Chapter Eleven: A Promise Kept
Hermione opened her eyes. Glancing around, she felt her breath catch in her throat. She was the only one left in the common room. She picked herself up, walking over to the table in the corner where Harry and Ron played wizards chess. Picking up a copy of the Daily Prophet, she let out a soft cry when she noticed the date. May 24th, 1996.
For months, she had been looking forward to this day, and now that it had arrived, she stood there, wishing that it was just a dream. How could she have found love and lost it so quickly?
There was a noise on the stairway across the room, and Hermione looked up. Harry, Ron, Seamus, and Dean hurried out, arguing heatedly about a Quidditch match between the Cannons and another team Hermione hadn't heard of. They all stopped when they realized she was standing there. Hermione was certain she could see tears in the eyes of two of the boys as they rushed at her, knocking her off her feet.
When she could breathe again, Hermione sat up and looked at her two best friends. They seemed at a loss for words, and she could understand why. She had been missing for exactly six months that day. It seems like yesterday, she thought sadly.
Everyone sat in silence for a moment, allowing her arrival to truly sink in. Harry was the first to speak.
"Where have you been, 'mione?"
Hermione sighed, looking up at him. "Here. I was here the whole time, only not at this time. I was at Hogwarts in the past. The nineteen-seventies to be exact."
Harry seemed to think about this for a second, then his face lit up. "You must have seen my parents!"
Hermione nodded, a pained expression in her eyes that neither of the boys seemed to notice. "Yes, I knew your parents. They befriended me when I had no one else. Your father was one of the first people I met when I found myself back in that time. They were so young and full of life, all of them."
All she wanted to do was find them again and throw herself into their arms, any of them, but it wasn't to be. James and Lily were dead. Sirius was dead. Peter was a follower of Voldemort. That just left... Remus. Does he remember me, she wondered. Or has twenty years taken the memories of what we shared away from him. She didn't quite understand how the new memories would be incorporated into his mind. Would it be like they were always there, or would he remember a time without me as well? Her mind pondered all these questions while Harry and Ron waited patiently for more of the tale.
"Listen. It's been a difficult few months, and as much as I missed you two, I think I need time alone to just sit and think." And with that, Hermione stood and hurried off to the fifth year girls' dormitories while Harry and Ron watched her go.
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Hermione threw herself upon her bed, not noticing the thick layer of dust that rose around her. She had waited for this, and now she wished it wasn't true. She thought, for a moment, that she could will herself back to him, but she knew it was to no avail. The choice had been hers, and she had made it. Was it the right one, she wondered.
He truly loved her, of that she was sure. How else could he have done what he did, without ever once taking his feelings into consideration. Was it possible that he could love her even now? Would things ever be able to work out now that he was, once again, twenty years her senior? She knew that she would make it work, no matter what, for he had awakened feelings in her that she had not known existed. The question was, would he be able to look at her the same way now that she was so young in comparison to him?
She had no way to be certain, but she would find out soon. The term was almost over, and soon she would find herself at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, and in the presence of one, Remus J. Lupin.
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Author's Note: I'm sorry this chapter is so short. I doubt this is what many of you were expecting, but I swear it will all work out in the end. I'm also sorry that this took so long compared to my other updates. I was busy moving all of my things into my new place, so I had little time for writing.
I would like to thank everyone for the reviews. Let me just respond to a few:
Angelic delirium - The intention was, in fact, to confuse you. Cliffhangers tend to be my specialty. I actually do have the whole story mapped out in front of me as I'm writing it. I realized that it tends to work out better than just rambling on without a set plot.
Rane2920072 - Eh, sometimes the future needs screwing up. But in this case, she did go back to her own time.
Captain Oblivious - As of now, I'm anticipating about four or five more chapters, but that could change. I'm already planning out a sequel though, so you'll get plenty of Remus/Hermione shippy goodness from me.