Time in a Bottle

TIME IN A BOTTLE

CHAPTER 3

~*~

But there never seems to be enough time

To do the things you want once you find them...

~*~

"I don't like you."

Hermione found herself smirking in a very Slytherin-like way, replying, "I don't recall asking or even caring if you did."

"If you only knew who I am..."

Hermione gave a stubborn snort. "I know far more than you think I do."

"Is that so?" he challenged with an arrogant lift of his left eyebrow.

Tilting her head up, she looked down her nose at him. "Yes, yes it is."

"And do you care to elaborate on that?"

She gave a very unladylike sniff, "I don't have to explain myself to the likes of you."

Barely suppressed rage began to seep its way through his calm façade. "When my time comes, you'll regret this."

"And when my time comes, you'll be defeated by a one-year-old baby," Hermione muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"Just what are you insinuating?" he shouted, taking a threatening step towards her.

Hermione, never one to take intimidation kindly, mimicked him and also took a step forward, her face an inch away from his. "I don't have time to explain it to you, Thomas."

He was quiet for a long moment, staring at her with a blank expression. When he did speak, it was in a tight voice and through gritted teeth, "Okay, that's it," he announced, "you will be the first to die."

"I'm not afraid of you," Hermione proclaimed, her voice not quivering in the slightest.

He looked at her through narrow, assessing eyes. "You should be."

Here, Hermione cocked her head to the side thoughtfully. He was right, of course. This was, after all, the future Lord Voldemort. He would kill, torture, and pillage in her time; he'd become evil incarnate, and had already, in fact, killed before now.

"You're right," she conceded after a moment, "I should be afraid of you," but before he could gloat in his small moment of victory, she continued, "But that doesn't change the fact that I'm not."

There was another pensive pause of silence before he said, "You're not what you seem, I think."

Hermione regarded him carefully as she said evasively, "Very few of us are."

"I'll be watching you, Hermione Granger. And the moment you make the slightest slip up or mistake, I want you to know that I'll be there. I'll be the one to expel your secrets; after all, this is Hogwarts. When something is meant to be secret, it's only a matter of time before everyone knows," his words were ominous and laced with an underlying threat.

"Well, then, Riddle; I'll just have to be careful around you. I'm far smarter than what you seem to give me credit for," she retaliated without missing a beat.

Tom Riddle gave her a serious look when he said, "I never said that you weren't smart. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that you may be too smart for your own good," and then he left the deserted Transfiguration room, leaving Hermione mulling over his words with a troubled frown...

~*~

Hermione slowly opened her eyes, squinting as the rays of sunlight invaded her senses. Slowly, so as to not pain her already cramping muscles, she sat up on the rickety hospital wing bed, a very peculiar expression on her face.

"Unpleasant dream?" asked a voice from a chair to her left.

Twisting her aching neck sharply, Hermione mentally sighed in relief at seeing Snape. She cocked her head to the side, much in a similar way she had when regarding Tom Riddle, and belatedly responded to his inquiry, saying, "No, more like an unpleasant memory."

A brief flicker of realization crossed his tired face, and then no more words of explanation were needed.

"I can easily brew some Dreamless Sleep potion, if you should be in need of it," he offered, somewhat awkwardly for he was not so used to willingly offering his services to anybody, least of all a Gryffindor student.

Hermione gave a somewhat deflated sigh. "I don't think Dreamless Sleep can help me, Professor."

"I see," he murmured.

And Hermione knew that he wouldn't push her, but he'd also be there if she changed her mind. Interesting how one simple night spent in a brief moment of joint understanding had given her so much insight to the Potions Master that no one had been quite able to read.

Unbeknownst to Hermione, Severus was having the same thoughts as she.

"I have a few classes to teach today, but I shall return after the afternoon lessons," he informed, again knowing without asking that she did not want him to leave her for long.

Hermione chewed on her bottom lip, knowing that he had to leave her to teach his classes, but also for some mindless reason desperately wishing that he'd be able to stay with her.

Anxiously, she nodded her head in response to his statement.

As Snape prepared himself to leave, he informed her, "The Headmaster has called a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix tonight. He's going to have to ask you to relate your rather...unique circumstances for us all."

Again, she gave another anxious nod.

He hesitated as he placed a hand on the door, preparing to leave. Turning back to face her as if he had forgotten something, he muttered, "I'll stop by during lunch, as well; if that suits you."

That quite readily suited Hermione. "Yes, um, yeah that'd be fine," she managed awkwardly.

Giving a curt nod, Snape swept out of the Infirmary and made his way down to the dungeons where his seventh year Gryffindor and Slytherin class awaited him.

The day flew past Severus in a blur of classes that he could not distinguish the difference between. True to his word, he spent a surprisingly pleasant lunch with Hermione, most of which had passed in a companionable silence.

Before Severus knew it, it was 8 o'clock, the scheduled time for the meeting.

Looking up from his magazine, Modern Potions, he glanced at Hermione, who was sitting cross-legged on her bed reading Hogwarts: A History for the umpteenth time.

"Err, Miss Granger, it's time for the meeting," he drew out, his voice sounding louder than what he had intended because of the quietness in the Infirmary.

Startled, Hermione's head quickly shot up. She seemed to think about what he had said before she nodded and got up to follow him through a maze of twists and turns in corridors she had never known existed, and she knew she'd be horribly lost on the way back if Snape didn't accompany her.

As she blindly followed the Potions Master, Hermione allowed her mind to wander to the task that lay before her. She was going to have quite the time explaining herself to a room full of strangers and friends. Of course, she knew the necessity of such a meeting, for Thomas was going to come for her and everyone must be prepared, but it was still going to be bloody awkward.

After all, it's not everyday some girl such as herself was in a room full of powerful witches and wizards who were dedicated solely to destroying the evil that she, more than anyone else, had created.

Sighing, Hermione pushed that thought out of her head, barely managing to stop herself from slamming into Snape who had come to a sudden stop in front of Albus Dumbledore.

"Severus, Miss Granger," he greeted solemnly with a slight nod.

"Headmaster," Snape nodded coolly, followed by Hermione's nervously uttered greetings.

Seeing her uneasiness, Albus tried to put on a reassuring smile as he explained, "Miss Granger, I have already informed the Order of your special circumstances, so it will only be necessary for you to fill in the blanks, so to speak."

Hermione gave a slightly grateful smile before asking, "Um, exactly how much did you tell them, so I don't repeat you?"

Albus managed a genuine, small smile, "Just that you had accidentally fallen into the year 1944 and had been forced to stay there for eight months where you and Tom Riddle seemed to develop a rivalry of sorts. I also told them that this rivalry between you two had taken a turn somewhere in the middle of your stay and the two of you became quite inseparable, if I do recall."

Severus, who had already known that she had been somehow connected to a younger Voldemort, tried not to seem surprised.

Hermione gave a discreet cough, "Yes, well, I suppose I do have a lot to discuss, then. For that is a very brief, censored summary, sir."

Albus only smiled tiredly and opened a door that Hermione did not seem to notice before, silently ushering Severus and her in.

Once they had taken their seats, Hermione allowed herself to familiarize herself with the people around her. There were a few faces she recognized, the entire Weasley clan, minus Ginny and Ron, Remus Lupin, Tonks, Mad-Eye Moody, Kingsley, and even Draco Malfoy, who Hermione had always suspected of following in Snape's footsteps by turning spy and now had her confirmation. There were also many others that she recognized, but did not know personally.

Dumbledore quickly drew the meeting to order, "We are here today to listen to the accountings of Miss Hermione Granger. You have all been slightly briefed on the situation, but I fear only Miss Granger can shed some light on the incidents of the past, such as how she was returned to us, and what precautions we should take to prepare for Voldemort's arrival; she does, after all, know him the best."

Hermione gave a slight wince as he added in the last part, but quickly composed her features into a mask of emptiness as many curious eyes fell on her.

"If you will begin, please, Miss Granger," Albus prompted.

Hermione nodded, stealing a glance to make sure Snape was still at her side before she jumped right in.

"As you are all aware of, I have recently returned from an eight month sojourn in 1944, where I made the acquaintance of many people, such as, Professor Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and, of course, Tom Riddle.

"To say that Thomas and I did not get along at first would be like saying cats and dogs bicker. We were constantly at odds, got detention for dueling in the halls, and I even slapped him a couple times," she smirked at the shocked faces of those around her, but then frowned as she admitted, "but that all eventually changed.

"After four months of my stay, I thought I'd simply never return home. I began to withdraw more into myself, pushing my new friends away. And then, one day, I guess you can say I cracked. I decided that if I couldn't get back to the future, then God damn it, I would change it. And I probably would have succeeded, too, if it weren't for that one night, the night I was sent back here.

"Thomas and I had grown to become grudging colleagues, so to speak. We were far and beyond everyone else in all of our classes, and the teachers liked to pair us together because we both had like minds. After a while, I became his friend, sort of. I would find myself in his company more and more, because Thomas didn't ask questions that I couldn't give answers to. I felt safer with him, and I used our newfound friendship, you could call it, to my advantage.

"I thought that I could change Thomas, and for a short while, I did. It got to the point that he'd go into a rage whenever I was insulted by any other Slytherins, and anyone who dared call me a Mudblood would be found in the Infirmary with severe hex marks all over them. He said he hated that word, and that witches and wizards were all equal," here, Hermione was surprised that nobody's eyes popped out of their sockets, "But one night, my last night there, it all changed..."

"Hermione, remember when I told you that I didn't and could never love you?" he asked her as they strolled hand-in-hand by the lake.

Hermione gave a snort, "Sure, it was right before I slapped you."

"Well, I lied."

Eyes going comically wide, Hermione froze, not knowing what to say.

Tom didn't wait for her to say anything, though, and he continued, "The year is almost over, Hermione, and I want you to be with me. I want to marry you, Mya."

The air rushed out of her lungs as tears pricked her eyes. Surprisingly, she found that she would have liked for nothing more than to launch herself into his arms and to kiss him, tell him that she'd marry him, and then go off to live happily ever after. But she knew that she couldn't.

Frowning, she recalled those words that Dumbledore and McGonagall had said when they had given her the time turner; she remembered the words of Headmaster Dippet, and she knew even before she said anything what her answer would be.

Turning to Tom, she found him staring adoringly at her, and it completely amazed her that she, Hermione Granger, had that kind of power over the future Lord Voldemort. As she recalled the future, though, she frowned. Funny how she seemed to forget that her Thomas was the same creature who hated and destroyed everything she stood for in her own time. That her Thomas had killed her best friend's parents, robbing him of the two most important people in his life.

And in that moment, Hermione Granger knew that she couldn't marry Tom Marvolo Riddle, and that she couldn't love him, either.

"I'm sorry, Thomas, but I-I, don't think I could truly love you, and I can't be with you..."

Just the memory brought tears to her eyes. Belatedly, she realized that everyone in the room was staring intently at her, waiting for her to continue her narrative.

With a few blinks and a muffled sniff she continued, "Thomas told me- he told me that he loved me and wanted me to marry him that night when I was sent back here."

What ensued was a predictable chaos.

Tonks, whose hair had turned a livid red upon her declaration, was outraged on her behalf, and Remus was trying to calm her shouts down. Mrs. Weasley had fainted and was now being revived by her son, Bill, whereas Arthur just kept gapping like a fish out of water. Draco Malfoy was looking at her, as if seeing for the first time.

Albus, too, was terribly shocked, but he had enough sense to call for order and to allow Hermione to continue.

Hermione bit her lip, now even more nervous than before, and found that she couldn't find the will to speak.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when a calm hand landed on her right shoulder. Turning, she found Severus Snape, staring at her, that same understanding from the night before burning in his dark eyes.

And that was all that mattered, she realized. She didn't give a fig for what the other members of the Order thought. All that mattered was that Snape would be there to hex them if she asked him to.

And then her mouth seemed to unglue, and the words tumbled out, "I was quite shocked, too. But, I- I told him no. I said that I didn't think I could be with him or love him truly, and it was the hardest thing that I have ever had to do. But I knew I had to. Thomas, though, he tried to remain calm, and he merely asked me why. And, I couldn't think of a thing I could tell him that he would believe, so I- I told him the truth.

"I told him that I was from the future, and he still didn't believe me...

"I don't believe you."

Hermione sighed, "Believe what you will, but that doesn't change the fact that it's true."

Thomas narrowed his eyes, snapping, "What year are you from?"

"1997."

"Do you have any friends?" he practically cut her off.

He was quizzing her, she knew, trying to catch her in a lie; but Hermione remained calm as she said simply, "Yes, the two greatest friends anyone could ever hope for."

"Who are they?" he demanded, his eyes narrowing more, if that was possible.

"Ron and Harry Potter."

"And what about me?" he asked in a sneer that had long been absent from his voice when speaking to her, "Do I exist in your future?"

Hermione felt her throat close up and all she managed was a weak nod in the affirmative.

And before she could even blink, he had his wand out and trained on the center of her chest.

"Thomas?"

There was a slight note of fear in her voice underneath her confusion.

Blinking hard so as to block out the memory, Hermione drew in a shaky breath as she continued, finding comfort from Snape's hand still perched on her shoulder, "He told me he had stumbled upon a book written by Salazar Slytherin in his Chamber of Secrets, pertaining to the laws, rules, and the back doors to the concept of time travel."

Albus gave a slight intake of breath as understanding seemed to dawn on him. "Very few people know of Salazar's fixation on time travel."

Hermione nodded, saying, "He said if I was telling the truth, which he didn't believe I was, then the spell would send me home. After he muttered it and it hit me, nothing happened. Thomas thought that meant I had been lying, so he walked over to me with a slight smile of victory and relief. I felt a bit lightheaded, but I only chalked it up to nerves and not to the spell. And Thomas," she paused slightly before continuing, "He wrapped my fingers around a ring, holding my balled fist in his hand. And he said to me," She broke off, closing her eyes as Thomas's voice echoed throughout her mind, "'You are mine, Hermione, for now until forever.'

"And before I could even respond, I felt a tugging at the back of my navel, much like the effect of a portkey. Thomas seemed to fall away from me, and all I can remember is him shouting out my name, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in the Infirmary with a 54 year older Albus Dumbledore and Min..."

Silence. Absolute silence reigned as each member of the Order seemed to sit and soak in the fact that Hermione 'Mudblood' Granger had nearly been engaged to Lord Voldemort.

Surprisingly, Draco Malfoy was the first to speak, "So, uh, what was Voldie like as a teenager?"

Hermione could only stare at him for a long moment, before slowly breaking out into a smile, "A little like you, actually," Draco raised a brow, prompting her to continue, "He was an arrogant little snot, no offense," she grinned and his lips quirked, "who thought he owned Hogwarts and everyone in it."

"Yes, thank you, Hermione, for that sparkling description of Tom Riddle in his more youthful days," Dumbledore began, a small twinkle returning to his eyes, "But, I'm afraid, we still have very important business to attend to, such as Tom's inevitable visit...Do you have any thoughts?"

Hermione frowned, picking her next words carefully. "He'll come sooner rather than later. He wouldn't want to give me time to adjust, but rather catch me while I'm still living in the past, so to speak."

Albus gave an approving nod, "Yes that is much of what I had thought."

"And, he'll come when he'll have an audience. Thomas always told me that the first part of revenge is making it public so you can have witnesses to your genius...maybe a Quidditch match. Is there a scheduled match before the end of this month?"

Minerva answered her. "No, the matches have been canceled for the upcoming Yule Ball..." realization hit her and her eyes slightly widened, "Mya, do you think he'll come during the Yule Ball?"

Hermione wasted no time in answering, and ignored the curious looks she got at the name 'Mya', "I can almost guarantee it."

Remus looked at Hermione inquisitively, asking, "Is there any way we can stop him?"

Biting her lower lip, Hermione shook her head. "No. Once he decides to storm the castle there won't be anything we can do to stop him."

"How do you know for sure?" a strange, unfamiliar older lady with cat fur all over her robes asked.

Hermione sighed. "Think about it. Each year that Harry's been in attendance at Hogwarts, Thomas has always managed to reach him somehow; a portkey, a diary, strange dreams. And this, for Thomas, is far bigger than his payback against Harry; perhaps even bigger than the prophecy to Tom. It goes much deeper than mere revenge; he's going to see this as retribution, justice, even. He will come and gain entrance, and all we can do is be prepared beforehand."

Albus looked expectantly at her over the rims of his spectacles. "And how do you think we should prepare?"

"Well, he'll bring a small army of Death Eaters with him, so maybe you can think of an excuse to have Order members there; maybe say that they're chaperones. We'll also have to find a way to make sure the students have their wands on them; perhaps say that they'll need them for a special surprise activity or something," Mad Eye Moody gave an improving grunt before Hermione continued, "But those aren't my main concerns. The one thing we should be worried about is Harry."

At the sound of Harry's name, Remus and the others snapped to attention. "You don't think he'll be in danger, do you?" Remus asked quickly.

Hermione frowned thoughtfully. "It's more as if I'm afraid he'll put himself in danger. If Harry feels as though anyone at Hogwarts is being threatened, he'll step right into Voldemort's path to try and prevent it. Even if he's told and forewarned not to do anything, if he thinks there's any chance that he can help, he'll do it despite the warnings."

"But wouldn't he be in danger, anyway? I mean, won't Voldemort try to kill him just because he's Harry Potter?" asked Arthur Weasley, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder so as to calm her.

"No, I don't think he will. He's been waiting over 54 years for the chance to exact his vengeance on me; he won't waste anytime on Harry that night."

"Albus, you don't presume to base all of your actions on the opinions of a seventh year student of yours, do you?" asked a middle aged man with a sour face.

Albus sighed. "Yes, Mr. Ynez, I do."

"I find it interesting," the man spat, "that this slip of a girl thinks she's an expert on Lord Voldemort."

Voices were raised, some voicing their agreement, others their protest at Ynez's comments.

But the only voice that cut through the noise, demanding complete, unwavering silence, was a silk whisper laid over steel, "And I find it interesting, Ynez, that one such as yourself, a man who has never before even been in the company of the Dark Lord, seems to think he could do any better than one of Lord Voldemort's most... intimate.... acquaintances."

Every head turned to see Severus Snape, glaring daggers at Ynez.

In the silence of the room, Albus spoke, "I am well aware of the risks we are taking by entrusting our preparations to a student; however, we all must keep in mind that Miss Granger knows Tom better than he would no doubt like to admit, therefore we also must assume that he knows that we are here having this meeting right know. Voldemort will come to Hogwarts and the center of his wicked designs will be Hermione."

"Well, gee, that's comforting," Hermione replied dryly, her tone rivaling Snape's.

"Isn't it though," Snape smirked, still glaring at Ynez, for all appearances seeming as though he had not listened to a word Albus had just said.

"I'm afraid," Albus began with a pointed look at the two, "That in order for Mr. Potter to be safe, he must be informed of our precarious situation."

"I will, of course, tell him; I owe him an explanation, Ron, too, for that matter," Hermione offered, giving a small smile to the Weasleys who each returned it.

"Very well, then. I ask that Hermione have someone accompany her at all times; I fear it is really for the best Miss Granger. You will have to be given intensive defensive training lessons so that you may be better prepared; I shall arrange this with any teachers who have the time immediately. Until our next meeting, I move that we adjourn and for the Order to remain on school grounds and to serve as chaperones at the ball."

"I will second that movement," Remus readily responded.

"Then this meeting is dismissed. Miss Granger, you will return to the Hospital Wing and will be able to resume your classes the day after next; I'm aware that technically you have already graduated, but you still must attend for appearances sake. Remus, if you will escort her..."

Remus was only half way out of his chair before a sharp voice cut in, "I will escort her."

Severus Snape's voice brooked no refusal.

Hermione smiled in relief. It wasn't that she didn't trust Remus or anything, but she would just feel safer if Snape never left her side again.

Dumbledore gave Severus a peculiar look, followed by one to Hermione. But she couldn't quite bring herself to feel anything more than relief when Severus Snape lead her out of the room by placing an efficient hand on the small of her back, both seemingly clueless to the Headmaster's small, knowing smile.

(A/N): I know there was a lot of speculation and curiosity about how exactly Hermione turned Tom Riddle into Old V, but rest assured I meant the statement in a both literal and figurative sense (as if that helps, right?)

As one reviewer pointed out, Tom had already technically been known as Voldemort to his closest chums since he "accidentally" killed Myrtle...but we must keep in mind that Hermy completely changed him into a whole new Tom Riddle during their time together (just how she managed that feat will be explained either in the next chapter, or the one after that), so essentially, Tom Riddle had turned a new leaf with Ickle Mionekinns, but for some "unknown reason" (again, to be known in the near upcoming chapters, most likely the next one) he reverted back to his old ways with a new fervor; Voldie came back, stronger and better than ever...a different reason as to why he thought that Mudbloods and Muggles were inferior to him...and other reasons that shall not be said for I have no wish to give anything else away!

I hope this clears up any confusion that may have been created and I hope I have answered some of your questions (though not all of them, of course, because I've got to leave ya a little in the dark!)