"I don't know where he's likely to be," Alice murmured, guiding Hermione through the Ministry. "I'm hoping he's here obviously but there's no guarantee. We can…" she sighed, "we live with Frank's parents. Augusta and… do you know…" she trailed off reading something on Hermione's face.

"I've met her," Hermione agreed shortly.

"Right," Frank blew out a breath, "Of course you have. Well. I think what Alice was planning to say was, if hes not here, you can come home with us." he looked momentarily awkward, "unless you have family…."

Hermione tensed, "Muggleborn," she muttered after a beat, "So, unlikely."

"Ah," he murmured, "Do you know ah…"

"How bad things are currently? Yes." she nodded.

"Right," he sighed, gesturing her forward into the aurory.

"Boss!" Alice almost slumped in relief at the sight of Alastor Moody sitting at his desk.

The man's head jerked up sharply. "Longbottom…and other longbottom." his eyes travelled to Hermione, "And…a suspect?"

"No!" Hermione protested.

"Oh? Who are you then?" he demanded.

"Can we go somewhere more…secure," she muttered, her eyes darting to the other two Aurors working the late shift.

Moody's eyes swung to the Longbottoms, Alice nodded minutely "Right then." he agreed, gesturing towards a door. "Through there."

"Its secure?" she checked not moving.

"It can be made secure." he countered,

"With what?" she demanded.

He blinked at her, "I don't know who you think you are girlie."

She hesitated, her eyes darting to the Aurors who appeared to have decided she wasn't that interesting, utterly immersed in piles of paperwork before she hissed almost too low to be heard, "Your great-niece as it happens, not that it's relevant for the purposes of this conversation."

"My what?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, but didn't raise her voice "Seen Elspbeth recently?"

Moody's wand was in his hand pointing at her face in seconds, "How have you seen her?" he growled as Frank cast a ward hiding them from view.

Hermione scoffed, "Oh honestly, last I checked she was blissfully happy terrorising poor Mr Carter two doors down. I was always told I looked rather like her."

Alastor paused, clearly surveying her, his wand never faltering. "You do a bit," he admitted reluctantly. "Into that room, lassie. I assume you'll consent to veritaserum."

Hermione hesitated. "That might not be wise," she admitted. "Perhaps you let us tell you how I arrived here and we take it from there. Alice was a witness if that helps."

"It does not." he barked.

She sighed heavily, turning on her heel to walk into the room he'd indicated to. "I feel like i should point out that i'm wandless,"

"You are?" he frowned, casting a series of charms.

"Yes, bloody Sirius."

"Sirius?" he checked, "Sirius Black? What has he got to do with anything!"

"Oh, they summoned me because Remus Lupin…" she glanced at Alice with a frown looking suddenly unsure, "was ah…unable to find a one night stand on how own?"

Looking like it was entirely against her will, Alice laughed, "Something like that. They performed a matching ritual." she sighed.

"All that does is give a name." he dismissed

"Not when you use bring rather than reveal," Hermione muttered.

Alastor swung to look at Alice, who grimaced, "That might not be as inaccurate as I'd like," she admitted.

"For the love of Merlin," he muttered, "So it brought you here. From where?"

"From when might be more accurate." she grumbled, "I assume that Elspbeth might have mentioned an of-age granddaughter."

He blinked, "Aye I imagine she would." he agreed, "Her Sarah's due in a couple of months."

"They'll have a girl, obviously. They'll call her Hermione," she murmured, "And Minerva Mcgonagall will terrify the life out of them in eleven years by turning into a cat on their sofa. Elsbeth won't know about it until Hermione is fifteen and her brother appears in her living room more than a little disturbed at meeting her doppelganger in Hogwarts infirmary. He thought his niece had married a man named Grant after all and hadn't quite joined the dots. She theorised that he hadn't been listening when she spoke about it."

"She's probably right," he mused thoughtfully, "I did think the boy was called Grant. I was meant to be at the wedding but got called away last minute."

"Russia wasn't it?"

"Aye," he agreed slowly looking utterly stunned. "It was. When is it you're from then?"

"1998."

Behind her, the Longbottoms sucked in deep breaths. Alastor just looked thoughtful, "Well that's a bit of a distance," he mused. "What the plan?"

"Plan?" she repeated incredulously, "I was quite literally transported onto Remus Lupin's lap! I wasn't fucking expecting to have to make a plan this evening. Quite frankly I'm fucking sick of always being the one to make them!"

Alastor reared back slightly at her anger, his eyes running over her again, cataloguing the things that perhaps he'd missed. She was thinner than was healthy. Her eyes had not remained on one spot since she had sat down, her body held tense as if waiting on an attack. "Perhaps we need to speak to Saul," he voiced finally, turning to Frank. "Do not speak to anyone, do not stop on your way down, go to the DOM and get me Saul Croaker. Tell him nothing other than I need to see him immediately. If he asks for a password it's fwooper. When you are back I want you both bound in a vow. If this gets out, her life is forfeit."

"Right Sir," Frank agreed, paling slightly before barreling out the door.

"As for you," Alastor sighed, looking at Hermione "Prepare yourself for the fact we can't get you home."

"Is that likely?"

"I think you know it is lass. And while I'd have the utmost sympathy if you wanted to Avada Black, I probably can't let you." he brightened suddenly, "I can however let you maim him slightly if you like?"

"I might," she growled, before deflating, admitting softly, "I've just finished a war. I dont want to fight another one."

Alastor sat down next to her, looking at her with uncharacteristic gentleness. "Do you know how to end this one?"

Hermione gave a mirthless laugh, "Yes,"

He sighed, "And will you agree to a heritage test?"

With an eye roll, Hermione held out her hand. "Well, I don't have one on me! Longbottom go get me one."

"From?"

"The kit!"

"You're really from 1998?" he checked once she was gone

"Yes," Hermione whispered, her lip wobbling. "I'm really from 1998. The war only just ended two months ago. It was….gods it was fucking awful. We were all sure we were going to die. Many…many did. I…I don't know if I can do it again!"

"Alright," he murmured, looking conflicted before he reached for her hand. "We'll figure something out."

"Will we?" she checked bleakly.

"Yes." he agreed, gesturing Alice forward impatiently when she paused at the door. "Hand then. I assume we're now over an hour?"

With a sigh, she held her hand out as Alice checked her watch. "Yes. Just, but yes."

"Good," he murmured, cutting her finger to drip blood into the vial, swirling the contents before dumping it onto the waiting parchment. The words formed immediately, silencing Alastor as it was proven Hermione was exactly who she claimed to be. "Well," he muttered, his eyes on the parchment.

They sat in silence until Frank bustled in with a short, rotund man who looked more than a little annoyed. "This had better be good," he barked, eyeing Alastor, "you've just destroyed three months worth of work!"

Alastor hummed, inclining his head towards Hermione. "My great-niece. From 1998. Displaced due to a matching ritual that was miss worded.

Saul froze. "Repeat that."

"No."

"Grumpy arsehole," he groused, moving to inspect Hermione. "Misworded how?"

"Bring rather than reveal," she sighed.

"Ah. That's…actually quite impressive to be honest. It shouldn't work.

"Combined with wedding magic and the bride and groom." she muttered.

"Ah," he nodded. "That makes more sense. What's the issue?"

"The issue is that I'm here!" she exclaimed incredulously

"Yes well I don't know what you want me to do about that." he retorted.

"You can't send me home?"

"Ah…no. I cannot."

"And if I fuck the timeline?"

Saul rolled his eyes, "You can't. Time is relatively flexible."

"Since fucking when?" she demanded, "I was given the talk of 500 horrors when I had a time turner."

"Who gave you a time turner?"

"McGonagall," she dismissed, "Are you seriously telling me it was all nonsense?"

"Well, I don't know what the warnings were and the rules for timeturners versus wild magic are rather different."

"Fucking wonderful," she muttered. "And if I ended the war several decades before it was meant to?"

"Can you?"

"Probably." Hermione admitted.

"Interesting," he mumbled, looking thoughtful, "Let's try something small."

"How small?"

"Ah….pick a person and change their trajectory."

Hermione hummed, considering that. "Snape." She registered the Longbottoms stiffening. "We need to turn Severus Snape before he finds the urge to do it himself…ah…in the next few months."

"Ok then." Saul nodded.

"Snape turns?" Frank blurted.

"Yes. He has…an epiphany of sorts. He spent the rest of his life as a spy."

"He's dead?"

Hermione blanched, "He was in my time. Just. He made it to the end of the war and was murdered at the last battle. It was…I don't like him. I think he's an utter arsehole. But he deserved better than he got and he's…Gods! He's a fucking genius. He was wasted teaching."

" T eaching ?" Alice demanded, "Who let Snape teach!"

"Dumbledore," Hermione replied flatly.

"I suddenly understand why you don't trust him," Frank muttered.

"You don't trust Dumbledore?" Alastor demanded sharply.

"No, funnily enough, spending a winter starving in a tent with two teenage boys and no fucking clue what we were doing will do that," she muttered.

There was a ringing silence. "Why were you in a tent?" Saul queried.

"Because the government wanted to muder us?" she shrugged.

"Right," he nodded as if that made sense. "Well ... .so. Snape."

"What happens if it destroys something?" Hermione asked. "Am I just meant to live knowing who lives and dies over the next two decades?"

Saul hummed, "I don't think it'll come to that."

"But if it does?" she insisted.

"I could obliviate you.

"No!" she barked. "Absolutely not."

"Ok." he nodded, taken aback by her vehemence. "Well then yes."

She blew out a breath, nodding. "Right. Well. I hope someone's prepared to Avada me then because I don't think I can live like that."

"You cannot be serious!" Alastor barked.

The eyes that met his were hard, "I know who lives and who dies. I know the fate of everyone in this room. I know what will be expected of fucking children in the next decade or so, I know all of it. I can't…I can't sit back and just watch."

He blew out a breath, taking in his hard-eyed niece, feeling an almost overwhelming sadness hit him. She reminded him of a seasoned auror, those who had been in the job years, who had seen the worst of humanity and were forever changed. She looked like she was barely of age.

"Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that," Saul cut in briskly. "We'll need vows and a story. And a name."

"We can move her up a generation." Alastor suggested, "My niece rather than my great-niece. Lenny's surname is Short but I don't think it would be wise to use it. Maybe another family name?"

"Leonard Short?" Frank squeaked, drawing their eyes to him, "Have you done a heritage test?"

"Yes," Alastor agreed, looking at the parchment pointedly, "Hermione Jean Granger, daughter of Sarah Short and Richard Granger, Grandparents, Leonard Short and Elspbeth Moody, Jannet Carter and Derrek Granger."

"It doesn't go back further?"

"It's a standard basic, it only goes back as far as Grandparent!" Moody bit out impatiently, Why?"

"Because father had a squib brother." he murmured, "Called Leonard. Somewhere someone thought they were funny and Longbottom squibs have always had the surname Short."

"Well that's intriguing." Saul murdered, rummaging in his pockets, "Try this one."

Looking slightly startled by this turn of events Hermione held out her hand again, allowing him to recut her hand so he could drop blood into the new potion.

"Well then Miss Granger," Saul grinned, "It would seem as if you have a new cousin."

"I'm sorry, what?" Hermione asked faintly.

"Leonard Short was indeed brother to Algernon and Hector Longbottm."

She blinked back at him stupidly as Frank cleared his throat, "Dad's going to want to meet you."

Hermione turned slowly to look at him, "Why?"

"Because you're his niece!"

"But I…."

"Well that solves the issue of where to live," Saul cut over her blithely, "Alastor's was hardly suitable."

Alastor looked momentarily offended before he gave in and nodded, "Not that I don't intend to get to know you, lass. I never agreed with Elspbeth's banishment. I might not have seen her as often as I should have but it was for her protection given this war."

"And for other reasons following it," Hermione mumbled, vividly remembering him asking her how she thought her grandmother and her, apparently not quite as muggle as they'd thought, husband would react to his eye having managed to cover it for the brief visit where he'd learned of their connection and thoroughly upset them with his refusal to remove his hat. "I know."

"Dad still sees Leonard," Frank voiced into the silence, " but it's awkward, he's…he didn't take his lack of magic well."

Hermione hummed, several of her grandfather's rants finally falling into place. "No, he did not."

"Well. I ah…please?" he grinned suddenly, "I don't have any little cousins to boss around."

Her hands went automatically to her hips, "What makes you think I'm younger?"

"You were born in 1979," he grinned, " and from 1998 which makes you all of nineteen at most. I'm twenty two. So. Little cousin, shall we go home? We can figure everything else out in the morning."

"I'm still eighteen," she muttered mulishly, scowling at his smug grin.

Saul and Alastor both bit back smiles. "I expect you back here at eight tomorrow," Saul warned, "Bring Lord and Lady Longbottom and we'll sort out the vow and the story. You too old man."

Alastor glowered, "You're older than me, Croaker."

"Not in spirit," the man grinned, "now shoo! I've got an experiment to restart.

"Dad'll be so excited," Frank whispered as he led her through the Ministry. "He…he always wanted a better relationship with his brother. He was devastated when he wasn't allowed to meet his niece."

Hermione hummed, not entirely sure what to say to that. Sensing her clear unease, Frank nodded to the floo they'd stopped in front of. "Liss will go first. You're calling Longbotoom Hall.

With a nod, Hermione watched as Alice disappeared into the swirl of green flames, noting Frank's encouraging smile as she stepped in after her, landing in a large hallway facing the much younger, but no less imposing, form of Augusta Longbottom in her dressing gown.

"Mother!" Frank plastered a smile on his face at the sight of her.

Her eyebrows rose sharply, "Frank. Would you care to explain what is going on?"

"Ah well." he faltered slightly, "We've got an early morning appointment with the DOM tomorrow and this is Hermione?"

Augustus' eyes closed in frustration, when she opened them again, her gaze was hard. "Explain."

"Where's Dad?" he sidestepped.

"In bed, it's almost midnight! Stop stalling."

"He really needs to be here for this." he muttered, calling a quiet "Mopsy."

"Yes, Young Master?"

"Mopsy, could you get my father please. We've got someone he needs to meet."

Augustsa's gaze was penetrating as she looked at Hermione. "I don't believe we've ever met."

"Not yet, no," she murmured just as an elf appeared clutching the hand of a sleep-rumpled man who had clearly passed on several of his features to his grandson. He peered at her curiously with a more wrinkled version of Neville's eyes.

"Oh, who might you be?" he checked, a clear edge of distrust in his voice.

"Dad!" Frank sighed exasperatedly, "Honestly, both of you are ridiculous. Can we go and sit down and we'll explain."

"This way then," Augusta instructed briskly, leading them through a door to the left of the hallway they were standing in and into a rather imposing and formal room.

"Really Mother," Frank sighed, "the formal parlour?"

"Is she not a guest, Frank?" Augusta retorted archly.

"Technically she's family." he muttered.

"Pardon?"

He sighed, all but throwing himself onto the sofa. "Look, Professor Croaker is insisting on a vow of some sort tomorrow. But Hermione is from 1998."

His parents blinked, "And we're meant to…"

"Accept that, absolutely," he cut over his mother; silently Hermione toasted his bravery; there was no way she'd have been so calm if Augusta was looking at her like that. "Sirius got the words wrong during a matching ritual for Remus Lupin tonight. Liss says she just appeared out of thin air."

"Right onto Remus' lap." Alice snorted, "I don't know which of you was more surprised. I can't wait to see how that awkwardness plays out."

"He was my Professor!" Hermione groaned.

Alice and Frank froze before they began to cackle. "No, he was not!" Alice gasped.

"He was! Third year."

"And did little Miss Hermione have a slight crush?"

Hermione flushed scarlet, "Be quiet," she hissed, only making them laugh harder.

"Oh my Gods you did!" Alice crowed. "That's too perfect! Aww, you're going to be adorable!"

"We are going to be nothing of the sort! He had a wife in my time!"

Alice's eyebrows rose sharply, "I hate to break it to you, but that ritual mentioned soulmate."

"But he…he had a wife!"

"So he can have a new one," she smirked, lowering her voice dramatically as if sharing a secret, "She'll never know!"

"Enough!" Augusta barked, startling them. "What is going on?"

Frank sighed, "Hermione Granger, granddaughter of Leonard Short. Born in 1979, and apparently Remus Lupin's soulmate. Both Alastor Moody and Saul Croaker checked the heritage potion."

"Lenny's Granddaughter?" Hector choked.

"Yes," Hermione said. "I had no idea he was a squib, although knowing that, several things now make much more sense."

Hector nodded slowly, looking rather emotional. "Your grandfather was well in your time?"

Hermione flinched slightly, "He died when I was sixteen. Cancer."

"Oh," Hector whispered. "That's…"

"It was quick," she murmured. "He didn't. Mum said he didn't suffer."

Hector's smile was wobbly but he nodded, "That's…good. Perhaps I'll make more of an effort."

Hermione's answering smile was sad, "Grandfather was…stubborn. Once he'd made his mind up."

"Not much changes it," Hector finished, "Oh I know. However, enough about that, tell me about you?"

"Maybe in the morning Dad?" Frank suggested, "We've to be at the Ministry by eight."

"Of course we have," Hector groused. "Such an uncivilised time. Very well. If you'll allow me to escort you to your room?"

"I…I don't want to impose."

"It's hardly an imposition if you're family." he dismissed. "I imagine you'll need to borrow something of Alice's tomorrow?"

Hermione groaned, it not having occurred to her, "If she doesn't mind. I don't…funnily enough I didn't come with anything. Even my wand."

"We can fix that."

"Oh no! I didn't mean…I'll get a job, once we figure out a story."

"Without a wand?" Frank checked, sounding amused.

"I know some wandless magic." she muttered.

"Do you?"

"It was necessary," she replied shortly, her face closing off.

"I see," he murmured. "Well, we can sort it in the morning, no?"

With a sigh Augusta rose, "The room across from Frank and Alices, I think," she ordered, "I'll have Mipsy wake you in the morning."