A/N: Sorry about the late chapter! I've had a bit of writers block lately and I was busy with a bunch of tests this week ;(

I just started fall break, so maybe I'll be able to spit out longer or more frequent chapters for ya'll

Chapter Four: What now?

- Previously -

"Harry?" She asked, staring blankly into the empty fireplace.

"Yeah?"

"What if I can't save you?"

Harry stared at her for a moment, sitting upright and leaning his forearms against his knees with his fingers laced together. He worked his jaw and averted his uncertain gaze to the hardwood floor, trying to figure out how to answer her question.

"Hermione..." Harry started, his dark eyebrows furrowing for just a moment as a sliver of fear flashed through his emerald eyes.

He didn't know why Voldemort was so keen on killing him- sure, he knew that he had killed Voldemort temporarily when he was a baby- but why did Hermione's description the vision make it seem like Voldemort 'conquered the world' when he murdered him?

Nonetheless, he did know that she could be dead because of him- Voldemort could potentially hurt Hermione to get to him. Everyone knew they were friends, and that very friendship could endanger Hermione's life.

In fact, it was probably better for her to find other friends- Hermione would be safer if she just kept her distance from him...

But he valued Hermione's friendship too much. It was selfish, he knew, but he just couldn't bring himself to ever push her away from him- or at least not right now. Right now he needed his friend.

But I might have to. At one point or another, it could become too dangerous for Hermione; and I'm not willing to risk her life for the world.

"Harry?" She inquired softly, peering at him for a moment as she sensed his prolonged hesitation.

His eyes stayed glued to the hardwood floor as he tried to steady his voice, taking in a deep breath. "...It's going to be okay," Harry swallowed hard, raking his hands through his disheveled hair repeatedly. "It'll be okay." Harry repeated slowly as he turned his head to look at her again, fining a tear roll slowly down her cheek. She continued to stare absently at the fireplace, her face like stone.

"How?" She questioned without turning, voice almost too quiet for Harry to hear. "How will it be okay?"

He paused, thinking for a moment as he pressed his back into the sofa cushions. "Well...um, Dumbledore is still an option. And if you feel up to it, maybe we could try to reasearch whatever's necessary in the library today." She nodded uncertainly, still fearing the worst. "We will find a way, Hermione. I know it." He most certainly did not know it, but she needed assurance at the moment. He tried his best to sound confident for her sake, no matter how badly he just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry his eyes out. He did know, though, that Dumbledore could help them.

Or at least he hoped so.

She cocked her head, noticing an uncertain expression clouding his face. "Harry," her voice quivered. "I can tell you're scared. I'm scared too." She exhaled softly, trying not to break down for the hundredth time today. "Please remember that I'm your friend; you can tell me your thoughts too."

"Well, right now I'm thinking about food-"

Right now Harry would do anything to not have to talk about his feelings.

"Harry!" She exclaimed with a fleeting smile, cutting him off. "I'm serious."

I am not too good at serious...

He nodded slowly, turning his eyes to stare at his fingers for a while as he collected his thoughts. "I- I dunno know what to think." A tear slipped down his cheek and he haisitly wiped it with the back of his hand. "This is all..." he trailed off and exhaled, his voice quieting as he rested burrowed head in his hands with his elbows pressed against his knees. "I don't know what to make of it," Harry repeated as he lifted his face, his hands quivering as his eyes filled with raw emotion.

Hermione nodded and rested her head on his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his side, providing silent comfort for him. Harry returned the hug, resting his chin on the top of her brown curls.

"Sorry." He took a shaky breath, using his sleeve to wipe the few tears that escaped his eyes. "I suppose its not every day you learn you die before the age of twenty." Harry chuckled dryly, a tight smile on his lips.

Blimey, I should not have said that... His smile vanished as quickly as it came as his eyes widened, immediately regretting his words. Why did I even have to say anything? I should've just stayed quiet. Stupid self.

Hermione drew back, tears beginning to fill her eyes which flashed with frustration. "Harry! Do. Not. Say. That!" She choked out, hitting his chest with her fist after each word. She paused for a moment before turning her face into his shirt, clutching the cloth tightly as her soft cries turned into violent sobbs.

Way to cheer her up, Harry.

"S-sorry Hermione. I didn't mean to say that. It just kinda slipped out," he added quickly, wrapping his arms around her back.

"You're an idiot." She said as she sniffled, voice soft.

"I know it."

"I don't think I'm ready to tell Dumbledore yet," The pair sat in the Great Hall, breakfast left untouched on their plates. "I think it's best to sleep on it first." Hermione continued, slowly picking up her toast to nibble on absentmindedly.

"That's fine. Take as much time as you need." Harry responded, giving her an affirming nod. "Do you still want to go to the library?"

"Yeah. We should go now, actually, if you're okay with it. I'm not terribly hungry at the moment."

"Me neither." Harry stood up, Hermione falling in step next to him as they left the Gryffindors table.

"So what is it exactly we are researching?" He asked, turning the corner in the direction of the library.

"Hmm...I suppose any type of magic that allows one to communicate with their past self."

"You sound like a textbook."

She chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Just something along the lines of that; if we figure out how the magic works then maybe I can contact my future self and find out where things went wrong."

"Okay. If we need to look in the restricted section for anything, just remember I still have my invisibility cloak," He grinned at her, green eyes twinkling mischeviously.

"Why, so you can go around breaking lanterns?" Hermione responded sarcastically, recalling what happened in their first year when Harry tried to sneak around the library after cerfew.

"Why, of course, what else would I do?" Harry said, acting as if it was the most obvious thing ever. They both burst into laughter, entering the half-full library.

"I think it should be an Olympic sport- I bet you would get gold." She chuckled to herself, lowering her voice at the sight of a glaring Madam Pince.

Harry stopped next to her, a puzzled look twisting his eyebrows together. "What are Olympus?"

"Olympics." She corrected, realizing even though he grew up with muggles, his aunt and uncle probably never allowed Harry to see it. "It's a series of muggle sport events played by the top athletes from every country; in fact, we got the whole idea from Ancient Greece."

"Ooohh," He still wasn't quite sure what the Ozempic thingy was, but unless it involved quidditch he wasn't terribly interested. "Alright then, to the books!" He exclaimed, aggressively extending his arm as he pointed to the magical section and caused multiple students to shoot him quizzical looks.

Hermione laughed. "Weirdo."

She ran her fingers over the spines if the books, occasionally pulling one out to flip through as she looked for any topic that could concern magic connected to time.

Speaking of time...

"What time is it, Harry?" She asked with a yawn, easing out an old-looking book from its slot on the polished wooden shelf.

Hermione brushed off the thick layer of dust that blanketed the book with the back of her hand, revealing a worn title printed in gold letters.

Playing With Time - by Hombre de Farfullado

"About..." He stopped abruptly, realizing how long they had been in the library for. "It's 3:46! We've been reaserching for almost six hours!"

"Oh. We missed lunch then." She shrugged as if the excessive amount of time they spent in the library was completely normal.

Harry smiled goofily. "That's gotta be a world record. For me, at least."

She scoffed teasingly. "Yeah. I don't think you've set foot in here for longer than thirty minutes, unless I drag you in here to study or do homework."

Harry gasped dramatically, placing his hand on his chest with mock hurt. "I am appalled!" The two burst into laughter again, finding everything funnier than they normally would because of their lack of sleep.

Plus, it felt good to laugh after discussing depressing topics- it distracted their minds from the looming danger.

Adding the strange book she grabbed to the stack of books she held in her arms, Hermione walked back over to the table and plopped herself down on the wooden chair. She crossed her arms and placed them on the table, her head resting againt her forearms.

I think I'll just close my eyes for a second...

Within a few minutes she had drifted off into a light sleep.

Hermione's dream

A young woman paced in front of her, the air around her rippling with her evident urgency. They stood in a dirt-caked room, with withered wood floorboards and peeling patterned wallpaper. The oak beams behind the paper were rotted and crawling with various insects, making Hermione cringe with disgust.

Sensing her presence, the woman spun on her heel to face her, chocholate eyes going wide as she stepped closer.

"It worked!" She cried, a smile creeping into her thin face as she stared directly at her. "Thank goodness! It worked!"

The woman looked malnourished, cheeks sunken in and her skin deathly pale. Her hair was brittle and grey (even though she seemed no older than 20), most likely from lack of nutrients.

But at the same time, she seemed quite familiar...

"Hermione, you can't tell him. He isn't trustworthy."

"What? Tell who?"

Am I normally able to think and talk of my own accord in dreams?

"I-" she shook her head and bit her lip. "I'm already saying too much. Just listen to me, please. Don't tell anyone else."

"Uh..."

"Hermione. Listen to me." Footsteps thudded above them and the woman practically jumped out of her skin at the sound. "I dont have any time to explain it to you, but do NOT tell anyone else, do you hear me? NO ONE..." Her voice faltered as the footsteps got louder, the dream fading as Hermione slowly awoke.

A/N: I hope you like the chapter!