Author's note: I bow to the skill of J.K Rowling and would never claim to have an iota of the talent that she has. As always, thank you SO much for the reviews, alerts and faves! :)
I am being ridiculous. Hermione scowled at herself in the mirror. She had tried on so many different outfits that she was beginning to feel like Lavender Brown. It's just Sirius, he has seen you in sweats and crying, I'm sure he won't care what you wear today.
The only true date Hermione had ever been on was the Yule Ball and that was such a grand event that she truly did not know how to handle a small, casual date. She and Viktor had been surrounded by other couples all night, and they never really dated after the dance.
"You still haven't picked anything?" came the amused voice of Lily as she walked out of the bathroom dressed and read to go. "You know that the boys will be downstairs in about 15 minutes right?"
Hermione let out a frustrated groan, "I've never been like this before! I just can't decide."
Lily walked over to the pile of clothing laid out on her bed and picked a simple pair of jeans, tank and a cardigan, "Go put this on."
As Hermione was getting changed she heard Lily laughing from her bed, "You know that it's snowing right? So you'll be wearing a jacket most of the time, as well as a hat, so you don't need all of these hair products."
Hermione just frowned and with a flick of her wand sent everything back into her closet, "I may have forgotten about that," she admitted.
"Are you really not nervous at all?" Hermione asked the calm and collected Lily.
"I think I've imagined my first date with James a hundred times, and when I went to his house over break we were alone most of the time talking, so I feel like this is technically our second date." Lily just laughed as Hermione now tried to pick a hat from her collection.
"You and Sirius are constantly with each other, you'll be fine Hermione!" Lily tried to be comforting, but couldn't stop smiling and laughing as Hermione tried to fix her hair underneath her hat for the hundredth time.
Hermione wondered if this is what a normal 17 year old girl is like before a date. She and Ron had never had the chance to let their feelings be known to each other properly before they had been brought to the Manor. She never had anything other than a crush on Viktor and now she thought she was feeling the beginning of something much more than a crush. Butterflies morphed into bats inside of her stomach at the thought of another kiss with Sirius Black, but Lily grabbing her hand and hauling her downstairs brought her back to reality.
James and Sirius had been ready for a while and were currently waiting at the bottom of the stairs talking about Remus, who had just left to meet his date in the Ravenclaw common room.
"Hello boys, ready to go?" came Lily's cheery greeting as she and Hermione descended the stairs.
James immediately came forward and pulled Lily into a kiss, "Allons-y!" James shouted and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the portrait hole
Sirius was a little more calm and collected, but also greeted his date with a kiss and walked her out of the common room, albeit a little less goofily.
"Where's Remus? Is he going to Hogsmeade too?" Hermione was not good at making small talk and Sirius just laughed.
"Talking about another man is not quite the way I envisioned our date beginning" Sirius teased, but answered anyway, "Our dear Moony has got himself a date as well. Apparently he's been seeing a Ravenclaw girl behind our backs for a while now."
Hermione smiled, "I'm so glad he's got someone. He really needs to learn that not everyone thinks he's dangerous."
They continued down the path to Hogsmeade as a light snow fell around them. Their conversation ranged from school gossip to, of course, Quidditch and how Gryffindor would surely win the cup this year.
I was being such a girl. Hermione thought to herself. It's just Sirius.
"Do you want to go to Madame Puddifoot's?" Sirius asked as the building got closer.
Hermione eyed the girly shop with trepidation, "Umm, would you mind if we just went to the Three Broomsticks?
Sirius breathed a big sigh of relief and kissed Hermione on the cheek, "Thank Merlin!"
They continued walking through the snow and spied Remus and a very pretty girl entering Honeydukes. Hermione couldn't help but think about Tonks when she saw Remus with someone else. Did Remus ever mention having girlfriends before Tonks? Hermione knew that those two getting together now was out of the question, but they were married in her time and it was weird seeing him with someone else.
Perhaps now he won't be left on his own for so long and he'll find someone else. Hermione began to feel a dilemma coming on. She knew how much Remus and Tonks loved each other, but the guy couldn't stay single forever. Maybe time will put them together anyway.
Blinking away her annoying thoughts of a now non-existent future, Hermione slid into a booth beside Sirius.
"Two Butterbeers Rosemerta love," Sirius smiled and Rosemerta winked before leaving to get their order.
"Do I have to be jealous of Rosemerta?" Hermione teased.
"After all I went through to finally get to you say yes, don't think I'll be giving you up any time soon." Sirius laced his fingers through hers on top of the table.
"Oh look!" Sirius pointed out through the window where James Potter was being dragged into Madame Puddifoot's by a laughing Lily, "Poor Prongs, his girlfriend is not as cool as mine apparently."
They sat talking and passing love-y dove-y looks at each other for a little while, until they heard the first scream.
Severus Snape watched as many of his fellow Slytherins walked off together towards the trail leading to the shrieking shack. This would not end well.
Lately he had begun to doubt the path he had previously planned out for himself. The Dark Lord had promised him fame and fortune in return for his skill as a potion master. He had been nervous when Lucius frist brought him before the Dark Lord, but now he awaited graduation and the chance to get his Dark Mark.
But then, the new girl arrived. She was a good-for-nothing Gryffindor, but occasionally they had talked while studying in the library and she seemed to know what he was going through. She told him to talk with Dumbledore and that Dumbledore would always be forgiving if he got in too deep.
Then he saw Pettigrew after his failure and realized that he may be getting in over his head. The boy was a wreck, and Severus never wanted to look weak.
Perhaps the Death Eaters were not everything that he once thought and perhaps the Dark Lord would be defeated after all. At least, that's what the new girl thought.
He pondered this on his way back to the castle. Severus Snape saw the masks being put on and knew what was coming, and he wanted no part of it.
Sirius and Hermione immediately jumped to their feet along with everyone else inside the Three Broomsticks and ran to the windows to look outside. Smoke and debris was flying through the air, and that's when Hermione's blood ran cold.
Death Eaters.
There were dozens of them, apparating in all over the village and sending spell after spell at anyone they could see. Chaperoning Professors and some of the older students began to fight back and everyone else tried to get the younger kids back up to the castle.
That's when she saw him, Voldemort himself emerging from a cloud of black smoke. Without thinking twice, Hermione ran from the window and into the street where she began to fire spell after spell at any passing Death Eater. Sirius was screaming her name, but he came behind her and began to fight as well.
Hermione had learned the talking patronus from the Order members in her time and immediately conjured up her patronus and sent it to the castle with a message for Dumbledore telling him to come as quick as possible.
She fired a spell at Voldemort when she noticed him advancing on a group of students being helped by Minerva and Voldemort immediately turned to Hermione and smiled.
She kept casting a quick succession of spells in his direction. They were of various strengths and some were even on the darker side, but Hermione knew that the time for disarming onlyhad past.
"So this is the little girl I've heard so much about," the cold voice sent shivers through Hermione's spine as all of her spells were deflected and she found herself face to face with Lord Voldemort.
Hermione knew that she was a powerful. She knew that she could fight the Death Eaters and defeat many of them, but Voldemort was a whole other story. She had to keep his attention on her and keep him from hurting anyone else until Dumbledore arrived to face him.
"Don't you normally send your lackeys to do your dirty work, Voldemort? I've heard that you don't show your face very often." Hermione was trying very hard to be as brave as she could.
"Ah yes. The powerful, mystery child. Hermione isn't it?" He asked.
"Yes, it is. Tom isn't it?" Hermione retorted.
Anger flashed in Voldemort's red eyes and he sent Hermione to her knees with a slashing spell that cut along her torso. Though she was now bleeding badly, she rose to her feet again and returned fire. The voices of Sirius, Remus, James and Lily were ringing out through the street. It seemed as though the Professors and older students had gotten most of the Death Eaters under control and her duel had gained an audience.
Voldemort had erected a shield to keep the Professors from interfering and was simultaneously fighting Hermione and keeping it around them. Hermione could feel a probing sensation just behind her eyes and knew that he was trying to use legilimency on her. She had practiced Occlumency a little, but knew that she could not keep him out for long, so she began firing more advanced spells to keep him busy so that he could not try again.
"How do you know of that filthy muggle name, girl?" the anger seemed to be radiating from him and Hermione could almost feel it.
Hermione did not know what to say. Obviously she could not tell him that she was from the future, but obviously he knew that there was something different about her.
Hermione just kept cryptic, "I know a lot of things, Tom."
"I understand why my spies were so interested in you, my dear. Most would be dead by now in a duel against me." He was taunting her, but Hermione kept quiet and kept her focus on her spell work.
"Hogwarts does not have transfer students and I do not know the Granger name. Who are you and why have you been telling lies? You should be punished Her-mi-o-ne." He overly pronounced her name and it sent shivers through her body, but Hermione just kept quiet and tried to keep him out of her mind. She would not give him the satisfaction of an answer.
"Why so quiet my dear? You are to be commended on your skill; however, I believe it is time that this duel came to an end." With that, he knocked Hermione off of her feet and sent a cruciatus curse her way.
Hermione lay on the street, writhing in agony. She had lasted so long under Bellatrix's torture, but Bellatrix was as gentle as a kitten compared to the raw, evil power that Voldemort displayed. Hermione's screams echoed off of the walls and through the street and soon turned into desperate sobs and weak croaks.
Through her blurred vision, she could see people banding together to try and take down the barrier and come to her aid, but they had no such luck. Then, in a whirl of white smoke, Albus Dumbledore appeared and in one smooth motion, toppled the barrier and ran to Hermione. When he saw the condition that she was in, he immediately began casting stasis and healing charms, but Voldemort did not let him get very far.
"You've been keeping her hidden, Dumbledore. I've never seen this girl before, yet you claim that she was attacked by my Death Eaters. What are you planning?" Voldemort was seething with anger, but he spoke in such a quiet voice that it sounded even more menacing.
Dumbledore turned his full attention towards Voldemort as he saw Poppy arrive and run to Hermione and the people that were now surrounding her. "She is of no concern to you Tom, merely a lost girl who has come to Hogwarts for aid. Is this how powerful you've become; resorting to attacking school children in order to win duels?"
Voldemort heard the apparation pops around him as the Order of the Phoenix arrived on the scene and the remaining Death Eaters departed. He simply smirked and pointed his wand towards a barely conscious Hermione.
"This is not the last time we shall meet my dear," he hissed.
Hermione shook as more tears cascaded down her cheeks. She had tried to be strong, but she could not avoid the aftershocks caused by the cruciatus.
With an evil grin on his face, Voldemort vanished and the Order began rounding up the Death Eaters that were stupefied or bound.
Dumbledore immediately turned and went to Hermione's side where Madame Pomfrey was rapidly casting spells to make her stable enough to be moved back to the castle.
Sirius was holding one of her hands tightly and talking to her in order to keep her conscious and Remus was holding the other. A bruised and scraped Lily and James were holding each other for comfort as they stared down at their friend.
As she tried to focus on Sirius's gentle voice, she noticed that the Professors were helping the wounded and trying to clear some of the rubble and repair the buildings. She had felt this bad only once in her life, and that was right before she had arrived in this time. The wounds that Bellatrix and Greyback had inflicted on her had left physical and mental scars that would never heal. The Dark Lord had the power to make those wounds seem trivial.
Her head was splitting and her chest was a mess of blood. She knew that she should be focusing on whatever Sirius was saying, he sounded so worried and she just wanted to reach out and tell him that she was fine.
"C'mon love, just stay awake. You looked worse than this the day we met. Remember that? You took Remus out and tried to take me hostage, so you can get through this no problem." Sirius was pleading with her. His own injuries were minor and he was solely focused on keeping her awake.
Remus's ankle was clearly broken, but because of his monthly transformations the pain barely registered and he stayed focused on his friend. Lily had stopped trying to be brave and now stood with her head buried into James's chest, sobbing. Who could blame her though?
James was quiet. Just silently staring at his three best friends on the ground before him and clutching the love of his life to his chest as she sobbed. A few tears leaked out and he didn't try to stop them.
This strange girl had become so much to them. She did not care about anything but helping others and for some reason, people wanted her dead. James could not imagine ever going face to face with Voldemort, but Hermione had run out into a fight and took him on right away to prevent him from hurting someone else.
James knew then and there that the fight wasn't over. Voldemort was getting bolder in his attacks and it was time to stand up and fight. The Marauders were family and they would protect each other to their last breath. Locking eyes with Hermione, James gave her a small smile and he could tell that she was trying to smile back, but a spasm overcame her.
Madame Pomfrey rendered Hermione immobile, so as not to cause any more damage, and moved her onto a magical stretcher. Hermione knew that she was on her way to safety now, but she could no longer keep her eyes open and she fell into darkness with Sirius's voice still in her ears.
