Chapter Three:
Hermione walked into her common room, the same common room she had occupied for the past six years at Hogwarts, only now it was twenty years younger. Nonetheless, it was still the same common room, exactly the way she left it—twenty years in the future.
'Oh the memories.' She realized how silly the thought was. Memories? They weren't memories. She wasn't an eighty-year-old woman reminiscing about the past. This was the past. She had seen this room just less than three months ago. It was the same room. Then why did it feel like she would never see the old room again?
"Uh… this is the old room.' Her conscience answered.
She looked around the red and gold dressed room, and thought about all its tiny quirks; the hole in the wall that nobody had any idea of how it got there, the tiny compartment big enough to hold a small book still hid in the wall next to the entryway, the statue of the lion's head leading to Head's quarters stood proud, and as usual the room was filled with students. This room was the past, present and future.
"Looking for someone?"
Hermione turned around and found Sirius standing there—again. She flipped back around at the sight of him, and answered, "Yes, actually. Have you seen a short red-head? She's kind of loud, and very enthusiastic about everything. Her name's –
"Ginny?"
"Yes!" She twirled around in delight. "Do you know her?"
"Know her? Do I? She's been eating with us for the past three and a half days. She's a right piece of work, but then again you sort of have to be when you hang out with the Marauders." He was so proud. She then realized she should not be acting like she knew who he was talking about. The topic of the Marauders was supposed to be abstract.
"The Marauders?" 'Merlin, this is going to be hard.'
Sirius' face lit up. "Do you want to meet them?" Without waiting for an answer he grabbed her arm and pulled her in the direction of the dorms, surpassing anyone who said hello to him – mainly girls to Hermione's surprise.
They burst into the seventh year, boys dormitory and found two boys and Ginny sitting on a bed talking.
"Whoa! Sirius, mate slow down! At least wait until we've left the room… hey wait a tick! Isn't that the broad from Poppy's?" The boy jumped off the bed and headed towards Hermione and Sirius with a smirk plastered on his face; she knew exactly who it was. "James Potter, Gryffindor Head Boy and Charmer of the Ladies, asking permission to shake the hand of the luckiest newcomer in the house." He shot his hand out for Hermione to take, and continued to smirk devilishly. Hermione took the hand, but instantly inquired as to why she was so lucky. "Why, you're going to get the shag of your life!" Hermione instantly dropped his hand. "Sirius usually waits a bit, but hey… good for you!"
"Hang on a sec! No one is shagging anyone here!" Ginny jumped off the bed and stood next to Hermione. "This is not just any broad he picked up from the hospital wing. This is Hermione. She's the one I told you about."
"Wait. This is Hermione?" Ginny nodded. "But… but we sat with her! We had no idea… whoa!"
"It's nice to meet you." Hermione laughed as she re-shook his hand.
"Yeah… Sorry about that. I get a bit carried away sometimes."
"A bit? Sometimes? That's a bit of an understatement. Please excuse my friend. It's nice to meet you Hermione, I'm Remus, Remus Lupin."
"Oh! I need to talk to you. Dumbledore has appointed me Gryffindor Prefect. I was told to talk to you."
"Wow! That was fast! He must like you! To have given you the job just like that? Well no worries. All the prefects meet on Thursdays and you and I patrol on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and every other Sunday. We have other jobs like planning events, but it's only the first week – we have plenty of time to deal with that kind of stuff."
She wanted to comment on the fact that she already knew everything he was telling her, as nothing had actually changed in the future, but she stuck with a smile and happily spoke the words "Sounds brilliant" instead.
"So Hermione, these are the Marauders. Well two of them at least. Where is Peter?"
"He went home. Something about his Gran needing help or something."
'Yea I'm sure.' Hermione thought lividly.
"Well no worries, you'll meet him another time."
"I'm sure I will." It was harsh, and snappy – not exactly what Sirius and the boys were expecting as a response.
"Are you okay?" Sirius questioned when he saw her face. "Do you know Peter?"
Ginny shot a scared look at Hermione. She had obviously kept the secret and not talked of the future, both of which Hermione was entirely grateful, but she still had to justify her reaction.
"Um… yes! I'm fine. It's just… well you see… uh we have a friend, or we did… back where we come from. He well… he wasn't much of a friend. His name was Peter too. I just get antsy around the name. That's all. I didn't mean to snap – sorry."
"Well that's okay. We all have our enemies – right?"
"Yeah." The anger inside Hermione's head was so visible, she thought she would burst at the seams and spill everything. Thankfully Ginny was there to settle the wild beast within her.
"Well now that everyone knows everyone, Hermione how are you? Isn't this bizarre?"
"I'm fine, to say the least. And I think bizarre is a bit of an understatement."
"Ginny was telling us how you two have been home-schooled until now. I didn't know you could do that." Hermione didn't know what to say; Remus was speaking gibberish to her. Home schooled? She was looking at them with a facial expression explaining her lack of understanding, and when they only returned it Hermione knew what was going on. Almost instantly she heard Ginny clear her throat. Snapping her focus to the red-head, Hermione was finally clued in.
"Well not very many people know about it. They only started allowing it a few years before we started school."
"That's what Ginny told us."
'Thank Merlin.'
"By the way, we're really sorry to hear about your auntie." James put his hand on her shoulder. "We told Ginny that if you ever want to talk about it, we're here."
"My auntie?"
"Uh…" Ginny hurried over to Hermione, pushing James out of the way, and put her arm around her. Hastily ushering her to one of the beds, she whispered, "Play along!" Sitting her on the closest bed she consoled an "upset" Hermione. "There, there Hermione. It's okay. I was just about to tell the boys how we were both adopted."
"Well I want to hear too!" Sirius jumped on a bed close by and made himself comfy.
'Honestly, and he's seventeen?'
"Okay. Well as I was about to tell James and Remus, Hermione and I were both adopted – both at birth. She's a year older than me, so obviously she was adopted a year before me, but soon after that our adopted parents split up. That's why we have different surnames."
"Wow! Dramatic much? I mean seriously who splits their kids up when they divorce? It's not like you guys are property."
"It gets better." Ginny lied.
'Wow, she's got this one figured out then.' Hermionewas almost impressed
"Well…" She said giving Hermione a look of fear that gave her the impression that they might not buy into this. "About three years ago, our parents decided we should meet. They thought what better than to send us to our Great Auntie Sophie. That way she could break the news to us, and they wouldn't have to deal with our reactions."
"That's terrible."
"Just wait… Hermione and I met with no problems and we dealt with the fact that we were adopted sisters. We both found it really childish that our parents couldn't care enough to tell us themselves. So we made plans to stay in touch as much as possible, and got ready to go back to our respective parents – me with our mum and Hermione with our dad. Well on our last day at our auntie's we got an owl from the ministry saying both our parents had been killed on a mission – they were partnered aurors."
"Wait. So they worked together all that time? And they never told you anything?"
"Nope. In fact we even met our other parent once or twice, we just never knew. Then they were killed."
"At first we were angry and upset," Hermione sniffled, "then we were shocked that they were gone, and now we're somewhat relieved and happy. Without that, we would have never lived together, or been home schooled by our auntie, and we would never have become the sisters that we are now." 'I can't believe I'm doing this.'
"But then your aunt passed away over the summer, and now you're here?"
"Yes." The girls sulked.
"Well, excuse me for asking, but were you home schooled before?"
"What?" Ginny asked. 'Shit, hadn't thought about that. Remus, I could strangle you!'
"You said this happened about three years ago. Where did you guys go to school before that?"
Ginny shot a look of panic towards Hermione, asking her to take the reigns on this one. "Well… I know that with all my dad's traveling I had a nanny who taught me. Sort of like a governess. He always said sending me to an actual school would be his last resort – he didn't trust anyone."
"He must've put the idea in my mum's head, because I had the exact same thing."
"Wow."
"We're so sorry." James said sympathetically.
"It's in the past."
"Well we're glad you're okay."
Hermione looked at Ginny with a face that read irony all over. "Yes, we're fine."
"GINNY!" A shrill voice from what sounded like the stairwell sounded loudly. "GINNY WHERE ARE YOU?"
"Uh-oh, quick hide." Sirius said lacking all enthusiasm and replacing it with a cynical tone. "You don't want to be seen with us."
"SIRIUS!" Ginny and James yelled.
"Padfoot, she's not that bad." James said, as Ginny went to the door.
"That's only because you love her!"
"Lily we're in here!" Ginny shouted, shutting the door afterwards.
"In three, two, one," Sirius snarled, "Ginny what are you doing in here?"
The door burst open and an annoyed red-head, Harry's mum, rushed in. "Ginny what are you doing in here?" Sirius exploded into laughter.
"I'll have you know Black, that I don't appreciate you taking my friends and putting stupid ideas into their heads. What have you been telling Ginny about this time? Huh? Was it how you could destroy yet another one of my uniforms? No? Maybe it was just how you could get yet another one of my friends to turn on me. Well it's not happening again!"
"Can I say one thing Evans?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"No. Not really. Do you ever think that they turn their backs on you because you're a bloomin' nutcase? Ever think of it that way?"
"BLACK! I swear to Merlin, I will break you!"
"We'll see Miss Goody Two Shoes."
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Hey." James butted in dramatically.
"What do you want Potter?"
"Well I was going to inform you that Sirius has not been telling Ginny anything, he and Hermione just arrived about ten minutes ago, and Ginny was doing the talking. Remus and I brought Ginny here, and it was because she wanted to. So before you go breaking anything, though I'd love to see Pads get his ass battered… you might want to think about breaking the right person first… but please… I urge you not to break me. There was no harm intended – I swear."
Lily looked at Ginny for an affirmative, and when Ginny nodded back in return Lily let out a huge huff of a sigh. "Fine, but please can we get out of here now?"
Ginny looked at Hermione, and then the boys and gave them an apologetic look. "Sorry guys."
"It's okay. See you at dinner."
"Ginny!" Hermione said panicky.
"What? Oh for Merlin's sake. You're coming with us."
"Oh of course!" Lily snapped. "You don't think we'd leave you alone with these two did you? Cor, that's like asking to have your sanity pulled out through your ass bit by bit."
"Lily! That's rancid!" Ginny laughed.
Sirius leaned over to Hermione and mumbled, "Sad thing is, she knows exactly how it feels."
Hermione giggled a little bit, but immediately stopped when Lily snapped, "I heard that!"
"Come on girls, before somebody loses a head – or an arm, or a leg." Ginny and Hermione said goodbye and were quickly ushered out by Lily.
"Honestly, I don't know what you see in them."
'Don't worry, you soon will.' Hermione thought.
"Oh Lily, they're harmless." Ginny laughed. "By the way, if you hadn't already guessed, this is Hermione. She's the one –
"The one from the hospital wing. Yes, I remember. How are you feeling?"
"Better, now that I'm awake." Hermione said giving off a slight laugh.
"Well you were out for a pretty long time. Three days, I've not met a person at Hogwarts who's been out that long, and I'm Head Girl. I know everyone."
'Well it certainly sounds like the Lily Evans everyone's told us about.' Hermione thought with a smile.
"Well, I'm here now."
"Well, I'm glad. Welcome to Gryffindor. I heard Dumbledore made you Prefect. He must like you."
"You're not the first to say so." Hermione laughed.
"Well Remus is great. He's one of the few people around here who is actually sane, though I can't begin to understand why he associates himself with those two, but nonetheless he's a great bloke. You two will get along great."
"Thanks, I have a feeling we will."
The three girls had finally made their way back down to the common room and were heading towards the statue of the lion's head. They were going to Lily's quarters.
Eventually they found themselves standing in a room with extremely high ceilings, and masses of red and gold galore. The two winding stairwells stood just as Hermione imagined they would, both leading up to a balcony with a door on either end. The door in between the two leading the presumed lavatory, and loads and loads of books covering the walls. It was a dream room. The kitchen was off to the side and the living area was the most cozy thing Hermione had ever witnessed.
'And to think I could have had this.'
"So… Ginny… can you tell me now?"
"Tell you what?" Hermione asked.
"Oh Ginny said she had to tell me something, but I had to wait until you had woken up, because you guys have to tell me together or something… so can you tell me now?"
"Ginny?" Hermione looked over at her best friend with a look that spelled 'you didn't' all over.
"What!" Ginny said returning her own version of a "look." "Oh come on! You didn't expect me to keep it all bundled up inside! I had to tell someone! I obviously couldn't tell the Marauders, so Lily was next. Come on Hermione. Besides don't you think she kind of deserves to know."
"Know what?"
Hermione looked at an anxious Lily and sighed. "Fine. But I'm telling it, and I'm stopping when I feel necessary."
"Oh thank Merlin. I thought I was going to die." Lily said flying onto one of the sofas in excitement. It was extremely clear to Hermione that she obviously didn't get this kind of attention often.
Ginny and Hermione sat on the opposite sofa and after gathering her thoughts all together Hermione sighed once more, and began. "Well you see, I don't know what Ginny told you about our past, but it's not really true."
"Well she told me that you guys were adopted, and home schooled, and that your parents both died, and then you auntie continued your tutoring and then she died, so that's why you're here. But what isn't true?"
"Well… all of it."
"What? What do you mean?"
"Well first off… we're not adopted sisters."
"Are you serious?"
"Does it look like I'm joking?"
"I guess not."
"We're just best friends. I met her through her brother Ron, that's how we became so close. Ron is also one of my best friends."
"Okay."
"Also, neither of our parents died, and we have never been home schooled, by our parents or our aunts."
"So where did you go to school?"
Hermione looked at Ginny with a scared face. "Here."
"What? How? That's not possible. I've never seen you before, I barely know you."
"It is possible, and we know you."
"What is this? Are you some kind of spy force or whatever? Am I being stalked? I cannot be stalked at the moment! I have no time to deal with that!"
"Lily! Calm down. You're not being stalked. The reason we know you and you don't know us, the reason why we've gone to school here is because we're from twenty years in the future." Lily's mouth fell open.
"Twenty-one to be exact," Ginny interjected.
"We were on the Hogwarts Express after everyone had gotten off, because Ginny left her bag in the compartment, and all of a sudden the train started moving and the driver wasn't in his compartment. So we apparated to the gates, but I'm guessing that somewhere in the middle of our trip, we went back in time."
"Oh. My. God."
"Tell me about it."
"But Lily you can't tell anyone!" Ginny butt in.
"Oh my goodness I would never! I swear upon it with my life! This is so cool! What's it like? How do you know me? Am I nice? Am I married? Do I have children? What about a job? Is it good? Is everything completely different here? Come on what's it like?"
"Well things are different, but you know that happens when times change. Um… you're married, you have children… as far as I know you're nice. I think you're an auror. I'm not sure really." Ginny noticed that she was talking in the present tense… she wasn't going to tell her that she was dead, or that she marries James… heck she'd be surprised if she told her about Harry.
"Who do I marry?"
"I don't know him."
"What about my children? I'm sure you know them."
"I don't." Hermione frowned. She hated this – this lying. "I'm sorry."
"So that's it? I'm an auror, I get married, and I have kids, both of whom you don't know."
"Well I think you only have one. I think it's a boy, but I'm not entirely sure."
"Okay. I guess it is best that I don't know. I like surprises, I can wait. It's still amazing though!"
Ginny and Hermione laughed at their new friend's capability to bounce back completely, and they were relieved that she didn't question them any further.
"But once again, you can't tell anyone! The teachers know, and you, and that's it! Lily, we trust you with this."
"I promise! I really do!"
"Okay then. So do you want to go to the library?"
"I knew I liked you from the beginning." Lily laughed.
"Oh gods… not here too!" Ginny whined.
"Oh come on you lazy bugger." Hermione laughed.
