Epilogue 2

Hermione smoothed back her hair and walked into the Headmaster's Office. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, looking over a piece of parchment thoughtfully.

Hermione just stayed where she was, knowing he would notice her eventually. "Mrs. Lupin, please sit down. I have something important to discuss with you."

Hermione walked forward and took a seat across from the old man who had once been her mentor. "An old friend of mine owled me today saying he had created breakthrough technology. Does this look familiar to you?" he asked, pulling out something from the drawer he was seated at.

Hermione gaped. "The Phoenix Past Changer!" she exclaimed, though it was more of a question than statement.

"Indeed. Of course, when I told my friend about its old uses, or should I say future uses, he was glad to send it to us for examination. Then he informed me of something quite interesting."

Hermione waited a moment for him to continue, but when the Headmaster continued gazing silently at the chain in his slender hands, Hermione asked, "What?"

Dumbledore looked up at her. "There was a hidden property in this necklace. Only certain people can travel by it. Though you probably assumed it was titled by its uses, it was, in fact, named for the only people who can use it."

"I don't understand," said Hermione in confusion.

Dumbledore peered at her over his glasses. "The only people who can use this time-travel device are those who are rising from the ashes of destruction to change the past for pure causes. Obviously, revenge for your best friends was pure enough. If you had not been the right candidate, the consequences would have been fatal."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Oh," she said.

"I felt it was my duty to apologize for the risks my alternate self put you at. At the risk of sounding egotistical, I must say my other self would have known you were right for that task." Dumbledore's eyes took on a hint of his old pride.

"Thank you," Hermione said. "If that's all…"

Dumbledore smiled, "Not quite. I had one other thing to discuss with you."

Outside the door, loud footsteps began trotting up the stairs. "By the sound of it, here they come now."

In the door came Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Harry and Ron had come by her house often, if only to have the freshest batch of magical cookies she made especially for them. They had learned to be cautious for Hermione was not above putting the occasional hex on them.

"Aunt Mione?" they asked simultaneously.

Hermione glanced at Dumbledore in confusion. "This is what you called me here for?"

Dumbledore nodded and said, "They are in their fifth year. I think it is high time they knew the truth about Hermione Granger."

Hermione sighed, "Now?" she asked hopelessly.

The two boys watched her quizzically. "What's this about?" Harry asked, emerald eyes showing his confusion.

Hermione motioned for them to sit down. "I don't know how to begin," she said softly.

Dumbledore went over to his cabinet and pulled out a large stone basin. "I think this may help."

Hermione sighed and put her wand to her temple. She began pouring her memories of her future, her past and her second past into the already full basin.

Finally she stirred it with her long wand. "Let me start from where all tales begin… the beginning. I was eleven and, as a Muggle, was amazed to see an owl outside my kitchen window. I pulled it in, read the letter and waited for the old man to appear."

Ron interjected. "What old man?"

"My letter told me an old man would be by in a moment to explain everything. Sure enough, old Dumbledore Apparated into my kitchen. He explained everything and I went to Hogwarts School of and Wizardry. On the train there, I met this little boy who had lost his toad."

Hermione conjured an image of the frantic Neville scouring his compartment. "I began looking around the train too, asking everyone if they knew where it was. When I came into a compartment that held two boys, I saw one was about to try a spell."

Another image floated to the top of the Pensive. It showed a small freckled boy waving his wand at a sleeping rat and saying, "Sunshine, daises, butter mellow. Turn this stupid fat rat yellow!"

"I ,for one, thought the boy was an idiot." Hermione grinned as the two fifth-years looked at their counterparts. "However, he led me to meet the famous Harry Potter."

Hermione continued showing them images of their six school years together. Harry in particular was shocked by how his life would have been. She showed them tidbits of the Final Battle, and ended by showing them her last year at Hogwarts in the past. The boys were awed by her story.

Harry was the first to speak up. "You risked your life for us? Knowing you would might never see us again?"

Hermione nodded. "Bloody hell," whispered Ron. Hermione laughed at that; she obviously hadn't changed everyting.

Harry was holding his forehead. Hermione could tell he was imagining the scar that would have been there. She reached over to where he sat and patted his shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to know."

"I'm glad you told us. Thank you." Harry's voice was determined, as though he had been changed by what he had heard. When Hermione thought about it, she would have been too.

Suddenly, a loud commotion came from outside the door. Professor McGonnagal burst in with two identical red-haired boys right behind.

"Professor Dumbledore! These miscreants just turned the dungeon into a rainforest! I was almost eaten by a white tiger!" McGonnagal screeched. When Hermione looked closely, she could indeed tell that her robes were slightly torn.

"Oh, hello Hermione," said the professor with a smile.

Seeing McGonnagal was losing her steam, Fred Weasley cut in. "Well Professor, if you think about it, at least you weren't the jaguar."

At McGonnagal's inquisitive look, George said, "No, who should punish is the one who attacked you. Draco Malfoy is the real criminal here."

At that moment, a greasy gorilla barged into the room. It glared at Hermione so intensely she laughed. "Severus, you can't blame me. I didn't tell them to do that. That would have been Padfoot."

From in a corner, a tall handsome man suddenly appeared. "Hey, can you blame me? I was simply instructing my followers. The Marauders Jr… I can see it now."

Hermione laughed, drew out her wand and said, "Animphanto!"

The newly transformed Sirius glared at the frizzy haired witch. The chimpanzee growled and hooted at her. "Now you know how it feels," Hermione said. Feeing sorry for the duo of primates in Dumbledore's office, she said, "Homosaphanto!"

Both Severus and Sirius were back in their original bodies. "Thank you," Severus said stiffly before sweeping out of the room.

Fred, Harry, Ron and George were all snickering. "What?" asked Sirius stiffly. Then he looked down. "Aw, Hermione. Not again!"

There, standing before his godchild, ex-headmaster, trainer, godchild's best friend and the twins for whom he was a mentor, Sirius Black was in a frilly dress.

There, that was the real end. I just wanted to add some stuff to the end! Enjoy? Tell me all about it in a review!