Chapter 16: Friday, December 29, 1979

"A wise woman knows when to stay silent. However, a wiser woman knows that sometimes words can win the battle, when all odds stand against her."

-Shannon L. Adler

"No," Hermione said aloud, digging through the night stand next to her bed. She moved to her trunk, pulling every item out of it, giving each one a shake for good measure. "No, no, no!" Hermione repeated the word like a mantra, panic sinking into her stomach as she began tearing the blankets and sheets off her bed, going through every article of clothing she owned, turning out the pockets and shaking them out. She went into the living room, pulling the cushions from the sofa and chair, digging into the upholstery and yelling in frustration when her fingers landed on nothing but stiff material and wood.

She doubled back and began tearing through the guest room, knowing damn well she had only entered the room to brew potions. Still, she stripped the small bed, tore open the drawers and looked through every item in the cabinet that was stocked with brewing ingredients.

"Accio necklace!" She tried, waiting with anticipation, "It's dark magic, Hermione. It isn't going to work. Stupid! How could I be so damn stupid?!"

She wanted to scream.

It was the thirtieth day, which meant she needed to perform the ritual to stay in this timeline before midnight. Around four in the afternoon, a fleeting thought crossed her mind as she realized she couldn't remember seeing the necklace in her drawer recently. She had abandoned the potion she was working on as the fear in the back of her mind began eating at her. Two hours later, she had yet to locate the necklace.

"Fuck!" She screamed, shoving her hands through her hair. She rarely used such an expletive, but the stress that was mounting in her chest pushed the word past her lips with ease. Hermione tugged at the hair on her scalp, wanting to rip the unruly locks from her head in her frustration.

She was screwed. Properly and completely screwed. Not only would she disappear from 1979 without a trace, but she would show up empty handed, no closer to ridding herself of the curse that lived within her than she was when she had left! Not to mention she would have to explain to Draco "Drama Queen" Malfoy that she had lost a Black family heirloom that he had-

A Black family heirloom. The thought tumbled over her like a thousand bricks and she sat on the edge of the upturned bed, her breath coming in rapid pants as her stomach twisted into knots. There was a very good chance that Sirius Black knew what the heirloom was. He essentially admitted on Christmas Eve to stealing her journal, which was in the same drawer as the necklace.

Hermione's eyes flew wide as her hand came up to cover her mouth, the realization seeping into her bones and shaking her core. Sirius has the necklace. Her heart thundered against her sternum as she stood, pacing the room as she tried to figure out what in hell she was going to do. She was due over at James and Lily's any minute for supper... It was a Friday night, so there was a chance that Sirius wouldn't even be there. She could just slip into his room and find the necklace. He could keep the bloody journal, if it was that important to him, but she had to have the necklace. And she was sure that whatever wards he certainly had on his room, she could get through with ease.

Yes, that was it. That was all she had to do. Slip into the room, find the necklace, and slip back out without anyone noticing. She groaned inwardly as she remembered the date and prayed to every God she could think of that Remus would be preoccupied enough to not notice her trying to break into Sirius' room. With it being only a few days until the full moon, she was certain his senses would be heightened even more than usual, knowing that he would be able to hear her as she broke down whatever wards Sirius left up.

Although, maybe she would get lucky. Sirius lived with his best friends, surely he trusted them enough to not need to put up wards?

"The second is Sirius' room. Avoid that, if you like your fingers attached, he's rather particular about his things."

Lily's words from the night she arrived floated around her mind. Did she mean it literally? Did he have some sort of cutting or burning ward up? That wasn't unheard of, she remembered Draco telling her about the wards to his father's study, and how the doorknob would burn blisters into his hand if he tried to open it without being invited in. Hermione sighed, feeling defeated. She would more than likely have to steal a solid fifteen minutes away, uninterrupted, in order to break whatever wards Sirius had on his room.

With a frustrated sigh she waved her wand, walking through the rooms of her small home to right the mess she had created before slipping into her cloak and boots and heading over to the Potter's cottage.

Hermione stabbed at the chicken with the tines of her fork a little too aggressively as she stared at Sirius. It was a Friday night, for Merlin's sake! Why was he even here? He always went out to the pubs on Friday nights!

"All right, Hermione?" James asked, eyeing her from his spot beside Sirius with a questioning look on his face.

"Fine," she replied, her tone a little more intense than she had intended. She cleared her throat, took a deep breath and sipped at her wine.

"You don't seem fine."

"I'm fine James, thank you." Hermione replied, dragging her glare from Sirius to look at James. "Just a little tired."

James gave her a suspicious look before dropping his gaze to his plate and taking his concerns with it. She felt bad, knowing her anger was misdirected, but she couldn't help it. The stupid git never had supper with them on Friday! What was he playing at? He seemed completely unbothered by the tension in the room, laughing merrily at something Lily had said and leaning down to feed bits of his chicken to Chester, the house cat.

Hermione had tried, since Christmas Eve, to not succumb to Sirius' ridiculous notions. She had been getting snide comments and annoying remarks from him all week, and still, she remained calm. Even when Remus had been distant, not offering her any company or comfort when she had come over on Christmas Day. She chalked it up to the full moon nearing, but now she wasn't so sure.

Sirius had told her that he and Remus talked. She had clearly upset Remus the day she and James went shopping, when she asked him if Sirius had taken her journal. Remus had been giving her the cold shoulder ever since.

Once everyone had eaten and Lily had informed them that Peter would be returning on New Year's Eve, having left on Christmas to spend time with his family, Hermione offered to help Lily clean up. She used the moments with her friend to ask her if she had seen the necklace anywhere, saying she thought maybe it had slipped out of her cloak pocket at some point. Lily assured her she hadn't, but that she would keep an eye out for it.

"Is Sirius going to the pub tonight?" Hermione asked, conversationally as she helped put the cleaned dishes back in the cabinets.

"I don't think so," Lily said. "He said he wanted to stick around tonight, that the Friday before New Years would be too crowded."

"I see," Hermione said, her heart sinking. How would she be able to get into his room undetected if he were here?

As the last wine glass made its way into the cupboard, she heard a throat clearing at the table.

"Can we all talk for a minute?" Sirius asked.

Hermione turned around and stared at him, her eyes slightly narrowed as she tried to read him. As usual, he was a blank slate, not giving away anything of importance. Except, perhaps, his irritation of her presence in the house.

"Sure," Lily said, giving James a questioning look.

"Everything okay, Pads?" James asked.

"I guess that depends on your definition of okay," Sirius said, cryptically.

Remus took the seat he had barely risen from, his arms folded over his chest. Whatever it was Sirius wanted to talk about, it was clear Remus knew.

Hermione took her spot next to Remus, not missing the way he shrank away from her. She felt her jaw click with annoyance as she looked at him, and then back to Sirius as James and Lily took their seats.

"What's this about, then?" James asked, looking confused.

Sirius remained standing, his finger pointing to Hermione. "Her."

Hermione's brows shot into her hairline, "Me?"

Sirius nodding, his jaw twitching.

"Again with this, Sirius? Honestly, I can't understand-

"Hear him out, Lils," Remus said, his voice even.

"Not you, too?" Lily huffed, "Remus you know Sirius is being ridiculous. You've said so yourself!"

"That was until he had proof," Remus said.

"Proof?" James asked, his eyes flickering over Hermione before he turned slightly to look at Sirius. "Proof of what?"

"That you've let a fucking Death Eater stay in our house, infiltrate our ranks, and move in two doors down and you didn't even realize it," Sirius spat.

"Excuse me?" Hermione finally said, her tone incredulous. "You think I'm a Death Eater?"

"I know it."

"Sirius…" Lily warned.

With a loud smack, Sirius pulled the leather bound journal from the inside pocket of his leather jacket, slamming it onto the table. In another fluid moment, the gold and ruby fountain pen Draco had given her and the necklace landed next to it.

"Proof," Sirius spat.

Hermione stared at the items on the table, her mouth pursed into a tight line. Her heart was thumping hard in her chest as she tried to come up with an explanation for the journal. Perhaps she could claim memory loss? It wasn't complete thestral shit to say her memory had been tampered with.

"I'm sorry Sirius, but I fail to see what a Muggle pen and a journal have to do with an accusation of a Death Eater." Lily said, looking up at Sirius.

"Moony, open it. Page seven."

Remus reached out and grabbed the journal, flipping it open to the page and cleared his throat before reading, "First Order meeting, 22nd November, 1979. D.E. movement apparent, Order doesn't seem to realize Dementor sighting connections. No ideas involving curse yet. Potion bombings have begun. Deaths apparent."

Remus set the journal back down.

"I don't understand," James said.

"Page 15, Moony." Sirius said.

Remus picked the journal back up and continued reading, "Order meeting, Six December 1979, No new sightings. Curse not mentioned. Apparent Ministry infiltration, no one seems to realize yet. Possible MLE infiltration. Muggles attacked."

A look of trepidation marred Lily's features and James' face took a stoic form, his jaw tight as he looked away from Remus and stared at Hermione. His usually expressive hazel eyes seemed empty.

Her chest felt tight as Remus continued to read passage after passage from her journal, going through the details she had marked down of every member in the house and order, from their characteristics to their preferred beverages. Hermione wanted to run, wanted to grab her items off the table and from Remus' hands and sprint back to her cottage.

"And what happens if you have to offer up the information. You have to tell them who you are? Trust me, Granger. You need loopholes."

Draco had been right. She needed loopholes. The looks that she was getting from the group around the table varied from disgust to confusion. She was going to have to come clean. She would have to tell them what she was doing here.

Hermione took in a shaking breath as she closed her eyes, feeling Lily's land on her. She couldn't look at her. She couldn't look Lily in the face and lie to her anymore, not when it was so glaringly obvious that she was, indeed, lying.

"And then of course, the glamour." Sirius announced, sounding rather proud of himself, "The glamour on her arm I noticed the first fucking night I met her! The one you swore wasn't there."

"I'm not a Death Eater," Hermione said, her voice shaking.

"Then why do you have a blood magic Time Stone from my family's vault?" Sirius hissed, his voice low and venomous as he pressed his palms to the top of the table and leaned toward her. "There is one person in this house who would have access to it. And I severed that ability years ago. So, why do you have a piece of dark magic dangling off your neck?"

"Hermione…" Lily breathed, her head shaking slightly in disbelief. "It's not true, right? You aren't-

"I'm not a Death Eater!" she shouted, throwing her hands into the air.

"Prove it then," Sirius challenged. "Remove the glamour."

"You are truly stupid if you believe that the Dark Mark can be glamoured away," Hermione said.

"I wouldn't know, I'm not a Death Eater!" Sirius hissed.

"Nor am I!"

"THEN PROVE IT!" Sirius roared, slamming his fists into the table.

In a flash of anger Hermione was on her feet, ripping her wand from her pocket and shoving her sleeve up to her elbow. She pressed the tip of her wand into the flesh of her wrist and watched as the glamour faded, leaving behind a gnarled, purple scar that read MUDBLOOD.

She nearly launched herself over the table as she shoved her forearm in Sirius' face, seething with anger, her chest rising and falling in fierce, panting breaths. "Does that look like a bloody fucking Dark Mark to you?!" she screamed at him, her voice cracking from the swell in her throat as tears burned in her eyes. "Was this the brand you were expecting?! Because I'm guessing it wasn't, and once again I'd like to remind you that you, Sirius Black, have no fucking idea what you're talking about!"

Hermione snatched the journal from Remus' hands and slammed it shut, throwing it back onto the table as she remained standing, her chest rising rapidly.

"You are so arrogant! You have no idea what you're talking about and you just think you know everything! You think that you're right about everything and you don't even know a sliver of anything about me!"

"How am I supposed to know anything about you if you're lying about who you are?!"

"Did you stop to think that maybe there was a reason?! That Dumbledore himself brought me in, for a damn reason?! Do you honestly think I could fool Albus Dumbledore with something as simple as a bloody glamour?! Do you think that if I were a Death Eater, I would keep detailed notes about the order meetings in a journal next to my bed, in a drawer that wasn't locked?!"

"That doesn't explain the Time Stone!" Sirius shouted, "You have a Black family heirloom! One that I know works on Dark magic!"

"It was given to me, you imbecile!" Hermione cried, shoving her hands through her hair. "It was given to me for this stupid mission!"

"How do you know so much about the creatures then? The Dementors?! If you aren't one of them, how do you know more than we do?!" Sirius roared.

"I HAVE A TIME STONE AND I KNOW MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SOMETHING SPECIFIC YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOT! PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER, WHY DON'T YOU?!" Hermione screamed at him, her face mere inches from Sirius' as they both leaned across the table to shout at one another. She could tell by the heat in her face, that her cheeks were flushed with anger. Her eyes burned with tears of frustration that she blinked back, refusing to let them fall.

Hermione remained nose to nose with Sirius, daring him to say something else, to give her another reason to close the gap between them with a closed fist to the mouth or the business end of her wand, whichever came first. She was certain she must look insane, half perched on the table, hair wild around her face as she panted angry breaths, but she didn't care. For weeks Sirius had been nothing but rude and mistrusting. Had gone out of his way to essentially turn everyone against her and imply that she was evil. What very little patience she had left had run dry and she had been itching to smack the smug scowl from his face.

Sirius opened his mouth and Hermione could see the exact moment that it clicked in his head. His narrowed gaze widened a bit and he took a step back, his chin rising ever so slightly as he stared at her. His chest was rising and falling in angry breaths as he spoke again, his voice softer than before.

"Your name is Hermione Granger, and you are not from 1979."

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a/n: can we say, double update? I had originally planned to wait until thursday for the next chapter, but you all have been so tolerant and patient with Sirius, I thought you deserved both chapters back to back. :)

dont forget to leave a review!

xo