A/N: Hi I'm back!
I found some more time today to finish the chapter I started yesterday so here it is!
We meet Lily this chapter! How do you guys feel about her as a character? I feel like she's the Ginny I wish we had? I just don't like Ginny though, don't hate me!
Anyways...Not much to say about this chapter except; I hope you enjoy!
Also, Fentimans is a soda that you can just get at the shop...I'm drinking the Pink Lemonade flavour right now and thought I'd drop it in...I mean, why not. If you have the chance to get some Fentimans, I highly suggest it. Not a fan of Burdock...But who is? I guess Alex Turner...I think he talks about Dandelion and Burdock in an Arctic Monkeys song? That's the flavour I'm talking about...The Elderflower one is also lovely though.
I'll shut up now!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I do not own The Leaky Cauldron or Fentimans. I do, however, own two token Butterbeer glasses from Harry Potter World. I just went there a month ago! I cried a lot.
xxNessy
CHAPTER SEVEN- THE NEW BEGINNING
16 August, 1977- The Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley, London
It had been twelve days and the boys could still not understand why Hermione smelled like Grimmauld Place. Even Remus had begun believing it. He had never been to that dreaded place, but had smelled it on Sirius enough times to know he was right. Hermione Granger did, in fact, smell like Grimmauld Place.
They sat around a tiny table in the near the back of the pub. They all leaned over their butterbeers, trying to keep their conversation from eavesdroppers.
"We should just ask her…" James sighed, running his hands through his hair. "There has to be some sort of explanation."
"Yeah, are you sure you're right?" Remus asked. He did not want to believe Sirius. He liked Hermione; she was nice, beautiful, and she did not make fun of him for spending all of his time in the library. Despite his selfish reasons, though, Remus had the feeling that his friend was right.
"Yes, Moony! Of course I'm sure! I grew up there, I know what it smells like! And she smells like it, okay? It's faint...very faint...but it's there. I know it."
"You're driving yourself up the wall, mate." James said as he took a sip of his butterbeer. "She's nice, she hasn't done anything to make us not trust her-"
"Except for lie at every chance she gets-"
"You don't know that she's lying. Honestly, Pads, just get over it." James sighed, pushing his glasses up. "You just don't like her...admit it and leave it at that."
Sirius sat back and ran his hands down his face. That could be it, he thought to himself. But no, there was something else. He knew her, he felt it in his chest the moment he saw her. And she knew him, she knew his name, and she smelled like his home. There had to be some sort of explanation.
"I don't...It's not that I don't like her...I just don't trust her."
James and Remus sighed, they understood where their friend was coming from, but Hermione had not done anything to lose their trust.
"Maybe it's just something that reminds you of Grimmauld Place…" Remus posed.
Sirius just sighed into his butterbeer and shrugged his shoulders.
Hermione had, in fact, not left as she said she would. Remus approached Euphemia and explained the entire situation to her. The matriarch already knew Hermione's history, of course, but the werewolf did not know that. Euphemia was happy to see that Hermione would have at least one friend going into school. She gave Sirius a stern talking to, reminding him how he felt after leaving his family. Although it was not the same, the pain was there. The raven haired man looked ashamed and apologized half-heartedly to Hermione, but continued his investigation behind closed doors.
The aforementioned matriarch and her pseudo-daughter were holed up in Flourish and Blotts, buying the children's new school books. The boys had taken to shopping at Broomstix, because, of course, Sirius just needed a new broom. They took this opportunity to continue their endless conversation about Hermione.
As if she had known they were speaking about her, Hermione entered The Leaky Cauldron holding a bag from the bookstore that magically fit all of the books and made them light enough to carry.
"Hello, boys." Hermione smiled as she squeezed into the booth next to Remus.
"Hey, Hermione, how did the shopping go?" Remus asked, trying to ease the tension that fell over the table.
She shrugged. "Alright, I guess. I've already read most of the books on the curriculum this year…"
Remus chuckled heartily while Sirius and James groaned.
"So what have you boys been doing?" Hermione asked.
"We went to Gambol and Japes."
"Stayed here."
"Nothing…"
All three boys said at once.
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Okay… Erm. I'm just going to get a drink, anything I can get while I'm up?" She asked kindly.
All three boys shrugged, noncommittally.
As Hermione neared the bar, the three boys spoke in rapid, hushed whispers.
"What the fuck was that?"
"Way to stick to the plan!"
"What plan?"
They looked over as the front door opened once again and Euphemia Potter walked through with a smile on her face and a new person beside her. Instantly, James began smoothing down his hair. He breathed into his hand to check his breath. All the while, Sirius and Remus sniggered at their friend.
"Lils!" James shouted with a lopsided smile.
A redheaded girl approached the table with the Potter matriarch. She carried a few bags in her hand and pushed her sunglasses up on her head.
"Potter...Black...Remus." She smiled at each boy respectively.
"How's your summer? Excited to go back to school? I see you've gotten all of your books! Did you get your letter yet. We're both-"
"Heads...Yes, I know." Lily sighed at the boy in front of her. When she had gotten her Hogwarts letter, she was not surprised to be named Head Girl. she was surprised, however, when she noticed that her counterpart was none of than James Potter.
"I noticed Miss Evans as I was entering. I offered for her to join us for lunch."
"Of course! Come sit by me." James smiled and shoved Sirius off of the other end of the booth.
Lily rolled her eyes, but a smile snuck on her lips as she took the seat next to James with an exaggerated sigh.
"You'll get to meet Hermione." Remus smiled.
"Who's Hermione?" Lily asked.
Once again, as if being summoned, Hermione appeared at the booth with a pink glass bottle in her hand. She stopped still when she saw the redhead looking up at her with a friendly smile.
Eyes.
That was all Hermione saw. She looked rapidly from Lily's eyes to James's hair. She felt as if all of the air had left her lungs.
"Hello." Hermione said with the kindest smile she could muster at the moment. "I'm Hermione." She stuck out her hand.
Lily took the girl's hand and shook it kindly. "I'm Lily. Lovely to meet you. How do you know the boys?"
Hermione sat next to Euphemia in the booth and looked at Lily across from her. She could not bear to look away from those eyes. They were the eyes of her best friend...her brother. She had looked into those eyes at the happiest and saddest times of her life. They had brought her comfort, and now they brought her nothing but pain.
Euphemia noticed Hermione's hesitance and answered quickly. "Hermione is a distant cousin of Fleamont's actually, Lily. She's staying with us and will be joining you all at Hogwarts for her seventh year." The boys had been told the story that would be, from then on, the truth. Remus and James had accepted it, wanting their friend's safety to be high priority. Sirius had questioned, of course, but swallowed most of his comments for Euphemia's sake.
"Oh wow! That's great!" Lily responded with genuine enthusiasm. Her eyes lit up with intrigue. Hermione could see the questions swimming behind them. "Why just for seventh year? Why didn't you come before, if you don't mind me asking…"
Sirius muttered something under his breath, then winced when he felt a sharp kick to the leg. He punched James in the arm, thinking he was the culprit. However, Euphemia's eyes sparkled a little bit more for a moment, then settled back to their normal shean.
"My mum and I were attacked this summer...I used to go to Ilvermorny, my dad lives in America. But we can't find him...nor my mum." Hermione finished sadly.
"I'm so sorry, Hermione." Lily reached over and grabbed Hermione's hand. The bushy haired girl had been picking at the label of her drink. Lily squeezed Hermione's hand reassuringly.
Hermione felt tears well in her eyes. It hurt her to speak of her parents, knowing that they were gone, even in her own time. In her current time, she was not even a thought in their brain. And in her future time, where she had come from, they no longer remembered her. The pain was still fresh, it would probably always be, and having to relive that pain over and over was beginning to take its toll on her.
"Is that a Fentimans?" Lily asked, shocked, looking at the label of Hermione's drink.
"What? Oh...yes. Pink Lemonade." Hermione smiled sheepishly.
"I didn't know they had them here. Oh, I'll have to go get one! Wait...Doesn't that mean you're a Muggleborn? Fentimans is a Muggle drink." Lily asked with a tilt of her head.
Hermione knew Lily was a Muggleborn, just like she was. Still, being accused of such a thing, with her arm carved with the disgusting slur associated with it, Hermione took offence. She tensed, then relaxed. The story was that Hermione was a half-blood. In order to keep up pretenses of being one of Fleamont's relatives, she would have to, at least, be a half-blood.
"Half-blood, actually. My dad's a Muggle…"
"Oh," Lily nodded in understanding.
The table was silent. The boys had been whispering amongst themselves, only stopping momentarily to listen in on the girls conversation. Once it stopped, they waited.
"So...that drink, Lily?" James asked. "I'll go get you one!"
"I can do it...Thanks, James." Lily stood and approached the bar.
James sat, gobsmacked. "She called me James…"
"That is your name, you prat." Sirius scoffed.
"Yeah, but she usually calls him Potter." Remus offered.
"Or Git." Sirius countered.
"Prat."
"Arrogant."
"Toerag."
"Alright, alright...I geddit." James sighed.
31 August 1977- Potter Residence, Tutshill, England
"Can I talk to you?" Hermione asked, knocking on Sirius's bedroom door.
She had spoken to Euphemia a few times about, what they had deemed the "very Sirius problem, and the matriarch suggested Hermione speak to Sirius. She had suggested that to Hermione over and over and over again. Finally, Hermione relented. She had finished packing her trunk for school and found nothing else to fill her time. There was nothing else she could use to further avoid the conversation that needed to be had.
Sirius was, surprisingly, reading in his bed when Hermione knocked on the door. She stood there in flannel pajamas and one of James old t-shirts. Her wild hair was done up in, what might resemble, a bun. She was chewing at her bottom lip and toeing the floor as she waited for the boy in front of her to respond. Sirius, however, was silent. He was watching her. Not in the way he usually did; with wary appraisal, but with genuine intrigue. Hermione did not look threatening standing in his doorway. She looked like a nervous girl. She looked sad. That's what struck Sirius the most. He had never taken a moment to look in her eyes, but when he did in that moment, he felt the pain in them.
His lips parted in a silent gasp at the realization, then he cleared his throat and allowed a short smile. "Sure." He sat up against his headboard and placed his reading material on his bedside table.
Hermione was amused when she saw that Sirius was actually reading a motorcycle magazine, but not surprised. She took a step into the bedroom, then stopped. She suddenly felt very strange being alone in a room with Sirius Black. She had heard stories from Remus and even, Sirius himself, of the raven haired boy's reputation. To make matters worse, Sirius was not wearing a shirt. Why did he never wear a shirt? Hermione asked herself again. Then she caught herself staring...again.
"Er…" Hermione began then walked further into the room. Sirius just watch Hermione with amusement in his eyes.
"Yes?" He asked with a grin on his face.
"Oh!" Hermione's eyes met his as if she was surprised that he was still sitting there. "Erm...Yes." She said, taking a seat at the very edge of Sirius's bed. Both of her feet were planted firmly on the ground so the boy would not get the wrong idea. As if he would...not where Hermione was concerned, of course...Right? She asked herself. Focus, Hermione...Focus. She told herself.
"I talked to Euphemia." Hermione finally began. Sirius just nodded in assent, allowing Hermione to continue. "And we came to the conclusion that we...erm, you and I...needed to talk. About….everything."
"And what is everything?" Sirius asked.
"Just...everything. You're right...I have secrets."
"I know…" Sirius scoffed and crossed his arms.
Hermione's eyes ran down his arms, she was still surprised every time she saw his flesh without the tattoos she had attributed with her Sirius. Her Sirius? My Sirius? Where did that come from?
She nodded. "Yes, you do. I have secrets and I can't tell you them...obviously. I know that you have reason to not trust me. If I were you, I wouldn't trust me either. But you need to trust Euphemia. She knows my secrets and she still trusts me."
"How do I know you haven't lied to her also?"
Hermione's eyes flickered with sadness as she looked into his grey ones. "I didn't...It was hard, but I had to trust her first...now I do."
"Why couldn't you trust me then?" Sirius asked instinctively. He tried to cover up his mistake. "Or Remus? Or James?"
Hermione's eyebrows raised slightly, noticing Sirius's slip up. She decided that she liked the idea; trusting Sirius. She trusted the Sirius in her own time. But he had been through so much. The Sirius in front of her had seen none of that. He couldn't know what she knew.
"I want to...I do trust Remus and James, but I can't tell them."
"But you don't trust me?" Sirius asked.
"Have you given me any reason to?"
"I haven't given you any reason not to…" Sirius countered.
A small smile crept onto Hermione's lips. "And I haven't given you any reason to not trust me, but you still don't."
Sirius sighed and looked down at his hands. "Fair enough."
Hermione smiled and lowered her head until she caught Sirius's eye. "I want to trust you too, Sirius. I want us all to be friends. I know no one here. I'm going to a completely new school and I'm dealing with a lot right now...it would be nice to know I have some good friends."
Sirius met Hermione's brown eyes and noted the sadness he had seen earlier. He could not deny that the girl had been through a lot. Lies or not, the condition he had seen her in was enough to make anyone fear for their life.
He nodded. "Friends."
"Friends."
A/N: hmm...well at least they're getting somewhere, right?
