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Chapter 2 - A Familiar Face

Hermione could hear voices around her but she could not find the strength to open her eyes. The voices sounded worried but unfamiliar, as they whispered off in the distance. Before she could give it a second thought, she fell back into unconsciousness.

When she came around again, there was complete silence. The voices she had heard earlier were gone but something felt different. There was the oddest feeling as though someone was watching her. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

The first thing she noticed was that the room around her was extremely bright. There were white walls and white tile floors; the window on the wall to her right was open and a warm and refreshing breeze was coming in with the morning sunlight. When she looked down, she noticed she was in some sort of cloth-like gown and in what appeared to be a hospital bed. To her left was a small bedside table with a potted plant on it.

Hermione paused to stare at it, double checking that it was just a normal plant and not Devil's Snare. Old habits die hard… But then her attention was brought to the most curious part of the room. Besides her was wooden chair, and in that chair sat none other than Albus Dumbledore. His blue eyes were gleaming at her through his half-moon spectacles.

"Professor Dumbledore?" croaked Hermione, her throat burning as she spoke.

"It's great to see you are finally awake," said Dumbledore with a smile.

"Where am I?"

Hermione knew it was a stupid question as soon as it escaped her mouth. It was rather obvious where she was.

"You are currently in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Fourth floor, room 413A, to be specific," said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye. He sat up straighter and stroked his long beard. "You've been here for five days. We were quite worried about you."

Five days? She had been out that long? A panic spread through her as she thought about what had happened to Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. The last thing she could remember was a long dark corridor with many doors…

"Where is everyone? Are they okay?" asked Hermione. She then gasped, "Oh my gosh, Harry!"

At this, Dumbledore frowned. "I'm not sure I'm following… If you feel comfortable, could you recall what you remember about how you got to be in the Department of Mysteries?"

"But sir, you must already know. Didn't the others tell you?" squeaked Hermione. She could feel panic beginning to boil in her blood. Using her arms, she tried to sit farther up. Her head whirled and she slumped back down into her pillows. There was a deep throbbing coming from her chest, right where the purple flames had hit her.

Dumbledore sighed sadly.

"Maybe we should start at the basics," he gave her a warm smile. "We'll start with your name. Everyone around here has been speculating about who you are but with no luck. For the time being, they've been referring to you as the unconscious girl from the Department of Mysteries."

"But Professor Dumbledore, why didn't you tell them who I am?" Hermione's voice shook as she asked this. She could sense that something was very wrong and her heart was beginning to race in her already painful chest.

"Because, my dear, I haven't the faintest idea of who you are."

The shock of what Dumbledore had said was too much for Hermione. Once again, her vision faded out to black.

When she woke up again, it was night and the window had been shut. The bright daylight had been replaced with an assortment of candles that cast the room in a faint glow. Nevertheless, Albus Dumbledore remained in the chair next to her bed.

"Oh good, you're awake once again," said Dumbledore with a friendly smile.

"Sir, something is very wrong… Why is it you don't remember me? Why doesn't anyone know who I am? Why aren't any of my friends or family here with me?" whispered Hermione, her eyes filling up with tears.

"I was called here because several unspeakables stumbled upon an unconscious girl deep in the Department of Mysteries. No one knew who you were or where you came from so they sent for me hoping that maybe I could identify you since you are of Hogwarts age. Alas, I could not place you," said Dumbledore softly. "My dear, I want you to tell me the last thing you remember."

So she did. She told him how she was hit with purple flames and knocked unconscious by a Death Eater. How Lupin had found her and told her to run while he fought off more attackers. That she had wanted to help but her wand was gone. That she had no idea where she was going as she ran through the corridors of the Department of Mysteries. When she got to the part about the golden door and falling into black, empty space, Dumbledore's eyes flickered with what appeared to be realization.

"Do you know the date?" asked Dumbledore.

"Well," started Hermione. "We went to the Department of Mysteries on June 18th. You said I've been here for five days so that would make it the 23rd."

She looked at her headmaster with confusion, wondering why the date seemed to matter.

"And do you know the year?" asked Dumbledore tenderly.

"Of course I do, it's 1996!" exclaimed Hermione.

Sadness was visible in Dumbledore's eyes as he looked at Hermione. "The Department of Mysteries is a very strange place… Even I am not aware of all the happenings that ensue there. It seems to me Miss—"

"Granger… Hermione Granger…" murmured Hermione in a voice so small she wondered if he had even heard her.

"It seems to me, Miss Granger, that the room you entered may have sent you back in time. Twenty years if I am not mistaken."

There was silence between them. Hermione stared hard into Dumbledore's eyes trying to find a hint of humor behind them. It had to be some odd joke he was trying to play… But why would Dumbledore make this up?

Finally, Hermione spoke. "That can't be possible… I can't be in 1976. I haven't even been born yet! There must be some mistake…"

Dumbledore looked at her with pity in his eyes. "I wish it were, Miss Granger." He pulled out a copy of the Daily Prophet from his bag and gently handed it to Hermione.

She grabbed it and stared at the date: June 23, 1976.

"No… no, this can't be happening…" choked Hermione, tears now pouring down her cheeks. She gave Dumbledore a desperate look before burying her face in her hands.

The only thing Dumbledore could do was to wait for her to calm down. She let herself cry until her chest felt hollow before forcing herself to take a deep breath and look Dumbledore right in the eye.

"You must think I'm crazy," snorted Hermione.

"On the contrary, you seem to be a very sane young woman who is handling a most unpleasant situation with extreme poise," replied Dumbledore with the faintest of smiles on his lips.

"What am I supposed to do?" whispered Hermione with wide, teary eyes.

"I will do everything in my power to try to find a way to send you back but, I must warn you. So far there is no form of magic, that I am aware of, that will send you to the future, only magic to send you to the past."

"Where will I go?" she breathed.

"For the time being, you can stay at Hogwarts, if you would be so inclined. It would be no trouble at all. I would hazard a guess that you are beginning your sixth year, are you not?"

Hermione just nodded.

"Excellent. Once you are cleared by the Healers, I will take you with me back to Hogwarts where we will further discuss the manner of your predicament. For now, rest."

Closing her eyes, Hermione put her head back down on the soft pillows. She willed herself to fall asleep and hoped that the next time she wakes up all of this will have just been an awful dream.

.:~*~*~*~*~:.

It wasn't until later in the week that Hermione's Healer finally agreed to let her leave. Dumbledore arrived late that afternoon and brought with him plain black robes which he gave to Hermione to wear on top of the torn-up clothes she was found in. He gave her a few minutes alone to change and get ready to leave.

After she finished changing, Hermione looked around the hospital room. She had no possessions with her, not even her wand. As grateful as she was to leave hospital, there was a sense of sadness at seeing the room hold nothing of her own to take with her. With a sigh, she walked out of the room she had been staying in and saw Professor Dumbledore waiting for her.

"Ah, Miss Granger, are you ready for our departure to Hogwarts?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes, I believe so, sir."

The two of them walked through the main lobby of St. Mungo's. Hermione's eyes widened as she noticed some of the patients around her. While she was there, she had been kept in her own private room so, she hadn't seen anyone else. Although she had been to St. Mungo's before, it was still strange to see all the magical injuries people somehow obtained.

There was a man with bite marks going up his right arm. In his left hand he was clutching what seemed to be a book, struggling against his grip. It was most likely a copy of The Monster Book of Monsters – a textbook in which she used in her third year – or a book of the same likeness. An older witch was at the front desk complaining loudly to the person behind it. The top of her head was engulfed in blue flames where her hair should have been. She didn't seem to be in pain, but she was unquestionably distressed.

Dumbledore guided Hermione to the front of St. Mungo's and they passed through the entrance and into the streets of muggle London. She turned to look at the building in which she walked out of and saw that it was a brick red department store named Purge and Dowse, Ltd. Even after being a member of the wizarding world for five years, it was things like this that still amazed Hermione. Only wizards would think of hiding a huge hospital disguised as a department store on a busy muggle street.

Dumbledore continued to lead her further down the road. People gawked at them as they walked by. To muggles, Dumbledore must have been an interesting sight to see. His long white hair and beard, which reached past his belt, were not even the strangest part of his appearance. He had chosen to wear an exquisite set of purple robes and a matching cap, which drew a lot of attention from the muggles on the street. They turned into an alleyway about four streets away from St. Mungo's and stopped.

"Have you taken the Knight bus before, Miss Granger?" asked Dumbledore.

"Twice, sir," said Hermione, already feeling sick of the thought of having the ride the hectic bus again.

"Normally, I would apparate us back to the school gates, but seeing as you've been through so much, this might be less stress on your body," said Dumbledore with a nod.

With a smile, Dumbledore stuck out his wand arm and there was a loud BANG! and suddenly the tight alleyway was fully taken up by a violently purple, triple-decker bus.

"After you," said Dumbledore when the conductor opened the door of the bus and welcomed them on.

The journey was relatively short, thankfully, since not many people seemed to be using the Knight Bus that day, but the quick movements and sudden stops had Hermione feeling as though her brain were being scrambled. By the time they had finally come to their stop, Hermione couldn't imagine how doing side-along apparition could have possibly been worse than that.

When they stepped off the bus, she noticed they were at the edge of Hogsmeade. The Hogwarts Gates were not far from where they stood and they silently started walking towards them.

"I trust you are familiar with Hogsmeade?" he asked her.

"Yes, sir. It appears to not have changed much in the past 20 years or, I guess, future years," said Hermione.

It was an odd thing to think about, her past being the future, and Hermione looked down at the ground as they walked. The rest of the journey was silent.

Together, they walked up to the castle and into the majestic Entrance Hall. To Hermione's surprise, everything looked exactly the same as it had in her time. She wasn't even sure why this came as a surprise to her. The same torches that Hermione remembered lined the stone walls and the suits of armor and paintings were all as they had ever been. The only difference was that the marble staircase seemed to be a bit cleaner than she remembered, but she might have been just imagining that. The four hourglasses by the large oak doors were empty, rightfully so, since the school year had ended.

"It's a shame the Healers did not let you leave earlier," stated Dumbledore. "Yesterday was the end of term feast, it would have been nice if you could have participated."

"I think it is better that I'm here now that all the students have gone home, Professor. Best not to draw attention to myself, with me being from the future and all…" replied Hermione.

Dumbledore chuckled, "too right you are, Hermione. It is getting late, I think you should get settled in. We will meet tomorrow morning to discuss your situation. I trust you know your way to the Gryffindor common room? You can move into the sixth year dormitory for now and I will have food sent up for you."

"You know what house I'm in?" questioned Hermione with a raised eyebrow. She couldn't remember if she had discussed that with him or not.

He smiled down at Hermione, "my dear, it is written all over you. I have no doubt in my mind that it is the house you belong to. The password is 'Arcanam Tempus'. I will send for you in the morning. Goodnight, Miss Granger."

With a smile, he walked off with his purple robes flowing behind him, leaving Hermione feeling quite small standing in the Entrance Hall alone.

Hermione walked to the Grand Staircase and admired the familiar view. Hogwarts had always seemed like a second home to her. It was the first time in her life she had friends that wanted and accepted her. But now they were all gone and all she felt was emptiness as she climbed the stairs. When she arrived at the seventh floor, she stopped in front of the portrait of The Fat Lady.

"Ah yes, Dumbledore told me you were staying here. He didn't, however, say why," said The Fat Lady, eyeing Hermione curiously. She leaned forward in her frame "Why is it you're at Hogwarts after term?"

The little patience Hermione normally had with The Fat Lady was nonexistent in that moment.

"Arcanam Tempus," sighed Hermione, ignoring the portrait's question.

The Fat Lady narrowed her eyes, "Not very friendly, hmpf!"

The door swung open and Hermione climbed through the portrait hole. On the table, by one of the armchairs, was a tray with sandwiches. Next to it was a jug of pumpkin juice, a glass, and a bottle of butterbeer. She took the tray and sat in her favorite chair by the fire and ate slowly. It was so strange being in the common room alone without the usual sound of chatter.

Finally, she couldn't take the silence any longer. She ran up the stairs to the girls' dormitories and found the bed she usually slept in. She pulled off her robes and crawled under the covers. As she tried to sleep, all she could think about were the people that made Hogwarts her home. Their faces swarmed through her vision: Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George, Luna, Neville, and Hagrid; even Draco would make this horror more bearable. What she would give to see a familiar face, even if it was the ferrety face of Draco Malfoy. Her eyes shot open as visions of her parents faces had appeared in her mind. Would she ever see them again?

After hours of just lying there, and a few tears, Hermione finally drifted off to sleep.

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this. Sorry the pace of the chapter seems a bit slow. Next chapter, things start to speed up and more familiar characters will be introduced. Oh, and the common room password "Arcanam Tempus" roughly translates to "Mysterious Time" in Latin. Thought you ought to know.