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I watched as the tears slipped from my eyes and gathered on the cold stone floor. My heart was broken. Every time I saw them together a new knife flew into the gash that had already bled my heart dry.
I felt numb yet the tears kept coming. Darkness surrounded me, loneliness pushed in around me.
Logic was lost to me.
"Hermione?"
I looked up to see Harry. He made his way down the stairs and pulled me close. I just cried, what else was there to do?
Laughter echoed in the hall and then, "Hermione?" I knew that voice, my heart grew hard and I looked up with venom.
"What?" I snapped, pulling away from Harry and narrowing my eyes at Ron and Lavender, who stood before me.
Anger blinded me: I didn't know what was being said or what excuses he offered me. Painful wrath filled in what was once numb and I was out for blood.
All of a sudden, my wand was drawn and small yellow canaries were flying forth to attack Ron before I had even thrown the curse. Ron sprinted away, the birds following after him. I turned back to face Harry, he was as lost for words as I was. His best friends were fighting and he was caught in the middle.
This isn't how things are supposed to be!, my thoughts screamed. The tears came back in full force.
I was supposed to be strong, in control of myself. I was always the one with answers to every question; I could solve any riddle and fix any problem. At least, that was how things were supposed to be.
I knew Harry was hurting and yet here I was, selfishly attacking Ron because I couldn't be the bigger person and ignoring Harry's own broken heart.
I was a terrible person and yet all I could think was that it wasn't fair that I had to set my own heartache aside again to fix things.
When was someone going to step forward and fix me?
"Hermione?"
I rubbed my eyes and looked to Harry. He, however, was looking at something over my shoulder.
I slowly turned, whipping at my nose. I froze. A tall, slender man stood dressed in an odd outfit with pointy ears. His eyes were dark, almost as black as his hair, and his eyebrows were in a straight line going up instead of curving around his eye lid. Time and sorrow had carved away at his face. He looked as gentle as Dumbledore, just as intelligent too.
A small smile flitted across his face before he controlled it once more, "Are you Hermione Granger?" He asked in his monotone voice.
I backed up, my eyes wide and hand reaching for my wand, "W-who are you?"
"My name is Spock and I would like to request your presence aboard the starship USS Enterprise in star date 2258.42." His eyes were strong; they held a memory of remembrance. Did I know him? Did he know me?
"I would like you to accompany me to the year 2258. Precisely 261 years in the future to this date." The man continued. He slowly reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small, silvery trinket.
"She isn't going anywhere with you." I hadn't realized Harry had gotten up, let alone moved in front of me. My eyes were locked on the intelligent brown ones of the man's. There was just something about them…
"Hermione," Harry glowered again, "isn't going anywhere with you."
My eyes moved to the trinket and my brow rose, "A…time turner?" I couldn't piece anything together; it was as if my mind was refusing to think. My beating heart burned in my ears, deafening any logic.
The man smiled, holding the turner as if it were his most precious treasure, "Yes, it was given to me by someone very special." He gently placed it in a nook of a mechanic device he held.
He offered me his hand, "Will you come with me?" I couldn't help but feel a pull to him, I know I knew him.
Months ago I had let the hurt of Ron's rejection consume me, changing who I had once been. But for the first time in a long while I felt like the old me; I felt hopeful.
"She won't." Harry had his wand out, ready to fire. I studied every inch of the man's face, finding only trust.
His eyes grew gentle as he pleaded with me, again he offered me his hand, "I will fix you."
Without thinking, I jumped around Harry and took hold of his hand. It was the chance of a new start, a place without the painful memories – I could be myself again.
"Hermione! No!" Harry reached out for me but he was too late. Golden spheres encircled me and I was Apparated away.
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