The crackling fireplace was the only sound in the room as Professor McGonagall paced behind her desk, her robes swishing sharply with every turn. James and Rose sat stiffly in the chairs across from her, hands clenched in their laps. Hermione stood near the window, arms crossed, brow furrowed.
"Well," McGonagall began, voice firm but not unkind, "you said it was urgent?"
James nodded. "It happened last night, around midnight, Rose and I were sitting in the common room and doing our homework when something hit us,"
"A pain," Rose said, "In our heads. Like someone was stabbing through our skull, but there was no one around."
Hermione's expression shifted slightly, just enough for someone who knew her well to catch it. James did
"It wasn't just pain," James continued, "We saw something, a vision, it was dark, a baby- crying, red hair, green eyes, wrapped in a Ravenclaw flag. It felt like it was calling us.
"Everything felt wrong," Rose added. "There was blood. But not violent. Just… symbolic. Emotional.
"It looked like Lily. Or Al or Rose. James said, "Even I. But I don't think it was any of us."
"And the chain?" McGonagall asked, her tone clipped. "Was it there too?"
James nodded, "It was flickerin...." Rose said, but her voice cracked.
"around the baby's neck. It was choking her," James continued
"It looked like whoever whore it it was controlling them."
"The chain felt familiar, like I needed to know it."
McGonagall exchanged a glance with Hermione, and the silence stretched long. Too long.
Finally, Rose broke the silence, "Are these visions connected to something?" She asked.
"Maybe, maybe not," McGonagall whispered.
Hermione took a breath and straightened her robes. "It's very likely just exam stress," she said in a measured tone, "You're under pressure — OWLs, NEWTs… lack of sleep. These things happen."
Rose snorted loudly, James scoffed, "Really?".
"Combined with some latent magical sensitivity. Visions like this aren't unheard of under pressure." She continued looking at McGonagall
"Mum, you know we're not dumb, right?" Rose said, "We know it's not exam stress," she concluded.
Hermione hesitated—just for a second—then added more softly, "Yes, I know, I know. We'll look into it. Quietly." She turned towards the window, staring at the Quidditch pitch.
McGonagall collapsed in her chair, her lips pressed in a tight line. "The chain coming back, then this vision… It's no coincidence."
Rose and James shared a look. "So what now?" Rose asked
"Are we just gonna pretend nothing happened?" James continued
"You must pretend," Hermione said quickly, turning back to face them. "For now, yes. Keep going to classes. Act normal. Speak to no one else about this, not even your siblings."
But, the need to know!" Rose said immediately, staring at her mother in disbelief.
"Al keeps getting dreams of the corridor that night, even if he wasn't there, and Lily has burn marks where she had clutched the chain for the first time..." He couldn't continue his words, so Rose said instead
"And Hugo keeps muttering creepy things-"
"Let him," McGonagall said grimly. "He's not the only child around here picking up whispers from somewhere."
Rose blinked. "What does that mean?"
"It means," Hermione said quietly, "that the past is bleeding through, and the more we look, the faster it spills."
James and Rose exchanged a nervous glance.
"You'll both stay alert," McGonagall said. "Send Lily to Madam Pomfrey, she can cure those marks. And if you or the others feel anything again — pain, magic, a presence — anything, come straight to me. Only you both. Understood?"
"Understood," James said reluctantly.
Hermione walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're not alone, okay? But this is bigger than even you two know. Don't carry it all yourselves — but don't go shouting it either."
Then she grabbed both of them in a hug, "Please, remember, if time is tampered with, you will have to pay a great price." She said and asked them to go.
While walking to the door, Rose suddenly turned back and asked,
"Professor… what was that chain used for, originally?"
McGonagall looked at her for a long moment before replying. "To protect time. But sometimes… protection and imprisonment look very much the same."
Back at the Ministry, Hermione asked Ron, George, Bill, Fleur, and Angelina to come to her office.
The tall windows of the Minister's office were sealed shut, muting the city's usual hum. Faint candlelight flickered against the golden Ministry seal behind Hermione's desk, where she sat with her hands folded, her face tense. Gathered around her were Ron, George, Angelina, Bill, and Fleur — their expressions drawn tight with concern.
"This vision thing," George said, pacing slowly. "You're telling us both James and Rose saw it. Same time. Same place?"
Hermione nodded gravely. "Yes. In the Gryffindor common room. They were working on homework — I think James was helping Rose with her Potions essay — and it just… happened."
Fleur's brow furrowed. "They were together when it struck? That's not a coincidence."
"No," Hermione agreed. "It felt… targeted. Or maybe shared. Either way, they both described the same thing. A baby. Red hair. Green eyes. Crying. And a chain around her neck."
Ron leaned forward in his chair, voice low. "And this chain... It's the same one they found a week ago, right?"
Hermione nodded again. "Identical. They said the metal glowed, pulsed. And the baby — she wasn't just crying. She was terrified. Reaching out. Like she wanted to be found."
Then, slowly, she walked behind her desk, pulled open a drawer, and removed a velvet-lined box.
The chain.
It sat coiled like a serpent, glinting faintly under the office's enchanted lanterns. The air grew colder.
Ron swore under his breath. "Bloody hell…"
"And they're sure it wasn't Lily?" Angelina asked.
"They say she looked like Lily. But… different," Hermione murmured. "And that's not all. When McGonagall saw the chain again — she looked terrified. She told me, Don't let it touch time again. That's not just fear. That's guilt."
Angelina crossed her arms. "Did they say anything else?"
"Not much more," Hermione replied. "They were too shaken. It wasn't just a vision. They felt it. Pain. Panic. James said it was like someone screaming inside his head."
George snorted, though there was no humor in it. "And your grand explanation was… what? 'Don't worry, kids, it's just exam stress'?"
Hermione sighed. "I had to give them something they could believe in that moment."
George raised a brow. "And they believed that?"
Hermione met his eyes, tired but honest. "No. Not for a second."
Ron sat back with a sigh. "They're smart. Especially Rose. She's got your instincts."
Hermione allowed a small, proud smile. "I know. That's what scares me."
"Plus, James is going to graduate Hogwarts this year," Bill added, "This time it won't be easy to convince him." He sighed.
Fleur leaned forward. "Hermione, my niece and nephew are having magical visions that leave them physically shaken. This isn't a fluke. Something's happening."
Bill nodded. "And you've been digging, haven't you?"
"Of course I have," Hermione said, opening a drawer and sliding out a stack of parchment. "I've spent every spare moment cross-checking magical incidents, tracing unregistered magical children, tapping into old records the Department of Mysteries thought they'd buried."
She held up two files. "One name came up more than once: Daisy Finnigan. Seamus's daughter. Vanished years ago under… complicated circumstances. Most of her file is sealed, which says a lot."
Ron frowned. "You never told me about Daisy."
"I wasn't sure it was connected," Hermione admitted. "But now, with this vision… I pulled up her magical signature and compared it to any other unexplained anomalies."
She hesitated, her voice dropping. "Another name surfaced. One I didn't recognize at first. Just a whisper in the records. Barely even a proper file."
Everyone leaned in.
"Minerva," Hermione said quietly.
Angelina's eyes widened slightly. "Minerva, why?"
"I don't know. Just a trace — buried deep. It shouldn't have even come up. The system glitched when I searched for Daisy, and it flagged Minerva alongside her."
George stared. "So… two missing girls?"
"Maybe," Hermione said. "Or maybe one vanished, and the other was erased."
"That's… disturbing," Fleur said softly.
Bill ran a hand down his face. "What's the connection?"
"I don't know," Hermione said again, frustration flickering in her eyes. "But something ties them. The vision. The chain. The magical signature overlap. It's all connected. I just don't have the pieces yet."
Ron looked at her steadily. "Do you think James and Rose are in danger?"
Hermione didn't answer right away. "Yes they are. I wanna keep them safe but I'm not taking chances. I'm keeping this within the family for now."
George crossed his arms. "You mean, within the family that includes your kids and mine. And you're their aunt, their mother."
Hermione's voice softened. "Exactly. Which is why I'm being careful. If this is as big as it feels… one wrong move could put more people at risk."
There was silence for a long moment, broken only by the gentle rustle of the floating parchments.
"We've faced darkness before," Angelina said finally. "We'll face this too."
"But first," Hermione said, her tone shifting into steel, "we find out what happened to Minerva … and where Daisy went. Before it's too late."
Back in the Gryffindor common room, James is helping Al and Rose with their Mandrake's essay while recounting the whole vision and what happened at McGonagall's office.
After a while, Lily said, "So, the chain we found in the hallway was around her neck, choking her?"
"Yes,"
"And, Aunt Hermione told you it was exam stress?" Scoffed Albus
"She didn't even believe herself," Rose said
Suddenly, Hugo's quiet voice broke through. "She's still screaming… but no one hears her. Not yet."
Everyone turned to him, surprised by the sudden chill in his tone.
"What do you mean, Hugo?" Albus asked, eyes wide.
"They buried her in memory… but she remembers everything," Hugo said, voice barely above a whisper.
James shivered. "You always say creepy stuff like that, Hugo. What do you know?"
Hugo just stared into the fire, silent.
"God, this is nerve-wrecking. Anyways, you three had better complete your homework, or you will be doomed." She said, "I'm off to bed, come on, Hugo, let's go." She and Hugo disappeared near their respective dormitories
Rose tried to refocus the conversation. "Alright, back to the essay — Mandrake roots can revive petrified victims, but the cries can be deadly to anyone nearby."
"Yaa, I can't concentrate let's just do it tommorow," Albus said while slapping his book shut.