A/N: We have turned a corner, for sure, poka. I think it will be clear next chapter why Tom doesn't go after Hermione's parents before she's born. As always, thanks for reading and reviewing. These next few chapters should be some payoff for your patience!

Chapter 12: Turning Point

Events burned in multiple timelines tracking first person perspectives and official reports. Not surprisingly, many conflicted. The battle had been chaotic and spanned a large area inside and outside Diagon Alley. Hermione couldn't trust any of the information. She'd have to go and watch it. The thought of leaving the time chamber made her feel sick. While she was there, in the present, there were options. The minute she went back and left the event horizon the stakes were serious and could be dire.

Dire. Her new and old memories were at war with each other. Every time she caught a flash of her original memory, she focused on it. It seemed to help pull her real life to the surface and the broken girl she was in that timeline drifted to some depth within her.

Focusing on the task at hand, she understood she couldn't really have a plan. She had considered just blocking the school group's bus from entering the line of fire. That would work if Voldemort wasn't orchestrating the attack specifically to kill Harry and Lily. The school children were collateral damage. Taking them out of the equation wouldn't change the equation. She had to see it. With a deep breath, Hermione pulled out the time turner from under her protective suit. There would be no substitute for seeing it all for herself.

As she started turning the rings, the room faded away. Hermione thought she saw movement to her right but it was too fast to really see. With some fear, she wondered if someone gained entry into the time chamber. It might no longer be the safe haven she thought it was. This could be a one way trip.

Arriving in 1980 was odd. No one was aware of the impending threat that would irreparably change their world. Just on the other side of the waterfall door would be unspeakables going about their business. She considered stepping through to find Fiona. There wasn't time and it was a dangerous choice. Telling people in this timeline would be a last resort. Turning on the spot, she thought about the Leaky Cauldron and the familiar muggle street.

Tuesday, July 15, 1980

Hermione apparated to a small alley near the Leaky Cauldron. The invisibility cloak was securely in place. She'd looked over every detail she could think of in the time chamber in her time. There was nothing else she could learn from the records. She had to see the battle herself. This worried Hermione for several reasons. Not least of which was the theory that governed her actions in the past. The act of observation and her very presence could change the way the events would play out. Her druid vine wand was out. She was determined to intervene if she could. And if that wasn't possible, she'd come back and try again. As many times as it took. Her singular goal was to make sure Lily and Harry survived the day. The following day was tomorrow's problem. All of the personal accounts she examined made it clear, the fighting hadn't been meant to spill out into the muggle world. It started where Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley met. A presumed misunderstanding blown out of proportion. Hermione knew better. Tom had orchestrated it. She was certain. The how wasn't clear. It didn't need to be. Not if she was successful. Stepping out of the Alley she noted a chill in the air and hoped it wasn't meant to rain. Any cloak or spell she would use to stay concealed would be dodgy at best if there was rain.

Under the invisibility cloak, she was still wearing the protective suit, she noted how comfortable it was. It seemed to respond to her movements. Perhaps enhancing them by predicting them. There wasn't a reason to wear it in the past, she just wasn't sure she wouldn't need to return to her present in a hurry. She didn't want to limit her options. Especially if she couldn't return to the protections of the time chamber.

Staying close to the store fronts, she avoided the few pedestrians on the pavement. There was no way to know what muggles she passed might eventually end up in the crossfire. The only thing she knew for certain was that there would be a bus crossing that path when a reductor curse blew a gaping hole in a barrier meant to separate the magical world from the muggle world. As she approached the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron, she felt the ground shake under her feet. It was most certainly evidence of an unseen battle. It had started. Hermione wasn't sure where to wait. A bank with marble pillars across the street appeared to be a solid structure. She sprinted through a lull in the traffic. There were only cars in the vicinity. The cloak blew in the wind, making her fear she could be exposed. Considering using a disillusionment charm for more mobility, a red city bus turned the corner a block away. Not certain it was the contracted transportation, she looked in the direction of Diagon Alley. The shift in focus was just in time to see a brick wall explode outward. Debris went flying in all directions. The side of the bus facing the destruction took the brunt of the shrapnel. It took all of Hermione's restraint to stay in her spot. She wasn't there to help the primary school students.

With the unobstructed view into Diagon Alley, it was clear the battle was intense. Red, purple, and blue lights flew through the air. Flames would erupt periodically. With the wall gone, there seemed to be some pressure forcing duelers toward the opening, looking for new cover as the opposing force advanced. At the same time, children started to pour out of the bus. Some were crying hysterically, others were clearly injured and in shock. An errant spell hit the rearview mirror, sending glass raining down on a little girl in a blue checkered dress. She held her hands up to shield her head. In seconds, blood was trailing down her arms from the small cuts.

"James! The kids," a woman's voice called out. "They're muggles."

Hermione tried to find the source. It was clearly Lily. There was smoke and chaos limiting her ability to make out people from shapes. Then she saw it. A very pregnant woman stepped over a pile of rubble, wand in her right hand, fierce determination in her eyes.

"Lily! Lily, stay down," James called out. More explosions rang out in response.

Ensuring her cloak was in place and she was as hidden as possible, Hermione gripped her druid vine wand tightly. It heated up in response to her building stress watching Lily struggling to stay down while still ushering the students to safety. Lily shot off stunning spells randomly while still staying in cover as James instructed her.

James for his part was trying to hold off an attack from the left flank. He was desperate to get to Lily but couldn't. He knew as well as Hermione that his wife wouldn't disapparate unless she could ensure the muggles were out of the line of fire.

Finally, Voldemort appeared in the chaos. His wand up, holding a shield charm in place to get himself in a better position on the battlefield. All focus was drawn to him, thinking he was the greatest threat. Hermione knew better. Weaving in the background was a form Hermione knew even without seeing his face. Tom was there. He found Voldemort and orchestrated the attack. Likely convinced the dark lord the key to his future success hinged on the destruction of Harry Potter. What better way than killing the baby in the womb.

Anxiety surged through Hermione. Her arm twitched in an urge to take action. There was no clear action to take yet. She couldn't be sure who landed the killing curse and couldn't rule out the possibility that even if she stopped Voldemort that Tom wouldn't be waiting in the wings to step in and finish the job. Forcing herself to take a deep breath, she reminded herself she didn't have to act. She could come back once she knew more. Intervening without all the information could be irreversible. If she was found out, or worse killed, because she missed something it would be all over.

The Death Eaters were coming to the defense of their leader, pushing back everyone into cover. They might not know exactly what the reason for the offensive attack was, they didn't need to, their loyalty to the dark lord was absolute. Hermione saw from her position the moment Voldemort locked on to his target. He had a clear shot at Lily. His eyes wide with excitement. He was about to change his future with one killing spell.

Hermione felt her wand lifting itself. It was ready. Focusing on Lily and then the swollen bump covered by maternity robes, her heart swelled with love for Harry. She was in the best possible position. Tom would need to cover significant ground to have the same shot as Voldemort. If she failed, she could apparate away and no one would know. It was a risk, but she decided to trust her shield theory. It was the best first option to counter the change to the past at the very moment it happened. She didn't think she could take out Voldemort or Tom. Trying to protect Lily was the only way. If this didn't work, she'd go back further in the past and intervene sooner.

Voldemort took aim, he blasted a brick near Lily's head, forcing her to move further out of cover. Satisfied he found her, the entire wall obstructing the path to the street was obliterated. Lily was in the open. Nowhere to go. Voldemort stepped out on the pavement. He was feet from Lily. Hermione thought about her love for Harry, her desperate need to protect him even at the cost of her own life. Channeling those feelings through her wand, she saw the tip glow purple. Finally a shield erupted precisely between Voldemort and Lily, eventually forming around the older witch.

"Avada Kedavara," Voldemort yelled, a green light hurdling toward the invisible shield.

Staying focused completely on Lily, Hermione watched the killing curse hit her shield. An explosion of bright blue light started at a point and dissipated over the shield, converging to one side. Finally, it followed the stream emanating from Hermione's wand. It ran up the energy of the spell, through her wand. She felt cold flames course through her body. Pain erupted behind her eyes as every curse scar she had seemed to react with unbearable heat while the rest of her body was enveloped in breath-stealing cold. She dropped to a knee but held her shield.

"Lily!" James yelled. He was making his way to his wife, his eyes taking in every threat. His uncertainty about what was happening slowed him.

Hermione knew he wouldn't get there before Voldemort tried again. She gritted her teeth and thought about Harry's proposal in Llyn Idwal. The love she felt for him. The druid vine wand vibrated in response to the energy. Voldemort was furious. Too far gone to try to figure out what was blocking his spell. "Avada Kedavra!" Another killing curse hit the shield. Pain multiplied within Hermione. She pushed herself against the pillar hiding her for support. The spell split in two, half following her magical thread, the other broke through the shield and hit Lily. Terrified she had failed, a brilliant green light rebounded, hurdling back at the caster. It pierced his shield he had in place to protect him from a distracting attack. When the rebounded curse hit him, he was frozen in shock. His body appeared to disintegrate. Hermione thought she saw a black mass hang in the air before throwing itself at Lily and then dispersing. Her vision was clouded.

Tom looked wild in the distance. James reached Lily as Hermione crumpled. Her hand shook as she held what was left of the shield until she saw the pair twist on the spot. Gone. Safe. She heard Tom's primal scream. It was a matter of time before he found her. She was in no condition to run. Then a person apparated in front of her. She looked up. "Harry?"

The form was leaning down when he hesitated at her question. He seemed to shake it off, lifted her with ease and disapparated her away.

James appeared in his living room, motionless girl tucked in his arms. He was torn. He wanted to check on his wife. He needed to go back to the fight. There were innocents that needed protection. Looking down at the witch he felt compelled to save, he had recognized her immediately when the invisibility cloak slipped off her. The mysterious girl Albus Dumbledore had hidden away the previous year. What he hadn't understood was why she had been pointing a wand at Lily, he only knew Voldemort's killing curse was blocked somehow. The only answer that made sense was that the girl who knew the name of his unborn child had been involved. "Lily," he called out, found her sitting on a chair rubbing her stomach. "You're okay?"

"I think so. Who's that? One of the muggles?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"I don't think so. She's freezing. Get me some blankets." He kicked open the door to their spare room and laid the witch down on the comforter. A large bag slipped from her shoulder. He dropped to the ground next to the bed. Pushing the hood from her face, James confirmed with was the girl he met at Hogwarts. The invisibility cloak she had been using was tangled up around her. He recognized that material too. With some effort, he released her from the cloak. Stepping back he folded it up respectfully, set it in the nightstand. James saw Lily moving quickly, her arms full of quilts from a nearby chest. Taking a moment, he looked his wife over, his hands cupping her face. "I heard the curse. I couldn't do anything."

Lily leaned on him, "I've never been so scared. James, I couldn't move. It felt like something was holding me in place."

"Another curse?"

"It didn't feel like that. It was… I can't explain. I felt emotions. They weren't from Voldemort." Her eyes looked past her husband to the girl he brought into their house.

"I need to talk to Professor Dumbledore. He needs to know what's happening if the Order hasn't already been alerted. Are you okay to watch her? I think she's hurt." James didn't see any obvious injuries, on either witch. That didn't mean there weren't any.

She kissed his cheek and moved past him into the bedroom. "I've got her."

James lingered, watching Lily layer the blankets on the girl who was shaking so violently the bed was moving. They needed help. Running to the stairs, he took them two at a time and skidded to a halt in front of the two-way mirror. "Professor!" he called out, activating the device.

~~/~~

A timepiece sat silent on Dumbledore's desk. It had been nearly a year since he saw Hermione. The one from the future. She promised they'd see each other again. She wasn't gone forever, she was just a little lost. That Hermione hadn't been the one he was waiting for. His time traveling charge led a complicated life in the future. The one he waited for left in 1971. The pocket watch would alert him when she returned to the room. It was stubbornly silent for nearly a decade. He couldn't worry about it. There was nothing he could do for her and there was plenty he could do for the Order. With the summer holiday he had even more time to think about ways to stop Voldemort. Horcruxes to find. Neither effort had seen progress. He leaned back in his chair, looked down at his feet. The secret room was below him. If he had a way to reach through time and pull her back he'd do it. He'd break every law.

"Professor!" James' voice called out. The tone made it clear there was something wrong.

Dumbledore nearly ran to the two-way mirror. "James. What happened?" he asked, preparing for the worst.

"There was an attack at Diagon Alley. The Order needs to get there and I think… I think I need you here in Godric's Hollow."

With a flick of his wand, Dumbledore sent his patronus to Mad Eye. There was little chance the Auror didn't know of an attack in such a public, high traffic area. James had clearly been shaken and that deserved a response. The request for him to go to Godric's Hollow increased the concern. Dumbledore didn't ask questions. "I'll be right there," he assured the rattled wizard. Glad for the apparition exception he made in his private courtyard, he didn't have far to go before he was turning on the spot. He apparated in front of the familiar cottage. James hadn't gone to Saint Mungo's. That was reassuring. The door cracked open at his approach and he saw the dark haired man peering through, wand at the ready.

Hurrying inside, he caught sight of Lily hovering near a room across from the sitting area. She looked unharmed. "Tell me what happened."

James swallowed, working to distill it all into a concise summary. "Lily and I were checking out a tip I got about an attack on Ollivanders wand shop. A fight broke out near Knockturn Alley. I thought it was just a scuffle until You-Know-Who showed up. It was full on battle. Death Eaters surrounded us. Diagon Alley is a mess. It spilled out onto Charing Cross Road. School children were hurt. Lily was trying to help them when…" James looked back at Lily. It was crazy. Whatever he thought happened wasn't possible.

"What happened?" Dumbledore encouraged him to continue.

"Voldemort. He tried to kill Lily." James ran with hand through his hair. "With the killing curse."

"He missed?" Albus asked.

Shaking his head violently, James led the headmaster to the room. Motioned inside it, "I'm pretty sure she stopped it."

Dumbledore tried to understand. He looked skeptical as he entered the threshold of the room. Whatever he expected to see, the form of Hermione, pale and covered in blankets hadn't been on the list. "Hermione?" Dumbledore asked, his voice carrying the shock. It only took a second for the older wizard to get over the surprise. Moving quickly to her bedside, he ran a hand over her forehead. "Hermione, can you hear me? Merlin, she's freezing." His wand was out and a nearby piece of parchment flew to him. Information started to appear as it hovered in the air. Dumbledore's attention was split between the unconscious girl and the report.

A groan left Hermione's throat. "Albus," her throat cracked.

"I'm here. I've got you. I'll go get Madam Pomfrey," he said, starting to leave.

"No," her voice carried some force, stopping him in his tracks. "N-n-n-o," she continued as if all her strength had been used to stop him with her first command. Her teeth chattering from the chill that was gripping her. "Where…" she tried to look around.

"You're at the Potters. They saved you," he explained and finally saw the spell on her triage chart. "Merlin. You saved them. How."

James stepped forward, trying to fill in the blanks of what wasn't being said. Avada Kedavara was listed. Twice. It was confirmation that it had been cast and it had found a target.

"Lily," Hermione said, straining to make sense of everything.

"She's okay. You saved her," Dumbledore assured her, moved to take her hand. Her fist was clenched tight around her wand.

"P-p-protect the house. Secret keep-p-per. Tom's here."

"Who's Tom?" Lily asked, concerned they were still at risk.

"Voldemort," Dumbledore started to explain, saw Hermione react.

"No Tom-m. Clone. Try t-t-to kill Harry."

Lily stepped back, covered her midsection with both hands protectively.

"We need Order members here. Now," Albus said, springing to action. There wasn't time to explain. There wasn't time to understand what Hermione meant. He knew enough to be afraid. "And we need to put the house under a fidelius charm."

"I'll go get Sirius, Remus, and Peter," James started, wanting the marauders by his side. Wanted his friends to protect his family.

"N-n-not Peter," Hermione said urgently.

It hadn't gone unnoticed to Dumbledore that Peter had been overlooked as of late. It wasn't his business. Until that moment. Hermione had future knowledge. There was a reason for concern.

"It was Peter who told us about Ollivanders," James confessed. "He's been acting really weird lately. Disappearing and making up excuses about where he went." The realization that his closest friend may have set him up looked like it caused physical pain.

Albus straightened Hermione's blankets. Her body temperature was dangerously low. He wanted to get her medical help. The danger to the house and the Potters took priority. She'd insist. "Not Peter," Albus assured Hermione. "I'll be the secret keeper for now. Once we're done, I'm going to get Poppy."

Hermione did her best to nod, too exhausted to say more now that the most important information was shared. Dumbledore looked torn, leaving Hermione to fight the effects of the magic afflicting her.

Lily put a hand on his arm. "I'll take care of her. Go. Do what you need to, I'll try to warm her up."

"Come," he said to James. "The sooner we get these protections in the place, the sooner we can figure out what's happening."

The two wizards stepped outside. The peace felt eerie considering the events that appeared to be unfolding. "She blocked the killing curse," James finally said between spells. "You-Know-Who's killing curse." It was said with some reverence.

"It appears so."

James stopped, mid motion, turned toward the headmaster. "Albus, who is she?"

The use of his first name from the younger wizard got Dumbledore's attention. Who was she? It was too complicated to explain in that moment. Clearly something serious was happening. She was willing to risk so much. Dread was growing quickly. He knew he'd need to pay a visit to Fiona before the day was over. "She's family," he said simply and continued to protect the small house. The discussion was over for the moment.

~~/~~

"It's a pity you don't know why any of this is happening to you," Tom said.

Hermione knew his genial conversational manner could change in a split second. She was too exhausted to engage. He wasn't interested in what she had to say anyway. With a flick of his wand, she felt the levitation charm release her. She wasn't ready. Her bare feet hit the cold ground and she pitched forward.

He caught her before her head could collide with the unforgiving stone. Tom clicked his tongue. "Easy there. I've got you," he told her, smoothed her hair back from her face.

She wanted to pull away from his touch. It was worse when he was gentle with her. The pain could be managed. Letting the hands of the man who killed Albus touch her made her stomach flip.

"Headmaster," a voice drifted in from some place in the distance. "We need to wake her to understand what's happened."

"Her temperature is stabilizing," a woman said in hushed tones. There was a fear underlying her words.

Hermione wasn't sure if she recognized anyone who was speaking. She couldn't even know if anyone had actually spoken and she wasn't dreaming. Or worse. Trying to move away, Hermione felt something soft brush her cheek. She squeezed her eyes tight. She didn't want to know what Tom had planned for her. "No," she whispered.

"Shh. Hermione," Dumbledore's voice was close to her ear. She felt his physical presence. Then she felt him take her hand. "Hermione. Can you hear me?"

It wasn't possible. The man she longed to see again. It was a dream. She didn't want to wake up. Something touched her other hand. A sharp pain pulled her further from sleep. Trying to fight it wouldn't work. She'd wake up and her torment would continue. Forcing her brain to focus on what was happening to her a chill hit her entire body, followed by an uncomfortable heat in her hand. What had Tom done now, she wondered. A groan left her throat and her heavy eyelids tried to open.

"Easy love," a kind voice said in her ear.

It was familiar. From a different lifetime. Someone else's lifetime.

"That arm is bad," the female voice said from behind Hermione. "Here. Use this burn cream."

Burns. That was new. Something hard was pressing against the palm of her hand. Trying to let it go proved impossible.

"This might hurt. We need to remove the wand," Dumbledore said.

How was Tom doing that? She sorted through her foggy mind. Tom didn't have her anymore. The nightmare took her back to that dark time. Severus. He saved her. Why would he pretend to be Albus? Visions of Dumbledore at Hogwarts. Memories of her time there as a student intruded on her misery. Merlin, she'd gone crazy. That had to be it. Pain erupted as someone pried her fingers away from whatever was lodged in her hand. Her eyes shot open. Vision blurred. Dumbledore was there. The past. She was in the past. She had two different lifetimes of memories. She couldn't stifle the cry of pain. Catching a glimpse at the wound, her hand was scorched. The lightning shaped scar was an angry, swollen mess. With the wand removed, Hermione could feel her heartbeat as it pulsed through the liberated injury.

"I'm sorry," Albus said with a grimace. He poured the cream onto her palm.

"Albus," her voice sounded raw. She was cocooned in a pile of blankets. They weren't stopping the chill from gripping her but she was no longer shaking violently. A small improvement.

Pomfrey moved to the bedside and offered Dumbledore a cup of water. Grateful, he took it and let the matron reposition Hermione against the pillows.

Hermione for her part let the process play out. Her eyes stayed shut. The only response she gave was the occasional scowl when a movement jostled something that was still sensitive. Once the moving was done Albus brought the cup to Hermione's lips. "Small sips," he instructed.

The relief was nearly instant. Hermione tried to sort out all the conflicting thoughts racing through her mind. She needed to find a way to remove the new memories. In the meantime, she needed to keep taking the memory protection potion to ensure she didn't lose the original memories. That thought had her trying to move. The bag. Where was the bag?

"What is it?" Dumbledore asked.

"I had a… I had a bag. There's a potion I need."

"It's by the night stand. Next to the suit the matron removed," another female voice said.

Hermione searched for the source and saw a young witch with long red hair standing behind Albus. Her eyes really were something, Hermione thought. It wasn't just the color. She and Harry had a depth of emotion in their eyes. It was the quality she thought people saw. Movement drew her focus away from Lily and saw Dumbledore lifting the enchanted bag.

"What time is it?"

"Nearly noon," Lily offered.

Leaning her head back, Hermione tried to do the math to figure out how many hours it had been since she last took the potion. Then she wondered if she removed the potion from the protections of the swooping shadow scales would it disappear. She didn't know if she could risk it and might need to get to the time chamber to take it.

Albus used the silence to take a roll of gauze to wrap her injured hand. "What is it?"

Using her free hand, she rubbed her face. She didn't even know where to begin answering his question. She figured she had eight hours to decide what to do about the potion. Before she could speak a sudden burst of excited conversation filled the house.

"...Mad Eye said not to celebrate yet…"

"He's gone. Too many people saw it."

"Shh… we need to talk to Professor Dumbledore."

Albus gave Hermione an apologetic look. "They're an excitable lot when they're all together."

"They can be excited outside," Poppy scolded, waving her hand at the open door. "Miss Granger's condition is serious."

Hermione moved to see beyond the threshold of the room she was in, felt the familiar twinges of her curse scars. "I'd like to hear what they have to say. It's important."

The healer looked exasperated. "Of course it is. Everything is more important with you than your recovery."

She couldn't argue with the matron. It had been her reality for two years. And before her, Harry.

Dumbledore helped her sit up straighter, tucked the blankets around her tightly despite the scowl from Poppy. "Are there more potions she should take?"

Understanding she was being dismissed, the healer rounded the bed and handed two phials to the headmaster. "Both of these and then she needs to sleep. It wouldn't hurt to get some food in her either."

A great pang roiled up in Hermione's stomach at the thought. She felt herself breakout in a cold sweat.

The matron noted the reaction and pulled out another bottle from her apron. "Anti-nausea potion. As needed. I'll be in the kitchen. If she can't eat solid food she needs a glucose infusion to replenish her energy."

Albus stood, hung in the doorway to watch the matron storm off and eyed the marauders in the entryway. Glancing at Hermione for permission, she nodded. Hermione didn't know how much she could say yet. She needed to know what was happening outside the house. There could be devastating changes to the timeline happening despite her efforts to save Lily and Harry.

The first person into the room was Sirius. It made her smile to see him. "It is her! Look at that. How come you're always on death's door when we see you?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood. He collapsed on a window seat near her bed. James was next and followed closely by Remus.

"Just unlucky, I guess," she said, waiting for the trio to fill them in.

Dumbledore eyed Sirius and Hermione suspiciously. There wasn't a reason why the two would know each other. He didn't question it further. Either knowing it wasn't the time or having come to terms with the marauder's antics. Sirius opened his mouth to speak after noting the unwanted attention, and then looked to Remus to change the subject.

"There are multiple witnesses that say Voldemort cast the killing curse. A pregnant witch blocked it. It rebounded and destroyed him."

"Is that so," Albus said, looking at Lily.

"The only contradictions in the statements are the number of curses Lily managed to block," Sirius said, nodding.

"I didn't do anything," Lily said, rubbed a spot under her shirt. She pulled up the material to show a lightning shaped scar on her skin. "And I don't think it was entirely blocked."

Hermione looked at the famous scar with some surprise. Hers was safely under the bandage Albus had expertly applied. Still, she pulled her wand hand closer to her. It was inverted. Like Harry's. Her mind started to race. She had changed too much. Harry wasn't going to have the protections that allowed him to counter many of Voldemort's spells. Voldemort's body was destroyed too soon. James and Lily were alive. The number of variables were going to be exponentially growing. They already were. Dumbledore was the Potter's secret keeper. Peter was under suspicion. She should have tried harder to find out when Tom arrived in the past precisely and stop him then. The roiling in her stomach grew.

"Hermione?" Dumbledore asked, already moving to help her.

"Sick," she warned.

Sirius was closest to a waste bin, scooped it up, kneeled on the bed next to her and held it in place. He pulled back a piece of hair as a thick black residue expelled itself. "James can't hold his liquor either. No shame here, love."

Hermione leaned back and smiled despite the situation. She really missed his ability to break the tension and put others at ease. He was a lot like the twins that way. Albus was helping with a glass of water. It would have been embarrassing in any other setting. Her mind was too wrapped up in the fear of what would happen next. Rolling her head toward Dumbledore, their eyes met. He was concerned. Not for the right reasons. "We're going to need Fiona and Gilford."

He had clearly already come to that conclusion even without all the information. She was too exhausted to care. Tom had done this. Her goal wasn't to correct time anymore. It was to stop him and save the people she loved. She couldn't think of a way that would make the world worse off. Everyone in that room with her was supposed to be dead. There wasn't an event she could describe that was better off if that were true. Maybe when she had recovered from the effects of the killing curse she'd care. She doubted it.

Sirius set the bin down on the ground but didn't leave her side. "Fiona and Gilford are healers?"

"Something like that," Hermione said, leaned against him. "Albus. There's a potion in that bag I need to take in a few hours. I don't know if I can remove it from the pocket here."

It all seemed to be too much for Dumbledore. He couldn't talk in code. She saw his frustration bubble up. It rarely made an appearance. "Give us a few minutes everyone." His voice had an edge that got everyone moving. The only person who hesitated was Sirius. It was only a few seconds. It was long enough to be noticed.

Hermione repositioned herself, she couldn't get attached to the idea that she could save him. She wasn't sure she was capable of saving any of them anymore. When they were alone, Dumbledore warmed her blankets with his wand and stood to pace. "Albus I—"

"—Hermione." He stopped his pacing and turned, waited.

"Listen to me," she started. "All of the rules have changed. I don't know what to say or do. I'm not sure I can make it any worse."

"What's happened?" he asked, holding out his hands helplessly. "I'm assuming none of this was supposed to happen."

"Hardly. There's a clone. Someone in the future cloned Tom when he was a Hogwarts student. He got the time turner, came here to kill Harry. In my time he was successful. Everything changed. The world we know was destroyed. I had to stop him. There were too many changes to find a better event to intervene. This one. Voldemort killing Harry by killing Lily was the beginning of the end to all of it."

He sat. Processed it all. She left out so many details. There would be questions. She'd answer them all. This wasn't a problem she could manage any longer. She didn't want the pressure anymore either. Her exhaustion wasn't just physical. Memories of both her lives were right at the surface. Threatening to overwhelm her.

"What's in the bag?"

It certainly wasn't the question she was expecting first. "Several things. It's a special material that can protect objects from changes to time. I don't know if that protection is final once the change happens or if the objects that shouldn't exist will cease to exist."

"Hermione, would you please answer the question."

The frustration was growing. She tried not to take it personally. "A Tempus Semita recording the major events that need to be corrected. The time turner. And a potion that will protect memories from being overwritten when time changes."

"Why do you need to take it? If you're in the past. Your memories won't change."

Leave it to Dumbledore to narrow in on the one topic she wasn't prepared to address. "How do you do that?" She rubbed her temples. She wanted to sleep. Speaking felt like work.

"What do I do?" he asked, finally softening, understanding she was struggling.

"Ignore all the obvious questions and ask the one I don't want to talk about." She felt tears burn in her eyes. She needed the memories from the other Hermione removed. It wasn't her. It wasn't her life.

"Just unlucky I guess."

She smiled at the callback. "I was in a time chamber in the ministry that was protected by an event horizon when Tom changed everything. I needed to leave it to get information. The memory potion protected my original memories. Now I have duplicate memories of my life. As long as I'm taking the potion, I'll retain both. I need to find a way to remove the changed memories. I'll lose my mind if I lose my life. My real life."

"I can help you," he said, reaching out and taking her hand. "Let me help you."

"Please," she choked out.

He sat down next to her, gathered her up. He didn't really understand the many wars that were raging in her head. He didn't need to. "We're going to figure this out." She relaxed against him. Watched him pull the bag up to his lap. "Do you know how to make this potion?"

She nodded. "I do. It needs a special component that hasn't been discovered yet." With a shaking hand, she reached out for one of the pockets she knew had several phials. How could it disappear? She was in the past. Nothing had happened yet that would have prevented Snape from brewing the potion. There were other pockets filled with the bottles. She'd maybe lose one or two. Pulling on the buckle, she saw the crystal etched with the white popular tree. Her fingers wrapped around it. Slowly, she removed it from the pocket. Gripping it harder it didn't disappear. "Oh, Merlin," she breathed out, showed it to Dumbledore.

He lifted it from her hand and placed it on the nightstand. Conjuring an hourglass, he sent her a questioning look.

"Let's make it six hours. I think I have eight. I don't want to risk it." When he paused, she continued. "Snape's tested it thoroughly. It's a really safe potion." She knew mentioning Snape was another breach of protocol. She didn't think he had turned yet. Soon. Maybe sooner once word got out Voldemort openly attacked Lily. More things that would change. She tried to turn her mind off. To stop thinking. Her body hurt. There was no more energy left for her to give. She had to trust Albus. Darkness crept up, she felt her body finally relax and she welcomed it.