Traveling Through Time

Chapter 10

It wasn't that Ginny didn't know that Sirius was a playboy. In fact, he had shared some of his flings with Hermione and herself despite them trying to run away. Sirius and Remus had both told the girls that Sirius had a reputation among the female population as a player, but also a wonderful lay. Despite Ginny and Hermione always telling the two older animagus that they didn't want to hear it, the gentlemen would always "forget" and tell the stories anyway.

But that's isn't what had Ginny's nerves going. It was the fact that he had done Slytherins even though he told the girls he never touched them. That's what had her fuming at him.

"Ginny?" Sirius tried. Hermione took one look at her friend and then walked on out of the Infirmary and followed after the two Marauders who left, leaving Sirius on his own to deal with the well known Weasley temper. Except he wouldn't know. He didn't know any of the Weasley's yet.

"Oh don't you 'Ginny?' me, Sirius Orion Black!" Ginny yelled. "Playboy?! Slytherins?! Slytherins out of everything?!" She yell questioned

"Well if it makes you feel better I'm more famous among the Hufflepuffs." Sirius said with a shrug of his shoulders

SMACK!

Sirius' head was whipped to the side as a cool, pale hand slapped him across the face. He placed his hand on his cheek to stop it from burning as much as he turned and faced the now red faced Ginny.

"I don't want to see you again, Sirius Black, or so help me you will need to pray to all Gods and founders alike you know to get even a shred of mercy." Ginny threatened before stalking out of the Infirmary. Madame Pomfrey came out of her office with a stinging salve and gave it to Sirius before closing herself back in her office. Sirius placed some of the salve on his cheek and relished in the cool feeling that swept across his face. He placed the salve on the end of a bed tray and walked out of the Hospital Wing trying to wrap his buzzing mind around what just happened. Oh he was going to make sure that James Charlus Potter paid for his crime against him.

"Hey!"

James and Remus stopped their conversation and their walking as they turned around to see who had called them. It should be almost lunch time so everyone should be in their last morning class not out in the halls. They turned to find Hermione following behind them at a faster pace than normal.

"Hey." Remus said.

"I hope you two know just what you did to your friend and comrade." Hermione said as she fell into step between the two boys as they started their journey back to their common room. It wouldn't hurt for her to get a view of the Gryffindor common room in this day and age.

"I thought we left him with you and Ginny, but seeing as you're here I'm guessing it's not going well." James said as he stared at the floor ahead of him never looking at the beauty beside him.

"Well I'm not about to get caught in the crossfire because of you two now am I?" Hermione challenged hoping he would look at her. He didn't, he just walked even faster. She caught Remus's gaze and he just shrugged his shoulders in an 'I don't know' fashion that had Hermione even more curious. Why would James be mad at Sirius for something so simple as for rooting for the two of them?

"Okay then…" Hermione said as she let the last of her sentence drag on. "Well what are you two going to do? I can't exactly go hangout with Ginny in this current moment of time." Hermione joked

"We're going to our common room." Remus explained after James still hadn't said anything to her.

"Oh really? Mind if I tag along? I'd love to see it." Hermione inputted

"You're not allowed in the common rooms seeing as you don't have a house." James snapped as they saw the Gryffindor portrait come into view. Hermione was taken aback by James's attitude so much that she hadn't realized he had started talking again. "Besides, what if you get sorted into Slytherin? Wouldn't do to have you sharing our password with them so that they can sneak in and destroy our things." James bit out at her.

"James, come on no-"

"No, Remus. You see how friendly she is with those snakes. She can't be trusted." James said cutting his friends off and glaring at Hermione. What one hell of a turn this was for Remus and Hermione both. He was just blushing at the mention of her and now he's glaring at her and accusing her of being a traitor.

"Why don't you run along and go play with your snakes." James sneered at her. The only look he had given her the entire time they were walking.

"Why don't you go play with your map Potter and spy on unsuspecting kids like the annoying, rich, spoiled prick you are." Hermione bit back at him taking him and Remus for surprise. How would she know about their map if she's new. "Sorry not everyone can have a huge fan base like you do and rich parents. I wonder how dear ole mummy and daddy would feel if they knew what kind of person their son was turning out to be. It would break their little hearts. Shall I owl them and tell them?" Hermione asked in a fake sweet voice.

"How in Merlin's name do yo-"

"I know things well beyond your wildest imagination, Potter. I've seen things you could never even dream in your scariest nightmares. I know things that could bring this whole castle to its knees. Things that would have you running scared home to mother and father Dorea and Charlus Potter. You can make an ally or an enemy out of me, Potter. I would suggest the former if I were you." Hermione snarled at him before stalking off. At this point, she didn't even care that she told them that she knew about the map or about his parents' names. All she saw was red. How dare he accuse her of being a traitor?! She might as well head down to the dungeons and see the snakes. Seventh years don't have classes before lunch so she might as well go blow some steam off.

"What was that?" Remus asked as they closed their dormitory door.

"What do you mean, Moony?" James asked uninterestedly as he flopped down on his four poster.

"Do you like Hermione?" Remus asked intensely

"Of course I do. How could one not?" James asked as he threw and caught a snitch repeatedly in his hand as he laid on his back, his head atop his left arm.

"Are you sure? Because you just gave her every reason to hate you and she apparently thought so too if her threats mean anything." Remus explained as he watched his friend get lost in thought.

"I don't know what came over me okay, Remus? I guess I was just so upset at Sirius that I took it out on her." James explained

"Why are you mad at Sirius?" Remus asked

"It wasn't his place to tell her I liked her. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he was just trying to help, but he crossed the line on that one." James said

"Ah. Makes sense." Remus said. "Tell the bird you like that you practically think she's nothing, she might betray us, and you told her to go and run along to hangout with the Slytherins. Because that makes so much sense."

"I went overboard. I know, but I was trying to push her away because I don't want her to stay around because she pities me." James explained to his friend.

"You didn't even give her the chance to say anything. She wanted to hangout with us and instead of giving her the chance to find out if she likes you or will grow to like you, you pushed her away. I'll be surprised if she ever even talks to you again." Remus said as he laid back on his bed and closed his eyes. He was drifting off into sleep when James suddenly jolted up and started rummaging around in his trunk. Looking at his friend, Remus saw him pull out the Marauders map. Their very own invention.

"What are you doing, James?" Remus asked boredly as he propped himself up on his elbows.

"She mentioned the map. How does she know about the map?" James asked. Suddenly, the girl's words ran back through Remus's mind, 'Why don't you go play with your map Potter and spy on unsuspecting kids', How does she know about the map? Only the Marauder themselves know about it and that's because they invented the dang thing. It wasn't something that someone just went around telling everyone about. Remus hopped up and knelt at James's trunk with the stag animagus. James was right about that. How does she know?

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." James said as he tapped the parchment with his wand and unfolded the map. Looking to the dungeons, both boys noticed Hermione's dot moving at a fast pace.

"Granger? Her name is Hermione Granger?" Remus asked

"I suppose so, Moony. The map never lies." James recited. The two Marauders looked farther ahead of the girl and noticed that the Snakes were in the dungeons and the two could only guess that they were either talking or just lounging about. They watched as her dot reached a part of a wall and her dot slipped past it.

"The Slytherin common room.' Remus and James said together.

"You know, Prongs, if you hadn't said anything about them she would have most likely not have gone down there." Remus chastised his friend

"I'm aware, Moony." James slightly growled at his friend. They watched the map as Lucius Malfoy's dot walked next to hers and led her over to the others and sat her down next to him. Out of frustration that she was hanging out with the snakes and not him, James decided to close the map.

"Mischief mana-"

"Wait!" Remus said as he ripped the map from out under Jame's wand.

"What?" James asked

"Let's take the time and go check on Ginny and Pads. I'm sure knowing her last name will come in handy as well in the future." Remus says as he folds, opens, and closes the map so that they are looking at the hospital wing. The only name there was Poppy Pomfrey. The boys looked to each other and then started searching the castle and found Sirius. He was heading up the dormitory stairs. Not wanting Sirius to think they were spying on him, the two boys closed the map.

"Mischief managed." James said with a tap of his wand and he closed the map and put it back into his trunk. James and Remus jumped up on their beds and resumed what they were doing earlier. James throwing and catching his snitch, and Remus lying down with his eyes closed.

"That red-head is going to be the death of me." Sirius said as he opened their dorm room door and flopped face first onto his bed that was across from James on the other side of the room. James caught the snitch and looked up at his friend with a questioning glance beckoning his brother in everything but blood to tell them what was up. Sirius lifted his head and saw his two friends looking at him before he let his head flop back onto the mattress with a sigh. Pushing himself up and back onto his haunches, Sirius told them what happened.

"...and then she said she never wanted to see me again and that I will need to pray to all Gods and founders alike I know to get even a shred of mercy from her. Then she stalked out of there and Poppy gave me some stinging salve." Sirius recalled to his friends with his hands on either side of his cheeks with his elbows resting on his knees as he sat cross legged.

"In my opinion, you kinda did deserve that, Padfoot." James stated

"Yeah, I know. That's the sucky part. If I had just kept my mouth shut we could be apologizing right now and cuddling." Sirius said as he flopped back on his bed on his back with his limbs thrown away from his body

"Oh stop being so dramatic, Sirius. She probably won't be able to stay mad at you for long if you charm her." Remus said

"That's the thing, Moony." Sirius said as he sat up with his arms resting between his legs on the bed, "I don't want to charm her and have her do anything and everything I ask. I want someone who's going to challenge me to be better and like me for who I am as a person and not just because I'm handsome."

"Not very modest are you?"

The boys jumped at the voice and turned around to see the one and only Hermione Granger standing in their doorway leaning against the frame.

"Hey, kitten." Sirius said with a wink to Hermione.

"No where near a cat, Black." Hermione said, indicating her animagus form, but they don't know that.

"Wait, so you're not…?" Sirius trailed off

"Oh not in that way, Black, you weirdo. I'm a girl." Hermione said rolling her eyes at the young heir.

"Phew! I about lost my mind there thinking I tried to set Jamesie boy up here with someone else." Sirius said. Hermione just raised an eyebrow at him. "I-i mean not that it wouldn't be alright if you weren't a girl! I-well-e...h-"

"Calm down, Sirius." Hermione said while laughing.

"How did you get up here, Hermione?" Remus asked looking to the girl

"Someone here felt the need to have the portrait open all the way for him to step inside and the Fat Lady was only too happy to oblige after that person charmed her. A simple disillusion charm is all it took for her to not notice me." Hermione said with a shrug.

"What? I don't want to look like a fool by getting hit with the door!" Sirius defended himself after James and Remus glared at him for being so irresponsible.

"Anyways, why are you here?" Remus asked

"I got bored. I went back to talk to Ginny, but she wasn't there and I only know my way to here, the library, hospital wing, and Great Hall." Hermione lied. "So I chose here since this is where Remus is."

"Oh, Remus." James mumbled dejectedly, feeling upset that the girl he currently fancies came to see his best mate.

"Yeah. Anyways, Remus, I was wondering if you'd like to come to the library with me?" Hermione asked as she turned to the werewolf.

"How about tomorrow?" Remus asked. He felt bad for James. He did need to go to the library to study, but he decided to give James the rest of the day to try and make it up to Hermione and get back on her good side. "I have plans for today."

"Oh, umm okay then. See you around." Hermione said before she turned around and walked out of the dorm closing the door behind her. She didn't mean to feel this upset about him not accompanying her, but she was just so used to the Remus of her time gladly coming along with her and they'd just spend hours reading in silence together and occasionally breaking out into conversation just enjoying the others presence.

"Umm...what was that?" Sirius asked after Hermione left

"What?" Remus asked as he looked over and saw James glaring at him.

"You said yes! In the library! Alone! With her!" James yelled to his friend as he grew even more frustrated each time he thought about it

"I said yes for tomorrow." Remus said. "I don't have plans today. I offered tomorrow so you can get back on her good side before then."

"Oh." James said as he backed up and plopped his arse on his bed, leaning against his head board.

"Well, I guess now that it's known that James is protective of Hermione I think it's safe to say she's spoken for." Sirius said with a smirk on his face. His smirk was instantly wiped away when he saw the murderous look on his bestfriends face before he saw the wand and ran for it.

"You wouldn't kill you best friend would you?!" Sirius yelled as he threw open the door and raced to the common room with James right on his tails throwing tripping jinxes, jelly leg jinxes, and leg lock jinxes trying to stop his friend. They bounded into the common room and people instantly stopped what they were doing and turned around to watch the scene unfold in front of them.

"I'm seriously considering it!" James said as he threw a jelly legs jinx and accidentally caught Jamey Jackson, an innocent first year who was walking by. He immediately casted Finite Incantatum and apologized. "Sorry, Jackson!"

"Potter!" James and Sirius froze. Not on purpose. Someone casted a full body binding spell on them. They both waited for the inevitable

"What on earth do you think you're doing?!" Lilly Evans shouted into James' face.

"If you don't mind, Lilly, you're in my way. So if you'd be so kind as to release us so I can kill Sirius it would be greatly appreciated." James said as he glared at the mop of black hair that was connected to his frozen friend in front of him

"No way. You just jinxed an innocent first year!" Lilly yelled.

"Yes, Evans. I'm aware, but if you were paying attention you would notice that I immediately reversed the jinx and apologized. No harm no foul." James bit out to the co-head before him.

"You're supposed to be a good example for the lower years to follow, Potter." Lilly said standing in front of him still

"Oh spare me the lecture, Evans and go back to your book." James snarled at the Head Girl. "I'm the perfect example on how to have the best seven most important years of your life. You are the example of what they will be if they are overbearing and bossy." James bit out.

"Ha!" Sirius said as he bursted out laughing.

"Shut it, Black!" Lilly said as she tilted her head back. "That will be 15 points from you, Potter, for reckless endangerment and hurtful comments." Lilly said as she let the boys go from her charm and they fell face first on the floor picking themselves up in a pushup position.

"You clearly are not as bright as you'd like to think yourself to be then, Evans." James snipped at her as he turned to her retreating back. She froze. The whole common room froze as they looked between the two heads. James was supposed to be madly in love with Lilly and she was supposed to not care about him at all and only be annoyed by him.

"Heads can't take points away from each other. It's also a little irritating that you don't know the full story and yet you'd take points away from these hard working house mates just because you're grumpy and I'm not falling at your feet. There's only so much rejection a man can take before he loses interest." James snarled as he turned his back on her shocked face and grabbed Sirius by the collar dragging him out of the common room and away from a shocked red-head.

"Woah! Way to show her who's boss, Prongs!" Sirius exclaimed, clapping James on the back.

"I'm still mad at you." James said, giving his friend a look. Sirius gulped before taking off with his friend on his heels again. James chased Sirius through the castle and across the grounds until Sirius ran back up to the Infirmary and hid behind Ginny Weasley who was talking to Hermione. James instantly stopped moving when Sirius muttered something to the two of them and Hermione turned around to look at James. Her straight face led him to believe she didn't feel anything by looking at him, but the small movement she made keeping her foot from taking her to him kept his spirits high.