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“McGonagall?” Ron asked incredulously, starting to stand.

Hermione and Harry both yanked him back down and Hermione’s hand again clamped firmly over his mouth. “Quiet. We can’t let them see us. If they have any memory of us, it could affect the future,” Hermione whispered.

Harry, still staring after Dumbledore and McGonagall, was the only one of the three who saw the man’s twinkling blue eyes scan the boxes, then nod, as if he understood something. He turned back once more as Minerva’s hand found its way into the crook of his elbow.

“Hermione, do you think you could remember some sort of spell to change our appearances?”

“I don’t know. I wish I still had a library to use,” she muttered.

“Just something simple. Enough that they won’t recognize us in the future,” he pushed.

“Hmmm... well, it’s not quite simple, but let me see what I can do...” Hermione cleared her throat and started murmuring a few words as she pointed her wand at Ron. Soon a golden cloud engulfed him.

As the cloud dissipated, they could hear a voice, unrecognizable, muttering. “Why am I always her guinea pig?” Where Ron had stood was now a boy of about 19. His flaming red hair had become a crown of golden blonde. His freckles had disappeared and his skin had tanned. Even his facial structure seemed to have changed.

“Well, did it work?” Ron asked.

“Hermione, you’re brilliant,” Harry grinned.

“Your turn,” she replied, pointing her wand at Harry.

As the cloud disappeared again, Ron muttered, “Blimey, you look like a bloody movie star!” Harry’s untidy black hair was now combed back neatly. The green of his eyes was deeper- if it were even possible- and his face looked more rugged and masculine. He filled out his uniform well, no longer the skinny boy of his childhood. His glasses had disappeared, but his scar remained.

“Oh, Harry, I’m sorry... I guess a simple spell isn’t enough to cover it,” Hermione said softly.

“It’s ok, Hermione, it might come in handy,” he replied, in a voice no longer his own.

“Your turn, Hermione,” Ron said.

Hermione turned the wand on herself and stepped out of the cloud of gold. Her mousy brown bushy mass of hair had become straightened, a chocolate color with blonde and red natural highlights. Her eyes had become hazel, the gold outline seeming to engulf the green, making her eyes shine.

“Did it work? Do I look different?” Hermione asked, her voice also changed slightly.

“I’ll say,” Ron muttered. A quick jab of Harry’s elbow to Ron’s chest prevented him from saying any more.

“It worked fine, Hermione. Speaking of which, maybe we should go by different names as well.”

“Hmmm... Well, I want to be called... hmmm... I don’t know,” Ron admitted.

“Maybe we should claim to be undercover in the Muggle world, and therefore have common Muggle names,” Harry said.

“Yours is already common enough, as is Ron’s, but we need to change them anyway,” Hermione replied. “Hmmm... I think Daniel for you, Harry, and... Rupert seems to suit you, Ron.”

“Rupert? Well then, you should be Emma,” Ron said as if he didn’t like the name he was given.

“That’s fine. So, Daniel, Rupert, and Emma. Until we reach Hogwarts in our time, that should be how we refer to each other,” Hermione, now Emma, replied.

“Well, now that we’re all situated, what do you say we go find out what’s happening down here?” Harry asked.

The other two nodded in agreement before following Harry down the corridor that they had just seen McGonagall and Dumbledore disappear down. The corridor seemed to be heading in a downward direction, sinking below the earth. Somehow the air around them was getting warmer, not colder as would be expected. As they turned another corner, the corridor ended abruptly.

“Well now what?” Ron asked.

“I don’t know,” Hermione replied, examining the wall closely. “Aha!” she replied, tapping a suspicious spot with her wand. The wall disintegrated under the touch and Ron and Harry took a step back in surprise.

“I think she found the way in,” Ron said sheepishly.

“Come on, Daniel, Rupert,” Hermione said, leading Harry and Ron into the hall. The hall was filled with witches and wizards, all dressed in Muggle clothing, most in Allied uniforms.

The trio took positions near the back and watched as Dumbledore and McGonagall stood before the congregation.

McGonagall commanded everyone’s attention the way she did even in the future, tapping on a glass. Dumbledore then straightened himself, rising to his full height in front of his colleagues. “Friends, you have all been doing a wonderful job. Grindelwald’s power is weakening minute by minute. As for the medi-wizards, a wonderful decrease in the number of fatalities is being reported. We must however, be constantly aware of the danger that lies in fighting such a powerful wizard. Just as Grindelwald’s Muggle Nazis have been trained to find and destroy the people that he has chosen, he has his ways of discovering which of those among us are not ‘pure-blood’ as crude as the term may be. Remember to be aware of those around you,” Harry shifted uneasily as Dumbledore’s gaze seemed to pierce straight through him. “And never let down your guard,” he finished.

~~~~


Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched as Dumbledore and McGonagall shared a private conversation before walking through the other witches and wizards to face them.

“Good evening, friends. I don’t believe we’ve met,” Dumbledore said, his eyes cautious, but friendly nonetheless.

“No, we haven’t, I’m sure I’d have remembered,” Harry responded. “My name is Daniel. These are my friends, Emma and Rupert.”

“Welcome to our little group, then, Daniel... Emma... Rupert,” Dumbledore replied, looking at each as he said their names. Ron, like Harry had, shifted uneasily, feeling as though Dumbledore’s piercing gaze and sharp eyes could see through the disguises.

“Albus, dear, I think you’ve frightened them. I’m Minerva, glad to meet you,” the future deputy headmistress of Hogwarts said as she extended her hand to Hermoine.

“Nice to meet you as well,” Hermoine said, shaking McGonagall’s hand. “We were just with a company of American soldiers. They were leading us here so that we could possibly make it back to England.”

“Did you come with just the three of you?” Dumbledore asked, rather abruptly.

“Here yes, but we arrived in France with four,” Harry replied.

“And your fourth?” McGonagall asked.

“We don’t know. He seemed to have disappeared shortly after our arrival,” Ron replied bitterly.

“Well let us hope that he is well,” McGonagall replied.

*****

“So you see, this girl is a very talented witch, very talented, but a Mudblood all the same. Her talent is a disgrace to the name of magic,” Draco drawled.

“And you say that her companion, this Harry fellow is dangerous to my cause as well?”

“Yes. A little known fact is that his mother was a Mudblood. He is hailed as one of the best wizards of his age group. If you capture the girl, he will try to save her. Then you can take both,” Draco replied, his icy eyes twinkling. He had never noticed the change in his demeanor from playful bullying to murderous, but the man he was speaking to had. Indeed it was this man who changed Draco Malfoy’s plans.

Draco had run towards where the planes were flying and came across a German encampment. When the Germans eyed his platinum blonde hair and his icy blue eyes, they thought he was the spitting image of Aryan. The leader of the group of soldiers he had stumbled upon worked it out of him that he was a wizard, and thus, he was brought to see Grindelwald himself. Now Draco stood before the man. His hair was dark, a small moustache coloring his upper lip, and swastikas decorating his uniform. Had Draco known anything of Muggle history, he’d know that he was known as Adolf Hitler in the non-wizarding community.

“You have done your duty to tell me this, young Mr. Malfoy. Go now and report to Heinrich. He will dress you properly, in the uniform of my men.”

Draco tilted his head in a sort of bow before turning to leave. He completely forgot about the small hourglass on a thin gold chain that sat on Grindelwald’s desk. Grindelwald picked it up and looked at it. The dark wizard knew what the Time Turner was and how it worked and noticed the error in the base that caused the four Hogwarts students to land in France. He corrected the cause before hanging it around his own neck, just in case.

“Guttenberg!” Grindelwald yelled.

A short, rather hefty man entered, bowing low. “Yes, your excellency?”

“Three new wizards have joined Dumbledore. I want you to capture the girl. She will be the only one not immediately recognizable from the pictures I have given to you.”

“How am I to do so, sir? They are rather protected in their caverns,” Guttenberg asked.

“Do it,” Grindelwald growled, sending shivers down Guttenberg’s back.

“Y-yes, sir,” the fat man stuttered, backing out the door he had come in through.

~~~~

Guttenberg watched from a distance as Albus and Minerva showed Emma, Rupert and Daniel to the two hotel rooms they would be using. They had arranged for a normal military flight to take them back to England the next day. Once the two adults had retired back to the caverns, Guttenberg took action. He snuck into Hermione’s room, careful not to wake the boys in the other and used the Petrificus Totalus hex on her. He had a slight bit of trouble getting the girl, who had been sleeping curled into a ball, through the window, and ended up knocking something off the dresser. It hit the floor and broke.

Harry opened his eyes slowly. Something had woken him, but he didn’t know what. Then he heard sounds at the window. He went to it, his socks muffling the sound of his feet on the floorboards. He looked outside and saw a short, fat man carrying Hermione. He instantly opened the window and pointed his wand, but before he could decide what to cast, Guttenberg had disappeared, Hermione in his arms.

“Ron! Ron! Wake up!” Harry shouted as he quickly dressed.

“Huh? I’m trying to get some bloody sleep here!” Ron shouted, pulling his covers up over his head.

“Ron, get out of bed, Hermione’s been kidnapped!” Harry yelled, pulling a side of Ron’s mattress up to tip him out.

“Kidnapped? By who?” he asked, sleepily rubbing his eyes from his seated position on the floor.

“I don’t know, but I bet I know who is behind it. C’mon, we have to go to Dumbledore.”

“Right, mate. I’ll just be a minute,” he said, pulling his shirt on.

Eventually, Harry dragged Ron out of the room and down into the caverns. “Dumbledore, we’ve had trouble. Her- Emma’s been kidnapped,” Harry said, nearly slipping.

Albus’ blue eyes narrowed slightly at the information. “Did you see who it was?”

“A short, fat man. He petrified her, then carried her off,” Harry said, in a nearly defeated tone. He almost blamed himself for not being more careful with her.

“What do you think, Minerva?” he asked. A familiar tabby cat purred under the palm of the wizard’s hand. “Probably Guttenberg. Grindelwald is setting his trap. He must know something about you that makes him want you to come to him, either to destroy you or to have you join him. You did the right thing by coming here. Now, I must go face him head on.”

“I’m going with you,” Harry said. “I couldn’t let you go by yourself to help save someone who should have been under my protection.”

“Your protection? Please, explain,” Albus said, his eyes turning a greyish-blue shade.

Harry sighed. “She is not of pure blood. I told her that she’d be safe, no matter what. I should have kept her closer.”

“I sense something stronger than friendship at work here,” Albus whispered, his eyes starting to twinkle again.

Harry opened his mouth, changed his mind, and shut it, before opening it again. Ron smiled, “You look like a bloody fish, would you make up your mind?”

“I’m going with you,” Harry said again. “Apparating into Berlin?”

“Yes. Glad to have your company, but I’m afraid I’ll have to face Grindelwald alone.”

“Then when it comes to that point, we’ll do what we must. I have to go.”

“Very well. We leave in an hour. If you could possibly wait in the conference room? I have something I must discuss with Minerva.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you,” Harry replied. He and Ron both walked out to the conference room where they “met” Albus and Minerva.

Minerva took her human form. “You still want to face him alone?”

“I have to, Minerva.”

“This Daniel wants to help. I sense that he has a lot of power and potential. You also have me. Why must you do this alone?”

“Daniel is coming along, but he is going to save this girl. When it comes down to it, he will find her and help her, not fight Grindelwald. I cannot count on him to help me, not if it comes down to saving her or fighting him.”

“How can you be so certain?” Minerva asked, looking at him.

“It’s what I would do,” he said softly, taking her hands in his. “As for you, I simply cannot allow you to go to Berlin with me.”

“Why not, Albus?”

“We’ve had this conversation too many times. I’ve told you that I don’t want to see you get hurt, but I suppose I should tell you the real reason. If for some unknown reason, you were injured, or worse, and I came out of the battle better off than you, I should never forgive myself. Just like Daniel blames himself for Emma’s kidnapping, I would blame myself for any ill fortune that would befall you because I did not keep you away. You must stay back, for me. Be here so that I can pull strength from the knowledge that you are waiting for me, safe and sound. Be here to lead the others in battle against the Nazis.”

“I love you, Albus,” she said softly, tears forming in her eyes. “You’d better come back to me, if you won’t let me come with you.”

“Minerva...” Albus sighed. He leaned down and kissed her gently. “I love you, and I swear to you that this will not be the last time I say it to you.”

They kissed once more to seal his vow before they walked out to Daniel and Rupert. “So, Daniel, are you ready?” the older wizard asked.

“I think so, sir,” Harry replied, gripping his wand in his pocket.

“Then we are off to Berlin,” Albus said firmly. He nodded to Minerva gravely, before smiling and winking with one sparkling blue eye. Minerva choked back some tears before lifting her head proudly and smiling back. Ron took his place beside McGonagall. They watched as Albus and Harry disappeared.

The two wizards looked around at the area where they had apparated. Before they could even try to figure out where to go, Guttenberg appeared. He was shuffling along, running some pointless errand to keep him out of his master’s hair. Retrieving Hermione was the first thing he had done right since his servitude began.

Harry shouted as he pointed his wand, causing the man’s feet to become unbearably heavy. He ran over to his captive. “Where is she?” he asked.

“Who?” Guttenberg asked.

“You know who, you sniveling little toad,” Harry growled, the glint in his eye becoming murderous.

“Oh, you must be talking about the girl. She makes a lovely addition to Grindelwald’s trophies,” Guttenberg smiled, his partially rotten teeth showing from behind his thin lips.

Harry’s hand flew up, but was caught by Dumbledore before he could backhand the man. “Where is your master?” Albus asked calmly.

“It is no matter of yours unless you are looking to be broken and destroyed.”

“I’ll ask you again before I conjure up a few nice big bugs for you to play with. That was your fear back in school, am I remembering correctly, Johann?” Albus asked. Guttenberg had been a Slytherin while Albus was teaching Transfiguration, before he had become the DADA professor.

“You wouldn’t,” Guttenberg replied. Albus’ wand twirled and a roach from the side of one of the buildings grew to become as large as a Volkswagen Beetle. The insect looked hungrily at Guttenberg. “Don’t let it eat me! Please! I’ll tell you... he’s in the bunker over there. He’s got underground caverns.”

“Take us to him,” Harry ordered.

“OK, just please, make the roach disappear.” Albus shrunk the roach and gave Guttenberg the use of his legs. He waddled over to one of the bunkers, and tapped on a series of bricks. A tunnel opened underneath the wall and Harry and Albus followed it. As the tunnel leveled out, it widened into a large cavern. Grindelwald was standing with his back to the duo, over a body lying limply on the floor.

Harry’s eyes went wide as he realized who was at Grindelwald’s feet. His fists clenched, one around his wand, and he clenched his teeth. Before he could do anything, a patient hand was lain upon his shoulder. Dumbledore stepped forward.

“Ah, Dumbledore, I was wondering when you’d arrive,” Grindelwald said, without turning.

“Grindelwald, you must end this madness or I will end it for you,” Albus said calmly. His eyes, however, turned a cold gray.

Here Grindelwald turned toward the duo. “And who are you? Oh, you must be the boy... yes... your friend told me about you.”

“What?” Harry asked. Then he realized that Malfoy had to have been behind this, getting Hermione kidnapped. “What have you done to her?”

“We just had a little bit of fun, well, I had fun anyway. She is a very proud young woman. Tried so hard not to scream or cry,” Grindelwald replied.

Harry went pale and his legs turned to rubber. “Oh, Merlin...”

“Grindelwald, your fight is not with either of these two. I have come to relieve you of your dictatorship. Face me, and fight,” Albus said, raising his wand.

Grindelwald raised his wand, but used it to levitate Hermione before tossing her against a wall, out of the way. She hit the wall and fell to the floor with a thud.

“Stop!” Harry heard himself scream. He ran to Hermione and pulled her into his arms. He lifted her and crouched behind an outcrop of rock to attempt to tend to her while Dumbledore fought the evil wizard.

Now, Grindelwald and Dumbledore faced off, wands at the ready.