Hermione spent the following weeks monitoring Harry's emotional wellbeing fulltime and researching time theories and spell creation part time. She looked further into how timeturners functioned and applied it to longer-range travel. Eventually, Hermione had three potential rituals that could work.
The first was a modified ancient magic that was originally designed to bring someone seeking vengeance to the scene where they were wronged. The second method was a powerful one that would require assistance from a potion that Hermione wasn't exactly sure she had the skill or patience to concoct. The third was one Hermione had designed herself. She hadn't been able to test any of the spells for obvious reasons and was even more reluctant to experiment due to the permanent nature of these spells in particular.
Hermione handed a paper list with descriptions of the spells to Harry. "What do you think?"
He stared intently at Hermione's hard work. "I think they're all dangerous. Maybe too much of a risk." His eyes flit to her face before he resumed inspecting her notes.
"What do you think the chances of failure are? I already did some arithmantic calculations but if you want to do your own to compare them.." Hermione nervously tossed her long hair over her shoulder, trying to keep out of her face for not even 15 seconds before giving up and tying it up into a loose, rough topknot.
"No, I think you're right. You have a little better than half chance of any of these working, as is." Harry pushed his glasses up his nose bridge before giving Hermione her paperback. "When do you want to go?"
"I was thinking soon." Hermione scratched the back of her neck awkwardly, she felt like she was abandoning him, even though she was doing it for him- for everyone.
"Definitely keep working on this and don't go until the arithmantic odds are better…What do we need to bring? Should we go shopping for supplies? Definitely plenty of money." Harry got up from his seat, Hermione following him, knowing that they were heading upstairs to start packing. "And the invisibility cloak, of course." He added offhandedly.
"I love you Harry." Hermione pulled her friend into a hug from behind, unable to stop the jittery little dance her body did upon hearing she wouldn't have to go it alone.. "What did I ever do to deserve you?" She asked rhetorically.
"Must've been something awful." Harry joked, turning and smiling in his strange, timidly confident way.
"Must've been." She mumbled into his back as they climbed the steps together with her still clinging to him.
/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\
"You know you and I are practically kin, right?" Hermione stood in the hall outside her bedroom with Harry's hands in her own.
"I know, 'Mione." Harry pulled her into a hug, rolling his eyes. She could hear the twisting, nervous smile pulling his lips. "You're my best friend."
Hermione pulled back to look into green eyes, knowing full well that if her work was a success, that Harry and she would be perfectly fine, if a little discombobulated. If her calculations and deductions were incorrect though…
"If this goes well, we'll never have to be sad like this life made us. Ever again, Harry." His emerald eyes grew especially reflective as Hermione's grin grew slightly crazed.
"If you don't stop looking at me like that, we aren't going anymore." Harry flicked her forehead lightly, his other hand securing the strap of his backpack. "You look absolutely mad."
Hermione took a brief moment to ruefully smile at her best friend before using her wand to draw the runes they would need.
"Before you change your mind," She whispered a few minutes later as she stepped back into her runic circle, using a silver ceremonial dagger to spill her blood sacrificially once she stood in place. "Don't back out now." She warned him as she began to glow with bright warm light. Harry grinned and took his place across from her in the circle, smoothly taking the dagger and cutting deep across his palm.
"Wouldn't dream of it," He seemed as though he was going to say more but he, too, began to glow.
A multicolored vortex devoured Hermione's view, she gripped the shoulder strap of her leather satchel as together they anxiously waited to see if she had done the proper calculations.
/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\
Sirius Black sat nonchalantly at the kitchen table of the Potter's cottage across from his closest friend. Harry had been put to bed and they were waiting for Lily to come downstairs and join James and Sirius for a nightcap.
Suddenly bright lights filled the kitchen and a singular soft voice could be heard, though it sounded a bit muffled.
"Don't back out now. Wouldn't dream of it."
Two forms appeared in front of them, standing in the kitchen each gripping their wands tightly down at their sides.
James and Sirius gawked for a moment before coming to themselves.
"Who the hell are you?" James barked. Hermione looked to find two wands aimed directly at Harry's back and herself. From where she stood, she could see James and Sirius from around Harry who was facing her at the moment, eyes wide, body stiff.
Hermione could not stop looking from James to Harry, suddenly mute.
"Speak." Sirius demanded.
"Harry…" Hermione started, "people have been lying to you for years, you look nothing alike."
The man in question snorted a laugh and with a jerky swing of his head he was looking his own father in the eyes.
"What is it?" Lily rushed into the kitchen, wand already drawn. "James?" She froze at the puzzling scene.
"'Lo." Harry said softly as his eyes met their match. An almost exact match, because as much as people had exaggerated Harry's resemblance to his father, it was clear who Harry had really taken after.
Lily's wand almost slipped from her fingers before she regained her composure. "Well?" She demanded severely. James and Sirius seemed to be bolstered by Lily's drive and purpose to protect, they both stepped back toward her and away from the strangers in their kitchen.
"You said Harry?" Sirius pushed after a long quiet pause. Harry slowly turned around fully to get a better look at his parents and godfather.
"That would be me," he raised the hand with no wand in it. "We had not planned on landing here in your home, if that helps."
"Harry who?" James pressed, pointing his wand menacingly.
"Are you thick?" Harry could not stop the words from falling from his lips. Before the words could settle in the air there was a muted thwack and hissed "Harry James Potter, if you don't take this seriously, so help me Merlin." It was hushed enough that had the room not been dead silent otherwise, Hermione would not have been heard at all. Alas, she had been.
"Harry Potter is sleeping upstairs," said James plainly. "Try again."
Lily watched closely, despite having recognized herself in the man that stood before her, surely she couldn't be looking at any child of hers. This so-called Harry standing before her was almost her age, a man of probably 20 who towered over James Potter and Sirius Black by at least ten centimeters.
"I am Hermione Granger… I was born on September 19, 1979 to two muggle dentists. Um…" She froze at the non-believing faces staring at her. "I am Harry Potter's best friend, we met in Hogwarts and got through the war together. I developed a ritual to come back in time. We wanted to save the people that we weren't able to in our own time." She timidly shifted her weight from foot to foot, waiting for something, anything. "Oh, and this," she pointed, "is Harry Potter from my time."
"Prove it." Sirius said, Hermione looked up into his eyes, finding them less angry than he sounded. James, too, seemed a little less wary of them. Lily was the hardest to read, but all three wands remained trained on Harry and Hermione.
Harry looked at Hermione who decided to keep the reins.
"Lily Marie Evans has a sister Petunia. Petunia married Vernon Dursley and had a son, Dudley. James Fleamont Potter is an only child, his parents took in Sirius Orion Black during their Hogwarts years due to Walburga's unstable mental state and general ill will against Sirius in particular." Hermione continued to ramble hoping some of it would be proof enough. "In Sirius's room in 12 Grimmauld place, he has a trick tie tucked away somewhere, when we found it in his room was actually when I got the idea to come here…" Hermione got sidetracked.
"Where did you learn my mum's middle name?" Harry whispered, Hermione shrugged.
Harry continued where Hermione left off. "Remus Lupin is a werewolf and has been since a young age when he was bitten by Greyback. Sirius Black is a humongous lush. I know that James, Peter, and Sirius are all unregistered animagi and you did it for Remus. I know Peter is the secretkeeper for this cottage, though it was almost Sirius."
When Harry was done speaking Hermione looked up from inspecting her shoes to find all wands had been lowered and eyes appraising them.
"Alright then. You want a drink?" Sirius sank into his seat.
Harry and Hermione pulled out a seat at the kitchen table apprehensively, locking eyes before smiling at Sirius.
James and Lily seemed to be having a silent conversation with their faces and eyes before they came to the table as well. Lily took the remaining seat and James, after squeezing her shoulder reassuringly, turned to start making a pot of tea.
"I meant firewhiskey, mate." Sirius raised a bottle, shaking it cheekily.
"I know," James looked over his shoulder briefly, "but a plain cuppa would make me feel better at least. I mean- my son just grew up in the span of five minutes." James took another deep breath, now facing the stove. "And he's taller than me."