Important Author's Note: I want to genuinely apologize for the super long delay in updating. To say my life has changed drastically would be an understatement. My beloved beagle (who was named Remus) passed away shortly after my last update and right after that, my husband and I found out that we were expecting a baby. I had a super difficult pregnancy, however, my son arrived in March and I am starting to get into a routine with him, so hopefully, I can spend some time here and there working on this story. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed, or favorited this story, even with the hiatus. I cannot promise a consistent schedule, however, I will try to get some content out there.
Some Important Dates:
Remus's Birthday (per Google) March 10, 1960. He is 17 and a legal adult in the magical world.
Hermione's Birthday I am changing (Swapped with Ron). In this version, her birthday will be March 1, 1980. This is to have her under Remus's guardianship for longer and not have it end in September. Some of my plot ideas depend on this. Sorry if anyone does not like this change.
Last Note:
This story is obviously canon divergent. I own the plot ideas, but any recognizable material, characters, imagery, etc. belong to J.K Rowling. Please consider reviewing to give me feedback, suggestions, or constructive criticism.
Memories from the Future
Chapter Six
Hermione POV
Hermione was thankful that her highly logical mind allowed her to process and store information more efficiently than the average person. The past day had been a whirlwind of bizarre occurrences. Finding out that she had magically adopted, and sent back in time nearly twenty years had not been easy for the girl to come to terms with. Hermione was grieving her past life deeply. Whenever she thought of Harry or Ron her heart lurched painfully, and her eyes prickled with the threat of tears. She had lost everyone she knew. Parents, friends, teachers. The people she did know in this time were not the ones that she left behind.
But she had resolved herself to be the change for a better future. She would review every memory, every morsel of information she had stored in her vast library of knowledge in her mind to bring the downfall of Lord Voldemort and save as many lives as possible, starting with Lily and James Potter. Well, Lily was not yet a Potter, but the sentiment was the same. She wondered idly if Peter could be saved from his traitorous future. She wasn't sure, as she did not know if there was a deeper reason apart from cowardice that led to the betrayal.
She was comforted to have her old professor, Remus, with her as she sat across from Headmaster Dumbledore as he watched her with contemplation in his eyes over his half-moon spectacles. Though very different from the man she once knew, Remus was the most familiar and comforting thing she had in the past. His genuine affection for her and his ability to soothe her and make her laugh was very heartening. She appreciated his willingness to accept the bond created by his future self. While vastly different from the wizard she was more familiar with, she could still see the hint of self-hatred and internal bias he held due to his 'furry problem'. She decided that she would just have to teach him to appreciate and value himself a little bit more. She would teach him that he is deserving of love and happiness.
"Miss Granger, Mister Lupin," the Headmaster began, his voice soft and his blue eyes glittering kindly behind his half-moon spectacles as his eyes flickered between the young duo. Hermione lifted her eyes to him and made a small noise to interrupt before he proceeded in his speech. The Headmaster tilted his head in acknowledgment and paused, allowing her to speak.
"It's Lupin now, sir. Hermione Granger is gone." From the corner of her eye, she saw Remus gape in shock from his seat beside her, and she grabbed his hand and squeezed gently. "If I am stuck here, I need a new identity. I am sure that is what this meeting is about – how to hide the truth in plain sight best." Hermione glanced at the Headmaster and continued resolutely, "Remus is my guardian – unorthodox as it may be – and as such, I should take his name." She turned back to face Remus and gave him a genuine smile, "besides, it's an honour to be your family, Remus. Truly." Hermione tried to push her sincerity towards him and felt his hand tremor in hers slightly. She could see him fighting to control his emotions, and did not press him, and patiently waited for him to answer when he was ready. She continued to watch his face as it settled onto a blinding smile that she had never seen the expression on his older counterpart.
"Thank you, Hermione." Those three words held so much sub-text. She knew what her unyielding acceptance meant to him. In the future, he was a man who craved love and acceptance but shied away from anyone who tried to give it to him. She squeezed his hand again before dropping it and turning to face the Headmaster, who had been smiling gently at the pair.
"Well then, Hermione Lupin it is. I would like the three of us to come up with a believable back story. Once that is done, I will have my friend in the Ministry, Unspeakable Markus – he was the one who found you – forge some documents. Being an Unspeakable of his caliber, he has unregulated access to the Ministry and will be able to secure your identity. Let us begin our brainstorming."
They decided on the basics first. Name: Hermione Jane Lupin. Date of Birth: March 1, 1961, keeping her actual age at 16. She had argued to change her date of birth up a year, but Dumbledore had pointed out the Ministry's use of the Trace on underage witches and wizards. She would have to age out of the system like everyone else. Knowing that Remus would be in his seventh year while she completed her sixth caused her to fight back a nervous frown.
"Now, parentage will be the tricky part. You cannot be labeled as Remus's daughter. As you both have doubtlessly concluded, it is logistically impossible." Dumbledore said with a humorous smile. Both teens nodded, but Hermione looked perplexed, not knowing enough about Remus's family tree to try and find a reasonable solution.
"Well, sir, Lupin is not an ancient pureblooded name, perhaps, but it is a far-reaching one. While I am the last of the name in Britain, I know there are branches of the family in Germany and North America, primarily in the United States. I do not know any of these relations, as they are all distant from my branch, but it would not be out of the realm of possibility for Hermione to be some distant cousin of mine." Remus looked pleased with his information, and professor Dumbledore nodded his head enthusiastically.
"Very good, very good. I should think we should use a branch from the Americas. From what little I understand of your family, Remus, many of the Lupin branches have not remained pureblood. Truly pureblood family trees are easily traced, so I suggest creating a half-blood family tree for Hermione. A half-blood father and mother both. Much more difficult to trace and much easier falsified." Hermione nodded slowly in agreement. She was content to allow Remus and Dumbledore to decide on her new parentage.
They came up with the story that Hermione Lupin was the only daughter of Joyce and Nathan Lupin, both half-bloods residing in New York State. Hermione was brought up in the muggle world of Manhattan – this was chosen due to New York and Manhattan being the only place Hermione had ever visited in America on a summer holiday with her parents when she was ten – and she had a foot in both the muggle and magical world in America. Her fake parents were decided to have both worked for the Magical Congress of the United States of America and sadly passed away recently due to a bad case of dragon pox.
Hermione reviewed the story in her head a few times, attempting to find holes. She was sure that she could research enough about American magical and muggle customs to avoid any suspicion. Her one concern was her lack of an American accent. Her life was supposedly exclusive to America, so it would be very suspect if she spoke with her typical British lilt. She voiced the concern, noting that she was horrible at impressions. Dumbledore had smiled at the admission.
"Ah, I had not considered that. Good catch, Miss Lupin. As I am sure that Mr. Lupin is aware of, some potions can alter one's voice. I am sure that I can summon some for now, and we shall get some more brewed for you to permanently adopt an American accent for the time being. Over time you may stop using it, as it is natural to adopt the dialect of one's environment when you are immersed in it." Hermione smirked at Remus's blush at the headmaster's reference to his and Sirius's prank on James's voice.
The trio moved on to Hermione's educational background. She was to say her parents and private tutors taught her until the age of eleven at which point she began attending Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Professor Dumbledore handed the teens various parchments and documents with the school's history and descriptions of their educational system. Hermione quickly reviewed them, knowing she would have to go back and study more in-depth later to ensure she had her facts straight. After reviewing the house descriptions, Hermione felt she would have likely been either a Horned Serpent or a Thunderbird. She chose the latter, feeling that it was the most similar to Gryffindor as it favored adventure. And since entering the wizarding world, her life had become one big adventure.
They moved on to discuss her O.W.L examinations. Hermione explained that she had just completed her last one the day she had traveled back. Remus looked happy and proud when she stated that she had taken ten examinations. Professor Dumbledore heaved a sigh and looked at the girl with apprehension, "I am sorry to do this, Hermione, but since we do not have any record of your education and will be fabricating your records from America, you will have to redo your examinations to continue your education at Hogwarts. I will give you two weeks of revision before I book them for you. As you will need an examination proctor, we will have to arrange them with the Ministry. If you wish to complete all ten, we will have you take them over a week, two per day."
Hermione felt excitement bubble up inside her. She knew that the examinations had minimal changes over the years, so she knew she would be able to do even better than she had initially scored, particularly on her defense O.W.L. She heard Remus chuckle at her apparent enthusiasm for the exams. In her tale of the future the previous day she had mentioned her love for academia and her ambition in her studies.
Professor Dumbledore continued to look from Hermione to Remus. "It is a shame that you are not in the same year. I do hate to separate the pair of you. I fear that Hermione will need support in this new life as she begins to meet more ghosts from her past." The truth of the professor's words hit Hermione hard. He was right. She would be seeing people she knew to be dead. She would be meeting the relatives of her peers. She would be meeting ghosts. And she would be alone, one year below Remus. Then he would graduate, and she would be all alone. The thought brought tears to her eyes and a stricken look to her face.
Remus glanced at the Headmaster and back to Hermione, who had her eyes downcast forlornly. "What if she receives instruction over the summer? You said it yourself, professor, that she will need support. Who better to support her than I? We can instruct her and catch her up on the sixth year and prepare her for her seventh year. It can be done. We can say her instruction at Ilvermorny exceeded our curriculum, and it would be a disservice to keep her in her chronological year." Remus spoke with pleading fervour towards the Headmaster. Hermione held her breath, hopeful that Remus's plea would be enough. She knew it would be difficult, but she had already studied ahead into some of the sixth-year material.
"A good idea to keep the pair of you together. What do you think, Miss Lupin? Are you up for that kind of academic challenge?" Dumbledore asked kindly, looking at her over his spectacles with an evaluating gaze.
"Yes, sir. I am quite academic, you see. I was top of my class and often would study ahead for fun. I think I am up for the challenge."
"Very well. I will organize your O. for one week's time so that you may begin your studies to complete your sixth year over the summer. I will rally the teachers, and if you require, we can bring in tutors if required – I know a great deal of people with specialized merits in our various subjects who owe me favours. Now, I would like to speak to the pair of you about the matters of money and tuition."
Hermione froze. With everything she had to worry about since arriving in 1977, she had not even considered the problem of money. She glanced at Remus, who also looked contrite. "I don't have much, but I will do my best –" he was cut off by the Headmaster.
"You misunderstand me, Mr. Lupin. The Ministry is to provide you with guardianship support – a lump sum of income monthly until Hermione is of age. As you are her legal guardian and have taken her on unexpectedly, there are funds for that. Do not argue," he continued – seeing as Hermione had – that Remus had opened his mouth to speak, "Hermione will need to establish a whole new life here. That is expensive. Now, Miss Lupin, the school does have an orphan fund; however, I feel that you do not qualify. You see, Unspeakable Markus has alerted me to a fund designed for individuals impacted by accidental magical occurrences within the Department of Mysteries. Hush money, if you will. As you fall into this category, and he has executive decision-making authority to grant the fund, he has approved your candidacy. I should be getting the details for you soon." Hermione was surprised but relieved at the news of such a fund. It was the Ministry's fault that she was launched into the past. Their lack of proper security allowed a group of teenagers and Death Eaters to have free rein in their most dangerous department.
The Headmaster continued his speech, "as you are to be posing as an upper-class witch from Manhattan, I do feel that we need to ensure you have the appropriate attire and belongings to fit the part. These funds will allow you to do so and set up comfortably for the future while you establish a home and career. Now, I have a few reports to do regarding our conversation so that Unspeakable Markus can get his documents prepared before you take your O. . I will keep the pair of you in the know, as the kids say these days. Off you go. You should find all the necessary study material has been delivered to your quarters in the hospital wing by the time you return. And drink this," Hermione had not noticed the appearance of a small dusty looking vile. She cringed as she swallowed the red potion. "That should last you a week or so, in which time we will have you stocked with more." Hermione thanked the professor, flinching at the sound of her new American accent, and left the office with Remus in tow.
"Wow, my head feels like it is about to explode." She said, gingerly tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
"That was a lot to take in. But I'm happy you will be in my year, Cub. Everything will work out. Now, let's head down to the kitchen to get something to eat. I'm starving, and most students will be down at the feast."
They walked in comfortable silence as Remus steered her to a large portrait of a bowl of fruit. He reached out one hand and tickled the pear, causing the sizeable ornate frame to swing open, revealing the kitchens. Hermione let out a low whistle. She had never been to the kitchen before. A small house elf wearing a clean tea towel with the Hogwarts crest came to meet them.
"Mister Remus! Nice to see you! What can Tweedy get for you and missy?" Remus smiled down, indulgently at the little elf. Hermione also smiled, her mind trying to justify the elf's work. She had begun to realize that her S.P.E.W efforts the previous year had been misguided; however, she would not stand for poor treatment of the elves.
"Just something for dinner, please. We cannot go to the feast." Within seconds Tweedy had a large spread of food ready for them on the table. They sat down and ate the delicious food as they spoke about the cover story, filling in any holes that they found.
"Why am I here?" Hermione asked suddenly, mentally facepalming herself for her neglect of such an important fact. "My parents just died, and all of a sudden I came overseas and am now in your guardianship. Why?" Remus pursed his lips as he thought.
"Uhm, your parents wanted you to experience another magical culture in the case of their untimely demise, so they found a Lupin branch in Britain, where your mother's family was from originally. As she had no remaining family in Britain, and neither had living relations in America, they chose to find your father's relatives. They put Remus Lupin on their will, thinking of my grandfather, whom I am named after. Since I am of age, the magical contract would have stuck, so you are under my guardianship since my grandfather is deceased. Simple mix-up that resulted in my guardianship over you. I don't think people will nose around too much, but if they do, that should hold up alright." Remus nodded to himself as he thought of the scenario out loud.
"Now, we will have to discuss with Professor Dumbledore about what to tell my parents. I don't think they need the whole truth. Honestly, they can barely cope with my problems. We will figure it out. But I am staying here with you over the summer while you study so I can help tutor you so that it won't be a huge problem. We can send them an owl with an explanation of what is going on. Now that I am of age, they did not expect me to come home for the holiday."
Hermione smiled and nodded. "Alright, that sounds as believable of a scenario as we are going to find. And I know you to be a wonderful teacher, so I am looking forward to learning from you. You always had a knack for making information stick in my time. Almost everyone loved your class, save for some Slytherins who were determined to hate you because the Gryffindors loved you." Hermione noted the flush of colour adorning Remus's cheeks when she had mentioned his future job and admirers. She was determined to break down his barriers and build up his self-worth.
"What about your friends?" Hermione asked after a few minutes of the pair eating silently. Remus looked at her with careful optimism.
"What about them?"
"Well, if the drunken tales of future Remus and Sirius are to be believed, there are no secrets between you boys. And I know Sirius in the future, I know I can trust him. I know James sacrificed himself to Lord Voldemort to save his wife and child, so he must have good morals. Plus, he fathered the most loyal boy on this planet, so that has got to count for something. And Peter, well, you know my experience with him. But I want to save him. Perhaps I can scare him from swaying to the dark side? From what you and Sirius told Harry; you do not think he began to falter until after graduation."
"Are you saying that we can tell them?"
Hermione nodded slowly. She wanted to tell the others. Maybe not everything all at once, but portions that could change their paths. "Yes, I think so with some precautions. They need to make a magical oath of secrecy not to tell anyone else. That way, I am protected from the information getting into the wrong hands. Perhaps we could use the fidelius charm on the information as a fail-safe measure."
Remus jumped out of his chair and wrapped his arms around Hermione in noticeable relief. "Oh, thank you! It has been killing me, not telling them. And Sirius, who doesn't even know much, is going barmy keeping things from James. There are still a few days before the train. Should we tell them before they leave?" Hermione was enjoying seeing Remus so unguarded. So youthful and excited. At times it was easy to forget he was not the Remus she knew, as he still had that serious aura about him. She could not help but giggle slightly.
"I suppose I will let you decide what you think is best. They are your friends."
"They will be your friends too, Cub. I promise you will love them." Remus looked at the clock in the corner of the kitchen. "I think we should get you back to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey is probably having a cow that you have not been in bed since eleven." Hermione and Remus finished the last few bites of their meal and made sure to thank Tweedy for dinner thoroughly.
The little house elf blushed and kicked her toes into the ground, abashed by the praise.
After they left the kitchen to make their way back to the hospital wing, Remus laughed. "Keep that up, and Tweedy will adore you more than Sirius. He's her favorite." Hermione looked momentarily surprised, remembering the last time she had seen Sirius with a house elf. He had always been dreadful to Kreacher. But Hermione knew that she needed to leave her past in the future. She does not know any of these individuals as they are now. She needs to make new assumptions about them based on their characteristics in the present.
As they made their way back to the hospital wing, they passed by a few students who had left the Great Hall. Some of the younger students, perhaps third or fourth years, were scurrying about with books before their faces, looking stressed about their last few lingering exams. Hermione smiled kindly at them. Her smile was wiped from her face when she came nose to nose with the prat who had been harassing her in the hospital wing earlier that morning as she turned a corner. She was thankful that she had not spoken to him; her sudden change of accent would have been an issue.
"Well, well. If it isn't the mysterious Hospital Girl. Don't you clean up nicely?" The leering tone made Hermione uncomfortable. The dress that Madame Pomfrey had given her was not her usual style. It was not immodest or inappropriate; however, it did cling tightly to her upper body, flaring out slightly at her ribs. A ribbon tied around her waist, extenuating her curves slightly.
"Back off, Rookwood. I have already warned you off today." Remus said in a low, clearly threatening tone. Hermione took in his attire. As classes were over, he was not wearing his school robes. However, it was clear from his manner of dress that he came from money. Based on that and the entitled way he carried himself that reminded her so greatly of Draco Malfoy, she guessed that he was a Slytherin and likely pureblooded.
"I think the little lady can decide for herself. Can't you, darling. How about you ditch Shabby, and I'll give you a more thorough tour of the castle." Hermione rolled her eyes boldly at the boy. Beside her, Remus had lengthened to his full and impressive height, and his hand rested menacingly on his wand. He curled his lip in disgust at the other boy, and Hermione could see his blue eyes turning cold as ice as he glared menacingly. In Hermione's opinion, he looked quite intimidating, and she was surprised that the other boy continued to stand his ground. He was clearly a pompous idiot.
"No thanks," Hermione said, her voice still feeling wrong as it tumbled out with her new American accent. "I'd much rather my cousin show me around. And besides, I do recall you contemplating my blood status earlier in the hospital wing. How very rude of you." Hermione did her best to come off as confident and uncaring. She felt Remus relax slightly beside her and saw the boy splutter.
"You, ah, I didn't…"
Hermione took no pity. "You did not make lewd insinuations about me towards Remus? Did you not say, and I quote, 'I bet her blood is as dirty as the ground I walk on if she didn't recognize who I am. Any decent pureblooded witch should know me on sight'? You are utterly repulsive. I pity any woman that stumbles across your path. Let's go, Remus." Hermione turned away from the now livid Pureblood.
"You little bitch!" Hermione stopped in her tracks and turned around. Remus now had his wand pointing at the Rookwood, and what looked like a stinging jinx hit the other boy causing him to yelp before doubling down on his glaring. Hermione let her fingers rest casually on her own wand in its holster.
"Pardon?"
"I called you a bitch, you filthy mudblood!" Rookwood was now holding his wand, pointing it at Hermione and Remus. Hermione let her head fall back and laughed. It surprised her that this Slytherin bully was much bolder than even Draco Malfoy in her time. Her laughter seemed to phase both boys, but Remus continued to keep his cold gaze on Rookwood while he spluttered at her outburst.
"Oh, you idiot," Hermione managed between chortles of laughter, "honestly. First, I am a half-blood, so that insult does not have merit to cause me any damage. Second, childish schoolyard bullying does not phase me. Third, the next time you attempt to insult me, I will hex you so badly that your grandchildren will feel the after-effects. Now, hurry along back to your hole."
Hermione was usually not this aggressive, but she knew that she was about to receive a lot of attention at Hogwarts and wanted people to learn not to mess around with her. She did not want to depend on Remus for protection. This Slytherin seemed to be a lot bolder than many she attended school with. He had continued the confrontation even though a small crowd had assembled, watching the interaction.
Feeling slightly embarrassed about the spectators, Hermione bit her lip and turned once again to walk away from the Slytherin when she heard two spells being fired. Remus's a mere moment after Rookwood had uttered his hex. Hermione managed to sidestep out of the way and felt anger bubble inside her. How dare he attempt to curse her while her back was turned? What this dolt did not know was that Harry Potter had trained Hermione in dueling and that at sixteen – mere days ago – she had faced off with Death Eaters. The boys were glaring at each other, Rookwood rubbing his chest with a slight grimace from the second stinging hex he had been hit with. Hermione decided to end this fight before Remus did something he would regret. She could hear a faint snarling coming from him, and his entire tall frame seemed to be vibrating with rage. He indeed was an intimidating sight to behold. She could see him gearing up to shoot another hex; however, she decided to finish her own battle and placed her hand on his arm.
While Rookwood's attention was diverted towards Remus, she shot a jinx at the Slytherin that forced his legs to begin a jig-like dance. Then she hit him with one of Ginny's famous Bat Bogy hexes. The effect was instantaneous and horrifying. Students all around shrieked as bats flew out of the boy's nose and into the corridor while he continued his forced dance. Remus began laughing. The boy was swearing and groaning in pain as bat after bat erupted from his nose, and his legs kicked wildly in all directions. Hermione smiled slightly.
"I hope you learned a few things today," she directed at Rookwood as she turned, now for the third time, to walk away. As soon as she had turned, however, she smacked right into a hard chest and stumbled back. Her balance was corrected by the individual as he had quickly reached out and gently grabbed her upper arms to steady her. She lifted her eyes to apologize, and brown met grey as she locked eyes with the young version of Sirius Black.
She could not stop her mind from reeling in surprise. Holy hell was younger Sirius attractive.
Author's Note: Please review! I have really appreciated the kind comments I have gotten while I have been away from writing. It is inspiring and uplifting. I hope everyone stays safe and healthy.
Side note, while on maternity leave, I have discovered TikTok. And there is a content creator who cosplays Sirius Black, and he is now my version of cannon. I cannot unsee how perfect he is for the casting of a young Sirius. His handle is ashvalmont if anyone wants to take a look!