Disclaimer: The things I could buy if they were mine. But they all belong to J K Rowling. Lucky wench.
A/N: I'm really, very, very sorry for the time I've taken. I've had some things keeping me busy that just puts all my fanfic writing waaaaay down at the bottom of the pile. So anyway, this for some reason is a short chapter. I just couldn't seem to want to put any more into it. Thank you for the lovely, lovely reviews. I just can't seem to find why so many of you love this story, but I'm glad you do. Hope you enjoy this chapter. On a side note, I've taken HBP into consideration for this one. I know I didn't start the story that way, but try as I might, HBP's plotline just wouldn't let me ignore it anymore. Hope it works.
Chapter Ten
Hermione jumped back in shock. James looked a little shocked himself that he'd done it.
"James!" Hermione admonished. He scrunched his face up in embarrassment. "I…you…James!" He nodded.
"Sorry," he said simply.
"But, James," she said in an exasperated tone. "I…" she needed to find the right words without hurting him. "I don't…like you in…that way." Hermione bit her lip nervously. James nodded again.
"It's fine." He smiled brightly at her.
"Really?" she asked hopefully.
"You can't blame me for trying though, can you?" he laughed. Hermione smiled at him.
"Will you stop saying that I want you now?" she half-teased him. James poked her in the side before swinging an arm round her shoulders and leading her down the corridor.
"Never! I've a reputation to uphold."
"James," Hermione sighed.
"Now I completely understand if you change your mind, and naturally, you will get jealous if-"
"James!" Hermione wailed.
"But don't worry, you'll always be my number one girl. So-" Hermione shook her head and tuned him out till they reached the Great Hall. "Hermione?" She glanced at him while walking up along the Gryffindor table to where the rest of the seventh years were sat. "You want me right?"
"No. I really don't, James." She smiled sweetly at him before throwing his arm off her and falling into a spot between Lily and Rajni.
"Hermione! How come you're not in the hospital wing?" Lily demanded while eyeing up James in distaste as he took a seat opposite her. "We were so worried about you. What were you doing with Malfoy in the first place? And you-" she rounded on James "-how come Pomfrey let you stay and not us?"
"Because everyone wants me to stay," James told her cockily. Everyone, including Hermione, shuffled away from the couple. It was then Hermione caught Sirius' eye. He raised an eyebrow. Hermione sighed and gave him a slight nod. After what had just happened leaving the hospital wing, it was time Hermione did something drastic to make sure that her best friend's parents got together.
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Later that night in the common room Sirius cornered Hermione, which wasn't too difficult as she had already cornered herself to study.
"Have you never heard of the word 'relax'?" Sirius asked with a smirk. She glanced up at him in annoyance; she'd lost her place in the book now.
"We've got exams in less than two weeks, relaxing is something I can do when they're over," she snapped at him and searched for her place. Sirius rolled his eyes and sat down next to her.
"You sound like Remus…only you're snappier and not as easy to win over," Sirius teased taking the book away from her. Hermione glared at him. "Anyway, you and I have plans to make." Hermione sighed in defeat as she sat back.
"Fine," she pouted, "But I'm not agreeing to a date with James. It'll only boost his big enough ego."
"Oh no, I have something better," Sirius smirked. Hermione narrowed her eyes in suspicion at him. "You are going to persuade Lily to go to the Astronomy Tower to revise for the exam, and I will get James there on the pretence of plotting revenge on the Slytherins' latest prank."
"Okay…and how are we going to get them there without us?" Hermione asked sceptically.
"We tell them to meet us there," Sirius stated putting his hands behind his head in a cocky manner.
"And what if one of the other girls would like to come with Lily and myself to revise? Or Remus and Peter want to be part of your revenge plotting?" Hermione smiled sweetly at him.
"Remus and Peter are always reluctant to be part of getting revenge, so that's not a problem. And you're smart enough, just make sure that you ask Lily when she's on her own." Sirius' face just dared her to find another fault. When she said nothing Sirius laughed at her. "Okay, we get them there on Monday night."
"Fine," Hermione said reluctantly. "But I'm putting the blame on you if Lily realises what we did." Sirius shrugged passively at her.
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On Monday morning Hermione woke up with guilt on her conscience. She knew James and Lily were meant to be together, had to get together, but the way they argued was vicious. She just didn't want to be the cause of their next one thanks to Sirius' plan.
They had Herbology first and Hermione would have asked Lily then, but the other girls were there, so that lesson was out. However, it was Potions next and out of the girls, only Lily and Hermione were in it for the N.E.W.Ts. She didn't know whether to count herself lucky or not for this.
Walking to Potions, Hermione made a big fuss of getting her Astronomy textbook out of her bag while muttering how she was going to fail miserably at the subject.
"Hermione, you've always gotten top marks for everything since you got here, what are you worried about?" Lily berated teasingly.
"It's the star signs; I'm always getting Pisces confused with Libra. And then there's Cancer and Virgo. I don't know what it is that makes me mix them up." Hermione rapidly flipped through the textbook hoping that Lily believed what she was saying.
"You've always got them right before," Lily pointed out as they came to a stop outside the Potions classroom. Hermione inwardly cursed herself for this.
"That was just luck. I hate that I don't know them properly." Hermione snapped her book shut and looked to Lily. "I'm going to have to do some extra revision tonight."
"No, you don't," Lily argued. Hermione bit her lip, this wasn't working.
"I do. I'll feel much better if I do." Lily frowned at her in amazement.
"Have you always been like this?" Lily asked with a smile.
"All the time…will you help me?" Hermione spoke in a rush.
"You don't need help." Lily nudged her to finally enter the classroom.
"Please. You always find the right ones so easily." Hermione flung her bag on the desk.
"Fine," Lily gave in, "but I still think that you're going to do just fine with it and don't need any help. On anything for that matter." Hermione smiled. "What time then?"
"Eight o' clock," Hermione told her while taking a seat as Professor Slughorn entered the classroom.
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At the end of Potions, Lily told Hermione she would see her down at the Great Hall in a few minutes; she just had to take a book back to the library before Madam Pince had a fit at her; it was already a day late. Hermione felt a twinge of guilt again about getting her up to the tower on false pretences. She quickly pushed it out of her mind. She would just have to come to terms that it was for the best. Lily had to be with James. Whether they liked it or not. But they'd grow to like it. Eventually. Hopefully.
Just as she was about to leave, Hermione walked straight into Severus Snape as he was entering the classroom, causing her to drop her bag and its contents on the floor. "Watch where you're walking, Roper!" Snape sneered before moving towards the stockroom with Professor Slughorn in there. Shaking her head at his rudeness, Hermione started piling her stuff back into her bag.
It was stuffing the last book in that Hermione suddenly heard a distinct word come from the stockroom she'd not heard in a while. More specifically, since she'd last spoken with Harry.
Snape came storming out of the stockroom just mere seconds later as Hermione quickly stood up. "Are you always this slow?" he spoke icily.
"Naturally," she smiled stiffly at him before spinning on her heel and rushing off.
Ignoring the fact it was time for lunch and that she was actually quite hungry, Hermione raced to Dumbledore's office. Maybe it was this that she was meant to be here for. To hear what she had just heard and tell Dumbledore about it now so that he could do something about it.
Out of breath and with a stitch in her side, Hermione went through a list of sweets before the statue moved aside at 'Flying Saucers'. Clutching her side and hoping he was there, Hermione ran up the stairs and practically crashed into his office.
"Horcruxes!" she gasped to him leaning over his desk. Dumbledore sat back in his seat with a bemused smile.
"Catch your breath first, Miss Roper," he instructed gently. Hermione nodded before sinking into a seat in front of his desk.
After a couple of minutes, she felt her breathing slow down enough to speak. "Have you heard of Horcruxes, Headmaster?" Hermione asked with a slight wheeze in her voice.
"Yes, I've heard of them, but the question is; where have you heard of them?" Dumbledore asked her seriously leaning forward.
"I've been told that I'm here to change things. What I do will have consequences that we actually want." Dumbledore nodded. Hermione took a deep breath and told him about Voldemort's rise to power, how he fell and the reason he was able to come back; Horcruxes.
"And you're sure about this? Horcruxes are what Tom has planned?" Dumbledore queried. Hermione nodded.
"He may have already placed them now. Voldemort had learnt about them during his time at Hogwarts, and having already killed three people before he had even left. But if you start searching and destroying them now, he'll never be able to cause the fear he had in your future." Hermione watched him take the information in before continuing. "There are seven pieces of his soul scattered, one of them being in Lord Voldemort himself. I know what four of them are, but in this time, I don't know if they will be in the same place as when they were in my time."
They both sat in silence for a little while. Dumbledore processed everything Hermione had told him, while Hermione ponder the possibilities of where the diary would be now.
A tapping of the glass brought their attention to an elegant barn owl waiting to be let in to the office. Dumbledore lazily waved his hand for the window to open. The owl swooped in, dropped a small envelope before Dumbledore and left without waiting for a treat.
He silently opened it and read the note quickly before passing it on to Hermione. She frowned as she took it.
Miss Hermione Jane Granger's return date is set.
And that was all it said.