Chapter 2

Hermione had settled into her new quarters and life quite a bit more easily than she thought she would. Practically everything was the same. The castle was the same; the work load was the same, although she had a few extra classes to teach, considering there were a lot more students than in her world. It was just the people that surprised her. So far she had met all of the other professors, including Snape and McGonagall. They both looked younger that she had ever seen them, Snape looked the same age as Remus, which Hermione knew that he was. She wondered if they had become friends without the constant threat of Voldemort crowding over them but she was soon dissuaded of that idea. Minerva on the other hand, was in her fifties, but looked younger. She had a spring of life in her steps that Hermione had never seen before that made her wonder what she had lost in her own world to make her so callous and stony faced. The only person that seemed to stay exactly the same was Trelawney and Hermione avoided the beady eyed old woman at all costs least she try and predict her death for the hundredth time. After a few days of getting into a routine, Hermione wondered when she was going to teach a families face. Just as she was thinking this, her fifth years stumbled into her classroom and took their seats ready for their lesson. She looked up from the essays she was trying and failing at marking to see two ginger haired boys looking at her with raised eyebrows and smirks on their lips. Hermione couldn't help but smile at them. She had been wanting to see what they would get up to, as she hadn't really pain much attention to the twins in her own world other than to tell them off for being irresponsible and idiotic, which they were. But Hermione had come to appreciate their unique brand of trouble.

"Ah, you must be Fred and George then. I've been warned about you two." She said as she thought back to the previous day, when she was eating breakfast with Minerva and she had in fact warned her of all the trouble makers. She had expected the twins to be on the list. What she hadn't expected was for Harry and Ron to be on it too. Though she shouldn't really be surprised. It would be typical of them both to play jokes and pranks on people in the absence of imminent danger.

"So you've heard of us." Fred said.

"Indeed." Hermione replied with a growing smile. She was going to enjoy teaching these two.

"So Miss Granger, what type of teacher are you?" George asked her.

"Are you like lupin," Fred added.

"He's always been my favourite teacher, with the obstacle courses and the odd creatures he brings in to practice on. Great fellow that." George said.

"Or are you more like Snape? "Fred redirected.

"She doesn't look like a greasy haired git to me." George said to his twin and here could hold in the laughter that had been bubbling up inside of her ever since they started talking.

"Look George. She can laugh! That means she's not frigid or snobbish. I reckon she'll be the complete opposite of Snape." Fred said.

"Sorry," Hermione said as she wiped a tear from her eye and composed herself.

"No worries love. I'm a heart breaker; I'm used to seeing girls cry." George said with a wink. Fred rolled his eyes beside him.

"I don't doubt that. Well we must being the lesson, after all you're here to learn something and we can't have Dumbledore firing me in the first week can we?" Hermione said, her voice raising to catch the attention of the entire class, which was full now.

She taught her lesson on charms that will allow you to breath under water starting with asking her students how they would accomplish this task, then she went on to describe each in turn, getting them to take notes. After a while, she set them to practice the wand movements, walking around the room to correct those who needed it and congratulate those who did not.

Just as the bell rang, Hermione addressed the class once more as a whole.

"Alright next lesson, bring your bathing clothes, towels and anything else you may need to go swimming." She called out and there was excited chatter as they all left the room.

At dinner that night Hermione found herself once again staring at Harry and Ron like she had every night this past week. She could help but look at how happy and carefree they were compared to her own world. She wondered of Harry's parents were alive and itched to ask someone but it would draw unnecessary to her if she did. She didn't need anyone asking her questions.

"Is there any particular reason you're staring at my godson?" Asked the familiar voice of Remus lupin, as he sat down next to her. Hermione sighed. She had been avoiding him since their unfortunate meeting in his bed on Friday morning. She had no idea what to say to him or how to act around him and it made her nervous. Everything about him made her nervous.

"What?" She said, registering what he had said and becoming confused. Remus was Harry's godfather? What about Sirius?

"I thought Sirius was his godfather." She said before she could help herself. Remus arched an eyebrow at her slip up and she put her head on her arms on the table in front of her and moaned out loud in annoyance and exasperation. She really had to enact a filter for her stupid thoughts.

"He is." Remus said, thankfully not commenting on her slip.

"Then how are you... Oh." She said and then couldn't help but smile at the thought.

"Yeah. James did it the bloody cheeky bliter. But I make a rather spectacular godmother, don't you think?" He asked her and she laughed as she raised her head to look at him.

"I'm sure you do." She said.

"Are they alive?" She asked quietly, not really caring now that she was asking something that was going to give her away. Remus already knew something had happened to her, and now he knew that she knew who Sirius was. What harm could telling him the truth cause?

"Are who alive?" Remus asked, confused and slightly concerned.

"Lily and James. Harry's parents." She said and Remus nodded. She let out a breath she hadn't realised shed been holding as relief flooded her.

"Good. He deserves a family. He deserves to be happy for once. "She said and Remus was even more confused by the looks of it.

"Okay, you're making no sense what so ever. Are you going to explain or continue to be cryptic?" He asked her.

"Later." She said as she looked back out over the crowd of students. He nodded in acceptance and went back to his food.

"So I heard from my fifth years that you were planning on taking them swimming next week." Remus said conversationally.

"Well we're studying charms to allow breathing under water so I thought it apt." Hermione said and Remus smiled as he played with his food.

"Well my fifth year as thought it might be a good idea to combine our classes for the afternoon. We're working on sea creatures coincidentally and I thought that I could talk the merpeople into setting up an obstacle course underwater for them after they've had a go at your charms." He asked her and she smiled at him. She remembered his obstacle course from her third year and was excited to see something else the brilliant mind had concocted.

"That sounds like a lovely idea." She agreed and that was that.

For the rest of dinner, Hermione and Remus talked out the details of their combined class.

"Right well I best be off Remus. I've got a lot of marking to do and I'm rather tired." She said as she stood. Remus stood with her extended his elbow with an invitation written on his face.

"May I escort you back to your rooms?" He asked. She scrunched up her nose in confusion.

"Why would you do that?" She asked and Remus was clearly amused at her expression. They walked down from the professors table and made their way through the house tables as they talked.

"Maybe I want to make sure you don't end up in my bed again." He said with a wink causing her to blush scarlet.

"What's this we hear?" A familiar voice asked.

"About Professor Granger in Lupins bed?" Said another somewhat similar voice. Hermione sighed and turned to the Gryffindor table as the Weasley twins stood to look down at her short form.

"Nothing. You didn't hear a thing." Hermione said threateningly dandy they raised identical eyebrows, intrigued that she actually sounded threatening. A if she could actually back up her threats.

"Alright then Granger." Fred said.

"No need to get your nickers in a twist." George added.

"Although, if you did happen to find yourself in that particular situation, I'm sure professor lupin here would be more than willing to help you out." Fred said and Hermione's hair began to spark as her anger and embarrassment grew at his remarks,

"Fred Weasley. That is no way to speak to a professor. Detention. Tomorrow night at nine." Hermione said and a deathly calm and clear voice that made the twins stop laughing and look at her guiltily.

"You're lucky I'm nice enough not to write home to your mother about this." She said and they let out a breath of relief sat they sat back down at their table. Those of the students that overheard the conversation looked on in surprise at Hermione's temper.