Hermione was pacing the Gryffindor common room in a frenzy of nerves; Voldemort was back and had killed Cedric. Harry had been almost killed, then he turned up missing, taken by Alastor Moody. And to think, she'd almost began to trust that man. Ron was sitting in a chair next to the fireplace, watching Hermione pace. Finally, he said, "Why don't you sit down, Hermione?"

Hermione's eyes flashed as she whirled around to face Ron, "I will NOT! I've already lost one close friend this year, and now it looks like I might've lost two. I won't relax until I know Harry's safe!" She began hysterical pacing again.

"Wait, Hermione," Ron looked confused and concerned, "Who else did you lose?"

"No one," Hermione shook her head. She didn't feel like talking about Barty right now, "Forget I said anything."

Ron opened his mouth to try and push the issue farther, but decided against it, "Harry's in the infirmary, Dumbledore said he'll be fine."

"But we still don't know what happened, now do we?" Hermione was angry now and she was about to let all her pent-up emotions let loose, when Neville Longbottom stumbled awkwardly into the common room.

"Guys!" Neville panted, "Guys, I know what happened to Harry. Turns out, Alastor Moody was a Death Eater in disguise! He led Harry away and tired to get information about what happened in the graveyard, and then Dumbledore came in and questioned him and when the polyjuice potion wore off, it turned out to be Mr. Crouch's son, Barty Jr.!"

Hermione stumbled backwards into and chair and felt the room spin. Her friend was alive? And a Death Eater? It was too much to take in at one time, "Hermione?" Ron stood in front of her, "You OK?"

Hermione just pushed past him and got into Neville's face, "Where is he now?"

Neville looked flustered and said, "I don't know."

A dark shadow of anger overcame Hermione's face, "Yes, you do. Tell me!"

Neville looked ready to pee himself as he said in a shaky voice, "McGonagall's guarding the door to the Defense office, where they're keeping him, and Fudge is on his way with a Dementor—" He was cut off by Hermione turning and dashing suddenly up the stairs to the boys' dorms.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" Ron asked, flying after her. She didn't answer him and once the boys had finally reached the Fourth Year dorms, Hermione was already on her knees digging through Harry's trunk, "Hermione!" Ron yelled.

Hermione looked up and said, "Go to the hospital wing, I'll be up in a minute. There's something I need to do first." She pulled the invisibility cloak over her shoulders and disappeared from sight. She then felt in her robes pocket, making sure the stolen time-turner was still there.

Then she fled the Gryffindor tower and ran as fast as she could to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. The hallways to the school were silent and dark as she leaned against the wall next to the door, trying to catch her breath so her panting wouldn't give her away to McGonagall. Then, she slipped inside the open door. Professor McGonagall was seated at one of the near-by desks, sitting cross-armed and grumpily staring at the doorway behind Hermione. It was easy for Hermione to slip past her and quietly crack open the door to the office enough for her to slide in undetected.

In the corner of the office, seated in a small wooden chair, was a different Barty than she had ever known. His stringy brown hair was long and hanging in all directions around his dirty face. He looked as if he hadn't eaten in years and his skin clung tightly to his bones, while his harsh, condescending brown eyes bore into her, "I know you're invisible," His voice had a razor edge to it, "So show yourself." Hermione pulled the invisibility cloak off and immediately, deranged Death Eater melted into the 16 year-old boy she knew, "Hermione!" He jumped out of the chair and went to hug her.

She ducked right under his arms and was quickly on the opposite side of the room of him; he looked like a wounded puppy, "No," Now it was her turn to have the harsh eyes, "How dare you?"

He looked down at his feet and for a moment, Hermione got a glimpse of the scared teenager who'd admitted his family problems to her so long ago, "You know about that, then?"

"Know that you're a Death Eater? Know that you assisted in the murder of Cedric, and the rise of Voldemort? Know that you were in Azkaban? And know that you let me think," Her voice cracked as she choked back tears, "Let me think that you were dead." She started crying, and much to her surprise, so did he.

Barty ran over and fell to his knees at her feet, "Please forgive me! I didn't want Cedric to die, and I thought I wanted all the things I did. I did horrible things, Hermione! And I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't." Tears were streaming down his face and his voice was breaking so much, he was hardly articulate.

Hermione dropped to her knees to and broke her harsh wall. She let him hug her and they stayed like that, two friends reconciling in each other's arms. They cried and cried, until no more tears would come, then Barty whispered quietly, "I did so many bad things."

Hermione didn't want to hear them, so she just put a finger to his lips and said, "It's OK. I forgive you."

"You do?" He sat up, looking like a small kid on Christmas morning.

She did. She really did. She nodded and said, "I do. I'm just relieved that you're alive." Then her face fell again as she remembered a crucial detail, "Barty, Fudge is on his way, and he's a bringing a Dementor."

Barty scrambled to his feet and backed across the room, then began to pace as he ran his fingers through his scraggly hair, forcing it to stick up in odd places, "No, no, no, no," He muttered as he beat a familiar track up and down the office. Then he ran back over to Hermione and said, "Please, no! I can't get the Kiss! I can't! Hermione, help me!" He broke down into hysterical sobs.

She pulled him down to lie on her lap and stroked his hair until he stopped crying, "I can't do anything," She whispered.

It was silent for a minute before Barty finally said, "Hermione?" She looked down into his eyes, "I love you. I always did."

Hermione choked up again. What was she supposed to say? But she didn't have to say anything, because there was a commotion outside the door. Barty scrambled to his feet and sat back down in his chair, the cruel demeanor reappearing on his face. Hermione tossed the invisibility cloak over herself just in time for the door to open and Fudge and McGonagall to come storming into the room, "I have the right to my security, Minerva!" He roared.

The Dementor loomed in the doorway, casting its chill through the room. Hermione saw Barty grip his chair in terror, and as Fudge and McGonagall continued to bicker, the Dementor took the matter into its own hands. The creature swooped down upon Barty and began to issue the Kiss. Hermione heard both McGonagall and Barty scream and saw the Professor lunge forward, but Fudge caught her and said, "Don't get involved! What's done is done!"

But Hermione wouldn't give up; she conjured a faint, mist-like patronus that floated over and formed a shield between Barty and the Dementor. The creature backed off, but Barty still fainted. McGonagall was furious now, "Cornelius Fudge! Dumbledore will have your head!" Then she stormed from the room, Fudge and the Dementor following suit.

As soon as they were out of the room, Hermione threw the invisibility cloak off and ran over to Barty, "Wake up!" She shook him gently, "Barty wake up!" It took a few violent shakes before he finally came to.

"I'm alive? Hermione! I'm alive!" He stood up and hugged her tight, picking her up and spinning her around the room.

Then he leaned in and tried to kiss her. She put up a hand to stop him, "Barty, we don't have much time. Someone's bound to come back and find you still alive, and still with a soul." She pulled the time-turner out and placed it around his neck, "Trust me," She spun the turner and watched him disappear, a final protest attempting to escape trough the expanding time between them.

Hermione sighed and picked up the invisibility cloak. Now, all she had to do was wait.

*20 years later*

Hermione Granger sat on the front porch of her home in London, sipping lemonade and watching cars drive by. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and she was enjoying every minute of it, when a taxi cab pulled into her driveway. She wasn't expecting anyone, so she was surprised to see the car. She stood to go investigate, and when the passenger stepped out, she froze. Barty Crouch Jr. stood in her driveway, looking the exact same as he had 20 years ago.

Hermione watched him walk slowly up to stand next to her on the porch, she was absolutely stunned. Every day for 20 years, she'd thought about him and waited until she reached the year that she'd sent him to, so that he would come find her. She just didn't think that today would be that day. She smiled and said, "Barty, I—"

But he refused to let her finish. Instead, he bent down and pressed his lips firmly to hers. He kissed her gently and deeply, making her shiver with excitement and love, "I love you," He whispered against her lips.

"I love you, too," Then she kissed him again and pulled him inside the house. She drank in his kisses and the smell of his skin as she gave in to the twenty years of love she'd let build up and was now able to express. Barty wound his fingers into her hair and showered her with his touch.

Finally, they stopped to breathe, "Marry me," Barty said abruptly, pleading with his eyes.

Hermione paused, then said carefully, "We'll see." Then she kissed him again.

Yes, this is the REAL epilogue/end of the story.