regulus' blood and making her robes heavy and binding. She clutched at Regulus' locket around her neck, terrified of losing it. After a couple minutes of hard swimming, she saw the cave.
Hermione swam into the cave and dragged herself out of the water, onto the cool, rocky ground inside. She was soaking wet and freezing, but she barely noticed. She was sobbing uncontrollably. She fumbled with Regulus' locket and pried it open with fingers that were numb from the cold. She pulled out Regulus' note to Voldemort—the note Harry would find inside the locket years later, signed 'R.A.B.'. Hermione nearly screamed in agony as she realized that she never actually needed Regulus. She had brought the note with her from her time. She could've stolen the locket from Grimmauld herself, or brought it from her time too. She would've ended up in the exact same position, but Regulus wouldn't be bleeding to death back by the forest above the cliffs. She never would have cared for him so much. She had grown so close to him, and she was devastated by his unnecessary death. He was dying for her, but she never needed to get him involved.
Hermione didn't think it was possible for her heart to hurt so much. She wanted to die, and she probably would, she realized, feeling another stab of pain in her chest at the thought of never returning home. She had to destroy the Horcrux alone. She had to drink that horrible potion it was immersed in herself, and if she touched the water near it, the inferi would devour her. She wouldn't be able to defend herself alone. Hermione reached into the pocket of her robes, grasping for the Protean Charm coin, but it was gone, as was her shrunken bottomless bag. She realized they must have fallen out in the water, but it didn't matter. She had told Lily what not receiving a signal would likely mean: She, Hermione, was dead. That was surely as it would be. Hermione closed the note back inside Regulus' locket and pushed herself to her feet. She muttered an Air-Dry Charm to dry her robes and hair, and she wiped away the tears running down her cheeks. She steeled herself and walked deeper into the cave. She had to destroy the Horcrux, no matter what…