Chapter 2, turn back the clock
After what seemed like forever, Hermione came to. Her surroundings were old fashioned she noted, lots of brown furniture and linoleum on the floor. She could hear voices coming from a room down a narrow hallway. An Order meeting probably she thought. Then, the enormity of her situation began to sink in, she would never see her friends again or her parents, she was stuck in a time that was foreign to her with a bunch of people, most of whom were dead or she didn't know. Defeating Voldemort had taken a lot out of her and she began to worry what would happen if she got something wrong or if she forgot something important and people died. Horrible, negative thoughts bombarded every facet of her mind and the tears started to fall, thick and fast.
After a few minutes Hermione was full on sobbing, she had no idea what to do. Dumbledore had given her very little information, other than to tell her to start by removing the traitorous rodent from the picture. The door to what she knew to be the kitchen suddenly banged open and her warrior like reflexes kicked in and fast as lightening she grabbed her wand and spun around. Hermione came face to face with a red headed man, with twinkling blue eyes, he looked remarkably similar to Fred and George, she noted.
He was obviously an Auror because he disarmed her almost immediately, then he shouted: 'Hey, everyone, we've got an intruder'.
What sounded like dozens of people stampeded down the hallway like a pack of elephants and stood in the doorway. She recognised, immediately, James Potter as he was a carbon copy of his son, then she saw Lily Potter a fiercely beautiful red head with emerald eyes. There was another man who looked like Fred and George Mrs Weasley's brothers Hermione thought. She then saw Remus and Sirius and some others who looked vaguely familiar. They were all pointing their wands at her, a decidedly younger Dumbledore said:
'Who are you, you're obviously a student but I don't recall seeing you before?'
'Yes sir, I am a student, w-well I-I was, oh I don't know' she cried exasperatedly, beginning to cry again. 'I need to speak with you sir, in private, please it is very important'.
Dumbledore lowered his wand and motioned the others too as well, 'Albus, you can't seriously let us leave you alone with this imposter can you?'
'I can Alastor, she does not have her wand, I don't think any harm will come to me'
Dumbledore sent the Order members back to wherever they came from and closed the door.
'Now, why don't you tell me your story?'
'Well I don't know where to begin'
'I find the beginning works best'
Hermione managed a weak smile.' Okay well, I'm from the future sir, sixteen years to be exact, you sent me back here and told me something about a prophecy and that I would come back and Help the Order defeat Voldemort and t-that I w-wouldn't b-b-be able to go back to m-my own t-time'
There was an astonished look in his blue eyes, he said 'what is your name my child?'
'Hermione Granger sir, I was a seventh year Gryffindor, I'm seventeen'
'Well Miss Granger we were starting to think you would never show up, it is the 31of June 1981 by the way' he said with a smile.
'You can stay here at head quarters, a few of the Order members live here. Maybe you should come and meet the others and tell us your story and then it is imperative that we start putting a plan into action as soon as possible. Do you have anything you can show us that will prove who you are, prove your story?'
Hermione wasn't exactly sure what he meant, but then she remembered that Harry had given her some of his memories, namely the night Voldemort came back, the fight at the department of mysteries and the day that they went to see Godric's hollow, and when they had first met Sirius thinking he was a murderer and lastly one of Harry's very worst memories: seeing the rows of dead bodies after the final battle. He had put them in an unbreakable crystal vile and it hung around her neck, she had been touched that Harry had trusted her with something as delicate as his memories. It would be hard for them to see, especially for Sirius but Hermione, never one to dwell on things that couldn't be changed, was going to change the future so that Harry could have his parents and hopefully she would be around to see him grow up.
'Yes sir, I have some memories' she showed him the necklace. 'Some people will find it hard to accept what they show but I can prove my story with them'.
'Excellent, follow me Miss Granger'.
Dumbledore led Hermione down a dark hallway; its walls were scarlet and were lined with portraits of snoozing witches and wizards. He opened a wooden door and she saw the order sitting around a large wooden table not unlike tho one in the kitchen at Grimmauld Place. Hermione and Dumbledore walked in and they all stopped talking and looked expectantly up at Dumbledore.
'Everyone this is Hermione Granger, she is from the future, the girl from the prophecy I believe. She is going to tell us her story and she has told me she has some memories to show us that will corroborate her version of events. Miss Granger' He gave her centre stage as he shut the door. She increasingly went red under the curious glares.
'H-hello everyone, I'm Hermione, I come from the year 1997, I'm a Gryffindor seventh year and I am, or I was... Head Girl. My best friend is Harry Potter' this statement received a startled gasp from Lily.
Ever since our first year in 1991, our years at Hogwarts have been plagued by Voldemort's presence. Harry told me that either he or Neville Longbottom would be The Chosen One, meant to kill Voldemort. But it was Harry. On the 31st October 1981, James and Lily Potter were killed by Voldemort after their location was given away by a spy in the order. Voldemort then went to try and kill Harry but Lily Potter had sacrificed herself out of love for her son and this activated a very ancient magic that protected Harry, the killing curse rebounded and Voldemort was destroyed. Harry's godfather Sirius found the ruins of the house and tried to take Harry but people suspected that he was the spy and Dumbledore ordered Harry be taken to his aunt Petunia's home in Surrey, this was because Harry was protected by a mother's love and the closest thing he had to you lily' she looked pointedly at the weeping red head 'was your sister, suffice it to say, Harry didn't have a very nice childhood. Anyway, the spy that gave their location away was Peter Pettigrew' this brought forth several outraged cries and furious roars from James, Remus and Sirius, whether in defence of their friend or outrage at his actions, she didn't know but she guessed the former. Dumbledore shouted 'Silence' and everyone quieted immediately. 'Sirius then knew that it was Peter and went to find him, to kill him he said and then when he found Peter, in a street full of muggles, Peter started shouting thing like "How could you Sirius... James and Lily" and then he blew apart the entire street with his wand behind his back and cut off his finger and then transformed into a rat and escaped into the sewers.
Everyone thought it was Sirius and he went Azkaban for twelve years. Harry never knew about you Sirius, until our third year when you escaped in your dog form. Everyone thought you were after Harry; there were Dementors at the school and everything. But the reason you escaped was that you had seen in the Daily Prophet a picture of the Weasley Family. They had won a trip to Egypt and in the picture our best friend Ron Weasley had a rat on his shoulder that you knew to be Peter. He had been in Ron's family for years as a pet rat: Scabbers. Harry knew about Pettigrew but only because he was awarded an Order of Merlin first class for bravery' Hermione said the word sarcastically. 'The Weasley twins Fred and George' She smiled at Gideon and Fabian who were sitting together 'had stolen the Marauders map in their first year form Filch and in our third year they gave it to Harry, who had been trying to sneak into Hogsmeade using his invisibility cloak, a few weeks later Harry saw Peter Pettigrew on the map and told you about it Remus, you were a Defence against the Dark Arts Professor then and a really good one at that'. Hermione took a deep breath and continued.
'In Hogsmeade Harry overheard a conversation between Madam Rosmerta, Proffesor McGonagall and The minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge and they said that Sirius had betrayed Harry's parents and that he was his Godfather. Harry vowed that if he ever found you he would kill you. One night, Harry, Ron and I were out past curfew and you, Sirius, saw us and you dragged Ron to the Shrieking shack through the passage under the Womping Willow. Harry and I followed and then Remus came and the both of you showed us Peter and you were going to kill him but then Harry stopped you from killing him. He said that he didn't think his dad would have wanted his two best friends to become murderers. So we were all going back to the castle, it was a full moon that night and Remus transformed and Pettigrew got away. Sirius protected us from the wolf and he almost died, then the Dementors found him. But Harry protected him using his Patronus, a stag, that Remus had taught him how to do'. Hermione sighed beginning to get tired.
'Long story short, Harry and I used my time turner to save Sirius and he went on the run. The unfair thing was that in Harry's fifth year, Voldemort used Occlumency to convince Harry that he had captured Sirius and was torturing him, Harry and a group of our friends went to save him but he wasn't there. It was a trick; the Death Eaters wanted Harry's Prophecy. Then the Order came and Sirius was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, who had escaped Azkaban that year after a life sentence for torturing Frank and Alice Longbottom into insanity with the Crusciatus curse. Then during the final battle that was only a few months ago in my time, Remus and his Wife were killed. Harry had no family left except for the Weasley's, his girlfriend is Ginny Weasley, the only girl in the Weasley family and the youngest. The Longbottom's in my time are still in St Mungo's, Neville goes to visit both of you a lot' she added looking apologetically at Frank and Alice.
'How do we know you're not lying' sneered Sirius whose eyes were almost Black from rage.
'Well I can show you' Hermione said. She poured all the memories into a Pensieve that Dumbledore had conjured.
The order watched all of the memories in the Pensieve, when they were done a number of them were very teary.
'I think that's enough for today. There will be another meeting tomorrow at three pm. I think then that Hermione can tell us how Voldemort was defeated'.
Everyone got up and left. 'Lily, James, Sirius, I'd like to speak with you'. Probably telling them not to go and kill the little Rodent Hermione thought. Actually he was telling them that they would be staying at Head quarters now, all of them, and that he would tell the Aurors that Mr Pettigrew was working for Voldemort and investigation would begin.
Once Dumbledore had left James and Lily went to fetch some clothes and baby Harry. Sirius was there and he said: 'No matter what, I want you to promise me that you'll save James, Lily and Harry...Promise me'
'I promise'
'Thanks, I'm going to bed' he looked tired and worn.
James and Lily came back, James said goodnight immediately and took a chubby little baby Harry with tufts of dark hair with him. Lily stayed behind and said: 'It must be hard for you coming here not really knowing anyone, you can talk to me any time you want' she hesitated.
'Was there something else Mrs Potter?' Hermione asked, she didn't call her Lily; she didn't want to make a bad impression.
'Lily, please...my son, Harry, is he...that is to say, is he...nice, kind to people?'
'Yes, he is, he's a bit like you actually'
Lily gave a watery smile. 'Thank you. Goodnight, see you tomorrow'
'Goodnight Lily' Hermione said.
Hermione was shown to a room by a little grey haired woman with horn rimmed glasses and a sharp face. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow; her last thought was of Harry and Ron.