To 1977 we go! If you enjoy the story, please remember to review! It's nice to hear how others view the story and I am always looking for ways in improve my writing as well. Thank you!
Professor McGonagall was out patrolling the grounds, due to tonight being the last stage of the full moon. They had an unexpected guest tonight. His parents had asked Dumbledore's permission for Remus Lupin to come to school early this year. He had been having some advanced issues with his werewolf form recently and usually needed medical care immediately following his transformations now. Remus' parents were supportive of their son, but understood the seriousness of his condition and pleaded for Hogwarts' help.
Dumbledore had, of course, agreed to assist wholeheartedly. He viewed Remus as one of the most promising students of his year and he despised that this young man had to undergo such painful transformations each month.
McGonagall had been asked to protect the boarder of the school from someone getting in just as much as someone getting out. She was the only teacher who could perform this task safely since she was an Animagus and could transform into a cat if she crossed paths with Mr. Lupin's wolf.
A thunderous crash echoed through the grounds of Hogwarts and a quick flash of light illuminated a small, unmoving figure as it materialized just outside the black gates.
Professor McGonagall gasped and clutched her chest as she sprinted toward the gates. As she drew closer to the figure, she realized that it was a body. McGonagall ran even quicker. As she reached the small, still person, Minerva dropped to her knees and reached around the neck of the unconscious woman to feel for a pulse.
The pulse was weak, but clearly evident. McGonagall steadily grasped the woman's arm and gently rolled her onto her back.
"Merlin's beard," she gasped. Minerva pushed the blonde hair out of the young woman's eyes to more clearly see her face. No, it's not Amelia. But she looks so similar. There were tears in her eyes as McGonagall thoughts drifted to her deceased brother and his family. She cupped Hermione's cheek, "what on earth happened to you, my dear?"
Professor McGonagall performed "Expecto Patronum" and sent her little cat to Dumbledore's office to alert him of yet another unexpected guest tonight. She asked the headmaster to also wake Poppy and for them both to meet her in the infirmary.
"Mobiliarbus," Minerva whispered as she stood to guide the girl up to the castle. She heard a faint howling coming from the Shrieking Shack, so she performed an extra shield charm on the gate to prevent anyone or anything escaping from that way.
Professor Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey stood by the entrance of the infirmary waiting anxiously for McGonagall to arrive.
"Did she mention what kind of injuries the young visitor had?"
"No, Poppy. I believe Minerva was in a bit of shock when she found the child. Her message was very short and uninformative I'm afraid." Dumbledore stated to the school nurse.
They spotted the head of a blonde girl before they saw Professor McGonagall approach. Madame Pomfrey ushered the pair over to a prepared bed and quickly withdrew her wand to perform some assessment spells.
Dumbledore observed McGonagall with curious eyes. His friend seemed very concerned over this stranger. "Do you know who she is Minerva?"
McGonagall shook her head, but never tore her eyes away from the young woman. "She just appeared outside of the front gate Albus. There was a dreadfully loud clap of thunder and then… there she was."
"But there were no storm clouds tonight. Did you see any lightning that followed the sound?" Dumbledore was now even more curious about the arrival of this woman.
"No, but there was a flash of light right before she appeared," McGonagall's mind was whirling around, attempting to find an explanation.
The professors were interrupted by Madame Pomfrey's voice, "I need to remove her clothing. She appears to have some sort of scar that extends down from her neck." The nurse waved her wand to summon some partitions from the far corner of the room. She placed the cloth walls around the girl as she removed the filthy clothing covering Hermione's body and replacing it with a hospital gown.
Madame Pomfry opened the partitions to allow Dumbledore and McGonagall to see what she had discovered. "It looks as though she was hit by a lightning curse. I haven't seen the curse used in a very long time. It's an ancient spell that I'm afraid I have no counter for." She waved a hand at the bright red scars, which resembled the root system of a tree. They spread from the right side of Hermione's neck all the way down to the middle of her abdomen. "The scars will heal, but they will leave a terrible mark. Her vitals are stable though, and I believe she will recover in due time. Her body is very strained from whatever incident she just survived and is in shock."
"I found these around her neck," Poppy continued. She held out the cracked and empty timeturner and a small oval locket that was a bit scorched around the edges. Madame Pomfrey then gestured to Hermione's wrist, "She also has a bracelet, but I cannot remove it."
Professor Dumbledore took the necklaces and examined the timeturner. "Well, this is very curious. As impossible as it may sound, I believe this young woman may be a time traveler. A reluctant one though; under the circumstances and the physical state in which she arrived in."
He glanced over to Professor McGonagall to discuss her theories, but Dumbledore was shocked to see tears falling from his dear friends eyes. "Minerva, what's happened?"
She was seated on the bed stroking the young woman's arm, the same arm that held the unmovable bracelet. "Albus," McGonagall chocked out, "She's wearing Diana's bracelet, Albus. The one I gave her when she married my brother. Diana gave it to her daughter a few months ago for her sixteenth birthday."
A soft sign escaped Madame Pomfrey's lips. Dumbledore came up and placed a comforting hand on Minerva's shoulder. "But this is not Amelia. She has passed on as well, we must remember that fact and assess the situation at hand," he said gently but tried to make a firm point as he spoke.
Professor McGonagall shook her head urgently, "I know. I know they're gone. But how can you explain this?" She forcefully pulled her right sleeve up and revealed to Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey an identical bracelet on her own wrist.
Professor Dumbledore was taken aback, and Poppy gasped very loudly as she leaded forward to examine the bracelets.
"This is a family heirloom from my father's side. There was only one in existence until tonight." Minerva lifted Hermione's wrist and angled it so that she could clearly compare the engraving to her own bracelet. "They are exactly the same; even the small scratch marks around the bottom here," she pointed to two small indentations below the Latin words.
A bewildered expression covered Dumbledore's face. "This is very puzzling, Minerva. I am actually unsure of what to say."
Professor McGonagall was shocked at the headmaster's lack of theory. Her eyes grew hopeful as she spoke what she longed to be true, "Do you think this could be Amelia sent to us from right before the accident?"
Dumbledore hung his head, he did not want to destroy his friend's optimism but they needed to keep a clear and objective head. "No Minerva, I'm afraid that isn't possible. No one has been able to fashion a timeturner that moves forward in time, only backwards. Judging by the state of the woman's timeturner and the lightning spell that she's recovering from, I believe that she is from far in the future. The timeturner was most likely overcharged when it was hit by the spell and pulled her as far back in time as it could." Seeing the defeated face of his dear friend crippled Dumbledore. He added in a quiet voice, "But she might possibly be a distant future relative of yours."
With this last word of encouragement, Dumbledore left the infirmary to wander the castle and ponder the effects a time traveler could have on the world.
McGonagall stayed with Madame Pomfrey as she applied salves and healing spells to assist in the young woman's recovery. Both women wanted to see the mysterious girl's eyes open as soon as possible.
As the sun broke over the horizon to the right side of the castle, Professor McGonagall could hear distant voices approach the hospital wing. She was lost in thought though, seated in a chair alongside Hermione's bed; she still clung to the young woman's hand.
Sirius Black and James Potter walked through the doors of the infirmary with Remus Lupin suspended unconscious between them. "Alright Mooney, let's find you a bed before we wake up Madame Pomfrey." The boys gently placed their werewolf friend on the nearest cot.
McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey looked up simultaneously as James Potter's voice reached their ears. They both circled around Hermione's bed and went to assist Remus. The women were careful to not reveal Hermione.
"Mr. Potter. Mr. Black. How was our wolf friend last night?" McGonagall inquired to the boys. She knew that they were unregistered Animagus, and where capable of handling themselves. She just wished that there was more that could be done to help Mr. Lupin tame his wolf; she had grown fond of the intelligent young man.
"A bit more wolfy then normal, but nothing we couldn't stamp out of him," Sirius winked as he addressed McGonagall.
James was whispering to Madame Pomfrey as she bent over Remus' body and performed a few assessment spells. "He was a bit wild tonight. He scratched his arm very badly and took a swipe at Sirius as well."
"Yes, I'll have to stitch those. They are a bit too deep for a simple healing potion," Madame Pomfrey turned Remus' arm back and forth to better examine the cuts. "Let's get a look at your wounds now, Mr. Black."
Madame Pomfrey blindly help out her hand, expecting Sirius to place his injured arm out for inspection. But when Poppy looked up, he had disappeared from Remus' bedside.
McGonagall spun around quickly and stumbled around to Hermione's bed. Sirius had slipped behind the cloth partitions and was staring that the comatose young woman. "Can I help you, Mr. Black?" McGonagall stepped protectively in front of Hermione's form, blocking her from view.
"Who is that Professor? What's wrong with her?" Sirius was even more curious now that he had witnessed his Head of House's defensive reaction.
"Please let Madame Pomfrey look at your arm, Mr. Black," McGonagall stated in a breathy, exhausted voice.
Sirius grinned. He saw his opportunity, "Of course Professor, as soon as you tell me who the lovely young woman is."
Too drained from the events of the night to handle Sirius' antics, McGonagall simply answered, "She's my niece."
An understanding look came over Sirius as he nodded and exited the makeshift room. He walked over to Madame Pomfrey, who looked very uneasy about the interaction, and held out his arm for the nurse to evaluate.
James laid in a neighboring bed, his eyes shut and his fingers drumming along to a simple rhythm as he waited for Sirius to be tended to. Madame Pomfrey quickly cleaned and wrapped his wounds. "Take this potion and you should be able to remove the bandage by dinnertime tonight," she instructed Sirius. "And you both should get up to Gryffindor tower and get some sleep. Mr. Lupin will most likely be unconscious for a day or two. But you can come by and check on him whenever you like."
The boys nodding in agreement and thanks; they began to trudge toward the exit of the hospital but Professor McGonagall's words brought them to a halt, "Please behave yourselves while you are in the castle. I know the emptiness may be inviting to your shenanigans, but there are others here that need their rest, along with Mr. Lupin."
"Yes, of course Professor," James immediately answered. He seized Sirius' arm and dragged him out to the hallway before Sirius began to move of his own accord.
"So what do you think happened to McGonagall's niece Prongs? I've never seen her before, so she doesn't go here."
"Well, you know there are other magical schools Padfoot. And I'm sure we can find out some information from Madame Pomfrey later when we visit Mooney." Sirius could see a mischievous twinkle in James' eyes as they made their way to the tower. James always had a plan.
Hope you enjoyed! I might be inclined to post the next chapter faster if I can get some reviews...
Please Favorite, Follow and Review!