A.N.: Some warnings ahead. This chapter includes quite a bit of violence, even though nothing is described explicitly. But I am sure your brains might be able to imagine the things I refrained from writing down and supply you with some unwanted pictures. If these things trigger or upset you, then you should probably skip the end of the second part of the chapter. Part one and three are safe for you to read, though.

Chapter 34: Fast forward

7th of October 1999

It hadn't taken her long to move all her stuff back to Prewett house as she hadn't accumulated much over the last weeks. Not only she was lacking the money to buy much for herself, but for a long time, she still felt like an intruder in a world that didn't really have a place for her. So she simply hadn't bothered to make herself at home. But she was determined to change that when she stepped into her old room in Fabian's and Gideon's house and placed the small bag with her possessions on the floor. This timeline was where she was meant to be, where she had found and would find happiness for herself and all the persons she had come to love. Fabian and Gideon had accepted her into their home and into their lives with open arms and now it was time to let them feel that she was determined to stay there.

She hadn't slept in her bed that night and no one had expected her to. Like it was the most natural thing on earth, the twins had pulled her with them into Fabian's room and offered her the middle of the large bed before they climbed in to the right and left of her. Hermione didn't complain and simply cuddled close to them with a happy sigh. She had no idea how far along they had gotten in their relationship in the past and it felt awkward to her not to know if she was even still a virgin. She was too embarrassed to ask the twins though and so she simply decided to wait for more memories to return to her or for the twins to make a move. But neither Gideon nor Fabian did anything more than snog her and she was fine with that. It wasn't long before she fell asleep in their arms with a happy smile on her lips.

It was the middle of the night when she suddenly felt, that something was wrong. She awoke of a lurching in her stomach and a moment later she realized, that she was sweaty and shaking all over. Her body felt achy and there was a tingling feeling all over her skin but when she opened her eyes to look what was wrong with her, she saw that her skin had taken on a white, almost ghost-like transparency.

"Fabian, Gideon," she gasped and the two men were instantly awake. "Help, something's wrong with me," she moaned and not a moment later she could feel Gideon's cool fingers touching the skin of her forehead.

"Merlin, you're burning up," he gasped and looked at her with wide eyes. But she just shook her head and looked at him with wide panicked eyes.

"What's happening to me?" Hermione moaned, just as her stomach gave another lurch and she crumpled together into a ball while lying on her side. But through the slits of her eyes, she saw that her skin had gotten even more transparent. She whimpered.

"Hold on, sunshine. I'll go and get Severus," Fabian urged her, while he sprinted to the bedroom door in his pyjamas. "Everything will be all right. Just hold on for a little while longer."

And with that, he was gone. Hermione moaned and she could feel her body starting to shake even more violently. Something was happening and she realized that it was happening now. There was no way Fabian and Severus would make it back in time to help her and even if they were, there was probably nothing they could do. "Hold me, Gideon," she pleaded with chattering teeth and barely a moment later she could feel her boyfriend pulling her close.

"I'm here Hermione, it's alright," he whispered to her and Hermione forced herself to concentrate on the feel of his touch.

"Don't let go of me," she whispered before a pained whimper escaped her lips and she could feel him nod in front of her before she was engulfed in blackness.

ssssssss

21th of June 1981

They were right in the middle breakfast when Severus' doe Patronus dashed into the kitchen and halted in front of them in the air.

"Got what I was looking for, head to Gringott's at once with the others," it instructed them with Severus' calm deep baritone before it dissolved in front of them into white mist.

"Looks like breakfast has to wait," Fabian said dryly and pushed his full plate away. A moment later he was already rushing up the stairs.

"We're just getting the other Horcruxes from our hide-out," Gideon shouted towards her before he followed his brother up the stairs and Hermione followed the two of them with her eyes. She had the unmistakable feeling that this war would end very soon. If they managed to destroy Voldemort's soul pieces today, it would be only a matter of time, before they had to face the man themselves. Hermione could feel in her bones, that this would be rather sooner than later.

"Alright, got them," Fabian shouted and dashed down the stairs with his brother in tow. "Let's end this."

Hermione nodded and got up from her chair. "Let's end this," she confirmed and looked at them with her head held high. "Together."

They floo'd into the Leaky Cauldron as it is was the shortest way for them to get to the bank. The pub was still mostly empty when they stumbled into the dimly light taproom and Tom, the bartender, looked at them with curiosity.

"Just running some business," Gideon explained with a small smile and a nod before they left the pub in the direction of Diagon Alley. As soon as Hermione set her foot onto the cobblestone alley in front of her, she knew that something was wrong.

"They're here," she whispered urgently before she pulled out her wand and the twins followed her example with matching nods. They didn't slow in their movements towards the bank and Hermione followed them with her back ramrod straight. Diagon Alley was totally empty and when they passed several shops they saw that doors and windows were tightly closed, even though at least some of them should have been open by now. Obviously, not only Hermione could feel that there was danger lurking somewhere in front of them.

Hermione kept herself and the twins shielded the whole time. It was no secret that those two were the better duellers, as their reflexes were much better than hers and they knew a variety of spells she had never even heard of. This was what they had decided, she would take care of their defence when it came to a fight. When they came closer to the doors of Gringott's, she could see that the fight was already waiting for them.

"Hermione Granger," a voice cold as ice greeted her and Hermione would have known it anywhere. It was the voice she had heard in her head during the Battle of Hogwarts. Even though the man that stood on the stairs leading towards the bank had a different body, she knew for sure that it was Voldemort himself. "I must confess that you have come to be quite a nuisance."

Hermione slowed her steps but kept walking towards the dark wizard with measured steps. They were screwed when it came to a duel before they would be able to destroy the Horcruxes but it looked like that was exactly what was about to happen. "You know what we need to do first," she whispered towards the twins before he focussed her eyes on the enemy ahead of her and forced herself to smile. "I see you know my name, Tom," she greeted politely and immediately she saw his eyes flash red at her use of his given name but apart from this nothing betrayed the man's cool and detached demeanour. "I also know yours." Hermione schooled her features into a mysterious smile and she hoped it worked because her insides didn't feel like smiling at all. She had to focus his attention as much as possible on herself. That would hopefully buy her twins some time to bring their valuable cargo to their goblin friends. It was probably a futile hope, but she had to try nonetheless.

"I figured, that you indeed discovered one of my biggest secrets," the black-haired man that might have even been handsome once replied with a calculated smile. "But I also discovered yours." He barely finished his sentence, before he lazily waved his wand through the air and suddenly the formerly disillusioned body of Severus appeared in front of her. He was lying barely ten steps ahead of them on the ground, with his body paralysed his eyes ripped wide open and he stared at her in open fear. Hermione's insides went cold. She realized that to both of their sides several black-cloaked figures had appeared from seemingly out of nowhere.

"What have you done to him?" she asked and kept her eyes trained on her enemy.

"Well, apparently Severus is a little traitor," the Dark Lord hissed and looked at her with small eyes. "He has taken something that doesn't belong to him and something told me, that he did so on your orders."

Hermione wanted to close her eyes to take a calming breath, but she couldn't afford to let her focus shift and so she locked her eyes with Voldemort instead. "I didn't order him to do anything," she said proudly and forced herself to take another step towards him. She felt the twin's hands on her arms in the attempt to hold her back but she shook them off with a shake of her head.

"Then tell me, witch, why did he try to get into the bank? I think he tried to hide something that is not his - that is in fact mine. But there is no hiding from Lord Voldemort," the mad man intoned and like on commando the doors of the bank burst open and several more Death Eaters appeared from inside, each of them a captured or wounded goblin in tow. Hermione took in the scene with wide eyes and her eyes fell involuntarily on a tall Death Eater with platinum blonde hair that dragged the barely conscious figure of Grabruk after him on the ground. She ground her teeth together. This was bad, really bad. But there had to be a way out, or all would be over.

"Now you see what I am capable of," Voldemort continued and looked at her with glowing red eyes. "Or you will see when I am finished here today." By now all of the Death Eaters that were holding a hostage had lined up in a half-circle behind him so that she was facing a wall of terrifying masked figures. "So tell me Miss Granger, which of them shall die for you first? Or no, let's warm up with a bit of torture, shall we?"

She could feel her heart beating heavily in her chest, as she took in the scene with stoic calmness. There was no way she and the Prewett's could even land a hit on the Dark Lord under these circumstances, let alone kill him with all of his Horcruxes still intact. If there was only a way for her to save them! She halted. Maybe there was a way for her to do just that.

"None of them," she said firmly and took another step towards them. "You won't put a finger on one of my friends, because none of them is really of importance to you, Tom." She could already hear the animated whispers break out under his followers, but Hermione ignored them and kept on talking. "None of them knows your little secrets, but I know all five of them. You see? They're not the ones you want, I am."

Her enemy looked at her with calculating eyes and she saw something flicker behind them that made her stomach tie into a big knot of angst. But there was no way out for her now, because he knew exactly what had to happen now. "I will take their place instead, no matter if you intend to torture or kill. Take me instead and spare the life of my friends and those goblins."

She heard Fabian and Gideon gasp in shock behind her and for a moment she saw Severus' eyes flicker towards her and she could see that he knew exactly what she was doing. He had seen her memories after all. However, Hermione did not hesitate and after a second her eyes snapped back to Voldemort, who was looking at her with an unsettling grin. She straightened her shoulders and cancelled her shield a moment later.

"So you intend to tell me that you will not try to fight and just let me torture and kill you?"

She nodded. "I will be taking the place of my friends and the goblins, all of them. You will not harm a single one of them, because I will take their place."

Around her erupted a chorus of amused laughter under the Death Eaters but Hermione ignored it stoically and kept her eyes trained on their leader. As soon as the voices died down again, the man himself raised his hand to call their attention. "You heard it. This witch wants to take the place of the goblins, how very noble, how very disappointing. I must say, I was kind of looking forward to this but let's make this at least a little bit of fun, shall we?"

He looked at her with sadistic pleasure in his eyes. "Step forward then, Hermione Granger and receive, what you bargained for."

Hermione closed her eyes for a second before she opened them again and turned towards Fabian and Gideon. She looked at them with sad eyes full of regret. "I love you," she said loudly and looked each of them in the eyes for a long second and much more quietly she whispered: "You know what you have to do." Then she turned around and lowered her wand.

"How very touching," Voldemort's voice ridiculed her with a sneer before he raised his wand like a conductor would raise his baton. "Shall we then?"

Hermione looked at him with a raised chin and demonstratively put her wand away into the pockets of her robes. Then she nodded. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"

That was obviously all invitation this madman needed because the first Crucio hit her just a moment after. It wasn't long until her body crumpled on the floor as her legs were no longer able to support her weight. She used her last bit of willpower to seek out Severus' eyes who lay on the ground only several steps from her. Soon after she was no longer able to hear the cheers of the Death Eaters and the cries for mercy from her friends around her. All that remained for her were Severus' eyes that stared into hers with a calming intensity that gave her the strength to struggle on until the Dark Lord got bored of her. She didn't see him raise his wand for the next spell, but Hermione knew what was coming and she blinked at her friend once to say her goodbye. Severus blinked back before he focussed his eyes on her again. He kept his promise. He was with her until the green jet of light hit her limp body and her world went black. And somewhere, at the other end of London, a little Hermione Granger blinked out of existence.

ssssssss

When Hermione's world shifted back into focus, she didn't know where she was at first. She was on a bed in a smallish room with walls that were plastered with a variety of Quidditch posters and pictures. She knew she had been to this place before, she just couldn't remember when.

"Hello Mione," a well-known, kind voice greeted her and suddenly she realized that she wasn't alone in the room. There was a tall and kind-looking redhead sitting on the bed next to her and studying her with sad, blue eyes. "Did you finally come to see me again?"

Hermione blinked at the strange boy in surprise and as he suddenly took her hand into his, her eyes went wide. She knew who that was. How could she have forgotten? "Ron," she whispered and her boyfriend smiled and took one of her unruly curls between his fingers.

"Didn't expect to see me again, did you?" he asked before he let go of her hair and took her hand into his instead. "I missed you, you know? I still do in fact."

He looked at her with blue, sad eyes. "Come back to me Mione, please."

She looked at him in confusion, but that was when her brain finally caught on and she remembered everything. She remembered her life and death in the past as well as the things that happened when she woke up in a world that no longer knew a Hermione Granger. "I can't," she finally replied and looked at him with sad eyes and Ron's eyes looked back at her in resignation.

"You found someone else, didn't you? Someone better than me…"

Hermione closed her eyes for a moment when she felt her heart break for him. "That's not the reason Ron. I need to save those people, I need to save Fred and George and your uncles, Ron, they're alive you know."

He looked at her with sad eyes before a forced smile appeared on his face. "I know. You saved them all, didn't you? Well, I always knew you were brilliant and you were always too good for me anyway."

Hermione couldn't help herself and pulled him into an affectionate hug. "That's not true, Ron. You're kind and loyal and I love you."

"But you love them, too," he added and pressed her against him. He still felt like she remembered him, long limbs and lean muscles from his time as a beater and his Auror training.

"Yeah, I love them too, Fabian and Gideon that is. Is that alright with you?"

Her former boyfriend looked at her for a long moment. "Dunno, I barely know them to be honest. But if they make you happy…"

"They really do," Hermione admitted with a little smile against his chest.

"Good," Ron said with an air of finality and pulled back from her. "…because you deserve to be happy, Hermione. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise." He smiled at her and slowly got up from his place in bed, only to offer her a hand to help her up too. She took it with a shy smile.

"Gods, I'll miss you, Hermione, even though I won't even exist much longer after you go back." He looked at her with a longing in his eyes that almost made her change her mind. But she didn't. This whole conversation must be in her head anyway but that didn't make it any less bittersweet.

"I'll miss you too, Ron. And I promise I'll never forget you – this you - because the Ron in the other timeline is a self-centred arsehole. He's even got a house-elf."

At that, the redhead sent her a crooked smile. "Merlin that's bad. Please don't get me confused with him. I'd never be like that."

Hermione smiled. "I know. There's only one Ron Weasley for me and that will always be you."

He nodded in satisfaction. "That's good enough for me. Well, I guess now it's time for you to head back." Ron looked down at his hands and wrung them nervously. "Would it be too much to ask for a last kiss? Just one?" He looked at her with red ears and Hermione smiled at him affectionately.

"Just one," she replied before she stepped on her toes and kissed him slowly on the mouth. "Goodbye, Ron," she murmured against his mouth before she slowly pulled back from him. His mouth had formed a happy little smile and he looked at her with his blue eyes full of love and adoration.

"Goodbye, Hermione."

Before she could say anything else, the world around her went blurry and dissolved into nothingness.