Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to Anelyna …thank you for all the support!
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I WILL DO ANYTHINGTuesday 4th September. 1994
"But can't you just try to get along?"
"Hermione I've told you enough times, Albus and I can never get along after what he did," Aberforth said to her, struggling to keep his tone even.
"But-"
"No buts Hermione, the answer is NO," Aberforth snapped, his patience coming to an end.
Hermione quieted. She had only been trying to help. She had to admit, hearing Aberforth snap at her hurt. He had never spoken to her like that before. They had been walking to Hogwarts when Hermione decided that she would try and help her Professor by trying to get Aberforth to forgive him.
Aberforth felt guilty about snapping at Hermione. He glanced over at her and saw her eyes were downcast, and she looked hurt. It was an expression that would melt hearts much colder than his. He sighed again and put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry Hermione, I know you were only trying to help," Aberforth began, "But you have to understand, things will never be alright between Albus and I again. We can be civil to each other, but I don't think we'll ever be as close as we once were."
Hermione looked up at him, Her face determined, all traces of sadness gone.
"Well I will make things okay between you and Uncle Albus, even if it's the last thing I do," She said.
Aberfoth rolled his eyes. She really was unique. He had noted the way "Uncle Albus" had rolled of her tongue smoothly like she hadn't given it another thought. He knew that it had been hard for her to adjust in the beginning, and she had continually called him Aberforth, but now, after six months together, he felt like they were a real family.
"You know," Hermione began, "I'm really glad you work in Hogsmeade."
"Really?" Aberforth said, bemused at the change of subject, "And why is that my dear?"
"Because that means I can visit you on weekends, of course," She said brightly.
Aberforth felt a smile tug at his lips. He had been a little depressed at the thought of Hermione leaving him and going off to school, but was happy to know that he would still get to see her. Still, he thought, I've just gotten used to living with her, and now she's leaving. It's not going to be the same without her I'll be lonely again.
"Oh look! There's Hogwarts!" Hermione cried.
Her eyes were shining with childish delight and she was wearing an elated grin. She looked so innocent at that moment.
"You seem very excited to being going to school," Aberforth noted amusedly. Most students would be dreading today.
"Well of course I am," Hermione said, her voice softer. "Hogwarts has been like a home to me since I was eleven years old. I have all my best memories in this place," she paused for a moment and looked at the castle, a small smile gracing her lips before continuing "But it – it also drew my family apart. My parents saw less and less of me each year. I felt guilty then, but it's no match to how bad I feel now."
Aberforth touched her arm gently.
"I'm sure they would have understood," He said empathetically.
"Hermione! Aberforth!" A cheerful voice called. There, at the massive entrance to Hogwarts stood Albus Dumbledore.
Hermione grinned. Aberforth grimaced.
Hermione, Albus and Aberforth were all seated in Albus' office.
"So Hermione," Albus began, "Tell me again about where you are from."
"Well, Uncle Albus," Hermione said, "As you know, there was a war going on. The Dark Lord rises in about twenty years from now. His-"
"Sorry to interrupt you Hermione," Albus said, "But this Dark Lord, he is actually Tom Riddle?"
"Yes. His full name is Tom Marvolo Riddle, and if you change the letters around, they spell I AM LORD VOLDEMORT. Anyway, as I said, he will rise around twenty years from now. During the time he will be trying to gain as much supporters and power as possible. His goal is to rid the world of muggleborns and muggles."
"But he is a half-blood himself," Dumbledore muttered. Hermione had already told him the story, but he still had a hard time wrapping his mind around things. I knew that Tom was dangerous, but I never knew to what extent. He thought gravely.
"I know," Hermione said, "But Riddle's father was under a love potion, and when Tom found out how his father left him and his mother, he would obviously begin to see muggles as cruel. It also didn't help that the orphanage he was left in was filled with heartless people who couldn't give a damn about Tom. After that experience, who could blame him for seeing muggles as the enemy?"
"Hermione," Aberforth said incredulously, speaking for the first time since they had entered Dumbledore's office. "Are you defending this boy? The boy who killed your family and friends?"
"Of course not!" Hermione said, calmly, thought it was far from what she was feeling. "I just think that if we're going to try and defeat Voldemort, we have to try and see his way of thinking."
"What on earth do you mean try and defeat him?" Aberforth demanded.
"Well Riddle is in my year, so I have to try and stop him from becoming Lord Voldemort," Hermione explained to him, looking at him if he were a bit slow.
"WHAT? THIS BOY IS IN YOUR YEAR?" Aberforth exploded. "ALBUS! WHY ON EARTH DIDN'T YOU TELL ME? SHE COULD GET HURT!"
"Calm down, brother," Albus said, shocked at his sibling's outburst. It seems that Aberforth is much more attached to Hermione than I first thought, Albus reflected. "Tom has no reason to hurt Hermione. To him, she will merely be a transfer student, nothing more."
"Yes, but Hermione will be going near him if she wants do defeat him, wont she?" Aberforth said. His voice was lower than before, but still contained the same amount of vehemence.
Albus opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione beat him to it.
"Calm down dad," she said. "I won't be getting close to Tom straight away, but I will have to at some point. I don't want to kill him," Hermione stated, "Because I am not like him. I am going to try and get close to him, to try and get him to change."
Albus' eyebrows shot up.
"You really think that will work?" He asked, a trace of doubt in his voice.
"Yes. Riddle has never had anyone to truly care for him. I believe if I do that, if I show him that not all people are callous and vindictive, then perhaps he could change," Hermione said. At least I hope he can, she thought, I feel slightly sorry for him – he's never had anyone to love for him or to care for him.
"NO! No, no, no!" Aberforth's harsh voice broke her from her reverie. "I won't let you do this. I can't let you do this!"
Hermione smiled slightly at the man and took his hand.
"Dad – Aberforth," She said, to let him know that she was not only speaking to him as his daughter, but as Hermione Granger, the girl who had risked her life time and time again to keep her loved ones safe. "You have to understand, if I accomplish this, it could mean a better future for everyone."
Aberforth sighed. He knew that he wouldn't be able to stop her from doing this.
"Hermione," He whispered, his gruff voice unusually soft, "I-"
"I know," Hermione said, knowing that he wanted to say something sweet, but didn't know how to say it.
She looked at Dumbledore, then back at Aberforth.
"There was a boy," She whispered, "A magnificent boy, who I adored. His name was Harry. Harry Potter. Voldemort sought out his parents when Harry was a year old. He killed them both. But when Voldemort tried to kill Harry, something went wrong. Harry was protected by his mother's love, as she had died for him. Harry was left with nothing but a scar, while Voldemort disappeared."
She paused and took a deep breath. Oh Harry, Hermione thought, with tears in her eyes, I hope you and Ron are okay. I miss you so much.
"Anyway, he was sent to live with his Aunt, Uncle and Cousin. They were muggles and they treated him terribly. When he came to Hogwarts he was famous – although he didn't know it. He only then found out how his parents really died, and how he got his scar – the muggles told him that he got it in a car accident. We became friends, along with another boy called Ronald Weasley. We were inseparable."
The Dumbledore siblings listened intently to Hermione's story.
"In our first year Voldemort came back. Ron and I helped Harry defeat him. After that, Voldemort would arise again, no matter when we defeated him. It turns out that he had made Horcruxes."
Albus drew a sharp breath.
"How on earth does he know about those things?" Albus said, fear seeping through him. It was not an emotion that he was used to feeling.
"I have no idea how he first found out, but then he went and asked Professor Slughorn about them. He didn't want to tell him, but he couldn't refuse his star pupil," Hermione said bitterly.
"What are Horcruxes?" Aberforth asked feeling confused.
"A horcrux is made when you split your soul and put it into another object," Albus explained, his voice uneasy.
Aberforth looked horrified. First at the prospect of splitting your soul, secondly as he realized that Albus was nervous. Albus never got nervous.
"He made seven," Hermione whispered.
All the colour drained from of Albus' face.
"So far he should only have made one," Hermione said. "His diary. In my second year a close friend of mine found the diary. She was only eleven and he manipulated her into opening the chamber of secrets."
"The chamber," Albus hissed. The sound was surprising. Hermione had never heard Albus hiss before. "You know where it is?"
"Yes. In the bathroom that Myrtle died in. You can only open it if you speak parsletongue. When Voldemort scarred Harry he passed some of his powers to Harry. Therefore Harry could open the chamber of secrets. In the chamber resides a basilisk."
Albus and Aberforth looked at each other, aghast. A basilisk in Hogwarts? This could not be good.
"I was petrified at the time," Hermione continued, "But Harry and Ron went inside the chamber. They were separated, and Harry had to face Tom alone. He managed to kill the Basilisk and destroy the horcrux. Tom had been drawing energy off my friend, but he hadn't completed when Harry destroyed the diary."
Albus was horror-struck.
"Sweet Merlin," He whispered. "Hermione, you must do all that you can to change Tom. You have a year. But if you haven't managed to do it by the end of the year, I'm afraid we'll have no choice but to kill him. We can not let what you described happen."
Hermione nodded, her face grim.
"I will do anything."