Chapter 1

"What the fuck did she mean, I'm dead?" Sirius was practically wearing a groove in the floor as he paced back and forth around the room. "Seriously- what the fu-"

"Sirius!" Lily interrupted hastily, "I think we get the idea." Sirius sighed, walking over to the large wooden table where his comrades sat and throwing himself down dramatically into the chair beside the red-headed girl.

"This just doesn't make any sense." James Potter was shaking his head. "Did you get anything else out of her?"

Sirius shook his head. "She clamped up pretty tight after that." He looked pointedly at James, "and it wasn't as though we could torture it out of her."

Lily raised a delicate eyebrow.

"Of course you couldn't." Albus Dumbledore voice's was soft and quiet. It was apparent to everyone in the room that he was deep in thought. "I do not believe the girl is a threat."

"Well, obviously." James said, "not unless she carved 'mudblood' into her own arm to fool us."

"And she doesn't have the Dark Mark." Lily added, placing her hand on her husbands.

"Doesn't mean she's not a spy!" Sirius insisted, leaning back in his chair.

"I do not mean to suggest we should trust her immediately, Mr. Black." Dumbledore peered at Sirius over the top of his glasses. "I merely do not believe she is a danger to us." His blue eyes were solemn. Sirius swallowed.

"Someone needs to talk to her." Lily said, "properly. We need to find out what happened to her."

"You're not going in there without me." James implored, eyeing his wife. Lily felt her cheeks grow warm, despite herself.

"I can handle myself James." She muttered.

"Nobody is doubting your abilities, Lil." Sirius grinned at her, "But you're definitely not going in there without me."

James rolled his eyes. "I suppose you'd like us to keep this to ourselves?" He queried, regarding the older wizard with care. James might be reckless, but he wasn't stupid.

"I think that would be wise." Dumbledore agreed, "at least for the time being."

To this the room could agree. Knowledge was power, and these days you couldn't trust anybody with either.

It was dark. Hermione sat on the bed, facing the door. The quilt was wrapped around her shoulders like a heavy cloak. Her hair resembled a birds nest. While her skin had been cleared on the blood and dirt that had coated her when she arrived, apparently her hair had yet to be tackled. She didn't blame them. She could barely tackle it herself.

Hermione's thoughts were flying. The black haired man that had entered earlier. Sirius Black, obviously alive and about 20 years younger than he had been when Hermione had witnessed him fall through the veil in the Department of Mysteries.

Her mind was a whirring machine, and her gears were turning so rapidly she was semi-surprised she was still functional.

Sirius Black was alive. Lily Potter was alive. She had heard someone call for Dumbledore. Albus Dumbledore was alive. She shook her head, as if the motion would aid her in clearing her mind.

A knock on the door startled her. She jumped, becoming tangled in her quilt as the door opened. Lily stared in at her with big, sad eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Hermione stared. "Do you mind if I come in?" Lily didn't wait for an answer. She entered the room, closing the door behind her and conjuring herself a chair. She took a seat by the exit.

"I'm Lily." She said, smiling. Hermione nodded. "Do you know me?"

"No." Hermione's voice was rough and cracked. She looked away suddenly. This was Harry's Mother! Harry's dead Mother! Bellatrix was must have driven her insane. Older and more experienced Witches had been broken with less. It was the only reasonable explanation.

Lily was saying something but Hermione hadn't been listening. "What's the date?" She asked suddenly. Lily's eyes widened slightly. The question had taken her by surprise.

"August 16th."

"What year?" Hermione asked, looking down at her arm. She ran a finger gingerly over the bandages.

Lily watched the new witch with a renewed sense of curiosity. Who was this girl? What exactly had happened to her? That mark on her arm. Lily couldn't even imagine.

"Well, 1979 of course."

Hermione's head snapped up. "What did you say?"

"1979..." Lily repeated, "Look, can you at least tell me your name?"

This couldn't be happening! Hermione's thoughts travelled back to earlier in the evening. Harry, Ron and her had been captured by Snatchers in The Forest of Dean. They had been delivered into the "open arms" of Malfoy Manor. Bellatrix had grown enraged at the discovery of the Gryffindor sword. Hermione had been tortured.

She looked up at the fiery woman before her.

This was Harry's mom. Lily was alive. Sirius Black was alive. She was 18 years in the past.

"I'm Hermione Granger." She said, standing up and extending her uninjured hand. "Pleasure."

A/N:

Thank you all SO much for the lovely reviews, follows and favourites. I was super happy that my prologue was so well received. This chapter is SHORT and I am SORRY. I promise the other chapters will be longer. I just really enjoyed where I had ended this chapter and it didn't feel right to add on more. Please read & review!