Broken Fate

Chapter One ~ The Journey Back

Godric's Hollow

August 1, 2020

Jamie Potter sat in the window seat, hands clenched together. She didn't pace or fidget. That wasn't how she handled feeling stressed and worried. She tended to bottle everything up and remain still. It was partly because of how she had grown up, and partly how she had learned to be.

Where are they? They should have been back hours ago! She continued to stare out the window, almost expecting them to Apparate right then just to prove to her that they were all right. The street was almost completely dark, as all of the street lamps were broken. The only light came from the pale half-moon floating between the clouds.

Jamie twisted her fingers together. "Come on," she whispered. It wasn't the first time they had been late--even she had been late on several occasions, and there was always a reason. The problem was, the reason was usually because something bad had happened. Yes, they had always come out of it...but each time, she always thought, what about next time?

There was a sudden loud crack, followed by a second one. Two figures now stood out on the street, the pale moonlight shining down on their heads. Jamie let out a sigh of relief and stood to her feet.

Moments later, the two young men walked through the front door and into the sitting room. "It's about time," Jamie said irritably, not allowing any of the fear she had been feeling to show in her voice. "Did you get it?"

The first of the two young men sighed and flopped into the nearest armchair. It creaked ominously, and Jamie wondered how long it would be before the ramshackle chair collapsed when someone sat in it. "We got it," Shay Longbottom proclaimed.

Will Weasley stood in the doorframe with his arms crossed. "We're late because we ran across a couple of Death Eaters. They didn't see us, but we couldn't Apparate. We had to avoid them in order to get it." He looked exhausted. "Where's Molly?"

"Asleep upstairs," Jamie answered.

"I'm going to go check on her." Will turned and headed down the hallway.

Jamie turned back to Shay. "Well?" she said impatiently. "Where is it?"

"Will has it." Shay pushed himself off the armchair, which emitted another loud groan. "I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat?"

Jamie rolled her eyes. Shay never seemed to take anything completely seriously. Whenever she began to believe that he thought with something other than his brain, she had to remind herself of everything he had done. He was a lot smarter than he often acted. "There's a little bit leftover from supper. Go easy on it--it has to last for breakfast."

Shay disappeared down the hall, and Jamie sank back into the window seat, burying her face in her hands. Thank you for letting them come back safely. She didn't know what she would do if she lost either one of them.

"James? You all right?" Will's soft voice startled Jamie.

Jamie lifted her head and nodded. "Is Molly all right?"

"Still sleeping," Will said tiredly. "Where's Shay?"

"Kitchen."

It was Will's turn to roll his eyes. "Figures." He sat on the window seat beside Jamie, reaching into his pocket at the same time. He pulled out a small silver object hanging on a chain.

Jamie sucked in her breath and stared at it as it dangled between them. She carefully reached out and touched it, lifting it up so she could see one end. Inscribed on the bottom was H.W. This was it. This was what they had been after for a year now, since they had learned of its existence from Will's mother's journal. Her eyes remained transfixed on the tiny hourglass until Will tucked it back into his pocket.

"We're going to use it tomorrow?" Jamie wasn't sure why she was whispering, but it seemed appropriate. She couldn't believe after all of this--planning, searching, bribing, sneaking--they were finally going to be able to do this.

"That's the plan."

Jamie glanced past Will to the dead tree by the front walk. "Do you...have doubts about it?" She wouldn't ask this of Shay--he would think she was ridiculous to ask after everything they had gone through to get to this point--but she could talk to Will about anything.

"Of course. I would be worried if I didn't." Will offered her a half-smile. "We're going to be muddling with the very fabric of time and space. We've talked of the consequences, but can we truly know what will happen?"

Her next question had been passed between the three of them before, and it came to Jamie again. "What if we make it worse?"

Will answered as she knew he would, but she needed to hear it again. "Nothing could be worse than the world we live in, James. Nothing." He took her hands and met her brilliant green eyes with his brown ones. "What do we have to lose?" He squeezed her hands lightly, then let go. "We should get some sleep. We have a lot in store for us tomorrow." He stood to his feet and headed toward the stairs.

He had eased her mind, as only he was able to do. "Thanks, Will."

"Sure." Will smiled. "What are cousins for?"

~*~

Outskirts of London, England

August 1, 1996

"Hermione? What are you doing?"

Startled by her mother's voice, Hermione Granger jumped and banged her head. "Ouch!" She wriggled out from under her bed and rubbed her head. "Sorry, Mum. I was just retrieving this." She held up her prize and made a face. "Crookshanks thought it would be nice to bring me a present."

Hermione's parents were rarely disgusted with anything, for two reasons: one, they were dentists and had seen a lot in medical school, and two, Hermione always came home during the summer telling them everything she had done during her school year at Hogwarts. And that often consisted of what had gone into different potions, or things they had harvested in Herbology.

So when Alice Granger saw the dead, mangled mouse Hermione was dangling by its tail, she simply made a face. "Lovely of Crookshanks," she said drily.

Hermione opened her bedroom window and dropped the mouse out of it.

"I just came up to see if you're all packed," Alice said.

"Yes, Mum." Hermione motioned to her trunk and Crookshanks, who was in his cat carrier. "That's all of it. I'll get what I need for Hogwarts when the Weasleys get their school supplies." She was glad she was finally going to be staying with Harry and the Weasleys. Last summer had been spent with the Weasleys at Sirius Black's old home, cleaning out all of the Dark Arts memorabilia they found lying around. It was still the Order of the Phoenix's headquarters, and Hermione knew that the Weasleys had been there all summer. Harry had joined them at the beginning of July, but Hermione's parents had taken her to Greece on Holiday. She hadn't wanted to go, but after everything that had happened during her fifth year at Hogwarts, her parents had insisted that she go to try to relax a bit. Hermione suspected that they also wanted a chance to spend some time with her.

She wasn't sure how much relaxing she had done--she continually perused the Daily Prophet for any information on what Voldemort was up to, and she felt like she was always looking over her shoulder. The Daily Prophet was, of course, filled with speculations and articles on Voldemort, Harry, Dumbledore, and others. The one thing that was worrying people was that well-known witches and wizards were slowly disappearing, and no one was sure if Voldemort was bringing them to his side with the Imperius curse, or if they were going into hiding. Probably both, Hermione had mused.

"I'll tell your father you're ready to go."

Hermione's father brought her trunk downstairs, and he and her mother kissed her good-bye. Hermione was amazed by her parents. After everything they knew she had been through--all of the life and death situations--they always allowed her to go back to Hogwarts. She had asked them about it after her third year, and they had exchanged glances. "Hermione, if a witch is what you are, then it's what you are. If there really is a dark wizard on the loose, and we try to keep you here, don't you think he'll find you eventually? The best thing we can do is send you somewhere that you can train--so if you meet any dark wizards or witches, you will know how to defend yourself," Edward Granger had said.

It made a lot of sense, but Hermione was still in awe that they were understanding enough to see it this way. They didn't always understand her, or the things she did at school, but they realized that it was important she continue. She wasn't sure she would be able to do the same if it was her daughter in this situation.

Hermione stuck out her wand, and a moment later, there was a loud bang! A triple-decker bus appeared, screeching to a stop. Two garbage cans jumped out of its way. Hermione gave her parents one last hug and kiss, then boarded the bus. "Grimmauld Place," she said, paying her toll.

She settled in and waved to her parents, and then the Knight Bus was on its way.

~*~

"Hermione!" Ginny was the one who met her at the front door of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.

"Ginny!" Hermione let go of her trunk and set Crookshanks' carrier down on top of it, then gave Ginny a hug. "How has your summer been? Where are Ron and Harry? What's been going on? Is the Order here?"

"My summer has been fine, Ron and Harry are de-gnoming the garden, a lot has been going on, and yes, the Order is here." Ginny grinned, her brown eyes crinkling.

Hermione noticed that although Ginny smiled, there was something troubling in her eyes. She wondered if it was just everything that had happened the last year, or if something else had happened. She decided she would settle in, then ask later.

Ginny helped Hermione lug her trunk and Crookshanks upstairs. Hermione peered around as she walked through the house, surprised and impressed. "The house looks...well, normal."

"We've finished clearing out all of the Dark Arts stuff, and Mum went crazy with cleaning. The only thing left is the gnomes in the garden. They're not normal, honestly. Gnomes are usually a nuisance, but these ones are just evil. They bite and they've made these little weapons out of scraps they've found. They nearly poked out one of Harry's eyes the other day, and I can't count the number of times we've had to heal cuts and scrapes. Ron had a particularly nasty one the other day--Mum was afraid she was going to have to take him to Saint Mungo's." Ginny plunked Hermione's trunk down in the room she would be sharing with Ginny.

"Did you manage to get Mrs. Black's picture off the wall?" Hermione asked.

Ginny sighed. "Unfortunately not, but Professor Lupin managed to cast a spell on it so she can't talk. It's rather hilarious; the curtains over her portrait will fly open and she'll struggle to yell, but nothing comes out." She grinned again, and then another odd look crossed Ginny's face.

Hermione cocked her head. "How's Harry doing? His letters have been very short, but I get the feeling--"

Ginny rubbed a hand across her eyes and sighed again. "He's...all right. I think that being here for most of the summer, and having the support of others around has really helped, but he misses Sirius. Being here is a constant reminder of him, but I think Harry finds that comforting. He's also talked with Professor Lupin quite a lot, and that seems to help him."

Hermione nodded. That made sense. Lupin had known Sirius better than anyone else alive. "I'm going to go say hello," she told Ginny.

Ginny nodded, and Hermione slipped downstairs. She headed for the kitchen so she could go out the back door. She pushed open the kitchen door and walked in. Half a dozen heads turned to look at her.

"Oh, Hermione, dear!" Mrs. Weasley stood to her feet. "I didn't hear you come in!"

Hermione smiled. "It's all right. Ginny helped me settle in. I was just going to say hello to Ron and Harry."

"They're out back." Mrs. Weasley motioned to the back door.

Hermione stepped past the table where some of the Order of the Phoenix was sitting. Mad-Eye Moody, Tonks, Remus Lupin, Mr. Weasley, and Bill Weasley all smiled, nodded, or said "hello" has she passed.

She made it out the back door and walked down the stone steps to the garden. Harry and Ron had their backs to her. They were dressed in some kind of protective gear--high boots, thick cloaks, and goggles. Hermione raised her eyebrows as Ron picked up a potato-like gnome with gloved hands and stuffed it into a bag that sat nearby. The bag must have been magically sealed, because Hermione could see the gnome--as well as a good many other gnomes--fighting to get out of the bag, with no luck.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but gave a startled gasp when something stabbed into her leg. "Ouch!" She looked down to see a little gnome holding some kind of little metal pointed object, dripping with her blood.

If I was allowed to use magic during the summer, I would blast that thing into next Sunday, Hermione thought irritably. Since she couldn't, she settled with giving the gnome a good kick. It flew across the garden and landed in front of Ron.

Ron looked up to see where the gnome had come from. When he saw her, a grin spread across his face. "Hermione! Hey, Harry, it's Hermione!"

Harry was holding two squirming gnomes, but he spared a glance her way. "Hey, Hermione!" He stuffed the gnomes in the bag, and he and Ron walked over to her. As soon as they were close enough, she threw her arms around both of them, squishing them together.

"Ack! Hermione! Our gear!" Ron said, sounding pleased and embarrassed.

Hermione released them and grinned. "I'm so happy we're finally together again," she sighed. "Greece was interesting, but I would have rather been here."

Harry pulled up his goggles. "We haven't been able to do much here," he said. "The Order's been handling everything." He suddenly noticed her leg. "Hermione, you're bleeding!"

Hermione glanced at her leg. "It's nothing," she said dismissively.

"Bloody gnomes." Ron glared at the garden.

"It's really nothing, Ron. I'll go get geared up, and I'll help you with the gnomes." Hermione cheerfully headed back indoors to ask Mrs. Weasley about gear. Despite everything happening in the wizarding world, despite everything she knew was coming, being with her two best friends made everything seem brighter. Together, the three of them could handle anything.

~*~

Godric's Hollow

August 2, 2020

"Shay. Wake up." Jamie poked Shay, who flew up as quickly as if someone had dropped a bucket of ice water on him. He had his wand out and pointed at Jamie before she could say 'lumos.'

Shay sank back with a sigh. "Oh. Jamie. It's you."

Jamie didn't blame him for his reaction. In fact, she barely acknowledged it in her own mind. It was simply perfectly natural for him to respond that way. "We're ready to go. Will and Molly are waiting in the sitting room. If you want breakfast, there's a little bit leftover, but you'll have to eat quickly."

Shay nodded and slid out of bed. "I'll be down in a moment."

Jamie left him to get dressed and headed for the sitting room. Will sat in one of the dilapidated chairs, little Molly curled up on his lap, her thumb in her mouth. Molly's long red hair was neatly combed, and she looked over as Jamie walked in. Molly shared her brother Will's brown eyes.

"Hi, Moll," Jamie smiled at the three-year-old, knowing she wouldn't get a response. Molly hadn't spoken a word in her life, and never smiled. If it hadn't been for the way her eyes reacted to things, the way they seemed to soak in information, Jamie would have believed that Molly didn't understand anything. As it was, she, Will, and Shay were convinced Molly knew exactly what was going on. They believed that it was just her very early life that had made her this way.

"Shay's coming," Jamie informed Will. "He's--" Before she could say anything else, Shay entered the room, shoving the remains of his breakfast into his mouth.

"I'm ready," he said, mouth full.

Jamie made a face at him. "You have no manners, Shay."

"What do I need them for?" Shay asked, still chewing.

Pressing her lips together, Jamie didn't answer. She turned back to her cousins. "Let's do this." She walked over and crouched down in front of Will, who pulled out the long chain with the miniature silver hourglass. Jamie stared at it in silence. Even Shay kept quiet, which was saying something. He simply swallowed and came to kneel beside Jamie.

Will carefully strung the chain around his neck, then pulled it over Molly's head, and finally, over Shay and Jamie. Their heads were pressed together so that the chain fit over all of them. "Ready?" Will asked quietly.

"Do it," Shay replied steely.

Jamie drew a deep breath as Will turned the Time-Turner over once, unable to take her eyes off of it. He turned it over again, and then twisted the top and bottom four times in opposite directions. Moments later, the world dropped away, and Jamie closed her eyes as a wave of nausea and dizziness swept over her. She opened her eyes when she heard a high-pitched scream.

She spun around to see a woman standing in the doorway of the sitting room. It was the same sitting room...but it was different. The wooden walls were polished and shiny; the furniture was all new-looking. She could actually tell what colors the carpet consisted of. Everything looked bright and cheerful. It worked! she thought wildly. It must have worked! Did we come back to the right time, though?

"What are you doing in my house? How did you get in here?" The woman sounded quite hysterical.

Jamie glanced at Shay, Will, and Molly. Shay and Will looked equally elated; Molly looked terrified. She was clinging to Will and biting on her thumb. We can't explain this one. Even if she believed us, no one can know who we are. And she's probably a Muggle.

"We're sorry, miss. We didn't mean to frighten you," Will said politely. "We'll just leave now." He stood up, still holding Molly, then motioned to Shay and Jamie. They quickly followed him toward the front door.

"Stop! Stop right there! I'm going to call the police! You'll be arrested for breaking and entering!"

Ignoring the woman's yells, the four of them slipped out the door and into the bright sunlight.

Bright sunlight meant nothing. The sun shone in their time, too. It never seemed right to Jamie--it seemed that with all the darkness, the sun should always be hidden. As they hurried down the street, away from the house, Jamie gaped at everything. The houses were still together, not ramshackled and torn down. Gardens were growing; flowers were in full bloom. The street lights weren't broken. Everything looked very quaint and...clean.

Jamie stopped and picked up a newspaper at the end of one of the driveways, scanning for a date. There it was. August 2, 1996. "It worked," she whispered. She looked up at Will and Shay, who were staring at her. Dropping the newspaper, she said, a bit louder, "It worked! August 2, 1996! We did it!"

"Good," Shay said grimly. "Let's do what we came to do, then. If we're going to be stuck here the rest of our lives, I'd like to make sure we make it a decent place to be stuck in."