the_debt_of_time

like, hand this," he said as he passed the potion over to her and then pulled out a piece of
parchment and a quill, scribbling a note and rolling it up quickly, "and this letter to Madam
Pomfrey. If you decide you agree with my suggestion, she will know the proper dosage.
You and I shall meet again once I've conducted a little business on your behalf, and then
we shall set a plan in motion to keep you safe and protected until I am able to privately
investigate the instrument you've brought with you."
"Thank you, sir." She sniffled again. "You're being incredibly calm about this, all
things considered."
"I am a man of many interests. The future is one of them. I must ask, however, that
you divulge no further information about your origins to anyone, myself included. Nothing
that could alter this timeline."
"But sir, I thought you said that anything I do has already been done."
"You are responsible for your own actions, yes," he agreed. "But not the actions of
others. I can see you are fairly skilled at Occlumency, as I've been attempting to break
through some of the walls you've erected inside your mind during our conversation."
"I'm aware, sir." And she had been. From the moment she arrived in the
headmaster's office, she had felt the familiar nudges against the barriers in her mind that
protected her memories. Occlumency had never been something that she was skilled at,
but since the war ended, Sirius had forced Hermione into a pseudo-friendship with Draco,
who had been assisting her with the skill. Though she imagined it was more for his own
amusement over the fact that he had finally bested her at something.
"Forgive me, but I felt it was necessary to at least test your skills before offering my
assistance at integrating you among my students."
"I understand, sir."
"I only bring that up, because if you speak of the future to others who are not so
skilled, they could easily divulge the information to parties that would put you in grave
danger, as well as others who might be privileged to your knowledge."
"I understand, sir. I won't speak a word."
He stood and walked her to the door. "Thank you, Miss Granger. Please get some
rest, and I will see you in a few hours."