Chapter 1 - Time Collides
10 years after winning the war with Voldemort, Hermione Granger had grown disillusioned with the Wizarding world. After the kiss in the heat of the Final Battle, she had started a relationship with Ron Weasley, although she had been waiting years for the boy to notice her, the relationship was not what she expected.
The first few months went well, but when she refused to follow her boyfriend and Harry Potter to the Auror department while forgoing her last year, the fight was epic and lead to the couple's first break-up. Her last years at Hogwarts was peaceful, even though she did not get the Head Girl badge she thought would be hers, it had went to Ginny Weasley instead. When asked, the Headmistress simply stated that the role should go to someone who was doing their last year as planned, not someone who was repeating it and that was that. This started a new research for the young Hermione Granger and she found that Lily Evans had never been Head Girl as Professor Dumbledore had told Harry, this new knowledge spurred her on and she found more and more examples of muggle-born witches and wizard being set aside for roles and promotions they were qualified for in favour of purebloods. Every time she tried to talk about it with her friends, her rants were cut short, even from Harry who didn't seem to realise what it meant in relation to his mother and simply wanted to be left out of any type of fights, even political.
Once Ron came back, after sowing his oats widely with the numerous fan of the now War Hero as the Daily Prophet showed almost every week, Hermione set aside her pride for a while, still convinced they were meant to be even if she had to work for it. A small voice in her head also whispered that she likely did not deserve better anyway as no one had ever shown interest in her bar Viktor and Ron.
The relationship did not improve once she had graduated from Hogwarts with record-breaking NEWTs and accepted a position within the Department of Mysteries, Ron had quit Auror training and had been accepted at the reserve Keeper of the Chudley Cannon while Hermione was finishing Hogwarts. Fights continued between the couple due to Ron's lack of ambition and Hermione's busy schedule but they always made up until Ron told her it was either him or her career as he explained it was time to settle down and get married, Hermione finally had enough and broke up with him for the last time.
Although she loved her career, she became aware overtime that her position was as far as it would go, she even came to understand her relationship with Ron had been a positive factor, and being estranged from him and his pureblood family left her with no backing. She now clearly understood that the Wizarding world was not and never would be a meritocracy.
Harry tried to stay neutral, but due to his relationship with Ron's younger sister, his neutral stance did not last and eventually he lost contact with Hermione who was ostracised from the Weasley family for breaking Ron's heart.
She had never got close to anyone else but Harry and Ron during her Hogwarts years, however she managed to maintain a correspondence with Luna Lovegood over the years, with very few in-person meetings as Luna was always travelling in search of mysterious creatures.
Neville Longbottom had been her first friend, on the Hogwarts Express, and they got closer during their final year but he distanced himself slowly after the break-up and Hermione preferred not to dwell on it.
What followed were lonely years, while her job as Unspeakable was going well, she knew she would never progress far despite her work being praised. She kept noticing the slights against her blood status while unqualified purebloods continued to be promoted or simply hired without the proper qualifications.
She sometimes wondered what the point of winning the war even was, as it appears the ideology of Voldemort did not die with him, and no one seemed overly concerned by it. The trials following the end of the war were underwhelming to say the least, the worst offenders did go to Azkaban for life but many managed to slither away with a small house arrest, or even probation. Lucius Malfoy was back at the Ministry shaping things to his liking only 2 years after the end of the war, his house arrest lifted and his reputation barely dented. It seemed to Hermione that despite their longevity, the Wizarding world had a short memory.
She had chosen to speak up for Draco Malfoy at his trial, mostly because he lied when they were brought to his manor during the war but also because she strongly felt someone who was marked at 16 could not properly consent. Her naiveté was not rewarded as Draco Malfoy never repented nor showed any remorse and due to her testimony and his family's name and money, he only had a year probation. He never thanked her, but never bullied her again as he simply pretended she did not exist when he was forced to be in her presence.
Being cut off from the Weasley and Harry, she had no way to create change despite her own fame, the few petitions she sent to the Wizengamot went unanswered and Kingsley, now Minister, kept cancelling their meetings or placating her when he couldn't escape her.
The laws against magical creatures were never overturned, and the laws against muggle-born were overturned partially but not enough to make a true difference. It was clear the majority of the wizarding public agreed with Voldemort in theory, simply did not agree to his methods.
Hermione felt desperate and alone in a world that never wanted her and would never accept her. She sometimes wished to go back to the Muggle world and disappear there, but her parents had been killed by Death Eaters during the war despite her best efforts and she had no ties to the Muggle world anymore, nor did she want to leave the Wizarding world, it felt too much like giving up and letting them win.
Thankfully, she was well-off from her parents' inheritance and her job paid relatively well.
She led an isolated but comfortable life.
It was a day like all others when it happened.
Hermione Granger was working in her office on an artefact that was confiscated by the Auror department in a raid on a Dark Wizard's home.
She was thankful her dictaphone worked despite the magic in her office and began her assessment as she always did:
"Hermione Granger, report on Object #13077
The artefact was found at the home of a Dark Wizard, the name has been redacted from records.
The object is shaped like a circle, made of pure gold, and flat.
There is a dial that can be moved, the dial can move on different numbers displayed on a rectangular line, from negative numbers to 2008, I have to assume the numbers refer to years as it appears the device is time-related in some way, if one can travel to any year displayed, it would make it a huge advancement on time-turners limited to hours and a time loop.
The dial, however, does not budge from its current position on 1949.
From a preliminary scan, it appears the object is layered in charms, including one meant to anchor the traveller to the year they choose, likely meaning it differs from a time-turner and does not block the traveller into a time loop.
The traveller would never be able to come back to their present, as the future is not written and therefore does not exist, the anchor charm however solves the issue by making them a part of their new timeline.
Another charm is layered above it, it feels like dark magic as it seems to erase the existence of the traveller from their current time, anchoring the traveller further to their destination.
It's unclear how to use the artefact and currently illegal per Ministry regulations regarding time travel.
It's unclear how the object was made, if it was ever used or who created it as there are not magical signature I can detect.
If one was to use it, it's not clear whether a new timeline would be created by their voyage or if the present they left would simply cease to exit. Either way, the use of the artefact could not be detected and another charm seems to make the object vanish upon its use.
I think that..." Hermione trailed off her recording as a massive boom was heard in the office next door, with wide eyes she verified she had her ever present war bag as she called it and her wand in her hand, but before she could protect herself or her office by reenforcing the existent wards, another boom was heard and shook her office so strongly she lost her balance and cut herself on the artefact.
The artefact started to glow a bright white light and her last thought before being claimed by darkness was "Of course it needs a blood sacrifice to work."
She found herself laying down on wet grass, she could feel the wind around her and the sun shining above. She did not want to open her eyes and face her current predicament. She was thankful to feel no pain and to appear to have made the voyage whole.
"I know you are awake." a voice said above her.
Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and saw a man about her age standing above her with a small frown marring his face. He seemed tall, taller than her at least, likely at least 6 feet, with a chiselled jaw, deep blue eyes and short curly dark hair. However, Hermione could feel an aura of danger surrounding him.
Knowing she needed at least basic information, she relented "Where am I?"
"My home. You shouldn't have been able to pass through my wards, I assume it had something to do with the object that disappeared when you appeared on my lawn though." He paused, gathering his thoughts and assessing the woman in front of him, or below him really. She looked rather short, petite, but somewhere around 25 years old he would guess. She had long curly brown hair making a halo around her face, her features were nice if not a bit plain. Her eyes, however, looked haunted and that intrigued him. The Unspeakable robes she was wearing left him with multiple possibilities though.
"Get up, and come inside. The rain is about to start up again, I can offer you a cup of tea while you tell me how you came to pass through my wards."
Knowing it wasn't really a question but rather a demand, she stood up and subtly verified her bag and wand were still on her before she followed him inside. He busied himself preparing a tea service for both of them, while she studied him and wondered what she was going to do now.
He gave her a cup of tea, sat down at the table in front of her, and started, "So, can I get a name? And an explanation?"
She did not reply but studied him, wondering how much she could trust this stranger.
"Hermione, I am an Unspeakable as you likely saw by my robes. Can I get your name?"
He hesitated for a few seconds but forged ahead anyway, "Tom Marvolo Rid..."
Before he could properly finish saying his own name, she had her wand in her hand and was aiming for him "AVADAKA KEDA...", he silently and wandlessly disarmed her before she could finish.
She appeared shocked by his ability to stop her and frozen, he wasn't sure if she was in shock of trying to use the Killing Curse or that it did not work. He felt a small aura of danger around but it felt dim.
"Interesting" he murmured before stupefying her.