"Is that really necessary?" Hermione huffed in annoyance. After Filch and Mrs. Norris revealed themselves to be Tom Riddle and the future Hermione, Mrs. Weasley ushered the group to the infirmary where she could keep an eye on everyone while she mourned for the loss of her son. Hermione's heart clenched at the thought of Fred's death. It was going to be a cruel world to have George without Fred.
"Unfortunately, it is. They'll never listen." The future Hermione shot her younger self a sympathetic look.
Ron moved his wand back and forth between the two Hermiones while Harry, Ginny, and Mr. Weasley had their wands trained on Tom. "Which one is the real Hermione?" Ron asked Harry.
Harry shrugged his shoulders, his eyes never leaving Tom. "We'll wait. One has to be under the influence of a poly juice potion."
Hermione rolled her eyes while the older Hermione snorted. "I assure you that they are both the real Hermione," said Tom, a hint of amusement in his tone.
"No one asked you," sneered Ron.
'Ugh! We don't have time for this!" The future Hermione glared at the wand holders. "I'll explain everything but she-" she jabbed a finger at the younger Hermione, "needs to leave. She's not supposed to hear this conversation."
"And, she needs to meet past me," Tom seemed relaxed despite the situation he was in.
"You can't trust a word he says, Harry," Ginny growled, never taking her eyes off of Tom.
"Yes, I suppose young Ginny would have a hard time with this conversation after the incident with the Horcrux."
"Don't talk to my sister!" Ron growled, thrusting his wand to Tom's throat.
"Ron!" Both Hermiones said with a hard glare.
"Earlier, you said that Hermi- I mean- can I call you Mrs. Norris?" Mr. Weasley asked the older Hermione.
"You may."
"Mrs. Norris, earlier, you mentioned that Hermione needed to leave. Can you tell me what that was about?"
"May I?" Mrs. Norris pointed to the pocket of her jeans. "It's a Time Tuner." Mr. Weasley gave her permission. She pulled out a very familiar Time Turner. "When Hagrid came out of the woods carrying Harry, I-Hermione- used the Time Turner that Dumbledore had given to us. Instead of going back a few hours, she went back decades. The Hermione here today, has lived for two years in the past with Tom and the other students-"
"You're saying that you-Hermione lived in the 1940's for two years?" Ron already looked lost.
Hermione cleared her throat. "Technically it was 1944 and 1945."
Mrs. Norris nodded her head. "During that time, we pretended to be the long lost granddaughter of the current headmaster. But the point is that right before graduation, Hermione was whipped away from that time and brought here. Now she needs to take the Time Turner and return back to Tom so that we-" Mrs. Norris indicated herself and Tom, "-can come into existence in this time line. She has to leave now because I have no recollection of anything after this point and so she has to leave."
"What if you're trying to send her into a trap?" Harry accused.
"Yeah," agreed Ron.
Hermione growled in frustration. She reached over to Mrs. Norris and grabbed the Time Turner out of her hands. "It's not a trap."
"How can you be so sure?"
Hermione ignored Ron. "Is this already set?"
Mrs. Norris shook her head. "It isn't. Just spin it however you like."
"Because it's predestined," Hermione concluded. Before anyone could stop her, Hermione disappeared in time.
Mrs. Norris folded her hands on her lap. "Shall we begin with how we became Filch and Mrs. Norris?"
"How'd we know that you're not just telling us a bunch of lies?"
"You're Tom Riddle and I'm not even sure if you're the real Hermione, so why should we believe anything you say?"
"Now boys," Mr. Weasley said in a stern voice. "We should at least listen to them first then decide on what we should do." He turned toward Mrs. Norris and gestured for her to begin the story.
"I'll start with what happened to Hermione. Right about now, she would be running to where she left Tom in the courtyard. Dumbledore will be there to meet them. After forming a plan, Hermione and Tom will use the Time Turner to land in the year 1972. The two of them will create the identities of Filch and Mrs. Norris."
"I am sorry about that," Tom apologized.
"It was your idea to take on the form of a creepy old man and a mangy cat?" Ginny said with a raised eyebrow.
"Hey," Mrs. Norris shot her old friend a look. "I was not mangy and it wasn't his idea. During my two years with Tom, I shared my life with him. I told him about everything. And as for becoming Filch and Mrs Norris, I should start with the fact that during my two years in the past, I went by Hermione Norris. Hermione Norris was my grandmother's name who just happened to be the granddaughter of headmaster Dippet. Anyways, when we were using the spell that Dumbledore and Dippet created to change our forms without aging us, Tom made a joke about my name and how I may have influenced Filch in naming his cat."
"I didn't expect us to be Filch and Mrs. Norris," chuckled Tom. "Though, I did have fun tormenting the students, especially the Weasleys."
"Every Weasley is a rascal it turns out," Mrs. Norris sighed dramatically.
"Well, they did take after their grandparents."
"You knew mumsy and poppy?" Mr. Weasley asked.
Mrs. Norris nodded. "I was friends with both your parents and Molly's. I even went to their wedding and am technically your godmother."
"Wait-what?" Ron asked with his mouth hanging open.
"Somehow, I can see that," admitted Ginny.
"By george, are you sure? I can't wait to tell Molly-kins. Do you have any funny stories to share?"
"Dad! Interrogation, remember?" Ron huffed.
"Did you know anyone from my family?" Harry asked optimistically.
Tom broke out in a wide grin. "I have loads of stories about the troubles Fleamont-your grandfather- and Abraxas Malfoy found themselves in."
"My grandfather and Abraxas Malfoy? Did they fight a lot?"
"It's a Malfoy, they always cause trouble," Ron huffed.
"Actually," Mrs. Norris began, "Abraxas and Fleamont were the best of friends and his mates," she pointed to Tom.
"Lies!" Ron and Ginny screamed.
"I can't picture it," admitted Harry.
"I'll show you the memories later. Those two were always causing trouble. A lot like you and Ron." Tom's face became warped in fondness as he remembered a time from the past.
"I have to see it to believe it," said Ron and Ginny nodded in agreement.
"What do we do now?" Harry asked Mr. Weasley.
"I suppose we have to view their memories."
"That's it?" Ron and Ginny exclaimed. "What if they messed with their memories like professor Slughorn did?" Ron asked.
"Snape can vouch for us, and so can a few others if you need more proof," Tom said, completely relaxed.
"Snape is dead."
"You-Voldemort killed him. Also, how was there a Voldemort?" Harry asked.
"Snape isn't dead because we saved him. Gave him a cure for snake venom before he was bitten and after the three of you left, we performed healing magic on him. As for Voldemort, that was my bad. I accidentally over did it when I created one of my Horcruxes. Apparently, if you split off too much of your soul, you risk creating two copies of yourself," explained Tom.
"So, you're saying that you created the Horcruxes?" Ron accused.
"Just two of them. And I really am sorry."
"Why didn't you destroy them and prevent this whole mess if you were sorry?" Ron asked a sound question.
Mrs. Norris answered Ron's question with a shocking revelation that sealed in their minds that Mrs. Norris was in fact Hermione. "I wouldn't let him. We couldn't risk changing the future. We were able to save the lives of Snape and Moody because of the circumstances in which I viewed their deaths during the first time-line."
"Moody's alive?" Gasped Harry.
Mrs. Norris nodded. "He's currently taking care of Snape. We had hid Moody away in the Riddle mansion."
"That's why we couldn't find his body," concluded Ron.
"It's good to hear that he is alive and well," Mr. Weasley mused.
"Why couldn't you save Fred? You saved Moody and Professor Snape, how come you couldn't save Fred?" Ginny gasped in between tears.
Mrs. Norris jumped out of her chair and wrapped Ginny in her arms. "I'm so sorry," she repeated, on the verge of tears herself.
Tom rolled his eyes at the two girls. "You think this is funny!" Ron shoved his wand against Tom's throat.
"I do," said Tom with ease, seeming unbothered by the wand poking dangerously at his throat. "Because he isn't dead. I greatly enjoyed their pranks and tormenting them as Filch. I couldn't let my star prankster die, now could I?"
Mrs. Norris looked at Tom with wide, hopeful eyes. "He's alive?"
"He isn't alive," sobbed Ginny, "see." She pointed a trembling finger at the still redhead who was surrounded by a herd of weeping redheads.
"He's alive," Tom insisted, "gave him the sleeping potion myself."
"You must have made a mistake," Ginny cried.
"Did he know?" Ron surprised everyone with his question directed at Tom.
"Yes and no. All he knew was that I was giving him an opportunity."
"Oh, bloody hell!" Ron removed his wand from Tom's throat and marched over to where Fred laid. "Get up! Get your arse up before I hex you!"
"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley slapped Ron hard on the shoulder. "He's de-" her words were cut off in a sob.
"He made a mistake Ron," Ginny tried to console her brother.
"Don't make me a bloody fool for trusting Tom bloody Riddle! I don't know him but I know you, you bloody prankster!"
The Weasleys and those in the infirmary looked to Ron as if he were mad. Everything was quiet. Within the quiet came a bubble of laughter.
Fred's eyes flew open and a daredevil grin appeared on his lips. "You ruined everything. I was gonna scare the death out of mum but everyone wouldn't stop blubbering. Weeping big old alligator tears, they were."
"Fred!" Everyone exclaimed as they rushed forward to hug the thought-to-be-dead prankster, who received a few snacks in the arm from Mrs. Weasley.
"How?" Mrs. Norris asked Tom. It was a wonderful miracle. She no longer had to imagine a dark world for George.
"I snuck away during the battle," Tom rose from his seat and wrapped her in his arms. He leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to the top of Hermione's head.
"I guess this means that you and Ron are no longer happening?" Harry asked, a confused and slightly disgusted look on his face. Though it was far less disgusted than what Hermione had thought it would be.
"Yeah," Hermione flinched. "How am I supposed to tell him?"
"I'll do it," offered Tom, "he already hates me."
. . . .
Two weeks later
"I don't think I can do this," wheezed Hermione.
"Of course you can," comforted Tom.
Hermione and Tom stood on the front steps of a little grey and white house in Australia. Harry and Ron were behind them for support.
It wasn't just any house. It was the house that Hermione's family had moved to after she wiped their minds of any memories of her.
"Let's get this over with," grumbled Ron. Harry jabbed him in the side and gave a look that said 'shut up.'
Hermione tentatively wrapped her knuckles against the white door. Muffled footsteps could be heard on the other side. The door swung open to reveal a girl a few years younger than Hermione. Her long brown hair hung past her shoulders in subtle waves and her brown and golden eyes widened. "Hermione?"
"Hester?" Hermione asked in puzzlement. How could her sister remember her name?
"Hermione!" Hester engulfed Hermione in a wide hug. "I'm glad you're back! I was dying not being able to tell mum and dad about you!"
"How do you remember me?" Her magic was flawless, this shouldn't have been possible.
"With this," Hester pulled out a gold chain necklace that held a charm in the shape of a book. "An older wizard brought it a week after we moved here. He said it was a gift from my grandfather and that it contained magic! I can do simple spells now thanks to this!"
"What?" Hermione was extremely confused.
"May I look at it?" Tom asked. Hester nodded and Tom grasped two fingers around the charm. "It's a form of Horcrux," he sighed in awe. "The essence feels like Dippet's"
"What!" Harry and Ron exclaimed. Hester's eyes went to the two of them. The gold in her irises brightened when she saw Ron, an action that went unnoticed by Hermione but not by Tom.
"You're saying that our grandfather gave his magic to her through a Horcrux?" Hermione's voice was even though it was ringed with confusion.
"It's not actually a true Horcrux," explained Tom. "I don't feel a piece of soul in it, just pure magic."
"Awesome," breathed Hester. Definitely, agreed Hermione and everyone else.