*Standard disclaimers apply: anything that seems familiar or was featured in any HP books does not belong to me...obviously.

PROLOGUE

Hermione had been on holiday with her parents when it happened. As far as they had been concerned, the only very special thing about it was that it would be their last family holiday before their daughter graduated Hogwarts and entered the real world. Well, at least partially. They had spent the previous summer taking mini-holidays to various locations through the continent and Americas looking at wizarding universities that also offered programs that would give her simultaneous muggle degrees. Hermione had some vague ideas as to what to do with her life, but hadn't decided on anything and so, being as practical as her parents, had agreed to more schooling that would leave her with plenty of options once finished.

She hadn't told them she was so indecisive because she was almost certain she wouldn't be alive for whatever future they were helping her build. That would have not only worried them, but broken their hearts. She also hadn't told them she had been watching them extra closely, listening a little harder since the traveling the previous summer. Her only plans at that point were to erase any memory they might have of her and get them out of England. Of course, she wanted them to be happy wherever they were going, so she paid extra attention.

France was the most likely before this vacation, both she and her parents adored the French countryside and even spoke passable French, but if England was taken over, she knew Voldemort would set his sights on France across the channel as a stepping stone into Europe. The ICW was based in Paris, making it a target should England fall, which was far too near to London especially by wizarding travel. If England fell, France would be next, and her parents would be in just as much danger even if they didn't know her anymore.

The Americas were incredibly attractive to her for this reason, particularly Canada. Whereas the east and west coasts of the United States would hold appeal to Voldemort should he get through Europe, Canada was fairly unremarkable. And there were some fantastic schools. She kept this in mind as a backup plan, but her parents were generally unimpressed with the Americas, even if they were interested in one of the universities outside Montreal. She had been hoping they'd want to perhaps purchase a second home wherever she decided to go to school and would send them there to hide making it more their decision than hers, so she feigned disinterest in the European schools they had looked at. Her parents disinterest in Canada was not pretend.

That summer they were checking out the last school from their list in Australia. Neither Hermione nor her parents had really had any previous interest in Australia, which is why it was the last on their list despite it's attractive offerings. Now that war loomed closer than ever, Hermione was finding more and more reasons to be interested in the secluded continent. Her parents, luckily, fell in love immediately. They kept making comments about how they'd love to spend a few years down under, shake up their lives a bit, perhaps find a nice place with plenty of sun to retire to when the time came. Hermione couldn't believe her luck when they visited the Melbourne University of Magic and Sorcery and fell in love with the offerings. Though they had elevated to university status only three years prior, the school had managed to put together some incredibly interesting and cutting edge programs aimed at unifying the magic and mundane and had thus attracted some very important names from around the globe.

The admissions department was incredibly impressed with Hermione's resume and she was incredibly impressed with the differences from Hogwarts. So she applied officially, took early entrance exams, and got accepted unusually quickly. Part of this was because of a private chat she had had with the dean while her parents were talking with people in the financial aid department. Being a half-blood with family on both sides in England, he understood the scope and seriousness of her situation back home and how important it was for her to fight in this war, but keep her family as safe as possible. After accepted, he used connections in the Australian Ministry and Canada to make it seem as if she had been accepted to the Montreal University of Magic and Sorcery and sent papers to both the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts stating such. The deal was she would return to Melbourne for her schooling after the war, doing any work she could to help the university, and would smuggle illegal portkeys to people in the staff's families in England before any anti-muggle legislation was passed so they could quietly disappear.

Whereas Hermione did have her qualms about making shady deals like this, but knew it was her best option. The dean had also agreed to take in any students that would be in danger at Hogwarts without Dumbledore. This is what had sold Hermione. He gave her a few dozen additional portkeys for this, making her promise that she would not only attend their university, but get Harry Potter to endorse it once the war was over. Taking in refugees would make the Australian Ministry step from the shadows in the international circuit, clearing any qualms from their Ministry, and for a school that was struggling to make something of itself, they needed international press and lots of it.

He asked her to spread word to two people she would have access to that he had not been able to contact - tri-wizard competitors Viktor Krum and Fleur Delacour. Fleur still had a lot of influence at Beauxbatons and Viktor was not only a huge influence at Durmstrang, but an international quidditch star. Hermione took it a step further and offered to put them in contact with Puddlemere United star Oliver Wood, who she had struck up a friendship with over the previous year when he had joined the Order of the Phoenix. He was currently out of a job with the Quidditch league on hiatus and a quick international owl later found a certain quidditch player touring the Melbourne University with thoughts to continue his formal education during the hiatus. (As well as be the Order's acting welcoming committee for refugees.)

Setting up details was tedious and stressful, but seeing her interest in the school, and then acceptance, at least gave her parents something to focus on as they went house hunting while she took entrance exams and plotted. Explaining her plan to the dean, he introduced her to an aboriginal medicine woman that would be able to help her accomplish wiping her parents memories without making it a permanent thing. It was this incredible witch that gave Hermione the gift she needed to save them all.

While her parents house hunted and vacationed thinking Hermione was taking a summer class to try the school out, Hermione learned aboriginal magics to erase their memories. More than once she felt that her teacher was judging her choices and trying to decide on telling her something. On the last day of training she found out what.

"I don't think you're making the right choice in looking forward, Hermione."

"If I don't look forward, where should I look?" she asked, knowing that arguing would mean she'd never get an answer.

"Back, of course. Eliminate the seed before it flowers," she told her. "But you must learn your history first."

"There's no way to go back that far - time turners only work a few hours at a time," Hermione argued, having considered this a year ago.

"Pity that, yes?" her teacher commented, eyes sparkling. "Too bad no one's figured that one out yet. And they can't bounce you back either. Seems like the work was left half done, if you ask me."

"It would be catastrophic if people or even governments had the ability to change the past to their liking," Hermione pointed out, her teacher nodding sagely in agreement.

"Yes it would. Convenient then that we've only figured out going back a few hours at a time," she agreed with another twinkle.

"I'm going to continue forward," Hermione told her resolutely.

"Then let me allow you the power to see what's passed," the witch asked, her tone almost begging. "I have an amulet. It will allow you to see things more clearly. Just you. You have the training and the soul for it. It's prophesy amongst my people that a foreign witch will use our hindsight to cure the world of evil for a thousand years."

Hermione fought to keep the grin and chuckle from her voice at that. "And I'm this foreign witch?"

"I believe you could be and have conferred with the proper people. We agree this sounds rather superstitious, but with such a great reward to be had, we will take our chances. I ask only that you keep an open mind and try to return the amulet should we be incorrect."

"Of course," Hermione agreed. "You're giving this to me knowing that I have no intention of using it, yes?"

"I'm giving this to you knowing you have the wisdom to know if you should use it," she argued. "I can see souls, Hermione, and yours has done great things. It is destined for more before it rests. Let yourself remain open to the possibility."

Hermione put on the amulet and returned to the new home her parents had bought. After they had retired for the evening, she set up the first part of her plan. The Grangers would return to England the next day, pack their belongings, sell their home and practice, and head back to Australia. As they left the Melbourne home, Hermione cast the second part of her spell. Once her parents entered the house, all memory of her would be erased. Their papers would name them Monica and Wendell WIlkins, like the deeds to the house and their new practice already did thanks to the Australian Ministry, and they wouldn't remember anything about magic or a daughter they had once wished for, but be ready to start the second half of their lives in Australia.

As she watched her parents get in the taxi to take them to the airport a couple weeks later, Hermione sighed heavily and took the disillusionment spell off. They thought she had left the night before to go to the Burrow to spend the last few weeks before she started university a year early with her friends. The government and Hogwarts thought her parents were headed to Montreal and she would be meeting them there before the school year began. She was spending one last night in her childhood home before heading to the Bulgaria for a few days and then the Burrow to help with Bill and Fleur's wedding. Official paperwork would send people to the opposite side of the globe should they hunt down her parents looking for her and the Montreal University was prestigious enough that Voldemort wouldn't take any action against it directly. Her charm on the Melbourne house would assure that her parents wouldn't know anything was even slightly amiss. They were starting a new life abroad following the death of Hermione's last grandparent the year previous, as far as they were concerned. Hermione had played upon this desire of living abroad her parents had had their entire lives in hopes they would be happier.