Changes Can Be Made
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Harry Potter hahaha! XD :D
A/N: I finally uploaded! OMG! XD lol… sorry it took a while… I'm not free very often and I honestly keep forgetting to continue writing! OMG! I NEED TO SET REMINDERS ON MY PHONE MORE! :D hahaha anyway, I tried to make this long like the last few chapters but I also wanted to get the story moving a bit faster. Please leave your comments and feedback about the story so far and the pace it has been taking since around about chapter 25 to now coz my first 24 chapters were quite slow sorry. Just tell me what you like or dislike about it and I'll definitely take it into consideration ;) Also, if you want, please feel free to PM with any suggestions, feedbacks, or comments. :)
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Chapter 29: Slowly Unraveling
Sirius awoke with a start as someone, James Potter, shook him hard. "I'm up, I'm up," he growled. By the looks of the dim light and the crisp air that breathed through the window it was about 4 a.m. The moon was just about gone and the golden light of the sun peeked over the horizon. 'It's time…' he nodded to the boys. They dressed quickly and quietly, using the Marauders Map to navigate stealthily out of the dorms and school. In their animagus form, they crept to the Whomping Willow, swiftly knocking the knot of the tree and entering soundlessly. Once inside, they shifted back into their original forms.
"Moony?" Peter called. They moved silently, carefully and quickly through the Shrieking Shack towards the room they left Remus in. They were always careful the next morning, sometimes Remus still wasn't in his right mind and ends up trying to attack the boys. It was only natural for them to only retrieve him when his werewolf aftershocks are out of his system. "Moony?" the smallest boy called again. There was a groan and cough in response along with a hoarse "Wormtail…"
The three boys hurried in the room to clothe and retrieve the hurt marauder. When Sirius stepped inside he was in shock. He could never get used to the sight of Remus after a full moon. He was a chained up, sliced up, mutilated form of the former collected, smart-ass Marauder. Claw marks on his shoulders, thighs and back seeped with blood as the depth of his wounds sank into Sirius. Moving to help James and Peter, Sirius began to undo the chains that kept the poor boy captive. It hurt to watch Remus' tired, sore body collapse almost lifelessly on the dust covered floor of the shack. Nodding a silent order to James, the said wizard shifted into his animagus form while Sirius and Peter carefully mounted Remus' wounded body onto James' back. Slowly, so Remus would not be further hurt, the Marauders made their way back to Hogwarts and to the medical wing. There they were met with Professor Dumbledore and a couple of Hogwarts' nurses.
"Place him in the back over there," one of the nurses directed the boys as she hurried to prepare all the medicine and ointments Remus would need. The were-boy groaned in pain as his friends gently placed him on the mattress. James changed back into his original head boy self and went with the other two boys to meet with Professor Dumbledore.
"How long will he be here, Professor?" James inquired.
Dumbledore smiled warmly at the boys' worry, "The medicine that Madame Pomphrey has concocted is fast acting. Since he only has his scratch marks to worry about, he'll be out before dinner."
"Thank you Professor. We'll come by after classes," Sirius sighed. "Stay strong, Moony," he whispered.
"Come on boys, the girls are probably having breakfast," Peter chimed trying to improve the melancholic atmosphere.
'At least there's still some happiness in this morning,' smiled Sirius, 'Hermione Grace…'
They headed to the grand hall, when James stated quite thoughtfully, "Hey guys… what do you think happened with the map?"
"What do you mean?" Peter cocked his head, clearly not following James' train of thought.
"Yeah, I have to agree with Wormtail on this. Nothing's wrong with the map," Sirius laughed out.
"No, I saw it again this morning when we were leaving the dorms."
"Saw what, Prongs?" Sirius sighed exasperated by James' random thoughts.
"Her name," James furrowed his brows visibly uncomfortable to bring it up, "It was Hermione Granger, not Grace. The map doesn't lie."
"So…" Peter began.
"You mean, you suspect Hermione isn't who she says she is?" Sirius questioned. Tensing protectively, ready to defend Hermione against his lifelong pals; however, he couldn't deny that it was only right to suspect her. The map – their map – never lies and always uses the identities of people no matter what they appear to be or say they are. It uses the name on their birth records, so either Hermione wasn't who she said she was or there was just something up with the map. Sirius stayed silent as they walked. Thinking deeply about the situation and not paying any mind to the concerned stares of the other two boys.
"Padfoot?" Peter cautiously called. "We're at the hall…"
Releasing a pent up sigh, he came to a decision. "First, let's talk this over with Moony when he's better and then just confirm this whole name thing with Hermione. I trust her; she'll tell us the truth." The said girl was currently giggling away with their favourite red head.
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Hermione woke with a start. Sweat drenched her nightgown as images of the events since Bill's wedding rattled her mind. A shiver ran through her body as the crisp 5 a.m. air blew over her heaving, sweaty body. Goosebumps scattered on her bare arms as she got out of bed. Silently, she packed her toiletries and uniform and headed to the Gryffindor female showers to wash the evidence of her nightmare away. Once ready, she made her way to the Gryffindor commons only to be met with a lively face. "Morning, Lil~!" she chirped.
"Good morning to you too, Mi."
The girls linked arms and began their early morning ritual: gossip and joke while going to the grand hall to chow on a hearty breakfast.
Hermione glanced around the nearly empty hall. It was only about 5 a.m. so it wasn't surprising when Hermione noticed that only a handful of witches and wizards were up and about grabbing breakfast at this hour. It was actually quite peaceful. It was mornings like these she loved. Quiet mornings with friends to keep her company, a hot chocolate sweet on her tongue and toast drenched in honey to top it off. These were the harmonic mornings where she could find a moment away from the stresses of boys, school and… her own personal mission. Glancing back to her pretty friend, she started a conversation about the wonders of early mornings. They conversed to seemingly no end until the entrance of three rowdy boys.
"Good morning lovelies," greeted James. "An incredibly beautiful sight for this beautiful morning," he specifically greeted Lily taking the empty space beside her as if it was naturally reserved for him… only him.
"Good morning," both girls responded. However, Lily's greeting was shrouded by a bashful blush. The sight of the future couple made Hermione's smile widen as she followed the loving gazes from one to the other. 'So perfect,' she commented to herself as she continued to watch their loving display – whether Lily knew it or not – the red head looked already head-over-heels for the Potter boy.
"Morning Lily and Hermione," smiled the adorable meek Marauder.
"Morning Peter," the girls smiled.
"Ah! Mione! Good morning, my sweet," Sirius joyfully greeted her and swiftly took her hand giving her sweet pecks on both her palm and on her knuckles. The romantic gesture sent her heart into a rapid marathon, beating so fast she couldn't follow its rhythm any longer. She was stunned, stunned by the fact that she liked what Sirius did… she adored the greeting. She stared at him, blushing brightly for all to see.
"Mi? Mi, are you ok?" a concerned Evans interrupted Hermione's moment.
"Ah what?"
"You were kind of out of it for a bit," explained Lily.
Shaken by her own actions, Hermione glanced around her. Peter, James and Lily were looking at her as if there was something wrong with her. The heat in her cheeks only intensified when her eyes met the gorgeous indigo eyes of Sirius. His lips forming a self-appreciative smirk, 'Oh my merlin, Hermione! Now look what you've done! He knows what that greeting just made you feel…' she growled angrily at herself. 'Way to go, Granger… nice…' she thought sarcastically. Mortified and irritated, she shoved Sirius in the chest, an indication to the boy to wipe that smirk off his face, and she squeaked out a "thanks for the company, but now I have to go" and ran out saying something about getting some fresh air "alone" she emphasized.
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Sirius was left with Lily, James and Peter, all slightly dumbfounded by Hermione's incredibly fast exit.
"So…" James broke the silence, "what just happened?"
Everyone broke out into fits of laughter. "She probably just got embarrassed because of a certain someone, right Sirius?" Lily smirked at him.
The Black boy shrugged, "It was only a simple greeting her."
"With a couple of kisses to the hand?" Peter questioned the boys intentions of a 'simple' greeting.
"Oh come on, I had to. She's so cute when she blushes and amazingly entertaining to tease," he defended.
"You like her so much don't you?" Lily said gently.
Sirius paused for a moment, 'So much? Well, I guess as much as…' "As much as James likes you." Lily's cheeks lit up bright red.
"You do?!" James exclaimed. "So you love Hermione?"
"L-L-Love? Not that serious!" Sirius stuttered, pink blooming and spreading throughout his cheeks to the tips of his ears. 'Right?'
"What?! W-Why l-love?!" Lily reddened.
"If he really means as much as me, then he doesn't just like Hermione, he'd love her because I love you," he answered so innocently as if it was the most natural thing in the world, as if it was a fact that he was just relaying to her.
"I-I-I d-don't know…" Sirius' cheeks exploding with a brighter more vibrant red.
"Merlin's beard," Peter gasped, "Sirius Black? Blushing? History has happened today… The beginning of a new era in our Casanova's life has just begun," he joked.
"Shut it, Wormtail," he snapped as he shovelled spoonful after spoonful of cereal into his mouth. His companions laughed at this new side of the wizard.
"But it's just so surprising," Lily commented.
"Yeah, but we can't forget about our little discussion before," James reminded the boys.
This clearly piqued Lily's attention. "What are you guys talking about?"
"Nothing," Sirius quickly interjected. They needed to discuss with Remus first before talking to Hermione. They needn't be including other people just yet in their conquest for the truth of Hermione's name. Sirius also didn't want Hermione to feel she had no one to trust or turn to due to suspicions. Shooting a look at the other two Marauders, they gave a curt nod as if understanding where the boy was coming from, though he highly doubted that. He just felt relieved that they trusted him so fully that they would follow this silent request.
"If it's something a head boy should not be part of, you will tell me now," Lily growled.
"Don't worry, lovely Lily, it's all good," James cooed, which ended up with him getting an eye roll from the head girl and a demand to give her more room on the bench. Looking like a puppy that just got told off, he obediently moved.
"Doesn't matter if you tell me or not, I guess, just be careful."
The three promised and continued with eating the delicious food spread before them. Though they continued with nonsensical conversations, Sirius' mind was solely focused on the sweet Hermione. 'Where'd she go off to?'
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After a full five minutes of cooling down from her emotional embarrassment, Hermione ended up wandering the castle aimlessly. She still had an hour or so before classes begin. In the end, she ended up wanting to see Dumbledore about the Horcruxes. This early in the morning, she wasn't sure whether she should head to his study or not. Still, she travelled to Dumbledore's private staircase and made her way to his office. When she had arrived, she knocked on the hardwood door, but when no response came Hermione twisted the knob just opening the door enough to peek inside. No Dumbledore could be found from the crack in the door. Defeated, she ended up returning down the staircase with no idea of how to find him. It was then that she noticed the knot in her joints. Clearly she was stressing herself out too much. Sighing and stretching, relieving her body of its knots, she spied a friendly-looking painting of a young woman in a rose garden just enjoying the scenery. An idea came to her, 'Maybe the paintings know, or have at least seen him…' "Um… excuse me?"
The woman in the painting quickly noticed Hermione and gave her a sweet smile, "Yes?"
"Hi, um… I was just wondering if you knew where Professor Dumbledore is? Have you seen him this morning?"
"Oh, Albus? He went down the corridor there," she pointed to the corridor leading to the medical wing.
"Why the medical wing?" she asked aloud.
Although she was questioning herself, she got a response from the painting instead, "Probably he needed to discuss with that old nurse again… It's normal for him to visit the med wing every now and then."
Then it hit her, 'Of course! Remus!' Giving a quick thanks to the pretty painting, Hermione sped down the corridor. Her destination: med wing to check on Remus. The med wing was the same. Not a single vile of putrid ointment or potion misplaced. 'Just as it always was,' she smiled cheekily to herself. It wasn't difficult to find were Remus was resting. His bed was the farthest from the entrance surrounded by the uniform white curtain separating him from any unwanted students in the peaceful hospital. She spotted Dumbledore's form near Remus' curtain. Deep in discussion with a nurse, Hermione silently crept towards the headmaster. She stopped at a respectful distance from the old wizard and patiently waited for his attention, her fingers itching to pull the curtain back a bit just to see how Remus was doing, but of course she refrained from doing anything that would upset the headmaster.
She didn't have to wait long before Professor Dumbledore dismissed the nurse and turned to greet her with his usually calm smile. "Good morning, my dear. You're here to see Mr. Lupin I presume," his smile becoming much more playful but nonetheless warmer than the sun itself.
Smiling weakly, "Yes, Professor. How is he? How long will he be here for?"
"Compared to some previous moons, his wounds aren't as bad. The ointments are working efficiently, so he should be out of here by the end of today's classes. He'll be good as new by dinner," he soothed the worrying witch. "I'll leave you to it, child." With a pat to her shoulder, he whispered secretively, "We will discuss the Horcruxes another time."
Standing firmly in place, she stared at the pristine white curtain as she listened to the retreating footsteps become more distant as the seconds flew by. Afraid to see the wounds that haunted her dreams last night being reflected on the kind boy, she couldn't bring herself to move. 'Come on, Hermione. You've seen worse… plus, Dumbledore said it wasn't as bad as previous times and the medicines are working fast… Remus needs your support right now.' Taking a deep breath, she willed her body to brush passed the curtains to the injured boy behind them.
The space behind the curtain was a lot larger than she had estimated. It was big enough for the bed and some visitors, but seemed small enough to be seen as extra space. It was inconspicuous enough to never to give away the fact that it was ever used to hide the recovery of a werewolf wizard. Moving her attention to the resting said werewolf wizard, she gasped as she took in his wounds. Tears pricked her eyes threatening to spill forth while she registered the many class marks that lined various parts of his arms, chest, abdomen, neck and face. No doubt there were more on his back. Sniffling in an attempt to keep her tears at bay, she crossed the space stand by his bedside. The hurt in her heart at seeing his wounded self, she could now clearly see his furrowed brows that creased with the visible pain he was suffering. Sweat ran down his temples, falling for gravity's pull. His breathing was harsh. Groans of agony flew passed his parted chapped lips following the hasty pants of pain that escaped him. His suffering suffocated her heart, gripping her tightly.
Determined to do something, anything to relieve at least some of the pain, she left the curtain and looked for the same nurse Dumbledore had conversed with when she arrived. "Excuse me?" she called gently.
The middle-aged nurse, turned and offered Hermione a friendly smile, "Yes, dear? Are you done seeing your friend?"
"Ah, um, no, I came to just ask for a bowl of cool water and a gentle cloth for him actually," she confessed.
The nurse's smile grew, "Dumbledore thought you might do something like this for Mr. Lupin, I have it prepared over there," she pointed to a glass bowl with a white cloth as soft as a kitten's fur.
"Dumbledore said?"
"Yes, he told me that you, Miss Granger might need it for your werewolf friend," she winked.
'H-How does she know?' Stunned, Hermione stared shocked at the nurse.
"Sweetie, I've been looking after Remus since he came to this school. Dumbledore only entrusted a small handful of faculty with your secret and has entrusted only me with both your secret and Remus' secret. Don't worry, sweetheart, the both of you are safe," the nurse assured Hermione.
"Thank you," Hermione's heartfelt gratitude could be sensed in every syllable of those simple two words. Before the nurse turned away, Hermione had to ask, "Miss Nurse, what's your name?"
"Oh deary me, I completely forgot to introduce myself! Where are my manners?" she laughed at her own forgetfulness. "I'm Mrs. Millpom. Now get going, sweetie," she winked.
'What a lovely but peculiar nurse,' Hermione giggled. It surprised Hermione how much the nurse reminded her of her own mother, her mother who was probably just meeting her father right about now. Picking up the simple glass bowl filled with water and – by the unique honeycomb scent wafting from the transparent liquid – an ointment of some sort, she quickly but carefully scurried back to the sleeping Remus.
She placed the bowl on the empty bedside table and wet the soft cloth. The liquid was cool, soothing and relaxing on her fingertips. The brief coolness of the liquid suddenly turned warm, spreading warmth through Hermione's hand as if she held a tiny sun ray in her hand. The warmth imitated her mother's loving kiss on knee when she had scraped it at six years old, or mimicked the feeling of her father's comforting hug during her first heartbreak at twelve. Breathing deeply, she realized that the ointment must have been the potion to ease pain. It helps in relieving emotional and physical pains for a short time, 'just enough time to allow the medicine in Remus to heal his wounds painlessly.' Gently, Hermione began to softly dab the damp cloth over his wounds, beginning with the marks reaching from beneath his right eye that ended just under his jaw. A breath of pleased relief puffed from his lips, his brows relaxing. Smiling silently, Hermione continued on; her task far from finished.
Half an hour passed quickly, but for Hermione it seemed as if the time stretched over to hours. She was shaken by the numerous painful wounds Remus had. After applying the ointment though, the wounds seemed more bearable for the young werewolf wizard. Colour returned to his cheeks and his breathing seemed less labored. Gently Hermione took another clean towel from cupboard that was available in Remus' little space. Dabbing away the sweat of pain he experienced moments ago, she didn't realize Remus' eyes cracked open. "Herrrrrrmiiii…one…" a gentle voice rasped out.
Her dabbing immediately ceased. She stared at hooded, delirious brown eyes. He looked very unfocused, 'He's still suffering…' she thought sadly. Gently, she smiled sweetly and brushed his head trying to soothe him, "Shhh…" she hushed him back to sleep.
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Remus felt literally torn up. He vaguely remembered various moments during his return to Hogwarts that morning: being carried by something furry, early morning dew peppered on the grass in the fields outside the Hogwarts castle walls and hushed voices in a room. However the most prominent thing he was aware of was the pain.
His body felt hot, shredded and throbbed with the most immense pain he encountered after a full moon. Agony twisted in his gut, his head, his neck, his heart. He couldn't take it… He wanted more than anything in the world for someone to stop the pain. A warm sensation ran over his skin; the softest touch and the sweetest scent mixed with great relief as the pain subsided, ebbed away by – what felt like – petals caressing his wounds. He imagined his mother's touch soothing his wounds, whizzing through the air on his broom stick with the marauders and sitting by a crackling fire in the Gryffindor commons on Christmas night. For the first time in ages, he felt… peace.
His mind wandered vaguely, foggy from the tranquility and soothing that flowed through him, where did this relief come from? Pushing passed his personal cloud nine, he tried to wake up. Still too tired to reach complete consciousness, he managed to slightly raise his heavy eyelids. "Herrrrrrmiiii…one…" he croaked out.
A gentle smile graced her beautiful face as her soft hand brushed over his forehead and hair, "Shhhh…." She hushed effectively lulling him back to his slumber. Placing him back into a dreamless sleep, one where – although he'd have no dream – he'd feel no pain and recover with the help of the ointment.
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After returning the ointment and the materials, Hermione thought it best to leave him alone to rest and get to class. It wasn't long until she arrived to Advanced Charms where she was greeted by a sweet sight: James with his winning smile massaging Lily's soft hand while she lectured him about Hogsmeade weekend. Absentmindedly, he placed a sweet, lingering kiss to the back of her hand quickly lighting a blush in the head girl's cheeks. Hermione smiled gently as she admired the soon-to-be couple.
"If only you could look like that at someone else," a knee-buckling voice resounded behind her.
Smirking coyly, "Good morning to you too, Reg. And who is this person you're referring to?"
"Who knows?" he tossed back at her as he passed her and strutted to their seats. "Come on angel."
For some reason, Regulus just had a mysterious effect on her. Seated she turned her attention to the dashing Slytherin, "Where did you go last night?"
"For a little fresh air."
"Like the air in the courtyard wasn't fresh enough?" she scoffed at his ambiguity.
Frowning ever so slightly, "I was just out for a stroll… there's nothing to be concerned about…"
The message was received. "Fine," she sighed out.
After the awkward silence passed, the two returned to their comfortable conversations about the lesson, their hobbies and the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend. Regulus was surprisingly interested in her plans; where she'd be interested to go and what things she'd like to do took up a lot of her attention as she had to constantly feign ignorance about Hogsmeade, pretending to be unimaginably surprised and interested at every fact that the young Black would bring up. 'You've never been there, you've never been there…' she constantly chanted inside. By the end of the class, she was exhausted… mentally. But again, she had to pretend, had to place her everything-is-ok-I-am-just-peachy mask on.
"See you around, angel."
"Goodbye, Reg," she giggled as if she wasn't mentally tense from the conversation.
"Miss Grace," a voice of authority called, demanding the attention of the tired witch.
"Head girl," Hermione answered, whipping her head around to meet a smirking redhead.
"That's pretty much the first time I have ever seen the composed Hermione Grace look on the verge of a mental breakdown," she wasn't even trying to cover up how entertaining it was for her.
"Huh? You were?" a terribly confused Potter piped in.
"Of course she was!" Lily snapped. "All it takes is one glance and you know she was stressing out."
Sighing in defeat, "How could you tell?"
"Mi, I'm the perceptive Gryffindor head girl. Nothing gets passed me." One glance at Hermione could tell anyone, even James Potter, that the witch didn't believe it for a moment. "…And I'm your best friend. I know you like the back of my hand. One twitch of your smile and eyes tell me your stressed, and from the amount of twitching your face was doing, you're stress volcano had surely blown its top. So, what was it about?"
"Hogsmeade…" she grumbled.
"Argh!" Lily threw her hands up, "Boys never let up, do they?" she jabbed her thumb at the trailing Potter.
"Ah! My heart! Oh, the pain."
Laughing at his mockery of pain, Lily shoved him playfully away, "Get to class you."
Smiling so self-satisfied, "Of course, see you later beautiful." He walked to class with a visible spring in his step.
Hermione looked between a blushing Lily and the retreating figure of James. "So… You two seem to be getting… um… closer?" hiding her broad smirk in her heart.
"Oh… we're… ah… we're… okay… I guess."
"Aha… sure," the sarcasm clearly heard, since Lily flashed her a 'quiet-you' look. "Come on, let's get to Transfiguration."
Smirking at an opportunity for revenge, "Eager to see a certain Black, are you? Wasn't class with Regulus Black enough?"
"Alright! Enough with boys, let's just get to class."
Laughing heartily, it wasn't long until they were already seated in Transfiguration.
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'I didn't even get to talk to her very much at breakfast…' a fairly upset Sirius Black trudged through the halls, dejected about not seeing Hermione since she stormed off that morning. 'Where had she gone?' When he arrived the familiar sound of sweet laughter filled his mind. 'At least this class will be much better.' Making his way to the girls, he occupied the nearest seat to Hermione. "And where did you go off to this morning, Miss Hermione?" a playful smile playing on his lips.
"Nowhere concerning you, Mister Sirius Black," a serious 'do-not-mess-with-me' look passed over her face. Perhaps she was not over the 'simple' greeting from this morning.
"So cold…" he pouted, hoping to look like a wounded pup to get her to soften up a bit. She didn't fall for it, as expected; she simply ignored the pining puppy near her and continued her conversation with the Gryffindor head girl.
"Oh, hey Sirius, how's Remus? Will he be coming to class today?" Lily asked innocently.
"He'll probably make it to dinner, but he's still feeling under the weather this morning. So, I don't think he'll make it for his classes." The slight gloomy expression that flashed on Hermione's features did not go unnoticed by Sirius.
It was odd that she didn't show concern but instead expressed – very briefly – pain and sadness. As if she had already expected him not to come, as if she knew he was in tremendous pain. It only added to the list of suspicion in his mind. 'Mione… What do you know and how do you know it? Who are you really, Hermione?'
His mind was in chaos. Distressed by having to doubt and be suspicious of her. He watched her from the corner of his eye. Seeing her looks so happy, friendly, kind all while laughing with Lily made his suspicions of her lying about who she was almost a joke. She seemed to be so good, the person he'd least expect to be hiding something from them, deceiving them… Maybe that was just it. She was the least person to expect anything negative from which made her even more suspicious with the more information he and the other marauders learn about her. Her nightmares, the fact that she had her arms always covered, her name on the map, her knowing looks about things she should not know anything about and her mysterious disappearances sometimes. His sudden quiet demeanor didn't change over the rest of the class.
When it was time to leave for lunch, the two Gryffindor witches came over to him, concern evident on their faces. Neither said anything, the girls were clearly unsure of how to engage in a conversation with this silent Sirius they've never encountered before. Pushing aside his own concerns, he flashed them his killer smile, "Who's up for lunch?" Giggling they agreed to the call of their stomachs, walking happily to their favourite part of the day.
Lunch was quite normal. James flirted with Lily, Lily scolded James, Peter talked with Lily about Arithmancy and poked fun at James' ineffective efforts at wooing Lily. The scene before him was one he thoroughly enjoyed; one where everyone was just having fun without the stresses of the day getting to them. For his part, Sirius avoided thinking about his doubts and put great effort into teasing the interesting witch. Hermione had many angry flushed outbursts before swiftly finishing her spaghetti and spring off to the library with Lily.
Once the girls were out of earshot, Sirius spoke up, "Boys, meet me in the infirmary after class. We need to talk."
"You found something about Hermione?" James asked rather seriously. His seriousness was very uncharacteristic for him.
"Not exactly…"
Peter added in, "Then something that adds to our suspicions?"
Frowning down at his empty plate, Sirius felt the guilt of doubt chew at his heart, "Perhaps."
The rest of the day passed in a blur. Sirius wasn't paying any attention to the lessons, his mind too preoccupied with Hermione – and not in the way many would think. Questions bobbed about in his hazy mind. Questions about her that were left unanswered. Theories formed amongst the questions. Maybe she was in a sort of witness protection program, or maybe she had run away from her home, or perchance she just made a story to seem more interesting. The last theory was the most farfetched one for him. It was still a possibility, but to Sirius it was too shallow for someone as kind and selfless as Hermione to use as motive for any instance of deceiving them. The more he pondered on the subject, the more depressed he got. He stayed in this perpetual state of misery until he finally reached the doors to the infirmary. 'Time for the Marauders meeting.'
By the time he reached Remus' curtain, he already knew that he was the last to arrive. Laughter and voices emanated from the opposite side of the thin divider, causing the usually silent, tranquil infirmary to be most likely the noisiest place in the castle – minus the great hall. Smiling with pride, Sirius pushed aside the meager fabric and ducked into Remus' little medical alcove. "Hello boys."
"Took you long enough, Padfoot," Peter smiled over to him.
"Moony, you're looking way better," he commented.
Giving himself a one-over, he replied sadly, "Yeah, well I could be better."
"Alrighty lads, let's get down to business," James cheered.
"Quietly, Prongs, quietly," Remus reminded the boy of their current location.
"Right, so here's the thing: we think there's something not right with Miss Hermione Grace," James began.
"What brought this on?" Remus looked mildly shocked and confused. Sirius could tell he had great faith and trust in the witch. They all did. That is what made this discussion all the more hurtful.
"Well," Peter began to explain on the behalf of the group, "do you remember her name on the map?"
"Yes… It said 'Granger', Hermione Granger."
"That coupled with her nightmares, peculiar behavior and her mysterious disappearances during meals and other times of the day," Sirius finished.
"Well, she's gone through a lot," Remus considered.
"And…" Sirius bit his lip as they all look to him. Having to actually relay what was in his head burned his heart. "And… I've been thinking about this… Hermione, she… well, she acts quite… differently."
They all looked at him strangely, as if he had suddenly began losing his mind. Sighing, he continued, "First, nobody has ever seen her without something covering her arms. Second, we know nothing about her past except what she has told us about, thus leading to her nightmares and the names of people we don't know. Third, she has a very dangerous temperament against the Slytherins. I mean, I hate them, but, for most of them, she despises them beyond words. Fourth, she disappears every now and then, like when we had our first DADA duel, she was missing before class, and for the past month she has been suddenly leaving for some reason. I even saw her leaving Dumbledore's staircase two weeks ago. And this morning, she ran off without a proper explanation and didn't tell me where she went when I asked earlier today."
"Maybe that's because you pissed her off?" Peter interrupted.
"Sounds plausible," Remus commented.
"Sod off you two. I'm serious," he snapped.
"Sorry, go on, padfoot."
"Lastly, sometimes when you tell her something, she has this unexpected look."
"What do you mean 'unexpected' look?" James piped in.
"It's as if she knew it already… Like today… Lily asked about Moony."
Silent alarms sounded in Remus' head, it was clear to Sirius when Remus suddenly tensed and straightened his back, alerted to the information.
"About how Moony was," he continued.
Remus relaxed. "And? What happened?"
"Well, I explained that you still weren't feeling well and while Lily was expressing concern, Hermione didn't look at all what you'd expect."
"Sympathetic? Empathetic? Pouting?" James offered.
"No, she looked… sad… the sort of deep sorrow of seeing someone get hurt in front of you minus the surprise or shock of an attack. She looked like she had at least seen or experienced your pain, Moony. And it got me thinking, how she would know you weren't sick but in pain. Why would she look like that not sympathetic or concerned like others?"
Remus cleared his throat, cutting into Sirius' idea. "I think I have an answer."
"What?" Sirius' attention was directed specifically to Remus.
"She came here this morning, I saw her. Well, I think I saw her… I was still quite out-of-it due to the wounds and the healing process and ointment, but I swear she was right here applying the ointment on my wounds."
"That would explain where she was this morning…" Peter seriously considered Remus' information.
"But why would she even know you were here? Why would the nurses let her see you?" James' brows knitted in great worry.
Something was definitely fishy about Hermione.
"Well, if our suspicions are correct," Remus looked intensely at the group, "then Hermione is hiding something."
"Then the Hermione Grace we know is deceiving us…" Peter swallowed loudly.
"We need to find out who she is," Sirius looked gravely at the boys, his heart stinging, "We need to know who Hermione really is… Who Hermione Granger is and what she's up to…"
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A/N: Chapter 30 is in the works, it will be uploaded asap. I apologize for the super super long wait… Thesis has me preoccupied lately. Luckily, I have a week break for my summer vacation before I start my OJT. Thank you so much for the support and I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter. I tried to make it longer and paced a little faster but I feel like I'm not really doing a good job of that… Please do send me your comments so I can improve this for you guys. Thanks again guys! You are the best! 3