"Every obstacle strengthens determination. Whoever has set a goal does not change it."
Victor Hugo
Hermione, like Remus, didn't seem to understand what the woman had just told them. Hogwarts? Hogwarts was a castle, not a person. It was completely absurd. She stared at the woman, Hel, since that was her name, still had her benevolent smile and laughing eyes, but Hermione now saw a glint of melancholy and sadness. She had such a powerful magical aura that Hermione wondered if it was possible to approach her and touch her, she seemed so unreachable. She looked tall, with her stature, her walk and her quiet voice, yet Hermione was not much shorter than her. The woman spoke up, after the two wizards had stared at her for a long time.
"Did you ever wonder why your school was called Hogwarts?"
Judging by the looks on the two wizards' faces, the woman guessed that they had not. She sighed a little in desolation, today's wizards didn't ask themselves any questions! Hermione was a little ashamed. She had read the History of Hogwarts dozens of times, but she had never wondered why the founders had called their school, their creation, that. It wasn't worthy of her, the smartass of Hogwarts.
"So let me tell you the story of the founders, the real one."
Many centuries ago, ten to be precise, there lived five friends. They were all very close, like five fingers on a hand. They lived a few hundred metres apart and not a day went by without them seeing each other. The whole village was amazed by this strong friendship, but as time went by, these five friends were known to everyone and nobody cared about their relationship anymore. From a very young age, they had all shown extraordinary magical abilities. Their parents had taught them as best they could to channel their magic, but this was not enough for the five friends. So they began to learn magic from every book they could get their hands on. They had such a thirst for learning, it was almost strange.
At the dawn of their fifteenth year, they left their native Scotland to travel the world, learning about the different forms of magic that existed. For almost ten years, the five of them travelled the world, never leaving each other's side. As the end of their journey approached, they returned to Scotland and bought a huge plot of land in the middle of nowhere. Together they decided to create a place where young wizards could finally master their magic and have real lessons. They spent weeks and weeks making plans, researching ideas for their school. But the wizards had different opinions, none of them agreed on how to select the young wizards who would enter their school. The school did not even have a name yet. The two men in the group liked each other less and less, and fate was cruel and made them fall in love with the same person. This person was unfortunately one of the three women in their group of friends. The castle was already built, the plans for the park were made, all that remained was to choose a name for the school.
One evening, as was their custom, the friends met in the highest tower of the castle, their favourite place. Helga was reading quietly in a corner, Rowena was thinking about a new form of magic she had encountered not long ago, Godric and Salazar were bickering as usual, but this time the jabs were more virulent, the gestures more nervous. They were arguing about Hel and which of them could win her heart. It got out of hand and they started to fight with wands. Spells were flying everywhere, Helga tried to dissuade them from fighting, she really hated conflict, but they wouldn't listen to her. Rowena was in a trance, the new form of magic she was studying had taken possession of her, so that she could feel it deeply and the young woman did not respond to anything. She was in another world. Hel, who always had the annoying habit of being late, ran into the room and assessed the situation at a glance. She rushed towards her friends and stepped in between them. The two men did not listen to her either, and with a spell, Hel was hit. She fell from the tower like a rag doll. They did not immediately realise what a mistake they had made, they just watched her fall, without either of the two wizards reacting. Helga was the most reactive and tried to slow her fall, but it was already too late. They rushed to the park and saw their friend, peaceful, with empty eyes. Hel Hogwarts was dead.
It was a real heartbreak for the group of friends, even more so when the two men had to tell Rowena, who came out of her trance a few hours later, that her friend had died, because of them. Their friendship was shattered. But the story did not end there, a young Muggle girl, who was the same age as the group of friends, had observed the whole scene. This young woman's name was Lena. She had always envied this group of friends, where friendship reigned supreme. She had very few friends in this village, times were hard, few children survived, but despite their ages, these five friends had never spoken to her. She was shocked when she saw the two men of their seemingly close-knit group kill one of the women. She approached the abandoned castle and walked towards Hel. Salazar, seeing her and being so angry, did not control his magic and kicked the muggle out of his sight. Her body was not made to receive so much magic so suddenly and Lena died instantly. His hatred of Muggles, already fuelled by the 'wizard hunts' of the time, only increased and he banned anyone with Muggle affiliations from entering his house. Salazar left the country immediately, and they never saw him again.
Rowena and Godric buried the Muggle girl and erased the memory of the whole village about who she was, as well as their own. Helga had the idea of naming their school after Hel, as a tribute, since there would be no house named after her. Rowena managed to bind her friend's spirit to the castle and made her the guardian of the place. Hel would never die, just as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would never die either. The last three founders said goodbye to each other, at less than thirty years of age, giving up their lives and going their separate ways to the four corners of the world, putting as much distance between them as possible. Rowena and Helga never forgave the two men for killing their friend, they hired teachers to teach the future student, and gave their creation to the first headmaster of Hogwarts, whom they had met on their journey around the world. The founders were adored, their friendship was sacred, but no one knew the real reason they left Hogwarts. They never saw each other again. That was how Hogwarts was created, that was how a friendship was broken, that was how the fifth founder was forgotten.
Hel finished her story before the stunned eyes of the two friends. How could they have missed this story, they who loved reading so much? This story was so heartbreaking.
"That story is written nowhere else but in my memory. And now in yours. Only a chosen few are lucky enough to discover this story."
"Are you the fifth founder?" Hermione asked, still not realizing what the woman had just told her.
"Yes Hermione Granger, I am the fifth founder, the forgotten founder. But I'm not complaining, I'm looking after our school, me and my friends. That's what I do."
"So you don't blame Gryffindor and Slytherin for killing you?"
"My feelings about my death are between the three of us, so I won't tell you."
Remus, though very impressed with Hel Hogwarts, did not lose sight of the main reason they were at Hogwarts.
"Why are you telling us all this now? Why did you appear when we did the ritual?"
"My dear child, you are the Time Chosen, but not only that. You are also the Hogwarts Chosen, my Chosen."
"And what's that? I don't quite understand."
"Don't be in such a hurry. There's so much you don't know. As you've probably guessed, the Time Chosen have the power, after completing the three phases, to travel through time."
"I beg your pardon?"
Hermione and Remus had cried out at the same time, time travel, how was that possible? Hermione had travelled back in time before, but never more than three hours and the dangers were already substantial. The founder smiled wistfully and continued her explanation.
"My friends and I knew that Hogwarts would never be safe. Neither was the wizarding world. There will always be wizards who will jeopardise the magical secret and the very existence of their peers. That's why we created a way to stop one of these wizards if they crossed the line. It took us almost as long to find this way and build it as it did to build Hogwarts. Two chosen ones per century would have the power to stop a wizard who has gone too far into the dark. That is the case with Tom Riddle. And it's up to you to stop him."
"We know that, thank you. But why now? Why not during the first wizarding war? Why not during the second, before the wizarding community fell apart?"
"Tom Riddle had not yet crossed such lines."
"But he sure as hell was going to. He had pushed the limits of immortality, he wasn't going to stop there!"
"I'm not a seer, Hermione Granger" the founder replied sternly. "I couldn't have known the extent of his madness, his stupidity until he attacked Hogwarts. I am only a memory. I cannot interfere directly in the affairs of humans. "
"What if there's more than one such evil wizard in a century?"
The fifth founder turned to Remus, glad he was asking more questions. Hermione Granger was an interesting witch, but she was stubborn. Almost as stubborn as she was herself, and that was disturbing.
"There are never more than two chosen ones in a century, that's the rule. Until now, there has never been a need for more than two chosen ones per century."
"But Grindelwald?"
"Grindelwald has never been as serious a threat as Voldemort."
"His name is taboo!"
"Not here, you and I are no longer susceptible to that spell, as long as we remain here. May I finish telling you the story of the Time Chosen? Well, my friends and I came up with the idea of designing objects that would allow the chosen ones who were worthy of possessing these objects to travel through time. Only people who have undergone great trials, who have shown great magical, intellectual and emotional abilities can be designated as the 'Time Chosen'. Salazar created a ring of great beauty, so powerful, so magnetic, that one could not miss such beauty. Helga created a bracelet, also very beautiful, with many colours. Godric created a necklace, made of diamonds, which contained an impressive amount of magic. Rowena made a book, written in ancient runes, and devised riddles to find the three jewels. As for me, I have been working on the time clock since my death. You will see it in due course.
"And what is the difference between the Time Chosen and the Hogwarts Chosen?"
"To begin with, the Time Chosen do not need to have studied at my school to be appointed, unlike the Hogwarts Chosen. Not many of the Times Chosen are also Hogwarts Chosen. You are not only here to save the wizarding world, but also to heal the school. To heal me. With each passing day, the castle obeys me less and less. Legend has it that the castle only obeys the headmaster or headmistress. This is not true at all. The castle only obeys me. If I deem the director worthy, he can also obey it. But as the days go by, Voldemort is taking over my magic and my castle. He is slowly destroying me. Hogwarts has never been in greater danger."
"Have any of the Time Chosen ever been Hogwarts Chosen?"
"Once. A century after my death. They failed. The disaster was not averted and I have had a hard time recovering from it, as has the magical world."
"What happened?"
"They have already explained to you. Their love was stronger than anything, and they used it to justify their crimes."
"You mean the Guardians? Of Pluto and Proserpina?"
"Of course I'm talking about them. They are the only ones stupid enough to do this. When the two Chosen ones responsible for repairing their stupidity died, I tried them and made them the Guardians of the bracelet."
"We freed them, they died."
"I know that well. Just as the previous chosen ones released the keeper of the necklace."
"There was a keeper?"
"No, he's dead. Rowena was very clever, she managed to make the book almost come alive. He is already rewriting the second riddle for the next Chosen ones."
"Since the creation of this book, how many chosen ones have there been?"
"Four pairs, counting you. Two pairs failed, one succeeded. Don't make that face, without the first chosen ones, we would all be dead by now. "
"Who were these two chosen ones?"
"Merlin and Morgana."
"Merlin and Morgana! But they hated each other!"
"They had no choice. But the other chosen ones remained anonymous. Merlin and Morgana saved the world from a great threat."
"What was this threat?"
"It didn't happen, so I'm not going to tell you about it. Instead, focus on your mission. Once you are there, I will not be able to interact with you in any way."
"Where are we going?"
"Back to the past, of course. You still don't get it. Retrieving the Jewels of Time, solving the riddles was only a small part of the mission. The smallest."
"The Time Chosen"
"Yes, Hermione Granger, Time was always at the centre of your mission. The truth is, the book doesn't tell the whole truth. The first phase only ended when you completed the ritual. Since I have been giving you these explanations, you have entered phase two and in a short time you will be in phase three."
"But when are you going to take us to?"
"I'm not going to tell you, that's one of the things you have to find out for yourself. I will explain the purpose of each object and then it will be time for us to leave."
The founder took the necklace from Remus' hands and explained its function. The necklace prevented people and objects from merging when two identical things were in the same room. The bracelet kept travellers in the past. Without it, they would be immediately transported back to their own time, without having been able to accomplish anything. The founder took the ring off her finger and handed it to Hermione.
"The ring is undoubtedly the most important item. It will keep you from being consumed by the magic of time. You won't have to do anything in this time, and time magic is the most powerful magic there is. If you take it away, even without negative intent, you will die suddenly."
"But we are both werewolves, in our transformation we could lose or break them."
"No, it is impossible to lose them. They will be attached to you and they will adapt to your body shape, human or animal."
Hel Hogwarts seemed to be thinking about what she had told the travellers, whether they were missing any information to complete the mission.
"One last thing. Under no circumstances must you reveal what I have told you to anyone else, except the person in charge of the third jewel. I have explained to you the power of time magic. One jewel can kill many people. You will not be able to keep two jewels on you, even in turn. I strongly advise you to start as soon as you arrive. Look for someone you can trust, who will not betray you under any circumstances, who would risk their life for you. You must find this person as quickly as possible. The best would be a week after your arrival in the past."
The founder recited an incantation and a huge clock appeared. It had four hands and eleven numbers. It was the time clock, the one that would allow them to leave and rewrite history.
"I've already travelled through time in third year, Professor McGonagall told me about the many dangers of time travel, how are we going to make sure that no one recognises us? We'll have to change our appearance, our names."
"That's right, Hermione Granger. Your names will be Helena Grace and Remi Lucas, so you'll keep the same initials. As for your appearance, it will be up to you to change it and find a way to do it."
"And we'll be living there for the rest of our lives, how will we manage for money? We certainly won't be able to work immediately, and if we avoid contact it would be better, wouldn't it? And-"
"Hermione Granger, I can't give you all the answers to your questions, this is your mission, it's up to you to get the clues to complete it. There will be in a safe at Gringotts, the whole of your current safe, your parents' inheritance, your friend Harry Potter's inheritance, that is the Potter and Black inheritance. I don't think I'm wrong in telling you that you will have more than enough to support yourself. As for contacts, you will need allies, you will need to blend in and think about how best to do that and how to approach key people from the past."
"How does this clock work?"
"The time clock is special, Remus Lupin, only my person can activate it. The longest hand allows you to go back centuries, then there are years and one for days. The smallest one allows you to travel in space. You'll have to leave, I can feel my powers going, this talk is costing me a lot. The Death Eaters are killing me. You have to leave, the clock takes a lot of energy."
"But no, I still have questions."
"I can't tell you anything more, Hermione Granger. Please, if you were not elected from Hogwarts, you would not have met me and your only clues would have been the time book. Remus Lupin, I entrust you with the Time Necklace, Hermione Granger, I entrust you with the Time Ring. You will have to wear it, but you cannot hide it like your other two rings. Take care of the time bracelet and remember, only someone you trust can wear it."
The fouder pushed Hermione and Remus towards the clock. She looked very weak, how could she have lost her incredible presence in such a short time? She still exuded an aura of power, but she had changed dramatically in just a few hours.
"Be careful, death can strike when you least expect it. The salvation of the magical world, as well as the Muggle world, rests on your shoulders. Take care of this Jewels as if your life depended on it, it is attached to your life. A scratch is like a stab wound."
The founder raised her arms and muttered a Latin incantation three times before suddenly fainting.
"Do you think it worked?"
Before Remus could answer her, Hermione felt herself sway, her vision blurring as the seconds ticked by. She clutched her bag and whirled around, then black.