Rewritten Destiny

Hermione stood before the Mirror of Erised, the reflection revealing her holding ancient, powerful books and artefacts, representing the knowledge and power she craved. She sensed Dumbledore's presence before he spoke, 3 visits just like with Harry in the books, he had planned this encounter, best to be prepared when stepping into a trap.

 

"Miss Granger," Dumbledore's voice was soft, almost inviting, as he broke the silence. "I see you too have found the delights that is The Mirror of Erised."

 

Hermione did not immediately respond, letting the silence build tension. Finally, she turned slightly, her expression carefully neutral. "Delights or torture, I guess that is for the individual to decide as it shows your heart’s desire, not the future like some may mistake it," she replied, her voice betraying none of the anger she felt that he had put such a thing near children, let alone deliberately waiting for them to visit it multiple times before confrontation.

 

Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled, masking his scrutiny. "What do you see?" he asked, his tone casual, an obvious attempt to understand her thoughts, she considered lying but realised she would need to balance half-truths with lies to play Dumbledore's game, after all, the best lies are mired with truths.

 

"It’s personal, Professor," Hermione said firmly, turning to meet his gaze. She needed to maintain control of this conversation, hopefully, she could gain something from this encounter, she doubted it, but if she could lay some false leads that would be enough of a boon.

 

"As you’ve already surmised, the Mirror of Erised shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts," Dumbledore continued, his voice soothing. "But it does not bring happiness or truth. Remember that."

 

Hermione's eyes flickered with feigned frustration. "Obviously. Humans are never happy with what they have; even when they obtain what they desire, greed allows new desires to rise from them, meaning that the mirror will constantly be changing, showing you something constantly out of your reach. It is a cruel trick to play on people." She did think this Mirror was cruel to those who were not prepared hence her annoyance at it being near children so it wasn’t hard to feign frustration at Dumbledore, he was either a blithering fool or a master at manipulating the ‘Child of Destiny’.

 

She observed Dumbledore closely, gauging his reaction. She needed him to underestimate her, to see her as a brilliant but naive student, not a threat. His concern seemed genuine, but Hermione knew no one concerned with children's safety would put a deadly obstacle course before 11-year-olds.

 

"Hermione," he began, using her first name to create a sense of familiarity. Ashe admired the expertly done deception, but he’d have to try harder than that to fool her. "You remind me of another student who once stood where you are now. He too was exceptionally talented, driven, and fiercely intelligent."

 

Hermione was ready. She has anticipated this. "Voldemort? Sir?" she asked, injecting a note of disbelief. "Oh, by the look on your face, you’re surprised I worked it out? It isn’t very hard, Sir. This conversation can only be about someone who went Dark, and we both know Voldemort would never have allowed someone else to upstage him in brilliance, so with that deduction it was ‘elementary.’" She doubted he’d get her Sherlock reference, but why not play on the wizard's blind spot of muggle fiction a little?

 

Dumbledore sighed, clearly impressed by her deduction. "Yes. He was a brilliant student, much like yourself. But his ambitions led him down a dangerous path."

 

Hermione’s expression hardened, but internally, she felt a surge of satisfaction. Ok, Plan C, let's make him feel judged. "If you are concerned I will become the next Dark Lady, then you are barking mad, Sir," she said firmly. "I have no intention of following his footsteps, or yours for that matter."

 

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Mine, Miss Granger?"

 

"Yes, Professor," Hermione replied, her voice steady but deliberately challenging. "You wield an immense amount of power, influence, and secrecy. You shape events and control information, much like he did. The difference lies in your intentions, but the methods are not so dissimilar." If he felt she was judging him morally, he’d be more inclined to believe she was a force of good, not that she wasn’t mind, but she had different ideas about the usage of magic compared to Dumbledore.

 

Dumbledore leaned back, clearly considering her words. This was a crucial moment. Hermione needed to plant the seed of trust while maintaining her autonomy. "I see," he said slowly. "And what path do you intend to take, Hermione?"

 

"I intend to forge my path. However, what that path may be, Sir, is mine alone. I do not understand why it is any of your business," she responded, her tone unwavering. Internally, she noted the importance of this stance; she needed him to see her as fiercely independent, not someone who could be easily controlled. This would hopefully keep her out of his carefully crafted plans if he felt she was too much of a wild card to plan around. This was both good and bad, as it meant he wouldn’t assume predictability, but she would be in control.

 

Dumbledore's concern was evident, but so was a spark of admiration. "The world is full of complexities and difficult choices. Sometimes decisions made in the shadows are meant to protect the light."

 

"Perhaps," Hermione conceded, her eyes still fierce. "But that doesn't mean I have to follow the same methods."

 

Dumbledore nodded, a mixture of hope and worry in his expression. "Very well, Miss Granger. Just remember, even those with the best intentions can be led astray. Stay vigilant and true to your values."

 

As Hermione left to return to her dorm, she had seen the final image in the mirror and was happy with what she had seen, it felt more like who she was meant to be. It had shown a fighter, someone who commanded respect and was feared but not by those who she called allies, friends even, but by those who opposed her, that she could live with, after all, criminals feared punishment, and recalling those who betrayed her then, if they had feared punishment more, had felt the all-consuming fear for their betrayal, would they have done it? She thought not.

 

 

After getting back to her dorm, she headed to her bed and pulled the curtains, she took out a black leather diary, with silver decorations on it and a blood lock, and she cut her thumb to bind the diary to her. After completing this, she felt her magic envelop the diary, this confirmed the binding had been completed.

 

Opening the Diary she set a “To Do List”

 

• Steal the Philosopher's Stone to prevent Voldemort from getting it.
• Capture Peter Pettigrew and free Sirius Black, ensuring Sirius knows it was thanks to her to secure a favour owed.

 

These would be crucial points, why fight Riddle if she could just remove the item and the threat of his resurrection so early this easily? The problem is, did she want the stone to prevent him from having it, or did she also like it for herself? The issue, however, is how can she steal the stone when the Stone has been placed inside the mirror. There was a theory she had about Evanesco, the banishing spell, it didn’t banish items to nowhere, it merged them with everything around them, this was seen in the films with McGonagall when she said ‘into non-being, which is to say, everything’ if this was the case, then did Dumbledore modify the spell with intent to place it in the mirror to combine the protection of Desire and the Spell?

 

She considered that if she were to banish the mirror, then it also would technically both exist and not exist, if that’s the case then its magic of Desire would no longer work, and she could recall the Stone, however, the Mirror was highly magical, and whilst she was smart, there was no way she was magically strong enough to overpower such an object. This was obvious as Dumbledore would know an average adult Quirrell couldn’t do it with Riddle siphoning his magic.

 

So, this left her with 2 options, smash the mirror and destroy the stone, this would alert Quirell and Dumbledore to the fact the stone was gone early, however, it removed the threat, so it wouldn’t take much for Quirrell to get smart and threaten a student in some way, or even Imperio one to have the desire to take it and not to use it. That was assuming he worked out the trick, she considered doing this herself, but it was magic not taught and getting practice and not being caught would be difficult and a needless risk.

 

She morosely realised there was an obvious choice, but it would require Harry Potter. She had done everything to not be involved with him and Mr Weasley, the human garbage disposal, however, how could she now cultivate a relationship where they would go into danger together, without telling him about the stone, then getting it off of him and removing the memory without being caught? Again, just as improbable, memory spells were hard enough and needed practice, not to mention a closely guarded secret by the Ministry.

 

She sighed, realising she had talked herself out of stealing it for near-infinite gold (and life) and was now set on destroying it.

 

She crossed out the goal and replaced it

 

• Steal the Philosopher's Stone to prevent Voldemort from getting it.
• Capture Peter Pettigrew and free Sirius Black, ensuring Sirius knows it was thanks to her to secure a favour owed.
• Destroy the Philosopher's Stone to prevent Voldemort from getting it.

 

The next option, catching Pettigrew, was easily the simplest, she’d need some muggle rat poison, that just put them to sleep, then take him to Susan Bones and ask her to call her Aunt. This allowed her to get around Dumbledore and his machinations to keep Black in prison, and Potter at Privet Drive, she wasn’t sure whether this was by design, however, it best to play it safe and assume the worst, after all, she’d either be vindicated or pleasantly surprised, either way was a win.

She thought about the benefits of having Lord Black in her corner, she’d be a connection for the Malfoys to Sirius, which currently would be strained due to the last war, however, if she was the reason he was released she could act as a bridge between them, further making herself indispensable to them the Malfoys, this would provide her protection from other families or even the Dagworth-Grangers should they try get involved. Distantly related didn’t mean she was from the main family, and it didn’t mean she had any claim to the Lordship, but if they declared her a member, they’d become her Magical Guardian, and she could not allow, asking Black to make her a Ward of House Black, would prevent that as the political implications of the Dagworth’s evening looking at her funny would be apocalyptic, especially, if Hermione managed to help Harry, Lord Blacks Godson.

 

Add to the list:

 

• Steal the Philosopher's Stone to prevent Voldemort from getting it.
• Capture Peter Pettigrew and free Sirius Black, ensuring Sirius knows it was thanks to her to secure a favour owed.
• Destroy the Philosopher's Stone to prevent Voldemort from getting it.
• Help Harry Potter – Escape or Remove the Abuse? Blood Wards are too strong to remove entirely. Interference from Albus ‘too many names’ Dumbledore is likely to prevent removal from home.
• Ease relations between Black and Malfoys.

 

Reasonable goals, and not even one to do with Magic. Although, what if she managed to become a Black by Blood Adoption? She could gain access to the Black Library which had to hold books on Rituals to increase her strength, and what of Walburga and her Painting, did she hold additional knowledge only for the Lady of the Blacks?

 

She realised she needed an exit plan, if this all went tits up, she’d need a way out. She knew a little French from the holidays with her family, if she learned enough to be truly fluent, she could transfer to Beuxbaton and learn Alchemy, which they specialized in. Adding this to the list was a worthy goal, and worst case, France was their closest magical neighbour, if she failed to delay or stop the war before Riddle got his body back, she could always flee there and prepare. She’d need to iron out a full exit strategy out of the country and to do so quickly if it went badly, Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance, she recalled from her memories, how true that would be.

 

 

 

The next morning at breakfast, Hermione chose a seat at the Slytherin table closer to Draco. She noticed that he often led the conversation among his peers, and she aimed to subtly integrate herself into these discussions. As she sat down, she gave a polite nod to Draco, who acknowledged her with a curious look.

 

During a break between classes, Hermione found Draco and his friends—Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, and Theodore Nott—gathered near the courtyard, discussing Quidditch. She approached them with a friendly smile.

 

"Draco, I heard you're really into Quidditch," Hermione began, her tone casual yet interested. "It's a shame first years aren't allowed to try out for the team."

 

Draco sighed, a hint of frustration in his expression. "Yes, it's ridiculous. I'm sure I could make the team if they'd let me."

 

Hermione nodded sympathetically. "I can imagine how frustrating that must be. I’ve read a lot about Quidditch strategies. Maybe we could discuss them sometime? It might be fun to share our thoughts."

 

Draco raised an eyebrow, intrigued by her approach. "Really? What strategies do you know about, Granger?"

 

Hermione smiled confidently. "I've studied various plays and tactics from famous matches. For instance, the Hawkshead Attacking Formation and the Parkin's Pincer. They’re quite fascinating."

 

Pansy looked sceptical but interested. "You think you know a lot about Quidditch?"

 

Hermione nodded. "Some, I don’t play, but you’ve seen me on a Broom, besides, Draco even said I have my signature move” she said smugly. “And I'd love to learn more from someone as passionate about it as Draco."

 

Draco's expression softened slightly. "Maybe we can talk about it later. We're heading to Potions now."

 

"Great, I'll see you then," Hermione replied, satisfied with the initial connection.

 

Later that evening, Hermione was walking back to the common room when she heard a commotion coming from one of the empty classrooms. Curious, she peered inside and saw Harry Potter with his shirt off, tending to fresh cuts and bruises on his torso. His back, marred by old scars, told a story of long-term abuse. It looked like he had been in a fight recently.

 

Harry winced as he dabbed a cloth on a particularly nasty cut. Hermione's breath caught in her throat at the sight of the injuries, and she stepped into the room, her face pale with concern.

 

"Harry, what happened?" she asked softly, her voice trembling with worry.

 

Harry jumped, startled by her presence. "Hermione! What are you doing here?"

 

"I heard something and came to see. You’re hurt," Hermione said, her eyes wide with alarm. "Who did this to you?"

 

Harry looked away, reluctant to answer. "Just some older Slytherins. It's nothing I can't handle."

 

She bristled, her eyes narrowing with anger. "Which Slytherins did this?" she all but growled out.

 

Harry sighed, not wanting to get into details. "It doesn't matter, Hermione. I can deal with it."

 

Hermione stepped closer; her hands clenched into fists. "Potter. I. Want. Their. Names. They need to be punished for this, they need to suffer” Her temper was well and truly lost now, there would be consequences.

 

Harry shook his head, his expression hardening. "I'm used to it. It's better if I just handle things my way."

 

Hermione's heart ached at his words. She could see the pain and resignation in his eyes, a look that spoke volumes about his past. "I don’t give a shit if you’re used to it Potter, this is utter crap, give me their names and I will make sure they get what they deserve.” She was seething mad now

 

Harry looked down, his shoulders tense. "It's not that simple, Hermione."

 

She reached out, placing a hand on his arm. "Then make it simple. Let me help you. Please."

 

Harry hesitated, then reluctantly nodded. "Alright. But just this once. And you can’t tell anyone about... these," he said, motioning to the scars on his back.

 

Hermione's eyes softened with compassion. "I won't, I promise. But you need to know that no one should have to live like this, Harry."

 

Harry's expression wavered, a flicker of vulnerability breaking through. "It's just... complicated."

 

"I understand," Hermione said softly. "But you shouldn't have to suffer this”

 

Hermione reached into her bag and pulled out her wand. "Let me help with those cuts. Episkey."

 

The spell worked instantly, healing some of Harry's cuts and easing the bruising. Harry looked at her, a mixture of gratitude and apprehension in his eyes.

 

"Thank you, Hermione. It’s just hard for me to trust people with this kind of thing."

 

"I get it," she said gently. "Look, I know I haven’t exactly jumped at being friends with you, and I certainly don’t see us being friends, no offence you’re a bit immature for my tastes, I’ve always been a bit odd compared to kids my age, but” she could see harry’s face wilt as she spoke about not being friends “that doesn’t mean I’m going to be a, how would Ronald say it, ‘a right git’ alright? I gave you my word, and I don’t break my word, you’re only born with 2 things in this world, your life and your word, and I don’t intend to lose either.”

 

Harry nodded slowly, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. "Thanks. It's just... I've had to rely on myself for so long."

 

Hermione's heart ached for him. "You’re not alone anymore, Harry. You deserve better than this. If the adults in your life can’t do right by you, then you need to smarten up, don’t travel alone, now, give me those names so I can make an example of the bastards.”

 

Harry looked at her, his eyes reflecting a deep well of emotions. "I’ll try, Hermione. I really will. Ok, so I believe it was Rosier, Selwyn and I don’t know who the 3rdis."

Hermione thought back to her observations in the common room “Cassius Rosier, Aurelia Selwyn and the last of their trio, Lucian Greengrass, he’s a distant cousin of Daphne, she will be lived when she hears he attacked the ‘The Boy Who Lived’”

 

Harry winced at this moniker “I hate being called that”

 

Hermione stared at him for a moment “Yes, well, we don’t always get what we want, however, we can use this, do you know what the political ramifications would be if it got out Greengrass had attacked you? They’d be lynched by the public and all their contracts would be at risk, Daphne will crucify the bastard for risking the head family for this, trust me on this, this isn’t about what’s right, it’s their reputation and wealth that’s on the line, trust their greed if not their heart.”

 

Harry looked at her a little surprised, he knew she was smart, but he didn’t know she was this smart, guess they weren’t joking about Slytherin being the house of the cunning.

 

As they left the classroom together, Hermione's mind was racing. Seeing Harry's scars solidified her resolve to navigate the complexities of this world with both intelligence and compassion. She knew that building alliances and understanding the struggles of those around her were key to achieving her goals. She resolved to keep an eye on Harry and support him as much as she could while continuing her efforts to cultivate relationships with Draco and his friends.

 

Over the next few days, Hermione made a point of checking in on Harry discreetly, making sure he was healing properly. She also continued her efforts to integrate herself with the Slytherins. She’d drop by the common room with interesting tidbits about famous Quidditch matches or new plays she had read about. Slowly but surely, Draco began to include her in his group’s discussions, and she found herself building tentative but promising connections with his friends.

 

One afternoon, Hermione found herself sitting next to Draco in the library, surrounded by books and parchments. They were working on a Potions assignment together, and she seized the opportunity to subtly steer the conversation towards Quidditch.

 

"You know, Draco," Hermione began, "I've been reading about the history of the Quidditch World Cup. Did you know that the Wimbourne Wasps once used a variation of the Hawkshead Attacking Formation that completely threw their opponents off guard?"

 

Draco looked up, clearly interested. "Really? I hadn't read about that. What did they do differently?"

 

Hermione smiled, pleased to have captured his attention. "They adjusted the positioning of their Chasers to create more dynamic passing opportunities, rotating in a triangle shape to make bludgeoning them more difficult, which made it harder for the opposing Beaters to predict and intercept the Quaffle. It was quite smart."

 

Draco nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. "That does sound interesting. I'll have to look into it. You know a lot about Quidditch for someone who doesn’t play."

 

Hermione shrugged modestly. "I find the strategies fascinating. It’s like a game of chess on broomsticks."

 

Draco smirked. "Of Course, of course, sure you’re not secretly planning on trying out next year?"

 

Hermione chuckled. "Maybe. But for now, I’m content with learning more magic."

 

After a few minutes of talking about nothing in particular she saw Daphne enter the common room and excused herself from Draco.

 

“Daphne, may I have a moment of your time, I find myself in need of your advice on a.. family matter,” Hermione said in a humbled manner.

 

Daphne raised an eyebrow at her “Hermione, I’d be happy to, let me put my homework away.”

 

As they walked to a quiet section of the common room, Hermione took out her wand and cast a Muffilato, she’d already skimmed Snape half-Blood Prince book and taken the spell, Daphne was obviously surprised but schooled her expression. “So Hermione, how can I help?”

 

Hermione smiled and inclined her head to Daphne, “I, however, need to apologise, I was not quite honest with you about why I wanted to speak to you”

 

Daphne was not surprised “I surmised as much, if it was really a family matter, you’d have approached me in our dorm room, not in the middle of the common room, nice redirect though”

 

Hermione smirked, this girl was smarter than she let on “Then I’ll get right to the point, your cousin from a cadet family? Has attacked Harry Potter and drew blood in the attack”

 

Daphne’s face paled, she knew how bad that could be for her family “And does Mr Potter want to contact the DMLE?”

 

Hermione knew at this point, she had her “No, I spoke to him and convinced him you would address the matter, he was quite happy to hear that your family would condemn the actions and doesn’t wish to create a media circus with this.” A slight compliment with an implied threat should be the perfect balance to scare her parents into action, she didn’t know what Lord Greengrass was like, but this would ensure action.

 

Colour returned to Daphne’s face “I will write to my parents tonight, they will deal with him, I assume he wasn’t alone?”

 

“No, he was not, I’m sure you can imagine who he had with him” Hermione lifted her chin slightly towards the 3 in question

 

Daphne picked up the queue “You’re help in this matter is appreciated, I’ll write to them now. I’ll let them know to contact you with their actions rather than Mr Potter, I assume it will look less conspicuous that way if our family owl is spotted”

 

“That would be appreciated I think, he doesn’t want the attention,” Hermione replied

 

Daphne got up from the chair “We should talk more, you spend too much time in your books, next time perhaps not because of my idiot cousin though” she smirked before she headed to the owlery.

 

Hermione smirked to herself, yes, those 3 were screwed now, but this wasn’t enough punishment for them, this was just to stop them from going any further, she’d make sure they knew the consequences soon enough.