As it turned out, James' questions weren't anything like Hermione had dreaded them to be. After his extremely uncomfortable implication to interrogate her, James had simply dropped his entire body onto the bed in a non-chalant manner, leaned his head on his hand and smiled up at her.
"So... the future, eh?" he said casually.
Hermione blinked at the anticlimactic statement, but it took her a moment to realise what game the Potter was playing. She fought the urge to roll her eyes at him but she did sigh. "No, I cannot tell you anything and no, you will not be able to torture it out of me," she replied in an equally casual manner.
James shrugged before replying. "Eh, fine." He feigned looking at his fingernails.
Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "Is this really your technique?" she asked sceptically. "Because reverse psychology won't work on me."
While she had explained that she was from the future, she felt strongly uncomfortable answering questions about it, and for damn good reasons too. She was planning to evade any attempt from the boys to tell them anything she knew. It was enough of a risk to say that she was a time-traveller anyway, but should basic plan she had in her head work, it should be worth it.
"Is it really that secretive?" Remus asked gently.
Hermione smiled in appreciation of him getting straight to the point. "Yes," she said simply.
The boys were silent for a moment.
"Well, I guess that's it, then. I'm dead, one of us has a kid and we all live to at least thirty. Don't think we'll get any more out of her. Onto the cover story I think?" Sirius said. He clapped his hands and rubbed them together, looking around at everyone.
James nodded at him. "I think I have an idea for one," he replied.
Hermione gaped. "Is... is that it?" She stared incredulously at each boy's blank expression. "I'm a stranger who knows you and all of your secrets; I say I'm from the future, you believe me and you want to... keep me?"
"Well… do you have anywhere else to go?" James asked.
"I... uhm... well… no." Hermione said, deflating. This was something that the stories had failed to mention; how kind these boys were. She suddenly felt very emotional and her eyes started to well up. She didn't have anywhere to go – she was entirely alone. It hadn't hit her until now, but these boys were of such likeness to the boys she had left behind that Hermione couldn't help but be reminded of the fact that home was so far away. "I... I... I..." she started to hyperventilate as she began to steadily cry.
...
"Oh god..." Sirius muttered. This was not what he had signed up for. Well, not that he had signed up for anything, but it was definitely not what he had expected when he had been abruptly woken up by James yelling that Remus had arrived.
Hermione began to sob. "I... have no way... to get... home, do... I?" she said between sobs. "I'm stuck!" she suddenly wailed.
James, Remus and Sirius shared a worried glance; how were any of them to know how to help a crying girl?
"Should..." James said, with a side-glance at the sobbing Hermione. "Should I get my mum?" he whispered.
"She doesn't know about her, yet. You'll have to explain the situation first. We'll look after Hermione in the mean time," Remus whispered back.
"Excuse me?" Sirius said, not bothering with the hushed tones. James and Remus glared at him for a moment and he relented. "What the hell are we supposed to do?" he hissed in a much quieter tone.
"Pat her on the head or something," James replied. "I don't know!"
Remus rolled his eyes. "Go," he said to James. "We'll think of something."
James nodded and with a quick, scared glance at Hermione, he fled the room, leaving Remus and Sirius to share one last worried look at one another. Remus sighed and moved closer to the sobbing girl in the middle of the bed.
"Hermione... hey, Hermione?" he said cautiously, reaching a hand out to her slowly.
"My parents!" she suddenly exclaimed, and the two boys jumped back. "Harry... Ron! All my things! I have nothing here... absolutely no one!" She continued to sob.
Remus jerked his head at Hermione, indicating clearly to Sirius that he should have a go. Sirius vehemently shook his head for several moments before Remus shot a mild stinging hex at his thigh. He yelped and quickly sat on the bed on Hermione's other side.
"Oi, Hermione," he said, poking her in the arm. "What's Snuffles?"
Hermione suddenly stopped hyperventilating and sat upright. "What?" she said quietly. She blinked at him.
"Snuffles," Sirius repeated. "You were muttering it when Remus brought you in."
To both boys surprise, Hermione giggled. "Was I really?" she said and giggled again.
"Yes... yes you were," Sirius said, straightening up. He shot Remus a smug look that said: ha, my methods worked and yours didn't. "What is it?" he asked.
"It's more of a 'who'," Hermione said with a sniff. Her eyes were bloodshot and her nose was red, but Sirius couldn't help but notice she was still pretty when she smiled through it.
But who is she? She'd literally been here minutes and got himself, James and Remus in the palm of her hand. Sirius strangely felt as though he could trust her; that all of them could. He trusted his instinct and had a feeling that she wasn't there to cause them any harm. He especially thought so because Remus obviously trusted her, and Remus never took to people as quickly as he had Hermione. Sirius got the impression that there was a romantic relationship in there somewhere, but the years that he had heard Hermione describe through the door was wrong; the ages wouldn't add up.
Sirius put it to the back of his mind to keep an eye on her. It was weird enough that she already knew them so well, but the fact that she had accidentally let out that he was dead just took the biscuit. He almost didn't want to find out more. It made him nervous just talking to her – what if she let out anything else? Sirius just couldn't handle having any kind of forewarning to bad news. He'd spend all his time worrying about it. But he still found himself enthralled by her.
"Fine," he said. "Who is Snuffles?"
Hermione simply giggled again, much to his annoyance. "You," she said with a smirk.
"Excuse me?" Sirius gaped. "You're kidding, right? I would never allow anyone to call me such a thing!" He fought the urge to pout indignantly. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't she tell embarrassing spoilers about Remus instead? Why did he have to have the stupid nickname?
"I don't think she is," Remus said, with a similar smirk on his face.
"Oh shut up," Sirius growled, and shoved him off the bed. Remus hit the floor with a thud, and Hermione burst into loud laughter, causing Sirius to grin at the sight.
He would never admit it, but Sirius was feeling delectably smug about the fact that he had managed to cheer Hermione up where Remus had failed. This would typically (not that they encounter crying girls often) be Remus' area of expertise, so this further showed him that Hermione was no average girl, and he found himself surprisingly really liking that fact.
...
"I think I'd really like the story behind that," Remus said with a grin, as he hauled himself back onto the bed moments later.
Hermione's smile immediately slid off her face. "Let's just say it was a nickname," she whispered.
Terrified that the tears were going to begin again, Sirius suddenly cried: "Look!" and turned into a large dog right in front of them on the bed.
"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed with a visible jump. Sirius wagged his tail at her, and she smiled.
He padded across the bed to her and nuzzled at her clasped hands. She giggled at the contact before she began to stroke his head. "I always said I like you better like this," she said absentmindedly as he lay down with his head in her lap. She sighed. "Remus, what I am going to do?" she looked up at him.
Remus stared at Sirius-in-dog-form before he met her gaze and replied. "Hermione, please don't feel alone," he said quietly. A lump formed in Hermione's throat and she was too scared of crying again to speak. But Remus spoke again anyway. "I think you're going to be stuck with us, regardless," he said, grinning at her. "If there is any possibility of us being able to send you home, then we will make that happen."
"Thank you," she breathed. Hermione continued to stroke Sirius' head and neck as she stared at Remus; his fur truly was softer than it looked. Much like his personality, she thought with a smile.
She took a long shaky breath; today had been horrendous, but Hermione was silently glad that she had fallen into cahoots with these strange boys. As her mother used to say, "Everything comes up equal." And while she had been abandoned in a strange time and place with none of her family or friends, Hermione seemed to have gained several friends. The kinds of friends that don't come along very often in a person's life, and she felt strangely grateful.
When Hermione felt more comfortable that she wasn't going to start crying again (despite the overwhelming despair she felt inside and the intense urge to sob her heart out), she spoke again. "Do you think it will be okay with James if I sleep here tonight? You see... I'm awfully tired and... and... I…" Hermione took another deep breath.
Remus quickly spoke over her, noticing the distress. "Of course not! He was planning to ask you to stay, anyway!" he said, almost too enthusiastically.
"Oh," Hermione said. "Do you mind if I..." she gestured around her.
"Of course not," Remus repeated in a more gentle tone.
"Thanks," Hermione murmured as she slid down the pillows. Dog-Sirius shifted a little beside her. It was hard to tell if he was asleep himself, but he was making soft noises that Hermione couldn't distinguish between purring or soft snoring, so she let him be.
Hermione's eyes grew heavier, and the last thing she remembered before she drifted off was snuggling into the cover Remus had put over her before leaving the room. She fell into a deep and dreamless sleep, frequently using the dog next to her as a hot water bottle.
...
Hermione woke to darkness. The fire was still burning merrily across the room, but other than the warm glow it cast, the room was in a state of pitch black. For a split second while waking, she had entirely forgotten about her… problem. Hermione felt like she had actually had a good sleep, considering. The bed was comfortable, the room was warm, but she was alone, and very far from home.
Throwing her arms above her head on the array of pillows, Hermione let out a groan. What was she to do? Sure, it had seemed like a good idea at the time to let them know she was from the future, but if it got out to the wrong people, then who knew what mayhem it would cause. Especially during this time; it was the time of Voldemort's greatest power. There was a reason why he won this war.
Hermione suddenly gasped, and she shot bolt upright. An idea suddenly came to her: what if she could save everyone? She grinned to herself in the darkness, but abruptly froze as an array of thoughts came to her – how much could she actually change? Would the timeline just rearrange itself? Would it kill another instead? What if what happened in her future actually had the least casualties? How would Harry be able to defeat Voldemort if Lily and James lived?
She slouched back against the many pillows in defeat. There was no way that she could know she was actually making things better. But more importantly, Hermione didn't even know if she could change the timeline.
Hermione knew that two types of time travel existed: those that can be changed and those that can't. In the wizarding world, it was the type that cannot be changed which existed. She also knew that travelling forward in time was impossible, no matter how much Remus had promised that they would help her return home. It was why wizards only travelled back at hourly intervals so they didn't age as they had to live through each time jump if it was any further.
The other kind of time travel, where it can be changed, Hermione found rather complicated. If this kind were to happen, the person who travelled back would create a different reality and would not actually be able to change the original timeline they'd come from. What Hermione understood from it was that, the timeline which the traveller comes from simply stays intact, but as soon as the time traveller changes something – anything – the time traveller basically creates an alternate universe and a timeline which kind of runs parallel to their original one. Meaning that the people from their original timeline simply keep on living without them, and without any changes the time traveller may have made while going back.
Hermione rubbed her hands down her face hard and let out a noise similar to a whimper. All the possibilities were giving her a headache. She needed someone to talk to about this, and she needed to find out whether she was actually able to change the timeline at all. But the fact that she was present in a timeline where she didn't exist should be enough of an indication that the same rules didn't apply… right?
A knock at the door interrupted her, and she sat upright again. The door opened and Hermione was surprised to see that it was none of the boys, although, she knew that it shouldn't have been all that surprising since they weren't the only people in the house.
"Oh, good, you're awake," the person said, and Hermione identified them as a female, definitely an adult.
Hermione squinted into the darkness in order to see more of the person, but wasn't able to distinguish any more than a tall, thin, woman with long hair. She was, however, saved from any further effort, as the woman flicked her wand in the darkness and several candles around the room were lit.
"That's better," the woman said. She then made her way to Hermione's bedside. She sat in the chair next to the bed and placed her hand on top of Hermione's which was lying on top of the covers. "Oh, you poor dear," she said sympathetically.
The kind tone of the woman's voice brought back Hermione's urge to cry, but it disappeared quickly as she looked at the woman's face in the now lit room. The long dark hair and the strong features were strangely reminiscent of someone she knew… but it was clear in the woman's mannerisms that she was James' mother. Hermione gulped.
"I'm Dorea Potter, James' mother," she said, letting go of her hand. "He told me all about your unfortunate circumstances, and I'm so sorry."
Hermione stared at the beautiful woman, fighting the urge to cry again. Oh, you're such a mess! She scolded herself. But you're allowed to be! Another voice replied. You've been abandoned in another time with no family or friends! Regardless, she shook the sadness off and smiled back at Dorea Potter.
"Thank you so much for letting me stay last night, Mrs Potter."
"You may as well call me Dorea now," Mrs Potter replied with a wave of her hand.
Hermione frowned slightly at her phrasing – what did that mean? However, she was saved from asking anything further, as Mrs Po- Dorea continued. "I've gathered from the boys that you understand your predicament, therefore it won't crush you to hear that we won't be able to send you home, correct?" she said briskly, reminding Hermione slightly of Professor McGonagall.
Hermione mutely nodded, afraid to say anything more.
"Good," Dorea said with a nod. "Therefore, I can inform you that the boys and I, along with my husband, have come up with a cover story for you so that you may stay and build a life here."
Hermione bit her lip nervously. "So, you're really just going to keep me?" she asked quietly.
"Of course, dear! It would be barbaric of us just to send you out knowing you have nowhere to go!" Dorea looked shocked, but her expression and voice both softened as she continued. "Plus, I think my boys are rather taken with you." She winked, and Hermione smiled.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad being stuck in 1976 after all.
...
"Black or Greengrass?"
Hermione wrinkled up her nose and Dorea laughed. "I understand why you'd want neither," she said with a smile.
"No, that's not what I meant," Hermione said hastily. She had recently learned that Dorea Potter was actually originally a Black – something that had actually stunned her into silence, but it had made clear why Dorea looked so much like someone else she knew; Bellatrix. But a kind-looking version, if that was even possible. "I just meant that being a Black might make me a target, but it would be easier for me than to be a Greengrass because I know more about the Black family tree therefore it would be a more plausible cover," she continued.
Dorea simply smiled. "Black it is!" she said, leaning down to sign a piece of parchment with a flourish. The rectangular parchment glowed for a moment then died down and Hermione's heart skipped a beat; it was official. Hermione was a Black.
Hermione Isla Black.
Dorea had given her a Black middle name since she didn't have a typical Black first name. Isla Black was one of the first to be blasted off the infamous tapestry, for running off to marry a muggle-born. She was Dorea's great aunt and still kept in touch by owl every so often. It was the irony which made Dorea pick that particular one – that and how it was the only family member who wouldn't mind it.
Hermione was torn between gulping in fear and giggling from nerves. It was all rather strange, but she was slowly getting used to it. Dorea had explained to her that she had a disowned squib brother, who would be happy claiming that Hermione was his illegitimate daughter. Dorea had already written him while Hermione had slept. There was a further disowned Greengrass squib that Marius, Dorea's brother, was in contact with who was happy to claim to be Hermione's mother.
Hence the choice: Black or Greengrass.
Hermione had thought the idea brilliant. While the thought of the poor, innocent squibs being disowned because of something that wasn't their fault horrified her, it created the perfect scapegoat. Due to the lost connections with the families, they wouldn't question the sudden appearance of Hermione with their name. Sure, there might be certain Blacks that would be angry with the daughter of two squibs keeping their name, but she was still technically a pureblood despite her new parent's lack of magical ability.
It also allowed Hermione to stay with the Potters, as they would be the closest magical family willing to take her in. Hermione's heart warmed at the thought of all these people coming together just to help her stay. It almost made missing home easy. Almost.
"I truly cannot thank you enough," Hermione said, picking up her new (faked) birth certificate and looking at the proof of her new identity. It turned out that Mr Potter- Charlus, had contacts within that particular department of the Ministry, and they had sorted that out within hours, all while Hermione had been asleep.
Dorea stroked Hermione's hair and smiled sadly at her. She took the certificate out of her hands gently. "Let me owl this to Marius so he sign it. I'll have to remind him to owl it back to Spencer before the oaf throws a hissy fit…"
Hermione nodded and sat down in the plush maroon chair as Dorea left the room. After explaining what exactly her cover was going to be up in the blue room, Dorea had marched Hermione down to her study on the ground floor (giving Hermione a good look at the opulent Potter Manor as she did) and gave her a trunk full of clothes more suited to the times. Then, after that was when they had begun discussing names and the signing of the certificate had taken place.
It was a whirlwind, but Hermione found herself feeling a little at peace. She didn't feel out of place or anything at all. And when Dorea came back into the room and immediately began babbling about how Hermione would like her room to be decorated, while walking her down to the kitchens to be fed, only one thought came to Hermione's mind: I'm happy.
A/N: I literally had three different versions of this chapter and I couldn't decide which to use therefore it was why this chapter took so long. But woo! Hermione's a Black! All of the Black names and relations I have used are actually real and is what JK claimed is the Black family tree.
I also wanted to ask whether you all want to know the endgame couple? I mean, it's obviously Remus or Sirius (like no one messes with Jily and Hermione and Peter is just a no). So would you like to know?
Please respond and review!
Holly - xo