The fine line...

“So by now I guess you are all wondering what this is all about.” Everyone’s full attention was on Dumbledore now. Snape made an impatient noise. “To put it as simply as possible, we need someone to go on an undercover mission to get information.”



“From Bellatrix?” Asked Harry. “I though we already had someone undercover with the Death Eaters, or aren’t they doing their job well enough anymore?” He added, staring directly at Snape as he did so.



Hermione was shocked. “Harry! That was a cheap shot! You know very well how hard that job must be!”



“Yes, Harry, Miss Granger is right, your Professor does his job fantastically, and I couldn’t ask any more of him then we, the Order, already do. Besides, I’m afraid that this is going to be one that Severus will have to sit out on.”



“Go undercover? But that’s bound to end badly. The Death Eater’s know each and every one of us. We’d be killed for sure! Unless you’re thinking polyjuice potion, but even then…”



“Thankyou for your optimism, Mr Weasley. And luckily my abilities put us above the need of simple deception magic such as polyjuice potion, as skilled at making it as I’m sure you three are.” The trio blushed, Ron more than the others.



‘How is it that he knows everything?’ Hermione wondered. The looks on Harry and Ron’s faces suggested that they were thinking exactly the same thing.



“In reply to the rest of your statement though, the Death Eater’s will not recognize those involved based simply on the fact that they wouldn’t have met you yet.”



It finally dawned on Hermione. “Time travel?! You’re sending us back?”



“Always the first there, Miss Granger. You really are the brightest witch of your age.”



She brushed off the compliment, hearing those exact words constantly was getting quite tedious. “But how do we, or whoever it is that’s doing it, get back, Professor?”



“Well that’s easy, Hermione. Probably use your old time-turner,” said Ron, hoping for some praise at his brilliant mind too. Snape scoffed and Harry and Ron both glared at him.



Hermione was still deep in thought “No, Ron. It couldn’t be. If we went back say 10 years, then we’d have to live out the whole 10 years until we reach the present time now.” Ron’s face went blank. “To do it I think we’d need a means of time travel that would enable us to come back straight away.”



“She really is brilliant,” Remus said, and everyone nodded in agreement.



“Yes, you are quite right again, Miss Granger. Only you keep making one mistake.” She looked at Dumbledore questioningly. “You keep saying ‘us’ and ‘we’. There will only be one person actually doing it all. I have the magic required to send someone back and forward through time, but you will all get more details shortly.”



“So how far back are they going then?” Asked Snape. Hermione could tell that he was now quite interested in hearing what the plan was about.



“To when the targets are in their seventh year. We decided that getting to them while they’re still at school, when they aren’t so guarded, would be the best approach.”



Everyone in the kitchen began talking amongst themselves again. Everyone, that is, except Hermione. She turned to look at Ginny who saw the look in Hermione’s eyes and shook her head worriedly. “So when do I leave?” Even though the question was directed at her Headmaster, her eyes never left Ginny’s. The kitchen fell silent all except for a strained noise coming from Ron. Hermione noticed Snape go rigid in his chair. He turned and gave her a look as though he was only just seeing her for the first time. It scared her a little.



Harry stood up. “Are you kidding, Hermione? No freaking way are you going back there!”



“I appreciate the concern, Harry, but it has to be me,” she said as she turned to face him, to face everyone. She interjected all their retorts of ‘why’ to explain. “The Death Eater’s are at school Harry. Don’t you understand what that means?” Obviously he didn’t, so she continued on. “Professor Snape can’t go because he’s already there, probably about 15 years old at the time. None of the adults can go at all because none of them can pass as 17. No offence. None of the Weasley’s can go because I’m pretty sure that Mrs Weasley was in the same year as Bellatrix.” She paused and Mrs Weasley nodded. “Seeing her own children, even if she doesn’t know it’s them, can mess up a lot of things. That just leaves you and I Harry, and seeing as Professor Snape is there, your parents will be too, which cancels you out as well. So you see, it has to be me, it was always going to be.”



Harry felt silent. He wanted nothing more than to argue and send someone else, but he knew that Hermione was right. She was always right. Hermione looked toward Ginny for approval but her head was hung as she played absent mindedly with the tablecloth, trying not to make eye contact for fear she would lose it.



“I’m sorry Miss Granger, but again you are correct. Now, let’s get this thing moving along…”



Everyone listened intently as Dumbledore explained.



“I will send Miss Granger back. How I do it is not important, it‘s just one of those thing‘s I have learnt to do in my many years. We will cast a powerful memory altering charm on your mind, which will work entirely on your subconscious leaving you with no recollection that you are from the future. You will believe that you are just a transfer student from the Irish wizarding school Tontaytoes to do your final year at Hogwart‘s. Everyone still following?”



Everyone in the room nodded, some more confidently than others.



“If you are ever questioned about your past, family life or anything along those lines, the spell we cast will kick in and you will subconsciously evade the questions, never stopping to question any of that yourself. Any questions?”



“Exactly how long will I be in the past for, Professor?” Asked Hermione.



“The entire school year, from the first day right up until the last,” he replied. Hermione was at a loss for words. She didn’t think she’d be losing an entire year of her life. Her worry was cut short as Dumbledore finished explaining. “In the present time though, it will inly be equivalent to around 2 weeks. But technically you still will be almost a year older then you were when you left.”



“That’s not so bad then, I guess,” she said, feeling very relieved. “So how exactly do I get whatever information I find back to you now? If I don’t know who I really am then how am I supposed to know what I’m meant to be doing? How do I get the information I learn back to you?”



“This is where it gets interesting,” Dumbledore said, getting excited again as he spoke of his own brilliance. “Upon arrival, you will meet with ‘Past Dumbledore’ and he will hand you this note book.” At this he pulled out an old looking, empty book from his robes. “Anything you write in it in the past will be able to be read by us here in the present. Knowing you have to do so will be incorporated in to the charm we place on your memory before you leave. Every night you will write in it, but you won’t remember doing it. In actual fact, you won’t even know it exists. Another thing just working with your subconscious. Make sense?”



A lot of people in the room shook there heads or stared blankly at Dumbledore as though he was mad, but seeing as Hermione was one of the few who nodded, Dumbledore didn’t feel the need to explain again. She was, after all, the only person in the room who this information was relevant to anyway.



“So you’re pretty much just programming me like a computer? I complete set tasks without knowing I’m doing it, but just live normally anyway?”



“I think that sums it up nicely, not that I really understand how these muggle ‘computers’ work.”



Hermione seemed satisfied with this, but had one last question. “How about house Professor?”



“Gee Hermione; I would have thought that one’d be obvious to you.” Everyone seemed a little startled to here Ron speak. “Ravenclaw of course. Wouldn‘t it? I mean, in Slytherine she would be too caught up in the middle of it all, Slytherine’s don‘t mix well with Gryffindor, and if she was in Hufflepuff they wouldn‘t even acknowledge her existence.” He looked up at Dumbledore for approval and Dumbledore nodded. Ron turned and smiled smugly at Hermione. “See, told you it’s been known to happen. Me having clever moments.”



“Yes, I suppose you are right. At least in Ravenclaw I might have their respect a bit more. So, when do I leave Professor?”



“In about 3 hours, Miss Granger.” At this everyone was surprised, even Lupin, who as far as they could tell had been involved in all the planning, at the fact that it was happening tonight. They’d all assumed it would be at least the next day. “Are you sure you want to do this?”



Hermione hesitated. Ginny looked at her and gave her hand a comforting squeeze. Hermione smiled slightly. “Yes, I am. Let’s bring that bitch down.”

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A/N: I’m interested to know where people see this story going. If you have any requests or ideas let me know and I’ll probably get them in there. This is the most of a fan fiction I’ve ever written. Is proud of self.

I didn't intend on publishing thisuntil it was finished, so I'm sorry. I just needed the motivation to keep going.