AN: Hey everyone! I was too excited to wait the typical week between posting another chapter so without further ado I hope you all enjoy. As always read and review it helps encourage me to write more and faster.
Hermione carefully surveyed her friends before asking them what happened. Harry looked at her with worry and the trio soon found themselves making their way to Madame Pomfrey's, albeit with a protesting Hermione Granger in tow.
Hermione was lost deep in thought as they walked through the winding corridors of the castle, wondering who to tell and how about her current situation. She soon decided that Harry and Ron both needed to know and they would, as they always did, work together from there.
It was a few minutes later that Madame Pomfrey cleared Hermione to leave with a warning about reducing her stress levels. On their way back to the dormitory Hermione struggled to find out what time she had actually gotten herself sent back to. So far there was no way to know what year exactly or what point of the year she was in.
Once in the Gryffindor common room, Hermione grabbed her two friends and pulled them into a corner where she quickly cast a few charms to keep them from prying eyes and ears.
"Alright we need to talk and before you call me crazy I need you to truly listen to what I am about to say." Hermione took a deep breath to steel her nerves before continuing. She was after all still a teenager in body if not in mind. "I am not the Hermione that you know, not now at least."
"What are you talking about 'Mione? That doesn't make a bit of sense" Ron interrupted.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him before saying, "well Ronald if you'd let me explain then you would understand."
Ron turned red in the face and Harry stifled a smile before clapping his best friend on the back and nodding for Hermione to continue. Hermione smiled at him in return and continued on with her story.
"Well, yesterday I was a happily married woman consulting on a case in the Department of Mysteries with you two. This was of course after the war had ended and Voldemort had been defeated. And yes Ron, before you ask, I am talking about time travel. It seems that the object we were investigating together was a time turner of sorts and it ended up taking me here, over 20 years in the past." Hermione pulled the pocket watch out of her robes and opened it to show them the enchanted silver sand floating within. "It may sound crazy but I need you both to listen. I am not the shy little bookworm you both knew up until now. I am a battle hardened 35 year old woman with the knowledge and magic to match it."
To prove her statement Hermione cast a nonverbal spell to ruffle Ron and Harry's hair playfully. Both of the boys looked, as expected, shocked. However, Harry had a contemplative look on his face that Hermione recognized as being his skeptical acceptance of the matter.
"The pocket watch was imbued with a sentient soul and it sent me back here I'm assuming to change the time line. Whatever the case may be, I refuse to let this war take my friends and family away from me again. This time, we take the war to Voldemort."
Ron winced slightly at Hermione's use of You-Know-Who's name but nodded. Harry also gave her a lingering look and a subtle nod though both boys were considerably shocked and confused at the revelation.
"We can never have a bloody normal year can we?" Ron joked awkwardly. Hermione and Harry laughed and all three stepped into a group hug. "How do we know that you aren't lying Hermione? That you are even our Hermione at all."
"I see that you are still the best strategist and most loyal man I know Ronald." Ron blushed a shade of crimson and averted his eyes sheepishly at the compliment.
"Well, I know that you have been crushing on me for years though in the end we both figure out that we aren't right for one another. Harry what year is it?"
Harry frowned slightly before replying. "Fourth."
"Ah okay well if it hasn't yet, Hogwarts will soon announce that we are to hold the Triwizard Tournament this year. The two schools that will be participating are Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. And yes Ron, Krum will be here for it, and he will actually be the chosen champion. A woman named Fleur Delacour will be Beauxbatons and Cedric Diggory will be Hogwarts'. However, Harry you will be chosen as well without putting your name in the goblet because of dark forces at play. Those dark forces are in the form of Mad Eye Moody, the DADA professor this year actually being a death eater using polyjuice to impersonate Mad Eye. That should be enough to convince you if you aren't already."
Harry's eyes were comically wide as he gaped at Hermione in shock. Ron for his part had a similar expression on his face.
"Well the tournament was announced yesterday, the other schools should be arriving today." Harry said.
Just then, many excited students rushed down the stairs and out the entrance, chattering about the impending arrival of the other schools. Rumors about how they were going to arrive were being bounced around and Hermione just laughed and shook her head at some of the outlandish modes of transportation some students were suggesting. Hermione carefully took down the charms hiding them and they joined the students making their way to the black lake out front of Hogwarts.
Hermione leaned over to her friends as they stood amongst the crowd and whispered "Durmstrang has a giant pirate ship and Beauxbatons comes on a flying horse drawn carriage. In case you needed some rather fast confirmation of what I told you earlier."
Almost on cue, a massive ship broke the surface of the black lake and came to a creaking stop, splashing many students who were standing too close to the shore. As the students unloaded Ron tugged at Hermione and Harry's robes excitedly as a familiar buzzed head came into view.
"That's him! That's Krum! He's the best seeker in the world Harry I've never been this close. Our World Cup seats have always been rather far." Hermione laughed and gave Ron a gentle squeeze.
The next school to arrive was Beauxbatons, landing elegantly in the grass behind all the Hogwarts students. Hermione took a deep breath as the carriage was unloaded, waiting until she saw a familiar blonde exit as regally as expected.
"Oh bloody hell" Ron croaked out as the Beauxbatons girls passed him on their way into the castle behind the Durmstrang students. Ron's face was turning slightly purple as he stared open mouthed and Hermione elbowed him in the ribs to break him out of his trance.
After the schools were introduced and the tournament was explained, the feast began. Hermione however could not help but find herself watching a particular tall veela, swallowing her distaste as countless men and women fawned over her.
It was only moments later that the blonde stood up and made her way over to their table. Hermione turned as Fleur spoke.
"Excusez moi, are you finished with the bouillabaisse?"
Ron was turning purple once again, his mouth hanging open as his eyes fixated on Fleur. Fleur however only had eyes for a certain brunette who carefully handed the dish over to the French woman, making sure that their fingers brushed ever so slightly. That contact however sent electricity coursing through both of their arms and Hermione felt Fleur's thrall envelope her. Fleur's eyes sparkled as Hermione's skin left her own. The veela in her was dancing in circles, thrall pressing up against her newfound mate in an effort to test her magical strength and compatibility. Over the years Fleur and Hermione had learned that her thrall was a part of her that expressed her emotions and became harder to control when those emotions were high.
"Hi, my name is Hermione." Hermione smiled at the blonde, loving the way she could feel her thrall excitedly spiraling around.
"Bonjour 'ermione" Fleur said softly. There was something about the small brunette before her that made Fleur pause. Her magic was strong, much stronger than it should have been this early in the brunette's life and there was a certain aged wisdom evident in her eyes that Fleur could not help but take interest in. "Perhaps you would be willing to help me find my way around the castle? It is much larger than Beauxbatons I am afraid."
Hermione smiled and nodded. "Of course. If you would like, we can start our tour tonight. While everyone finishes their feast the castle should be fairly empty and easy to navigate." The blonde nodded and held up a delicate finger before turning on her heel to return to her table where she set the dish down and leaned over to whisper something in a smaller blonde's ear. Gabrielle squealed with delight and began to turn to look at them before Fleur's hand on her shoulder rather forcefully prevented her from doing so. Hermione giggled as she imagined the smaller blonde's frowning face and the rapid French that was no doubt being spoken between them. After a moment, Fleur turned around and headed back to the Gryffindor table where Hermione stood and led them both out of the Great Hall.
"So, what is your name?" Hermione asked with a small smile, knowing that Fleur had yet to tell her in this timeline.
Fleur gasped and apologized before muttering at herself in French. When she looked back up to meet Hermione's eyes she told Hermione her name, which of course the British witch already knew.
As they made their way around the castle, Hermione diligently pointed out each and every spot and path Fleur would need to know. It was once their tour ended that Hermione became slightly nervous. Was she supposed to tell the French witch that she already knew exactly who she was and what the connection between them was? What if such an outlandish story pushed Fleur away instead of drawing her closer? Hermione's mind was whirling uncontrollably until she felt a soft hand slip into her own and give it a gentle squeeze.
"What is the matter ma belle? You have grown silent and thoughtful all of a sudden." Fleur's blue eyes shone with worry and Hermione felt her thrall cover her comfortingly.
"Fleur I need to tell you something and I don't think you will believe me. It scares me to think of losing you when I just met you."
Acting on instinct, Fleur turned and wrapped her mate in a warm embrace, resting her chin on top of the brunette's head as she burrowed into Fleur's neck and breathed her in as she used to do in her past life. The embrace and Fleur's scent calmed Hermione almost instantly and she pulled away, looking into the cerulean eyes that still held her captive after so many years.
"I'm not from here" Hermione blurted out, immediately wanting to smack her head against the nearest wall at such a ridiculous statement.
"I do not care if you are English or not Hermione" Fleur responded with confusion.
Hermione laughed and shook her head. "No Fleur I mean I'm not from here as in I'm not from now. Not from this time."
Now Fleur looked incredibly confused, a slight head tilt adorably accentuating that fact. The stunning blonde quirked an eyebrow to signal Hermione to continue.
"I was thrown back in time to my 4th year in order to change the impending future and right the wrongs of a war that hasn't even happened yet. Of course, you're probably wondering why in the world I'm telling you this, a seemingly random stranger whom I just met not even a few hours ago. Well, it's because you aren't a random stranger Fleur. I know what you are and I know what I am to you. In my past life, we didn't know until well after the war and by then it was nearly too late." Hermione sighed and looked at Fleur who stood with a furrowed brow staring at the brunette before her.
"Then tell me. What exactly do you think I am mademoiselle?" Fleur's tone left no room for lies or games and Hermione could tell that her words had struck the French woman.
"You are a veela. A very secretive race thought to be somehow related distantly to sirens. You are stunningly gorgeous and you have this way of drawing people in without meaning to. It infuriates you however, not being able to control it. It's called thrall and it's an emotional extension of you that you will only gain proper control of once you have found your mate and completed the ritual to seal the unbreakable bond. If your mate were to reject you, you would get sick and eventually you would die because veela are a race built on love and sexuality. Without a mate your purpose in life ceases to exist, at least that's what the veela in you would say. You are however only partially veela because you were born to a human father and veela mother. Only women can be veela though their mates can be of any gender, race, or origin."
Upon finishing her small speech, Hermione looked deeply into Fleur's eyes. Inside she saw the fear and apprehension, though she could also see acceptance slowly building. Hermione stepped forward and took Fleur's hand, smiling softly at the subtle jolt that passed between them.
"And me? I'm your mate. This time, I don't want to wait decades to realize that. I want to love you as long as I can Fleur Isabelle Delacour. I didn't get to experience this the first time around and I understand if this is too much and you need time to process it or to make sure that my words are true." Hermione looked away at that last part, her teenage body overruling her adult mind as tears welled up in her eyes. She wordlessly vanished them with magic and looked back up at Fleur as she felt slender fingers grab her chin and tilt her head so that their eyes could meet.
"Oui Hermione I am a veela. As such I knew that you were my mate the moment I stepped up and saw you. I could smell you before I even reached you, that's how powerful this seems to be. I have read about this, heard about this from my family but it is so different experiencing it for myself. I do not know how you managed to travel back in time so far without dying, nor do I know what the future holds, but I assume you know the answer to both and are going to tell me in time."
Hermione looked at the veela and nodded before holding up a finger telling her to wait. She then reached into her robes and as her fingers brushed the cold metal of the pocket watch, she willed herself back to the library within.
Hermione appeared in the room and called out for Chronos who appeared on the couch in front of her. She took a seat in an armchair across from him and rolled her eyes at the Cheshire grin on his face. His fingers began drumming on the armrest of the couch and he waited for the brunette to begin her onslaught of questions.
"First off, why the hell did you send me back in time? I thought you said all I had to do was will myself to return back, to my time mind you, and poof I'd be there." Hermione waggled a finger at the man accusatorily and his grin only grew.
"Well dear you didn't really think I was getting nothing out of this did you? Oh no, no indeed. You see, this year something important happens. Mr. Tom Marvelo Riddle rises from the dead and so begins the second wizarding war. This however greatly angered my friend Death, for Tom was supposed to die many times before and yet the slippery bastard always kept cheating Death. As you can imagine, Death does not like to be cheated, none of us do, and so he asked for my help to right the timeline. I was to find my person, send them back in time to a point before the war truly took its toll, and Death would repay me with a favor someday. Favors in our ethereal world are hard to come by as you can imagine so of course I took him up on it. All you need to do is live your life and do what you are already planning to do, change the timeline to stop the war."
"Are you saying that the deaths in the war were not orchestrated by Death himself but rather a result of Voldemort cheating Death and starting his genocidal war? That the entire hell I lived through in my first life was actually not supposed to happen at all? You have got to be kidding me." Hermione looked particularly pissed off and Chronos shifted uncomfortably in his seat at receiving the icy glare from the witch before him.
"Some events and some deaths will still happen because they are part of the intended natural order of things. Mad Eye Moody will still die, Albus Dumbledore, and dozens of others who were slaughtered in the name of the "pureblood cleansing."" Chronos shuddered at the thought.
Hermione sighed and looked off at the walls of books.
"Can I bring someone else here? So I can prove that this is real?"
Chronos smiled and snapped his fingers. A very confused and alarmed Fleur Delacour appeared in the seat next to Hermione, wand at the ready.
"Oh my god" Hermione exclaimed, throwing a rather sour look at the man across from her who was laughing merrily.
"Welcome dear. My name is Chronos, I am a sentient being created by Merlin and Time. I'm sure miss Granger has explained some of this to you but if she has not or there are any gaps please read this." Chronos reached out and a large dusty book appeared in his hand.
Fleur looked over at a very apologetic looking Hermione and back to the silver eyed smiling man before taking the extended book. The moment that she opened the book however she was sucked into it rather forcefully. Hermione leapt up in alarm and drew her wand at Chronos who simply moved it down with one finger.
"Give it a moment miss Granger. This was far easier than repeating everything. I find that's rather boring to do. There are in fact much better ways to spend ones time." Chronos chuckled at his own joke.
In a few seconds, Fleur reappeared holding the book, her expression contemplative if not a bit overwhelmed. She explained that the book had essentially worked as a pensieve in which she saw everything explained to Hermione and even a bit of their first life together and the war as it was in Hermione's timeline. Though frustrated at Chronos' lack of manners and warning, Hermione had to admit that it was indeed much better than waiting through yet another explanation of what all had happened.
They were returned to their present time after catching up some more, Fleur learning that she rather liked the entertaining man in the watch. It was nearly too much to learn in one day however and Fleur found herself extremely exhausted from the day's events. Hermione offered to walk her to her carriage and the pair set off across the grounds.
Once they arrived at the carriage entrance, Fleur gave Hermione a shy smile and leaned in to press a gentle kiss against the smaller girl's cheek. Hermione blushed and returned the smile before wrapping Fleur in a tight hug.
They had much to learn about one another that was for sure, but at least now their love had a 20 year head start and a war to stop.