The Tale of Dark Hermione

Year 5 - Hogwarts

Reality shifted for everyone in the next few weeks after the battle at the Ministry.  The papers came out three days after and answered the questions that many of the students had since the people that were involved were tight-lipped and refused to say anything.  

The minister of magic stepped down and the new minister Rufus Scrimgeour was quickly put into office. It also came out the Voldemort was in fact back and apologies in the paper to Harry and Dumbledore for the lies.

It was agreed by everyone that the Weasley family was to stay home and mourn. Ron's OWL exam would be later in the summer before he was to return to school the next year.  With the news of everything, everyone was on edge. The beginning of a war. 

Even during OWL exams for the rest of the students, no one's heart was in it even Hermione.  After OWLs were over parents were coming into the school to pull their children out early also knowing the signs of war that was coming.  Hogwarts was just a ghost of itself and everyone was becoming more and more reserved the last three weeks they were there.

Hermione after exams needed to do something as to get away from the zombified people and her plan for the summer had to take action sooner rather than later. A day after exams with two weeks left at Hogwarts she went down to Snape's office and knocked on the door to his potions lab.

"Come in..." his monotone voice rang out and Hermione walked in.

"What do you need, Ms. Granger?"

"A question about a potion sir. An aging potion...is there a way to make it go back further than just a few hours and where it could last permanently and just goes with the aging process from the point where a person is sent back?"

"And why would you like to know that?"

"Just a side project I'm doing...I can't just spend the last two weeks with certain people and how they are now..."

"Hmm...there could be a way with modification of the current potion. It would be difficult, but with certain techniques, it could work."

Hermione nodded.

"Ms. Granger this side project if you were to continue it I would have to require you to make it in a safe environment for potions and this lab is one of them and it's open every day except Wednesday and Friday after lunch until curfew hour."

"Understood Professor..." Hermione said and walked out.

The next week was her just gathering information and running to and from the library to the potion lab making the base and finding more about modifying the potion for it to be more powerful.  

Soon she was experimenting with it and trying and failing to make the potion to work the way she wanted.  She was making progress just slowly. 

The first day of the last week came and Hermione was once again in the potions lab when Snape walked in. 

"At his rate Ms. Granger that potion would be perfected in just days if you have the nerve and time to work on it."

Hermione didn't say anything at first until half an hour later, "Professor you worked with Harry on Occlumency...you must be very good with mind magic..."

"Why is this coming up?" Snape questioned not looking up from the papers on his desk.

"Let's just say that one wanted to erase an entire life from one's mind and create a new life...is it possible?"

"It's possible but one would have to be careful with such a thing. It's easy to do it, but it's almost impossible to undo it. If one were to try to undo it incorrectly even correctly you could damage the brain forever with no recovery. There would still be small impressions of the previous life, but with the mind-wiped clean the person wouldn't understand why they do this or that. Luckily the brain tricks us most of the time and it will just feel normal to that person and nothing out of the ordinary. But Ms. Granger war is not time to make rash decisions before thinking clearly." Snape was almost scowling her.

"If one were to do the spell anyway with no intentions of reverting the changes would they ever by themselves revert or break the spell on their own?"

"No."

Hermione nodded and turned back to her potion knowing that he most likely knew what she was planning. "Sir...sometimes war does bring out rash decisions, but some of them are for the better when since the begging a situation made everyone unhappy. War in a...this situation will turn out for the better for them...I hope you can keep this to yourself, sir..."

Snape didn't say anything and just continued working as did she.

Two days before it was time to leave Hogwarts Hermione finished the potion and grabbed two viles of it and put it safely in her trunk. She looked and practiced memory spells that second to last day. And when the day came to leave she was already packed and ready to go.  

The end of the day came too quickly as her trunk and bags were on the way to the train when she caught up to Harry, Luna, and Neville who all seemed a bit happier that day.

She couldn't help but eavesdrop as Harry gave a big speech about Voldemort and fighting with what he doesn't have. That's when Hermione jumped into the conversation grabbing Harry and Neville by the necks with her arms.

"It's it obvious what we have that he doesn't...noses..." Hermione joked and let them both go. "See ya next week Harry!" 

"What?! Hermione...HERMIONE?!" Harry tried to get her but she already was off ahead of them.  She was on the train now looking for some certain people and quickly found Theo, Daphne, and Blaze in a compartment together. Theo and Daphne cuddling like always with Blaze trying to sleep or just pretending he's not in the presence of a very loving couple.  She opened the door.

"Where's Malfoy?"

"I don't know he was here and he left..." Daphne replied as the Hogwarts express now took off since everyone was on board by now. Hermione nodded and closed the door again and went down the halls looking for him.  She finally found him alone in a compartment. She looked at him as he was lost in thought like he was most days now. She opened the door and entered closing the door behind her and sat across from him.

He finally looked at her before looking down again.

"Draco...you've been silent for the past few weeks..."

"Yeah..."

"Why?"

Draco didn't reply just sighed and looked down. Hermione didn't think he was going to say anything, but he did.

"I'm scared to go home..."

Hermione looked up at him. "I was there with you guys fighting...my mom hasn't sent me anything and that means one of three things. I don't want to be right...but I am second in our year after you. I was there when my dad was arrested, I was there when Weasley's dad died by MY AUNT! I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK ANYMORE! I-I just don't know what to do...I never wanted anyone to die...how much I said to Weasley...to them...then my Aunt will likely be at my house...I'm scared..." Draco let it all out and for once trying for even a small amount of comfort which she isn't use to only seen it be done by others, she grabbed his hands into her own.

"I'm sorry...there's nothing I can really say because you have to think for yourself here...but I can...will say that I'm here..." Hermione swallowed not use to having such words come out of her mouth. 

"I'm sorry I'm not good at this...but I truly do want you safe...if you can't get letters to me, please promise me to use the coins...just a message even just a word will do."

"Every day?"

"It's preferred...but if not...just...often..." 

Draco nodded and clutched her hands tighter as they looked at each other even just for a moment of comfort. 

Both just breathing in the changing air of a blooming war, a summer of hope dying, of the people that will be lost, of just moments like these that is needed in this time of war.