The Future Rescues The Past

Chapter Two Travel To The Future

Harry pulled Ron up. "What do you mean that you killed him Hermione?"

Hermione touched the headstone. "Not here Harry. Let's go back to Hogwart's and talk to Albus. Afterwards I'll tell you why Professor Snape had to die.

Harry and Ron noticed Hermione was unusually quiet on their trek up to the castle and soon found themselves in the Headmaster's office.

Albus looked down to the Golden Trio, noticing how much the stress had aged them from the last time they met six months ago. "I'm sorry to meet you once again in such dire times my friends and I sense that you are here to ask me for advice since the passing of Kingsley and Severus to the Veil."

Harry fell on his knees. "Sir, I have tried my best and I have failed and am no closer to finding out what the heirloom of Ravenclaw is. I have failed you."

"Stand up Harry. You have nothing to be ashamed of my boy."

Harry stood up looking miserable.

"Have you been successful Ron?" The portrait asked the red headed wizard.

Ron looked down at his feet. "No Headmaster."

A knock sounded on the door and Hermione opened it to reveal Luna Lovegood.

"I'm sorry Hermione on the death of Professor Snape. I'm sure he forgives you for murdering him. He loved you, you know." She spoke in a dreamy voice and approached the portrait. "Good afternoon Headmaster."

The portrait of Albus chuckled at the shocked look of Hermione. "Good afternoon to you Luna. I suspect you have a question to ask me."

""I do Headmaster. At the last Order meeting Professor Snape and Lord Malfoy encouraged us to abandon England. I ask your council in this."

Albus stroked his beard deep in thought. "Miss Granger what do you think?"

Hermione took a moment to compose herself. "It may not be the best course of action sir."

Albus looked to her knowingly. "This castle is timeless. I think that you have a story to tell us. Headmaster Flitwick will be away for the evening so you should not be interrupted."

Hermione removed a hankie from her robes and dabbed her eyes. "My story begins as I travelled to Hogwarts a few days ago…..."

HGSSHGSSHSS

Hermione travelled along the M25 admiring the ring on her hand. She decided to travel to Scotland via muggle means as there was too much danger in her Apparating in the Wizarding world.

Soon she would see Severus again at Hogwart's and she would marry him despite her failure of identifying the heirloom of Ravenclaw.

Hermione continued to drive her Ford Escort and entered the Dartford tunnel and screamed out as she slammed into an unmoving car at the exit of the tunnel.

Hermione sat dazed in her vehicle for a moment and then exited her vehicle to check on the other car. "I'm sorry…" She spoke and noticed that the car was empty. What the hell?

She clambered over the empty cars and walked out of the tunnel and looked out in disbelief, viewing the lanes of rusting cars in the distance.

Hermione pulled out her wand and ducked behind a car and listened. Her heart beat in fear as she waited for a full ten minutes and heard nothing but silence. Come on Hermione get a grip on yourself girl! She fought down her fear as she peeked out over the hood of a Mini, pointing her wand out and continued to wait.

Still nothing but an eerie silence. What the hell had happened here? Slipping down against the Mini, she wrapped her arms around her knees and sobbed out and realized that she was alone.

After a while she calmed herself down and began to walk for a mile or two, weaving around the abandoned cars, gripping her wand tightly. No movement and complete silence. The abandoned cars stretched endlessly.

Hermione stood in the fading sunset and remembered her parents. She needed to get to her house and turned her heel and Apparated away to her neighborhood.

She arrived at her neighborhood and saw high grass and vines that grew in the yards in the twilight. The neighborhood had been abandoned for years.

Hermione approached her house with wand in hand and turned the knob and found that the door was unlocked. This was so unlike her parents.

"Lumos."

She entered the living room and saw that it was in total disarray. It was like her mum and dad left with little to no notice. Suitcases were strung about half-full with clothes that seemed abandoned as if there was a change in plans.

Hermione picked up an official looking flyer lying on top of a suitcase and held her wand closer to it so she could read it:

EVACUATION UPDATE

ROADWAYS ARE CLOSED DUE TO EXCESSIVE TRAFFIC

USE BICYCLES IF AVAILABLE AND TAKE EVCAUATION ROUTES ON MARKED PATHWAYS

DO NOT TAKE ANY JEWELRY INCLUDING WATCHES

TAKE PAPER MONEY ONLY, COINS WILL BE CONFISCATED

TAKE ONLY TWO CHANGES OF CLOTHES IN ONE BACKPACK PER FAMILY

BRING IDENTIFACATION

BRING NO PETS

TRANSPORTATION WILL BE PROVIDED TO THE COAST FOR EVACUATION

Hermione fell into the chair. No metal or jewelry, only clothes on back. It was an evacuation due to radiation contamination. What the hell had happened here?

She began to explore the house and entered her parent's room, noticing wedding rings on a dresser. They would have never left them behind unless forced to.

Leaving her room for last, she opened the door and felt resistance and looked down to a skeletal form of a cat and knelt down, noticing orange fur.

"Oh Crooks…" She whispered sadly and touched the bones of her familiar noticing the scratched carpet and door and knew that he had starved to death.

Hermione fell upon her bed and pulled the moldy covers around her and fell into an exhausted sleep, tightly clutching her wand in her hand.

HGSSHGSSHGSS

Hermione woke up and noticed the sun streaming through the window. She stretched out and yawned out as she felt a rumble. She was starving.

"Augumenti." She spoke out pointing her wand to her mouth as she drank the water that emitted from it, calming her hunger and went downstairs to look at the living room again in daylight. She dared not eat any food in case it was contaminated.

Hermione walked out of her house and Apparated away to Cardiff to verify what she suspected. Arriving, she noticed the same sense of chaos and observed the rusting hulks of vehicles littering the highway. She continued on to Norwich and Edinburgh and found the same.

She sank down and realized that the evacuation was nationwide. What happened to the Wizarding world?

Diagon Alley was out as she knew that Voldemort controlled it. But Hogsmeade was different as it had not fallen to control. She calmed herself and thought her destination and turned her heel, arriving at the outskirts of the Wizarding village.

Hermione sank to her knees and watched people walk in the village feeling a thrill that people were alive. Something was not right though, noticing hooded bowed heads and Deatheaters standing out in the open.

She had to take a chance to find out what was going on.

Hermione entered Hogsmeade dressed in the same robes of the villagers that she transfigured her clothes to, bowing her head down as she walked down the path of the village.

"Get into line you dunderheads!" She heard a voice snap. She knew that voice.

She approached Severus head still bowed down and tugged his robes. "Sir, may I have a moment of your time?"

"Witch! You should know better than to approach me." He snarled out before he registered the voice of one who died long ago.

"You will stay here and do nothing if you wish to live." He growled out, recognizing the voice of Hermione Granger.

Severus approached the staff that escorted the students to Hogsmeade, gesturing to the witch for a moment and walked back to her and pulled a coin bag out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Take it and walk away with me." He commanded.

He led her out of the village and felt him turn as he Apparated them away.