Chapter Three - The Stranger
The name sounded familiar… where had he seen it. Right, wasn't she the junior staff mentioned in the paper? Remus looked at Hermione skeptically, "You are the witch they mentioned in the paper…. Do I know you?"
Hermione looked at Remus searchingly, brows twisted. Her brain was working hard trying to work out the mystery. She knew the only reason Remus could reappear in this world was because of some kind of time traveling magic. Could it be her time turner? But how did it get to him? As she looked at the man in front of her, she saw a much younger Remus Lupin she had never met in her life time. His face was handsome and youthful without the premature lines. He had the same light brown hair, but without the greying that she was used to seeing.
"I'm asking… do I know you?" Remus' quiet inquiry brought Hermione back from her deep thoughts.
"Er… that… depends." She started pacing along the alley way. "How old are you?" She suddenly turned around to face him, watching him curiously.
"How would that matter? But if you must know… I'm twenty-two." Remus looked completely perplexed.
"It went back too far…." Hermione murmured quietly, turned around, and began pacing again.
"What went back too far?" Remus caught up with her, determined to get to the bottom of this.
"Did you use a time turner to come here? I mean coming to today? I mean time traveling to 2002?"
Remus' eyes widened and he looked at the young witch in disbelief. "A time turner? Is that what this is?" he pulled the golden locket out of his pocket.
Staring at the tiny hour glass gleaming in the street lights, Hermione could see the magic sand floating calmly in the chamber. She nodded quietly and asked, "how did you get it?"
"A snow owl delivered it to me," Remus answered, "but it didn't come with a note. Did you send it to me?"
"No… I mean… yes." Hermione's face suddenly felt quiet warm. "But I didn't send the owl if that's what you meant." Desperate to hide her emotions Hermione cleared her throat and turned her back to Remus.
"What did you do then?" Remus asked gently.
That did it. He sounded just the same as she remembered. She took a deep breath, hoping the evening breeze could quickly dry the tears circling in her eyes. "I made a wish to see you again." She tried to hold her voice steady.
"See me? Again? Why?" Remus did not understand.
"You are… you were… my… friend." Hermione was screaming inside. She needed to pull herself together, fast!
"Well?" Remus said in an encouraging tone.
This was not how she had planned to travel back in time and confess her love for him. In fact she hadn't even had a chance to start her detail planning about this time traveling adventure. And for Merlin's sake, Hermione always planned first!
She was at a loss of words now that a different version of him suddenly appeared in front of her. He was Remus Lupin. That was definitely true. But he didn't know her. And as sad as she felt, she had to admit that she didn't know the young wizard standing in front of her either. It just didn't feel right. So what is she going to tell him? She wished to see him because...
"I wished to see you because... We are... I mean we were friends and I wanted your input on the proposal that you read about in the paper." she lied. "But I never meant for the time turner to go back that far." she added hastily. That later part was true.
"Why wouldn't you just go find me then... I mean in this world, your world? I'm sure I wouldn't refuse to help on that project, if it is the one that I read about. Why didn't you sent me a note, or use the floo? Why did you have to use a time turner?" Remus still could not follow.
"Because... I couldn't just go find you because... because in my world you died three years ago." Hermione's voice was barely audible.
"I... Died? But how?"
"It was the last battle during the war."
"What war?"
"The Second Wizard War."
That was suddenly becoming too much news for Remus to take in. He had just travelled twenty years into the future, standing face to face with a young witch claiming to be his friend, learning about his own death, in a war he had no knowledge that existed.
Watching the expression of a combination of shock and confusion in his face, Hermione began to feel guilty. After all, it was HER wish to bring him back, and HER time turner that took on a mind of its own, somehow got a hold of a crazy owl, and went to the wrong time.
"I think I can explain everything to you if you let me. It's getting late, do you want to come with me to my place?" she offered.
Remus was not completely convinced by her story, and he certainly was not convinced that he could trust her. "Well I would definitely want to hear about everything. But I think it would be better if I..." he suddenly remembered the whole reason why he was in Hogsmeade at this late hour. "I guess I should go see Dumbledore."
He was surprised to see the glistening tears in her eyes.
"Dumbledore... died... During the war." she whispered.
The night was certainly getting worse and worse for Remus.
"Come on. You have to trust me. Come with me and I will explain. Please?" Hermione reached out and took Remus' hand, looking straight into his eyes for his consent.
Remus never thought he would follow a stranger's order so blindly. But with everything that happened in one night, Remus could not see any other options. She did say there were friends, right? And for some strange reasons, looking into her beautiful brown eyes made him feel … safe.
He nodded in silence and with a soft pop, they left the village.
