Hi everyone! I know it's been awhile but everything's been crazy with trying to balance school and work. I finally have had some free time in my schedule so I wanted to get another chapter out. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during this pandemic. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its characters belong solely to JK Rowling. I only own the plot for this story.

Chapter 7: Honesty

When they appeared back in the living room of Grimmauld Place, everyone was startled by their sudden arrival. The arm that Remus had been using to hold onto the young witch dropped limply back to his side as everyone in the room turned their attention directly on the two people who had just appeared. Something wasn't right. Sirius knew that from the moment that Remus and Hermione returned from Diagon Alley as quickly as they did. The two of them were eerily silent and avoiding eye contact, their gazes glued to the floor. It was a sign that alerted James and Sirius to the fact that something had happened while they had been out and that whatever had occurred hadn't been good.

"What happened?" Sirius asked, concern lacing every inch of his voice.

Hermione didn't say anything, not even attempting to meet the marauder's gaze. Her eyes were dark and her mind was somewhere entirely different from the rest of those present in the room. The Death Eater attack in Diagon Alley had resurfaced memories that she had long since pushed to the back of her mind. She was completely catatonic- Hermione wouldn't be able to move even if she wanted to. It was as if her feet were frozen to the ground where she stood. Her heart was beating rapidly and her mind was reeling- remembering. Every tragic event that had happened in her life prior to travelling back to 1980- all the monsters she faced, all of the battles she went through, all of the family and friends she lost on the way- all of it circled back to the one person who had been cause of every horrifying and tragic event in her life: The Dark Lord.

Remus, noticing the sensitive state that Hermione was in, decided to be the one to answer Sirius' question. Swallowing the lump in his throat and flicking his eyes up to meet Padfoot's, he spoke. "Death Eaters attacked Diagon Alley." He answered, voice wavering slightly.

The room fell completely silent. No one dared to move, dared to speak. James, Peter, and Sirius remained seated, letting the news of the attack sink in. Each of them had been aware of the steady increase in Death Eater attacks the past few months. However, none of them had expected for the Dark Lord to start sending his people to attack in broad daylight. This sudden revelation could only mean one thing: Voldemort was becoming bolder and with that increasing boldness came the idea that it wouldn't be much longer before another war broke out among the wizarding world. Chaos would ensue and innocent people would get hurt. If another Wizarding War like the first occurred, no one would be safe.

"Were there any survivors?" James asked quietly from his seat opposite Sirius.

Remus only shook his head. "I don't know. Hermione and I left before we could find out,"

Silence enveloped the room once more before Sirius shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his muscles still sore from the night before. His eyes stared blankly at the glass of firewhisky in his hand, his thoughts wandering. "They're growing bolder, attacking in broad daylight like this. The Dark Lord is certainly making his mark."

"Agreed. Everything will become much worse if we don't do something soon." Peter pointed out.

As soon as the words left Peter's mouth, Hermione's hand twitched in agitation and her whole body tensed. Though she hadn't heard much of the conversation, the squeaky sound of Peter's voice brought her mind back to reality and the grim situation at hand. Instead of the dread and hollowness she felt when her and Remus first arrived back at 12 Grimmauld Place, she felt angry. Hermione was furious- she had never felt this much hatred for one person in her entire life more than she did right now. She didn't understand how someone like Peter could sit in a room with people who saw him as their friend and say things he didn't even believe for himself. It was maddening- it was wrong. Hermione knew enough about what had happened leading up to the deaths of Harry's parents to know that at this point in time, Peter Pettigrew was simply manipulating them. He was a coward- a rat who was simply playing his master's game, shuffling the deck and using his friends as pawns in a war destined to pass and the worst part was that none of the Marauders knew about it. None of them knew that one of their closest companions- someone that they had known since the beginning of their time at Hogwarts- was betraying them from right under their noses.

Hermione's jaw clenched. Her fingers curled tightly around the handle of the potion basket until her knuckles became white. More than anything she wished that she could tell James- that she could tell everyone the whole truth. She wanted to expose Peter for the rat that he was so she could be one step closer to stopping Voldemort's war. She wanted to be one step closer to stopping James and Lily from being killed and Neville's parents tortured. She wanted to be one step closer to fixing her future, but she simply couldn't take that chance, at least not yet. It would take time; exposing Peter as a traitor to his friends and the Order too soon could have dire consequences. Although Hermione was well aware that her presence in this time was already most-likely altering the timeline, exposing the truth about everything too early could potentially have the opposite effect of what she hoped for, regardless of the Infinitum Watch's magic.

"Hermione? Are you alright?" James asked, pulling the young witch from her thoughts.

Blinking a few times, Hermione snapped out of her trance. Her grip on the basket handle slackened and her jaw relaxed as her anger slowly dissipated. Turning her gaze towards James, she nodded, clearing her throat. "I'm fine, just a bit tired. I think my exhaustion from lack of sleep is finally catching up with me," The words rolled off her tongue in an easy lie.

Everyone nodded silently. If they didn't buy into her excuse, none of them said anything. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she held up the basket full of freshly-bought potion ingredients. "I think I'll put these away and head upstairs to lie down for a bit. I hope that's alright?" She asked.

Sirius gave her a nod and the faintest hint of a smile. "Of course,"

Hermione nodded in acknowledgement before turning and heading for the kitchen. She could hear the Marauder's muffled voices begin talking behind her back as she left, no doubt discussing her and the more pressing details of the attack. It didn't bother her all that much. Hermione knew that there would be much to discuss about the issue and after all, she was still a complete stranger to them. They would have questions about what she knew of the attack and the people associated with it, just like they would have questions about her knowledge on the war and the timeline where she was from. Given time they would ask, but for now, Hermione was glad that they weren't pressing the issue too much.

Setting the potions basket on the counter, she opened the cabinet where they belonged and began refilling the shelves. She filled the shelves with all the potions' ingredients she bought to replenish Sirius' store, only keeping the ingredients she had purchased to make the Wolfsbane potion in the basket. Once the cabinet was filled, Hermione closed the door and stood in front of the sink. Placing a hand on her forehead, she released the long, shaky breath she had been holding in. The Death Eater attack had been too overwhelming. On any other day, she would have insisted on fighting back, on stopping the Death Eaters in their tracks before too many people got hurt. However, today was different. She froze- too occupied by her fear to do anything. The attack had smacked her down face-first into the tragedy that had been the Battle of Hogwarts. The attack reminded her of how Ron had died by jumping in front of a curse that had been meant for her. She remembered being at Remus' side as he was bleeding out, holding Harry's crippled and beaten body in her arms after she had found him. She had never felt more lost and alone as she had in that moment, when she realized that everyone she had ever loved was dead.

The attack in Diagon Alley forced her to realize just how real everything was and how it was only the beginning of a tragedy far worse than anything imaginable. She was living through a war- both in the present and in the future. She had never really thought about that until the attack. War was her new reality. No matter what she did during the day, no matter how focused she became on her mission in this time, the world was still on the brink of war. These were people- real people- participating in a war that they didn't know how to fight or win. People were dying every day and no one could do a thing to stop it. That fact alone merely reminded her of how serious the situation was. If she didn't do everything that she could to alter the events of this time, she would lose any chance of saving her future and her friends. With the magic of the Infinitum Watch, she could save the lives of so many people that didn't deserve to die. Hermione had the capability to give Neville and Harry their parents back, she had the capability to stop Voldemort dead in his tracks, she had the capability to rewrite anything and everything. She wouldn't- couldn't lose that chance, not with so many people counting on her to save them.

"Hermione, there's an owl for y- are you ok?" Remus asked as he stood in the doorway to the kitchen, holding the sealed letter in his hand.

Snapping out of her thoughts, the young witch sniffled. She hadn't even realized that she'd been crying until her tears dropped onto her hand. Bringing her hands to her face, she rubbed at her eyes, willing the tears to stop. "Sorry. I didn't realize-"

The Marauder waved a dismissive hand. "You don't need to apologize, it's alright." He remained silent a moment to allow Hermione to collect herself before he spoke again. "I'm sorry for intruding. I didn't realize the attack frightened you so much or that it made you this-"

"Unstable? Fragile?" Hermione chuckled dryly, drying her eyes with the sleeves of her sweater.

"I was going to say upset, but I suppose unstable works too," Remus replied gently, the tiniest of smiles forming on his lips.

The two of them chuckled and for a brief moment, the uneasiness had lifted. Finally, Hermione turned to face Remus. The young witch flicked her eyes up to meet his and when she still saw a concerned expression on his face, she frowned. "You don't have to worry. I'm fine. Today was just a bit overwhelming. I'll be ok." Hermione looked down at the sealed piece of parchment he held in his hands. She recognized Dumbledore's seal. "You said there was an owl for me?"

"Right, yes. Here," Remus said as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and passed the parchment to Hermione.

She broke the seal and carefully unfolded it. Indeed it was a letter from Dumbledore. He had found a place for her to live and he had managed to find her a position within the Ministry of Magic that was to help her presence be kept secret. That alone gave her some relief. Now that she would have her own place to live and a job within the Ministry, her sudden appearance in this time wouldn't seem so suspicious. For now, that was all Hermione could hope for- at least until she figured out what step to take next.

"What does it say?" Remus asked.

"It's from Dumbledore. He's found a place for me to live and secured a job for me at the Ministry. He'll be here tomorrow to come get me," She explained, folding the parchment back up and slipping it into her pocket for safe-keeping. There were more details contained within the letter, but they were details that were meant to stay private, at least for the time being.

"Leaving? Already? I just got used to having you around," Sirius piped up from the doorway, nearly startling her and Remus. He wasn't alone either. James and Peter were hot on his heels, trying to catch wind of the conversation.

"Sirius!" Hermione exclaimed. "You should be resting, not up and walking around." She scolded, moving to Padfoot's side to help him move to a chair to sit down. However, he waved her off.

"I feel fine. Besides, if I remain on that couch doing nothing any longer, I think I might go mad." He explained.

Hermione huffed. "Fine. But take it easy at least. I don't need you collapsing on me again,"

Sirius chuckled, giving her a cheeky smile. "For you, Kitten? Anything,"

Hermione merely rolled her eyes. James and Peter snickered from behind Padfoot and as they walked by and moved to sit at the dining room table, James clapped his best friend on the back. Sirius winced at the action. His muscles were still a bit taut. "Always the charmer, aren't you Pads?"

Padfoot shot a glare at prongs as he slowly made his way over to the dining table and took a seat himself. "Don't make me hex you, James. I will do it,"

James smirked, deciding to challenge his friend. "Do it then. I'd love to see you try,"

"Knock it off you two," Remus said, as he took the seat between James and Sirius.

Hermione could only shake her head at the boys' antics. They were just like Harry and Ron. Moving back to her spot by the counter, Hermione put on a kettle for tea. While she knew she needed the rest, she wouldn't be able to sleep until her nerves calmed a bit and a cup of hot tea always did the trick. The room was quiet as they waited for the kettle to be ready. Once it was hot enough, Hermione poured everyone a cup of tea. After the last two days, she figured she wasn't the only one in need of a cup. When she was done pouring the tea and passing it out, Hermione sat down in a chair across from the everyone else. She took the steaming tea cup between her hands and took a much needed sip. She began to feel better the moment the hot liquid began traveling down her throat and her uneasiness began to settle. It wasn't until Remus spoke that another knot twisted in her stomach.

"Back in the alley, you mentioned that you knew the Death Eaters that caused the attack? Were they from your time?" He asked.

Hermione swallowed, setting her cup of tea down and redirecting her attention to Remus. "Yes."

"Who are they and how do you know them, if I may ask?" He pressed.

"They're purebloods. That's all I know," She lied through her teeth. Before and during the war, her and Harry made a tremendous effort to figure out the names of every single Death Eater that served under Voldemort. It had taken a lot of research, but after some time, she and Harry had determined the identities of the majority of the Death Eaters, including the ones that were in the last war.

As much as she wanted to disclose the truth to them, she couldn't knowing that Peter was in the room. She had already revealed too much already with him around and Hermione feared that if she said anymore that she would back herself into a corner that she wouldn't be able to get herself out of. Peter was already working for Voldemort and if the Dark Lord were to find out more about what she knew of the future, not only would her life be put in more jeopardy, but the lives of her friends in this time would be at risk too. It was just too much of a chance to take, especially this early on in her task.

"My friends and I encountered them at the Ministry in our fifth year," Hermione added to her previous statement. If she couldn't give exact details of future events, the least she could do was give the Marauders broad ones.

"Why were you and your friends at the Ministry in the first place?" James asked, confused.

Hermione sighed, glancing down into the contents of her tea cup, pondering her next words. She had to be very careful of what she said next. "Har- one of my friends," she rephrased. "One of my friends heard about something contained within the Department of Mysteries, something that could turn the tide of the war in our favor. He thought his family was in danger, so we went to the Ministry to find it. That was when we ran into a group of Death Eaters and were attacked,"

"That sounds awful." Peter stated. Though his voice sounded sincere, his eyes told a different story.

The mere sound of his voice feigning sympathy forced Hermione to tighten her grasp around her tea cup as her body tensed slightly. If anyone else in the room noticed, they didn't say anything. Hermione took a deep breath to calm herself and after a moment, she relaxed. "It was. But it doesn't matter anymore. It's not important,"

The room became silent once more. The Marauders were thinking over everything the young witch had said, while Hermione became content with finishing her tea. When she was done, she stood from her chair and washed her cup in the sink before putting it back in the cupboard. She ran a hand through her messy hair as she turned back to face the others who were still sitting at the table. "I'm going to go upstairs and lie down for a bit if that's alright? It's been a long day and I could really use the rest,"

Everyone nodded, Sirius being the one to speak. "Of course. If you need anything just let me know,"

"I will. Thank you," Hermione said before heading out of the room.

She could hear the Marauders begin talking to each other in hushed tones as soon as she left the kitchen, but she was too tired to attempt to listen in. Either way, it probably wasn't anything important. Hermione knew that there would be an Order meeting to discuss the matter, so she wasn't worried about that now. Being in this time- in 1980 had proved so far to be a challenge, more than she had originally thought. Regardless, she couldn't stress over the fine details. There wasn't enough time to and in this timeline, timing was everything.

Walking up the stairs and to the bedroom that Sirius had graciously allowed her to stay in, Hermione opened the door and walked inside. She sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. The young witch rubbed at her sleepy eyes before reaching over and pulling the only picture she had brought with her out of the top drawer in the nightstand. Hermione stared at the people in the picture and smiled softly.

"Don't worry Harry. I'm going to fix everything. I promise," She fell asleep believing those words.