Quidditch League - Round 8. Dystopian Future. CHASER 1: What happens to Muggleborns? Prompts: 5. (dialogue) "Who cares? We could be dead in a couple of hours.", 13. (object) Time Turner, 14. (song) 'You Are In Love' by Taylor Swift

Hunger Games Challenge: 5. Cinna: Write about someone who is selfless, or, write about someone who gets killed for rebelling.

Cinema Competition: Back to the Future - Write about a Time-Turner

Bad Movie Tuesdays: Frankenstein Island [location] Cave

Pokemon Go Challenge: word count

The Chain On Her Neck

~You can hear it in the silence, silence~

~You can feel it on the way home, way home~

~You could see it with the lights out, lights out~

~You are in love~

...oOo...

Hermione walked into her bedroom, her body sore from training in the small garden. She didn't realise he was there until he let out a small cough to draw her attention.

She jumped, her gaze shooting to the man sitting on the end of her bed. She quickly moved to his side, shooting him a questioning look. Her eyes followed the new scar, running down his jaw on the side of his face. A reminder of the latest Death Eater attack.

Neville looked pleadingly at her, before looking behind him at the bed they were sitting on. Without a single word, she knew what he needed. With a flick of her wand, the lights went out. They walked around the bed, got in, and Hermione curled up in his arms, with Neville clinging to her tightly.

Even though there was nothing but silence, she knew he needed her to ground him, to remind him that there was more than just fighting.

To remind him what he had left.

Love.

...oOo...

Hermione had grown used to the smells. Blood. Vomit. Bodily fluids.

After all, Death Eaters didn't offer luxuries such as bathrooms, and Hermione didn't know how long it had been since her last wash. Her filthy clothes hung off her body, only there to protect her modesty.

She didn't care about the filth and grime anymore. It was better than what she had experienced upon arriving. She had been thrown into a cell coated with blood, leaving her hands stained with it when she hit the floor.

She had stayed in one spot for hours, scared to move and touch any of it, until she finally fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. She lay on the wet floor, blood seeping into her hair and clothes and staining her body.

The words of comfort she would whisper to others in the nearby cages were long forgotten as weeks turned into months. With each scream and sob that reached Hermione's ears, she felt her hope slip away.

She found herself wondering if the Resistance had also been taken. Were any of them still out there fighting? Was Neville?

She knew they weren't dead. The Death Eaters would have gloated about it. Already, they took delight in tormenting her, calling her a Mudblood and going into detail about what they wanted to do to her.

She felt safer with the bars separating her and them.

...oOo...

~Morning, his place~

~Burnt toast, Sunday~

~You keep his shirt~

~He keeps his word~

~And for once you let go~

~Of your fears and your ghosts~

...oOo...

She woke up in Neville's arms, wondering when the lines had blurred between best friends (because without Ron or Harry, Neville was the person she trusted with her life) and lovers. The night before had been exhausting.

The mission had set the Resistance back, though there were no casualties, which made a nice change.

She slipped from the bed, ignoring warm eyes watching her as she grabbed his shirt from the floor, pulling it over herself, still shy about her body and the few scars Bellatrix had gifted her.

"Looks good on you," he murmured, watching her pull on her pyjama shorts before walking to the door. "You should keep that. You look good in my shirts."

"So do you," she teased, smiling at him. "So, are you just going to lay there, or are you coming down to have breakfast? I smell something burning; I think Remus is making toast again."

Neville chuckled. "I'll be right down. Seeing you like that… well, I have something to tend to."

Hermione spun around. "Now?"

"Hermione, you've been the source of my fantasies since I knew what to do with myself. Now I've got you, I have memories to replace the fantasies. Of course now."

"Well, in that case, let me help you out," she said, smirking as she crawled up the bed, trying to look seductive. She giggled. "I'll get better at that."

He watched her, happy that, for a few moments, Hermione had let go of her fears of the world outside, and was herself with him. That he heard her laugh and saw a spark of light in her eyes once more.

...oOo...

She wasn't sure how long she had been there. Her guess would have been around eight months, but there was no way to know if that was right. After all, there was no way to tell the time of day. She based her guess on how many times she had fallen asleep.

She was shocked when a Death Eater walked into the room, and she curled in on herself, her eyes watching him warily. Antonin Dolohov had been the worst with the taunts, and the most graphic with the sexual descriptions. She pulled away as he grabbed her arm.

She wasn't a match for him, and he dragged her from her cell. "I was hoping to get some time with you before the big show," he said, smiling and showing off yellowed teeth. "But our Lord didn't want you too broken. He wanted some fight tonight. Though you'll have to go out there looking like this." He looked at her clothes, stained with dirt, grime and blood, and smirked. "I'm sure the public would love to see you in this state."

It was only a minute before she was facing Lucius Malfoy. Long gone was the arrogant expression that she had come to know him by. She suspected it was something to do with the rumours that had circulated hours before her capture: that Draco was dead.

He took her arm roughly, watching Dolohov retreat. "Be careful, as you will be hunted out there once the alarm sounds. Go south to the stream and you will find a cave. Longbottom will meet you there." The words were so quiet, Hermione half thought she imagined them. "This is a life debt. In return, you will save my son. Do you understand?"

She nodded, though not entirely certain what she was nodding about. He finally glanced down at her. "Good luck."

With two cracks, Lucius Apparated her into a forest and Apparated himself away.

...oOo...

~Coffee at midnight~

~The light reflects~

~The chain on your neck~

...oOo...

"This mission gives me a bad feeling, love," he admitted, setting down the drinks. Coffee for him and a hot-chocolate for her. His hand rubbed roughly at the back of his neck as he met her gaze. "I can't put my finger on it, but… but something doesn't feel right."

"Neville, we can't call off a whole mission because you have a 'feeling'," Hermione replied, exasperated. "This is important. We need to find out if the Muggles are being held there. It's a safe mission. We've done this sort of thing so many times." She hesitated for a moment. "I think you're concerned more because of our new relationship."

"It's not just that," he insisted. "Can I go with you? I'd feel happier if—"

"It's my mission," she insisted. "I can do this! Neville, you have to trust that I've done this a few times now. You can't hover over my shoulder."

He sighed. "You're right," he admitted. He reached for the chain around his neck and passed it over. "Wear this. Just… it'll make me feel better."

Hermione stared in shock at the chain that held his mother's engagement ring. "Neville!"

"I'm not asking now… but maybe one day?"

She nodded, taking the chain and slipping it over her head, the light from the bulb reflecting off it.

"I love you, you know."

A true smile played on her lips. "I love you too," she murmured. "Had I only realised back in school, we could have—"

"Let's not look back at the past," Neville interrupted, taking her hand in his. "We have each other now and that's all that matters!"

...oOo...

She slipped silently through the forest, a bad feeling settling deep inside her as the alarm sounded. Something was happening, and whatever it was, she didn't want to be a part of it.

She didn't breath properly until she reached the stream, fifteen minutes later.

"Neville!" She ran, throwing herself into his arms of the man that was waiting for her, and holding him tightly. He let out a whimper of pain at the movement. "Hello love," he replied.

She pulled away. "What happened?"

"The wolves," he replied. "Hermione, we don't have much time. Half the Resistance is in this forest, buying us time."

"Time for what?"

"To find the Time-Turner. You need to go back and change things, Hermione."

"But…" Her head was spinning as she tried to make sense of the request. "But I can't! What if I change things and make them worse? What if… what if I mess up? Wouldn't it be better to take down the Dark Lord without screwing up the world?" She began to envision a world that was worse. Surely she wasn't the best person for this task?

"Who cares? We could be dead in a couple of hours," Neville replied quickly. "Hermione, we have one shot at this, and the Resistance decided it was to be you. The rest of us have other priorities distracting us. George would want to save his uncles and find a way to save Fred. Me… well, my parents. The older members have their own agenda. You've got no-one there that'll take your focus away from the goal." He reached out, tucking a filthy strand of hair from her eyes. "Love, it has to be you!"

A howl resounded from the nearby trees, and Neville's eyes widened. He grabbed her hand and began to pull her away. "We couldn't bring it in ourselves, there was someone on our side. They put the Turner in place for us. We just have to reach it. The others… they were here to keep you safe."

"Safe from what?" She allowed herself to be dragged along.

"Hermione, this is an arena. It's been a year to the day since Hogwarts fell. The whole magical community has been forced to attend and watch. There are werewolves in here, trying to get to us. It's Muggle-Hunting. But for this 'special day' they've put Blood-traitors and Muggleborns in instead."

"You mean—" She turned to look over her shoulder, her eyes seeing a large, snarling wolf emerge from the trees, baring it's teeth.

"That everyone else is probably dead?" Neville dragged her further upstream. "The cave is just over there."

Hand in hand, the pair ran for their lives, hearing the wolf just behind them. Their bare feet pounded against the earth as they set their eyes on the small cave.

She felt the wolf at her side and before she could even look; Neville pulled her away with all his might, though that changed nothing. The large creature lunged, knocking her to the ground and sinking its teeth into her hip, tearing at her clothes and skin. Hermione screamed in agony as Flesh tore away..

"Run, Neville," she sobbed, noticing the man approach from behind the wolf. "Do it yourself, you can save them!"

He didn't listen. A large rock collided with the wolf, leaving it dazed. Neville dropped the rock and moved to her side.

"I'll hold it off. Run!" he ordered, dragging her to her feet and giving her a quick, harsh kiss on the lips. "I love you, but don't let it kill us both. I'd defend you to my last breath, that's why it needs to be you to go back! Run!"

"But—"

"If you want to save me, you can do it with the time-turner," he ordered.

She turned, heading to the cave as the wolf stumbled to its feet. She heard the sounds of Neville taunting it, before he cried out in pain. She pushed herself to speed up, tears rolling down her face at the agony from her movements. But from what Neville had said, the Resistance was dying so that she could do this task.

She wouldn't let their deaths be in vain. They would live next time, she promised herself.

The shouts stopped suddenly, and Hermione didn't need to turn back to realise what that meant. There had been a tiny part of her that had hoped Neville would join her in the mission, and felt her heart break.

Hermione threw herself forward to the cave, just as she felt the wolf behind her. She hit the ground, teeth clenched around her leg. Her head hit the side of the tiny cave, smacking against a rock.

The pain distracted her from the daze of hitting her head, and she screamed, kicking her other leg out again and again, somehow managing to get the Werewolf straight in the snout.

It released her, and she dragged herself the rest of the way into the cave, the creature trying to get in after her. She was inches from its snapping jaws, when her fingers clenched around a chain on the ground.

Neville had been right: there was a Time-Turner!

She began to turn it, trying to do maths in her head at the same time, but on the first turn, it began to spin on its own, choosing her destination for her.

Hermione felt like she was falling through the air.

...oOo...

The world changed around her so fast that Hermione thought she was going to be sick. The seconds turned into minutes and her body screamed in agony. She brought her fingers up to her aching head, finding blood.

Nothing new there. Her leg was bleeding from the bite, and her hip was on fire. She could feel the curse spread through her body. Her head was the least of her concerns.

She was more likely to die from the blood loss rather than a concussion.

Somehow, Hermione managed to stay conscious as the world came into focus. She fell to the ground and cried out in fresh agony as pain shot through her.

"Oi! How did you get into Headquarters?" Hermione was startled at the shout and struggled to move from where she had landed.

"H-headquarters?" she whispered through the tears. "I…"

"Yeah, you shouldn't have been able to… you're covered in blood!"

"Really? Hadn't noticed," she murmured sarcastically. "Are you just going to stand there, or are you just waiting for me to die from blood loss?" Her eyes moved up to the person closest to her, taking in the familiar, messy hair. "Harry?"

"Harry? Who are you? Why did you mention my son?" the man demanded.

"James. That necklace… it's a Time-Turner," came a second voice, as the light hit the Time-Turner, drawing attention to it. "If she's from the future… she looks like hell! I thought we'd have a chance. Do you think we lose?"

"Sirius?" she whispered, recognising the posh voice. "You're… alive?"

"Let's get her inside. We can worry about where she's from after we've…" A low growl sounded as she was scooped up. She let out a cry of pain at the movement. "Werewolf?!" Remus sounded shocked and unsure as he muttered the word, and Hermione remembered that the Order hadn't trusted him because of his affliction during the war.

Most of the other Werewolves had been on Voldemort's side.

"Hypocrite," she whimpered, recognising Remus' soft voice. "I was bitten not long ago."

"When were you bitten?" he asked, moving swiftly inside of the house, ignoring the questions from Order members.

"Uh… 1998? 1999?" she whispered, her vision getting darker. "Werewolves hunting Muggles and Muggleborns is the new sport, it seems. Why go and watch Quidditch when you can watch Greyback maul the members of the Order or the Resistance?"

She barely heard the cries of outrage as she felt the darkness begin to overtake her.

"Does he win?" James whispered, taking her hand as Remus carried her to the house.

"Not your war, but he wins the next one," she murmured, curling into Remus, tears on her cheeks from the pain, though he was trying to be careful. "You're all dead. The Order is dead and the Resistance is dead. I didn't know I was coming here, but now I'm here, I need to save you all. I need to save Harry and his parents, I need to save Moony and Padfoot, and I have to save the Longbottoms for Neville! I have to change everything."

She allowed the darkness to take her fully, a whisper from Remus being the last thing she heard.

"We'll help you."

2782 words
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