Lily sat at the table of her new home and frowned at the marauders as they recounted the events of today. James finished with a shrug and pointed at Remus, "He spoke to her, and she hinted she knew he was a werewolf."
"That's odd, but not completely absurd. Did she give you anything else to give way that she knew you?" Lily asked after sipping her tea.
He leaned forward and huffed. "She called me Moony. It was said as if she'd been calling me that for years. Some unidentified closeness is the only way I can begin to describe it."
"I don't like it!" Sirius hissed, and Remus raised an eyebrow. "She is associated with my brother. We all know what company he keeps."
Lily was scowling and paying attention to the frazzled werewolf. "Remus, do you think she's a Death Eater?"
He shook his head slowly. "She was avoiding me. I have a feeling if she were part of their agenda she would've been looking for conflict."
James gave a disagreeable expression to the room and shook his head, "No, she could be just trying to trick you. Sirius is right; if she really is working with your brother, then she's bad news."
The animagus gave Remus a reaffirming nod. "Yes, and who knows who else she knows and is working with."
"What time is the meeting tonight?" Lily asked and kept her eyes on Remus who seemed agitated.
James glanced at the clock on the wall. "In an hour, I am going to go wash up."
"Poppin' out for a smoke," Sirius announced as he and James stood up.
The Potter kissed his wife, and they disappeared together out of the kitchen. Remus could hear them mumbling about how they did not like this. He ran a hand through his disheveled mane and grimaced at the predicament. Lily observed him a moment and folded her arms across her chest. "What really happened, Remus? You look awfully shaken."
He gazed at her and heaved a sigh. "She walked into the bookshop in London, and I didn't see her. I smelt her, and it made me..." he paused and thinned his lips. "I don't know."
"Is she a werewolf?" Lily questioned further, and he shook his head.
"Not a werewolf as far as I could tell... but there is something. A definitive marking of sorts and I could not get a grasp on it."
"Maybe she is associated with the dark arts then," Lily murmured and rubbed her face.
Remus exhaled heavily and shrugged his shoulders. "Quite possibly. I hope we'll find out more tonight."
Lily still wasn't convinced that Remus spoke everything he was thinking. If there was anything she was great at it was guessing her husband's ploys and knowing the workings of his friends. She and Remus were close in a sense that two intelligent readers were. They shared a love for academia and all sorts of literature. The redhead leaned closer to the table and scrunched her face at him. "Remus, you can tell me. You know it won't leave us."
The werewolf tried to cover up his blush and shook his head. "It's nothing, Lil. She is just some pureblood."
"Remus John Lupin, you are not a liar by nature." His eyes searched hers in mild surprise.
"She said that too..." He murmured and Lily bit down on a smile.
"Well?" Lily questioned.
He groaned and scrubbed his face. "The things she said to me today. She told me it was not conducive for either of us with me following her. She looked troubled and agonized over me asking if we knew each other. Lily, she looked like a woman who missed me; the perfect stranger."
Her lips parted in shock and awe. "Did you smell it on her?" Her voice was shaky.
He nodded slowly and sipped his teacup. "Even when she was pointing her wand at me. It was to make a point, not to harm me. To be honest, I saw it in her eyes. There's nothing she wanted to do less than oppose me. Even if I kept following, she wouldn't act against me."
"Her name was Diana?"
Remus gave her an agreeing motion. "Yes, she said I could call her that because she wouldn't give me her name."
Lily scoffed, "So she didn't give you her name, she gave you a name to call her. A name that happens to be a reference to a moon goddess? She is giving you more answers in her lack of them."
He looked as if he became electrocuted. "The goddess of animals and the hunt! Lily, she was admitting that she knew about us all!" He stood up and started to pace the kitchen, "Orion and his dogs... Acteon as the stag... Lily, she even gave me a smirk as she told me as to hint I needed to figure it out. You are absolutely bloody brilliant!"
The redhead smiled smugly and nodded. "I think we need to find out how she knows you, Remus. She obviously knows you well enough to know how not to give you an answer."
"I have so many questions..." Remus grumbled and ran his hand over his jawline.
"Come out and get a lick of air, Moony," Sirius called from the front door.
Lily gave him a soft apologetic smile. "Don't worry if she were trouble she would have been stirring it for you already."
Remus chewed his lip a bit before giving her a nod. "I'm going to join Sirius. Let us know when James is ready."
The werewolf strolled from the kitchen and stepped out the front door to join his mate on the porch. They stood in silence a moment as Sirius handed him a cigarette and Remus lit it at his lips. He could feel Sirius trying to find answers on the air as they stood in their truths. "Do you think she is someone important?" The animagus finally asked.
Remus glanced over at him with an arched eyebrow, "Do you?"
His hair shook with his nod. "I do, Moony, but I am puzzled by her involvement with my brother. I got a good look at the bird today; she doesn't look to be hardened or dark. She seemed..." Sirius trailed off and gazed at his friend for help.
"Gryffindor," Remus murmured, and Sirius furrowed his brow.
"Gryffindor how?" Sirius snorted as Remus took a massive inhale of his cigarette.
"She was wearing the colors on her socks..." He said through the smoke.
Sirius snorted, "Sure, that makes her very Gryffindor." Remus could sense that Sirius was uncomfortable and it was evident in his tone. "She was shag worthy. I wonder if my brother doesn't mind swotty witches either."
Remus rolled his eyes and took another deep drag before answering. "Either way, she wouldn't shag you."
The animagus chuckled and smirked. "Of course she would! I am Sirius Black after all!"
He tucked Sirius under his arm before speaking. "Maybe, but I found her first."
"Where is Peter when I need an ego boost," Sirius grumbled, and Remus laughed.
The front door creaked, and Lily's voice entered the air. "Alright, let's go, marauders. We want to get there early."
Sirius and Remus tossed their cigarettes before nodding at each other. "Time to go fight injustice, mate." The dark-haired wizard grunted.
"Let's hope so."
Another crumpled paper rolled across the room, and a grunt of frustration followed. A new parchment slid in front of her, causing the woman to sigh. The quill in her hand wrote furiously, and her agitation was evident by the contorted downward curl of her lips. His hair was causing him distress as he coached the young woman in front of him. It was wrapping around his damp brow as she wrote.
"Would you please stop being so bothersome," Hermione groaned, and the young wizard rolled his eyes.
"You have roughly ten minutes until my mother comes knocking to get you for tea. The least you could do is make the letter sound believable!" The young Black ran a hand through his hair. "I can't believe we are lying- again." He hissed sharply.
"Regulus, you have trust in me this far..." When she paused to glance up at him, his grey eyes glinted. "I know that you have trust issues, but I'm not pulling the wool over your eyes. I promise she will stop asking if I have some sort of note from my fake father."
He glared and her and waved his hand. "Alright, give it here," He spat then handed it back. "Better, but finish it," he sneered and scrubbed his face.
She wiped her brow with her arm. "You make me feel like I am taking N.E.W.T.S. again. Can you just tell me what's wrong?"
"No, nothing," he stopped and groaned at her narrow gaze. "Our lovely engagement has my mother through the roof. Do you know how taxing this has been? To even stomach such a thing?"
The woman tried to hide her hurt feelings and glowered at the desk in front of her. "You're right; I have no clue. No idea that it's so painful for you to be engaged under false pretenses with someone of... muddied lineage."
He realized he put his foot in his mouth and ducked down to her eye level. "I am not grand in these affairs, Hermione. I haven't been in a situation such as this ever in my life. Give me a bit of the credit you reserve for others... I have seen brief moments of that. I am not- I am- bravery isn't easy for me."
She moved closer to him and kissed his cheek. "You are doing fine, Reg. We just need to keep at it, and all will turn out fine."
His fingers traced her chin, and she moved to pull away, but he glared. "Why is it that you do that?"
"That isn't your business." Her answer was simple enough, and she busied herself by continuing her task.
Hermione Granger was many things. Studious. Pleasant. Hard working. Dedicated... Time Traveler. It was accidental. The type of thing you would laugh about later on down the line over drinks. The only problem? It wasn't later; it was decades earlier. A simple experiment with the timeturner she found in Grimmauld Place, crack but still usable, was the culprit. She understood why the ministry went to all the trouble of destroying them in a controlled environment. Now, she was stuck in the past and was trying her hardest to fix the sins of their fathers; at least in Harry's case.
All she wanted to do was see if it was still in working order. Always the type to be prepared and ready just in case. Hermione was not expecting the glass to break open from use. Magic was placed into the enchanted object, why would a small crack effect it? Ignorance is bliss, so they say, and she was the prized imbecile. Now, she was here and stuck without a timeturner or way to get back home... this was it.
Where did she land in this time? Where she stood when it all started; the garden of 12 Grimmauld Place. That was a conversation she was glad she did not have to relive with Walburga. Fawley was the last name she knew she could use and Regulus's mother ate it up like candy. A pureblood witch with an ancient family line who ended up injured and sickly in their garden... such could not be written with more perfection. No family or ties to the world; her father, bless his confused heart raised her on an island away from the magical world.
"Oh, that actually sounds good," Regulus snatched the finished parchment from her with a smile. "As always, Lionne, you are showing your true colors." His last few words were sharp, and she rolled her eyes.
"I hate that you call me that." She snapped, and he raised an eyebrow at her, "But thank you."
He folded up the sheet and leered at her. "You are very welcome. Now, are you going to kiss your betrothal?"
Her arms folded in front of her and she glared, but his serpentine smile remained. "You know very well that I am not going to."
"Can't think of why not. We are going to have to eventually," Regulus retorted with an arched eyebrow.
"There are reasons I don't have to offer you, Regulus Black," she hissed and tried to move away from him.
Regulus raised an eyebrow and closed more of the gap. "Why, because my big brother already had his claws in you once upon a time?"
Hermione blushed brightly and glared. "No! He was twenty years older than me! Don't think that you can take advantage of a situation you-"
He interrupted her with a chuckled. "You placed us in, little lioness. That is quite fine with me, few witches I know would support my new-found desires to end this war." His voice ended in but a whisper.
"I saved your miserable life," Hermione snapped, and Regulus nodded, his fingers pinching one of her ringlets. "Give me a bit of air, Regulus!" she hissed at him as he was only inches from her.
There was a moment where she thought he was going to kiss her despite her trepidation. She could see he wanted to which set alarm bells off in her head. Hermione was going to argue, remind him of what was at stake. Tell him that it was unwise to cloud their efforts with personal gain. She had to give up everything to keep up this charade... surely, he could keep his own curiosities at bay.
"Regulus Black! You know good and well not to be alone with Miss Fawley in such a compromising position!" His mother's voice sounded at the library door.
The young Black pulled away from her and gave his mother a guilty smile, "I'm sorry, mother. She was telling me stories of her childhood, and I grew captivated."
Walburga tried to hide a smile. "Well, she can tell us over tea. You know you shouldn't be teasing the young, sheltered girl. Look at the color in her cheeks. Come, Diana, let's get a spot of tea, and we can chat about the agenda for tomorrow." Hermione stood up, and the Black matriarch scoffed. "Dear, your dress is dirty." She pulled out her wand and flicked it at the young witch.
The soft sundress turned into a more formal one that was bright green with grey trim. Regulus covered his smile with a hand as Hermione inwardly groaned at the new imprisoning apparel. It was archaic and distracting for the modern witch. Walburga gave her a nod and left the room. Hermione winced as she tested the corset's constriction.
"Your mother might kill me before too long. This dress is absolutely miserable," The young witch grumbled, and Regulus reviewed her appearance from head to toe.
"She does have decent taste; you have to admit. Green may not be your color, but it does suitably bring up boyish pleasure to see you wearing my house colors."
He held out an arm, and she took it. "Do not remind me, Reg. I was never one to enjoy the company of snakes."
"Never the snake, but the charmer?" His teasing increased, and her cheeks bloomed with color.
"Let's just get through the evening, please?"
"As you wish, Lionne."