Much to the relief of the contestants, the Headmaster announced that the following day would not contain any performances. The day would serve as a chance for the young performers to rest their voices and decide on the songs that would be used for the following day's finals.
During the off-day, it became obvious to both the Marauders as well as Lily and the Girls just how close the contest had brought Hermione and Remus. Maybe it was because of the way they automatically took seats next to one another at breakfast. Or perhaps the less-than-discreet stolen glances when one thought that none of the others were looking. Either way, it was obvious and, to them, very amusing.
"Hermione, we were going to ask Dumbledore's permission to go on a trip to find our dresses this weekend, do you think he'd agree to that?" Asha asked, curiously.
The brunette witch glanced upwards to the staff table then back to her friend with a shrug, "He probably won't mind too much but it would depend on where, exactly, you're wanting to go."
Asha and Charlotta exchanged glances before the Arabic girl responded, "Well, we were hoping to convince him to let us go to Muggle London this weekend."
Hermione and Lily glanced to one another, thoughtfully, and then both pairs of eyes moved towards where the Headmaster sat. The girls glanced away sheepishly when Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes met theirs, Hermione remembering the fact that the wizard was skilled in Legimency.
The young witch peered back up as the older man smiled and turned back to his food. She knew that he'd seen her mind. Turning back to her friends, Hermione shrugged, "We'll just have to ask, I suppose."
"You would go this weekend?" Remus asked, curiously but casually.
"Preferably," Charlotta nodded.
Hermione frowned in confusion as a cloud seemed to dampen the young wizard's expression, "Dumbledore isn't holding the contest over the weekend, Remus."
"I know that," He replied, almost irritably.
"Remus? What's wrong?" the witch frowned.
"Nothing. I hope Dumbledore agrees to let you go," He said, a hint of bitterness to his voice. He got to his feet and, without glancing back, left the Great Hall.
"Well that was strange," Chaylse mused.
Lily glanced towards the three remaining Marauders questioningly, "Any ideas as to what that was about?"
"No idea," Sirius mused while James nodded in agreement.
"And here I'm usually the one lacking and I know why he's upset," Peter sighed.
"Well, why don't you enlighten the rest of us, Wormtail," Sirius frowned, not liking the idea of his friend knowing what he didn't about his other friend.
The chubby boy shook his head and sighed once more. "He probably figures that the three of us are going to want to go to London with the girls," he said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"He could always go with us though," Sirius said, confused.
"No," Wormtail replied. "No, he couldn't. If you remember right, Padfoot, he's already had plans this weekend for a while now."
The light finally came on in the other wizard's mind and immediately, a guilty look crossed his expression, "I had completely forgotten about that."
"I'd noticed," Peter grumbled.
Hermione listened to the quiet conversation. She knew, of course, what Remus's previously-made plans, even if she wasn't supposed to know. The brunette bit her lip in thought before rising from the table.
"I'm going to make sure he's alright," she stated. Without waiting for any further response, she moved towards the doors and went in search of her friend.
It took her awhile to find Remus, he'd manage to hide fairly well behind one of the large trunks of a shade tree out on the school ground, near the lake. Without a word, Hermione seated herself next to the young werewolf, their shoulders brushing just slightly. She followed his gaze across the lake, just sitting in silence.
"Why did you follow me?" He asked, quietly, his gaze not moving from their spot somewhere on the opposite end of the grounds.
"Well, if some one I care about is clearly upset about something, I'm going to try and see if I can, in some way, help. Even if there's nothing I can really do, at least I can be there for them," She said, her own gaze moving to rest on his tired face.
"It just kind of stung that they'd forget plans that'd been made for weeks now, you know?" He said, with a small shrug.
"I know," she said, quietly. "They were reminded, if it makes you feel any better. And they feel like total prats for forgetting to begin with."
A wry smile crossed his expression and he shook his head, "Well, that's good, I guess."
"And I came to try and make you feel better, if that counts for anything," she said, with a teasing smile.
He chuckled softly, his hand moving to take hers, "It certainly does, Hermione."
Her gaze fell to their, now linked, hands and she smiled softly, letting her head rest against his shoulder, "Good. I'd hate to make my trip out here a complete waste."
"That'd never be the case, Hermione," Remus said quietly, a faint tinge of blush rising over his cheeks.
Hermione lifted her head to look up into his eyes, smiling gently. She watched as something in his expression changed, watched his ambered eyes study her curiously, his head tilting just so. Her eyes flitted from his eyes to his lips and back when he moistened his lips almost nervously.
Apparently, that was what he was waiting for. He lowered his face to hers, his lips pressing tentatively to hers. When she pressed into the kiss, he became a little more comfortable and the hand not holding hers lifted into her hair, sliding through the brown locks to rest at the nape of her neck, holding her lips to his drawing a shiver down her spine.
To Hermione, everything around them disappeared for a moment. The reminders of what the future was to bring. The school it's self and everyone in it. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Had she thought about it, she'd have realized who this man was in her present time. Her former professor. Thankfully, she wasn't thinking. At that moment, that world didn't exist even in thought.
That is until the sound of a well-animated stream of coughs brought them back to reality.
The pair pulled apart a deep red flushing up over their faces as their eyes rested on the small group that was their friends. Their hands remained interlaced in between them but they sat their momentarily speechless. As they studied their friends' expression.
Without a word, the girls made their way to sit near Hermione, Asha moving to use the other witch's thigh as a pillow, smirking discretely to her friend. Lily, Charlotta, and Chaylse all found their own spots and made themselves comfortable, they three guys following suit, however, the guys all took a moment to tease their friend.
Knowing it wasn't the end of that conversation, the group settled comfortably in the grass around the large tree trunk. Sirius, laying sprawled out in the soft grass, using his hands as pillows, glanced over at the group, "I'm glad we're all spending our last Christmas holiday at Hogwarts here together..." he said quietly.
They all nodded in agreement. "It'll be a blast. Even if none of you do perform at the Ball. We're going to have so much fun," Asha said.
"Of course we are. We planned it," James grinned, stretched out and propped up on one elbow next to Lily.
The conversation steered in that direction until the sun had slipped well over their heads and a very loud rumble interrupted the conversation and all eyes moved to Sirius. "What? I'm hungry!"
Everyone laughed and pulled themselves to their feet, neither Hermione nor Remus noted the glances they received when they rose, their hands still intertwined. The group made their way back towards the castle and Hermione's mind drifted back to the mental conversation that she'd had the night prior. Could she change things? That was her biggest question. She was only one person after all. She had the determination, and she had her mind set...but would that be enough? Would that be enough to put her plans into motion?
Her gaze drifted to Remus. He was so young, walking next to her. Not tired and aged at the stress his life put on him in her time. She watched James and Lily exchange glances. They were growing closer. Just like they were supposed to. Peter had been included in a lot of things...was he already plotting the betrayal of his friends? Sirius…Sirius was a fun loving guy. His face was youthful and nearly carefree. His eyes were bright and always seemed to have mischief shining in them. They weren't dulled and sunken in from years in Azkaban. Things were right. Things had to stay this way.
They made their way into the Great Hall for lunch and took their normal seats. Hermione's gaze moved immediately to the head table where she knew that she would find Dumbledore. His warm gaze met hers and he nodded. He knew. He understood her train of thought. Though...there really wasn't a whole lot he could do to help her. This was on her. She knew her present time. She knew the events that led up to everything. Her eyes scanned the Hall and came to rest on Severus who caught her glance and arched a brow slightly. He seemed to be able to tell her mind was troubled as well. She gave him a weak smile and turned back towards her own table.
"Not hungry, Hermione?" Asha asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Not really. I've just got a lot on my mind. I think I'm going to go lay down for a while, alright?" Hermione said, absently, ignoring her friend's concerned expression as she rose to her feet, her hand squeezing Remus's shoulder gently as she made her way back towards the dormitory.
When she reached her dormitory, Hermione pulled out a notebook, her quill and ink and made her way back down to the common room couch, settling down comfortably. She allowed her eyes to move to the quivering flames of the fire, and she stared blankly into them as her mind wandered off.
What ever happened to Asha, Charlotta, and Chaylse in her time? Why had Sirius and Remus never spoken of the girls? Did something bad happen to them? Or between the group? She already knew that Asha was crazy about Severus Snape but…could it be possible that, in Hermione's timeline, that could have driven the pretty Arabic girl to the opposing side? To stand next to the one that she'd fallen for? It was possible, Hermione had never thought to as about the girl's blood lineage. Then again, even Severus wasn't a pureblood.
A heavy sigh escaped the petite witch as she lowered her eyes to her notebook and quickly started scratching thoughts into the parchment in the layout of a chart. The first column contained the heading "This Timeline", the second was labeled "My Timeline" and the words "What Needs to Change" titled the third and final column.
The sound of other students entering the common room brought Hermione's mind back to the present and she quickly charmed the page to look like a normal writing assignment. Tucking her wand back into her pocket, she began filling in the second column, the one she knew the most about:
Peter's betrayal. Sirius 13 years in Azkaban. Lily and James's murders. Bellatrix's attack on the Longbottoms. The attack that should have killed Harry and disembodied Voldemort. Harry living with the Dursleys. First year with Voldemort trying to steal the Sorcerer's stone. Second year with the Chamber of Secrets, Ginny being caught up in the mess. Third year with the dementors at Hogwarts. Fourth year with Voldemort's return and the death of Cedric Diggory. Fifth year the Ministry of Magic's defiance and the attack within the Ministry it's self. The death of Sirius. Last year and Harry's studies of the Horcrux's. Malfoy's involvement in the attack on Hogwarts. The death of Dumbledore.
Hermione read briefly over her list and bit her lip to keep herself from letting go of her emotions again. There was a lot of death written in that single column. She shook her head and forced herself to focus.
No sooner had she started on the first column, did she jump nearly a foot from her seat when some one sat next to her, touching her arm gently. Her wide eyes darted up and came to rest on the girl that was very quickly becoming as dear to her as Harry and Ron.
"Sorry, I thought you heard me come around the couch," Asha said sheepishly.
Hermione smiled and shook her head, "Don't worry about it, I was just working on something. You know how I am when I get focused."
Asha nodded silently and scooted closer, peering over Hermione's shoulder, "So what are you working on?"
Hesitating a moment, "It's a personal project that I've been trying to get through with…"
"Anything I could help with?" Asha inquired. Knowing the pages were charmed to hide the real words on the parchment.
Hermione fell silent for a moment and studied her friend. She had always known in times like this she could always go to her boys. Harry more often than Ron, just because of Ron's temper. "Maybe. I just need to you promise me something and in no way, none whatsoever, can you break this promise."
Asha tilted her head curiously, slight suspicion in her eyes. "Okay?"
"Whatever I tell you, as bizarre as it might sound, trust me on it. It's going to sound crazy and you're going to want to run for the nurse, I already know this, but please don't. Secondly, you cant' tell anyone anything about what I tell you. Not a word. It stays solely between you and I," Hermione said pointedly.
The other girl had an expression that was a combination between confused, concerned, but more than anything, more curious than before. She nodded her head slowly and nodded, "Okay, I can do that. What's up?"
Hermione glanced around the common room. Too many people. With a sigh she caught hold of her friend's hand and pulled her up to the dormitory that the small group of girls shared, placing a silencing charm over the door. Turning back to face Asha, she sighed and took a seat on her bed, Asha following her lead.
"Remember this is going to sound absolutely crazy but it's the truth, okay?" Hermione stated, nervously searching for words to explain her situation. When she got a nod of understanding, she continued. "Asha, I'm actually from the future. Harry, my best friend, is the son of Lily and James. His eyes are the same shape and color as Lily's and he looks just like his father. It scared me nearly to death when I first met James because of that. Ron? He's the son of Molly Prewitt and Arthur Weasley."
Asha looked at her blankly, trying to let this bit of information register in her mind. "That would explain how you knew the castle so well when you got here. And how you knew so much magic when you got here…things that aren't possible for an underage witch with a home school teacher."
Hermione sighed in relief and nodded. "In my timeline, where I'm from…things are really really bad. One of the guys that I've been going to Hogwarts with, a Slytherin, apparently sent me back in time to fix the things that went wrong. Change things."
"But that's illegal," Asha frowned.
"I know, and that's why you can't tell anyone any of this," Hermione replied.
Asha nodded, "Okay, so what do you need my help for?"
"There are some of these changes that I can make, that I know I can do…I just need another perspective and I'm going to need help. It's not something that Dumbledore, in his position, can really help with," Hermione explained.
"Okay...so how are we going to do this? Can you tell me what your time line looks like, so I have an idea?" Asha asked, uncertain if she really wanted to know.
"It's bad, Asha. It's really bad," Hermione sighed. "About two years or so after you graduated from Hogwarts, Tom Riddle, who calls himself Lord Voldemort came stronger and more powerful. His mark would be seen glowing over homes on a nightly basis, that mark told all witches and wizards that a murder had occurred in that home, more often than not by the Killing Curse, few were simply killed, most were tortured before they were murdered.
"Harry was born that July. It was shortly after his birth that Dumbledore received word from a spy within Voldemort's circle, that Lily, James, and Harry were being targeted. Dumbledore advised that they go into hiding, securing their location with a Secret Keeper. Dumbledore, being the most obvious choice, refused. As did Sirius. Everyone knew how close Sirius and James were in school. 'Like brothers'. Everyone would expect Sirius to be the secret keeper. To everyone's knowledge, he was the secret keeper. Everyone but Sirius, Dumbledore, James, Lily, and Peter, thought that Sirius was the most likely candidate and that he was indeed the secret keeper. But he wasn't.
They had decided to make Peter the secret keeper…the way Sirius in my time put it, 'who in their right mind would suspect Peter Pettigrew?' It turned out, that Peter had been serving in Voldemort's circle for a year prior, why he changed sides, I've yet to discover. He told Voldemort where Lily and James had gone into hiding. The Halloween after Harry's first birthday, Voldemort showed up at the door of Godric's Hollow, where the Potter's had been hiding. He killed James first, as James did everything he could to stop him from getting to Lily and Harry. He told Lily that if she stepped aside and let him kill Harry that he would let her go. You know Lils, there was no way she was going to step aside. He killed her. And he tried to kill Harry with the same Killing curse but some how it backfired. Destroyed his body, leaving him a spirit barely clinging to life. "
"Sirius had gone to check up on Peter and Peter was gone from the place he was staying and there was no sign of force. He showed up to Godric's Hollow to find his best friends dead and Hagrid pulling a crying Harry from the house. He knew what had happened and when he went to confront Peter, Peter loudly accused Sirius of betraying the Potter's and then blew himself up along with eleven nearby muggles. Leaving Sirius to take the fall for not only his and the muggles' murders…but also the betrayal of Lily and James."
Hermione paused when she heard a quiet sniffle and she glanced up at Asha, who was fighting tears at what she'd heard so far.
"Harry was sent to live with Lily's sister and her husband. When he showed up at Hogwarts. He was famous for surviving the curse but his aunt and uncle banned him from even asking questions about his parents. Anyway, the first two years at Hogwarts, Voldemort attacked twice attempting to come back to full power. The second time nearly killing Ron's sister, Ginny. The third year Sirius escaped from Azkaban after thirteen years and ended up at the school. Remus was our DADA professor that year," She added that part with a small smile in thought, "the best teacher of the subject we'd had the whole six years I was there, ironically enough. But anyway…He finally proved his innocence to all of us. To Remus, Harry, Ron and myself."
"Our fourth year, Voldemort managed a scheme that brought him back to full power and had killed one of our Hufflepuff students, Cedric. Nearly killed Harry there too but Harry got a way. The Ministry outright refused to believe Harry's testimony and throughout that summer and the following school year the Prophet wrote slanderous things about he and Dumbledore so that the general public wouldn't believe them. It was awful. The Minsitry posted the Undersecretary of the Ministry as a teacher of DADA in the school. She wanted us to study theory and theory only. What a waste. They believed, however when there was an attack on the Ministry. An attack that left another person dead. Sirius this time. Harry and Remus were both crushed. Sirius had been Harry's godfather. It was hard on all of us, but those two especially. They'd already been through so much loss.
"Last year was difficult. Things had been getting worse and worse as Voldemort gained power and supporters. At the end…there was an attack on Hogwarts it's self. One of the Slytherin boys, a son of one of Voldemort's circle was responsible for the inside work. Draco, I don't think, was as terrible as he made himself seem, he's the one who sent me back here to change things. During that attack…we lost one very important person. Dumbledore. I'm not going to tell you who's hand was responsible for that act, however, I can tell you that it was for the best. The person who killed Dumbledore was the spy that Dumbledore had within Voldemort's ranks for years. To keep his cover, he was forced to make an Unbreakable Vow to Draco's mother that, were Draco unable to complete the task assigned to him—the murder of Dumbledore—that he himself would do it. Draco couldn't do it. Had he not done it instead, two would be lost rather than just one."
Hermione shifted slightly and took a hold of her friend's hand, "Asha, I know this is a lot to take in and that's why I need your help. I need help to keep all of this from happening. To stop all of these deaths. There are some things that we aren't going to be able to change but through changing other things we can keep those things from having too large of an impact."
Asha sat quietly for a moment and then looked up, studying Hermione, "What could I do to help?" She said softly, in a voice laced in a combination of pain and fear.
"The first and biggest thing in my mind, is figure out why exactly Peter changed sides, I think I've got an idea, but I'm not certain," Hermione replied. "You have never been mentioned in my time line, Asha, and I don't know exactly what that means. But keep an eye out for Severus. Keep a hold of both sides though. Don't let go of him, don't let go of us, okay?"
Asha nodded and hugged her friend, curling into the other girl slightly, still fighting tears. Hermione returned the hug and played with the girl's hair gently, listening as Asha spoke. "So much death in the future. We can know what happens but how to change it? Are we going to be able to make any difference? Hermione…I don't want to lose any of them."
Hermione nodded, "I know. I feel the same, especially after been around you all. That's why we've got to do what we can."
------------------------------------------
The girls sat up and talked for another hour before the other girls entered the room and the silencing charm was broken. After ensuring the girls that everything was alright, Hermione once again excused herself, claiming she needed to speak with Dumbledore about something.
During their conversation Hermione had gotten Asha to agree that the first thing they need to work on is figuring out when and why Peter Pettigrew changed sides. However, after the story that Harry had told about the pendant and the initials, she knew there was another that she needed to speak with as well, and it wasn't the Headmaster of Hogwarts.
The petite witch roamed the corridors, searching for one particular individual. One who tended to roam alone as well, whenever he seemed to get the opportunity. It was just as she rounded one corner that she saw the head of head of black hair that belonged to just the wizard that she was looking for disappear out the main doors.
Picking up her pace, she rushed out the large double doors, following the figure that, obviously knew he was being followed. The young wizard cloaked in Slytherin green and silver, spun around to look at her and Hermione slowed her pace, "Regulus, can I speak to you for a moment, please?"
Regulus Black, looking remarkably like his brother, studied her for a moment in guarded suspicion and curiosity. His gaze drifted to the doors behind her and then he nodded slowly, "Yeah…just…lets go on over here so we don't end up starting unnecessary drama."
Relieved, Hermione nodded in understanding and followed the younger Slytherin to a distance where a tree successfully hid them from the main doors. He lowered himself onto the ground, back resting against a tree trunk and Hermione followed suit, sitting cross legged in the grass just across from him.
Sighing softly, Regulus's dark eyes met hers, "What is it you wanted to talk about, Miss Granger?"
Unable to be anything but surprised at his manners, Hermione found herself forgetting what she'd initially come to say. She gave herself a mental shake and then studied him for a moment, "Regulus…how much do you really despise your brother?"
His gaze was as studious as hers as he considered his words. "I don't despise my brother. However, my brother left me in a very difficult predicament. As I'm sure you already know, our parents are Pureblood extremists, and when Sirius proved to be a disappointment to their beliefs and their traditions, they looked to me to be the better son. They immediately surrounded me with Lucius Malfoy and his goons. Under his thumb there is little I can do but play along."
"So, if you don't mind my asking, why do you keep this up, knowing it's not what you want nor believe?" Hermione inquired.
"The same reason your dear friend Severus does the same," Regulus replied. "It keeps us alive and gives us an opportunity to make our stand when it will count the most. Right now, a minor and a student at Hogwarts, the only thing my…betrayal…would do to the other side…is they would lose an expendable pawn. But don't you worry, Miss Granger, when it is my time to stand, my parents and all they stand beside will take note."
"Why don't you talk to Sirius about all this, tell him where you really stand?"
"He would act differently towards me and I would be dead. So long as he thinks I'm a willing puppet for our parents, he'll despise me without having to worry about his lack of acting skills. If Lucius or Bellatrix saw Sirius talking civilly with me and treating me like his brother…they would know something was up," Regulus explained.
Hermione took all of this in, biting her lower lip in thought, "Then why are you telling me all of this?"
"Because you, Miss Granger, seem to be one of the few that do not allow the history of the Houses to choose who you do and do not speak to. To seem me speaking with you just means you're branching out from that nitwit group you're generally seen with," he stated. "There is also the fact that I believe that you are hiding as much if not more than I am. You have a secret Miss Granger. I have seen you in Transfiguration, you were not home schooled. I'm not going to press because I don't believe it's my business. But I know that you know more than you allow people to believe."
Hermione shivered slightly and diverted her eyes from his. If he knew Legimens, that wasn't something she preferred him to find out about her. She didn't know to what extent she could trust the young man sitting in front of her. From the corner of her eye she caught a small smirk on his expression and she tilted her head curiously, "You already know, don't you?"
"Your secret is safe with me, Miss Granger. And I wish you luck in your quest. The only question I have, is why you came to me," he said, his eyes studying her face intently for any reaction to his words.
"I know what you're stand is going to be, Regulus. And it will lead directly to your death, no one will know you made the stand. You'll be discarded and disregarded by both sides. You're parents will only be told that you were a coward who just wanted to quit serving. The other side will know only that He had you murdered," Hermione said, studying him while remembering what little Remus had managed to teach the trio about Occulmency.
He nodded slightly his gaze falling to study his hands, "What else would you have me do?"
She sighed heavily before leaning forward, meeting his eyes directly when he lifted his head once more, "Help me. Help me stop all of this. You've seen my mind. I know that you've seen some of what's to come. Help me stop it."
"How? Any act against them forfeits my life on the spot," Regulus said, with a hint of hopelessness in his voice.
"Then keep playing your game but find a way to keep me updated on the progress of things so I know what I need to do when," Hermione suggested.
He nodded slowly, his expression left unguarded. His eyes were uneasy, the wheels turning in his mind. Hermione could see the questions burning in his mind and waited quietly for him to speak. Regulus was silent for a few moments longer before sighing, "What exactly do you need me to do? And why are you so trusting?"
"I've always been one to try and make my own opinion on the people that I come across, I don't usually listen to the things everyone else says. I'm good at telling who I can and can't trust...Just don't betray the trust and there will nothing for you to worry about," Hermione said with a small smile. "As for what I need you to do…stay how you've been with Lucius and, if nothing else, pass word through Severus. Discretely, of course."
The young wizard studied her for a moment before offering an odd smile, though she couldn't quite pinpoint just what was so odd about it. He nodded his head and leaned over into the grass, studying her silently for a brief moment. "I'll do what I can to help you, Miss Granger. However, I'd like to ask you for something in return."
Hermione tilted her head in curiosity, "What's that?"
"Save at least one dance for me at the Ball that we're supposed to be having this winter holiday," he said, studying her reaction as he spoke.
She blinked her hazel eyes in surprise, "Of course. But I thought you didn't want them to know about this side of you?"
"With Severus befriending you, it leaves me a little bit of a loop hole. Besides, even Malfoy himself has passed comments about what he'd do were you not…Muggleborn," Regulus said with an amused smirk.
That comment had Hermione slightly uneasy, she didn't like the idea that Lucius Malfoy, of all people, was passing comments like that about her. "You have my word that I will save you at least one dance."
"Good," Regulus said as he lay back in the grass, his head resting in his hands and his feet crossed out in front of him. He glanced up at her and noticed she was preparing to move, seeming uncertain at the moment. "You should keep me company for a while."
She looked over to him, slightly startled and then nodded, resting back against the grass next to him. The sun had slowly begun it's descent from the sky. By it, Hermione guessed it had to be around three-thirty or four in the afternoon. She found the current position she found herself quite comfortable. She'd not had the safe opportunity to lie in the grass and watch the sunset in at least two years.
"Thank you, Miss Granger. For talking to me today and for giving me the benefit of the doubt when it came to trusting me," Regulus said softly, his eyes remaining on the sky.
Hermione smiled gently and rolled on her side to look at him straight on, "And thank you for being willing to listen and help me."
It was shortly after that the sun had set and Regulus pulled himself to his feet, offering a hand to help Hermione do the same. The witch took the offered hand and blushed slightly when she was pulled to her feet a little too quickly and ended up being pulled into a collision with the young Slytherin. She started to pull a way when a hand stopped her movement. Regulus studied her for a moment, "My brother is lucky to have a friend such as you. I hope that I may be able to eventually count myself to be just as lucky."
Hermione squeezed his arm gently and smiled, "If you want it, there's always a friendship open to you, just as to your brother and Severus."
He nodded and released her, taking a step back, making mental note of the endearing blush he'd watched creep up over her cheeks when he'd been nearer. The two broke off and headed back towards the castle. It was nearly dinnertime and there would be certain individuals searching for them both.
Author's Note:
Hey everyone, it's been awhile. I apologize immensely for such a long wait on this chapter. I've been really really busy since the last chapter and since you are my readers I thought I'd give you a heads up. I'm in the Us Navy and we're currently on a deployment which means I'm living on a ship with touch-and-go internet access and limited spare time on my hands. I've got a lot planned for the future chapters of this story, I'll work on them and get them up for you as soon as I can. I hope you enjoyed this one, I put a good deal of work into it. And Hermione and Remus's kiss? Sweet right?
Anyway. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll get the next one up ASAP. I'd absolutely love it if you left me a little bit of feedback. Got something you want to see happen in the future chapters? Unhappy with a turn of events? Just want to let me know how much you like/disliked the story? Let me know. It's all welcomed.
Thanks!
CLB
