Chapter 3
Confrontations and Truces?
Hermione sat in the library with her books spread in front of her. Her potions assignment was finished and her charms essay was all but checked over by the spell she had learned in her fifth year. She was working on her transfiguration assignment when she felt the presence behind her. She turned around and smiled.
Onyx eyes Stared into hers. "You told Cissy she would have a son." He said plainly.
"I did." She replied looking at him as if she was worried, did it bother him that Cissy as he called her would have a son with someone else?
"How much do you know?" He asked sitting down next to her, his knees almost touching hers.
"More than you could believe." She said
"What about me, what do you know about me?" He asked.
She took a deep breath that did not go unnoticed by the boy sitting next to her. "You know I can't tell you everything." She replied "What do you want to know?"
"Do I have a family?" He asked
"That is one question I cannot answer, I don't know." she replied
"Do I teach?" He asked again
"Yes and your great at it." She replied
"Are you from the future?" He asked
She stopped and stared at him. How had he figured that out?
"From the expression on your face I'd guess you are." He supplied.
"Why do you say that?" She finally asked
"Because you know things that you shouldn't and you told me that you aren't really a seer." He answered
She sighed pushing her hair behind her ear. "Yes I am."
"Was I your teacher?" He asked quietly, if he was then how might his strange attraction to her now be received by the young brunette.
"Yes, you were as well as your friend's son, the Weasley children and the last surviving Potter child's." She answered.
"The last surviving Potter?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." She said "My friend Harry."
"He is the only child of James I assume?" he asked slightly surprised what would have caused that to happen.
"Yes, his parents were killed on his first birthday by Voldmort and Harry was placed with his Aunt and Uncle" She said "It has had the effect of turning a teacher here at Hogwarts into a spy for the light."
"Who is Harry's mom?" He asked an ache in his heart already telling him the answer.
"Lilly Evans Potter is his mom." She said quietly. "She gave her life to protect her son."
"If I hadn't asked would you have told me?" He asked his onyx eyes burning with black fire.
"And break your heart willingly?" She asked him her dark brown eyes burning back. "I know you love her."
Severus glared at her then stopped he could feel tears that were running down his face. He whipped them away and looked at her. She too was crying.
"Why are you crying?" He asked hoarsely
"It's my best friend who grows up without his parents, my best friend that you take your pain out on, my best friend that ends up watching as almost everyone who he cares about dies." She said.
He stared at her. "Who else dies?" His voice is calm and controlled.
"His godfather, his girlfriend, her older brother, his second godfather, and Dumbledore." She covered her mouth with her hand before shoving her stuff in her bag and running out of the library tears running down her cheeks. He followed her and caught her arm pulling her into his arms as he sunk to the floor.
No wonder she was such a mess so much death in her life. Had she lost someone she loved to the madness that she had seen. He shushed her as he rocked back and forth trying to calm her and himself. No one had ever come out and said what he himself had known for five years that he loved Lilly Evans. Knowing now that she loved, would marry and have a son with James Potter hurt but it also set him free.
"What happened here?" A voice cut into his thoughts. He raised his head and onyx eyes meet blue.
"She started crying I'm trying to help." He said his voice dripping in venom.
The other male sat down on the floor next to them his black hair sticking out in all directions. "Hermione?" He said her name but all she did was continue to cry hands locked on to his shirt.
"Harry." She whispered softly. "I'm so sorry." Her tears cascaded down her cheeks. "I can't help you." Her eyes burned and her heart ached all gone, her life was all gone. Her parents, her friends, everything she knew.
"Hermione, you're alright, it's okay." James said rubbing her back while Severus shushed her and rocked her.
"So many people, gone." She whispered the two seventh year boys who hated each other stared at the crying brunette who in a way connected them.
"What is she talking about." he said slowly.
"Ginny. Fred, Padfoot, Moony, Tonks, Dobby, Mom, Dad, all gone." Hermione whispered her tears finally subsiding.
"You alright now Hermione?" Severus and James both said
She pulled back from Severus and smiled at the two boys. "Thank you both." She whipped her eyes with her hand. Then she pulled one then the other in to a hug. She felt Severus stiffen and let him go. James ran a hand through her hair.
"I'm sorry if I scared you." She said
"Hermione." She looked at Severus. "I'm sorry I should have been more sensitive."
"Its fine you didn't know I would break over a simple question." She kissed his cheek again and smiled when James gaped at her. "It doesn't bother me that he is a slytherin and James His hair isn't oily." She laughed.
"I'll take your word on that." James laughed "Thank you Snape."
Severus looked up surprised. "What for?"
"For helping calm her down, for caring even though she is a Gryffindor." James stood and offered a hand to Hermione, who stood and pulled him to his feet too.
"You're my friend right Severus?" She asked her brown eyes bright.
"Yes." He replied realizing that he really wanted to at least be that.
"James will you please call a truce with him?" She asked in hope that maybe it could change the outcome of things. "If not for you, will you please for me?"
James Potter closed his eyes. Something about this girl gave him the shivers, maybe how she knew the nick names of two of his friends, maybe how she reminded him of a young muggle girl he had meet ages ago only once he wasn't sure why.
"Alright truce?" He asked opening his eyes and holding out his hand to the slytherin.
"Alright truce." Severus said shaking his hand.
Hermione smiled and hooked an arm through each of theirs. She kissed each on the cheek then they walked toward the hall. They entered the hall and everyone stopped and stared. Then Lilly and Narcissa walked up to them both smiling.
"What happened here?" Hermione heard Sirius growl.
"My friends have put aside their differences for me." She said turning toward him. "Can't you do it to Padfoot?"
"How do you know that name?" He asked shocked.
She let go of James and Severus and walked up to him. "I know more than that." She whispered. "I know who you become and what could happen to those you care about if you don't change."
Sirius black was not the type of person one threatened and he didn't take well to it now. "Are you threatening me?" He growled
"No Sirius I'm promising you, I know what can and will happen if we can't change it." Her brown eyes searched his dark blue ones. When she didn't see anything penetrate she sighed. "You want to know what I see."
"Yes." He said
"You spend thirteen years in Azkaban for the murder of you best friends and escape in their sons 3rd year only to die 3 years later in his 6th year by falling through the veil in the department of mysteries." She whispers into his ear. "You are set up for their murder."
"Alright I give." He said his dark eyes filling with tears, and then he walked over to Narcissa. "Cousin."
"Sirius, I really do miss being able to talk to you." She placed her hand his arm. "Can we please start again?"
He hugged his younger cousin to him and she rests her head against his heart.
Hermione turned her eyes on the rest of the hall and yelled. "Does anyone have a problem with this?"
No one said a word and she smiled. Then she saw a sixth year Slytherin girl stand up, she had long black hair and bright eyes.
"You would so easily take the traitor back Narcissa?" She said and Hermione flinched she recognized that voice Bellatrix Lestrange (nee) Black.
"He is our cousin Bella and He is my best friend in the family besides you." She snapped at her sister.
"What about Regulus?" Bella said accusingly.
"I love Reg, Bella and you know that, he knows that too." she turned her blond head and caught the brown eyes of another sixth year boy who looked like Sirius.
