A/N: Thank you to the 5 followers and the favourite I received since last night! Thank you as well to AliceEnchanted for my first review As you can tell this chapter is quite a bit longer than the last one, I should have explained that the previous chapter was so short because it was the prologue, it was supposed to be short. As the story progresses the chapters should also hopefully get longer! I've not had a chance to start the next chapter yet but I'm hoping to have it done later this week, reviews will help make the process faster! :P
There was a sensation akin to floating before the fire hit. Hermione felt as if her entire body had been dipped in acid and thrown in to fiendfyre. She wished she could scream, screaming was cathartic, but she couldn't catch her breath to do so. She prayed for her body's natural defences to kick in and knock her unconscious, but it didn't. She had no idea how long she lay there in pain, or even where there was, but eventually the pain became too much and her mind shut off and allowed her to escape.
When Hermione awoke she was still in a lot of pain, her body still burned, though not quite as badly as before, her head felt heavy, her mouth was fuzzy and her eyes appeared to be glued together. She lay there for a little while before the exertion of attempting to just open her eyes forced her to pass out again.
The next time Hermione woke the pain had dulled to a subdued ache. It still hurt, but she felt as though she could now do more than just attempt to open her eyes. She took it slowly, not ready to see where she was. She remembered Professor Lupin's words and the three spells, but she had no idea what the effects would be. Maybe the pain had just been her dying and she was now in the afterlife. Maybe she hadn't actually died and the Death Eaters were keeping her for sport. She wasn't entirely sure but she knew she had to face whatever eventuality she had ended up in. So she opened her eyes, very slowly, grateful for the fact that the lights were dimmed wherever she was, she feared anything to bright would only add to her pain. Hermione looked around as well she could, moving her head too much sent sharp pains down her neck. It looked like she was in a hospital, more specifically it looked like the hospital wing at Hogwarts, but that couldn't possibly be right. A figure approached from Hermione's left, "ah lovely, you're awake!" Hermione turned her head in shock, ignoring the pain. The figure had been Madame Pomfrey, confirming that this was indeed Hogwarts' hospital wing, but she didn't understand how that could be possible.
"Now dear, you've gone through a terrible trauma, you really should rest some more. I have some pain relief and dreamless sleep potion for you. I have done what I can to heal you but too much magical interference isn't good so we have to let your body do the rest naturally." Madame Pomfrey spoke very calmy and gently, as if she didn't wish to spook Hermione, but it was too late, Hermione was spooked by the mere sight of the kind medi-witch.
"Please, where am I?" Hermione croaked, her throat sore and dry from lack of use.
"Why, you're at Hogwarts dear, and I'm the resident Healer, Madame Pomfrey." She must have noticed the confused look on Hermione's face as she attempted to process that bit of information. "You do know what Hogwarts is don't you? I just assumed as you had a wand."
"Of course I know what Hogwarts is, but how is this possible? What about Voldemort? And the final battle? The castle was all but destroyed!" On the verge of tears Hermione began to hyperventilate.
"Oh my dear, whatever are you talking about? There has been no battle here, and you're really far too young to know of Voldemort!"
Hermione looked at the medi-witch in shock. How could she possibly say that there had been no battle? And she was hardly too young to know about Voldemort, despite the fact that everyone knew who he was, and now most definitely knew he was back and more powerful than ever, she was of age, so it wouldn't be odd for her to know of things going on outside of school. Besides, she was Hermione Granger, best friend of Harry Potter, how could she not know who Voldemort was? On second thoughts, how could Madame Pomfrey not know who she was? "Madame Pomfrey, you do know who I am don't you?" Hermione asked the older woman hesitantly.
"Well no dear, your appearance here has been quite a mystery, it's not often an eleven year old witch appears in the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, with a wand and injuries as extensive as your own."
As the weight of what Madame Pomfrey had just said began to sink in to Hermione, she looked down at her body for the first time and noticed that she was indeed a lot smaller then when she had last seen herself and she began to panic. Her breathing became more and more erratic and she felt her vision begin to blur at her distinct lack of oxygen. Madame Pomfrey began to bustle around very quickly and started to pout potions down Hermione's throat, first a calming draught, followed by a pain reliever, a nutritional supplement and finally the dreamless sleep potion. She decided that her mind needed just a little more time to recover and come to terms with whatever had happened to her. In the meantime, Madame Pomfrey decided it would be prudent to have a little chat with the Headmaster.
The third time Hermione awoke, she panicked. She remembered her previous conversation with Madame Pomfrey and she no longer felt safe. Shouldn't imagine where she could possibly be and how the matron wouldn't know who she was. She stiffened slightly and held her breath as she heard a rustling next to her, too scared to open her eyes and see who was there.
"I know you're awake miss, I find that people generally continue to breathe evenly whilst sleeping."
Hermione let out the breath she had been holding at the seemingly kind voice, but she still did not open her eyes.
"It's quite alright child, I'm not going to harm you. Poppy said you had quite a fright when she spoke with you yesterday and I just want to help you."
At that, Hermione slowly opened her eyes, knowing that she was in as much danger facing the man behind the voice as she was pretending to be asleep. She turned her head slowly to the left, still painfully aware of the throbbing in her muscles, and gasped when she saw who was sat there. "How?" was all she could manage to ask, her brain not able to function when confronted with a living, breathing and talking Professor Dumbledore.
"How what my dear?"
"How are you alive?"
Dumbledore cocked his head slightly to the side, "am I to understand that you know who I am then?" He asked her slowly, not fully understanding what was happening.
"Of course I do! You're Professor Dumbledore, but you died! Harry saw you die, we all attended your funeral!" Hermione was practically shouting by the end of this, but she just couldn't comprehend the situation, and she hated not knowing what was going on.
"Ah, I can assure that I am not dead, yet. Perhaps you could inform me of when I died?"
"What do you mean?"
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at Hermione's confusion with his question, "I would have the thought the question was rather straight forward my dear. When exactly did I die?"
"30th June 1997."
"Ah, then I believe we have found our problem, you have somehow ended up in 1971."
Hermione shot straight up in the bed, ignoring the pain shooting down her body. "That can't be possible? It can't be 1971, it was 1998! Travelling back in time without a time turner is impossible, and even with a time turner, going back nearly thirty years is completely unthinkable!"
"Well I can assure you miss, it most certainly is 1971. I can get you today's paper of you don't believe me."
Hermione lowered her head into her hands and let out a long shaky breath. "No, I believe you; I just don't understand how I got here."
"Well why don't you start at the beginning, your name for instance?"
"Hermione Granger, sir. I was born in September 1979 to muggle parents and I began my Hogwarts education in 1990 and I believe I temporarily died during the final battle against Voldemort in 1998."
"Well Miss Granger, it's lovely to meet you, although the circumstances could have been better, it's never good to die, even temporarily I should imagine. Now why don't you tell me the rest of your story, starting from the very beginning?"
"It's a very long story sir, if I were to truly start from the beginning I would be starting from when I was just a small baby, and half of it wouldn't even be my story."
"We have time my dear," with that Dumbledore sat back in his chair, his fingers steepled under his chin. Hermione proceeded to take a deep breath and began to tell their story. She started with what she knew about James and Lily Potter and the events leading up to that fateful Halloween night in 1981. She glossed over Harry's years with the Dursley's, whilst it had affected his life greatly, at this moment in time it wasn't particularly relevant. Hermione kept talking, filling in the headmaster with the tales of her adventures with Harry and Ron. She had to keep pausing to try and hold back the tears that were threatening to spill at the thought of the friends that she had lost. But each time she had to pause, she drew a breath and remembered that she had the chance to save them and she continued with their story.
By the time she reached their fourth year, Hermione had begun to lag. She was lying down, with her head and shoulders propped up on pillows and her pace had slowed considerably. Although it was obvious that the young girl needed to take a break, Dumbledore allowed her to continue until the end of the year, not wanting to interrupt her tale in an awkward place. Once she reached the third task of the Triwizard Tournament, Dumbledore was transfixed; he had leant forward in his seat, fingers still steepled under his chin. He could tell that something big was going to happen soon, all the events of Hermione's fourth year seemed to be leading to something catastrophic, he only hoped that it wasn't what he suspected. But of course it was. Once Hermione finished explaining about the fake Moody and how it had been Barty Crouch Jr all along, Dumbledore raised his hand for her to stop.
"I think this is as good a place as any to stop today Miss Granger. You need your rest and you have given me a lot to think over. Besides, I have kept Poppy at bay for as long as possible and if I don't let her come and fuss over you then I'm sure she'll never allow me back in to talk to again. I shall take my leave now, please get some rest and have some food and we will continue this tomorrow."
Hermione murmured her ascent, feeling her eyes already beginning droop with exhaustion. She heard Madame Pomfrey approach from her office behind her, but she couldn't remember much after that as she quickly fell asleep, drained from the emotions of the day.
The next day greeted Hermione with a slice of hot toast, a small glass of pumpkin juice and a bustling matron. "Ah good, you're awake, how are you feeling today dear?"
Hermione eased herself into a sitting position whilst Pomfrey rearranged the pillows behind her. "A little better, I'm still in some pain though."
"Anywhere in particular dear?"
"No, everything just aches and throbs."
"Ok, well here's a mild pain reliever, there doesn't seem to be any actual damage, I think the pain is residual from the trauma your body has gone through. Have some food and keep resting and you'll be fine in no time!" The matron's head popped up as the door to the hospital wing slowly opened. "I'm watching you closely Headmaster! Don't go wearing the poor girl out like you did yesterday!" Dumbledore held his hands up in defeat as he made his way to the same chair he had sat in the previous day.
"I promise I will ensure her health is of the utmost importance dear Poppy." Dumbledore smiled at the healer, his signature twinkle in his eye. Madame Pomfrey let out a sigh before thrusting the plate of toast in to Hermione's hands before retreating to her office. Dumbledore motioned for Hermione to eat her toast before they proceeded, once she had finished he asked if she was ready to pick up where they had left off. She took a deep breath and continued the story.
When she had finished Dumbledore looked horrified, "I am so sorry you had to go through all that my dear. Do you really think we can change it? Awful things happen to those that meddle with time."
"In all honesty professor, I can't see how I could possibly make the future any worse. We had lost, that is the worst possible scenario and I have the knowledge to change it all. I don't see an issue with this situation," Hermione calmly explained.
"I see one small issue Miss Granger."
Hermione looked up at the headmaster confusedly, "what sir?"
"Well you're only 11 Miss Granger; there is no way I can send an 11 year to hunt horcruxes. I know you are more than qualified to do it, but that was a previous lifetime and in this one I just can't allow it right now."
"I hadn't thought about that, what do we do then? And speaking of which, why am I only 11?"
"I suggest we take some time to work out a solid plan, from what you have said it doesn't sound like Tom has begun to make his horcruxes yet and he's not gained an awful lot of power yet, so that gives us some time. As for the age issue, I can't be sure. I have never heard of a spell that can send a person back in time so I'm not sure if this is a normal side effect. I shall look in to it and let you know if I find anything."
"Thank you sir, but what do I do in the meantime?"
"Ah yes, I have thought about this and we're going to have to integrate you for your own safety. You will be an incredible asset to this war and Tom will do anything to get his hands on you so we must keep you somewhere safe. I have discussed this already with someone who I know will manage to keep you safe and they are more than happy to take you in and raise you as their own child."
Hermione sent him a sceptical look, certain that he was about to meddle, "who sir?"
"The Potter family. I'm sure you're aware that their son James is currently the same age as you so it would be the perfect cover."
Hermione bolted upright in panic, "No, please not there, I'm not sure I can handle it!"
Dumbledore placed his hand on Hermione's shoulder in an attempt to calm her down, "now I'm sure you'll be just fine. I know it will be difficult, but I'm sure that having a family around, specifically a family that you already feel a connection to, will help ground you and make you feel safe. Please just trust me on this." The headmaster looked so concerned and sincere that Hermione had to agree with him, "Ok, now that we have all that sorted out I will leave you to rest. As soon as you are better we can introduce you to the Potters."
As Hermione watched Dumbledore leave the hospital wing she began to think about her situation. For the first time in a long time she felt completely safe and even quite hopeful. She even began to think that living with her dead best friend's dead family might not be so bad.
