A/N: Thank you all so much for your responses to the last chapter. They were very much in line with the reaction from the first time it was posted and I was beyond happy to hear how it brought a smile to the faces of so many of you.

I'm a little early posting this and my beta hasn't reviewed the changes yet but I'm going to be out for most of the day tomorrow so it's going up ahead of schedule.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read.

"Hermione? My Hermione?" Harry whispered incredulously, unwilling to relinquish her from his grasp.

"Your Hermione?" she laughed softly "Well, I suppose I am in a way. I wouldn't have spent a year living in a tent for just anyone Harry." Hermione pulled back from the hug and looked affectionately at Harry. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too."

"Err… guys?" Susan hissed at the pair from the other side of the table. "You might want to continue your conversation a little later?"

Breaking eye contact Harry looked around the hall and was mortified to find that proceedings had ground to a halt while everyone gaped at the two first-year Hufflepuffs, many craning their necks to get a better view of The-Boy-Who-Lived and the young lady who had greeted him so warmly.

"Yes. Well, now Mr Black-Potter and Miss Granger have got that out of their system…" Professor McGonagall said sternly, "Hopkins, Wayne!"

"Meet me in the common room after everyone is asleep" whispered Hermione to Harry, grasping his hand under the table. "We've got lots to talk about."

Finally, the sorting was over. Neville had returned to Gryffindor while Ron Weasley had been a hatstall, waiting with the sorting hat on his head for more than five minutes before eventually being sent the same way, something that surprised many judging by the amount of whispering as the minutes ticked by. The Weasleys were well known for their almost automatic presence in the Gryffindor tower.

"Now then," said Albus Dumbledore grandly, surveying the Great Hall from his position behind the large, golden owl lectern that stood in front of the head table. The students had all immediately fallen silent as he climbed to his feet and Dumbledore smiled down at them benevolently. "I do have a few notices to give out…" the Headmaster was interrupted by the sound of Ron Weasley's stomach growling loudly, "…but as our newest Mr Weasley has helpfully indicated, there are better times to do so. For now, I'll just say this. Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" With that, he swept his arm across the hall and dishes piled high with all different kinds of food appeared in front of the children. Wasting no time, they all began to dig in but once their immediate hunger was satisfied, the conversation began to flow between the students with Susan and Hannah taking the lead by introducing themselves to their classmates.

"Hi everyone - I'm Susan Bones," Susan spoke confidently to the others. Harry remembered that she'd been incredibly shy the first time around but, much like Neville, her belief in herself had soared over the last couple of years. "Hannah and I basically grew up together - my Auntie is Head of the DMLE, so Hannah's parents helped to look after me when she got called away. We met Harry a couple of years ago through Neville Longbottom, he's over in Gryffindor, and then Daphne Greengrass who's in Slytherin, and her younger sister Astoria joined our group and we've been friends ever since." She beamed a smile round at the other first-year Hufflepuffs.

Harry and Hermione hadn't really interacted with many of their new housemates originally, and as times had grown darker and more dangerous, many of them had been withdrawn from Hogwarts as their families left for safer climes. Justin and Ernie were familiar faces, but Wayne Hopkins, Sophie Roper and Megan Jones were entirely new to the pair, and they looked forward to making some new friends outside of the semi-insular society of Gryffindor.

Ernie hadn't yet developed the level of pomposity that he'd displayed in later years and once Harry had got past the formal introduction of himself as Lord Potter to the heir of the Macmillan family, he found he was able to chat quite freely with both the muggleborn and pureblood wizards.

Hermione however, found herself in an unfamiliar situation. Due to her acceptance by Harry on the train, Hannah and Susan had immediately included her in their conversations and seemed keen on adding her to their friendship group. After leaving Hogwarts Hermione had found that being one of the 'golden trio' and having helped save the wizarding world wasn't particularly conducive to being approachable or creating new, genuine friendships, and she had often missed having people she could talk to who weren't colleagues or family. Spending seven years living with two of the largest gossips in Hogwarts also meant that she'd always been quite guarded, but Susan and Hannah seemed determined to bring her out of her shell.

"So, Hermione," Hannah began with a twinkle of amusement in her eye, "is there something you and Harry need to tell us?"

The pair blushed but Hermione recovered quickly. "Harry and I actually went to school together when we were younger. We were really close friends, but we lost touch..."

Harry took over smoothly. "I recognised her name but wasn't sure if she was the same Hermione I once knew. I withdrew suddenly from the muggle school I'd been attending when I moved in with my new guardians and I wasn't able to contact anyone from my past. The people I'd been living with before didn't like me very much and I ended up leaving them in a hurry."

This statement was met with silence from the group. Harry had never spoken of his childhood, so this was new to Susan and Hannah. Hermione had gripped Harry's hand tightly under the table and shot him a look that he knew meant they'd be talking about this further later on.

"But you're Harry Potter!" Ernie spluttered. "You're The-Boy-Who-Lived! Surely things can't have been that bad?"

Harry visibly flinched at the title he'd been saddled with. He'd avoided the general public over the last couple of years and had allowed himself to forget the veneration with which he was treated by the masses for something that had happened to him rather than had been done by him. Susan and Hannah immediately fixed Ernie with glares that made him visibly wilt but Harry interjected before the pair, who were generally very protective of their friend, could make their feelings known.

"Girls, it's fine." Harry turned to Ernie, "I'd prefer you don't call me that if you don't mind. I may have survived the killing curse that night but it's a constant reminder to me that my parents didn't."

Ernie stuttered an apology having never considered things from that perspective before, but Harry waved it away. "No harm done." He said with a small smile before changing the subject.

At the conclusion of the feast, Dumbledore stood and gave the expected notices, including the warning that the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side was out of bounds. Harry found it oddly comforting to know that the changes he'd made since his return didn't appear to have affected matters to the extent where the school would not be hosting the Philosopher's Stone and let out a soft sigh that, once again, had Hermione squeezing his hand.

As the students rose to leave the Great Hall, Professor Sprout approached Harry. "Mr Black-Potter, the Headmaster has asked for a few minutes of your time. I will show you the way to the common room afterwards."

"Of course, Professor." Harry nodded to Hermione, indicating that he had expected such a meeting. Typically, Dumbledore hadn't even allowed Harry an evening of rest before demanding his presence and it was with heavy legs that Harry followed the head of Hufflepuff out of the hall and up to the seventh floor where she stopped in front of a stone gargoyle.

"Jelly Slugs" intoned Professor Sprout and the gargoyle moved aside to allow access to the winding staircase that led to the headmaster's office. She glanced at Harry, shrugged and simply said, "The Headmaster is rather fond of sweets." She knocked on the gleaming oak door using the brass knocker in the shape of a griffon and waited for a response from within before opening the door and escorting Harry inside.

"Ah! Harry my boy. Thank you, Pomona that will be all." Dumbledore's eyes were already twinkling as he presented his best grandfatherly face to the youngster standing in front of him.

"Actually Headmaster, I'd prefer Professor Sprout to stay if you don't mind. As I don't know why you've asked me here, I'd feel better if my head of house was present too."

Harry's reasonably stated request wasn't something Dumbledore could deny but Harry saw the twinkle in his eyes falter for a moment at the fact that he wasn't immediately trusted by the boy.

"Of course! Of course!" Dumbledore waved his wand and conjured two comfy armchairs, indicating for his visitors to take a seat.

"Now Harry. I must say it was rather a shock to hear your name called as Black-Potter. I was hoping you would enlighten me as to why that is. I wasn't aware of a change in your guardianship?"

Harry ensured his occlumency walls were firm before responding. "Yes, Headmaster. I was adopted by my godfather just before my ninth birthday. Officially I'm Harry Black-Potter but I only use Potter unless I have to."

"I see. I'll make sure the Professors are aware." Harry nodded his thanks. "I assume you are still living with your aunt and uncle?"

"Oh no, Sir!" Harry said with the enthusiasm that was expected of him, but not felt. "I haven't lived with them since I was eight years old."

Dumbledore hid his shock and threw a surreptitious glance at the many trinkets that lined his shelves, wondering how he could have missed that information. "I really feel you should return to live with them again Harry. I set up a number of protections on that home that will keep you safe from any that would want to harm you."

Harry struggled not to snort with laughter, recalling the night he'd fled the property. "That would be difficult Sir. Firstly, I don't believe my godfather would allow that to happen as he has a house of his own, and secondly, my relatives no longer live there."

This time Dumbledore was unable to hide his surprise. "Do you know where they are?" He struggled to think of the last time he'd heard from Arabella Figg – her reports had a habit of being exceptionally long-winded as she insisted on conveying the health of her many Kneazles too so he tended to tune out everything she said that wasn't related to Harry himself. She'd reported seeing Harry around the neighbourhood but he couldn't recall hearing anything about his relatives at all. He'd have to floo her again as soon as he was able.

"Yes Sir." Harry knew where the Headmaster was taking this before he'd even spoken.

"I really do believe it would be in your best interests to stay with them over the summer holidays. I will spend some time this year determining how I can relocate those protections to their new home." Dumbledore nodded as though the matter was closed.

"That won't be possible Sir." Harry remained calm whilst Professor Sprout's head turned as she followed the flow of conversation. It was as though she were watching two bludgers being beaten back and forth in a Quidditch match, but with words being batted between the two participants rather than iron cannonballs.

Irritation began to show in Dumbledore's tone. "And why not?"

"Well Sir, my uncle is currently a guest of Her Majesty at Wormwood Scrubs, whilst my aunt enjoys a similar residency at Holloway." Harry now stood from his chair; an action swiftly mirrored by Professor Sprout. "It turns out the muggles aren't all that fond of people who keep their nephews in a cupboard under the stairs for years whilst beating them almost to death. They were both sentenced to 15 years in prison for their crimes." Harry was now trembling with anger and knew he had to get out of the room before he said something that would get him in serious trouble. "Now, if you don't mind Headmaster, that's dragged up memories I'd rather forget. I've had a long day and I'd like to see my friends and the place I'll call home for the next seven years."

Harry now turned and stormed from the room without waiting to be dismissed. Professor Sprout glared at Dumbledore and then strode after her new Badger, leaving the Headmaster sitting in stunned silence behind his desk.

Upon descending the spiral stairs, Professor Sprout found Harry leaning with his head pressed against the cold stone castle wall. "I'm sorry Professor, that wasn't very respectful of me. It just brought up some memories I would have preferred to have left buried."

"I think it was quite understandable Mr Potter." She reached out and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "If you ever need to talk, I'm always willing to listen. As long as I'm not currently teaching a class, I'll be happy to take some time to speak with you." She smiled at Harry who was surprised – he'd always felt McGonagall was too busy to deal with individual student issues and after being brushed off about the Philosopher's Stone the first time around and being told to 'keep his head down' when being tortured by Umbridge, he'd not really bothered to seek her out again, instead preferring to deal with things himself.

"Now! Time to head to the common room. We'll go back to the Great Hall first and set out from there, so you'll know how to find your way for breakfast tomorrow."

Professor Sprout led Harry down a route he'd been very well acquainted with previously. Once they reached the corridor that housed the Hogwarts kitchens, they proceeded past the entrance portrait to a shadowy recess set into the right-hand side of the passageway. A pile of large barrels were stacked inside and, with nowhere else to go, Harry stopped just in front of them and looked quizzically at his new head of house.

"Pay attention here, Mr Potter. Do you see the barrel in the middle row, two from the bottom? To access the common room, you simply have to tap out the rhythm of the name 'Helga Hufflepuff' on this barrel."

"What happens if you use the wrong barrel or rhythm?" Harry asked curiously.

Professor Sprout smiled warmly, "All the other barrels are filled with vinegar and one of them will burst open, so do make sure you pick the right one, won't you? Now, watch carefully."

A small surge of excitement welled up inside Harry as he realised he was about to enter the only common room he'd not already seen the inside of – 'How many other students can say they've managed that?' he thought to himself. Professor Sprout tapped out the correct rhythm and the front of the barrel swung open to reveal a sloping, earthy passage that led gently upwards. The pair followed the path until they came to the round, low-ceilinged common room, empty of students now, and decorated in the Hufflepuff colours of yellow and black. A large, still portrait hung on one of the walls showing Helga Hufflepuff holding what Harry instantly recognised as the same cup Voldemort had turned into a Horcrux. He was looking forward to the Goblins cleansing the items so they could be returned to their rightful homes at Hogwarts.

Embedded into the walls were round doors that led to the various dormitories and good-sized, squashed oval windows circled the room. Colourful plants and flowers occupied the boxes that sat beneath each window, filling the room with a subtle but pleasant fragrance. Peering out of one window and into the darkness, Harry could see that they were just level with the ground at the foot of the castle. So low that you'd only be able to see people's feet as they walked past, but large enough that Harry knew the room would be flooded with sunlight during the day. Harry turned slowly on the spot, taking it all in.

"So, what do you think of your new home?" Professor Sprout asked.

"It's fantastic!" As much as Harry loved Gryffindor Tower, he could already tell he'd enjoy many cosy nights here, talking and laughing with his friends.

"We have tried our best," she laughed. "Right! Time for bed! First-year boys are through that door over there." she pointed at one of the round doors. "You'll find your room easily enough. You'll see the year groups are marked clearly on the outside of each door and your belongings will already be at the foot of one of the beds for you. There will also be a house meeting at the end of the week to make sure everyone is settling in OK, so if you have any questions that you've not had answered in the meantime, you can ask them then."

"Thank you, Professor."

"You're very welcome, Mr Potter," she said with a smile. "And welcome to Hogwarts."

Harry grinned in return and entered the dormitory to find large wooden bedsteads covered in patchwork quilts. He didn't think he'd been out particularly long but the slow, soft breathing from his dorm mates indicated they must have fallen asleep almost as soon as they'd got into their beds and rested their heads on their pillows. He quickly opened his trunk and extracted his sleeping things before heading to the adjoining bathroom to change and brush his teeth.

A short while later he slipped back out into the common room where he found Hermione waiting in a familiar position - curled up in a chair with a book in her lap. Harry paused, not wanting to disturb the scene in front of him. It had been years since he last saw Hermione this way and he felt his heart ache that there hadn't been more opportunities to do so. He watched her as the flickering light from the fire danced off her unmanageable, bushy brown hair which had fallen forward to conceal her face as she read. She was so absorbed in her book that she didn't notice he was there until he placed his hand on her shoulder.

Barely stifling a scream at the unexpected contact, she leapt out of her seat and spun around to face him before launching herself into his arms. "Harry! You scared the life out of me!"

"Sorry Hermione," he said sheepishly, returning her hug. "You were so wrapped up in your book I didn't want to disturb you."

Hermione eventually released Harry and led him over to a large squashy sofa in front of the fire. He raised his ebony and horned-serpent horn wand and cast Muffliato to hide their conversation from being accidentally overheard. Harry was carrying his holly and phoenix feather wand in a second holster that was secured to his left thigh – since purchasing it from Ollivander he'd only taken it off for showering and sleeping having sworn he would never be caught out again as he had been on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters before his return. His decision to use the ebony wand at school had come down to how much more responsive he had found it to be when casting than his old holly wand was.

"What did Dumbledore want?" she asked as, even after all these years, they instinctively resumed the positions they used to occupy in the Gryffindor common room – Harry at one end, Hermione at the other with her feet in his lap. Harry briefly filled her in on his meeting and was secretly pleased to see the look of triumph on her face when he told her about the fate of the Dursleys.

"So, when did you arrive back?" Hermione asked. "You must have been back for a while for the number of changes you seem to have made."

"Yeah, if only they'd all been intentional," Harry sighed. "This whole 'fixing the future' thing is harder than it seems."

Hermione gave a short laugh as Harry launched into a condensed version of everything that had happened since his return. When he had finished, she looked at him thoughtfully and with a hint of approval. "That's a lot of people that know you're from the future, but I can't really fault you when it comes to who you've told. Having the Goblins and the head of the DMLE on our side is massive but convincing Snape?"

"I know. I was as surprised as you are, but he helped me get healthy again and he's been absurdly supportive. He even insisted I call him Severus!" He said, causing Hermione to giggle quietly. "If I'd known I just needed him to see me at death's door to get him to change…"

"Don't even joke about that Harry James Potter!" Hermione snapped suddenly, her good mood evaporating immediately. "There's too much for us to do and I've only just got you back…"

Harry blushed and mumbled an apology. He'd been going for humour and had apparently missed by quite a margin. Hermione sighed and pulled her feet from his lap so she could twist and lean up against him instead. "I'm sorry – I just thought I was going to be alone in this so to have you here with me is more than I could have hoped for."

"When did you know I'd come back?" Harry wondered.

"I was suspicious on the train – the way you were acting and the things you were saying were just so different from the Harry I met before. Plus, I saw you and Sirius on the platform…" Hermione trailed off into silence before abruptly picking up the conversation again. "Did you really not know I'd returned until I hugged you?"

"I thought something was off on the train as well but had pretty much dismissed it. You were much calmer than last time." He grinned at Hermione and softly bumped her shoulder with his.

"Now I know it was you in the bookshop I'm surprised you didn't start suspecting me from then." Harry looked questioningly at Hermione. "Oh, come on Harry. 'I've been browsing for a while, and I've read about you in all these books…' – as if I'd have had time to specifically look for you in amongst all those books. I was waiting for you to call me out on it there and then, but you just let it pass by."

Harry smacked himself on the forehead with the palm of his hand, causing Hermione to laugh. "You're so used to my reading habits that you didn't even consider I wasn't telling the truth, did you?" Harry merely groaned in response causing her to laugh again.

"So, what about you Hermione, when did you come back?" said Harry, desperately attempting to deflect the discussion away from his error.

"I returned just before my eleventh birthday. My parents both know..." She fell silent and just stared into the flames that blazed in the fireplace. Hermione had travelled to Australia after the war and attempted to restore her parents' memories but hadn't been successful. They couldn't remember their daughter; they didn't see her get married and never met their grandchildren. "When I got back, I just broke down into tears. I cried and cried, begging for their forgiveness for something that hadn't happened yet. I told them everything, all about the things I'd kept from them before for fear that they'd pull me out of school. They said they understood and forgave me, but I still felt so guilty. It took the best part of the year before I managed to forgive myself." Hermione paused and Harry slipped an arm around her, pulling her close in an attempt to provide comfort. "Anyway, whilst I've not been as busy as you, I've made a couple of changes myself."

"Such as?" Harry asked softly.

"Luna's mother – she's still alive. I sent an anonymous message to Luna and her father claiming to be a seer. I insisted that I'd foreseen a terrible accident and that they needed to take precautions. A few weeks later there was an open letter in the Quibbler thanking the mystery letter-writer for saving their family."

Harry berated himself inwardly for not considering that he himself could have made a change that would have had such a terrific impact on his friend's life. Hermione knew exactly what was going on in his head though. "Hey! Stop that right now! It's not a problem and it certainly wouldn't have been your fault if things hadn't changed – all that matters is that she's alive and Luna will be happier for it. You can't go down the path of taking the blame for everything that happens. We're both here now and we'll do everything we can to save as many innocent lives as possible – OK?"

Harry nodded, choosing to take Hermione's lead and accentuate the positive in the situation.

"Is there anything else you wish you'd done?" she asked.

"It's a small point in the scheme of things but I wish I'd gotten to Eeylops sooner in Diagon… I had a look shortly after I moved in with Andi and Ted, but Hedwig wasn't there at the time, nor any other time I checked. By the time I finally got round to it again, Hedwig was already gone," said Harry sadly. He glanced up to see a guilty expression on Hermione's face. "What is it?"

"The day you saw me in Diagon… I popped into the shop to see if Hedwig was there, and I overheard a couple of people talking about buying her…"

"Right…?"

"Oh, Harry! I couldn't let that happen – you were so close to her; it would have broken my heart to have let her go so I bought her instead! She's up in the Owlery right now. I was going to try and find a way to gift her to you…" Hermione was unable to finish her sentence as Harry engulfed her in the largest and tightest hug she'd ever received from her best friend.

"Thank you, Hermione… thank you so much," Harry whispered in her ear, amazed by the depth of her friendship. Eventually, and reluctantly, Harry released his hold on her and looked awkwardly at the floor rather than meet her eyes.

"I need to apologise to you for driving Ron away on the train. He was the father of your children and of course, I'll support you if you want to be with him again. I'll try to put aside my feelings about Molly and be friendlier with him starting tomorrow."

An odd expression flashed across Hermione's face but was gone too quickly for Harry to decipher. She sighed. "Before that day on the platform… we'd not had a chance to catch up properly for a few months had we?" She studied Harry, biting lightly on her bottom lip. "Harry, Ron and I… Things weren't good between us. I was considering asking him for a divorce. I'd been putting on a front for the children, but the constant bickering was just too much. I'd fundamentally changed who I was as a person to fit my life around him and frankly, I resented it. I loved my children with every fibre of my being, and I'll miss them every day, but I can't be with Ron again. I won't do it to myself. If we ever get to the point where Molly tries to interfere and it looks like I might be interested in him, I need you to help me, Harry, please."

Harry nodded solemnly and took Hermione's hands in his. "I'm sorry I had to tell you about what she did to us, Hermione. I struggled to understand my relationship with Ginny after I found out, but I've chosen the same as you. I'll think of, and miss, my children every day, but I won't go down that path again with her. Dumbledore's attempts to manipulate my life are already more than enough to deal with without not being able to understand if I've genuinely fallen in love, or if it's being forced upon me against my will."

"Harry… I already knew about Molly before you told me. You weren't the only one who ended up visiting that place between."

"Really?" Harry studied Hermione who suddenly looked nervous about discussing this topic. "What were you told while you were there?"

Hermione's expression tightened. "Can we please not talk about this just now?" She begged. "I promise, we'll talk about it one day soon, I'm just not ready at the moment." She looked pleadingly at Harry who searched her eyes for any clue as to why she was so distressed. "Please," she whispered.

"Of course, Hermione, when you're ready." He helped her to her feet and then pulled her into another hug.

"Thanks, Harry." she gave him one final squeeze then stepped out of his embrace and smiled up at him. "We should really get to bed now – classes in the morning." She stretched up on her tiptoes and placed a gentle kiss on Harry's cheek. "It's so good to have you here with me." She whispered before turning and walking away.

Harry stared after her in shock, one hand drifting up to touch the place her lips had fallen. Just as she was about to enter her dormitory Harry spoke once more.

"Hermione? Can I ask just one thing…?"

Hermione nodded.

"Who did you meet at that station?"

"It was your mum, Harry. It was Lily Potter."

She paused, awaiting a response from Harry. When none came, she said softly, "Good night, Harry." She was just about to close the door when she heard a quiet reply.

"Sweet dreams, Hermione."

A/N: As I'm going to be nowhere near ready to publish year two by the time we've reached chapter 28, I'm considering marking the work as complete at that time and calling it 'Book One' of the Time Again series. We'll be at around 142,000 words at that point and I'm wary of creating something seriously unwieldy in a single story. I've seen this approach with Stargon's 'Cupboard Series' and think it might be best to do here, though it's likely to include more than a single year of Hogwarts per book.

The recommendation this time is another Harry/Hermione story, slow-burn and there's a bit of angst in there alongside the fluff but is one I very much enjoyed. "Harry Potter and the Midnight Quidditch Club" by Padfoot Twain. 20 chapters and 120,000 words(ish) and can be found on both FFN and AO3.