Home Again
Chapter One - Fortitude
By: Paramour Party

Friday, October 13th, 2006

There was a scream stuck in Hermione's throat as she sat up from her bed, hand under her pillow gripping her wand. Memories from a war long past were creeping up into her nightmares, filling her with unease. When she blinked and the fog of sleep faded, her tensed shoulders dropped with a deep full-body sigh.

Looking over at her bedside table for the time, there was a blinking red message from Harry on her protean coin resting atop a pile of books. An anxious feeling settled deep in her gut as she picked up the coin. "Rumours confirmed. Standard prep - stay safe." was all his message said.

She sighed, put her coin back down and stretched. Nightmare forgotten and replaced with worry, she bit her lip in contemplation. There were too many rumours going around, but only two would have Harry on edge for standard prep. I'll have to wait to hear more later, she thought as she stood and got ready for her day.

She paused by her closest as she was leaving for work; instead of grabbing her usual case, she reached for her harness-bag made of a black dragonhide leather. A gift from Ron when all the whispers started circulating over the last two months. "A little sturdier than your beaded bag," he said, worry furrowing his brows together. So she kitted it out to the nines, anything and everything she would need, just in case. Standard preparation as Harry now called it.

Better safe than sorry. She slipped the top strap of her bag through the belt loops of her pants and the bottom straps clipped together around her thigh. A moment later she'd flooed directly to Diagon Alley and headed straight for Gringotts and headed straight for the Curses and Wards Department in the lower levels.

It was early still that her floor was still empty. Three walls were lined with iron shelving from the floor to the ceiling. Books and trinkets and all sorts of miscellaneous equipment filled the shelves. The other wall was magicked to look like windows reflecting the weather outside. Candlelit chandeliers could only brighten the room so much, the fake windows were the best they could do to get decent light this deep into the building. Four rows of three desks lined the centre of the floor, and ornate golden partitions separated each desk for some privacy.

She'd been at her desk for less than ten minutes, barely even started on organizing her day's paperwork before Bill had come 'round; a frown on his face and a cup of tea ready for her in hand. "What's happened?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"Kingsley is keeping word out of the prophet for now, at least until the Aurors have finished their scene report, but another Mask was seen last night. Two injured. Ron told me Harry wants to call in the Order for some discreet surveillance."

Hermione returned Bill's frown, her hand reaching for her bag to centre her nerves. "Four Death Eaters in two days… they're ramping up for something. Did they confirm anything about that rally? Harry mentioned rumours were confirmed, but the coin limitations didn't let him specify."

Bill shook his head. "No, but with how things have been escalating this month, I'd have to say they'd have a rally soon. Don't go out alone, especially in the evenings, Hermione. You'd be considered High Profile if they're looking for targets."

She swallowed the worry that rose. Almost eight years since the end of the war and darker times seemed like it was looming closer and closer with every passing day. Hermione couldn't say more when a goblin named Silvertooth approached them. "Weasley, Granger, I've reassigned your current projects, we're prioritizing you and two others on another assignment."

Hermione shared a look with Bill knowing their talk was far from over, but they both nodded to Silvertooth in acknowledgement.

"What's the assignment?" Bill asked as he reached for the paperwork and portkey Silvertooth presented.

"Something or someone has tampered with the protective wards we have over a ley line node."

Hermione started in alarm. "Which one?" The nodes were highly protected as they powered the wards that kept Wizarding Britain hidden from the mundane world.

"Southern District, Line 7," he responded, "The rest of your team is already on route. Your portkey leaves in five minutes. You are to fix the hold in the warding and do everything you can to trace who or what tampered with it. No matter what, the node must be protected."

"Understood, Silvertooth," Bill and Hermione confirmed.

Southern District, Line 7 was just a disillusioned part of dense forest near South Downs. At the centre of the forest was a field, and in the middle of the field was the node. On first glance, the node looked like a simple stone obelisk that pierced into the ground. On a closer look, the stone had a translucent look to it, and depending on which way you glanced at it, the obelisk glimmered a golden hue.

South of the obelisk was an ornate stone archway that acted as the entryway. The surfaces of the stones were carved with intricate floral themes. Runes of protection etched along the inner edges. In a circle surrounding the obelisk, starting on either side of the archway were twenty-seven large standing stones of varying heights; each also pierced into the ground and each one with a powering and moderating rune carved into the centre and filled with gold for the warding scheme.

The whole area thrummed with energy that was both awe-inspiring and terrifying; the fact that someone or something was tampering with this amount of energy was unsettling. Around the standing stones and the obelisk, flowers were thriving from the magical energy. The grass was greener and lush in these fields than any park she'd ever been too. The surrounding forest, while slightly ominous, was healthy and thriving to protect the life around them. Even the air smelled cleaner here, Hermione noticed.

When Hermione and Bill landed, they were still in the forest and had to trek a few minutes to the warding site. Their colleagues were already there; Cindy Chambers, a woman with long dark hair tied up in a high ponytail, was running the perimeter, setting up her wards and checking the ones that were already in place to see who or what may have approached the obelisk. Lewis Wong, a tanned man, also with dark hair was by the archway, inspecting and powering the runes.

Bill went straight for the circle of stones to do what he did best, hunt for any curse work that lay within the stones or the secondary wards.

Lewis looked up as Hermione approached. "Morning, Granger. We left the obelisk for you, figured you'd be better suited to it than the rest of us. But when you're done, I'd like your opinion on this keystone," he said pointing up at the top-centre stone of the archway. "I think it might be a tamper point."

Hermione glanced at it as she passed and nodded. The keystone was a lot simpler in design compared to the connecting ones of the archway. There were no floral carvings, just plain white stone and on the front-facing surface, a torch was carved into the stone on either side of the protruding face of a hound. Some of the protective runes on the inner facing were slashed through, breaking the sequence in the arch.

"I see what you mean. I'll take a look in a moment, my diagnosis shouldn't take too long."

And then she set to work.

They were just about to break for lunch when Cindy's alert flare soared above them, the gold light sizzling as it passed, it was followed by her patronus, a raven. "Death Eaters breached my first ward. They have a ward buster and are working through my second layer now."

It was the first time in Hermione's six years in Curse and Warding, that she'd seen an alert flare outside of training. A tremor passed through Hermione and she pushed through the feeling of panic and fear that rose. They all burst into action, rushing to pack their notes and gear.

Bill swore under his breath as they re-grouped by the archway. Cindy came running through the treeline, "Hurry!" she yelled.

"What the hell are Death Eaters doing here?" Lewis asked.

"I was in the middle of dismantling a third surveillance charm on one of the standing stones. They must have a tether on another stone or something for notifications. They're likely the ones who've been tampering with the protections here. Whomever they hired to set everything is a helluva good curse worker," Bill said grudgingly.

"I'll start working on putting up protection wards over the obelisk. We can't let them finish whatever they're trying to do," Hermione said as she zipped her kit closed and moved her wand up to start casting.

Cindy, who was helping Lewis with his cleansing gear, winced then stood abruptly. "Shite." she swore, "My second ward is down. We'll have minutes before they reach us," she said, "I'll head them off, finish the warding and then get out of here."

Lewis passed his notes to Bill and moved to follow Cindy, "I'll help her. Prioritize the ward, and then the notes."

Hermione and Bill nodded, determination set on their faces but Cindy was right, it was less than five minutes before the spells were flying. Everything happened too fast. One moment, Hermione and Bill were finishing the first layer of protective wards, the next, five Death Eaters were approaching from the eastern side of the circle and they weren't playing safe.

Cindy was struck down, taking a Death Eater with her, when three Masked people went straight to overpower her. Lewis had engaged the other two, holding his own though struggling.

Hermione yelled in anguish as she saw the curse cut her friend down and she didn't get up again. She ducked under a spell and then went head-on targeting the Death Eater who laughed at her despair.

Bill fought his way back towards her when they'd been separated while dodging spells. When he reached her, they fought back to back. "They set up anti-disapparition and port-key wards, we'll have to finish the warding and then run and hope to find the boundary limitations."

Hermione growled, "Damn them." She managed to stun a Death Eater in the same breath that they sent a piercing spell to her shoulder.

Across the field, she saw another Death Eater go down and Lewis struggling to regroup with her and Bill. Hermione knew one of them had to leave with the notes and one of them had to stay with the obelisk while the warding was still weak.

"Bill, you have to run and use the portkey," she said as they ducked behind one of the standing stones. It glowed as it absorbed whatever spell was sent their way.

"And leave you all here? That sounds like suicide!"

"Our primary assignment is to protect the node! We'll do what we must," Hermione argued, "Lewis won't have a portkey on him because he lives just a pop away. I'm the fastest warder of the two of us. It'll be better if I stay."

"I don't like this."

"It doesn't matter what we like. Right now, we need those notes out of here and reinforcements. There should have been a response from Head Office by now with Cindy's flare, but no one's come. There has to be another block in whatever warding they've set up."

"Fine," Bill bit out before he disillusioned himself and ran off while she sent off more spells as a distraction. Hermione hoped that he'd make it.

She took a calming breath as she ducked behind the stone again, narrowly missing a purple coloured spell to the face. There were two shouts off to the side. She turned in time to see another Death Eater go down and Lewis stumble next to her. He was bleeding heavily from a large slice on his leg and a cut over his brow.

Her shoulder injury was bleeding sluggishly and any scrapes and cuts she caught from grazing debris only stung.

"Bill left with the notes?" he asked.

She nodded. "And for reinforcements." Hermione waved her wand to try and heal as much of their wounds as possible.

"Good. That last fucker you were fighting fell back. Likely to regroup as well. How long do you think backup will take?" Lewis hissed in pain as he watched the slice knit itself back together.

"I couldn't say. With Cindy's flare, they should have been here by now. We can only hope that they get here before the masks come back."

Lewis nodded. He didn't look hopeful, a grim look took over his usually kind and warm eyes. "I'll work on trying to dismantle this anti-disapparition and portkey. You work on the node."

They set to work as quickly as they could. In fifteen undisturbed minutes, her ward was up to two layers and as strong as she could make it in the time constraints. She said as much to Lewis as she set out to assist him; if they couldn't dismantle the ward, they could try and hack it to key themselves in. "I can't say my ward will survive more than two strong ward busters though."

"They're expensive... being hopeful, they might only have one left on hand. I know Cindy's work, and her secondary ward would have needed at least two mid-range busters or one really strong one."

Hermione felt the Death Eaters breach her intent wards, she hadn't had enough time to set one up for the perimeter, both Lewis and herself too nervous to break away without back up to set a ward up near the treeline.

They braced themselves for the onslaught of spells flying their way. "We only have to hold on until help gets here. They'd have to come from the portkey point and run up," Lewis said.

Though that was always easier said than done. The two of them completely outnumbered and drained from both the warding and earlier fight. Three Death Eaters focused on Lewis, another three on herself, and there were three more who'd set their sights on her ward over the obelisk.

The healing she'd done on her shoulder tore open from another spell. "Stupid mudblood," A Death Eater spoke to her for the first time after she'd retaliated to the slicing hex with one of her own, "stay down."

Her slice incapacitated one of her assailants and she acted quickly enough to target another with a boiling charm on their blood. She heard rather than saw Lewis go down, and felt the combined efforts of more Death Eaters focusing on her. She couldn't count how many converged in that field. It was as though where one would go down, two more would take its place.

A cutting curse caught her on the ankle that had her stumbling down to the ground. She yelped when a Death Eater was on her in seconds. They'd grabbed her by the hair and dragged her back towards the obelisk. She kicked and struggled but another grabbed her wand from her hand.

"The Order arrived at the key-point. They'll be here in five. You have to overpower it," one of the Masks said.

"Talver, cut them off," another said, "be quick."

The one gripping her hair pulled her as close as they could get to the obelisk. "Use her! Her signature is all over this damn ward."

They pressed her against the invisible dome, and someone worked the ward buster, a palm-sized rectangular silver slab that was covered in runic formulas, against her bleeding shoulder. Hermione felt the magic push against her like she'd been run over by a pack of hippogriffs tackling the air from her lungs. She couldn't be sure how long they kept at it as black started to creep along the edges of her vision. She gasped when she felt her wards shatter and oxygen filtered back.

Shoved aside, Hermione struggled to catch her breath and orient herself. The Death Eaters had taken position around the obelisk, each one holding an orb in their outstretched hands.

The obelisk was shining brightly and emitting heat. The magic that has been silently thrumming across the field earlier that morning was now roaring like they were in the eye of a hurricane. "What are you doing?" She screamed, "This is madness! Whatever you have planned won't work if you destroy the obelisk and its connection to the ley line!"

They didn't move, didn't seem to have even heard her over the wild magic swirling around them now. Hermione thought she heard her name being called in the background. Instead of turning to it, she tried to force her magic forward to stabilize the ley line. But it wasn't enough. Magic pulsed from the obelisk. Once. Twice. Time slowed for just a moment as the light dimmed until everything was pitch black. There was another pulse of energy. Then three more pulses in quick succession and time rushed forward again; magic glowed in a swirling light from the base of the obelisk to the point and then burst.

Hermione barely managed to bring her arms up in time to shield her face as she was thrown back by the magical backlash. Bright white light blinded her vision. The sound of the explosion covered her scream. She felt like she was burning alive and electrocuted at the same time and the taste of copper coated her tongue. The fresh clean air she'd noticed on her arrival was now polluted with a heavy smoke that scratched her lungs. Time seemed to have slowed again as she soared through the air, magic sparking across her skin. When she finally landed on the ground with a rough thud, she welcomed the darkness that took over. She felt no more.

Hermione woke wet, cold, and in pain. The grass was long and lush underneath her fingertips. She rolled onto her back realizing it was raining lightly. For a moment, she laid there, confused about why she was sleeping outside but the memories were quickly flooding back to the forefront of her mind. She sat up with a wince and saw she was still in the field but the obelisk was gone. The circle of stones and the archway looked more like ruins; moss and vines grew over most of the standing stones and the archway was missing a lot of its foundation, and most obviously it's keystone from the top centre.

The field itself and the surrounding treeline looked more wild and untamed; weeds grew rampant across the field. There were no signs of a struggle, no Death Eaters, and neither bodies of Cindy or Lewis were in sight.

No wand either, she thought, before opening her bag and pulling out her spare. She didn't like using Bellatrix's wand, but it would have to do until she can find hers again, or get another one. She first set to healing and cleaning what she could of her wounds, she didn't want to dig into her potions supplies if she didn't have too. Once she was home, she'd have someone from the Order look at it.

When she was done, she set out to do a surface scan of the ley line and the node but paused. There weren't any wards over the area. No traces of any wards of any kind for centuries. "That doesn't make any sense…" She murmured. She inspected the field and ran a quick diagnosis of the ley line. She stared at the result on the glowing report that showed up on the warding book. It looked like until today, the ley line had been dormant. It was active now, but weak. She set about putting up a ward over the area and strengthening the ley line as much as she could. "I'll have to bring this up to Silvertooth…"

She paced in thought and noticed a small stone glowing hidden within the overgrown weeds. Curious, she thought as she picked it up, inspecting it and finding it warm under her touch. It was shaped like the obelisk, though instead of towering over her, it was palm-sized. There were parts of the obelisk that were cracked and chipped, but something gold filled in the gaps keeping everything together, reminding her of Japanese kintsugi pottery. The power within it felt like the pulsing magic she'd felt from the node before everything went to shite. Was this what the node became? She wondered.

She pocketed it without another thought. She'd have to get to the Office first, and then the order. Once she felt stable enough, she pulled out her emergency portkey set to her flat, but nothing happened. She frowned, reworking her magic, but still, nothing happened. She'd have to apparate… Hermione bit her lip, without the wards or the interference from the ley line, this far away from the office shouldn't be too much of a risk. She'll go to the nearest safe point instead of directly to the Alley, she decided.

Destination. Determination. Deliberation.

In a pop, she was in a shadowed part of London where it was raining harder than it was at the field. She walked quickly to where the Leaky was and stopped short. The Leaky wasn't there. In what was supposed to be the old familiar pub was a decrepit building that'd been burned down.

She looked for the telephone box to enter the ministry but there were no options for entry. Hermione clenched and unclenched her hands. Breathing in deep and slow to prevent panic.

If there's no Alley, I'll go to the Order.

She thought of Grimmauld Place and was there moments later. Number 12 wasn't hidden by any fidelus, there was light in the windows for once; the family she could see just behind the open curtains was not one she recognized at all.

She tried to apparate to her flat but again nothing happened. When she tried the street her home was on, the building was not the brownstone she remembered but a fancy glass highrise.

Try as she might, panic was settling in and no amount of deep calm breathing was helping. Her head spun still feeling weak from the fight, and her injuries, not entirely healed, were starting to twinge from all the apparating.

She paused from her aimless pacing, noticing the news stand off to the side. The dates on each of the papers calling out to her like a beacon. She grabbed a paper with shaky hands and paled.

Monday, October 13, 2014.

October 13th, 2014.

Twenty-fourteen?

Mind racing. Eight years? The lack of access to the wizarding world could be a possible side effect of whatever the Death Eaters did to the node? A lock-down measure she'd only heard whispers about, no one in, no one out? She tried to control her breathing and felt herself sway on her feet.

"Alright there, missus?"

She turned too quickly to look at whoever addressed her but her vision blurred instead and it was dark again.

Friday, October 31st 2014

Hermione sat in the middle of the ruined circle of stones where the obelisk should have been with her notebook. Next to her, she had a map of the field from her work assignment and a map from the current world. The tent she'd been living in was deep within the treeline disillusioned. The maps themselves looked near identical. Only very slight changes in where some of the lines connect were the differences she'd found so far.

She'd been in this strange world for almost three weeks and the more she researched the more she decided she was not in the future of her universe, but more likely an alternate one altogether. No matter what she did, or where she went, any traces of a wizarding community did not exist. There was no Hogwarts, or Hogsmeade, no Diagon Alley or Ministry.

After waking up in the hospital on the 14th of October 2014, listed as Jane Doe, Hermione reigned in the panic that wanted to burst. She didn't have time to worry or panic over this living nightmare, what she needed was to plan. In quick order, she found her bag, she'd changed out of the hospital gown and stole a medkit with a little bit of guilt before she disapparated. The first place she had done was to search for her parents.

Her parent's dental practice looked exactly as she remembered, but it was not called Granger's Dentistry. Instead, the blue sign outside read Puckle's Smile. The woman who looked like her mother went by Hermione Puckle, and her daughter in this world was named Monika and she worked the front between her appointments. Hermione thought this version of her had taken after her father's straight light brown hair instead of her mother's wild curls. Her father in this world was not in the picture.

From there, she tried tracking down Harry or Ron, or the rest of the Weasleys. There was no luck in finding anything about a Harry Potter that looked like her friend. And while she'd found the Weasleys in Ottery St Catchpole looking the same, fire red hair and all, they'd only had five children and not seven, and most of them girls this go around.

Only after she'd been beaten down by the first rough week, did she allow herself a moment to cry. In the safety of her tent by what should have been the obelisk, she couldn't hold back her tears anymore. Like a dam that broke, she sobbed into her hands, a blanket wrapped around her shoulder did nothing to ease the chill that took over her. She mourned for Cindy and Lewis. She cried for her fears and her worries and the sheer fact that she was alone. Alone for the first time with no friends, no family, in some unknown alternate universe that already has a version of her, and with no way home.

When the moment passed and she managed to compose herself, Hermione did what she did best. She planned and researched. Decided to focus her time and energy on the ley line. If it brought her here, it was possible that it could, one day in theory, bring her home.

Her arrival and consequent awakening of the ley line had caused a minor power outage in the nearby town; it only lasted two hours or so from the gossip she got at the market, but none of the townsfolk seemed to approach the circle. Most of them were superstitious, and despite the lack of mushrooms for an actual fairy ring, they avoided the circle to not disturb anyone or anything and keep any bad luck away.

That superstition had been working in Hermione's favour until today. She tensed when she felt a muggle approach her intent wards for the third time. Her secondary wards should have suggested they turn around, the reasons on a random rotation: an emergency, forgetting to turn off the stove, or being late to an appointment, being some of them. This person though… they'd brushed off the suggestion regularly within thirty minutes, which meant something else may be at play here.

Curious, Hermione packed up her notes and tucked it away in her bag. She stood, disillusioned and walked carefully towards the northern part of the surrounding forest. There, pacing near the boundary of her wards, though not close enough to the secondary ones to reach the suggestion point, was a man dressed in all black. The intent ward showed her the man's frustration and a medium-high ranged level of danger though he was calm. From experience, it was never a good combination.

The man was taller than her, easily by a foot, and his frame bulky. If she weren't magical, Hermione would have been concerned about being able to fight against him without any training in defence. She couldn't see the colour of his hair from where she stood, as it hid under a dark black cap.

She debated her next plan of action and was about to turn away when she saw the man pull something from a pouch strapped to his side, one much like her own bag though his much bulkier. He pressed a button on the circular object and it began to glow a neon blue, and a light though high pitched hum irritated her ears.

And then he threw it in her direction. She jumped out of the way, but startled when whatever the device was, made her ward visible for about ten seconds; a faint golden dome over the centre of the field from tree line to tree line. She watched the man pace back and forth slowly closer to the edge of the second boundary. He eyed his device but didn't approach. Instead, he seemed to nod to himself and turned away.

Hermione's mind raced at the implications of the technology this world had to offer. She rushed to pick up the device and pocketed it before following the man. She couldn't allow someone who registered this dangerously near her ley line before she was finished protecting it.

She tried to keep her steps light as she followed him into the forest; but she knew right away, even disillusioned, he was trained in the same school as Mad-Eye Moody. Constant Vigilance. She had a feeling he knew the moment she stepped into the forest with him because he'd paused by one of the larger trees, his hand reached to his side.

Creeping around another tree to use as a shield, she waited, wand raised and prepared to aim. Her hunch was right though, as he drew a gun and fired in her direction before she could spell him.

The bang of the gun was louder than she thought it'd be and it sent her heart racing. The shot was close. Too close for comfort, which considering she should be invisible to muggles, would have been impressive if she wasn't so terrified. Hermione pushed forward again when he seemed to be looking around to aim.

Wand up and ready again, this time she stunned him before he could fire again with better aim. She waited with bated breath as he fell. When he didn't move, she approached.

With a little hesitation, she took the gun and packed it in her bag. Then she searched him. All his pockets and pouches emptied. He was American from the identifications. She duplicated them in case. One device told her the date and time, and indicated that it was locked and neither buttons on either side unlocked it; one turned the screen off again; when she pressed another too many times in quick succession, it set off an alarm and offered to call emergency services. She cancelled the request and wondered if she had a mobile phone on her hands, she'd never seen one look the way his did, which was worrying if he was the type to keep notes on his phone.

She held it, wondering how she could get away with taking his things to study. It'd be tricky to replace the memory with a mugging. He was trained and skilled enough to defend himself, and unlikely to be a target in the first place. If all the devices he carried could reveal magic, she didn't know if they were purchased, if they were available to a mass market, black market, or what. But he came here with intent and any memory that implied he left before getting answers, he'd likely become suspicious.

Reluctantly, she put everything back into his pockets the way she'd found them, unsure what most of them were. One pouch on his vest had a pin hidden underneath a flap which she thought was a strange place for a pin. She felt uneasy by the imagery, but also silly for feeling that way. It was circular and had a black backing. There was a red outer border and in the centre, there was a red skull and what looked like six tentacles fanning out from underneath it. Of course there was a skull, she thought. The only people giving her trouble these days seemed to love the motif.

When she was done, she pointed her wand again. Taking his memory and putting one in its place, letting him find the circle of stones and whatever he was looking for was not there. The device he threw malfunctioned and burst, sending him flying and knocking him unconscious.

She levitated him back into the field and with some regret, gave his gun back to him. One more stun for good measure, she rushed away towards her tent and began dismantling. It'd be safer to change locations for the next while. Just in case.

Saturday, November 22nd, 2014

The chilly weather was something that Hermione was very used to, but the loneliness... That feeling was settling deep into her bones and it was a fight to push forward. But that's what she did. Because she was Hermione Granger and a Gryffindor. And if there was one thing Gryffindors did best aside from foolish bravery, it was to persevere. It wouldn't be easy, but she couldn't let it get her down, no matter how much it tried too.

It was still early. Sun not even peeking over the horizon. Hermione sat in her tent, notes spread out on the table at the centre of the space, her medkit just off to the side, still open and waiting to be re-organized.

She couldn't stay near the ley line. She'd powered and protected it as much as she could, but it was clear that no matter how much she'd strengthen it on her own, it wasn't enough to bring her home. She'd need more time, more research, and a cross-examination of her memories to figure out exactly what happened that day in the field.

But she couldn't stay here. Being too close to the ley line for too long was no longer safe. Especially after yesterday's events.

Ever since that man had approached the circle all those weeks ago, she'd taken to rotating her campsite for safety, but coming back to the ley line to work nearly every day. Her obliviate seemed to have only deterred him for a week, and when he came back, he brought two friends.

They hadn't approached the circle, instead, studying from a distance but it still left Hermione on edge as they breached her intent wards day after day with new devices she couldn't experiment with. She was both frustrated and fascinated with this world's technology, as she watched them subtly interact with her wards, on a surface level, as though testing what boundaries and restrictions she's added since the first encounter. The major addition was to ping any weapons, and they carried plenty. Whoever they were or whoever they worked for was no one she wanted to cross paths with.

She'd been heading to the nearby town to stock up on some fresh vegetables at the market when she saw the man again. He'd had one of his friends with him, a blond dark-skinned man in contrast to his brown hair and pale skin. When one of them glanced at her, she tried not to tense up and continue on her way.

He never saw what you looked like, she thought as she walked a little more quickly. There weren't any others on the street because of the heavy rain and Hermione cursed her luck. She held her gasp when they came up to her, a surprisingly gentle tap on the shoulder.

Looking up at them, she asked, "Can I help you?"

"You can tell us what you're doing at the circle of stones," the dark-haired man she'd obliviated said.

Hermione looked toward the friend who moved to stand behind her, boxing her in. "I'm not sure what you mean." Her heart was pounding in her chest, adrenaline pumping and nerves ramping up.

"Don't make this harder on yourself. We know you're a mutant, and you're working on something in the circle. You either tell us what it is and we can work together or we'll just force it out of you."

Hermione glared at him. Eyes narrowing on the term they called her. "You've mistaken me for someone else," she said, pushing past them, abandoning her plans for the market to get back to the forest and the safety of her tent.

One grabbed her arm and pulled her towards their car. "We'll pay you handsomely for your efforts."

"I don't want your money." Hermione pulled her arm from his grip. She didn't know what mutant was, but if she can hide her magic under that term, she'd take it. She ducked under the arm that reached for her again and with as much concentration as she could, channelled a bit of magic into her hand and pushed the man away, sending him back into his friend and the both of them skidding across the sidewalk.

She'd only done that twice before during training in her world and it took too much out of her to try again while they were still in pursuit, but the distraction served its purpose and she apparated away to the treeline where her tent was.

When she landed the last of the men was there, gun out and waiting. He fired a shot that she narrowly dodged. "She's here." He said, likely into whatever communication device he might have.

Her mind was racing. How did they know it was her? was the primary thought underneath all the controlled panic. She tried to think back on all the interactions with her wards they'd had while she was on the field. Nothing came to mind. Unless they'd done something on a day she hadn't come to study, but then, her ward should have indicated that it'd been breached. She put it out of mind, she couldn't worry about that just then.

And she started running again, hoping to reach the boundary of the ward around her tent before the man caught up. He was surprisingly quick for the terrain they were on. She ducked behind a large tree too late to dodge another attack and something caught her on her side, digging into her skin. She decided to risk the apparition and tried to make the pop over to her tent boundary as silent as she could to prevent him from pinpointing her location.

She had to be quick. Her movements felt uncoordinated and Hermione swore as she glanced at the strange pin blinking red and sticking out of her side. She ripped it out with a hiss and crushed it under her boot. She was slower than she'd liked in dismantling and packing her home.

"It's another circular perimeter," she heard someone say before the attack started again.

All three of them had caught up to her this time. One threw the glowing device much like that first one from the circle. Instead of sailing through her ward, this one collided with it setting off golden sparks. Hermione watched in alarm as it worked almost like a mid-range ward buster before her magic overpowered it. They had another one on her ward seconds later. A third device they flying at her burst into a strange smoke that danced across the grass.

"There!" one of the men shouted, and she was confused for all of a second before she realized the smoke on the ground revealed her position despite any disillusion her ward offered her. Guns were aimed and firing in moments her wards fell. These guns were different, stronger than the handguns previously aimed at her as they burst through the trunks of trees around her.

She swore again but the tent was finished and flying into her hands. She barely had it in her bag before she popped away, anywhere as far away from here as possible. She tumbled in her landing spraining her ankle, but she rolled back up and kept rushing forward, popping away again in case.

She apparated twice more ending in the Forest of Dean. She set up wards in record time but waited until nightfall to set up her tent, just in case they managed to track her and she needed to leave again. And even with the tent up, and the wards in place she fell into a fitful sleep.

By three in the morning, she'd given up on sleep and decided it'd be best to come up with a plan first. She tried not to regret showing her hand, especially to unknowns. But what was done, was done. She didn't know where they were, didn't want to waste energy on tracking them in the attempts of obliviating them. They were trained enough in something to overcome it, and aware of other powers.

First and foremost, she had to decide what to do next. If she was stuck here for who knows how long, she'd need to find work eventually before her funds would run low. She didn't want to live in her tent long term. If… if the worst came to worse and she was living in this universe permanently, she'd have to eventually find peace here.

By sunrise, she'd had the basics of an outline planned, a small breakfast put together with what she had. And then she went to scratch the first thing off her to-do list.

The library.

The man called her a mutant and that gave her a lead on what magic could have manifested as in this seemingly mundane world. She'd taken over a corner computer on the upper level of the library near her childhood home. It took some practice, as she'd never really been one for technology, even in her world. She read article after article about mutants, mutates, which led into a whole other world of vigilantes, superheroes and supervillains. It was like something out of a movie or a novel. Though, when she thought about it, the same could have been said about the wizarding world of her universe. It was overwhelming, and she didn't know what the best ways would be to approach any of the seemingly safe groups for sanctuary.

A notification popped up on her screen letting her know that her three hours were almost up and she could top up at the front desk or finish her session. Hermione stretched and decided it was best to rest her eyes; not used to staring at a screen for so long her eyes felt dry, it wasn't the same as reading over piles of books.

Heading into the coffee shop next to the library, she ordered a drink and a sandwich grabbed a free newspaper from the counter and chose a table as far away from a window as possible. Idly she browsed through the current news and nearly choked on her sandwich.

There was a photo of Dean Thomas in the event ads. She'd recognize him anywhere. According to the paper, his name in this world was Thomas Dean, but he was still pursuing art. It wasn't magical moving paintings from her universe but still very beautiful from the previews. She hesitated before she jotted down the address of the gallery in her notebook.

There was an hour before Dean's show would close for the night and Hermione paid the small entry fee and walked in to support the only friend she'd found in this world. She took a copy of the exhibit pamphlet and a business card.

His art, despite the lack of magic, was still very magical. The rolling landscapes he'd showcased while not Hogwarts, felt very much like what Hogwarts could have been in this world. All the original paintings were indicated as being sold, but smaller printed copies of the work were also available for purchase; it looked like the print sales were going towards a charity for LGBTQ teenage support. She wondered if he was dating a version of Seamus in this world.

Her breath caught at a portrait of a woman who looked a lot like Luna. It was titled Little Moon, dated 2013 and listed as oil on canvas. The background of this portrait was a dark blue night sky. Luna's hair seemed to glow like moonlight. It was a side view of her friend leaning forward, face tilted up, eyes closed and long lashes just gently brushing the top of her cheeks. Decorating Luna's hair were dainty pink blooms. She looked very faerie like, whimsical, and very much like what she'd remembered her as.

She swallowed the loneliness that crept up. "Why does this painting make you feel sad?" The voice is all too familiar.

Hermione startled. Her eyes widened coming face to face with Dean. He looked the same. Smiled the same. Everything about him seemed the same. It was jarring to know this man wasn't her friend, and even though she knew it was silly, she felt hurt that he hadn't recognized her. Before today, this Dean hadn't even known she'd existed.

"Sorry," she mumbled, looking away and back to the painting, "She… she just reminds me of a friend I miss very much is all."

"Did you love this friend?" he asked.

She smiled, while she hadn't been close to Luna during Hogwarts, too rigid in her views on books and facts, the years following had opened up space for them to have an interesting friendship; Luna's insight and intuition with magic always inspired her to improve on her warding. She nodded.

He returned the smile and those deep dimples creased his cheeks. Hermione tried to reign in the melancholy. She knew, in theory, that if she'd found someone she recognized, spoke to them, they'd likely not know her. But in practice, the emotions that took over was another story, another level of alienation all together. "Well, I'm happy that this reminds you of someone you love, even if it's a sad feeling."

"I suppose you must enjoy it when your work evokes strong emotions," she replied.

He nodded with a glance at his painting before turning back to Hermione. "I'm Thomas by the way, I haven't seen you around these circles before."

Hermione reached for his outstretched hand. "Hermione and I'm just passing through. I saw the ad in the paper this morning."

"Thank you for coming," he said genuinely pleased with her visit.

"Your work is very beautiful," she praised, "But you've probably heard that a million times."

He laughed the same laugh she heard in the Gryffindor common room, or at the Gryffindor gatherings for drinks at the pub. Dean… or rather Thomas shrugged, "It's always nice to have our hard work praised."

"What's her name?" she asked pointing to the portrait, "Luna?"

He smirked, "Good guess! But no, her name is Selene. We met in uni, both artists."

She rose a brow in curiosity, "Really? I hope it's not bad form to ask what kind of art she does too?"

He shook his head, insisting that sharing his friends' art always made him happy. He pulled out his mobile and showed her something called Instagram. He seemed amused that she'd had no idea what it was. He opened up a profile and showed her Luna- Selene's work. All of Luna's whimsical mystical imagination from her world was brought to life in this world through paintings and sculptures. She noted she still had the last name of Lovegood.

They talked, Hermione getting to know her friend again in this new universe and something about it felt like they were just catching up. They talked until the exhibit closed for the night, and Hermione worried that she'd taken up all of his time to speak with others interested in his work. But he waved away her worries, insisting the ones left exploring the exhibit hall were people he knew and spoken too already.

He offered to continue their conversation at a little pub down the way, to meet Selene and a few other of his friends who were waiting on him. Hermione thanked him for the invitation, but she wasn't ready to look at Luna and see zero recognition in her eyes. They'd parted ways, but Hermione promised that if she was around and he'd have another exhibit, she'd try and make it. He told her that he'd hold her on that promise, and teased her to get on social media.

When Hermione landed in the boundary of her ward in front of her tent, she let the tears she'd been holding at bay. She couldn't remember ever feeling this lonely, not even as a child growing up near friendless before Hogwarts. But, speaking with Dean- Thomas, she corrected in her head, she found hope.

The people she knew who could exist in this world… they were likely the same she knew in her own world, names and some physical differences aside of course. She could work with this. There were contacts in her world, questionable some may be, but contacts nevertheless and acquaintances she had from the curse-breaking side of her job.

She should search them out, to get herself on steady feet in this world. And once she was settled, she could continue to work on finding a way home.

Hermione stared up at the ceiling of her tent rolling and twirling the obelisk stone in her hands, letting its magic calm her.

For the first time since arriving in this confusing world, she'd slept through the night without a nightmare and when she woke the next morning, the worry and stress and loneliness she'd been carrying felt lighter.

She stood straighter, shoulders back with no burden; her wand was up and quickly dismantling her tent to be packed away. She was going to Paris, she decided, and something in her magic just knew that that was the best next step.

Hello hello and thank you if you've made it this far!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will stick around to read more.

My Beta Reader is the Grammarly app.

Just a few heads up:

For the MCU-part of this fic: this will not be Civil War, Infinity War, End Game compatible.

I can't remember when exactly the Winter Soldier story took place, but apparently that was in 2014, and for the sake of this fic, I'm going to say it happened in the November time-frame. You can keep this in mind, but I will not be writing the Winter Soldier arc.

A lot of the Magic/Technology in this fic will be me thinking of how things could/would work if I tried to manipulate magic a certain way.

Thanks again for reading!
Until next time.