Chapter Ten

McGonagall set the Time-Turner for Hermione and handed it over.

"I have corresponded with my future self," she said. "I will meet you here, and take you to where ever it is your head-quarters are." Hermione nodded. She knew it would be dangerous, appearing back in Hogwarts over twenty years in the future. After the Battle of Hogwarts Lord Volidimort had claimed the castle as his own in a moment of arrogant triumph and egotistic irony, turning a place of good, and a beacon of hope, into maze of destruction and persecution. It had become a prison, and a slave house for those who had been captured after the battle.

"Thank you Professor," Hermione said. The young McGonagall smiled kindly at her, and said,

"Good luck Granger," and with that, Hermione spun the dial on the little golden Time-Turner, and disappeared.

Hermione found herself staring around McGonagall's discarded, devastated office. It was dark, the room shrouded in gloom; the great mahogany desk had been split in two, one half lying overturned by the door, papers scattered and shredded across the floor, the Gryffindor banner behind the desk tattered, and torn from it's place on the wall. The little tartan biscuit tin lay forgotten and covered in dust in the corner of the room. Hermione jumped and pulled out her wand as she heard a loud "crack" from the other side of the door. Her wand on the closed door, she readied herself as it creaked open, guarding herself against whomever was about to enter. She heave a sigh of relief when McGonagall entered the little office.

"Granger?"

"Yes."

"I have to check," the other woman said tersely. Hermione nodded. "My animagus," she said. "What is it?"

"A cat."

"What kind of cat?"

"Tabby cat," Hermione answered at once as the image of the stern looking tabby with circular glasses marks around its eyes filled her head. She couldn't help but smirk a little at the memory.

"Your turn," she said suddenly. McGonagall raised a slender eyebrow, then nodded. "My middle name?"

"Jean." Hermione heaved a sigh of relief and her old teacher embraced her. "Leave your trunk," she said, "we have to get out as quickly as possible. The place is littered with Death Eaters." Hermione nodded once more and her teacher rapped her hard on the head with her wand, and then did the same to herself as Hermione felt the familiar feeling of the disillusionment charm trickling down her neck and back.

"Getting in was the easy part," McGonagall muttered, "but getting out, well, stay close and do as I say. Then perhaps we shall both get out alive." Hermione nodded.

The two witches slid silently out of the door and closed it noiselessly behind them.

"Not a word," McGonagall mouthed at her. She nodded. They made their way unnoticed through the corridors towards the main staircase, flattening themselves against the walls, secure under the shadows, their disillusioned bodies making them virtually unnoticeable. Two Death Eaters rounded the corner and they ducked into a small dark alcove, a short ugly gargoyle sitting above their heads, rustling its wings as it settled it's self into a comfortable position. As the two men drew nearer the gargoyle, having found a satisfactory sitting position, looked down, spotted them, and gave a loud echoing shriek.

"Intruders! Intruders in the castle!" it bellowed at the two men who had just passed them. They span around and seeing Hermione and McGonagall, who had leap from their hiding spot, sprinted after them, green and red streams of light narrowly missing their heads. Hermione shot stunning spells over her shoulder, hitting one of the men squarely in the chest, when four more came darting around the corner to join the case.

The two women fired random jinxes over their shoulders as they ran, narrowly dodging the streams of green light that persistently followed them. Hermione let out a cry of pain as she felt a curse hit her back, a searing ripping sensation tearing at her flesh. She fell, clattering to the ground as the ripping, burning sensation continued to spread, until she felt a warm, sticky substance lace it's way through the fire. She grew dizzy, her sight fuzzy; the last things she saw were the faces of Severus Snape and Bellatrix Lestrange looking down at her, before the blackness engulfed her.

Hermione could hear murmuring, the sound of many soft voices talking in hushed whispers around her. Every inch of her body stung, and she could feel the blood thumping through her head painfully. She was in a bed. It felt soft, and somehow, familiar. She opened her eyes slowly, the room around her gradually coming into focus. The voices all seemed to hush at once as someone shushed them, a circle of anxious faces looking down at her. Professor McGonagall smiled kindly at her, along with Molly and Arthur Weasely, Ron and Ginny. Everyone seemed to heave a simultaneous sigh of relief as she smiled weakly up at them.

"Hey." Ginny gave a nervous laugh and Mrs Weasely let out a cry of relief, throwing her arms around her and everyone laughed. Hermione winced as she did so.

"Careful now Molly," came a soft, familiar voice at her side. "She's been through a lot. She'll be rather delicate for a while." Hermione looked slowly to her side once Molly had released her and smiled.

"Narcissa."

"Hello," Narcissa smiled down at her. Hermione had to fight the urge to take the blonde's hand and pull her closer, ignoring the confused frowning faces that surrounded her.

"What happened? Where am I?"

"Sectum Sempera that's what happened," said another voice to her side. Hermione looked over and found herself staring at and unusually healthy looking Bellatrix. "Sorry about that," she dark haired witch mumbled.

"We were being chased," McGonagall explained. "Bellatrix had to curse you, so that someone else didn't kill you first. And then we bought you here to Black Hall so that Narcissa could heal you." Hermione turned to look at Narcissa who smiled gently.

"Double agent," she murmured. "I'll explain all this later." Hermione nodded and closed her eyes wearily, rubbing her throbbing head. So much had changed. She had no idea what was happening. "You need to rest. You've been through quite an ordeal," Narcissa said. She looked up at the vast mass of people in the room. "I'm sorry everyone but I am going to have to ask you to leave. I know you all want to speak to Hermione but your going to have to wait until she has got some of her strength back. Visiting hours for today are over." Everyone grumbled loudly as Bellatrix ushered them out of the room. McGonagall, who was the last to leave, gave her a reassuring smile, and said,

"Get some rest. We can talk more in the morning." Hermione nodded and said goodnight.

Once the door was safely shut, and they were alone, Narcissa moved from her seat next to the bed and wrapped the girl in her arms, kissing her very gently, very carefully on the lips.

"I thought you promised me you'd never make me worry like that again?" she smiled, tears sliding from her eyes. Hermione smiled weakly and muttered and apology.

"Narcissa, what's happened? My God everything is so different, I don't understand. I remember everything as it happened to me. I…" Narcissa hushed her as tears started to spill from her lover's eyes, and held her tightly to her.

"Bella is double agent," she explained calmly. "It's all very complicated, but when you triggered the alarm at the castle Bella had to curse you, bad enough to make them stop attacking, but not so bad that I wouldn't be able to heal you once they got you back here. She used Sectum Sempera, and you hit your head when you collapsed. You'll be back in action in a few days." Hermione gave a tiny nod as Narcissa smiled reassuringly at her, and wiped the tears from her face.

"But, Bella, and I thought I saw Snape, and…"

"Later," said Narcissa gently. "I'll explain everything to you later. I promise. Okay?" Hermione nodded and rested her throbbing head once more on Narcissa chest, and like this, listening to the sound of her familiar heart beat, she drifted into a dreamless sleep.