A/n: It's currently four in the morning and I've gotten up for the day. Apparently I do my best writing before the world wakes up.

Has anyone else been having problems with formatting? I always "bold" my author's note and the date/setting, but on desktop view they aren't showing up that way I find it to be much more pleasing to the eye (and easier to understand- especially in time travel fics!) while reading to have the header in bold; that way, you (my lovely readers ) know that there has been a change in time and place.

Bear with me. I have a message into support, hopefully I'm just doing something wrong and it will be fixed very soon!

October 26, 1976

The Library, Hogwarts Castle

Hermione spent a great deal of time in the library following her meeting with Avery. She was determined to figure out the limitations of her influence; if she stepped on a butterfly, would it kill all of her loved ones in the future? Were her interactions detrimental to the timeline? Could she actually save anyone?

Since she was thirteen years old, she had always operated under the assumption that "Dangerous things happen to wizards who meddle with time."

So far, she had discovered nothing that was actually useful. There was a volume about the tragic time-related death of Eloise Mintumble, the witch who traveled back to the year 1402 and aged five centuries upon her return to the present. Since Hermione was only twenty or so years back in the past, she doubted her return to the present would be catastrophic—if it happened at all.

Hermione had begun to make a list of the people she wanted to save. It began with Remus, saved from his eventual death in the Battle of Hogwarts, but that would be simple—all she would have to do is make sure that the Final Battle never happened. Sirius Black was next, and he was about as simple to save as Remus Lupin. James and Lily were after Sirius, and with just five years before their demise, she wasn't quite as certain when it came to saving them. Avery, of course, would rescue himself if he were going to help her.

The list found a place in Hermione's beaded bag (which thankfully, she was carrying when sent back) right next to Avery's letter. The small piece of parchment had been tightly rolled when she began, but after smoothing it over every time she had looked at it—it was now completely flat and already slightly worn. It was her reminder, her mission, her goal. She was going to save the world, and the people she loved.

"You missed dinner," someone said, and Hermione looked up, startled, to see Remus and James standing over her table with a plate full of food. Panicked, she waved her wand under the table and changed the titles of the books to make it appear that she was studying for Transfiguration. Remus placed the plate in front of her and they both took seats around the table. "Sirius was personally offended. He had plans to practice his new prank idea and wanted you to see it."

Hermione smiled weakly. "You all know I don't approve of your pranks, even if the magic is extraordinary."

"Don't let Sirius hear you say that," James joked. "He'll never let the rest of us hear the end of it. 'Hermione said I was extraordinary.'"

"Speaking of Sirius, where are he and Peter?"

"Sirius is doing detention with McGonagall. Apparently she doesn't approve of his serenading in the middle of Transfiguration." James grinned.

"Peter is finishing up an essay in the Common Room. Mary McDonald offered to help him and we all know he couldn't pass up that opportunity."

The boys had brought her a slice of steak and kidney pie, along with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables. It was only when Hermione was looking down at the food that she realized how hungry she was. She casted a quick protective enchantment around her table, so there would be no nagging from Madam Pince, and dug in. "Thank you," she said, between large mouthfuls. James was leaning back in his chair, arms folded across his chest, watching her with an amused smile on his face.

"What spell did you cast, just now?" Remus asked a moment later, standing up and examining the translucent barrier. He touched it, hesitantly, and snatched his hand back when it quivered, reminiscent of gelatin. "This isn't like anything I've ever seen before."

Shit.

"What does it do?" James added, standing up and poking the barrier.

Hermione lowered the barrier with a wave of her wand and shrugged, trying to look innocent. She had been so used to casting the spell, she hadn't realized it was actually very advanced magic, and not something that should be used in the company of other people. Especially when she was supposed to be a sixth year at Hogwarts. "It's just an enchantment," Hermione replied. "I picked it up at Beauxbatons. The girls used to cast it when they brought boys back to their dormitory—nobody can see or hear you if you're on the other side. I cast it so Madam Pince wouldn't say anything about the food in the library."

Remus stared at her. "You're lying. That's not a spell from Beauxbatons. That's really advanced magic. To be honest, I don't think you're from Beauxbatons at all. You appeared in the middle of a corridor unconscious, for Merlin's sake."

"Moony," James chastised, and Hermione guessed that it must be near the full moon, based on Remus' aggressive manner.

"It's true," Remus said, matter-of-factly.

She sighed. She should have known that his werewolf senses would have picked up on her heart rate; the smell of her adrenaline; her shaking hands under the table. "You're right, I am. But trust me, the truth is too terrible to bear. You wouldn't want to hear the whole story." The time I came back from—you're dead. Both of your wives are dead. All of your friends are dead. All of my friends are dead. The whole of the Wizarding world is dead.

"I think we do want to hear the whole story," James countered. He was staring at her in the way that Harry always did. The latter always said he was waiting for her to say something smart.

Remus added, "terrible is something that we're accustomed to."

She needed to tell him. Knowing Remus, he wasn't going to leave her alone until she did. But she couldn't tell him everything. How could she save him if he knew what she was doing? "I—I was in a war," she began, eyes fixed on the table. "Many people died, more than I can count—including some of my closest friends. I lost my parents. I've been tortured. I've looked death in the face and escaped, but sometimes just barely."

"A war, there's no war—"

Not yet, Hermione wanted to say. Not if I can help it. "I can't tell you anymore," she interrupted, voice cracking. She felt the tears threatening to overflow and quickly blinked them back. "Please don't ask me any more."

Remus moved his chair closer to hers and took one of her hands in his own. She relished in the comfort and the affection, but couldn't help but notice the difference in how Remus held her hand, compared to Harry or Ron. Nobody would ever compare to Harry or Ron, in the whole of her lifetime, and their absence left a large, empty hole in her heart.

"I'm sorry," Remus said softly, and she doubted even James could hear him. "You've told us more than enough."

"Anyway, girls from Beauxbatons are mostly veela. And it'd be a little terrifying if you were a veela," James said, standing up and taking a bite of Hermione's steak-and-kidney pie. "You'll have to teach us that spell, too. It could come in handy one day."

You have no idea.


Remus and Hermione sat, holding hands, knees almost touching, but not speaking. The werewolf couldn't bring himself to speak, after what he had just heard. His mind was reeling, all of his gears turning—but he couldn't makes sense of what she had just said. A war? What war? Surely the Ministry of Magic would have put it in the papers—or informed them at all—if there were any sort of current or upcoming threat.

Where was this war?

But every one of his senses told him she was telling the truth, and Moony was normally accurate. Her heart rate was normal, she wasn't touching her face excessively, she didn't have that stench of—he couldn't describe it any other way—dishonesty… and she seemed to be genuinely upset and broken by this fact. She had actually lost people, and this was evident.

Panic attacks. Defense mechanisms. Crying.

"Say something," Hermione blurted, startling Remus out of his thoughts.

"I know you're telling the truth this time," he replied. "I can't tell you how I know but I know."

Hermione stared at him and it felt like she was staring into his soul. "We both have secrets then, don't we?"

I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours, Remus almost said, just because he was dying of curiosity. But it was close to that time of the month, and Moony was getting closer and closer to the surface, and it was very difficult to contain himself and control his tongue. So he settled with "I guess we do," but he held the other words under his tongue like a too-sweet lozenge.

I'm a werewolf. I'm a werewolf. I'm a werewolf.


Hogwarts Castle, Gryffindor Common Room

Hermione usually spent her nights in the Room of Requirement.

It was quiet, it was peaceful, and allowed for her to process her thoughts without fielding questions and participating in heated discussions about who was kissing who and who had a date with Sirius Black and whether or not that date was even real. She preferred to curl up on the deep blue sofas that the room had conjured for her and Avery, usually with a book plucked from the high shelves across the room.

Avery hadn't been back in over a week.

Hermione hadn't exactly expected him to be her closest friend after her night of confessions, but they hadn't come to any sort of conclusions during their last meeting. She had pulled some old D.A. Galleons out of her beaded bag (thank Merlin she had hoarded them) and given one to Avery just in case they needed to meet. The coin had stayed cool and silent in her pocket, and she had no intentions of calling Avery to the room just to say hello. She had no intentions of becoming closer to the Slytherin than was needed—he knew the scent of her Amortentia, but that was a different timeline.

Nothing of the sort was going to occur in this timeline.

The thought of loneliness was not as appealing the night following Hermione's encounter in the library with Remus and James. She envisioned herself sobbing the night away, pining away for her friends who were yet to be born.

She needed company.

"Hermione!" Lily exclaimed when the brunette witch entered the dormitory. "Where have you been!?"

Hermione smiled weakly and sat down on her bed at the far end of the room. "I'm sure you've come up with a list of theories?"

"Marlene thinks you've been in bed with a Slytherin," Lily grinned. "But I told her that was insane. My guess is that you've been spending nights in the library, avoiding Madam Pince."

"Although if you were in bed with Alexandre Avery, I can't say that I'd blame you," Alice Longbottom giggled as she entered the room, waggling her eyebrows at the girls.

Hermione scowled. "The library is right, Lily. I've never been in the Slytherin dormitories and I have no intentions to."

"Never has only been two weeks, love," Alice sang.

Right.

"I'm going to head to bed," Lily said, grabbing her pajamas from her trunk and heading into the bathroom. "I have an early morning tomorrow—that bloody History of Magic essay was too much to do tonight."

There goes my company, Hermione thought, and waited until Lily was out of the bathroom to bid her good night before heading down to the Common Room.

She found the Marauders sitting at a table near the fire, playing a quickly escalating game of Exploding Snap. Sirius was standing and leaning over the table, with one knee remaining on his chair. "That was cheating, Wormtail!" he was shouting, eliciting nervous glances from first year students who were sitting nearby. "You can't possibly be making that move!" Hermione chuckled at the innocence of their actions. To be screaming at each other over a game of Exploding Snap… this was a simpler time.

"Sounds like someone is a bit competitive," she joked, approaching the table.

"Hermione!" Sirius exclaimed, jumping off of his chair and enveloping her in a bear hug. "Ever my favorite non-Marauder." He pulled up a chair for her next to his own. "Fancy a game of Exploding Snap?"

The five of them played Exploding Snap for what felt like hours, until the Common Room was empty and the fire was dying. "I'd better get to bed," Remus said, the first to get up from the table.

"Moony gets cranky if he doesn't get enough sleep," James supplied, and Remus scowled at him as he went upstairs to the dorms. "But I'm headed up as well. I need to be well-rested and fresh to make Lily breakfast in the morning!"

Sirius called up at him as he went up the stairs, Peter following him. "The elves make her breakfast, you prat! Don't take that credit away from them!"

That left Hermione and Sirius alone in the Common Room. She had to admit, she was no longer lonely and upset as she was before joining the boys in their game. But now, she was slightly unsettled by his presence. She had met Sirius when she was just thirteen years old, and he had the air of a criminal, even if he was an innocent man. She couldn't help but visualize the gray hairs tinged in with the black, and she could see Harry screaming in agony as his godfather fell through the veil.

She wished she could tell him. She didn't want to be alone anymore.

"What happened just then?" he asked suddenly, and she was struck by the sight of the too-young man standing in front of her.

"Nothing. Just thinking, is all." You're too young. I'm not where I'm supposed to be. I'm not even born yet.

Sirius led the two of them to the loveseat in front of the dying fire. He prodded the fire with his wand, and it began roaring again. "Sounds like you're doing too much of that," he said solemnly.

"Remus and James told you, didn't they?"

"Of course they did, kitten. You'd have to be shocked if they didn't. Then you know the world is really ending."

Hermione didn't say anything. She was tired, so tired. She felt like she was melting into the cushions, but she didn't dare sleep. After a day like today, the memories would overtake her in her dreams.

"Go to sleep," Sirius murmured, as if he was in her head. "The nightmares will come. But I'll be here."

A/n: Wow, this chapter is really angsty. I didn't intend for that to happen, but I think Hermione needs it. Please, review if you enjoyed the chapter !