A/N: Lots of transitions in my life are slow down my free time to edit. I'm committed to finishing up this story by the end of next month. Poka, thanks for sticking with me. Your support keeps me going.

Chapter 18: Pursuit Curves

Sunday, Aug 3, 1980 | Godric's Hollow

Hermione felt homeless. Of course she had the sanctuary, but that was always meant to be a temporary stop on her way somewhere else. Or a hideaway that existed with a threat of discovery at any time. Depending on the life that presented itself. The Potters were adjusting to parenthood. They didn't need a time traveling lawbreaker taking up their spare bedroom. Number 12 Grimmauld Place was occupied at the current time. And the inhabitants would certainly not welcome a muggleborn witch inside. She even checked in on her parents. Mainly to ensure they had proper security. That home wasn't meant for her either. She could try renting a room at the three broomsticks. If her time in the past was extended, that might be her best option. Fiona could provide her with fake identification and polyjuice potion. That felt like failure. To admit she needed to set up residence somewhere would be a sign of defeat and a dangerous proposition. Her biggest advantage in tracking Tom down was that she shouldn't exist.

The breeze washed over her. She was sitting on the bench where she comforted Hagrid after Lily and James were murdered. Overlooking the graveyard, the Potter house across the avenue, she took stock of her situation. It had been three days of trying to work out what went wrong with the memory potion. It was tested by the unspeakables. It should have worn off after twelve hours. They even tested it with a time turner to replicate the time and circumstances of her situation the best they could. There was no reason she could have both sets of memories. The only variable that couldn't be duplicated was the sheer number of memories. Fiona was of the opinion that if anything, the significant volume of memories that the potion had been protecting would have weakened prolonged effects. Something was different about her. Hermione looked down at the palm of her wand hand. There were any number of things that made her situation unique. The lightning-shaped scar was still sensitive. The skin on her palm was tender. There was a faint line from the damage her wand did as she gripped it during the transfer of energy when she shielded Harry. None of her curse scars would have affected her memory. Then she swallowed. Could it be something the umbra did to her? Maybe it was still there. A remnant protecting itself. Or just damage from its effects. It was something she should mention to Albus.

A familiar form appeared in the distance. Sirius must have apparated outside of the village. He was focused on the house until another breeze blew over her. He stopped, nose in the air. Hermione didn't personally know an animagus other than Professor McGonagall and Rita Skeeter. She had never had a conversation with either about how their animal form might augment their human form. It was clear from Sirius' reaction that his sense of smell wasn't an ordinary human olfactory sense. He let his instinct guide him until he spotted her. He looked concerned.

It was a look she was expecting to see. Hermione leaned on the bench and waited for him to join her. He had something in his hand. "Good morning. Are you waiting or avoiding?" he asked, looking from her to the house only they could see.

"Yes," she answered, ran a hand through her hair. "It feels intrusive now. To come and go from their home. They're not meant to be the headquarters. They deserve to have some privacy."

He sat down next to her. "It's not like you're a reporter trying to stick your nose in their business." As he spoke, he handed her the parchment he had folded in his hand.

Trying to interpret what he was saying, she took the offered paper and opened it. The headline screamed at her—The Boy Who Lived. Under the bold print was a picture of Harry bundled up in his stroller outside Saint Mungo's. A small section was called out and zoomed in showing the world his lightning shaped scar. "How did they know they had an appointment yesterday?" she asked, skimming the text.

"Keep reading," Sirius instructed.

The reporter started the story out sensational. Suggesting the eyewitness testimony that claimed a pregnant witch blocked the killing curse had been a misinterpretation of the situation due to the trauma of the attack. Hermione honestly would be fine with that accusation. It would take the heat off Lily. The headline kept her from feeling relief. Her mouth went dry. There was a quote. "The receptionist gave an interview? They should fire her."

Sirius shrugged. "She didn't give the reporter any medical information. She just reiterated what she overheard during their appointment. That there was concern the curse scar might be a problem and that Harry got the wound the day of the battle in Diagon Alley despite the fact that he was born two weeks later. The reporter connected the dots. They interviewed a killing curse expert at the ministry and re-interviewed all the eyewitnesses. They think Harry protected Lily somehow."

"That's outrageous," she said standing and then sat again. Tom would have seen the story by now. He'd be furious. Harry would be in greater danger because of this speculation.

"Is it?" Sirius asked.

"That Harry shielded Lily from the killing curse?" she asked in confusion.

"No, that someone could shield someone else they loved from the spell."

She bristled. It wasn't the same. "An unborn child shouldn't bear that responsibility."

"But Harry did. In your time. He was the boy who lived."

Her mouth opened and then closed. "Albus did this."

Sirius shook his head. "Not intentionally. Snape informed him that the newspaper was going to be used to create division and doubt. He said the two of you identified events that were important to maintain."

Shaking the paper she was scared and angry and tired. This wasn't helping. "I didn't mean this."

He took the paper from her and clasps her hands between his. "Dumbledore said this would ensure a specific prophecy you identified would be interpreted a specific way. He said he wasn't sure about your lists, but knowing Harry had the protections from the curse—"

"—they're not protections, Sirius. He's a…" Hermione swallowed the word horcrux. It wasn't a detail that should be known by everyone. At least she wasn't sure about that yet. But Albus was right. If somehow Voldemort was resurrected and he focused on the prophecy again, he might go after Neville instead of Harry. "We don't know yet that my spell worked the same as Lily's sacrifice. This headline will put a target on Harry."

"It was already there. We need to focus on removing the threat not the target."

Tom. Just thinking about him set off a string of images in her mind. It was debilitating. She was supposed to travel to Albania with Sirius. She wondered how she could do that in good conscious, putting her friend at risk if she couldn't get control of herself.

"Hermione," Sirius whispered. He was tuned into her reactions, understood her internal struggles more have spending the past few days with her.

"I'm alright."

"No you're not."

"Why didn't Albus tell me what he was planning?" she asked, changing the subject, pulling her hands away. There weren't many people in her life that would call her out so boldly. Harry and Albus were expected. This Sirius was new for her. And he was more direct than the other two.

Sirius shifted on the bench to get a better look at her. She didn't meet his eyes. "You've got enough to worry about. You've given Dumbledore the information he needs. He'll have to get by without you when you leave. Would you have recommended a different approach?"

"Yes. No. I don't know. I don't know enough to say," she admitted. Sirius was right though. This was what she asked Albus to do—try to restore the outcomes that changed. If it also gained them an advantage over Tom, even better. "Do you want to stop in before we leave?"

"Are you—"

"—yes I'm sure I want to do this today," she interrupted, anticipating his objection. "I need to focus on now. On this moment and the future. If I stay in that castle for one more day in that sanctuary… surrounded by conflicting memories, I might lose my mind completely."

"Okay then. Let's go," he said, standing and holding out his hand.

She took it, let him pull her up. Slipping her wand out from her inside pocket she felt the protective suit from Newt respond to her movement, respond to the anticipated action. Her mind cleared as she concentrated on their first apparition point. This was the way through. Thinking about the future. She turned on the spot taking them both to the south.

~~/~~

The boy who lived. Tom threw the paper across the room, setting it ablaze in mid air. He should be ruling this time. His future knowledge should have paved the way for his every wish. He'd done it wrong. He tried to manipulate when he should be controlling. Severus claimed that wasn't the story the reporter promised to write. They better make sure the ministry angle wasn't hijacked by such propaganda. Everyone was avoiding him. For the best. Harry Potter. There had to be an explanation as to why Voldemort's spell rebounded. It was possible Harry was the reason. Dumbledore claimed Lily's love saved Harry, but perhaps there was something else at play. Voldemort never believed the old wizard's nonsense. Love. What a weak explanation.

As he pondered the dilemma his mind flashed unbidden to Hermione. Insanely, he wanted to discuss the theory with her. His eyes narrowed. Where was she? If she was still in the past in and the future changed, would that would prevent her existence? He did know where one version of her existed. His instinct had been to leave the mudblood alone until she learned about magic. He had no use for an infant. And killing her before she could comprehend her offenses would also be wholly unsatisfying. He thought he'd have years to decide what to do with her. He'd shown restraint not rushing to her house and erasing her from the world. Tom closed his eyes and remembered the moment he killed her in the room of requirement. He had used the killing curse and it felt so satisfying. He never gave her a chance to fight back or say a word. It was worth it. And proof there was nothing wrong with his curse.

Turning on the spot, he disapparated away to a quiet community he never before visited despite knowing its existence and its inhabitants in a modest three bedroom house. He stood looking over the muggle houses. They were so fragile and weak. He could kill every one of them in minutes. A freak tornado. A flood. An unstoppable fire. It was completely mind boggling that the wizarding world tried to hide when they could rule. What was the point of wielding so much power to only keep it secret. As he walked down the pavement his nose went up. Muggles were out doing yard work, home repairs, washing their cars… the time wasted on manual labor should be debilitating. This was the beneath him. Tom rounded the corner and stopped short. An empty lot greeted him in the distance. Dumbledore. Of course he'd protect the mudblood. That answered his question regarding her existence. An unremarkable family had the protections of the ministry. Not wanting to attract the attention of any auror who might be looking for someone suspicious, Tom quickly confunded a nearby muggle and struck up a conversation as he led the man into his house. Once inside, he looked out a small window and noted two people looking in his direction.

He couldn't even manage to kill a baby and her muggle parents. It was infuriating. He needed that wedge between the ministry and Dumbledore yesterday. Malfoy and Snape needed the proper motivation it would seem.

~~/~~

Sirius followed closely behind Hermione as they traversed the hillside. His senses were engaged, responding to every movement. Small woodland creatures and occasional wind had been the entirety of the threats to that point. He noted the silence and determination of his companion. He hated it and understood it. If she stayed focused on her immediate task she'd keep the demons within her mind at bay. "How do you know where this wizard lives?" he asked, curious that she had the apparition points meticulously plotted. They appeared to be in the middle of nowhere and still she walked with purpose. Her steps faltered at his question. He reached out to steady her at her elbow, concerned he brought some terrible memory to the surface.

"Bellatrix," Hermione finally whispered.

This had stopped him in his tracks. "Bella?" His cousin was the model Black family member. Pureblood to the end. Married to another from the sacred twenty eight. Loyal follower of Lord Voldemort. Cruel beyond the pale. He tried to remember if she ever mentioned the name Megrim Abaz or Albania. He'd never given her rants much attention. Then he recognized the pain in Hermione's eyes. "She hurt you. When… I mean… what timeline?" he asked, not sure how to frame the question, hoping she'd tell him it was the life that wasn't meant to be.

"Both," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "But it's my real life, my correct timeline when she tells Harry about this wizard. The aurors came here to find Tom. I read all the reports. Read their approved travel points."

Torn between needing to know more and not wanting to force her to recall terrible memories, Sirius stood there.

Hermione's mouth opened and then closed. Whatever she wanted to say had her conflicted. "She brought Tom here and Voldemort. He was a teacher to them. Of the dark arts," she finally said, rubbing her right arm.

He knew there was an odd scar there on her bicep. He also suspected this wasn't the information she had been struggling with he nodded. "You think he'll come here?"

"One of them might," she answered, relaxing when she realized he wasn't pressing her. "I don't think Voldemort would be able to get here in his current state. Not without possessing someone or something."

The more time he spent with her, the more he realized he didn't know. She was rightfully holding details back. The stakes and the risks of their mission grew in his mind. "You think this wizard is still alive?"

Hermione lifted a shoulder and let it fall. "She said he was really old in the when she first came here. That doesn't mean he isn't still out here. I think it's very likely Voldemort came here at some point when he was without his body. Maybe one other time. Even if Megrim isn't here, the hideout is."

Sirius nodded and motioned for her to continue. Despite the emphasized risk they were undertaking, his mind couldn't stop thinking about his cousin. He heard stories from other Order members about her cruciatus curse. He could only imagine how much more proficient she would have been in the future.

"Here," Hermione whispered, pointing up. New growth trees were bent unnaturally around an invisible force.

"That's a good sign no one is here now. They would have fixed that give away," he whispered back, wand up and ready for her lead.

Waving her wand at the space in front of them nothing happened. She didn't look surprised. "There's really no way to do this quietly."

He nodded, "Perfringo?"

Hermione placed a small flaming X in front of them, marking their target. The pair took on a casting stance and sent two steady cerulean bolts at the magical mark. Holding the charm, energy cracked and pulsed. The wind whipped up around them as the air was displaced. Finally, a hole appeared, the edges of the shield glowed like embers in a well stoked fire. Pieces of the protections fell to the ground as ash. Ending their spells, Hermione and Sirius stood still, listening for any signs of retaliation. When nothing happened, they stepped forward and through. A small cabin appeared in the center of a clearing.

"What do you think you'll find here?" he asked, trying to set her expectations. The structure looked as if it was the personification of disappointment.

"Any clue that could lead us to Tom. Or something that we can use against him."

Sirius wasn't sure he knew what they could learn that would result in either of those outcomes. They wouldn't know until they looked. The door to the cabin was also protected. The inhabitant hadn't completely trusted the outer wards. Or they were just that paranoid. Or, even worse, there was something dangerous inside that needed to be contained. From his experience, Dark Wizards liked to leave traps behind and rarely cared about who might stumble into them. "When the aurors searched this place in the future, were there any dangerous traps that needed to be disarmed?" he asked, grateful to have some future insight.

She stopped before challenging the door and thought back to the report. Sirius worried as it took her several moments to recall those memories. "No. But the shields were degraded in some areas. Like they hadn't been maintained, so its possible there are traps that had faded with time too."

"Stand back," he instructed. "I know a thing or two about ruthlessly protecting places. The Blacks took pride in their cruelty." Once she was a safer distance, he started slowly, like a bomb was behind the door, set to go off if disturbed. Once the cautious approach was exhausted he expanded the area of influence until he was satisfied the door wasn't a trap. Breaking through the shield and the lock, the door swung open.

Hermione stepped up to get a look inside. It was a one room cabin with a loft area. The walls were lined with books and workbenches. "No dust," she observed.

It was a disturbing detail. It could have been some preservation spell coupled with the shield that had kept the signs of time at bay. Or, it could mean the occupant was still actively using the space and could return at any time. "Let's be quick. If Megrim is nearby, he might have been alerted to our presence."

She nodded and walked in further, scanning the work area. Sirius hung back near the door. He wanted to see someone coming and he didn't want to be in a position for them both to be trapped inside the house. He tried to give her space to search for what she came for while still keeping an eye on her.

She took in a small breath. It was enough of a reaction to spike his concern. "Found something?" he asked, hopeful they could be on their way.

"No. Just… something I should have known would be here," she said, understanding his vigilance and brought a scroll to him.

A symbol was etched onto the top of the parchment. A rune of some sort. An X with a line through its center. "A consuming curse," Sirius said, reading the text. "That's not typically associated with a rune."

Hermione kept reading, clearly looking for something. "Not typically, no. Tom did it to prove I wasn't a creation of the room of requirement," she said offhandedly.

"Care to explain that one?" he asked, not entirely prepared for the emotions in her eyes when she finally looked at him.

"The first time he took me back to the past, he put the rune with the curse on my arm and sent me back to my time. He knew the room of requirement couldn't produce a curse but it might be able to make a convincing imitation of a person. If I came back to him with the curse, he knew his magic had finally worked. He had finally used all the elements in his theory to bring someone back to his time from the future."

He looked her over. He knew there were scars. He understood they protected her from the energy surge of the killing curse. It hadn't been made clear to him entirely the nature of the scars. "It's one of the scars that protected you?"

Letting out pained laugh, "Several actually. He reapplied it to my arm a couple times and he nearly killed me with it when he cursed by back. Removing it… it's not pleasant. To say the least. It seems he wrote it all down. Maybe to impress his mentor. My name's not here though."

She sounded relieved. He took the scroll from her and put it in his inside pocket. "We can read the rest when we get somewhere safe."

"This could take a while. There's a mess here," she started, turned back to the piles of scrolls and stacks of books. "Honestly, it would help if Megrim came back."

"Well, go on already," a voice called out from behind them.

Hermione and Sirius spun on the spot, wands ready. They found a frail man, partially visibly in the corner near the stack Hermione had been inspecting before she found the scroll. Sirius swallowed. He had left her in striking distance and didn't sense the threat. Stepping between her and the wizard who was now completely solid. Hermione took a step back, her free hand covering her midsection where he knew her knife wound had been. Something about the wizard's appearance had reminded her of that moment in her life. His anger flared, but he knew it wasn't wise to direct it toward the person who had the upper hand by sheer familiarity of the space and a result of his surprise appearance.

"Minding my own business and these two break my stuff," Megrim muttered to himself, having decided they weren't an immediate threat. He shuffled to a small stove and poked at the burning embers with a stick before placing a kettle on the pitiful flames.

Sirius stepped up and boiled the water with his wand.

Megrim nodded his thanks and fixed his tea. "Didn't even have time to remember where I left my wand before you broke down my door. Wandless spells aren't as accurate as they used to be. Know how to disappear though."

It wasn't clear if the words were meant to be said aloud or if the obvious growing senility was taking over. He turned and faced the invaders. "He's not here," Megrim declared as he sat in nearby chair, appearing exhausted.

"Voldemort?" Sirius clarified.

"Voldemort," Megrim said in a mocking way. "He told me he planned to go by that. Childish foolishness. A name's a name. If you don't like what people think when they hear your name, change yourself. If a name is holding you back, you're weak," he complained. It came out of his mouth so smoothly, it was clear he had given that lecture many times. "His name is Tom!" he shouted.

Hermione jumped. Sirius turned and saw there was some fear in her eyes. "Hey," he whispered, got her attention back on him. He needed to know if he needed to get her out of there. Her mind seemed to clear at the redirection.

"I'm okay," she said, shaking off whatever had been distracting her.

Sirius knew it wasn't the time to question her. Even though Megrim appeared to be too feeble to be a physical threat, that didn't mean he couldn't hurt them if he was given an opening.

"Tom was here," Hermione said.

"Many years ago," Megrim said, waving her off.

"Both of them," she pressed.

The wizard looked confused by the question and then angry. "They're the same."

"They're not," she insisted. "One wasn't completely whole. A copy of the real one."

"That's not…" Megrim trailed off, lost in thoughts and memories.

"How did they find you?" Sirius asked, not wanting the wizard to turn inward and clam up.

"A witch. She brought him… them… Both times?" Megrim said, trying to remember the details.

A small intake of air from Hermione indicated she was working out the cryptic answer. "Is it possible someone removed some of your memories? But maybe not entirely?" she asked.

Megrim wasn't an idiot. The speed in which he accepted the implication was proof he had already considered the scenario. A man as paranoid and morally questionable as Megrim would have realized he had memories left over that didn't make sense without more context. He had been obliviated but not completely. Lingering memories from the first Tom or the event leading up to his arrival were there. "He was here. And he wasn't. And then he was. They were the same."

"They weren't the same," Hermione pressed. "One had a horcrux for a soul."

"That's not how it works. You mean he made a horcrux with his soul." Megrim's words dripped with contempt. He thought Hermione misunderstood the dark magic because she was too afraid to learn how to weld it.

She wasn't having it. "No. I mean Tom Riddle made a horcrux and put it in a soulless clone. He was here, living with you. You had to have realized he wasn't stable." She stopped short of pointing out he missed the fact Tom was concealing a piece of such dark magic.

Megrim stood, shuffled to a bookshelf. Sirius stuck close enough to watch his hands. There was a wand somewhere in the house, he wanted to see it before Megrim was armed with it. Instead he pulled out two journals. The covers looked identical. One was slightly older. "I thought he duplicated this. Meant to take a copy with him. But they're not exactly the same," he said, handed them both to Hermione. "All the spells I taught him. All the potions he learned. Orders are different. Notes are different. But also the same."

Hermione paged through the top journal and nodded. "You told him he could merge his soul with another if his body was destroyed."

Megrim's eyes went wide. He looked at the page she was on. The white fire spell was listed. Not the theories he discussed about a horcrux bound wraith. "He prefers his own body," he finally said, not answering the question.

Sirius didn't pretend to understand the conversation. He simply listened and knew she'd explain herself to him if she could.

"But you told him there was another way. To use an existing soul to possess someone, permanently."

"He told you that?"

"Not exactly. He's without his body now," she told him.

"I heard."

"If he comes here, will you hide him?" Hermione asked.

"Yes."

"And if the one with the horcrux soul comes here. Would you hide him?"

Confusion was pushed aside and Megrim considered the question. "Hmm. Might not have a choice."

"Why do you say that?" Sirius asked.

"All these years with a horcrux inside. It wouldn't be wise to refuse him."

"What if we offer to help you?" Hermione asked, stepped closer, hopeful. "If Tom, the one with the horcrux, comes to you and you could tell us he was here. Would you? Would you let us come back and save you?"

The silence in the cabin felt oppressive. Neither Hermione nor Sirius wanted to rush the answer. They needed to know if it was genuine or just the answer they wanted to hear to make them go away.

"Yes," Megrim finally said. "They are not the same."

Hermione picked up two small rocks, transfigured them to look like a galleons and then murmured some incantations over them. Handing him one of them, she slipped the other into her pocket. "If he comes, press your thumb into the center of the coin and hold it there for a minute. It will warm when it's activated. I'll be notified with mine. Press it and we'll come. It might take a few hours, but we'll come."

Megrim studied the coin. "A modified protean charm. Should work. I will use it if I need it."

"If he comes," Sirius corrected. "You might not think you need us. But if he comes. You will."

"Fix my door when you leave. And my shield," Megrim dismissed them.

The pair took the hint and left Megrim alone with his books and notes. Sirius repaired the door as Hermione flipped a few more pages into the notes. "We could have asked him to let us know if Voldemort returned too," he said.

"I know. I don't think he would have agreed and we would have risked turning him off to the alternative."

"What's different?"

"He's not afraid of Voldemort."