Sunday, 2nd October 1977

It didn't take long for Hermione and Professor Dumbledore to come up with a halfway decent plan. The problem was that while Hermione had information on what had happened in her past, she had no idea what would happen in the future. She'd already changed things.

The only course of action that made any sense was to find the Horcruxes quickly and quietly, and destroy them - preferably all at once. Hopefully they could end things once and for all, before the death toll rose any higher. Hermione explained her theory on Harry himself being a Horcrux - something she had suspected since long before she knew the word for it. She was actually surprised that Harry himself hadn't connected the dots. The pain in his scar, the visions... How he could feel Voldemort's particularly emotional outbursts... In any case, it was quickly agreed that the Horcruxes needed to be found and destroyed as soon as possible - hopefully this would all be over long before James, Lily and Harry became targets.

The only thing Hermione wasn't happy about, was Dumbledore wanting to leave her out of it all.

"You've done so much already Miss Granger, I can't in good conscience ask you to do any more. You deserve at least some kind of normalcy in this time," said Dumbledore kindly, twinkling over his glasses at her.

"Sir, with all due respect, I can't leave this war yet. I won't. I need to see it through," Hermione replied firmly, not pausing as he made to interrupt her. "I wont palm it off onto someone else because its hard, Professor. There will be things that I can't do, but anything that I can do to help, I will."

The Headmaster examined her determined face, torn between feeling proud of the young witch, and annoyed that she was fighting his decision. Finally he nodded, begrudgingly agreeing to the compromise. He knew deep down that he wouldn't be able to take all the credit for Voldemort's defeat anyway, but the young egotistical side of him still wanted to be the one to beat him. He had also paid close attention to Hermione when she had explained about the Deathly Hallows, shocked that his future self would have disclosed his most secret desire to a mere schoolgirl, no matter how disguised it had been.

"Alright then, if you insist."

"I do, sir."

"In that case, I think it's important to talk about the Hallows briefly," he paused, avoiding her eyes as he shuffled his notes on the desk. "Do you think whoever defeats Voldemort will need them?"

Hermione hesitated before answering, feeling suddenly uneasy with the topic. "I'm not one hundred percent sure, sir. I would have thought that if they were that instrumental in Voldemort's defeat, then your future self would have been more forthcoming with the information instead of hiding it within the runes of a children's book. If I had died before figuring it out, then the information would have been lost, and I can't imagine you would have damned us like that," she said, noting the way he stiffened at the implication she had made.

Either they weren't that important, or he'd placed a hell of a lot of pressure on a teenage girl to solve a problem she hadn't known existed.

"Of course, I did figure out what it all meant, but I still don't know where the Resurrection Stone is," she continued offhandedly. "I know James Potter has the true Invisibility Cloak, and that you hold the Elder Wand, sir," his head snapped up to look at her as one hand reached for the opposite wrist where his wand was tucked into his sleeve. "But I don't think it really matters all that much - Voldemort doesn't bother with the Hallows for another twenty years or so. Hopefully we can get rid of him before it becomes an issue."

She knew it was coming, but Hermione still felt disappointed when she felt Dumbledore's presence in her mind. She let him search her thoughts and said nothing when he retreated, knowing by how he relaxed that he was satisfied she wouldn't try to steal the wand for herself.

This is what Hermione had been worried about. Ever since she had flicked through that damned book written by Rita Skeeter, small niggles of doubt had wormed their way into her mind. It didn't help that they'd been in the middle of a snow covered forest with Harry injured and down a wand - and that bloody Horcrux around her neck - but even now that she was safe and warm she still couldn't help but think that something wasn't quite right with the Headmaster.

She shook the thoughts from her mind and pressed on. There would be plenty of time to think about it later, when she wasn't within Legilimency range of Professor Dumbledore.

"Anyway," she sighed, changing the subject. "With the notes we have so far you should be able to find all of the Horcruxes, except for the diary. That one is probably in Malfoy Manor, and my recommendation would be to speak to Arthur Weasley first. I know they're not in the Order yet, but they were in my time and all of the Weasley's can be trusted. You should speak to Arthur and have him issue a raid warrant on Malfoy Manor for the misuse of Muggle artefacts. I can provide a memory of what the diary looks like, and so long as you have an insider on the raid team who can take the real diary and leave a convincing duplicate in its place, that should work."

"You've thought a lot about this, Miss Granger," said Dumbledore, not agreeing or disagreeing with her proposed plan.

"I've had a lot of time to think lately, sir."

There was silence as Hermione sipped her now-cold tea, grimacing at the temperature.

"I also think I should be the one to retrieve the diadem, Professor."

"Yes, I agree."

"Really?" asked Hermione, in shock.

"Well of course, my dear," he said. "You saw it in the Room of Hidden Things yourself. It would surely take you a fraction of the time to find it again than if I insisted upon searching for it myself."

"Yes, that's what I was going to say."

"Well, that's settled then. I will take care of the ring, locket, cup and diary, and you will retrieve the diadem. I do not think it would be wise to store the items together, as I do not know how the items will react in close contact with each other," said Dumbledore, as Hermione nodded in agreement, pleased that things would be much more straightforward this time. "I will ward a multi-storage trunk which should keep the items isolated from each other, and it will be stored inside my personal chambers to ensure their protection."

"And how will we destroy them once we have them, sir?"

"After hearing about your most recent ordeal, Miss Granger, I think fiendfyre will be the quickest method. I will be able to destroy them all at once, and in the event that Tom feels their destruction, we will be able to plan an attack on our own terms and use the element of surprise in our favour." Hermione nodded in agreement - she had been thinking the same thing. "The basilisk will need to be dealt with sooner rather than later, however the safest time for that won't be until next summer and it is my hope that we will be able to defeat Tom before then."

"Okay, sir, that sounds like a plan."

After another hour or so of fine tuning their Horcrux plan, the topic turned to Hermione's cover story and living arrangements.

"I've taken the liberty of organising a private dormitory for you nearby the Heads chambers."

"Sir, I appreciate it, but I don't need any special treatment."

"I understand your concerns Miss Granger, however this is for a few reasons - one being your night terrors," he looked at her apologetically as she winced. "It wouldn't do to have your housemates asking awkward questions. Also, if I need to consult with you on short notice I need to be able to do so without attracting unwanted attention. It will also allow you the privacy you need to truly be yourself." Hermione blinked back sudden tears. "I can't begin to imagine how you're feeling right now."

"I- It's been okay Professor. I have more of an understanding of time travel than others, sir. I knew from the moment I saw James and Sirius in the hall that I'd travelled. The jump didn't feel the same as what I'd expect from time travel, but what I came from was so vastly different that even if I hadn't seen them right away I imagine I would have figured it out pretty quickly. I think if I hadn't already researched time studies then it would be much harder to cope with, sir."

Dumbledore nodded, gesturing for her to elaborate.

"As soon as I realised what had happened, I knew I'd never go back to my time, because my time doesn't exist anymore. I can't go forward in time because the decisions made by every single human being on earth at every second of every day changes the outcome of the future. The fact that James and Lily missed their first date last weekend has already changed the future, even if it has only potentially delayed it by a week - I don't know what the consequence of that will be. Even Sirius seeing me on the ma-" she stopped herself, blushing as she tried to cover her slip up. "I mean, even Sirius and James seeing me in the hallway when I arrived has changed things." She cursed herself for basically giving away the secret of the Marauder's Map, although Dumbledore didn't call her on the blunder.

"I could possibly have hidden away for the next twenty years to preserve the timeline as I knew it, but the choice was taken out of my hands, and personally sir, I don't think I'd have been able to not change things anyway," she swallowed thickly. "Too many people have died too early and too unnecessarily."

"Yes, I suppose you're right. Of course you're right. However I still stand by giving you a private room Miss Granger. You may be coping well in a logical sense, but I would encourage you to mourn your losses, my dear. Nothing good will come from buried grief," said Dumbledore, a knowing look in his own glassy eyes.

Hermione nodded, swallowing back her tears as the room fell silent.

After a minute the Headmaster continued, "I think it best for you to be sorted again, Miss Granger, and for you to remain at Hogwarts as a transfer student."

Hermione just nodded again, not opposed to staying in the castle and knowing she'd never pass as anything other than a student. Dumbledore summoned the Sorting Hat and passed it to her so she could place it on her own head. She tuned out the Hat's croaky voice in her mind, simply thinking her request - Gryffindor, please - which was granted a moment later to her great relief.

Dumbledore clapped his hands together happily and continued their conversation, eager to get everything sorted before lunch. There was roast pork today.

"Right then, Gryffindor, splendid. Now, I think it would have be safer for you appear as a half-blood, but unfortunately whatever curse Bellatrix Lestrange used on that blade has made it impossible to heal, or even hide with magic," he said, ignoring how Hermione tensed at the mention of her torturer, "so we'll keep your name and blood-status as it is. I will bring Professor McGonagall up to speed and we will be able to fabricate some O.W.L results that would be believable for a student who has been home-schooled with a private tutor. Aside from those in the know, the rest of the faculty and students will be of the impression that your parents declined the invitation for you to attend Hogwarts in favour of a private tutor that would allow you to remain closer to home during the school year. I have someone who can sign off on the transfer papers and will happily corroborate the story."

"That's fine, sir."

"Now for the reason for attending Hogwarts only now - please, excuse my insensitivity Miss Granger - I believe it best that we let others believe that your parents were killed recently in a Death Eater attack." Hermione sucked in a sharp breath at this. "It will explain your late start to the year and will deter people from asking too many questions. It will also explain your, erm," he cleared his throat awkwardly - something she'd never heard the wizard do before - as he gestured to her thin frame and the Mudblood scar that stood out like a neon light. "I apologise my dear. What I mean to say is that your physical appearance can be explained away as a result of the attack and subsequent mourning. That, and it won't arouse suspicion among the Death Eaters and sympathisers."

Hermione hid a smirk as she nodded, strangely amused at the sight of a flustered Albus Dumbledore.

"And finally, I have also spoken with Mr Potter who has offered to open his home to you for the periods that the school is closed - with the permission of Fleamont and Euphemia of course," he continued, smiling kindly at her gasp of shock. "They are more than happy to have another guest, although they will certainly treat you more like family. They can, of course, be trusted with the same information as young James, although I would still recommend keeping it to a need-to-know basis. The less people who know, the better."

He checked the time and smiled at her as he rose from his seat.

"Perfect, just in time for roast," he said merrily, gesturing for Hermione to follow him from the office. She stood up quickly and thanked the Professor for his time, eager to get to her new rooms and unpack her things. She had a lot to reflect on.

The trip to her new dormitory was quick, as most of the students were already in the hall for lunch or out on the grounds enjoying the last of the warmer weather for the year. They stopped at a small portrait of flowers - Hermione thought they looked like marigolds - where the Headmaster tapped his wand in a strange rhythm on the frame, before he turned on his heel with a smile and wave, leaving Hermione in the hallway alone.

She looked back at the portrait - slightly shimmering as it waited for the new password - and sighed heavily.

"Charmant."

Author's Note:

Charmant = French for 'Lovely'

Also - the main foundation of the story has been laid. Hermione has her alibi and somewhere to live while Dumbledore starts the Horcrux hunt. She can relax and be a normal teenager for a while.

I should add - Hermione is annoyed that Dumbledore is now trying to keep her out of the war, when in her time he basically palmed it off to a trio of kids to handle. She doesn't know everything that she would have known if she'd stayed in her time, but she knows enough and is smart enough to see some holes in Dumbledore's thinking, and is a little more cautious of his manipulation. In saying that, she's not opposed to him taking the reigns either. She's tired. She's mourning her life that she'll never get back. She's dealing with PTSD from her time at Malfoy Manor. Hermione has so much shit going on that she'll gladly hand over some responsibility to the Headmaster. BUT, she does want to be involved - to have the closure she needs - to know that she's doing the right thing by changing time so drastically.

If it doesn't make a heap of sense now, please just stick with me!

If it goes the way I want it to (Lord, hear our prayer), it'll be awesome. Promise.

Ps: Let me know your thoughts!

Love, A
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