Hermione found herself back in the courtyard of her own time. The unforgettable scene was just as she remembered. Bile rose in her throat.
She pushed her way through the crowd. Familiar faces from long ago surrounded her. Tears sprang to her eyes. Fear swept through her. Everything was the same as before, before she left for the past. Nothing had changed.
The familiar robes of professor Mcgonagall came into view. Standing not far from the professor was Ron and her. It was an odd sight to see her past self.
She watched as the past Hermione looked down at something in her hand. Within a few seconds, past Hermione disappeared.
Hermione looked around and found that no one had noticed the disappearance. She took that chance to scoot up to stand beside Ron. She took in the scene in front of her and felt her heart fall. Everything was the same.
"Harry!" Hermione heard Ginny screamed from somewhere in the crowd.
"Harry!" Hermione screamed in a broken sob. It was true, nothing had changed. She lost Harry not once but twice.
She couldn't bring herself to look upon Lord Voldemort, knowing that she had been so completely, utterly wrong. She didn't just lose Harry but also Tom.
To avoid looking at the snake-like monster that now stood before her, she placed her gaze on poor Hagrid who was crying over the limp form of Harry.
"Silence!" cried Voldemort, and there was a bang and a flash of bright light. Silence fell upon those gathered there. "It is over! Set him down Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs!" It was strange to hear Lord Voldemort speak Hagrid's name because when Hermione knew him as Tom, he always referred to Hagrid as a big oaf.
Hagrid did as he was told and gently laid Harry down at Voldemort's feet. Voldemort began pacing back and forth. "You see? Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!"
"He beat you!" Ron yelled from beside her. The silence broke from around her as everyone began shouting once again. A second, more powerful bang extinguished their voices once more.
"He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds," said Voldemort, and there was a relish in his voice for the lie. "Killed while trying to save himself-" Neville cut him off as he rushed forward with his wand raised. Voldemort shot off an attack spell and disarmed Neville as the kid fell to the ground.
Hermione's heart sank at seeing her friend in pain but there was no way that could be of help. Voldemort threw away Neville's wand with a laugh.
"And who is this?" Voldemort said in his soft snake's hiss. "Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?"
"It is Neville Longbottom, my lord!" Said Bellatrix with a delightful-filled laugh. "The boy who has been giving the Carrows so much trouble! The son of the Aurors, remember?"
"Ah, yes, I remember," said Voldemort, looking down at Neville, who was struggling back to his feet, unarmed and unprotected, standing in the no-man's land between the survivors and the Death Eaters. "But you are a pureblood, aren't you, my brave boy?" Voldemort asked Neville, who stood facing him, his empty hands curled in fists.
"So what if I am?" said Neville loudly.
"You show spirit and bravery, and you come from noble stock." Hermione felt the blood in her veins freeze with his words. How could Voldemort change that much? Was she the reason for why he reverted back to his old self?
Voldemort continued making his appeal to Neville. "You will make a very valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom."
"I'll join you when hell freezes over," said Neville. "Dumbledore's Army!" he shouted, and there was an answering cheer from the crowd, whom Voldemort's Silencing Charms seemed unable to hold.
"Very well," said Voldemort, narrowing a red-eyed gaze on Neville. Wait, red eyes? "If that is your choice, Longbottom, we revert to the original plan. On your head," Voldemort said quietly, "be it."
The Voldemort that stood before her had red eyes but that couldn't be right. Tom Riddle's eyes always flashed blue when he was angry. Did something happen during all those years to make his eyes red? Are they a side effect from being brought back to life after trying to kill Harry all those years ago? Just what exactly happened?
Voldemort's snake-like face twisted into a cruel smirk as he peered at Neville. He waved his wand and seconds later, out of one of the castle's shattered windows, something that looked like a misshapen bird flew through the half light and landed in Voldemort's hand. He shook the mildewed object by its pointed end and it dangled, empty and ragged: the Sorting Hat. "There will be no more sorting at Hogwarts School," said Voldemort. "There will be no more Houses. The emblem, shield and colors of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice everyone. Won't they, Neville Longbottom?"
Voldemort pointed his wand at Neville, who grew rigid and still, then forced the hat onto Neville's head, so that it slipped down below his eyes. Hermione felt the crowd behind her start to stir. She placed a hand on Ron, silently telling him not to do something stupid. Moving as one, the Death Eaters raised their wands, holding the fighters at Hogwarts at bay.
"Neville here is now going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me," said Voldemort, and with a flick of his wand, he caused the Sorting Hat to burst into flames.
A scream tore from Hermione and countless others followed. Neville was a flame, rooted to the spot, unable to move.
They heard uproar from the distant boundary as people came swarming over the out-of-sight walls and pelted toward the castle, uttering loud war cries. At the same time, Grawp came lumbering around the side of the castle and yelled, "HAGGER!" His cry was answered by roars from Voldemort's giants. They ran at Grawp like bull elephants making the earth quake. Then came hooves and the twang of bows, and arrows were suddenly falling amongst the Death Eaters, who broke ranks, shouting their surprise.
In one swift, fluid motion, Neville broke free of the Body-Bind Curse upon him; the flaming hat fell off him and he drew from its depths something silver, with a glittering rubied handle.
The slash of the silver blade could not be heard over the roar of the oncoming crowd or the sounds of the clashing giants or of the stampeding centaurs, and yet, it seemed to draw every eye. With a single stroke Neville sliced off the great snake's head, which spun high into the air, gleaming in the light flooding from the entrance hall, and Voldemort's mouth was open in a scream of fury that nobody could hear, and the snake's body thudded to the ground at his feet.
Ron took off from beside her with his wand raised, ready to join in on the battle. Hermione hesitated and that hesitation became her luck when she heard Hagrid scream out; "Harry! Harry-where's Harry?"
Hermione stumbled around, looking toward the ground. The body of her friend was nowhere to be found. "He's alive," a voice whispered in her ear. She spun around but no one was there. Was the voice right, was Harry still alive?
She took off at a run in the direction that Ron had gone off in, searching the crowd for Harry.
Chaos reigned around her. The charging centaurs were scattering the Death Eaters, everyone was fleeing the giants' stamping feet. Thestrals and Buckbeak attacked great winged beasts up in the sky. Hermione continued running toward the castle; toward the entrance hall. She shot off jinxes and curses while avoiding oncoming spells.
Hermione ran up the steps, passing Charlie Weasley, and into the entrance hall. Someone bumped into Hermione but when she looked, no one was there.
The house-elves of Hogwarts swarmed into the entrance hall, screaming and waving carving knives and cleavers, and at their head, the locket of Regulus Black bouncing on his chest, was Kreacher, his bullfrog voice audible even above this noise: "Fight! Fight! Fight for my master, defender of house-elves! Fight the Dark Lord, in the name of brave Regulus! Fight!"
They were hacking and stabbing at the ankles and shins of Death Eaters. Their tiny faces alive with malice and the Death Eaters were folding under sheer weight of numbers, overcome by spells, dragging arrows from wounds, stabbed in the legs by elves, or else simply attempting to escape, but swallowed by the oncoming horde.
Hermione sped past them, avoiding duelers and arrived in the Great Hall. Voldemort was in the center of the battle, and he was striking and smiting all within reach.
Yaxley was slammed into the floor by George and Lee Jordan. Dolohov fell with a scream at Flitwick's hands, and Walden Macnoir was thrown across the room by Hagrid, hitting the stone wall and sliding down to the ground unconscious. Hermione found Ron and Neville gaining the upper hand against Fenrir Greyback. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy ran by her, not even attempting to fight, as they screamed for their son.
Hermione made her way to the center where the main battle was taking place. Voldemort was dueling against McGonagall, Slughorn, and Kingsley all at once. Her blood turned icy cold as she saw the cold hatred on his face as his three opponents ducked and woved around him.
Fifty yards away, Hermione saw Ginny and Luna battling Bellatrix. Hermione ran to them with her wand raised. She shot off jinx after jinx, causing Bellatrix to struggle. Bellatrix's features warped into a nasty sneer and she shot off a killing curse that missed Ginny by a hair.
"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" Mrs. Weasley ran toward them, her lovely features twisted in pure hatred. "Out of my way!" She shouted at them. With a simple swipe of her wand, she began to duel.
A few students ran forward to help Mrs. Weasley but she stopped them; "No!" she shouted, "Get back! Get back! She is mine!"
Hermione's gaze flicked back-and-forth between the two ongoing battles. She was at a loss as to what she should do. Suddenly, one of Mrs. Weasley's curses soared beneath Bellatrix's outstretched arm and hit her squarely in the chest, directly over her heart.
Bellatrix's gloating smile froze, her eyes seemed to bulge, for the tiniest space of time she knew what had happened, and then she toppled. The watching crowd roared and Voldemort screamed. Why did he seem to care so much about that Death Eater? Hermione knew she was clearly visible to him so why did he not react to her presence?
A loud bang shook Hermione from her thoughts. McGonagall, Kingsley, and Slughorn were blasted backward, flailing and writhing through the air as Voldemort's fury exploded. Voldemort raised his wand and directed it at Mrs. Weasley.
"Protego!" A Shield Charm expanded in the middle of the Hall. Voldemort looked around trying to detect where the spell had come from. Then suddenly, Harry appeared as he flung the Invisibility Cloak to the ground.
"Harry!" screamed Hermione followed by Ginny and the others. That voice had been right, Harry was alive.
Silence soon fell shortly after. Harry and Voldemort began to circle each other, staring each other down.
"I don't want anyone else to help," Harry said loudly, and in the total silence his voice carried like a trumpet call. "It's got to be like this. It's got to be me!"
"No, it does not," a voice rang out. Voldemort's red eyes narrowed and a hiss escaped from him. Hermione's ears perked as she recognized the voice from earlier. A hand appeared out of thin air and gripped Harry's shoulder. "I will be the one to finish this since I am the one who created him." A second Invisibility Cloak dropped to the floor. Standing in its place was an older, hunchbacked gentleman with long, scraggly grey hair that was balding at the top.
"Filch!" Harry along with others screamed in shock.
Filch produced a smirk that Hermione had never seen on him before. It was the same smirk that Hermione had seen on Tom countless of times.
"No," hissed Voldemort.
Filch's smirk widened and he raised his wand. Voldemort raised his wand but Filch was quicker, much quicker. A killing curse was shot off and landed in the center of Voldemort's chest. A look of shock spread across Voldemort's face before his red eyes glazed over in death. Instead of falling to the ground, he turned to ash and the pieces were blown away by an unseen force.
"How can you use magic?" Harry asked dumbfounded.
Hermione stepped forward in elation, sporting her own smirk. "Because he isn't a squib nor is he Filch."
"Correction," said Filch as he turned pale eyes onto Hermione. "I am Filch but I am also-" Filch raised his arms in a dramatic flare as the illusion broke away. Standing in Filch's place was a young man who towered over everyone in a regal manner, with brown wavy hair perfectly styled, and warm, brown eyes. "Tom Riddle."
Harry raised his wand, ready to fight this new threat. "Harry, stop!" Screamed Hermione as she ran forward to protect Tom.
Just then, Mrs. Norris bounced into the scene and took a place beside Hermione. Just like what happened with Filch the same thing happened to Mrs. Norris. Instead of a cat standing beside Hermione, now stood another Hermione with outstretched arms. "He isn't a threat nor an opponent. Now, put down your wand Harry," said Mrs. Norris-Hermione in a firm voice.
"What the bloody hell is going on!" Ron took the words right out of her mouth.