Disclaimer: Me no own Harry Potter no matter how much I want to.
Chapter 1 – Past Encounters
Someone was staring at her – she could feel their gaze burning every inch of her skin but she didn't open her eyes for fear that the spinning in her head would overcome her. However, when a warm hand was raised timidly to her forehead she forced her eyelids to open.
A bright light momentarily obscured her sight but she rapidly blinked, trying desperatly not to pass out. The hand on her head had gone. She could feel something sticky matted in her hair at the back of her head and it seemed to be linked to where the pain was coming from. She rose a shaking hand to touch the liquid, only to find that it was her own blood causing her pain and discomfort. She gasped. It was only then did she look up into the face of the person, or more specifically, teenage boy, who had found her. What she saw momentarily stole her speech... and her breath.
Looking worridly back at her was none other than Remus Lupin. Well, a much younger (and if Hermione was being entirely truthful with herself, even more handsome) Lupin. Her head began to spin again as she realised she was no longer in the same Hogwarts she was used to. The next moment, all Hermione could see was the back of her eyelids.
The young Remus Lupin watched the girl intently as she came round and felt the back of her head. He saw the blood on her fingers and noticed the pain on her face when she looked up at him. It was when she passed out again that he realised he needed to get her to Madame Pomfrey as soon as possible. Almost effortlessly he lifted her into his arms and rushed off to the hospital wing. He was determined to find the answer as to who this mysterious girl was.
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Darkness. Hermione was starting to wonder whether she had gone blind when she realised it was only just before morning and therefore meant to be dark. How embarassing – she could almost hear Harry and Ron laughing at her. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness when she jumped. A figure had suddenly appeared at the side of her bed: Remus Lupin was slumped in the chair next to her bed, fast asleep. The invisibility cloak was now pooled around his feet. Hermione suddenly realised as she looked into his sleeping face, that she wouldn't see Harry and Ron again for a long time.
The scared girl was pulled from these depressing thoughts as the morning set in and light started to stream in through a nearby window. All of a sudden, the heavy doors to the hospital wing were swung open and two familiar boys walked purposefully towards the bad she was lying in: more specifically to the sleeping body in the chair next to her. She recognised both of the figures almost immediately. The one on the left, the shorter of the two, could have been her best friend if it wasn't for the fact that his eyes were brown and he didn't have a lightning shaped scar upon his forehead. Of course, in her time, he had been dead. She knew exactly who he was from the pictures of Harry's dead father.
The taller boy standing next to him caught Hermione's eye next. He looked so different different to the older man she was used that she was shocked to say the least. The man, who in her own time had looked like a withdrawn skeleton of a person, now seemed at his prime. His jet black hair fell gently around his chisled face. Hermione met his gaze for a brief moment where he stared at her as if wondering who she was. However, she couldn't hold eye contact with him for too long. He was dead in her time. After spending a few weeks living with him and Harry, Hermione blamed herself for letting Harry walk into the trap at the Ministry. To her, he had been dead for over eighteen months. But there he was. It was too weird, even for her.
As the two boys reached their sleeping friend and clapped their hands to his shoulders in turn, Remus jumped from the chair with such force that he almost threw himself over the bed in front of him. A small grimace crossed his face briefly with the sudden movement of muscles that had been cramped into one position for hours. Upon noticing that it was only his friends that had giving him the early morning wake up call he gave them both a glare before turning to the girl in front of him. He offered her a small smile and she noticed that his cheeks had turned slightly pink.
"I'm Remus...Remus Lupin." he told her, looking curiously at her face as if trying to place her. Hermione didn't know if she should use her real name or not but figured that, as she would have to say something, her first name couldn't hurt: she would just conveniently forget 'Granger'.
"Hey - I'm Hermione." Remus gave her a slightly questioning look but when he realised that she wasn't going to say anything else he turned slightly to his friends.
"Finally remembered we're here have you?" Sirius drawled lazily, a slightly amused smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Don't mind these two numbskulls..." ("Hey!" exclaimed James and Sirius), "they're always like that." The two standing behind him pulled mock insluted faces before stepping to the edge of the bed simultaneously. They bowed and started talking at the same time.
"Milady," they looked at each other before Sirius contiuned. "He does not know what he says...we are the gentlemen of the castle - Sirs James," he glanced at the boy next to him "and Sirius..." at this Hermione couldn't help but give a small smile. James nodded vigorously with Sirius while Remus tapped them both playfully around the back of their heads. The slight twich at the corners of his mouth gave away a slight smile. Seeing this, Hermione realised that he teenage Remus before her hadn't changed: although he looked older and more exhausted in her time, she knew that he was the same person he was now.
The boys continued their banter with each other until Madame Pomfrey (although younger than Hermione knew her) came sweeping over to see what the cause of the increasing noise was.
"I might have known!" the nurse exclaimed as she shooed both James and Sirius out of the doors at once.
It wasn't until she tried to examine Hermione (once again) that the young woman realised the severity of her current situation. She had no idea what spell Malfoy had hit her with and she was now twenty years in the past with no way to get home. Even if she did know how to get home, she had no idea what destruction her presence in the past had already caused to the timeline. McGonagall's warning passed through her thoughts. Bad things happen to those who mess with time. There was only one person who could help her at that precise moment. She needed to see Professor Dumbledore.
Hermione sat up so quickly that Madame Pomfrey had to take two steps back to keep her balance.
"I need to go." Hermione stated as she tried to swing her legs out of bed. The matron was too quick. Her strongs hands tried to push Hermione back to the bed but Hermione was too forceful to let that stop her. She was standing at the side of the bed, by Remus, before the nurse could protest.
"You don't understand." she said upon seeing the older woman about to argue. "If I don't see Professor Dumbledore - now -" she emphasised "then the consequences - well I can't even begin to explain what might happen." Here she received a puzzled glance from Remus and a disbelieving look from Madame Pomfrey. After trying to stare to girl down for a few soeonds the nurse let out a sigh and nodded reluctantly.
"But," she added "only if Mr Lupin here accompanies you. Your not going anywhere otherwise." Hermione turned to see Remus nodding and she too looked at the nurse and agreed before thanking her and walking out into the corridor. Remus wasn't far behind.
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Well, that's chapter 1 folks. Chapter 2 should be up shortly, but again, the more reviews the quicker it comes!
Thanks to Fire Daughter and MoonNightLover for their reviews of the prelude. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and, while I know the story is starting slowly I like to build up to the action and romance! Don't worry - there's a bit more in the next chappie which I promise will be up soon.
Spellwrite x
