A/N: Hi Everyone! I've been a huge J&H fan for a while and got the sudden inspiration today while I was in the car coming home from a weekend trip. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. It's a one-shot in the time-travel 'verse. I reference it and maybe if enough people like it then I'll turn it into a series of one-shots about their relationship. Enjoy xx
oo0oo
"James!" Hermione shouted as her classmate pulled her by her arm, nearly dislocating her shoulder in his haste. They had just finished dinner and James had been bugging her all day until she agreed to hanging out with him tonight. Why he felt the need to run, she had no idea. They ran through the school until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. She knew that he had planned the entire night for them already, but she didn't know what it was, despite her continuous questions. Each time she'd bring it up, he'd smile at her, poke her nose and tell her to be patient. Slowing down to catch his breath, he said the password.
Hair disheveled from the run and eyes sparkling with excitement, he kept his right hand on her lower back and used his left hand to help her through the portrait. He had already told her that he had a surprise for her, and that she was to dress warmly, leaving her to wonder just what the Gryffindor had in store for her tonight. Leaving her in front of the crackling fire, James sprinted up the stairs to his dormitory, saying he needed time to do his hair before their date.
Since her arrival in this time, Hermione struggled with quite a lot. She hadn't found out whether she'd ever return to her own time and Professor Dumbledore had been encouraging her to try and enjoy her time here as best as she could. She tried as much as possible to avoid anyone that she knew back in her time, or anyone that she knew of. It was hard enough coping with events that the last thing she wanted was to befriend someone that she knew would die within the next few years.
The Marauders never backed down from a challenge and made it their ultimate goal to befriend the mysterious witch. After weeks of slipping by them, and avoiding almost all contact, Sirius Black was the one to finally wear the witch down. Cornering her outside the library, he pushed and pushed until she finally agreed to have breakfast with them. One memorable breakfast involving maple syrup, Remus' homework and duct tape later, they were almost inseparable.
She got to know each and every member for who they really were. She got to know them as carefree teenagers, instead of war-torn adults. She saw Sirius play pranks and flirt shamelessly with Professor McGonagall, saw Peter excel in Herbology and Remus became her study partner. They holed themselves up in the library once a week and completed most assignments together. Whether they fought for the good side or the bad side in the future, Hermione was comfortable with the boys now. The only one that made her uneasy was her best friends' father.
James Potter. He was the sole member of the group that Hermione didn't know personally back in her own time. She tried as much as possible to minimize most contact with him but every attempt was futile. James was smart and funny, knowing when enough was enough but still able to get away with most pranks thanks to a beguiling smile. He made her pulse race and palms sweat, and not just because he looked almost identical to her best friend. James had more angular features, and nothing could have prepared Hermione for the first time that she looked into his beautiful brown eyes.
Hermione shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts and made her way up to her bedroom. She changed put her schoolbag on the floor by her bed and opened her trunk, looking for something 'warm' to wear.
Hearing someone cough delicately, she looked around the room and spotted Lily Evans sitting down on her bed reading a book. Hermione awkwardly waved, still unsure of how to approach the mother of her best friend. Everyone ranted and raved about how beautiful this woman was, inside and out, yet Hermione had only ever seen her be cruel to James. She tended to ignore Hermione altogether. Hermione pulled out a white t-shirt and layered it with a long-sleeved black sweater. Finding a pair of jeans and some winter boots, Hermione cursed the weather.
"Are you going somewhere Hermione?" Lily questioned. Hermione fumbled with her boots and nodded. She had never before shown an interest in her life before, so why should she now? Explaining to Lily what James had done, Hermione watched the redhead turn a shade close to her hair, huff and shut her curtains with a wave of her wand. Shrugging, Hermione wished the witch a good night and left the room.
"Mione, are you ready yet? We're going to be late!" Hermione heard James whine out and found James standing at the foot of her dormitory stairs, wearing a huge parka and holding one up to her expectantly. Lifting up one eyebrow and crossing her arms, she stared at him amusedly.
"You know James, when you whine, you really are as bad as Sirius and you haven't told me where we're going either! All you've said is that I had to dress warmly and now you're holding up a winter jacket. Are we leaving the castle by any chance?" Seeing his smile grow even wider, she sighed and put on the jacket he held out for her.
"I have a surprise for you and I don't want to ruin it just yet. Trust me." Pulling a tuque out of his pocket, James put it on the bookworm and pulled it down until it covered her eyes.
"Perfect!" He chortled. Hermione huffed and pushed it back up with both hands, watching his back as he held open the common room door for her.
oo0oo
They made their way slowly to the statue of the one-eyed witch. James babbled on about some prank they had pulled last year on the Slytherins, clearly intent on distracting her from their ultimate destination, but Hermione had other things on her mind.
Over the last few months, she had seen an obvious decline in the amount of times James had approached Lily. Gone were the days where he'd stand on the table in the Great Hall, proclaiming his love for the redhead. He stopped bringing her bouquets of flowers, stopped asking her out on dates to Hogsmeade. James had become quieter, almost more mature. He didn't wait to walk Lily to classes anymore, instead he was showing up to walk Hermione back to the common room after late nights studying in the library. He was sitting next to her in class, passing notes to her when professors weren't looking and even going so far as to carry some of her heavier books for her. While there was never any intent beyond that of friendship, Hermione still felt a twinge of guilt every time. She should be helping get the two together, yet here she was, enjoying the attention of her best friends' late father.
She had confided in Sirius, and in a disturbing moment of clarity for the young pureblood, he encouraged her to look at how Lily had reacted to all of James' attempts at romance. More often than not, she'd ignore him or respond with some scathing remark. The redhead evidently didn't care about hurting his feelings. Hermione failed to see just what was so enticing about a woman that consistently insulted the man so obviously vying for her affection.
"Hermione?" James poked her cheek when he noticed that she had stopped laughing at his story, and saw her stare at the ground, deep in thought. The bookworm looked back up at her friend and smiled encouragingly.
"Sorry, just wool-gathering."
James put his hand in his pocket and felt around until he felt two thin pieces of paper. Over the summer, he and Sirius began listening to Muggle music and found one band specifically that they loved. When he heard that they'd be coming to London for a concert, he knew he had to take Hermione there, knowing just how much she missed her parents. The young witch seemingly appeared out of thin air one day, and more often than not, claimed to be home-sick. Knowing that she was a muggle-born, James thought she might enjoy a night away from the castle.
Continuing the walk until they reached Hogsmeade, James took the time to study the woman walking behind him. From the moment he first laid eyes on Lily Evans, he had believed that she was the woman for him. She was smart, beautiful and kind towards others. He told anyone willing to listen that she would one day become Mrs. James Potter, against all odds. Yet here he was, walking to Hogsmeade to go on a (possible) date with a different woman. Hermione Granger fell into his life accidentally, and she made him reevaluate all his life choices.
Lily was nice to everyone except him-in fact, she purposefully went out of her way to be unnecessarily cruel to him. Hermione has never been anything but supportive and kind, helping all four men study in the common rooms until the wee hours of the morning. Hermione was brilliant, arguably the smartest person he'd ever met. She never laughed at him, only with him. She made him question whether Lily really was the woman for him. How could he still be in love with Lily when Hermione took his breath away whenever she walked into a room?
Over the last few months, the transition had been subtle. He still talked to Lily but it wasn't with the same drive as before. He used to go to bed dreaming of babies with black hair and green eyes, dreaming of a radiant redhead walking down the isle to him. Now all he can see is curly brown hair and amber eyes. His whole life has taken a turn and there's nothing to be done but simply go along with it.
Watching Hermione tread through the snow, he couldn't help but smile. They had reached Hogsmeade and almost at Honeydukes. They could have snuck through the Shrieking Shack but not only did he want to spend every minute possible with Hermione, but he had to keep some of the Marauder secrets. Just because he was starting to like a girl didn't mean he could run and tell her every secret he had. He wasn't sure just how the night was going to go, but he was excited. Reaching out, he grabbed her hand and looked away quickly, trying to appear casual about the sudden show of affection. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione blush and smile shyly while lacing her fingers through his. Pulling up to the back of Honeydukes, he stopped and looked at her.
"Okay, so from here we've got to apparate to our final destination. Are you okay with that?" At her nod of consent, he cleared his throat and stood a little straighter. Hermione curled her right arm around the bicep of the arm holding her left hand. With a pop! the couple was off to the final destination of their night - the concert hall.
oo0oo
When Hermione felt like she was standing on stable ground, she opened her eyes slowly. Eyes widening, she looked up slowly, taking in everything around her.
There were crowds of people, from young adults to children, all milling about. There were people with cameras, cars honking in the streets and the background music playing was eerily familiar but Hermione couldn't quite put her finger on it. They stood outside Wembley stadium together.
"TADA!" James stood proudly, arms stretched wide. "I got tickets to a Muggle band that I really like, and I wanted to show them to you". James took the tickets out of his pocket and showed her, excitement written clearly on his face. Hermione brushed away the tickets nonchalantly and peered at him through small eyes.
"How did you manage to get permission to leave school?" James paled considerably.
"Oh! Funny story, now that you mention it. I, uh, didn't exactly get permission…" James trailed off, nervously. Unsure of how to react, Hermione covered her face with hands and groaned.
James began to fidget, running his hand through his hair just like his son did whenever he was uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry Mione! I was just really excited to bring you here and show you something I really like. I didn't plan it all out properly. Don't you want to know which band we're going to see though?" Almost instantly, James was practically bouncing with excitement. She nodded, knowing she would never be able to say no to him anyway.
"Queen!" James showed her the tickets properly and now it was Hermione's turn to pale. She felt the world turn around her as she read the name of the lead act.
Hermione let out a deep breath. Every once in a while, she felt like she was coping with time-travel well. She was getting used to the time/ adapting properly but then something like this would happen and she'd remember just who she was, and where she was from. She couldn't believe that she was about to see Queen live. Her parents would be so jealous if they ever found out. Back home, they're already 20 years old and she knows all of the songs by heart, but here they had just become a worldwide sensation.
"So do you think they sell any merchandise here? It's not a full concert experience without t-shirts and posters". At that, James laughed and grabbed her hand again, pulled her closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"For you, anything." Walking towards the teller, he waved his free arm around wildly.
James had gotten them front row seats and it was worth every pound spent. He had confided in her earlier that it was his first time going to a concert, let alone a Muggle one and had no idea what to expect.
The lights dimmed, signalling the beginning of the concert and James let out an audible gasp, whirling around to see who had dimmed them.
From there, a familiar beat began to play. The fans' screams were deafening, as they all began to stomp their feet and clap along-Hermione included. James quickly caught on and followed suit. Soon the whole stadium was stomping their feet and clapping their hands. It felt like a war cry, yet Hermione never felt as safe as she did next to the man beside her. Hearts pounding, and ears ringing, they watched the iconic band enter the stage and lost themselves in the concert experience.
oo0oo
Heartbeat pounding and ear drums aching, Hermione hummed happily as they left the stadium. No matter what detention lay ahead of them, Hermione had no regrets. Nights like this never happened back home, not with everything that she, Ron and Harry had to worry about.
James had sung along to every song, and sang even louder when he noticed Hermione singing too. In the middle of the concert, he transfigured his glasses into the star-shaped pair of the lead singer. When Hermione noticed, she couldn't stop laughing. The witch next to him however, was the real showstopper. She changed into the t-shirt he had gotten her and danced along so crazily with him, that by the end of the concert she had hair sticking to her forehead and a sheen of sweat on her skin.
Pulling her jacket just a little tighter around her, they operated to the far end of Hogsmeade. They both had too much adrenaline running through their veins after the concert and agreed to a longer walk back to Hogwarts. That, and neither of them wanted the night to end.
James cautiously put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer when she leaned her head on his shoulder. She fit so perfectly in his arms, he felt like this whole night was a dream. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine anything like this ever with Lily, and he knew it'd never feel as right as it did with this woman here.
Everything about her fit his personality so well, from her loyalty to her inherent need to help others, she was almost too good to be true. Humming softly to himself, he was almost disappointed when the time came to go through the tunnel back to school.
They spoke about mindless topics along the way, both easily avoiding the topic of whether tonight counted as a date or not, and where they stood. While there was no obvious display of affection, they spent the better part of the night touching each other in some way, either through hand-holding or wrapping their arms around each other.
Finally reaching the hallway in front of their common room, James knew that if he didn't act soon the night would be over and he'd have lost his chance.
Waving his wand, James pulled Hermione close to him as music slowly began to play around them quietly. The music built up in volume as they relaxed in each others arms. James smiled, hoping that one last show of romance would finally show this bookworm just how he really feels about her.
"Really James? Could you be any cheesier?" Hermione snorted at his cheesy behaviour and lay her forehead against his chest, shoulders shaking with mirth. The obvious blush spread across her cheeks and James was sure that his plan was working out as he had hoped.
Despite having just listened to it live, Hermione reeled in the smooth voice of Freddie Mercury as "Somebody to Love" played around them. James held her closer and sang the last line quietly in her ear.
"Can anybody find me somebody to love?"
Lifting her head to look him in the eye, James was already looking at her and captured her lips with his in a tender embrace. Tightening his arms around her, he could not have imagined a better night. He kept swaying gently according to the music, but his main concern was the witch in his arms.
Hermione broke the kiss and smiled shyly.
"I'm right here".