Hello everyone! As you all know I've deleted all of my stories except for The Children and Hogwarts: the marauders era. If you want either of those deleted, just say so. Anyway, enough dreary news. This is my first time-travel fic but I have been reading those a lot lately. It's a younger Sirius/Hermione fic. No, this isn't copied from people, though I have put a few interesting ideas in here that I found in some stories. Now, on with the story.

Hermione Granger sat, as she usually did, looking out of her window in number 12 Grimmauld Place. It was about two months since The-boy-who-lived a.k.a. Harry Potter had saved the wizarding and muggle world and she hadn't left this spot, except to go to the loo or, on very few occasions, to eat for about a month. She didn't read, study, or even talk to anyone. If someone spoke to her, she would ignore them, it was almost as if she couldn't see them. Harry Potter and Ginerva Weasley were the two that visited her almost daily. The two of them sat in the kitchen discussing the current problem.

"I can't force her Ginny. She hasn't been the same since it happened. Neither have your family." Harry Potter sighed tiredly.

"I know Harry, don't you think I do? Ron was the closest brother to my age. We hung out so much. Don't you think I miss him as well? She can't spend her life up there. You know it, I know it, heck, even she knows it. She just won't admit it." Ginny let alone tear escape before whispering, "I miss both of them so much. I just wish she'd come down." Harry pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. Harry thought about what had changed the happy life he had had for a month after the war, to the sadness spreading from everyone. Ron Weasley, one of the great heroes of the Second War, was dead.

"It's my fault." he whispered, almost silently. He didn't hear Ginny's protests as he remembered what had happened that day.

Flashback

Harry was sitting at the table, laughing with Hermione, Ron and Ginny. The two couples were as happy as anyone could be. They all felt like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders. Suddenly an owl swooped in with a letter from the ministry. It only had seven words on it.

Harry and Ron,

We found them.

Kingsley.

Harry and Ron immediately understood. They rose, kissing their respective girlfriends and hugging the other girl. All they said was "Death eaters." Harry, Ron, the order, and the ministry had been tracking the death eaters that had either not been fighting in the second battle or had run off before they were captured. They flooed to Kingsley's office and waited. He came through the door moments later.

"Mr. Potter. Mr. Weasley. I'm sorry to call you away from your family at this time but we must hurry before another dark lord comes to power and commands the remaining death eaters." They both nodded. He turned to Harry. "This especially concerns you, Mr. Potter. You remember the night before your 17th birthday, I presume." He continued as soon as Harry had nodded. "A few days after your defeat of He-who-must-not-be-named, we returned your relatives to their home." Harry's eyes widened. 'Surely they didn't mean...the Dursleys weren't...they couldn't possibly be...and Dedalus and Hestia...are they?' These thoughts whirled through Harry's head in that moment. Kingsley must have noticed. "There was an attack but luckily only two of the five people were killed.

"Which two?" Harry asked weakly. The minister looked at him sadly. "Who?" he demanded

"Your Uncle Vernon and Dedalus were both killed." he quickly explained the attack, ending with,"Your aunt, cousin, and Hestia were rescued, and are waiting if you want to talk to them." Harry nodded. Kingsley and Ron left the room, as the three entered.

"Aunt Petunia, Dudley, Hestia." He considered his words for a minute. "I would like to talk to each of you alone, if you don't mind." The three nodded their heads, each with different thoughts swirling through their heads. "Hestia first if you don't mind." The Dursley's left the room, closing it behind them. Harry set up a silencing charm as Hestia sat down. "Hestia, I would like to thank you for helping to save the only blood family I have left, whether we got along or not, they are my family. I would also like to say that I sympathize for the loss of Dedalus, I know you two were friends." She nodded, holding back tears.

"Thank you Harry Potter." she let out a strangled laugh,"You could run for minister, you know. Everyone would vote for you, including me." she smiled. Harry grinned.

"If you don't mind I would rather a quiet life after I finish these last couple death eaters. I've already had too much excitement in my life. Thank you for the support though." She laughed slightly. "If you have nothing to discuss with me, could you send Dudley in?" she nodded and left. Dudley entered, looking slightly nervous. Harry didn't have to repeat the silencing charm so he waited for Dudley to sit down. "Hey, Big D. Look, I know we weren't close but I'm sorry about Uncle Vernon. I can sympathize." Dudley gave the same smile he had given last time, when Harry had called him by his gang nickname. "Listen, I know that you and Aunt Petunia's house burnt down, and it's my fault, if you hadn't been related to me, it wouldn't have happened. If you want, you have a room at my house. You're 18 now, so you don't have to live with Aunt Petunia, whether she decides to say yes or no. That is why I'm asking you by yourself." Harry said. Dudley nodded.

"Can, I think about it. We've never gotten along, and I would like to meet your friends. I would also like to try out your wand, if I could. Mom and Dad got a letter from a Dumblebore, or something like that. They didn't tell me about it but I listened in. He said that I might be an almost. What exactly is an almost? In your world I mean." he asked, voice low and awkward.

"An almost is someone born to a non-magic family that has magic in them, only it shows later than eleven, so they can't go to a magical school. They have to go through a certain test to figure out whether they are allowed in the wizarding world." Dudley nodded. "I will wait for your answer. For now, could you send you mother in?" Dudley nodded and left, leaving Harry wondering about how his cousin had changed from before he himself had entered the wizarding world, to after Dudley had been attacked. A voice brought Harry from his thoughts.

"Harry," It was his Aunt Petunia, she looked nervous, standing in the door way. He motioned for her to sit. She didn't hesitate to do so.

"Aunt Petunia, do you remember a boy named Severus Snape, from your childhood?" Her eyes clouded for a minute before she nodded. "He has died just recently. A few days before the attack actually." She looked shocked at this news. "I was the last one to see him before he died of snake venom. He gave me a memory of mom, you and him when you were kids." He knew he had tears in his eyes as he thought of the mother he would never know.

"Harry," she said his name, not as if it was a swear word as he was used to, but as a pleading. "What did Sev show you?" He was surprised to hear her call his potions master by the name his mother had given him, but didn't comment on it.

"He showed me the day he met you two, the day you learned about the dementors and Severus hurt you with the tree branch, the day you learned that my mom and Severus had discovered the letter from Dumbledore, a scene from the train where my mom told Severus she didn't want to talk to him because he made you hate her, a couple scenes from school and a few scenes of Severus and Dumbledore." She had paled slightly while he had been speaking. "Aunt Petunia, I know why you didn't associate with my mom and why you hated me. I would like to put that behind us, if we could. I would like to invite you to live in my house." She looked at him, shocked.

"Why would you do that?" she whispered. Harry looked at her.

"My mother loved you. She hated the fact that you wouldn't talk to her. She was mad, for a time, at Severus because he caused you to be mad at her. I think, given the chance, you two would have become close again. Is that enough of an explanation?" he asked her, never once letting his voice waver from the calm tone.She nodded. "Will you move in with us? I assure you, Mrs. Weasley, my friend Ron's mother, will be more than happy to have another mouth to feed." he added, laughing slightly.

"Thank you, Harry. Thank you so much. Is Dudley invited?" Harry nodded.

"I've asked, but he said he would think about it. What do you think?" She looked, he never thought she would ever look at him like that, grateful.

"I would like to get to know you properly Harry." she said. Harry nodded.

"Aunt Petunia." she stopped on her way to the door. "Dudley knows about being an almost. He listened in." She paled slightly. "I would like to test him personally." She nodded and left. Ron came in.

"How did it go, mate?" he asked awkwardly. Hermione was good at this, not him.

"I'm fine, just a little startled." Ron nodded. "So minister, where are the Death eaters?"

They were at the graveyard Harry had been brought to in fourth year. They had planned it out. Ron would stay back, he was the strategist, they needed him more than Harry. Harry would take a couple squads of aurors and attack.

Harry was outnumbered and surrounded, most of his fighters had been shot down. Suddenly one of the Death Eaters surrounding Harry fell with a shot from behind. Harry looked up to see Ron with his wand out.

"RON! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!" Harry yelled when he saw his friend. Harry shot curses left and right, trying to fend off the approaching Death eaters. Ron came from behind and half of them turned to him.

"I'M SAVING YOUR ARSE, HARRY!" Ron yelled back, still dueling. A bolt of green light hit him in the back just as Harry got rid off his last opponent.

"RON!" Harry quickly stunned the Death eaters Ron had been facing, then the one that had killed Ron. He tied them up, one hand holding them, the other holding Ron's limp arm. He apparated back to the ministry. Ron was gone.

End of Flashback

He remembered what had happened after that. He had arrived at the ministry, holding Ron's body close and sobbing. His aunt and cousin had seen him first, letting out shocked and frightened expressions. They had agreed to live with him, when they realized the Death eaters that had attacked them weren't the only ones.

"Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed, bringing him back to the present. He whirled in his seat to see Hermione standing in the doorway. She looked exhausted but she had finally moved and he was overjoyed. "Oh Hermione, finally!" Ginny yelled, launching herself at the brunette. Hermione embraced the girl, holding her tightly.

"I'm sorry I made you guys worry." Hermione croaked, her voice not used to the work. Harry rubbed his eyes. He didn't believe it. "Harry," he looked up at her. "It's not your fault." she whispered. She held her arms open. He walked briskly over to her and enveloped her in a warm, tight, hug.

"I missed you 'Mione." he whispered in her ear. She stepped back and gave him her first smile, though a small one, in a month.

"Harry," she seemed hesitant now.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked, frantic. He didn't want her to go back into a depression.She took a deep breath.

"Can I go to the library? I have a idea about something I need to research. We'll spend time later." Instead of his face falling like she expected, his face turned brighter still.

"It's good to have you back."he told her, shooing her out. She walked out.

"Well, Petunia and Dudley should be up soon, I'd better get started on breakfast." Ginny told him. Dudley arrived downstairs soon after, the smell of Ginny's bacon, eggs, toast, and pancakes drawing him down.

"Morning." he said with a yawn. Harry grinned slightly. He watched as Dudley sat down across from him.

"Dudley," the boy looked at him. "Now that you've gotten settled, maybe we should see if you're a wizard." he said. Dudley looked fearful for a moment before nodding.

"Not before breakfast you won't Harry James Potter." came Ginny's voice from across the room. Harry winced at his full name. Dudley grinned.

"Yes Ma'am. " Harry said with a salute. She hit him over the head with her hand. "Oww, what was that for?" he said, pretending to pout.

"That was for being a smart-alec." she told him. He grinned at Dudley.

"You're whipped, Harry." Dudley told him. Harry winked at him. He turned quickly and grabbed her waist, pulling her into his lap.

"I don't care, Dudley." he said, before kissing Ginny. There was a small cough from the door, and Ginny quickly got up from his lap as his aunt walked in, smiling. "Morning Aunt Petunia." Harry said cheerfully. "We'll do it after dinner instead." he told Dudley.

That evening Hermione was still sitting in the library, researching the one idea she had had in her month of silence. Time Travel. There had to be a way to stop this from happening. She noticed a strange book on one of the many shelves that she had not noticed before. She read the strange title. 'rade tsih, tmei tavrlere.' She had never heard of a language like this before. She cautiously opened the book. Immediately she felt a small tug, urging her to read this book. She pulled away, with difficulty, and closed the book. She knew about books with that tug. She had talked with Professor McGonagall about them. If a person was determined to do something, and fate allowed it, a book would appear, helping that person along. If she had continued to read, she would be pulled back in time. She had to talk to Harry.

"Harry!" she called. He came rushing in, his wand drawn. As soon as he found out that everything was alright, he tucked his wand back in his pocket and turned to her, his eyebrow raised.

"If you were testing my reflexes, did I pass?" He asked. She smiled widely. His jaw dropped. Not even he could smile that wide, even a month after Ron had died. She turned nervous. She knew he wouldn't like this.

"Harry, what would you say if I told you that I found a way to go back in time longer than a few hours?" she asked him slowly. His face was expressionless.

"Dinner's done, we'll talk after." he said, and walked out. She waited a few minutes, pondering.

"Hermione! Dinner!" came a familiar voice. She ran to the kitchen before Ginny got even angrier at her delay. The five of them ate.

"Mom, Harry's testing me after dinner." Dudley told her. Hermione looked at Harry questioningly.

"Dudley, would it be okay if we waited for a few minutes after dinner. Hermione and I have something to discuss immediately." Dudley nodded. They finished their dinner in relative silence. Harry, Hermione, and (by invitation) Ginny, headed to the library as soon as they were done, leaving Dudley and Petunia to clean up. "Explain." he said, once they were alone.

"Harry, Ginny, I knew from the start that it would be hard to convince one of you about this, let alone both of you. I have found a book that will take me either months or years in the past, depending on how I set it. McGonagall told me about books like this one here, so I know how to set it. I want to go back. I want to change this." She said, waving her hand around, gesturing around the room. "I want to warn Ron." She looked down, not wanting to see their faces as she said the next part. "The dangerous part is, that if I get it wrong, and end up years back, I won't be able to come back." She felt Harry's hand lifting her eyes up to meet his.

"I don't like it Hermione, I don't like the risks. I don't want you to go, but I know if I try to stop you, you'll try even harder. Just please be careful." Her eyes filled with gratitude. She turned to look at Ginny.

"I want to save Ron just as much as you Hermione. I don't want to lose you or Harry too though. If you do go back, that would stop Ron from rescuing Harry and he would die instead of Ron. Please tell me there's another way." Hermione sighed.

"There's only one other way, Ginny." Both Ginny and Harry looked hopeful. "The only other way would cause me to be twenty years older than you. I would have to go back to when Harry's mum and dad were at school. I wouldn't be able to come back though, no-one can travel forward in time. I can probably tell Dumbledore about what he told you. It might, hear me Harry, might save them." she told them. Harry looked hopeful despite her warnings.

"Ginny is right about the first one, you shouldn't do it, but the second one is up to you, 'Mione. I couldn't tell you what to do, I don't want to. It's your life." Harry told her. Hermione nodded, already thinking.

"Ginny, will you go get Harry's cousin in here so we can test him." she said, pulling out her wand. Ginny nodded and went to get Dudley and Petunia. He came back, their guests trailing behind. They sat down as Harry and Hermione rose. "Before we begin, Petunia, would you like to see your sister again, if she wasn't dead?"

"Is she...?" Petunia asked. Hermione shook her head.

"We are thinking of a way to maybe bring her, James, Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore, and lots of other people back." she said.

"Would you? Could you?" Petunia asked frantically.

"We don't know, but I am going to try anyway. Would you want her back?" she asked. Petunia nodded. "Ok. Anyway, Dudley Dursley, please stand. There is a ritual we must go through." she called. Dudley stood, shaking slightly. "If the wand of your blood works for you, will you accept the honor and privilege of being a full wizard instead of an almost?"

"I will." Dudley said. Blue magic circled the room. Petunia cowered slightly. Dudley didn't move. The magic swirled around him before entering. Hermione gave a reassuring nod to both Petunia and Harry, telling them without words that this was supposed to happen.

"Dudley Dursley, with the wand of your blood, we shall see where you belong. The wand if you please." Harry handed Dudley his wand. Dudley waved the wand, causing blue sparks to come out of the end. Suddenly a chair appeared out of no where. "Dudley Dursley, you are hereby pronounced to be a wizard with all of our laws. Do you accept this? If you do, this ceremony is complete."

"I do." finished Dudley. He handed Harry back his wand and collapsed to the floor.

"Well, that's settled. Harry, you will have to take him to get his own wand when he recovers. I'm going to pack." she told them, heading to her room.

This was a long first chapter, hope you enjoyed it! Next chapter Hermione goes back in time. Belinda