Disclaimer: Nothing mine and we all know it! Enjoy anyway!
October 4, 1977-4:23p.m.
Dear Journal,
I went to see Dumbledore yesterday, and we talked about Evelyn Coxwell. Apparently I got it all wrong. By reading her interpretation of reality I was only fogging up my own. I've dropped off the book and left it behind. Last night was interesting to say the least. Sirius and I got in a…heated studying session and I must say I've never had a problem controlling myself, but I almost lost it when he kissed me last night. Today is Tuesday and I can't wait until Friday! Remus is throwing a surprise party for Sirius' birthday and before Lily and I are going present shopping. The whole thing is quite exciting! Well, I must go and venture forth into the wonderfully amazing world of Arithmancy! Remus and I are fine tuning the plans for the weekend.
Yours,
Hermione
Hermione closed her book and heading down to the common room to join the others for a quick chat then it was off to Arithmancy.
"There's my girl," she heard Sirius say as she descended the staircase. She blushed as she walked into his open arms, but stayed just a moment as her eyes widened at the book lying on the table and she practically ran from his arms to look at it.
"Advanced Runes for the Growing Witch! Oh, this is one of my favorite books! And it's new at that! Oh this is wonderful. Is it yours Remus?" He smiled and nodded. She could always count on him to be on top of the latest coming out of the academic world.
"Far be it from me to try and compete with a book for her affection," Sirius whispered to James who instinctively laughed. Lily gave Sirius an irritated look and grabbed Hermione by the hand to lead her out of the common room. The six of them walked and chatted, but Hermione again felt the tug of Lily to fall behind. She obviously had something to say.
"Hermione, James is acting weird."
"How so?"
"Well, I don't know. He just seems a little standoff-ish. I think the idea of us getting married frightened him. He was fine at first but I think it's because he didn't really believe you, but lately he's just so distant." Hermione's heart sank. They HAD to get married. The main point of her coming back was to ensure that Harry had parents and if they didn't marry, there would be no Harry! What Hermione suggested next surprised even her.
"Perhaps you should encourage him to date other girls." Lily's eyes went wide.
"Date other girls? Why would I want that to happen? You said yourself that our son will need us. We can't very well have a son unless we're married." Hermione thought for a second before taking the wise words of Dumbledore.
"Lily, if something is meant to happen, it will happen. Nothing can stop it. I know that you and James are meant to be married, so he could date every single girl in Hogwarts and every other wizarding school, but he would always end up wanting you." Lily still looked worried.
"I don't know…I'll think about it." Hermione would have to settle for that seeing as how she was nearly late and Remus was yelling for her from down the hall.
"Do that. I'll talk to you later." Great, now on top of everything else, Hermione had to worry about her best friend's parents splitting apart. Was that her second mission? To make sure they did in fact get married? No, now she was thinking like Evelyn. She could think like that.
She made her way into the classroom and her thoughts were diminished as soon as Remus began talking birthday plans.
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It was late and Hermione and the rest of her friends were up minus Sirius. She still couldn't believe their luck that Sirius had finally gotten a detention from Slughorn, giving them the perfect opportunity to scheme for his party.
"So I was thinking it could be a Quidditch theme." Lily rolled her eyes.
"What else would you be think James?"
"How about a no-themed party? Just have friends hanging out?"
"Real imaginative there Pete," James said trying to play off the dumbness of his own suggestion.
"That sounds real…nice guys. Hermione, what do you think?" Hermione popped her head up as Remus said her name.
"Uhh…maybe we…" she thought to herself for a while, "how about we do a fancy type party. Everyone can dress in their best dress robe and such. It would be a nice detour from the normal bash people throw at our age. I think it would show sophistication." She turned her head up slightly at her last words. The group looked to be thinking.
"So, you would want the girls in dresses…and the boys in…tuxedos?" James said this slowly as though the entire concept of looking presentable was foreign to him. Hermione laughed at his reluctance to say the words.
"Yes, that's exactly what I mean!" Lily's eye lighted up.
"I think it's a great idea!"
"You would. Girls love any excuse to get all dolled up."
"Oh, please James Potter, it wouldn't hurt for you to look decent from time to time." It was his turn to roll his eyes.
"Well, how do you expect we can get Sirius to dress up nicely to go to his own surprise party without ruining the surprise?" Hermione and Lily both looked deep in thought and then the same idea seemed to hit them simultaneously.
"We can tell him that Dumbledore has started decided to have a Quidditch banquet to introduce the teams and talk about the amazing aspects of the game and such…"
"…and because it's so early in the season, and there's a game the day after, he couldn't argue." Lily finished what Hermione thought to be a brilliant plan.
"Of course, it being a banquet, he would have to dress up in his finest." Hermione gave a smug smile. Her smile soon crept on to the faces of her friends as they realized it was a pretty good plan. And so it was settled. James, Remus, and Peter would tell Sirius about the banquet and Lily would do her best to play it up to be a big event that Sirius wouldn't want to dare miss out on. She would give hints that she heard that Dumbledore would be giving out awards for the best players. By Friday, Hermione hoped to have Sirius jumping on his bed waiting for it.
Her plan seemed to begin instantly as Sirius returned from detention to find his friends huddled together.
"And what devilish plan are you all coming up with without me?"
"No devilish plan tonight Padfoot," James said attempting excitement, "Dumbledore just sent a message to all the Quidditch teams that there's going to be a banquet honoring us and all the hard work we've done."
"That's wonderful," Sirius said, lightly pinching Hermione on her leg near her bottom causing her to jump up, and as she did, he slid into her now vacant seat and pulled her by the waist to sit in his lap. All done, of course, without even looking at her as though it were second nature. She blushed and James continued on.
"Only down side is we have to wear our dress robes. Dumbledore said it's going to be a 'black-tie' affair." Sirius huffed.
"Never mind then. That's more work than I'd like to put in."
"Oh come on Sirius, it won't be that bad. Besides, I think we're getting out of classes early for it. And we get to bring dates." James said this nudging Lily who simply smiled.
"In that case. Would you like to accompany me Ms. Granger?"
"I suppose I can fit you in," she said shifting on his lap to face him.
"Fit me in? Fit me in?" He attacked her at her insult and began to tickle her to the brink of insanity. She would have run but he held her tight.
"Enough you two…you really are making me sick."
"HA! Good one Prongs. Us make you sick? The way you've been gawking over Lily these past few decades could turn even the strongest stomach." A laugh went around the group and they discussed the banquet a bit more.
Soon it seemed that the couples migrated to their own private part of the room, leaving Remus and Peter to do whatever homework they were behind on. Hermione and Sirius landed near the fire and Hermione saw James and Lily take root near a window. She remembered what Lily had said earlier and she saw the evidence of her claim. James was sitting uncharacteristically far from her and whenever Lily touched him he seemed uneasy. She also saw the hurt in Lily's eyes when he did so. Hermione then turned her attention to her own situation. Sirius was on the floor with his back against the sofa looking dead into the fire and she leaning against him taking in the warmth from both him and the fire. She couldn't help but smile.
"Is James alright?"
"Of course love. Why do you ask?" Sirius had begun to tangle his fingers in her hair
"No reason really. He just seems a little…I don't know, annoyed with Lily."
"Well, I mean, hearing that the girl you just started dating is without question your future wife can be a bit jarring."
"Why is it taking him so long to become affected by the news then?"
"Hermione, you above all others should know that a boy's brain works at nearly half the speed of a woman's. That's what muggles call pure science." She smiled and leaned up to face him.
"And what would you know of muggle sayings?" He grinned and pulled her in for a long kiss.
"Does it matter?" She smiled into his lips.
"Not really." They stayed like that until the flames died and Hermione excused herself to bed. He watched her leave and couldn't believe his luck that she came into his life. Though she would have come sooner or later, he like the sooner much, much more.
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October 7, 1977-2:12p.m.
Dear Journal,
Tomorrow marks my anniversary. Tomorrow I will have been here for exactly one month. It's amazing how much has happened in just that amount of time. Time. It all comes back to time doesn't it? Well, this time I'm happy. I'm staying that way…no matter what I leave behind.
Today is Sirius birthday and besides the "happy birthday" I gave him at breakfast, nothing has escaped my lips. He thinks he's going to a banquet tonight, but he'll be surprised nonetheless. Lily and I are going shopping today for a gift. I think I'll buy a dress while I'm out. I just don't have anything to wear. Well, I'm terribly excited about it and I'll let you know how it goes!
Hermione
"HERMIONE! Come on or the party will have started and we'll never make it!" Lily screamed at her friend to hurry and Hermione did just that, grabbing her bag and running down stairs. They practically ran to Hogsmeade, with special permission from Dumbledore of course.
"I need a dress Lily. Where can we go for that?"
"Umm. I think Madam Estrada can aid you in that." The girls headed to the dress shop and looked around. Hermione saw nothing that appealed to her inner girl, until she looked in the third rack and a little to the left.
"Lily, come look at this." Lily made her way over and nearly gasped at what she saw.
"Hermione…that dress is beautiful. Please, go try it on." Hermione obliged and seeing herself in the dress in the full length mirror, see almost didn't recognize herself. She walked out of the dressing room and Lily looked. Her mouth hung open at what she saw. There stood Hermione in a blood red floor length dress with an empire waist line with netted fabric sprinkled with rhinestones flowing over the dress. It was simple enough, but the affect was startling.
"You must buy that dress. With the right shoes, which I have and your hair up, you could kill a man." Hermione blushed and bought the dress right away.
"Okay, now we have to buy the boy something he'll like."
"I think you've already taken care of that Hermione." Hermione slapped Lily's arm and the two made their way to a store that looked like a Sirius store. After a few hours of shopping, Lily settled for a broom maintenance kit, making Hermione remember she had gotten one for Harry once. Hermione was having more trouble buying Sirius a gift. What do you get a man like Sirius? Material things don't seem to make the cut. She settled on a necklace with two charms: one of a shaggy dog and the other of a book and quill. She feared it would be to girlish for Sirius to wear a necklace, but Lily thought it was a wonderful gift.
"With the dog and the book, you'll always be together…I think even a brain like Sirius' could get the deeper meaning behind that gift." Hermione laughed. They made their way back to the castle to get ready for the party. Hermione could feel her stomach turning. Why was she getting so nervous? It was just a birthday party.
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"I don't think this is such a good idea. You know I hate getting dressed up." Sirius was trying to straighten his unruly bowtie.
"Hush up Padfoot. You look great, and you'll more than likely get some award, so hush up and meet me in the common room in ten minutes." Sirius watched as his friend dashed from the room. He rolled his eyes at James' eagerness and kept fiddling with his tie.
"You have a better change of tearing that than you do fixing it doing all that you know." He heard her voice from the doorway and turned to say some smart remark, but it was lost in his throat as he looked at her. She was more beautiful than he had ever imagined her being. Her red dress fitting her curves perfectly and her hair up but some of it dangling down teasing her neck. He was speechless and for once didn't mind. He could only look at her as she made her way to him to fix his tie. She undid it completely and retied it perfectly. He loved the way she squinted her eyes when she gave something her full attention.
"There. Perfect." She smiled up at him. His brain had just started working again.
"You look stunning." He meant it. With any other girl who tried to impress him, he would say something equally nice just to appease them, but with her he meant it and they both knew it.
"We should go down now." Sirius shook his head.
"James said I had ten minutes. What all could we do in ten minutes do you suppose?"
"I guess you won't–" She would have said he wouldn't find out but his lips stopped her. He grabbed her forcefully by the waist causing her to bend slightly backwards and she grabbed the back of his neck for support. Again he teased her with his tongue and she loved it. Always with her sensible mind, Hermione stopped them in their fit of passion.
"We really need to go before we don't show up at all." Her suggestive words shocked them both, but they made their way to the door, but she stopped them just before exiting. She gave him another quick kiss and pushed the door opened and ushered him out. He couldn't take his eyes off of her until he turned his head and was met with a sea of people he called friends all shouting "SURPRISE" at once.
He had to grab his heart and the side of the wall to help ease the shock. His smile had reached from one ear to the next.
"All this for a Quidditch banquet? I didn't realize we had so many teammates." They all laughed. Hermione loved how he held a crowd in his hands. He made his way through the crowd, shaking hand and getting hugs along the way until he made to his brothers.
"You guys are going to pay for this!" They laughed and hugged and poked fun at Sirius for being able to deceive him.
"All right ladies and gentlemen!" James began moving to stand on a chair, "Now that our guest of honor has arrived, I'd like to make a toast." He held up his glass of sparkling juice and waited for the others to do the same.
"Sirius Black the day I met you on the Hogwarts Express seven years ago I never knew the amount of trouble you'd be. Had I, I probably would have moved to the next compartment." The crowed loved James. "But really, you have made my life and the lives of all of us all the more enjoyable and bright. I know that the memories I make with you will serve to make me smile for the rest of my days and I couldn't have asked for a better brother. I thank you for picking me to be your friend and given the chance to go back and do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing except maybe to meet you sooner. So here's to you my friend. May the days to come greet you with all your wished fulfilled." James took a sip and after the teary eyed crowed regained their composure, they all did the same.
"Alright Pete, turn up the music and LET'S PARTY!!" James jumped off the chair and Hermione watched as Sirius hugged him, tears going down his face. The next few hours were filled with laughing and dancing and just plain fun, but soon enough it was time for presents. Nearly everyone had gotten Sirius a gift. Hermione didn't realize how popular he really was. He opened his best friends' gifts last. He loved Lily's gift and Peter got him a new pair of broom riding gloves, and Remus a charmed text book that, to a teacher, looked normal, but to the avid class sleeper it was full of games and puzzles and most anything to avoid class work. James had gotten him a picture album full of pictures of them from first year on, and it had a blank section titled "Future Memories." Sirius could only smile at his amazing friends, and they knew he was fighting the tears back. He looked to Hermione expectantly. She faked shock.
"Oh, was I supposed to get you something?" She looked worryingly to her other friends who only laughed. Sirius caught on and stood to grab her, catching her around the waist and hugging her.
"You're enough," he whispered in her ear.
"That's too bad, because I did get you something." He released her.
"Well let's have it then."
"Oh, no. You said that I was enough. I guess you won't mind if I throw it over the side of the balcony?" She ran to the closed doors and opened them out to the rather large balcony, dangling the small box over the edge. He smiled at her and walked slowly to her. It really was too cold to be out here, but with her he didn't mind. They were suddenly alone as the wind blew the doors closed once again. Hermione saw through the glass as her friends lost interest in them and went to rejoin the party. Now they were alone even from wandering eyes.
"Let's not do anything foolish." She sighed.
"Fine then, take the fun out of everything," she said tossing him the box. He looked thoughtfully at her and began to tear into the gift. She bit her lip in anticipation as he opened it and took out the necklace. His face dropped.
"You don't like it then?" She moved to take it from him and hide it like she never gave it to him.
"NO. No, I…I love it. I really do." He put it on in a moment and held it back out to look at it. "We'll always be together now," he said more to himself than to Hermione, but she nodded just the same. He walked over to her and embraced her in his arms. He kissed her head and they stayed like that, holding each other against the wind.
"When James gave me that photo album and I saw the empty part called 'future memories' I could only think of you."
"Why's that?" She asked looking up at him.
"Without you, I'd never have future memories with James. None of us would." She returned her head to his chest and smiled.
"I…I love you Hermione." Her mouth went instantly dry. This is the moment she had been waiting for and fearing. Now all her questions of her feeling toward this man had to be brought out in the open. As all this passed through her brain, her thoughts suddenly became clear, clearer than she could have ever hoped for. She now only had four words on her mind and she spoke them.
"I love you too." In that moment Hermione felt an intense and heavy pain in her heart. Something was very, very wrong.
Oh SNAP!!!! What could be so wrong???? You'll just have to keep reading to find out!