Eeek. So I really hope you all are hanging in there still, hope this chapter was worth the wait. =)
Danke very much to: Raven that flights at night, Guest, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, and themysteriousnicole for sparing a few moments and sharing a few kind words. You all and the followers and favorite-rs of my little story make it all worth the time and effort.
He completely lost control… just like he did after he realized Peter's betrayal.
Minerva sat down beside her 'niece' and held onto Hermione so tightly that it became difficult for the young witch to inhale air.
Hermione faked a small laugh, "I'm alright Aunt Minerva. I just… I'm just in shock… I think… I need to rest." She looked hopefully into the older woman's eyes but found doubt shadowing the relief reflected there.
Professor McGonagall nodded her head, "Yes, of course dear. I will make sure Dumbledore has all the information you have given me. And I need to run a patrol over the entire castle and the grounds for any more Imperioed wolves." She gripped Hermione's hands firmly, "I'm just glad you are alright."
McGonagall marched out of the room with Poppy falling into step close beside her; in case there were any more victims that needed to be healed. Minerva sealed the doors of the hospital wing behind them with a shielding charm and a silencing spell. McGonagall didn't want anyone knowing where her 'niece' was if she was the true target of this attack.
As soon as the doors closed, the mostly healed Sirius stood up from his cot and walked over to Hermione's side. He attempted to gain her attention, but she stood and walked away from him before he could say a word.
The silence was deafening.
Hermione had no idea what to say to Sirius; within that tiny window of time where he had sunk his teeth into the wolf's neck, she had been absolutely terrified of him. She clasped her hand over her mouth and willed herself not to cry out. Hermione took a few deep breathes, steadied herself and turned back to face Sirius again.
"You almost killed that wolf," Hermione was shocked at how stable her voice sounded as it left her mouth.
Sirius stood and walked over to stand in front of her. He reached out to take hold of Hermione's hand, but she took a step backward taking her hand out of reach and motioned for him to stop.
"I was protecting you," Sirius' shoulders heaved a bit as he signed. He realized that he had lost control; he hated himself for allowing it so easily, but it had saved them. It had saved her. Didn't that matter?
Hermione shook her head, "It wasn't you anymore. It wasn't even your Animagus." Her voice fell as she tried to summon the courage to speak the next few words, "It was a monster."
Her words cut into Sirius like a knife had been plunged into his heart.
The look in Sirius' lackluster grey eyes almost killed Hermione; he appeared so betrayed.
"You can't do that Sirius. You can't let your temper rage so out of control that you're not there anymore," Hermione watched as Sirius retreated into himself; he was trying to block out her words and armor himself from her rejection of him.
Hermione's heart suddenly sank as a realization hit her, "I … I can't bear to lose you…not like that…" Not at all; she wanted to say these words out loud, but she wasn't given the chance.
Sirius kissed her with so much force; it was as if he was drowning and Hermione was the only thing keeping him afloat. He laced his fingers into her hair and angled her head to deepen the kiss more. Hermione clung to the front of Sirius' robes so tightly that her fingers began to feel numb.
After a few seconds, Hermione pushed Sirius back and gulped new air into her strained lungs.
She looked into Sirius's eyes and found them still blazing with a mixture of guilt and passion.
No matter how painful the conversation would be, they had to finish talking.
"Why did you do it?" Hermione placed her hand on Sirius' face, brushing her thumb over his slight scruff.
"I don't know…" Sirius didn't want to admit it, but he knew that Hermione needed to know. He wouldn't keep secrets from her, he couldn't. "I was afraid. I was afraid they would kill you." Sirius looked down, a bit ashamed of his next confession, "It was easy to give into the darkness, when I thought they were going to kill you."
Hermione shook her head, "You can't do that Sirius. You can't let your impulsive temper take control just because you're frightened." Hot tears trickled out of her eyes, "We all have light and dark in us, but every time you give yourself over to the darkness, so completely…you're surrendering pieces of your soul."
"And what if I can't control it, what if I can't stop myself?" Sirius spit the words angrily as he pulled Hermione's arms from his body. He took a few steps back and motioned to himself, "What if I can't control my darkness?"
"You can. I know you can!" Hermione voice began to rise as she spoke, "You have to!"
"Why do I have to do anything?" Sirius's low booming voice carried through every inch of the hospital wing.
"Because we need you in the future! The Order needs you, Dumbledore needs you, HARRY needs you, I NEED YOU." Hermione's scream echoed; she covered her ears to protect herself from the reverberation.
Sirius stared blankly at Hermione; her words still struggling to find meaning in his head.
Hermione attempted to backpedal, "Harry needs you in the future. You have to be there for him. And you could do so much good for the Order. I've seen the light in you; we need that light in the future."
"I thought you said you weren't going to hold the future over my head anymore." A small smirk pulled at the corner of Sirius' mouth, "what if I need more present of a motivator?"
"Are you kidding me?!" Hermione was fuming; she could feel the heat rise to the surface of her cheeks. "Are you really trying to make light of this serious situation?" Hermione clamped her jaw shut and covered her moth with both of her hands; she couldn't believe her poor phrasing.
Laughter.
Loud, joyful, stomach rattling laughter filled the entire hospital wing. Sirius couldn't help himself.
Hermione tried to retain her stern face and feeling toward the Marauder, but she soon broke and tilted her head down so that her hair would curtain her amused face.
Sirius extended his hand, hooked her chin and forced Hermione to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry," his voice was small and tender. "I shouldn't have let my fear get the better of me. But the idea of losing you…" Sirius heaved a deep sign. Hermione closed the gap between them and wound her arms around Sirius' torso.
"You're not going to lose me." Hermione placed a hand over Sirius' heart, "Whatever this is…I'm very inclined to stick around and discover where it leads. But you need to be here too… I need you to be present with me. You can't give yourself over to the darkness. Your impulsive rage is one of the reasons you were sent to Askaban."
Sirius placed their foreheads together and simply smiled, "And you're going to keep me from ending up in that dreaded place."
"Yes." Not an ounce of hesitation was present in Hermione's voice.
"You'll help me to control my darkness; keep it at bay?" Sirius looped his strong arms around the witch in front of him.
"Of course I will," Hermione's voice was completely unflinching.
"What if you find a way to get back home?"
That was the question that had been haunting Hermione since she began to settle into her new life here in 1977. How much she could change for the better was unknowable and left her with a headache when her brain began to run through all the different possible outcomes. But the relationships that she had made over the last three month; even just thinking about leaving everyone tore at her heart. And Sirius…Sirius was becoming someone she couldn't imagine her life without. He had coxed Hermione out of her shell, made her finally feel comfortable in her own skin, he supported her and protected her; Sirius was indispensable. How could she leave him?
"I…I'm going to stay here for as long as I possibly can." Brief memories of her dream dance with Sirius played through her head, "If I can stay here I will. But this isn't the same past that I studied and learned about. There have already been a few changes and we don't know what kind of ramifications will occur because of these."
Sirius nodded his head sadly; he didn't want to speak about the possibility of Hermione leaving anymore. "So for now, we just need to live our lives. Set the future on a better course and fight the Dark Lord and just darkness in general."
"Yes." Hermione's steady voice may have returned, but her heart beat a little faster and her chest felt a little tighter. Leaving this time period was going to rip her apart if and when that decision came to pass.
Gossip about the wolf event circled the castle at record breaking speed. Dumbledore made an announcement to the student body the next morning explaining that the event appeared to be an elaborate and deadly prank. He encouraged anyone with information concerning the incident to come forward and assist in bring the culprits to justice.
But Hermione was not hopeful that anyone would divulge information as to who had targeted her. She had a few theories, but each as unlikely as the next. She privately did research through her books trying to pinpoint who would have been motivated in attacking a student, or more specifically someone who could be suspected of having future knowledge.
Hermione knew that her presence in 1977 had been kept quiet and that the cover story that McGonagall had provided was solid and believable, but that didn't mean people couldn't have doubt. No one she told directly would have relinquished her secret, but there had been a few instances where Hermione had let certain future knowledge be revealed in one way or another.
It could have been Rosier, trying to cover his arse. Hermione had insinuated that she knew of his Deatheater dreams and habits. Or maybe Regulus had told his family about the half-blood that was dating the heir of the House of Black. Regulus had not been aggressive toward her, but that doesn't mean that his relatives were as composed as he was.
There were too few clues to compose an actual theory at the present time, so Hermione tried to push the thoughts from her head until there was more information available. But sometimes the wolves visited her as she slept, and those were the nights that Hermione would open the small false lid in right corner of her trunk and quietly remove some choice pictures to remind herself what she was fighting for and why she was here.
Sirius and Hermione became inseparable after the incident, even more so then after Hermione had been attacked by the slashing curse. Hermione tried to pacify Sirius by allowing him to play guard dog, but it did become too much for her to handle at times. Even the best couples need time apart from each other.
With James and Lily spending any spare time they had in their busy schedules together, and since Peter began dating Darcy Smith of Hufflepuff, Remus was Hermione's only available friend that Sirius was comfortable leaving her alone with.
Because of Sirius' reluctance in speaking about the future now, Hermione and Remus continued researching and discussing plans to possibly counter some of the dark events that would soon transpire alone. The two made frequent visits to the Room of Requirements over the next month debating on what they could change on the timeline.
They chatted casually as Hermione opened the sitting room. "What about the prophecy that you had mentioned last month?" Remus inquired as he took a seat on one of the mismatched sofa chairs in front of the timeline.
Hermione signed. She had hoped to tell Sirius about the prophecy as well, but with everything that had transpired she knew that he couldn't emotionally handle what had to be explained.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."
Remus wrote down the words Hermione spoke and carefully analyzed the phrases, "When was the prophecy made?"
"Sometime in 1980, during the spring I believe. With the requirements that the prophecy establishes, there are only two boys it could possibly be; Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom," Hermione's mind drifted to Neville and his parents.
"You're referring to Frank Longbottom's son I assume?" Remus was still concentrating on his notes and did not notice the fall in Hermione's expression.
"Yes, and Alice Longbottom. I actually don't know her maiden name. Neville rarely spoke about his parents and I …it felt like invasion of privacy to delve into more than just their tortures."
Remus became frozen. He had become somewhat accustom to Hermione spilling out bits of future truths, but every once in a while her words made his stomach clench. He forced himself to return his gaze to the page of notations.
"Well, Frank was two years ahead of us in Gryffindor. He was a bit odd but very intelligent and kind. He always defended the younger students who were being bullied by the Slytherins. Last I heard, he was hopelessly in love with a Hufflepuff girl who graduated last year, Alice Macmillan," Remus noticed that Hermione's face now held a small smile. "Alice was always sweet to everyone, but I hear that you should never get on her bad side. A friend of my father's mentioned her in passing and said she's so quick with her wand; you can barely see her cast the spells. I hear they are both training to become Aurors."
"We need to save them too. Bellatrix is one of the Deatheaters who kidnap and torture the Longbottoms," Hermione took a small slip of paper and wrote Frank and Alice's names on it. She then took a pin and added the parchment to the ever growing list of people, to the left side of the timelines, which needed to be saved.
"I think that's enough darkness for tonight," Remus always liked to finish their dialogues about the future with more lighthearted discussion. "Only two more weeks until Christmas Holiday, have you thought about what you will be doing?"
Hermione appreciated the werewolf's insistence of 'happy talk' before they left for curfew and bed, "I will probably stay at Hogwarts and celebrate with Minerva. What about you Remus?"
"I'll be heading home for a good portion of the holiday. I'm anxious to show my parents that a funny little witch has found a potion to tame my wolf," Remus laughed as Hermione glared at him. "They'll probably be ecstatic; especially since Christmas falls on a full moon this year."
Hermione nodded her head and smiled, "Just make sure to swear them to secrecy and don't tell them about me."
Remus was the one to shoot Hermione a look of annoyance this time; Obviously…
"Will you be coming to the Potter's New Year's Party on the 31st?" Remus asked as he began to organize his notes and picked up his school bag.
"Oh… I don't know. I don't think Sirius has mentioned it to me," Hermione furrowed her eyebrows a bit in concentration, attempting to recall if she had heard about the party before now.
Remus shook his head, "I think you need to discuss with Sirius about his bodyguard duties. He's becoming a bit obsessive; I think he's forgotten that December starts tomorrow."
"Well, what's your advice for confronting the stubborn mutt?" Hermione collected her books and took Remus' offered arm after she securely closed the sitting room.
"I would propose… try a deceptive approach at first; outsmart him into admitting that he's being overprotective. And if that doesn't work, a direct assault with facts; don't get emotional because he'll be able to turn that back on you." Remus chuckled as he laid out a battle plan against his own friend.
Hermione nodded along vigorously as Remus spoke, "You do realize that this is just going to boil down to us shrieking at each other?"
Remus' amusement became difficult to obscure, "Well, there's always that tactic, I suppose."
Hermione's lips formed a sly smirk. "Thank you for your council, sir. I won't inform him you've assisted in the preparation, Mr. Lupin."
"Thanks for that," Remus joked as they separated and walked through the portrait hole.
"Where have you two been? It's almost curfew, James and Lily have already begun rounds keeping a look out for the two of you!"
"Wait, you sent James and Lily to look for us? Are you psychotic!?" Hermione dropped her voice, but the whispered scream still held every ounce of concern that she had, "Did you really just put the sitting room into jeopardy of being found?"
Remus quickly slipped away and ascended the boys' dormitory stairs. He was surprised to find that many of the other Gryffindors were calling it a night as well; all of them trying to escape the wrath of the quarreling lovers.
He paused for a few minutes to hear Sirius' retort.
"No, I would never…I was worried…"
"I'm not a child Sirius! I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
"We were attacked by wolves! I am entitled to be overly cautious."
"I know; I was there too if you recall!"
"You shouldn't be wondering …"
"I wasn't wondering! I was with Remus…"
"You can't even imagine how I feel…"
"Have you forgotten what I KNOW…"
Lily entered the Gryffindor common room with her hand clutching her wand awkwardly as she attempted to covering her ears, "SILENCIO!"
Oh man, had some fun writing all of the arguments. I would love to hear what you all have to say about this one!
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Love you all,
Misha