Title: Anachronistic
Authors: Muse Calliope
Category: Angst/Drama
Rated: PG-13
Summary: Due to tragic circumstances, Hermione decides to go back to the past. She knows it's dangerous but now she's extremely desperate. She knows there are some serious repercussions but they can't be as bad as things are now…
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
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"Solitude is dangerous to reason, without being favorable to virtue… Remember that the solitary mortal is certainly luxurious, probably superstitious, and possibly mad."
- Dr. Samuel Johnson
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Chapter Six: Love Is In The Air And I Have Allergies
Just like any other day, Lily walked out of the girls' dormitory with her best friends, Charlotte and Amelia. Also accompanying them this time was Hermione Granger, chatting softly with Lily about the pros and cons of the policy of prohibiting the use of magic by underage wizards outside of school. Just like any other day, the girls walked out of the common room and headed for the Great Hall. And just like any other day, a boy in his mid-teens with raven black hair and mischievous hazel eyes approached Lily. But, unlike all those other days, said boy smiled charmingly before conjuring a bouquet of lilies. This action not only surprised the girls and the Marauders, but many other students waiting to enter the Hall.
"Lily Evans, would you please accept these lilies. Though they are not as beautiful as you are, it's the best I can do," he spoke with a genuine smile that Lily felt unused to after years of seeing nothing but smirks.
Expecting her to take the flowers and thank him, he held them out eagerly. But instead Lily blinked. She blinked once, twice, three times. Clearing his throat and trying again (maybe she just did not hear him properly), he did a dramatic bow. "Miss Lily Evans, I conjured these flowers for you. Please take them as a sign of my love for you."
Cautiously, Lily took the flowers, not sure whether to thank her admirer or check for hexes. They look just like any other lily flowers found in florists' shops. However these lilies came from the hands of the infamous James Potter. After a tense moment, in which Lily held the blossoms as though they were a ticking time bomb, she realized that nothing had happened to her. Looking up into Potter's eager eyes, she smiled uncertainly.
"Er, thank you Potter – I mean James." Finding herself urged on by his approving smile and nodding head, she continued more determinedly. "This is very… uh… nice of you. Let's just hope that I'm not allergic to your lilies."
Appeased by Lily's comments, James nodded and smiled keenly, not noting her wary eyes or the suspicion laced into her last comment.
He continued to nod and smile while she stood with the flowers in her hands, feeling the awkwardness of the situation increase. The red head looked at her friends for advice or possibly a rescue attempt; otherwise she was not sure how she would escape her admirer. Usually by this point, Potter would have made a rude comment, she would get angry, Charlotte would jump to her defense, and they would all argue before the two groups of sixth year Gryffindors split up and left in a huff.
Thanking his lucky stars for getting this far, James scratched his head, casting about in his mind for a new topic of conversation that Lily would enjoy. Did she like games? Quidditch, perhaps? No, she thought it was a waste of time. Well, she was prefect so maybe something related to school? What subject did she like again? Oh yes – Charms.
"Did you enjoy the lesson on switching charms last week?"
Lily could not believe her ears, nor, she thought she heard, could many of her nearby classmates. James Potter was going beyond being civil and attempting intelligent conversation with her. He was trying to talk instead of… of his normal tactics. This was a monumental occasion. Privately, Lily thought he had finally begun to grow up.
"Yes, I, er, rather enjoyed the lesson. The charm was quite easy."
A loud snort of derision was heard coming from Charlotte's vicinity. Rolling her eyes skyward, she turned and began tugging at Amelia's arm to go to breakfast. Amelia, however, waved her off, wanting to see what would happen next. The dark haired girl huffed before leaving for the Great Hall sulking.
"How did you like the charm?" Lily asked, feeling almost hopeful that this was not another prank.
"I… I enjoyed it a lot too. At first I didn't understand the theory but now it's easy." James searched his mind for any information on switching charm, but he came up blank. Then, he remembered that he was in the back of the classroom planning a prank with Sirius on Slytherins and had not paid attention to the day's lesson. James briefly wondered how Lily could think of Charms as fun. Sometimes, he just did not understand girls. Mentally, he shook his head.
"Oh? And what part gave you trouble?"
"The… uh… the part where we had to banish the kitten and call up the mitten?"
"But we worked on silverware sets during the entire lesson. There were no kittens or mittens." Lily wore a baffled expression on her face.
This time Hermione snorted in amusement. She could easily see what James was trying to do and it made her want to laugh out loud at his idiocy. But she controlled herself, and taking Amelia and Charlotte's elbows gently, she steered the other Gryffindor girls towards the Great Hall. She had seen all that she needed to and if they did not move quicker they were going to be late for breakfast. Over her shoulder, Hermione noticed Remus prodding the others to follow.
Judging by the bemused look that Lily gave him, James understood that his guess at what happened during class was wildly off. Furrowing his brow, he tried to move the conversation to a safer topic, one where he would not look like a fool.
While James was deep in thought, Lily noticed the absence of her friends. She immediately knew that the conversation should end. Even though the raven haired teenager was a Gryffindor, she still did not trust him when they were alone in a corridor. He was James Potter after all, the notorious Marauder.
"Oh look, they left without us. How inconsiderate of them. I should go." She walked off quickly, without waiting for a reply. "It was nice talking to you Pot- James, and the flowers are beautiful. Have a nice day." Her voice echoed in the halls.
The Gryffindor stood there for a second, dumbfounded. Lily Evans had just thanked him. And she said she liked talking to him. A knowing smirk spread across on his handsome features, and he whispered delightedly, "Sirius, prepare to lose."
James Potter walked towards the Great Hall, whistling merrily.
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When Lily entered the Hall and took her normal seat with her friends, she found Amelia daydreaming once again, Hermione with her nose buried in another book, and Charlotte with a dark look on her face. She had an idea of why her best friends looked upset and decided to remain nonchalant, hoping the whole thing could be ignored until they forgot about it.
While Lily buttered her toast, Charlotte sent her shifty looks. While she poured herself some juice, Charlotte fidgeted in her seat. Things did not seem to be settling down, but rather escalating. She should have known; Charlotte was never one to hide her feelings. Setting down her toast delicately, Lily stared down at her plate and waited. Confronting Charlotte with her own feelings never worked. One had to wait until she was ready to let it out when she felt she had to. Luckily that never took long.
Just as Lily thought that she had gotten away cleanly and decided to try for a sip of her juice, did her friends decide she was ready to 'talk'.
"What in Merlin's name were you thinking of when you accepted those flowers? Did you even think at all?"
Lily's hand shook in surprise and some juice spilled onto her lap. Frowning, she grabbed a napkin and began dapping at her robes.
"I was thinking that it was the polite thing to do."
"Well maybe you didn't think about it enough. Otherwise you would have realized just who gave you those flowers."
"I fully realized who it was. Don't think I've forgotten everything James Potter has done to us." Lily's tone was clipped, her patience for Charlotte quickly running out. After all, to not like someone was one thing, and to despise that person with a never ending passion was another.
"Really? Because back there it seemed like you had completely forgotten and became another sniveling idiot by his side!"
"Don't be ridiculous Charlotte. I was not. He may be an insensitive jerk but if he's trying to behave better then even you should forgive him." The red head replied calmly. She could tell they were almost at the end of this little tiff. Charlotte only had a few more scathing comments left in her, most likely.
"And what, erase the past five years? In case you've forgotten, this is Potter we're talking about. The same bloody arse that played pranks on us a million times! You're supposed to hate Potter."
"Charlotte, I don't hate anyone and I don't want to. Not Potter, not the Slytherins, not even Professor Letenzi. And neither should you."
Charlotte could not believe what she was hearing from her best friend. She could understand not judging a whole group of Slytherins based on a few, but this. This was about a person who had repeatedly proved himself to be the most egotistical, arrogant, ignorant person at Hogwarts: James Potter.
The brunette ground her teeth together in frustration. She hated it when Lily took the high, moral way. Mainly because it always lead her to lose their arguments. Looking for someone else to vent her ire, Charlotte turned to the other girls. Neither one seemed to take any notice.
Amelia had finished her breakfast and was now reading her romance novel, a piece of trash in Charlotte's opinion. As for the ever mysterious Hermione, she was also deeply fascinated with some ancient book, one that probably had a great magical worth but was a complete bore.
"Well, you two? What do you have to say?" She asked the girls, impatiently.
Amelia looked up and smiled her friend. "It's Lily's turn to win the argument. You won the last one, remember?" She returned to her book, but not before sneaking a longing look at the bouquet in question.
Moving her gaze to Hermione, Charlotte's eye's narrowed in suspicion. She had a feeling the girl would take Lily's side. She was right, of course. Hermione, who had been focusing half her attention on the squabble, returned her gaze to the book and spoke calmly.
"I think, Charlotte, that you should let Lily live her own life. James Potter might seem very arrogant, but people change. If he is willingly to change for Lily, I think we should all give him a chance. It shows how much he cares for her." Or at least Hermione hoped he would change enough for Lily to like him. Harry's life currently depended on it.
Turning away from the pair of bookworms, Charlotte once more directed her angry gaze at the red headed Gryffindor, who was at the other end of the table, checking up on the first years, like she did for the first two weeks of every new school year.
The Gryffindor watched her best friend for a little while before turning back to her meal. She sighed, knowing the others were right. It wasn't Lily's fault that James Potter was an ass, or that he liked her, or that he was an ass while he liked her.
When Lily had returned, they smiled tentatively at each other before Charlotte spoke.
"I'm sorry. For, you know, before."
"It's alright. I understand why you would get upset." Lily simply glanced at the Marauder in question, then back at the flowers, and started eating. "If you like, I'll get rid of the flowers."
"No, there's no need. I'm pretty sure by now that he had good intentions. This time."
While the Gryffindor six years were talking amongst themselves, the rest of the school was watching the owl post. When the last of the birds had delivered their packages and left, people returned to their food. However, a loud hoot made everyone look up once more.
In flew a gorgeous snowy owl, with feathers so fair, it put Hedwig to shame, and with soft amber eyes. A light pink, almost white, letter was clutched in its claws, while it held a blood red rose in its mouth.
Slightly intrigued as to the recipient of the rose and what was undoubtedly a love letter, Hermione followed the owl with her eyes. It flew up around the Hall once before gracefully gliding over each table, beginning with the end of the Slytherin table. It moved over the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables with about as much interest, only slowing down once it reached the Gryffindor table.
By the time the owl had passed the fourth years, she was almost certain the gifts were for Lily. But to her immense surprise, it flew right over the red head and landed elegantly in front of her. The bird gave her an intense look, before bowing its head slightly and placing the rose in front of her. Attached to the flower was a small tag addressed to her, signed 'Your Secret Admirer'.
Perhaps she was being a little paranoid, but Hermione could have sworn that the entire assembly in the Great Hall was watching her. Nervously, Hermione looked at the rose before reaching for the letter. The creature, however, seemed to have a different idea of what should happen to the letter. It hopped backward, away from her hands, and took off.
The snowy beauty sailed towards the middle of the Great Hall, and, once it reached its destination, its talons dropped the pink letter. As it fell delicately, the note opened itself. Immediately, the Hall was full of the sounds of soft music. Soon after the opening notes, an equally soft voice began to sing.
"I wanna walk with you
On a cloudy day
In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high
So won't you try to come
Come away with me and we'll kiss
On a mountain top
Come away with me
And I'll never stop loving you
I wanna wake up with the rain
Falling on a tin roof
While I'm safe there in your arms
So all I ask is for you
To come away with me in the night
Come away with me…" (1)
As the music stopped, the letter drifted on the floor soundlessly and disappeared in a puff of white smoke. Suddenly, the Great Hall broke out in whispers. Several students from all four houses kept glancing at the new girl, Hermione Granger.
If she had taken a look at the Head table she would have noticed all the curious looks the Professors were giving her. But she did not care about that at the moment. Hermione did not pay any attention to the gossip currently circling about her. Nor, did she answer any questions that Lily, Amelia and Charlotte had been asking her continuously since the owl had landed in front of her. She did not see anything beyond the red rose, clutched tightly in her hand. She was having another flashback.
It was so long ago, but it was an important recollection, so she kept it crystal clear in her memory. It was the day when Ron asked her to be his girlfriend. And it had been Valentine's Day.
Unlike any other Valentine's Day, the school was not filled with hearts of every color this year. No Cupids were seen, nor was the color pink found in abundance anywhere (unless one sneaked a look at Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil). No songs or poems were exchanged; the school was feeling too gloomy for any of that. Students lived in fear because of the constant attacks. They feared for their parents, their friends and their relatives. No one bothered with the celebration of Valentine's Day, except for one: Ronald Weasley.
It took Ron more than three years to gather up the courage, but it was definitely worth waiting for.
It was a very calm morning. Ron, Harry and Hermione walked into the Great Hall. They sat down and began eating breakfast in silence. Their childhood was been slowly being taken from them, Hermione could feel it in her bones, and replaced with sorrow, fear and guilt. Not that certain member of the trio had much of childhood anyway, mused Hermione.
As soon as she had finished her meal, Hermione took out her notebook, and began to translate some of the ancient texts Professor Dumbledore had given her. With the war raging on in the wizarding world, the Order was short of staff, and extra help was always needed, especially in the time-consuming area of research. The books Hermione was working on consisted of many complicated spells, which were theorized to have some affect on weakening or negating the Unforgivables.
Hermione tried to get a jump start on her work but was unable to concentrate. Looking up from her books without moving her head, she noticed that Ron was fidgeting uncontrollable this morning. With her head down and her hair obscuring her face, Hermione was able to watch her two friends without being noticed.
Every so often Harry would jab Ron in his side with his elbow before nodding in Hermione's direction with a significant look. Ron then nodded before returning to prodding his breakfast unenthusiastically. A few minutes later, Harry would jab him again, and the cycle repeated itself.
Figuring that Ron had lost one of the books she had lent him to complete his Herbology homework and was to afraid to tell, she rolled her eyes and focused on her notes once more. But before she could even finish the first sentence, Ron placed one of his big hands on the text and pulled it out of her grasp.
Gryffindor's brightest mind looked up and met surprisingly open blue ones. He smiled at her in a very un-Ron-ish way. If he had lost her book, why would he be smiling at her? Perplexed, Hermione looked at Harry for help, but evidently, he was greatly amused by her confusion. Rising from the table, he gave her a wink and patted Ron on the shoulder reassuringly, already heading off to the Head table, possibly to have another chat with Professor Dumbledore.
Slightly irritated, Hermione returned her gaze to the red head with a look that clearly said: explain now! Laying her books aside carefully, Ron picked up her hand while avoiding her eyes. When Hermione raised an eyebrow, he blushed and hastily dropped it. Finally, he cleared his throat loudly and settled his gaze to a point above her left shoulder.
"Uh… Hermione? I've wanted to ask you for ages… but I, ah, never had the courage to. And… um… I haven't forgotten that today is Valentine's Day, even though the rest of the school seems to. And the thing is… well… I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, but I want you to know before it is too late."
Taking another deep breath, he spoke quickly, as if he did not want to consider what he was actually saying. "I like you a lot. Not I like you in the best mate way, but something more. Can you- Will you be my girlfriend?" The question sounded more like a mumble, but Hermione understood nonetheless and smiled.
Ron, however, had closed his eyes and screwed up his face, as if expecting a slap from her. She smiled once more. Ever since she had slapped Malfoy, the boys had been wary of her right hook.
Taking his large hands with her petite ones, she waited for him to look at her again. Ron opened his eyes slowly and looked at her with a confused expression. Before he opened his mouth to speak, Hermione cut him off.
"Ron, I like you too…" she whispered.
"Really?" he asked hopefully. She could not help but smile. He seemed so adorable at that moment.
"Yes and not I like you in the best mate way," she answered teasingly.
A look of relief passed over the red head's face. He sagged a little bit and sighed as the tension left his body. Then he looked up and gave her a smile so bright, she was taken back for a second. She never remembered anyone smiling at her like that. Slowly, Ron began to rub her hands with his thumb in a circular motion.
Hermione did not know what came over her to make her do something so bold, but she guessed it was her Gryffindor coming out; it did that periodically. Leaning in, she placed a small, chaste kiss on Ron's lips. While it was quick, it was also only the second kiss she had in her life. She wanted to show and reassure him that she felt the same way.
Meeting each other's eyes, Hermione felt a warmth flood her. In his eyes, she saw love, friendship, joy, determination, faith, life and hope. She saw all the facets of life that Voldemort was trying to take away. It was in that moment that she began to believe in hope once again. It was in that moment that she finally discovered something to fight Voldemort with: love. It was in that moment that she saw a future for all of them.
But that future was gone now. Even if her mission was a complete success, none of the members of the trio would be the same people they once were. Reality had stolen what faith had temporarily given back to her.
Hermione blinked away the tears that had formed in her eyes and inspected her surroundings. Noticing that she was the focus of three worried glances, she smiled weakly and waved them off. While the other two relaxed and returned to their breakfast, Lily looked even more determined. Hermione recognized the look as one she had used often. It meant they were going to have a serious chat once classes were over and they were alone.
Once again hearing the constant chatter between other students, her eyes traveled from one table to another, until they stopped at the Marauders. Did they do this? With a watchful eye, she observed the behavior of each boy. James seems to be irritated, but Sirius still carried that same handsome smirk. Did I just say handsome?
Shaking her head slightly to clear her mind, she continued. Sirius was handsome and as an outsider she could say that without being like those crushing Hufflepuffs.
Moving on, she was shocked to meet an equally intense gaze from Remus Lupin. His usually light amber eyes are now dark, full of thought, yet expressionless and closed off from the rest of the world at the same time. Unable to stay focused under such intensity, Hermione broke the stare, and turned to Lily.
"I need some fresh air. I'll see you all in Charms later." With a last wave, she left the noisy Great Hall.
Lost in her own thoughts, Hermione wandered aimlessly around the halls. After about ten minutes, she found her self in front the giant oak door that led to the Charms classroom. Pushing it open, she found that she was the first one to arrive. Quickly sitting somewhere in the back, she was once again preoccupied with her thoughts.
She was interrupted once again. Irritated, she looked up and found herself starring at Sirius Black. Her mood suddenly changed to amusement when Sirius sat down next to her.
She stared at him like he was crazy, choosing to sit next to her and not James. Raising an eye brow, she asked impassively, "Are you sure you're sitting in the right place?"
"Of course I'm sitting in the right place." Sirius smirked at the new girl's question. "Why, who wouldn't want to sit next to a flower such as you?" He expected her to blush, and maybe even add a thank you. But far from it, she looked up into his eyes in shock, in guilt; in so many emotions that he could not even begin to place.
Hermione turned away swiftly. She tried hard to keep an emotionless face, even though her heart was reacting erratically. The tingling sensation up her spine was soon replaced by misty thoughts of the old Sirius.
To see Sirius back again, alive and healthy, made her eyes water. He would never know how much she would give for a hug, or a chance to tell him how much everyone missed him. She wanted to tell him how much Harry needed him, and just how important he really was to the Order. She wanted him to tell her how much she had changed, like an uncle she had not seen for a long time. She wanted those familiar yet distant eyes to look at her with recognition.
All that she wanted, however, this Sirius could not give. This was not her Sirius. The man that experienced war, stress, depression, grief, betrayal, and death was no more. This was a soul she was determined to keep untainted by the worst of life. He was a Marauder, nothing more, and definitely not a notorious murderer. He is not the man I knew, she emphasized in her mind over and over.
That particular class was one of the most awkward lessons she ever remembered having. Throughout the entire period, she tried her best to ignore him while to keep her emotions stable. That was not an easy job. The infamous boy tried so many advances on Hermione that she was almost ready to volunteer herself as a guinea pig for Flitwick to use to demonstrate the charms on the class. He did not seem to understand that if she did not respond to his arrogant smirks or compliments on her beauty, then he would not get a better reaction if he tried flirting or touching her hand under the table.
Though the task was extremely difficult, Hermione managed to keep her distance by reminding herself who exactly this was. Not trusting her teenage hormones, however, she sped out of the class as soon as the professor announced that the lesson was over.
Why was he acting this way towards her? Was he really interested in her? No, no, no… She moaned miserably in her mind. He could not be interested in her! That was just not right. He was Harry's godfather after all. He simply did not know what he was doing. I refuse to think this way about Sirius. Sirius is just Sirius. Nothing else.
Finally making up her mind to not press the subject with herself, she allowed the other girls to catch up with her and walk her to her next class.
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The entire day turned out to be a disaster for Hermione. Girls from all different years and Houses stopped her in the hallways to ask about the love letter. Even more students questioned her about the seating arrangements in Charms (which the rumor mill seemed to find out about and spread to the rest of the school), and about the most wanted bachelor in Hogwarts.
By the end of the day, she had a terrible headache. The constant arguing between Lily and Charlotte also did not help the problems. While it was a daily occurrence between the two and done in a completely friendly manner, that did not change the fact that they were very loud whenever they did it.
Hermione needed peace. She needed time alone. This definitely called for a walk. Normally, when she needed solitude, she would head for the library but she knew it would be full of people who would dive at the opportunity to speak to her about her admirer.
Right after dinner, Hermione sneaked out of the Great Hall, not noticing the shadow that followed her. Once outside, she took a big breath and inhaled the refreshingly cold air. Setting off at a brisk pace, she headed towards the spot that Harry had shown her and Ron.
She walked toward the lake near the Forbidden Forest, striding across the familiar grassy fields, where she would lay for hours just observing the sky. Inhaling deeply, she once more let the fresh oxygen flow through her lungs. Sitting by the large rock where she, Ron and Harry would always have picnics, she looked up at the sky.
Harry loved this place. Mainly because, nearby there was an old tree (one that was thankfully calm, unlike the Whomping Willow) where James had carved "JP & LE" inside a heart into the bark of the tree. The carving still remained in Hermione's time, though she suspected that was only due to a charm on the wood.
She stared at the lake with a blank face, feeling herself relax with each rhythmic beat of the waves on the shore. Returning her gaze to the sky, she noticed the reds, purples, oranges, pinks, yellows, all reassuring colors of the sunset spread across the sky in tangles. They interlaced with each other, creating colors and images that showed how the sky had survived through anger, war, blood, and Turning points in history.
The fixedness of the stars, how they never changed despite what happened down on Earth, left her feeling her own insignificance in comparison to the universe. She began to doubt herself once again. With a wry smile, she realized that she had been doing that a lot recently. But that did not stop her from thinking.
I am but one person that was born during the unfortunate time period. There are thousands of people that lost their families, friends, and everything they once knew. Who am I to be bitter about the workings of universe? She mused sadly, feeling her mood sink once more.
True, the war had left her as a lost girl, feeling like a victim. But that was not the full truth, was it? The true victims were those who never had a choice but got caught in the cross fire.
She, on the other hand, knew what she was getting into and fully accepted it at the time the war had begun. While she could have easily fled and lived her life as a Muggle in a foreign country, she had decided to stay and fight for her loved ones and future generations of children born with the gift.
It was times like these that Hermione missed her parents the most. She could talk with them about these things and they could always make her feel better, whether it was with a ridiculously serious scientific explanation or with a simple hug and a kiss. Thinking back to her childhood, Hermione remembered how her mother could never do anything for a long period of time without humming.
Perhaps the love song had left her in a musical mood, or it was something else, but Hermione suddenly felt the need to sing out and fill the darkness that had surrounded her since the sunset had finished. Hermione thought back to a song she had heard the last time she visited her home for the summer, and began to sing, with a voice that mirrored the generally horrible feeling within her.
"One less call to answer
Feeling full of despair
Don't think I can get through it
Just one last prayer
And it's a leap of faith
When you believe
There's someone out there
It's a leap of faith
When you believe that
Someone cares, oh
And when I call out to you
Will you be right there
Right there." (2)
She exhaled sharply as tears threatened her visage once more. Casting one more look at the sky, she turned around to walk back to the castle. It was then she found that she was not alone. There right before her eyes, her old professor, her old mentor, her old friend stood. Remus Lupin was a man she had admired greatly almost ever since she figured out his secret.
With an almost sympathetic look, Remus walked toward the vulnerable girl, and offered her his cloak. She had not even realized how cold she was until the pointed bestowing of the cloak made her notice her own shivering body against the night air.
Possibly it was Remus's generous smile, or perhaps it was the bond of trust that they had formed in the future, but whatever it was caused Hermione to accept the piece of clothing. As she wrapped it around her shoulders, she inhaled deeply, remembering that soft, welcoming smell that was a part of Remus. Some researchers believed that the scent given off by a werewolf contained endorphines, which increased a person's the feeling of contentment and tranquility (3). At the moment, Hermione may have believed them, for nothing else could explain what she was feeling now. Then again, Hermione mused, it could just be the fact that she was with good old Remus, whom she could trust and who understood her better than most adults she knew, and she was just overanalyzing the situation.
As he offered her his arm, she smiled slightly and closed the space between them with a hug. It was not a hug full of passion like a lovers' embrace, nor of sibling affection, but a hug of understanding and comfort.
Though Remus did not understand why Hermione was crying, he was determined to help, comfort and befriend this mysterious yet beautiful young lady. His mind was telling him to be suspicious but his gut said that she was safe, and over the years, his gut had saved him from several sticky situations. Squashing the doubt in his mind, he offered her his arm once again, and this time she smiled even brighter.
Hermione pulled back and looked at Remus with a thankful smile, showing how much she appreciated the hug through her tear stained eyes. Silently they walked back to the school. Words were not exchanged throughout the entire affair, but they both enjoyed the comfortable silence and the sounds of nature at night.
For the first time since Hermione's arrival, she did not feel a desire to return home as soon as possible. It was something within Remus and within all of this Hogwarts that made her feel peaceful, and simply happy to just be here, an emotion lost to Hermione. She looked once more at Remus, and smiled inwardly to herself. A friendship was developing between the two of them, she felt. This was going to be a great friendship; a friendship that differed from the friendship that she shared with the girls. This one was not going to be based the mentor-student relationship like previously, but one of equals. This was a kind of friendship that was the most satisfying to have and lasted the longest, she was certain.
As the pair trekked back to the castle looming before them, Hermione spoke. "Thank you, Remus."
"For what?"
"For helping me pick up the pieces of my puzzle."
"Your puzzle?"
"Yes. All the pieces are in a jumbled mess and it will take a long time to put them back together but I don't mind. I have all of them now and I don't have to worry about it anymore."
Remus gave her a confused look, but she looked steadfastly ahead, and smiled contently.
End Chapter Six. To be continued.
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Authors' Notes:
(1) The song is "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones but in that imaginary realm where all things are possible (where Sirius is not dead and chocolate grows on trees), it is an original poem written by Sirius to woo Hermione.
(2) This song is "A Leap Of Faith" by Michelle Branch. Once again we come back to the imaginary realm and pretend that the time of the release of the song does correspond with the time Hermione went home for the summer for the last time.
(3) For further information on this theory, read the story "Civilized" by samvimes. The theory is the intellectual property of samvimes and we lay no claims to it. It was just too interesting a read (in Amelia's opinion) to not spread the word about. Go to the Astronomy Tower at fictionalley.org to check it out.
Once again, we know we're late but…there's not much to do about that. School has to come first. Otherwise we'd get in trouble and couldn't go on the computer at all. At least this time it's a pretty long chapter.
Finally, Amelia's sister made a cake (Mmmm, German chocolate) but she nicked it to hand out to all the lovely reviewers:
Captain Oblivious – At this rate you'll never get those chocolate stains out of your clothes. Thanks for the review, you loffly person, you!
Rane2920072 – Sirius is not a totally jackass. But you have to admit when he was younger he had a huge ego. Don't worry though. We'll soften him down a bit towards the end. In the mean time – chocolate!
Magic Crystal Rose – Well, it'll take a while to get there but yeah, so do we.
poetrychik – Well, lucky for you because that's exactly what's going to happen.
panda girl18181 – Of course there will be ships! And just a hint: Hermione going to date more than one Marauder. But don't tell anyone. It'll be our little secret. Wink, wink.
MaisjetadoreSiriusNoir – Oh my, with all the twitching and gargling, you sound like you have rabies. Have some chocolate dearie, just like Remus would have you do, and you'll feel all better! And thanks, for the comment on the characterization. We tried really hard to keep them original but within the confines that JKR set.
MaisjetadoreSiriusNoir – You, dear, are the best reviewer we know of. And one of the most humorous. We hope you'll continue to read and spot all our cock ups.
Existence – Ahhhh, you sexy biatch! We love you!
Tara-Yo – On the contrary, it might just end up being the opposite. We haven't decided exactly whether Hermione's going back to the future or not. Any suggestions?
carosu – Major thankies!
Rana Eressea – Thank you so much. Amelia says your story rocks too, way better than ours. And yes, it will be ship but we're not going to go out and say it. You have to figure it out for yourself. And by the way, you have a beautiful name. Totally love it. What does it mean and where does it come from?
Mother Confessor – Much heartfelt thanks. People come for the story but stay for the free food afterwards.
Syron13 – Those boys definitely don't know. Even if some of them are jackasses (to use Rane2920072's word) they're still adorable and loveable. Except, for Peter. We're kind of apathetic about him. And Remus is going to slowly lose his suspicion as he gets to know her better. That is until…duh duh dah. Stay tuned.
By now, if you haven't figured it out, you should know that Amelia is obsessed with all things chocolate. For bribe purposes, you should she can't resist it for too long. From now on, it'll be your secret weapon against all evil author actions, like the use of cliffhangers.