I own nothing to do with Harry Potter and all rights belong to JKR

Hermione sat in a chair facing Dumbledore's desk, his much larger unoccupied chair looked intimidating across from her. Looking around the office she was entranced by the many magical devices that sat upon tables and shelves. If she hadn't of been so afraid of the fate that awaited her when Dumbledore returned, she would have been greatly interested by the books in a large oak shelf near her.

The office radiated power, not an unfriendly kind of power by any means, but she was vulnerable in the uncertainty of her punishment that awaited her. Dumbledore had sent her up to wait as he remained in the corridor below his office to finish a conversation with Professor Snape first. Straining her ears she tried to catch word of what they were saying. Snape's voice was raised and angry but she could make out no definitive words. It only sounded as if there was an untuned radio playing on a very low sound setting.

Impatient as she was to get to Harry, and the others to see what had gone wrong, she didn't dare defy an order from the Headmaster. Fear was passing through her as she wondered if she would be expelled or reported to the ministry for having the Time Turner in her possession.

She was more scared over the state she was going to find Harry in though. How would he come back from this? How serious was he over being done and leaving Hogwarts? Surely he was just upset and suggesting things he'd never really go through with. Harry had always considered Hogwarts to be his home, he couldn't leave it just like that after everything.

In the back of her head she still worried thought, Snape had crossed a line tonight. Whether Harry would really leave, she did not know. She was certain however, that there would be dire consequences and change in Harry after tonight. She felt jittery and anxious at all the uncertainty that awaited her.

The door opened from the small staircase below her, and she jumped in her seat at the unexpected noise. Straining her ears again she listened to the voices below her.

"I understand your point Severus but I feel you acted irrationally tonight. You know what's at stake." Dumbledore said his voice still calm, but there was a finality to it. The door closed seconds later and Hermione fixed her eyes upon her knees.

She heard footsteps from the stairs and saw out of the corner of her eyes the swishing of Dumbledore's robes passing her to sit down in his chair. He let out a sigh as he sat down, Hermione chanced a glance at him. He looked tired and stressed from his usual self, but not angry, which made her feel slightly comforted.

"Good evening Miss Granger, thank you for waiting patiently while I had a talk with Professor Snape over the nights events." Dumbledore said politely, as he folded his fingers together and rested his chin upon them as he looked down at Hermione.

"Yes, of course, professor." Hermione said quickly, her voice rather breathless as she spoke.

"I would like you to tell me how you gained the Time Turner that was in your possession, and what exactly you were planning to do with it. Your friends will not be punished for your truth, I simply wish to understand what happened tonight further." Dumbledore asked and Hermione let out a sigh before she began to tell him.

She didn't know why she felt so safe confiding in him, but she knew there was no point in lying. First she told him about how Neville had found it and took sympathy with how miserable Harry had been in his grief over Sirius's death. How Harry had begged her for help and at first she shot him down, only to change her mind. The truth was spilling out of her lips, her voice shaking as she told him everything. She told him about how they'd made a plan, and acted tonight, and how Snape had treated Harry when he'd discovered them.

Dumbledore listened patiently, as she told him the story. He did not interject while she spoke only politely raised his eyebrows at points. Once she finished telling him everything about what had happened, he was silent for a moment as he tapped his finger tips together.

"To my knowledge miss Granger, when you were given the Time Turner in your third year you were subjected to a long conversation with Professor McGonagall on the matter. I'm well aware that you are an exceptionally bright witch, and I'm sure you understood the risks of meddling with time all too well. So much could have gone astray with your plan." Dumbledore said in a quiet voice, Hermione could tell that he did not mean this as a reprimanding to her actions, but as a simple fact that needed to be stated.

"Yes I do understand, I almost didn't go through with it. It's just that Harry, there's so much ahead of him and I wanted to help him any way I could." Hermione said quickly and Dumbledore watched her carefully as she spoke.

"Did Harry happen to tell you about the Prophecy?" Dumbledore asked and Hermione tilted her head in confusion. Tell her what? It had been smashed after all, what could Harry know that she didn't? Dumbledore let out a little sigh of realization.

"I see he hasn't gotten around to that yet. No trouble, I'm sure he would have told you in due time, but his mind has been elsewhere with Sirius's death." Dumbledore said and he stood from his chair and strolled to a cupboard where he pulled out what Hermione recognized to be a Pensive. She had read about them before in a book and it matched perfectly to the pictures and descriptions she remembered. Anticipation was building on where this was going. What had Dumbledore meant about Harry getting around to telling her about the prophecy?

"I'm going to show you a memory Miss Granger. The prophecy in which Voldemort was seeking was at the Ministry was destroyed. Alas, Prophecy's originated from somewhere however, and I have the memory of the seer reciting it. It was was heard in full the night it was given." Dumbledore explained setting the large basin upon his desk between them.

"So you have the memory of the person who heard it?" Hermione asked in surprise as apprehension of what she was about to hear flooded her. There was excitement too though, finally she would get some answers on what had been at such high stakes all year long.

"Of course dear girl, I'm the one that heard it." Dumbledore said softly as he gestured her to lean forward. She had no time to process this before she dipped her head into the bowl and was pulled down into a memory.

The scene played out as she and current Dumbledore stood by and watched a younger Dumbledore and Trelawny. Her mouth hung open as she witnessed one of the few times Sybill Trelawney had given a true prediction, instead of her usual garbage. Hermione had chills as she heard the words "Neither can live while the other survives."

"Come, back to present now that you have heard." Dumbledore said gripping her arm as they together floated back up and the scene blurred. Hermione was gasping for air as the familiarity of Dumbledore's study filled her vision.

There was silence between them now as Dumbledore watched her process this new information. So Harry has seen this, and was carrying this knowledge upon his shoulders all while grieving Sirius's death. Harry would have to face Voldemort again. Perhaps again and again and again if that's how it went down. Either Harry finished him or Voldemort… she couldn't think of it. She did know for sure that Harry was in for more relentless torment from Voldemort.

"Harry has to face Voldemort? Harry has to… to be the one to kill him? Why Harry?" Hermione asked desperately. She refused to say allowed that it might be the other way around, and that Voldemort would finish him.

"Yes, Voldemort received a partial snip of that Prophecy and acted irrationally the night he set off to the Potter's and met his downfall. He went to kill Harry and in turn sent the prophecy into life and made his own worst enemy. They were just words until Voldemort made them truth." Dumbledore explained with a sigh.

"Sure, Harry has made it out alive now, but how many more close shaves can he survive?" Hermione cried out in frustration. "Why Harry? Why not the Aurors and the Ministry? Or…"

"Or me?" Dumbledore finished sadly. "I wish it could be that way but Voldemort does not seek me out as he does Harry. There is magic between Voldemort and Harry that is undeniable. Their wands are connected even as we have found out. Harry has battled Voldemort several times and made it out alive while skilled Aurors have been killed within seconds of being in Voldemort's path. I don't wish this for Harry, I tried to shelter him and it only did more damage. Do you see that there is magic binding them that is beyond me." Dumbledore explained and Hermione was rendered to silence.

"I can't believe this." Hermione whispered as tears welled in her eyes.

"I think you've always known this a bit though, haven't you?" Dumbledore pressed with his eyes studying her.

Hermione thought back to all the times that Harry had been thrown into the path of Voldemort. She'd wondered of course, it was undeniably odd in the way Harry was seemingly pulled into Voldemort's path. Divination had seemed like rubbish to Hermione, but something had made her uneasy when Harry had told her about what Trelawney had said about Peter Pettigrew. Then how it played out, and Peter did indeed return to Voldemort as she had predicted.

Then the weapon they'd been kept in the dark about all this year, ended up being another prophecy. She hadn't heard it until tonight of course, but it was clear to her that there was deep magic rooting both Harry and Voldemort.

"Of course I did, I've always wondered, but it became undeniable this year. I just didn't realize how unavoidable this situation would end up being. Maybe I didn't want to believe it." Hermione whispered while running a hand through her bushy hair absentmindedly.

"Exactly why what you were planning to do was so dangerous. Putting Harry at risk again on that night at the ministry is problematic when the wizarding war lies upon Harry's shoulders. I wish it was not that way, but it is." Dumbledore said gently but Hermione shook her head furiously, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"I'm sorry professor, but I disagree. I was on edge about what we were going to try to do, but if anything now that I know the truth, I wish I would have pushed harder to save Sirius Black." Hermione said as regretfully she pictured the Time Turner smashing upon the dungeon floor in Snape's office.

"The loss of Sirius Black is devastating, and especially so to Harry. I do regret the manor in which Severus Snape acted tonight, but whisking Harry back to the night at the ministry puts him in great danger. It would only allow Voldemort another chance to strike him down." Dumbledore said in a strange voice, Hermione thought she saw something of conflict in his eyes as he spoke.

For the first time since she'd arrived at Hogwarts there was a strange emotion stirring in her at Professor Snape's name. It was anger she'd never felt such as Ron and Harry did. To her, he'd merely been an unstable man with a past that she'd assumed to have left him bitter. But he had known about the prophecy and he'd still taken away that last of Harry's family, with one hard throw of the Time Turner. Selfishly and unflinchingly.

"Professor, it's more than that. How much do you think Harry can take before he snaps? I've watched him all year long teetering on the edge of losing himself in this anger that's threatened to consume him." Hermione said pleadingly.

"I quite agree Miss Granger. I'm worried of the state we will find Harry in after the nights events." Dumbledore said sadly.

"Sirius used to be the beacon of hope for Harry, and now when he thinks of him all he will be left with is bitterness. His godfather has become only a reminder of everything that is unfair in the world." Hermione continued in sad voice, trying to get Dumbledore to understand the severity of it all.

"He has Ronald Weasley and yourself, all the weasley's and order members. He is very far from alone." Dumbledore added fairly.

"Yes but Sirius was different, he was family, a connection to where Harry came from. Someone in Harry's corner just for him. You should have seen the way Harry's eyes lit up when he received a letter from Sirius." Hermione cried as tears flowed from her eyes.

There was a silence between them now as Hermione cried silently. Staring out the window there was a red glow of light forming on the horizon. Day was approaching after a very long night. She wished to be back in the Gryffindor common room hours previous to now when they had been waiting to sneak down to Snape's dungeon. She wished she could do it over and bring Sirius back to Harry.

Dumbledore stood up abruptly and strolled over to a desk in a corner where she could not see what he was doing. Though she didn't mind much as she remained lost in her own thoughts. Briefly she pictured how her life had been before she'd gotten that letter from Hogwarts telling her that she was a witch.

It felt as if it had been years ago when she had been a child with no awareness of the world she would soon enter. It wasn't just the knowledge of the magical community she had lacked, it was friends, real ones anyways. She'd never gotten on very well with other kids when she was young. Admittedly and unapologetically so, she had been above them and their small mindedness.

Harry, Ron, Neville, and the rest of the Weasley's were the first true friends she'd ever had. She'd have done anything for them, and she usually did. She'd saved Harry from trouble and helped him out more times than she could count. It felt helpless to have no power to be able to do so when he needed it the very most.

Dumbledore was back now, and he sat in his chair across from her once more. He did not look tired as he had just moments ago, there was a fire burning in his eyes. Determination etched into the lines of his wrinkled face.

"How far are you willing to go for what you were going to do? For Sirius, and for Harry?" Dumbledore asked as Hermione stared at him incredulously. The sad atmosphere of the room seemed to have evaporated and was charged with a new energy.

"I'd go as far as I was able of course! Rules are different now after seeing how the ministry operates. Excuse my rudeness Headmaster, but after seeing how Professor Snape acted tonight as well. Things aren't as black and white as I once thought." Hermione said somewhat indignantly.

"Yes indeed, I thought you'd say something along those lines. I trust you Miss Granger and I'm putting the opportunity into your hands to do so. There are no more chances after tonight, but I think I owe Harry just one more." Dumbledore said as he looked down at her. He looked prideful almost and Hermione flushed.

It all went out the window as Dumbledore placed something upon his desk. Her mouth fell open and she let out an audible gasp. Sitting upon the shining wood of his desk was a golden Time Turner. He'd either repaired the first one with some impressive magic that she knew nothing of, or it was another of great condition. It was gleaming, and unscathed by any damage.

"The bad news is that time flies, but the good news is that today, you are the pilot." Dumbledore said with an unreadable expression as he pushed the Time Turner towards Hermione.