Carefully, Hermione smoothed down her skirt while she waited in front of the office. This whole week she had waited to at last speak with Professor Dumbledore again.
"Oh, my lovely niece!" Dumbledore exclaimed happily the moment he opened his door. With an inviting gesture he walked her to the chair opposite of his desk, then he sat down himself. "So, how was your week, Miss Granger? Have you settled down in Slytherin yet?"
Thoughtfully Hermione looked down on her hands. She needed someone with whom she could talk about Riddle, someone to confide her fears to. How much damage would she cause if she told Professor Dumbledore that she knew she was here for Tom Riddle? She decided to treat carefully.
"Abraxas Malfoy has been most obliging," she explained slowly, "thanks to him I found at least one friend. The problem lies somewhere else entirely."
Dumbledore nodded as if he knew what she was talking about. Still tentatively she continued: "I would really like to tell you everything, but you and I both know that is not possible. Still. Right at the beginning of this all, I asked what would happen if I killed the person that I was here for," Hermione said, but as she saw how Dumbledore's face fell immediately upon hearing it again, she quickly continued: "I won't suggest that again, do not worry. I just thought ... I've said it, I can't take it back. I'm sure you gathered from it that I am here for someone, a person. So ... I'd like to know who you think that is, sir."
Dumbledore's face showed a smile after hearing that, but his arms were still crossed before his chest and he looked thoughtful. Finally he answered: "How much do you know about me, Miss Granger?"
Hermione blushed as she whispered: "I guess I do know a lot. At least about what you did."
Chuckling, Dumbledore stroked his beard: "No need to be shy, my dear. It's expected that a person from the future would know a lot. And if you know a lot about me, that only means that I am going to do many things in my future that are worth remembering, which is a nice thought, don't you think? But," he continued more seriously while bending forward, "my question aimed at something very specific. I suspect you know about Grindelwald?"
Shocked, Hermione stared at him. Of course, the wizard that Dumbledore would defeat in a famous duel still haunted England during these days. Furthermore, if the stories were true, Dumbledore had been involved with him and once shared his ideologies. She nodded slowly.
"My first thought was that you are here for him," Dumbledore explained. There was a sad tone in his voice and suddenly Hermione wondered whether her professor still thought fondly of the dark wizard. Mute, but alert she looked at him, while he continued: "But I dismissed that idea. The fact that you attended Hogwarts when your other self did the time travel suggested that you are here for someone in this castle."
She nodded in confirmation, still unsure though whether it really was okay to say anything about Riddle to Dumbledore. It would not change too much, would it, as he already kept track of Riddle's movements? Nervously she clung to her chair.
"I trust all my colleagues," Dumbledore continued to think out loud, his gaze now turned to the window, his hand stroking his beard absent-mindedly, "and most of them would be too old to wrack havoc over fifty years from now, anyway. It's hard for a teacher to think anything but well of his students, but exactly because they are young people, they all can change so much. Another indication of course would be that you naturally belong in Gryffindor, but have been in Slytherin during your time travel. That hints at the one person being from that house. Which means ..."
There, he stopped. By now Hermione was trembling nervously. She was sure that Dumbledore drew the correct conclusions from what she had told him. Would it be right for her to confirm his suspicions? Or would she do too much damage with that? Before she could think any longer about it, Dumbledore turned back to her and looked directly and seriously at her: "The student that I suspect is someone I've been watching for a long time now. From the very start, to be honest. There is something about him that worries me. Sadly, it never changed in all his time here. Even if you never showed up in this time, I still would have kept at least one eye on him. As I understand perfectly well that I am not allowed to interfere, I will continue doing only that: watching. That being said, Miss Granger," Dumbledore concluded his thoughts, "tell me. Are you here for Tom Riddle?"
"Yes."
She was only able to whisper this word, but it was all Dumbledore needed. Silence filled the room while Hermione tried to battle her fears. Professor Dumbledore was far more intelligent than her, if it was wrong for him to have this information, he surely would not have asked for it. At least that was what she hoped, as she knew from her own time that Dumbledore had this other side, this side that strived for knowledge and sometimes went too far for it. Still, for the moment she felt relieved to at last be able to talk about Riddle with somebody.
"Did he do something to you?" Dumbledore asked, concern visible in his usually twinkling eyes.
"Not really. He grabbed me forcefully several times and spewed threats, but he wasn't actually violent or anything. Which of course can always change ..."
Dumbledore's eyes suddenly looked unhappy and his tone was stern when he interrupted her: "Miss Granger, you are aware that you are here for him, but instead of staying quiet and go unnoticed, you provoke him? Do you think it's good if he notices you and starts to get interested?"
Hurt, Hermione clenched her fists. Again she had to think of Harry, who sometimes was frustrated that Dumbledore did not understand him, expected too much, had no sympathy for human failures. Here she was, fearing for her life, because she did not know whether she would ever be able to return to the future, and because the chance that Tom Riddle wanted to actually murder her grew from day to day – and that was all Dumbledore wanted to say to her?
"It was never my intention, sir," Hermione defended herself, "but what do you expect from me? I know what he'll do in my future. He's a monster, I can't see him any differently. For him, just the fact that I didn't fall for his charm was enough to be suspicious of me."
"I am the last person to defend Tom, but still I implore you to differentiate between Tom now and his future self. Whatever he has done in your future, he has not done it yet. He's a confused young man and he might be dangerous, but he's not yet a monster."
"But of course he is! He's already ...," Hermione cried enraged, but she stopped immediately. If Dumbledore was not aware of the murders Riddle had already committed or that he was responsible for the Chamber of Secrets, she had no right to tell him. Again she noticed the curious sparkle in his eyes, as well as the disappointment when she stopped. She could not even resent him for it: There was knowledge about future events right in front of him, but he knew he could not have it. For a wise, powerful wizard like Dumbledore that had to be frustrating.
"Please do not think I don't understand you!" Dumbledore said at last, sighing deeply: "I know I sometimes push too far when I pursue my goals. I tend to ignore the most natural human emotions and judge people for their mistakes. But please be awake: You other self finished her school year here. She not only survived until the end of the term, she even had time to be the best girl of her year. What you did, in other words, was to avoid getting murdered by Tom. You and me both know he's capable of committing murder, and in your own interest and keeping your mission in mind, I advise you to at least try to be more cautious."
A dry laugh escaped Hermione: "I certainly don't plan to provoke him until he murders me."
She waited for a long time before she found the right words to express her confused feelings and fears: "I'm just so overwhelmed. I know the future, not just for Riddle, but for many other students here. I know what they will become, I know who'll have children and what those do. Especially the children of the Slytherin students made my life difficult in Hogwarts. But even so, I can't help myself, I like some of them. How can I like someone whose children or grandchildren are so awful? I never felt so lonely. I can't be open to anyone, not even you. And worst of all, we both don't know at this very moment whether I'll ever go back to my time. I could die a year from now. It's so scary. I thought I knew what fear is, but the way I feel now is completely different. I just don't feel like playing diligent little school girl–"
Hermione burst into tears, a loud sob stopped her words. Just one week was behind her and she already felt exhausted and unable, to spend even a single other day near Tom Riddle. Distraught, she buried her face in her hands.
"Miss Granger," Dumbledore said softly after she sobbed for several minutes: "Please don't despair. You're not alone. Even though you cannot tell me everything, I still am here for you. Perhaps I was too hasty after all. For too long I've felt this strange, dangerous aura from Tom. Then you show up, confirming my suspicions. For a moment all I could see was that there was a real chance to defeat him, if not during my time, then at least in the future. I did not think about your situation like I should have. I didn't mean to pressure you that way."
Thankful, Hermione took the handkerchief that Dumbledore gave her to wipe her tears. Yes, she felt desperate, she was overwhelmed and she was scared, that was true, but she refused to let those feelings rule her. While she wiped her tears and tried to smooth her school uniform, she focussed her thoughts and took a deep breath. This was a mission. She had chased after Horcruxes for the last past year, she broke into Gringotts, survived the Bellatrix Lestrange's torture and never gave up. She could not change that she was in the past now, so she should just accept it and concentrate on why she was here. She was not lost in time, she was at the right place, at the right time to save the future.
Determined she looked right at Dumbledore: "I guess I need more time to get used to this time and to understand that for the next months, this is actually my home. But nevertheless, I will do everything to save the future."
"I'm happy to hear that," he answered with a slight smile: "And if you ever struggle with your fears or just need a friendly face from time to time to not feel lost here, you're always welcome to my office."
Hermione mirrored the smile and for the first time since her arrival she felt like talking to the professor she knew from her own time: the wise, mild, empathetic Dumbledore. He gave her time to adjust herself, to really let her new found determination sink in, then he continued: "I have thought about you a lot this week, about you and the future, even though I had no time to discuss it with you directly. I came to the conclusion that you will not discover any knowledge here that might help you in the future."
She suddenly felt as if the blood froze inside her veins: "Excuse me?" Hermione asked overwhelmed. Had he not tried to encourage her just now? She had found a new sense of being on a mission just a few minutes ago, when her reason finally won over her fears – now he told her such a discouraging thing?
"It's not that your stay here is superfluous," Dumbledore explained with a grave expression, "but that I really thought about your assumption of what you were supposed to do here. You're here for one person, for Tom, as I now know, and if you look at the matter reasonably, there is no reason to believe you would be able to gather any information in this time that was not available to you in the future – except for those things he might share with you himself."
Hermione blinked in confusion. She blinked again, unable to process what he just said. While Dumbledore showed an indulgent smile, waiting for her to understand, she could only stare with her mouth hanging open. At last she gulped, blinked again, then she forced the words out of her mouth: "I'm supposed to make Riddle tell me something about himself that I can use against him in the future?"
The old man nodded: "That is exactly what I am thinking. If you give it some thought, you will certainly agree that it would be ridiculous to assume you would be able to gather any such information just by studying some books or perhaps even ask some of his so called friends. No, I am convinced that you are here to win his trust and find a weakness. Or at least a weakness in his plan for the future."
"There was a weakness!" Hermione exclaimed: "His plan had a weakness and it still didn't matter! He overlooked something or didn't understand it or whatever, but there was something anyway! And still he came back and rose to power again!"
"Then perhaps it was not the right weakness?" Dumbledore suggested, obviously hoping again to learn more facts about future events. Hermione bit her own tongue before she accidentally explained the concept of motherly love and the protection it offered Harry, a concept that Voldemort didn't understand when he raised his wand against Harry.
"Not the right one!" She spat full of frustration: "How many weaknesses do you think does a man like him have? He's more powerful than any other wizard, perhaps even more powerful than yourself. He doesn't know friendship, only hatred. He'll never trust anyone!"
Dumbledore still seemed unbelievably calm: "Miss Granger, do not make the mistake and confuse Tom Riddle with the man you know from your future – for your own good. Yes, Tom is a boy who, despite his perfect exterior and remarkable charms, is cold and cruel on the inside. But he still is just a boy. He's too young to have already come to terms with true loneliness and isolation. Perhaps he'll open up if he meets another human who proves to be intelligent and better than the rest. Perhaps he'll stop being cautious all of the times and drop one or two things you might find useful. You should never forget, regardless of how intelligent and rational he seems: He's a boy of seventeen years, who presumably has not yet learned to control all of his emotions. Pride, striving to prove himself to others, especially those he might think of as equal, those things might loosen his tongue."
Hermione fell silent. She knew Dumbledore was right, she had experienced herself that Riddle still had feelings and sometimes even was ruled by them. She had told herself many times already to not think of Tom Riddle as Voldemort. Still, what Dumbledore suggested just now basically meant to open up to Riddle, to open up to his charms, let him get to her, hoping he might open up to her in return. She shuddered at the thought of forming a friendship, even a pretend one, with such a wizard.
"You're showing your emotions openly, Miss Granger," Dumbledore smiled: "I can read how very much this thought displeases you. I assure you, if you actually succeed and get closer to Riddle, you will definitely contribute immensely to your future war. You can make a difference."
He knew just too well which words were suited best to manipulate people into doing what he wanted them to do. Hermione had to admit that the thought of her making a difference was flattering. Perhaps the prophecy about Harry being the Chosen One who'll take down Voldemort was not as important as everybody thought. She never thought much of divination anyway. Sure, Voldemort had marked Harry as his enemy, had suffered his first big defeat through him, had somehow formed this strange bond between their wands. But did all this actually mean Harry had to carry the burden alone? He was the symbol of hope and resistance, he was able to gather witches and wizards behind him. Certainly though that did not mean she, Hermione Granger, could never contribute anything of value herself, right? Obviously it had been her fate all along to go back in time, and whatever she had done here, it would have been successful, otherwise she would not have made herself go back in time and do it again, would she? If she thought about it, it was not that she might be able to make a difference. She had made a difference and she would do it again.
Smiling, she looked at Dumbledore: "You're right. Perhaps I can find Riddle's weakness, perhaps he'll even let me in on his plans. You can count on me. I will fight for this."
He smiled back at her. For a moment, Hermione just sat there, enjoying the calmness of the office, enjoying the feeling that whatever it was she would be doing, it would turn out good, because she had already done it before. Then she stood up, curtsied slightly and left his office.
On her way back to the Slytherin common room, Hermione thought about the next days. It would be too obvious if she started to act friendly towards Riddle right away. There also was a great chance that he would come back to her on his own. If she managed to not be as provoking and mean in their next conversation, the first step was done. Perhaps she could arrange it that he happened to see her looking something up, something about Dark Arts or anything alike. She should go to the library. Being interested in Dark Arts should not be too strange for a Slytherin. If he then stumbled upon her, she might be able to show him an interesting side of herself. Get his attention so he would forget to hate her.