A/N: Hello, everyone! In case you were wondering what rock I crawled under for the past few months, let me tell you: I've been writing this fic. Back when it was still 2017 I was in a writing slump and had a major lack of motivation, but I had this fic bouncing around in my head. I joined the Hermione's Haven Big Bang fest, which would require me to write a 50,000 word story. After joining there was a lot of crap that went down in my life (I had health issues, my husband got hurt on the job and was off work, my job was chaos, we had deaths in the family, and family illnesses) so there was a lot of "I'm never going to get this done" but I powered through and finally finished with less than a week to spare.

So this fic is completely done. All said and done it's 60,539 words. And it is available in its entirety over at AO3. I will be posting chapters rather quickly because of that, but I do recommend you hop over there (same pen name) or search for me on Flickr (again, same pen name) because the absolutely wonderful xxDustNight88 made aesthetics for every chapter and they are magnificent (minor spoilers if you look before you read). Seriously, go look, because she deserves much more credit than I can possibly write into words. Also many millions of thanks to Rachael, my beta, for putting up with my insanity. Sorry for dumping a half dozen chapters on you with a week before deadline.

Here's the standard I don't own HP or Star Wars.

Without further ado...

It was quiet.

And calm.

Hermione's eyes flew open, but rather than a battle ravaged castle as she expected, her vision was assaulted with a seemingly endless expanse of brilliant, empty white. Cautiously she pushed herself into a kneeling position and looked around. What once looked empty slowly started to take shape, a large building forming to her right. Brow furrowed she stood and moved towards it, a staircase forming in front of her leading up to a set of double doors gleaming with an ethereal light. For a long moment she debated climbing them, but something held her back.

"I do so wish I didn't see you here," a voice said behind her, and she jumped and spun around.

"Professor Lupin!" she breathed.

"Hullo, Hermione," Lupin said with a warm smile.

Despite his friendly greeting something made Hermione hesitate, and a moment later she realized that it's because he looked different, the scars on his face diminished, the worldly look gone.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, actually. I was kind of hoping you could tell me."

She looked around again. "It's my junior school," she said softly.

"Is it now?" he smiled, looking around. "Come, let's sit and have a chat," he said, starting towards a playground, but she remained rooted to the spot.

"I'm dead, aren't I?" she asked.

He stopped and turned to look at her, but didn't say anything.

"I was in the middle of the battle, and now I'm here. I died, and you and this place... you're here to soften the blow so I can move on."

"You always were exceptionally bright," he replied. "That is one of your options, however, it is not your only option."

"It's not?" she asked in surprise.

"You just witnessed your best friend return from the dead, did you not?"

"But Harry was a Horcrux," she replied. "It's different."

He cocked his head to the side. "How long did you know?"

"I've suspected for some time," she replied softly. "But how do you tell someone they have to die and have them keep going?"

"Well, Hermione, you must realize that if one person could accomplish the feat of returning, that more than one may have that ability?"

"Considering I've never heard of it being done..." she shot back, walking past him as a playground seemed to materialize around them. She sat on one of the swings, facing the building and the glowing door. After a moment Lupin came to sit next to her.

"I must apologize. I am not doing much to soften the blow, am I?"

"I would prefer you not lie to me," she murmured. "I am not special. I don't get to go back. I am going through that door."

"I am not lying," he said, leaning over so his elbows were on his knees so he could look at her. "Though I would not call it 'going back'."

"What would it be, then?"

He studied her for a moment. "You can go through that door. I am assuming that it holds some significance to you..."

"This is where I chose to go to Hogwarts," she said.

"Really?" he looked surprised.

"Everyone assumes that it was an easy decision, but it was terrifying at first. McGonagall showing up at my door and telling me about this fantastic world away from everything I ever knew. I would be going to a place hundreds of miles from my family, I'd be giving up the few friends I had, and I was very torn for a few days. I had a couple interviews set up with some secondary schools, and I was sitting right here when I decided I would rather go to Hogwarts. I didn't even go inside to explain that I had chosen elsewhere, I just didn't go in."

"From what your professors told me you were quite enthusiastic about coming," he pointed out.

"Of course I was, once I decided. You couldn't stop me from diving into books," she smiled. "But there were a few days of doubt."

He turned and looked at the door.

"So if it's not going back, what would it be?" she asked again.

"Your battle is over. You knew that in your heart when you passed. In the back of your mind you must realize what made you special at the end of the battle."

She thought for several minutes until realization came over her. "Once Harry went into those woods I don't remember anyone else on our side dying..." she replied.

"Exactly," he nodded. "He sacrificed himself to protect those in the castle."

"Then why did I die?"

"Because you are special," he said softly. "And you are needed elsewhere."

"Where?" she looked at him skeptically.

"There are other fights, other people facing darkness. They could always use more help."

"So... if I go back, I have to join one of these other fights?"

"I daresay it will find you," he nodded.

"How? Am I going to be reborn?"

"Yes, and no."

She stopped, waiting for him to elaborate, but he said nothing else. "How?"

"That is something you will have to find out if you go on. I am only here to give you the option."

"That is rather maddening," she sighed.

"It is," he said, standing.

"You're leaving?" she asked in surprise.

"This is a journey you must embark upon on your own. I was merely here to help you come to terms with it," he smiled. He turned and started walking away.

"Why you?" she called after him.

Lupin turned back and studied her a moment. "I'm sure you know that better than I," he replied softly.

"Because I trusted you," she answered herself. "Dumbledore was wiser, but he hid so much I wouldn't trust him. You're here, I think, because I trust you. But when you were our professor you were careful to never completely walk us through something, you would push us to do it ourselves. And so this is something I must do myself."

He smiled one more time and nodded. "I wish you luck, Hermione," he said, before turning and walking away. She looked back up at the door, then back at him, but he was gone. Knowing immediately that her history was about to repeat itself she stood, turned away from the door, and started walking. As she walked things became less defined, until she found herself in an expanse of white, the glowing light behind her. She felt a strange tugging in her chest, as if something were trying to pull her forward, and there was a darkness to the feeling that put her on edge. But she knew she couldn't turn around, because turning around was giving up on her friends, on seeing the world they had fought for, of seeing Harry finally free of Voldemort. Unsure of what to do she sat down, closed her eyes, and leaned back.

XXXXXXX

Across the galaxy heads snapped up in unison, some more driven to do so than others. Most of those afflicted shook their heads and returned to whatever they were doing, but to some the feeling was stronger, much more compelling and terrifying.

It wasn't so much an awakening in the Force than the feeling that something very powerful had just sprung into existence. Several sets of eyes closed, reaching out, trying to find the source. They were quite sure that whatever was the source of the disturbance could make the difference in the ongoing war, and instinctively each knew they must be the first to find it.

XXXXXXX

The air became thick, causing her to take several deep breaths, the smell of earth assaulting her nostrils and grounding her. She opened her eyes to a sea of brilliant colors, green prominently spattered with bright colored flowers bathed in sunlight that peeked through the thick forest canopy. She took a moment to take in the beauty of it all before assessing her situation. She realized quickly that her hand was still wrapped around her wand, and the sight of it calmed some of her nerves. Cautiously she rose to her feet and looked around. Jungle. She was in a jungle. But there were no sounds of birds, no buzz of insects, no signs of animal life at all. She felt her bag at her side, and, after looking around one more time to make sure nothing was around her she opened it up and looked inside. Everything she had packed in there was still there, the tent she had borrowed from Bill in case they needed to run again, some potions, her books, some of her clothes, and some of Harry and Ron's. Sadness settled deep in her chest, and she shook her head in an attempt to drive it away. That's why she came back, wasn't it? To help with whatever fight needed her and after to find Harry and Ron again. Hopefully it didn't take too long.

She held her wand out in her open palm in front of her. "Hominum revelio," she whispered. To her surprise nothing happened. A thought ran through her head, maybe she couldn't do magic anymore, but a quick Aguamenti charm settled that fear. She tried Hominum revelio again but still nothing happened. If there was a fight she was to join why was she so far away from other people that her wand couldn't point her towards them? She looked around and saw where the ground was sloping upwards, so she decided to head that way, hoping to find some high ground that might give her an idea of where people were near her. She started climbing up the slope, feet sinking slightly in the rich, red-brown soil under her feet. The thick, humid air strained her lungs, and too soon she leaned against a tree trunk for a rest. As she looked around she saw a rather unusual looking animal peeking out from behind a tree trunk. She stood as still as possible, and the thing moved a little further out, sniffing the air and trying to determine how dangerous the newcomer was. It looked like a fox, but the fur was all wrong, a camouflage of greens and browns that seemed to shift as it walked, making it nearly impossible to see. It let off a strange chirping noise as it looked around, and Hermione could see several more behind it.

"What are you?" she asked softly, and in a flurry of chirps the creatures darted away. She looked around to make sure she wasn't in danger, then pressed on. For the next hour or so she would walk for ten minutes, rest for five, as the slope became steeper and the ground gave too much under her feet to be sure of her footing. When she finally reached the top of the hill she huffed in annoyance, the foliage was too thick all around to get any bearings on where she was or where other people might be. Looking up she decided she would have to get above the canopy to get a good look at her surroundings. She conjured a tall ladder with her wand and secured it against the tallest tree she could see. After stashing her wand in her pocket and making sure her bag was secured out of the way she began to climb, taking her time and trying not to look down. Once she got to the top of the ladder she carefully climbed onto one of the bigger limbs, then hoisted herself to the next, only looking up until she got above the tops of the nearest trees, but what she saw nearly sent her tumbling back down to the ground in surprise.

There were two suns in the sky, not one.

"That's not possible," she murmured to herself, when suddenly movement in the sky caught her eye. She watched in fascination as a large craft appeared in the sky above, and started to descend towards her. She pressed herself against the trunk of the tree, trying to keep hidden behind some of the biggest leaves, and watched as the craft touched down not too far away. She could hear some voices as people started to disembark, and in a moment of panic decided that she needed to get as far away as possible. As quickly as she dared she swung down from the branches, reaching the ladder she climbed down as quickly as she could, but as she reached the bottom she realized she had taken too long, as she heard something moving in the foliage behind her. She spun around, wand out.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," a man with brown hair, wearing green pants and a black jacket emerged from behind a tree, hands out in front of him. "Easy," he said carefully. "I'm Poe, I'm with the Resistance," he continued, turning one shoulder to show a symbol on a patch sewn on his left shoulder.

"The what?" she asked, not lowering her wand.

"The Resistance," he repeated, brow furrowed. "General Leia Organa wanted to come here to find you."

"Neither of those names mean anything to me," she replied.

"What's your name?" he asked.

She debated telling him for a long moment. "Hermione Granger," she finally said.

"Nice to meet you, Hermione," he flashed her a smile. "Where are you from?"

"London," she replied.

"Never heard of it," he looked confused. "What system is it in?"

"What do you mean, what system?" she felt panic starting to rise in her chest.

He looked at her in surprise. "How did you get to this planet, Hermione?" he asked.

"I just kind of woke up here," she replied.

"Did you crash? Where's your ship?"

"I... I don't..."

Something beeped on his belt. "Damn," he whispered. "Hermione, we need to go. The First Order is on the move, they will be here soon..."

"The who?" her voice was raised as her confusion grew.

"The First Order," he repeated. "They would have noticed your appearance, too, and you really don't want Kylo Ren coming after you. We need to go," he repeated.

Looking around and deciding she had nothing to really lose she nodded, and he motioned for her to follow him back to the ship. They ran down the hill towards where it was waiting.

"I've got her!" Poe called loudly. "Let's go!"

Several other people appeared from the woods, all running full-tilt towards the ship. As they reached it several menacing-looking ships appeared on the horizon. Hermione reacted instinctively as they entered the ship, door shutting behind them. She drew her wand and pointed it upwards, muttering a spell.

"What are you doing?" a woman asked.

"An invisibility spell," she replied. "They won't be able to see us. And a protective spell."

The group exchanged looks, but Poe shrugged. "I'm not going to complain if she can keep them from seeing us," he said, getting into the front seat and starting to press buttons, but he paused as the ships started to approach, and the whole crew fell still and silent as if a slight shift would draw the attention of the approaching craft and bring them down upon them. As they flew overhead Hermione felt something, a presence, dark and powerful, moving over them. It was the same kind of feeling that came over her whenever Voldemort was nearby. She pressed herself against the wall as if trying to hide herself from the feeling and screwed her eyes shut. Thankfully the ships passed and Poe pressed some buttons, raising it into the air and shooting off in the other direction. Hermione sat on a chair as the others did around her and mimicked their movements as they buckled themselves in. She craned her neck, looking out the front window as Poe and another pilot steered the ship skyward.

"They're starting to follow…" someone announced.

"No, just Ren's ship," someone corrected.

"We just need to beat them another minute more…" Poe replied.

"You alright there?" the woman next to her asked, and Hermione realized she was hyperventilating.

"We're going into space," she replied, wide-eyed.

"Of course," the woman replied, looking at her curiously. "We couldn't just stay there, the First Order might find us, not to mention it's uninhabited and the animals that come out at night are dangerous."

"I've never been into space," she replied.

"But how...?" she trailed off in amazement.

"Going to light speed!" Poe announced.

"Light speed?" Hermione repeated loudly, and a moment later she watched in terrified amazement as the stars beyond the screen warped and the ship shot forward.

"Poe, I don't think your girl is doing so good," she heard someone say before her vision went black and she slumped over, unconscious.

XXXXXXX

When she woke up she was in a white room, lying on a bed, monitors sitting silent around her. She looked to one side and saw Poe leaning against a wall, arms crossed, smiling at her.

"Welcome back," he said. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I'm in some kind of weird dream," she replied, sitting up.

"Trust me, you're not the only one feeling that. Things are a bit surreal at the moment."

"Where am I?" she asked.

"You're on a base on D'Qar. Leia told me to stay with you until she could get here."

"Who is Leia?" she asked.

"General Leia Organa," he said, pausing as if this should cause her to recognize the name. "She's kind of in charge around here."

"Oh," she replied simply.

"What did you do with this?" he asked, picking her wand up off a table and studying it. "The First Order ships flew right over us, and only the one seemed to realize we might be there. How did you hide us?"

Hermione debated telling him, but replied, "A basic cloaking spell, and a notice-me-not spell." When he looked at her in confusion she lowered her voice and said, "Magic."

"Like the Force?" he raised an eyebrow.

"What's the Force?" she asked, confused.

He opened his mouth to reply, but the door opened with a soft hiss and a woman walked in, but when Hermione saw the creature next to her she gave a nervous yelp and backed up involuntarily.

The woman looked at her, then turned towards the creature. "Thank you, Admiral Akbar, that will be all."

Akbar nodded and left.

"Commander Dameron, I have an assignment for you," she said, holding out a piece of paper.

"On it, General," he stood, taking the paper. "Take care, Hermione," he smiled back at her before leaving the room.

Leia waited until the door closed before pulling up a chair and sitting next to Hermione's bed. "You look frightened," she said softly.

"I don't think that quite covers it," Hermione replied.

"I'm Leia Organa," she smiled warmly.

"Hermione Granger," she replied.

"How are you feeling?"

"Scared," she replied immediately. "Overwhelmed. Lost."

"Understandable," she nodded. "From what Poe has told me your arrival is somewhat unconventional. And we've been unable to locate anywhere called London."

"London is a city on Earth," she replied.

"I still haven't heard of it."

"I'm not surprised," she replied honestly. "The furthest anyone on my planet has gone is the moon, and not many have done that. Spaceships that can travel at light speed... that's just science fiction back home."

She looked at her in surprise for a moment. "Why don't you tell me your story, Hermione?"

Hermione felt a moment of panic, unsure of how much she should reveal, but in the end her need to confess to someone won out. "I… I was in a battle. There was this dark wizard who had taken over the magical community in my country, and I was the kind of person he wanted dead. So my friends and I fought back. We hunted down and destroyed bits of his soul, and then fought in a big battle to finish him. We were on the cusp of winning when I died…"

"Died?" she raised an eyebrow.

"I was hit with a killing curse cast by a woman who was quite skilled in them. I died. But I was given the opportunity to come back, to help others in the fight against the darkness, and I decided to do so because I thought that it was the way to see my friends again. But I woke up…" she stopped suddenly, giving a vague gesture around her.

"How long ago did you wake up?"

She glanced at her watch, then realized something. "I don't know, a couple hours, maybe. It wasn't long before Poe found me."

Leia seemed to contemplate this for a moment before saying, "You mentioned a wizard and spells?"

"Yes," she nodded, figuring she was far enough away from the Ministry to be able to confess everything without retribution. "I'm a witch."

Realization crossed Leia's face. "Shortly before I sent Commander Dameron off to that planet I felt something, a disturbance in the Force unlike anything I had ever felt."

"That's the second time someone's mentioned this Force, and I still don't know what you're talking about," she said, trying to hide her irritation.

"The Force surrounds all of us, Hermione," she replied patiently. "It connects all living things, connects everything, really. Some people are more attuned with it than others, we can feel these connections, sometimes even across long distances. At what I can only assume is the moment of your rebirth I felt a great upheaval in the Force, the realization that something very powerful had just arrived, as sudden as a meteor hitting the ground. With you standing there, I can tell I am in the presence of someone quite powerful, but you are... different than anything I've ever felt, Hermione."

"I've gathered that over the past few hours, actually," she said timidly.

"Those who are attuned to the Force generally gravitate either towards the Light or the Dark. There is a long and complex history to it, but in comes down to a balance between the Light and the Dark. But when I felt your arrival… I could not tell. Standing next to you I still cannot tell. I look at you and I feel light and dark ebbing in waves, and pain and confusion, but also hope."

"I don't feel any of that," she replied softly. "Wait, no, when that other ship passed over us. I felt something… powerful. And dark. Like Voldemort. Someone said a name, Kylo Ren, I think."

An unreadable look passed over Leia's face in a heartbeat. "I wouldn't have been the only one who felt your arrival. Snoke and Kylo Ren, they would have felt it, too. And I'm not surprised Snoke sent someone to find you, considering it's the exact same move that I made."

"I'm sorry, but these names don't mean anything to me," she replied. "And I feel like I made a mistake. All this? It's too much."

"I understand," she said kindly. "Right now my priority is to keep you safe. It is up to you to decide where your path lies. I hope that you become an ally, I think someone as powerful as you could be a valuable asset in our fight. But you must make that decision on your own. For now, I will set you up with a place to stay." She stood, and motioned for Hermione to follow. Hermione slowly got to her feet and made sure she had all her things before following her to the door.

"Do you have any books I could read about all this?" she asked mildly.

"I think I could find something for you," she nodded.

Hermione looked around as they walked. She watched a droid roll past, walked past windows where she could look out on spacecraft being worked on, and overheard several different languages. The further they walked the smaller she felt, and by the time Leia opened the door to a small bunk room she felt the size of a drop in the ocean.

"I'll give you a moment while I gather a few things," Leia nodded before leaving her.

Hermione hugged herself tightly as she walked into the room and heard the door shut behind her. The room was just large enough for the bed and small desk it contained, and there was nothing on the bare shelves. A door to one side opened into a tiny bathroom, and she could see that she would be sharing it with at least one other room. She closed the bathroom door before sitting on the bed, hugging her beaded bag tightly to her chest. For several minutes she carefully calmed herself down, and tried to clear her mind so she could try to plan her next move.

The door slid open, revealing a small white and orange droid on the other side. It rolled inside the door, making a series of beeping noises.

"Um, hullo there," she said, unable to stop a smile crossing her face.

"BB8!" Poe came running up. "I'm sorry, Hermione, I told him you were still adjusting to everything around here, but sometimes he gets so excited…"

"Oh, he's yours?" she smiled.

"He's my little buddy," he beamed, reaching down and rubbing BB8's head. "Leia thought it might be best if I delivered these things to you," he said, placing a bag he was carrying on the desk. "It's just some clothes, some toiletries, and this," he added, pulling out a worn book.

"What's this?" she asked, reaching for it.

"Leia's journal," he smiled. "She tells the story of the war with the Empire, and a bit about the rise of the First Order."

"Thanks," she said with a smile, but she suddenly winced.

"Everything alright?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"Yes," she replied, though the stain in her voice was evident. "Old… injury. It's fresh enough that it sometimes flares up."

"Do you want something…?"

"No," she shook her head. "It'll pass. I'll distract myself with this," she said, patting the journal.

"Press this button if you change your mind," he said, pointing to a button on the wall. "BB8 made sure it was connected to Lieutenant Connix, she'll be able to help you. And if I'm not back she'll be down when it's time to eat, to make sure you don't get lost."

"You're leaving?" she asked.

"We found something we've been after for a while, and we can't risk it getting into the First Order's hands. It should just be a drop and grab, I'll be back before dinner."

"Oh, okay," she nodded.

"Don't worry, Hermione," he smiled, rubbing her shoulder. "You're with friends. It's new, and I imagine it's scary, but when I get back we can talk about everything."

"I'd like that," she smiled.

"Good, I'll see you in a little bit," he beamed.

BB8 beeped a few times.

"Watch it," he warned with a smirk. "Run ahead and get the ship ready, and I'll forget you said that."

The droid beeped a few more times before rolling off.

"You understand him?" Hermione asked in awe.

"You'll get used to it," he replied. "You don't want Threepio being the only droid you can talk to, he'll give you a complex."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Take care of yourself, Hermione," he smiled, backing out of the room.

"You, too," she replied. "Good luck."

"Thanks," he shot her a wink before hurrying off.

Hermione pressed a button to close the door, and turned over the journal a few times in her hands before sitting on the bed and opening it. She thumbed through the pages, skimming the pages to get the feel of what she might be reading, seeing certain names like 'Han', 'Luke', and 'Darth Vader' repeated many times. Near the back she came across something odd, a section where several of the pages had been torn out, as if there was something that Leia didn't want Hermione to read about. She ran her finger down the torn edges that betrayed the presence of the missing pages as she contemplated what Leia might be hiding when she jolted upright, suddenly aware of a presence that manifested as a voice in the back of her head.

There you are, child.