Solving Riddles

Complexities

DISCLAIMER: I HAVE NO RIGHTS TO HARRY POTTER.

Hermione stood up from the ground with her mind spinning in both confusion and awe. Her eyes widened in disbelief at the sight before her. Hogwarts, complete, untouched, unaltered, a perfect replica of the greatness it had once contained, stood before her. She wondered how far back in time Bellatrix had sent her, she guessed around a week or so. Completely intrigued, Hermione began to walk towards the castle entrance, stopping as she sighted two figures moving towards her at an alarmingly fast rate. Her initial thought was that it was Death Eaters, but the lack of curses coming her way banished the idea. Her second thought, although less likely, was students trying to escape, but the calm composure of the figures deterred that idea as well. Finally, she thought of teachers, but why were they moving so fast? She squinted to get a better view of them as they neared her, the dark sky was a problem, but the light from the moon was just enough for her to see the young, smiling face of Albus Dumbledore, and the rather grim one of the former headmaster, Dippet.

Hermione awoke to find herself staring at the blank white ceiling of the Hogwarts hospital wing. She shuffled under the light blanket and groaned at the pain that shot through her body, she realised that she hadn't relaxed in such a way in a while, and her body was now feeling the effects of being extremely overworked. She slowly turned her head to the side and was startled to find the smiling young face of Albus Dumbledore. He sat it a chair right next to her bedside and was slightly slumped over, he straightened up when he found her looking at him.

"Ah, I see you're awake," he said, Hermione was surprised by the cheer in his voice, she hadn't heard such cheer in a long time. "You gave us quite a shock," he chuckled and Hermione nodded in agreement. Why wouldn't she? She looked like death and probably smelled like it, too, the fact that she had blood and dirt all over her didn't help to lighten the situation.

He clasped his hands together and smiled, Hermione had missed his smile. "Do you happen to know where you are?"

Hermione frowned inwardly, she'd just come from the future and had absolutely no idea where in time she was, should she know where she was? And even if she told him she knew where she was, how'd she got here and why was she here? She had absolutely no way of telling him anything or answering his questions. Should she pretend that she was mute, no, that wouldn't work, what then? She resolved to shaking her head.

He nodded, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "Well, do you know what year it is?" Hermione was stumped, but how could she not know what year it was, wouldn't that just seem absolutely strange? She nodded.

He smiled again. "Could you perhaps, if it's no trouble that is, tell me what your name is and where you are from?"

She nodded, pushing herself into a sitting position. She was going to tell a lie, and boy was it going to be a scrambled one.

"My name is Hermione Bellove," she crocked, she was parched, but she wasn't going to stall. She swallowed and proceeded with her fib. "I-I'm seventeen years old and I'm from France. I do not know exactly where I am or, or how I got here, but I do know that I'm somewhere in Britain in the wizarding world. I, uh, I had to," well she didn't know about that part but It'd seem odd if she didn't. "I had to get away from-"

"The war," Dumbledore said slowly. Hermione was confused, war? "Grindelwald, he recently attacked France, I'm sorry you had to go through such an unfortune." His smile was gone, and he hung his head in an odd way. "Well," he looked up at her. "Nevermind that for now, you're safe."

Hermione nodded but inside her head wheels were turning, war, Grindelwald? He attacked France in 1943, so that would mean...no. Was that even possible? Time turners could go back that far, could they?