Dear Sirius,

I am sorry that I left without saying goodbye face to face, but I thought that it would be easier this way. Please know that we will meet again, but it won't be for many years, and I am afraid we will both be different people then. I won't burden you by telling you that I love you, but please know that I do care about you, more than I thought was possible. I will always remember this time that we spent together, and I hope, in time, you can find it in your heart to forgive me. Although I will always remember what we had, I don't expect you to cling to the memory of me.

Please, if you hold any affection for me, do not go after Peter. I know that it won't make sense now, but someday soon, it will. I am sure that it will take everything in your power to follow this directive, but it is imperative that you don't go after Peter. Harry will need you. I can't give you any more than this. Please promise me this one thing, Sirius.

Affectionately,

Hermione

As soon as Hermione left the Room of Requirement, she felt the silent tears falling on her face. She hurt so much, but at the same time she felt hope bubbling up in her chest. She wasn't sure if Sirius would be able to contain his infamous Black family temper, but she hoped that he would. She hoped that she had just bought Harry a little bit of happiness, and that she hadn't totally destroyed her future timeline. She supposed she wouldn't know until she got back.

Checking the time, she saw that she only had a few minutes before she was meant to meet Professor Dumbledore, so she hurried her steps towards the Astronomy Tower. When she got there, she could already hear the wind howling fiercely outside. The tempestuousness of the storm did match her emotions, although she found it rather cliché.

Clutching her beaded bag to her tightly, she made her way up the stairs to the open air portion of the tower. She felt the rain pelting her body and she immediately began to shiver.

Hermione didn't have to wait long for Professor Dumbledore to arrive. Even with the storm, he seemed serene and calm, his beard whipping in the wind. "Miss Granger," he greeted her, calmly. "I have repaired the device."

He held out the precious time turner, its glass globe mended and filled with useless sand. Hermione quickly took the device and placed the long golden chain around her neck. It was a really beautiful artifact, Hermione thought, with the ability to do so much.

"Before we go any further, we should discuss the specifics. We need to charm the device forward before you step on the ledge and you must not let it go until the lightning strikes the globe. Additionally, we will place a charm on it to attract the lightning. Although you know that lightning will strike this tower, we need it to strike that specific location to imbue it with power. It's very important, Hermione, that you don't let it go," he said in a rush.

Hermione nodded numbly. She hadn't really given much thought to the fact that she was about to let lightning strike her hand essentially. It could run right through her body and leave her dead. Maybe this wasn't the most brilliant idea that she had. Still, Professor Dumbledore looked calm and collected, as if he had no doubt that it would work correctly.

She watched as he said a complicated charm that would draw the electrical energy to the time turner, leaving the glass illuminated in a brilliant yellow for a moment. "We still have a few moments before we need to charm the number of turns in place."

Hermione nodded. "Thank you so much for all of your help, sir. I knew that if anyone could help me get back, it would be you," she said, trying to sound as sincere as possible. Although she didn't always approve of Dumbledore's methods, she knew that he was kind and trusting and truly helpful.

"And you friend…young Mister Potter, his life has been set back on the correct track?" Dumbledore asked her with his blue eyes twinkling, like she remembered.

She wasn't surprised that Dumbledore seemed to know what she had been up to these last few months. Dumbledore always seemed to know what was going on in the halls of Hogwarts, even before the person it was happening to would realize.

Hermione smiled thinking of the kiss that James and Lily had shared. At that moment, it was almost as if the rest of the world ceased to exist around them. They were so totally wrapped up in each other and in that moment a spark of true love was formed. It was beautiful. She couldn't help but giggle at the realization that they were probably completely wrapped up in each other in some clandestine broom closet. And such behavior from the Head Students!

Hermione's heart softened. Even though she could give Harry his parents back, she could at least bring him back so many memories of their time together. Soon they'd all be back at Hogwarts together and they'd laugh about how she'd made friends with the marauders and how she'd fallen in love with Sirius.

Oh, Sirius.

She wondered at how long he'd sleep in the Room of Requirement before he would wake up and find her letter and hate her for leaving without saying goodbye. She wondered how much he would hate her when she found him again in the Shrieking Shack in her third year. He'd know she was from the future, he'd know that she knew their futures and that she hadn't done anything to change it. Except, hopefully he'd take her words to heart and he would be spared Azkaban. Her heart speed up at that thought.

"Sir, I did want to give you something before I go," Hermione said with a smile. She reached into her bag and pulled out a piece of parchment. On the parchment, she had detailed every bit of useful information she could think of. The horrible muggles Harry's aunt and uncle were, instructions not to hire Professor Quirrell, as he was holding Voldemort on the back of his head, the opening of the Chamber of Secrets and how Ginny Weasley had almost died by a diary possessed by the spirit of Tom Riddle, that Professor Remus Lupin was the very best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher she'd ever had and that Sirius was an innocent man and Peter Pettigrew was a traitor of the most odious kind, that Death Eaters would attack the Quidditch World Cup. She'd written about the Triwizard's Tournament, about how Barty Crouch, Jr was disguising himself as Moody to get closer to Harry and how he would help bring Voldemort back once and for all. She even included details about Umbridge's stay at Hogwarts and how she used a blood quill on Harry. Finally, she'd written about James and Lily's deaths on Halloween night in 1981. She knew that she couldn't save them, but maybe Professor Dumbledore would.

Dumbledore opened the piece of paper, seeing her neat handwriting along a multitude of rows, showing dates and names that he recognized. Realizing she had done this, he was immediately enraged. "How could you do this?" he demanded before he ripped the paper into tiny pieces, throwing them over the side of the Astronomy Tower.

Hermione watched helplessly as the pieces were caught by the wind, destroyed by the rain and disappeared into the darkness.

"I told you that meddling with time is inexcusable! The repercussions of you being here are already dire enough. The ripples it will create will be unimaginable! But to willfully try to change the future…it's reckless! It's madness!" he scolded her.

Hermione cried quietly, nodding along with Dumbledore's words. "Please, you don't understand. I had to try, I had to do something," she explained.

Dumbledore grimaced, unsure of how to go about comforting her. Easing the tension, a little buzzer went off from the pocket watch that Dumbledore carried with him. "I am afraid our time is up. We must charm the turner now," he said, neutrally.

Hermione nodded, grasping the time turner by its many rings. Dumbledore placed the tip of his wand on the glass orb and it was suddenly spinning, hundreds of revolutions per minute, blurring into a sand colored circle. Finally, it stopped, and Dumbledore instructed her to grasp the orb tightly. "Do not let it unwind until the lightning has struck," he repeated.

Hermione nodded, holding it tightly. The golden rings around it were wound so tightly that she thought it might burst from the tension, but for now it was holding. She kicked her shoes off before climbing to the ledge of the Tower.

It was quite slippery and she had to grasp onto one of the columns to keep her balance. The wind was whipping her feathers all about her and she knew she must look like a horribly wet cat. This really wasn't how she was planning on making her grand entrance back to her future. She watched in awe as lightning struck in the Forbidden Forest. The thunder that followed was deafening, and it shook the tower so hard that she thought she might fall right off.

She turned and looked at Dumbledore. "Please, trust Sirius." She didn't wait to see his reaction. Instead she raised her hand with the time turner and held it out into the night sky, praying that it would just happen quickly.

Lightning struck the ground again, closer still, but still not on the Astronomy Tower. Be brave, Hermione, she thought to herself, use your Gryffindor courage and don't look down. The ground was looming in the distance, but she didn't let herself think of what failure would mean. It would work. It had to work.

"I suppose this is goodbye, for a while Miss Granger," Dumbledore said behind her.

Hermione nodded furiously, letting tears prickle in her closed eyes. Just as she was about to repeat the sentiment, white hot lightning struck the orb in her hand. Hermione gasped, feeling the raw power and electricity at her fingertips. The moment seemed to last forever, but finally the tingling dissipated and she let go of orb. She opened her eyes watching as it spun faster and faster. She was tumbling over the edge of the Astronomy Tower and she couldn't decide if she was falling through the air or falling through time.

And then she was gone.

Dumbledore stared at the spot where the girl had just been standing. He had watched as the brilliant bolt of lightning had struck her hand, illuminating her body in a white glow before she had tumbled over the edge.

In her place was a column of fire. He wasn't surprised at the fire breaking out on the Astronomy Tower, as it happened exactly as she said it would. He was certain that it had worked. Barely resisting the urge to click his heels together in the knowledge that he has successfully created a time turner, Dumbledore was self satisfied.

Now to put out the fire….he'd go summon some of the teachers to help.

Suddenly, it wasn't raining any more, and the air was bright and crisp. It was day time, a beautiful day, and Hermione realized it had worked, at least a little bit.

But she realized that she was still falling, falling, falling down from the Astronomy Tower. Had she really just successfully withstood a lightning strike only to die falling to her death? Oh, what would Harry think!

"HERMIONE!" she heard someone screaming her name, but she couldn't look because then she'd see the ground getting closer and closer. Instead she just clenched her eyes shut tighter.

A force slammed into her, and Hermione realized she wasn't falling anymore, at least not as fast. No, she was flying. She opened her eyes, only to see a reddish blur. And then she passed out.