Hermione's Plan
Setting Things in Motion
By Chem Prof
Chapter 2, Setting Things in Motion
“Harry, Ron,” Hermione called out to her friends while hurrying down the stairs from the girls’ dorm. “Take my trunk to the station. I need to go talk to Professor McGonagall before we go.” Before they could respond she was past them and heading for the portrait hole. “I’ll catch up with you later. Save me a seat,” she called over her shoulder as she disappeared through the portrait hole. She didn’t catch their reply, but she knew pretty much what their response would be. Ron would look at Harry and mutter something about her being ‘mental’ and Harry would shrug his shoulders in amusement. Then they would do as she asked and wait for her to explain when she rejoined them.
Hermione hurried through the empty corridors of Hogwarts and soon found herself standing by the gargoyle guarding the office of the Headmistress, suddenly realizing that she didn’t know the password. “Professor McGonagall!” she called out, hoping that the Headmistress was in and would hear her. Nothing happened and Hermione suddenly felt rather foolish, standing out here in the corridor shouting for the headmistress.
“Miss Granger, what are you doing here?” Hermione spun around to see McGonagall approaching her down the corridor and the foolish feeling dissipated as one of relief washed over her.
“Professor, I need to ask you for something, and it’s quite urgent,” Hermione blurted out, conscious of the short time she had before the Hogwarts Express was due to leave. McGonagall looked at her sternly, then motioned that she should accompany her into the office.
Pausing at the gargoyle, McGonagall barked out ‘Sloth Grip Roll’ and the wall parted and the stairway appeared. Hermione fought back a smile. McGonagall was well known for her passion for quidditch, so it only stood to reason that her password would be a quidditch term. McGonagall noted Hermione’s reaction and the ghost of a smile crossed her own lips. “I considered using ‘Green-eyed Seeker’ but I thought it might hint at favoritism for a certain friend of yours.” This time Hermione was unable to contain her smile.
When they had arrived at the top of the circular stairs and entered the office itself, McGonagall was all business again. “What can I do for you Miss Granger?”
Hermione decided on the direct approach and took a deep breath. “I need another time turner.”
-ooOoo-
Since the Hogwarts Express was carrying only about half the normal number of students due to so many having left the school prior to the funeral, Harry and Ron had managed to secure a compartment all to themselves. Just as the train was starting to pull away from Hogsmeade Station Hermione burst through the door and plopped down on the seat across from them, breathing heavily. Both boys quickly jumped to their feet and helped her stow away her things, then waited for her to catch her breath.
Not very long, however. Impatience finally overtook Ron and he demanded, “Okay, so what was that all about?” Hermione grinned at both of her friends. That was so in character for them. She could see that Harry was as curious as Ron, but was being a bit more polite about it. Before she said anything she pulled out her wand and cast silencing and privacy spells. They could not afford any interruption during this conversation.
“Well,” she began, “I was thinking.” She noted the smirk that Ron exchanged with Harry at that unsurprising revelation but ignored it. “About all the things we have to do this summer. I started making a list …” The smirk was replaced with a groan from Ron. Harry just nodded thoughtfully. It was apparent that he had expected that sort of thing from her. “If you’d just let me finish,” she huffed at Ron, more for form’s sake than from any real annoyance, “I was making a list of all the things we have to do in order to accomplish our … let’s call it our mission.” As she was speaking she withdrew the list from her pack and they moved next to her, one to each side, to look over her shoulders. “When I finished I realized that we had a tremendous amount to do and not very much time to do it in.” She looked up at Harry. “I know how impatient you probably are to get this done as quickly as possible.” He acknowledged her assumption with another nod. “So,” she finished, as they looked back at her expectantly, “I asked McGonagall for a time turner.” She finished in a rush, and waited for their reaction in breathless anticipation.
They did not disappoint her. “Bloody hell!” She could have predicted that response from Ron. She was more interested in seeing Harry’s reaction, though.
“Hermione, have we ever told you that you’re brilliant?” Hermione let out the breath she had been holding, relieved at his acceptance of her actions.
She beamed back at him and shrugged, then dropped her head demurely. “Once or twice.”
Harry smiled back at her broadly; she looked back up at him and their eyes held each others’ for an instant. Then Harry glanced over at Ron nervously. Hermione knew exactly what had just gone through his mind. It had just been a friendly smile, but he didn’t want Ron to take it the wrong way. He probably assumed that she and Ron were together now. That was something she would need to get cleared up as soon as possible. She put that thought aside and began telling them the details of her meeting with McGonagall, and explaining the items on her list.
“I just told her that we had important things to do and not enough time to do them in. I left the impression that there would be no way we could come back in the fall if we didn’t get them done. She asked if this had something to do with what you and Dumbledore were working on and I thought it would be all right to tell her that it did.” Hermione broke off here and looked at Harry anxiously for confirmation. She didn’t want him to feel manipulated or that she was making too many decisions.
Harry seemed to sense her worry and gave her arm a little squeeze as he nodded. “Good thinking. You needed to convince her how important it was but didn’t really give anything away that she hadn’t already figured out.”
Relieved, Hermione continued her tale. “I think the thought that we might not return in the fall settled it for her. Of course, the fact that I used one responsibly for a whole year was a key point in our favor.” She paused again and both boys motioned that they understood and that she should continue. But she knew Harry wasn’t going to be happy about the next part. “The problem is that they are only handed out by the Ministry.” She winced at the scowl that instantly darkened his face. When he saw her reaction he softened a bit and gave her an apologetic look. She shook her head to indicate that she understood that his scowl hadn’t been directed at her. “However,” she continued quickly, “it’s not as bad as it sounds. Time turners are controlled by the Unspeakables in the Department of Mysteries so we might be able to get one without the rest of the Ministry finding out.” Harry relaxed. All three of them knew what a disaster it would be if Scrimgeour, or worse, Umbridge found out what they were up to.
“Even so, how are we going to get in there to ask for one without anyone noticing?” asked Ron.
Hermione turned toward him. “McGonagall has a friend there that she’s going to contact for us. His name is Croaker. If he’s agreeable, she’ll try to set up a meeting with him somewhere outside the Ministry building.” Harry and Ron both looked relieved at that information. “One other problem though,” Hermione mentioned, turning back to Harry. “I read last summer that all of the time turners had been destroyed during our battle there with the Death Eaters.” Harry nodded grimly. That had been a night he would rather forget, but it was etched permanently in his memory. The sight of that Death Eater cycling between infancy and adulthood after they had smashed the time turners had been creepy, but was insignificant compared to some of the other horrors he had witnessed that night. Not the least of them being the near death of the witch before him. Hermione’s hand on his shoulder brought his thoughts back to the present. She knew what exactly where his mind would have gone when she brought that night up, but she pressed on. “So we don’t even know if they’ve made any more or not. McGonagall was hopeful that they had, though.”
With nothing more to discuss on the issue of time turners for the moment, the trio directed their attention back to Hermione’s list.
“You were really thorough with this, Hermione,” marveled Harry, sending a warm feeling of happiness surging through her. Not only was it nice to hear that he appreciated her, but it was also great just to be here talking and planning like this with Harry and Ron. It was as if the previous year hadn’t happened and the three of them were facing another challenge together again just like old times. “When did you have time to work all this out?”
Before she could answer, Ron interjected, “You’re even giving us some time to have fun and enjoy ourselves? Blimey, Hermione, what’s come over you?”
Hermione was in too good of a mood to let this bother her, and playfully swatted at his arm. “I like to have fun sometimes, too,” she protested. “Even I don’t like to work all the time.” Out of the corner of her eye she saw Harry’s eyebrows rise and realized that her banter with Ron could be construed as flirtatious. She really had to figure out a way to clue him in about her and Ron’s relationship, and soon.
Ron wasn’t finished teasing, however. “And you even wrote a note to remind yourself not to nag us? Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?”
Hermione put her hands on her hips and gave Ron a stern look. “It just says I’m going to try to avoid nagging Harry. It says nothing about nagging you, Ronald.” She was rewarded for this snappy comeback with a wince from Ron and chortles from Harry. She backed up and put her arm around Harry’s waist and cocked her head at Ron in a ‘so there!’ pose. After a second of complete silence all three burst out laughing.
After several more minutes spent discussing Hermione’s list she spoke up again. “I have some more ideas about what we need to do first, but right now Ron and I need to go out on patrol.” Harry looked puzzled for a moment, then shot Ron a knowing grin and told them to have fun on patrol and that he would have a bit of a kip while they were out.
As soon as they were in the corridor Hermione pulled Ron aside and spoke to him in a low voice. “Ron, would you do me a favor? As soon as you get a chance, please tell Harry that the two of us aren’t romantically involved. It feels so awkward with him thinking something is up whenever I smile at you or every time we happen to be alone together.”
While it was a reasonable request, Ron was surprised at the urgency Hermione was showing. It was a misunderstanding that could be easily cleared up, but didn’t seem like that big of a deal. Then he looked at her thoughtfully. “Are you sure there isn’t some other reason?”
Hermione bit her lip nervously, then looked up at Ron and decided to confide in him. “You see, Ron, if all this turns out the way I think it will Harry and I will be spending a lot of time together and …” She paused, letting the implication sink in.
“And you’re thinking of trying to start something with him?” Ron offered.
“Did you hear about him and Ginny?” Hermione asked, avoiding the question temporarily.
“Yeah,” Ron responded. “He told me while we were waiting for you.”
“Look,” Hermione explained, “I’ve spent six years spending all of my time with you two. It only makes sense that I might get together with one of you and, well, you said you weren’t interested.” Ron remained silent, mulling over her revelation. “Would you be okay with it if it did happen?”
“I’d be a real prat if I objected,” Ron pointed out, “since Harry didn’t seem to have a problem when he thought we were together.” Hermione sighed in relief, but Ron wasn’t finished yet. “On the other hand, it seems I should show some loyalty to my sister.”
Hermione paused for a moment while she pondered this reasoning. She hadn’t expected Ron to take Ginny’s side, but now that he pointed it out, it made some sense. But what about the fact that she was his best friend? Ron was aware of her consternation and quickly clarified his position. “Hermione, I want what is best for Harry. I’m not sure who would be better for him, you or Ginny.”
Hermione’s hand rose to her mouth to stifle a gasp, as her eyes began to moisten. How could Ron say that after all they’d been through together?
“Hermione, I know you care a lot for Harry, probably more than anyone else. But Ginny cares for him too. And you gave him quite a bit of grief this year. Even when you’re getting along, you can be a pain sometimes. You’re not always the most fun person to be around, you know, and Ginny made Harry laugh. He was pretty happy while he was with her.” Hermione desperately wanted to object, but she knew that what he was saying was absolutely true. Just as she started to respond Ron held up his hand to silence her. “So I think those two items I pointed out on your list are pretty significant. Can I assume those are there because you’re aware of this and are going to try to change?”
Hermione could only nod silently and wonder how much this was part of the reason that Ron had decided that he wasn’t interested in her. She redoubled her resolve to lighten up and show her fun side more often. Ron then shocked her by pulling her into a hug. “Hermione, it hasn’t always been gloom and doom with us. I’ve heard you laugh, and we have had fun together. I want you both to be happy and I think the two of you could get on smashingly together. Just try to remember what I’ve said, okay?” Hermione nodded again, the tears that had been threatening gone now. Ron pulled back and a different, more grateful expression crossed his face.
“Hermione, I want to thank you for telling me all this, and also for considering me first. Go easy on him, though, he’s got a lot of other stuff on his mind right now.”
“Don’t worry, I will. Thank you Ron, it really means a lot to me.”
“Where are you going now?” Ron asked as Hermione began to head down the corridor away from their compartment.
Hermione turned back to smile at him. “Well, Ron we do have a patrol to make.”
-ooOoo-
Harry had dozed for a while, but he had too much on his mind to be able to rest for long. He was sitting looking out the window as the scenery of northern England flew by, wondering what was in store for him this summer, when the door to their compartment burst open and Ron stormed in.
“That little tramp! I can’t believe her!” Hermione followed him in trying to calm him down but inwardly thinking that this was working out better than she could possibly have hoped. Harry was on his feet in an instant, ready to intervene in another one of his friends’ quarrels. Hermione noted the flash of anger on his face and realized that he was under the impression that Ron’s words were directed at her. A little thrill shot through her at the thought that he would leap to defend her honor so quickly, even against his best friend.
“Calm down Ron. It wasn’t that bad. She’s just broken up with Harry and she probably just wants some comforting.”
“Hermione, she was practically sitting in his lap!”
“Whose lap?” Harry now had a pained expression on his face as he had worked out whom they were talking about. At this Ron suddenly seemed to realize that this might not have been the greatest way to let his best friend hear about what he had just witnessed.
“Err … Colin Creevy.” Ron winced expecting Harry to blow up, but Harry only stared straight ahead with a pained look on his face. Hermione tentatively reached out to put a comforting hand on his arm. After a few more moments, Harry dropped his head and returned to his seat with Hermione remaining by his side and taking the seat next to him. Ron sat down on the bench across from them as the uncomfortable silence stretched out.
Hermione knew exactly why Ginny was cuddling up to Colin Creevey, and why the younger girl had made sure that she and Ron had seen it. She was trying to make Harry jealous. Right, you know all about that tactic, she thought guiltily, recalling the McClaggen episode at Slughorn’s party. She firmly pushed that thought aside – they were going to forget about that whole disastrous year’s experience and start fresh.
“Hermione’s right,” Harry eventually concluded. “I broke up with her. The whole thing couldn’t have been very pleasant for her. She has a right to do whatever she wants now, and if that means she needs another guy …” He shrugged and turned his head to look out the window again.
“And what about you?” Hermione persisted. “What about your feelings?”
“I’ll be all right,” Harry responded, turning back to her. He managed a small smile for her. “Look, I know you’re worried about me and I appreciate it. Really, I’ll be fine. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of things to keep my mind occupied.” As Harry looked away again, Hermione caught Ron’s eye and gave a small shake of her head, letting him know that despite how Harry’s last remark might be interpreted, she had no intention of taking advantage of him in his current mental state. Ron relaxed and leaned back. After a bit more silence, Hermione returned to their previous discussion of their plans, and received grateful looks from both of the boys for turning everyone’s thoughts away from Ginny.
“First of all,” Hermione began, “we need to know what our assets are. For example, an extended period of training is going to be expensive. How much money are we going to have available to us?” Ron grimaced at this topic and Hermione decided to address his concerns head on. “Ron, we know you aren’t wealthy and you won’t be able to contribute anything financially. But that’s okay. We all have different things to offer and all three of us are going to need to accept that. I’m not going to get mad if there’s something you can do that I can’t and Harry’s going to have to accept that there are things that we are going to be doing for him. Are we clear on that?” She waited until both boys nodded, Ron rather reluctantly.
“Now, my parents are relatively well off, so they could help us out some, but what about you Harry?”
“I don’t really know. I only know that there’s always been money in my vault when I needed it. I haven’t even been to Gringotts since third year,” he reminded them.
“Well, I was also thinking of the inheritance you got from Sirius. Do you have any idea how much that was?”
“No idea. I just reckoned it was only the house,” Harry admitted.
“No mate,” Ron broke in, interested in this topic in spite of his misgivings. “The Black family was pretty wealthy.”
“Just so.” Hermione went on. “I was thinking that since you aren’t really very comfortable with the idea of benefiting from Sirius’s death …” She paused, looking at Harry for confirmation of her assumption. He nodded that she was correct. “… that we dedicate all of Sirius’s money to be used to fight the war. Sort of as a way of honoring him.”
Hermione wasn’t sure how Harry would react to this suggestion, so she was quite pleasantly surprised when he reached out and hugged her. “That’s a great idea, Hermione,” he rasped out. She realized that he was having trouble controlling his emotions and having his head buried in her bushy hair was enabling him to hide his face from Ron. She responded by putting her arms around him and pulling him tightly to herself, not letting go until she could feel him regaining control of his breathing.
She glanced over at Ron to gauge his reaction to Harry’s sudden display of emotion. Ron frowned for a moment at their embrace, but it soon dissolved into a look of understanding as he realized what was going on. He rose from his seat and leaned forward and patted Harry on the back a few times, then sat back down. “I think that’s a great idea, too, Harry. I think that’s what he would have wanted. And to know that the Black family fortune was going to help defeat the dark lord – well, I think he would have thought that was brilliant. One last great prank to play on his family.”
Hermione shot Ron a grateful smile and Harry soon regained his composure and pulled back from her. “You two are the greatest,” he managed, while wiping his face on his sleeve.
“So,” he continued at last, “do we try to meet with Bill and find out how much I have?”
“No, I think he’s still in the hospital,” Ron pointed out. “But I think you could send Hedwig to Gringotts to request a meeting with the goblins. They’ll probably be willing to sit down with you and talk about it if your account’s large enough. I remember Bill mentioning that the wealthy families all had their own personal bankers.” Harry and Hermione both agreed. Hermione was impressed at the maturity Ron was showing as he put aside his feelings about his relative poverty to offer his knowledge on the subject.
“Okay, I’ll do that as soon as I get home,” Harry agreed. “Oh, and as long as we’re setting up meetings, I think we should talk to Fred and George.” Hermione’s forehead crinkled in thought for a moment, then she nodded in understanding. Ron, who had expected her to object to having any dealings with the two pranksters, expressed surprise. “I think that their clever minds could come up with some interesting items that would be effective weapons, offensive or defensive,” Harry explained. “You saw how Malfoy used that instant darkness powder. Imagine the possibilities of a portable swamp, for example, in defending a position.”
Once Ron saw what Harry was thinking, he became quite enthusiastic about the possibilities. Hermione added ‘Meet with the twins’ to her to-do list.
Looking out the train window, Hermione saw that they were approaching London. “One more important thing we need to decide before we go any further,” she pointed out. “Where are we going to go once we arrive at King’s Cross? I assume you’re still planning to go to your aunt and uncle’s Harry?” He nodded glumly. She could see he didn’t really want to, but felt an obligation to follow Dumbledore’s wishes. “How much time do you plan to stay there?”
“I’m not really sure. I only spent two weeks there last year before he picked me up. But it was a month the year before, and even longer than that the previous summers.”
“It seems to me that it’s less and less every year. Probably you’d not need to stay any longer than a week, wouldn’t you think?”
Harry’s mood brightened considerably. “That’s brilliant, Hermione!” He gave her an appreciative smile, which she returned. Then he frowned again. “One problem though – I know you guys said you’d stay with me, but …”
Ron broke in. “Mate, there’s no way we’re letting you stay there by yourself. Don’t even think about it.” Hermione also shot Harry a glare. She thought they had gotten past this.
Harry held up his hands in defense. “No, no, don’t get me wrong. I’d love to have you guys stay with me. But I don’t think the Dursley’s would go for it. Ron maybe, but definitely not Hermione. They’d never stand for me having a girl stay in my room, and I doubt they’d let her use the guest bedroom.”
Hermione was crestfallen. After all her efforts it looked like she was going to be left out. She had to admit that Harry was probably right, but that didn’t make it any easier to take. Harry saw her distress and moved to try to comfort her. “It’s not that I don’t want you around, Hermione,” he said as he put his arm around her. “Can’t you come by during the day sometimes?”
Realization suddenly dawned on Hermione. “Of course I can. Why didn’t I think of that before?” she announced enthusiastically. “I can apparate back and forth every day. That way I can spend most of the day with you guys, but I can also spend time with Mum and Dad. That will work out perfectly.” She looked up and was relieved to see that both Harry and Ron were delighted with this solution, and her worries that they didn’t want her around vanished.
“I’ll just need to get Mum or Dad to drive me over for a visit,” she mused, working out the details as she spoke. “Once I know where it is I can apparate there any time I want, directly from my house to yours.” Harry then decided that it would probably be better if he went home with his relatives by himself and explained what they intended, and Ron could join him the next day. Glad to have that settled, the trio began collecting up their things as the train pulled into the station.
Of course it was too good to last. All of their well thought out planning started falling apart as soon as they entered the station. Molly Weasley stated that she needed Ron at home, to help get things ready for the wedding. When Ron and Harry pointed out that it would only be for a week, she said she would consider it, but that Ron and Ginny had to come to the Burrow for now. Harry decided not to mention that he had broken up with Ginny, and that he hadn’t invited her to join them at Privet Drive. When Ginny came off the train walking very closely next to Colin Creevey, Harry avoided looking in her direction, choosing to go with Hermione so she could introduce him to her parents and explain what they were planning.
As they approached the Grangers, Hermione dropped her things and raced up to give each of her parents one of her trademark hugs. She noticed Harry hanging back with a wistful smile on his face, clearly happy for her reunion with her parents, but probably regretting that he didn’t have any family of his own to welcome him. After releasing her parents, she returned to Harry and dragged him forward. As she was doing so, she wondered where the Dursleys were, but put that thought out of her mind for now.
“Harry, this is my mum and dad, Dan and Emma Granger. Mum, Dad, this is Harry Potter,” she announced as handshakes were exchanged.
“Oh?” Emma asked, raising her eyebrows, “is he the one you …”
“Harry’s my friend, Mum,” Hermione interrupted, heading her mother off before she could ask anything embarrassing. “My best friend for six years.”
“Of course, we already knew that,” replied Emma, recovering smoothly. She had been aware that Hermione had intended to be able to introduce them to a boyfriend when she returned home this year. Apparently that hadn’t worked out. “Hermione’s written about you often. It’s so nice to meet you again.” Dan agreed with her, while eyeing Harry thoughtfully. He seemed like a pretty nice kid. And his daughter had always spoken glowingly of him. Emma continued making small talk with Harry, and they eventually concluded that they had only met him once before, prior to Hermione’s second year. Hermione watched all of this nervously. She really wanted her parents and Harry to get on well together. A plan had been forming in her mind for a way they could maximize their use of the time turner, and it was essential that Harry gain her parents’ trust in order for it to work.
In fact, Harry and the Grangers were getting along fabulously. The Grangers were very pleasant and down to earth people, and Harry could see some of Hermione’s traits in them. There was absolutely no comparison between them and the Dursley’s in his mind, and he interacted happily with them. For their part, the Grangers were very impressed that a sixteen year old boy was so interested in talking to them and hearing what they had to say. He was friendly, well-mannered, and seemed quite content to be standing there visiting with them. And neither of them failed to notice that he and Hermione were quite fond of each other, from the looks and smiles they exchanged. They did wonder, though, why he didn’t seem to be in any hurry to find his own family. After all, he hadn’t seen them for nearly ten months.
Before they knew it, Harry and Hermione found that they were the only students left in the station. Harry had been looking around discreetly during their conversation, and had noticed two things. Remus and Tonks were standing a polite distance away, keeping an eye on him, and the Dursleys were nowhere in sight. Hermione, seeing what he was doing, caught his eye and the two of them silently came to the same conclusion. The Dursleys were not coming to pick Harry up. The school had probably sent on owl to all the parents to alert them that their children would be coming home two weeks early, and the Dursleys had likely refused to even let it into the house.
After realizing this, Harry motioned Remus and Tonks to come over, and Hermione introduced them to her parents. They began discussing their options, one of which was for Harry to take the Knight Bus back to Privet Drive. None of them were thrilled with that idea, since Harry would prefer to stay out of the public eye right now.
At this point Dan Granger broke in. “Where do you live Harry?”
“Little Whinging, in Surrey,” Harry replied.
“We could drop you off on our way home,” he offered, glancing at Emma and Hermione for confirmation. “Surrey is right on our way.” Emma agreed that of course they could take him, it would be no problem at all. Hermione tried to keep relatively calm, but inside she was ecstatic. This couldn’t possibly have worked out any better. She, and especially her parents, would be able to spend a bit more time with Harry, and she would be able to find out exactly where Harry’s house was. She couldn’t help the smile that broke out on her face, and it only grew when Harry happily accepted her dad’s offer.
“Well then, let’s get out to the car and get going,” Dan announced, and the four of them picked up the students’ luggage and other possessions and headed out of the station.
Hermione couldn’t help taking Harry’s hand and giving it a little squeeze as they walked out to the car, which elicited a shared smile between the two of them. So far everything was going according to plan.
-xox-XOX-XOX-xox-
1) I know the use of a time turner to enable Harry to prepare to face Voldemort has been done before in fan fiction. The one that comes immediately to my mind is White Knight, Grey Queen by Jeconais. While there will probably be some common elements between that story and this one, I hope mine will be different enough that readers won’t feel that I’m copying from him. I’m using Croaker, like he did (but not in the same role), because he’s the only Unspeakable mentioned in canon.
2) Many H/Hr stories make Ron out to be a bad guy, or even kill him off. I try not to do that, and keep him an important part of the trio. In this story he may even seem unusually mature.