Rewrite the past

Prologue

Mid-march, 2001, New Headquarters, Scotland

"Don't you understand? I have to do this! This may be the only chance we'll ever get, Remus. What other options are there? Waiting for him to die? Not very likely, he's still immortal and that won't change even if we were to wait 3 years or 10 years or 100! All that would accomplish would be our ultimate deaths and the loss of even the smallest spark of hope anyone ever had. We'll die sooner or later, but that won't change anything in this world. It would still be the same for all those children this world has!" 

The young woman was standing her ground against the much taller man opposite her despite her petite form, glaring at him through her formerly warm caramel-coloured eyes that were now just a dull brown colour. Her formerly unruly brown hair was now only a mere 5 millimetres long, just for convenience. There were some rather nasty gashes visible on her arms, and she had many more hidden under her short-sleeved shirt and her cargo jeans. She looked just as rogue as she was at the moment with her army boots and cargo pants.

"Remus, she's right. This might be our only chance at saving this world. As much as I loathe the idea, we have to use it." 

A man stepped out of the shadows wearing a black shirt, cargo jeans and army boots just like everyone else in the room did. His formerly long and inky black hair was now cut short, albeit slightly longer than his former students' and it no longer had its intense colour. He seemed to have aged those past three years considerably, his hair now completely grey and the lines much more edged into his face. His nearly black eyes were dull, now looking more like a muddy grey- brownish mixture. His biggest mistake was still clearly visible on his left forearm, but here, in the new headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, nobody cared about it any more. They all got to know the truth, and they all trusted him.

"Are you sure about this, Severus?", asked the tall man with grey-brownish hair and three scars on his face, still just as sceptic as before. 

"Positive. Even if we ration our food, it will only last us a month at best. We have no other chance." 

"But her?" 

"Yes. It has to be Hermione. I know myself and I know her. If one of us here can manage what we planned, it's her. Hermione, you know what you have to do. Go to Dumbledore at first, he'll help you, show him your memories of this place. I think it'd be best if you programmed it to take you to 1966. Remember: I can be quite stubborn, you'll need time." 

The young woman nodded at him as the others bid her goodbye to leave the room until only Severus and Hermione remained. He programmed the time-turner before gently lowering it over her head. 

"I trust you. You are the only one capable of doing this." 

He stepped back from her. 

"What makes you so sure about that, Severus?" 

He went to the door, opened it, and walked halfway through the doorway before turning. "You already managed it here and now, so why not then. Good luck." 

He looked at her and both of their eyes seemed to have at least a tiny spark of life, and he smiled at the baffled young woman before he left her alone.

She stood there, in the middle of the big room, staring at the door in disbelief at what her professor had just said. 

After a few moments, she shook her head and turned around. Then, with her back to the door, she thought of the world outside these headquarters, which was a small cave in the Scottish Highlands. How dark and dangerous it was, and how it used to be before she lost her best friend to a madman. She could only dream of a world without living in constant fear.

She had to think about the world she was about to enter. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember what the world looked like without all the death and despair and dread looming over their heads. She knew that that world was something she longed for without knowing anything about it. She hoped, she prayed for a chance to spare all those innocent lives even if it meant changing the course of the last thirty years.