My Definition of Love

Chapter 4... Living Memories

By: Mikairi

Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful world that JKR has amazingly created... Harry Potter, of course, belongs solely to her and this story is nonprofit.

The Black Market, anyone? :D lol I couldn't resist...

"James Potter!" A voice hissed out.

"What?" The boy asked, feigning innocence.

Hermione sat up, trying to focus more clearly on her surroundings. Her stomach dropped as she recognized Lily's soft voice and red hair. For one comforting moment she had thought that perhaps she had fallen asleep in her room at Grimmauld Place and that she had seen Harry grinning over her, trying to wake her. But no it was James, Harry's father. Although it was such an easy mistake to think James was Harry, the resemblance was uncanny, but Hermione noticed some differences that set them apart. For one, James's eyes were deep brown, and he did not have a scar of any sort on his forehead, and he had a habitual tendency to rumple up his hair under Lily's piercing gaze. Even with the glasses Hermione thought he was quite handsome, just like his son. Hermione faked a sleepy yawn to disguise her disappointed and frustrated tears.

"I'm sorry for my boyfriend's rudeness." Lily said to Hermione, her gaze still locked on James. "Tact doesn't seem to run in his family."

Hermione's lower lip began to tremble ever so slightly, her throat burned as did her eyes. No... This was all so wrong-why, why, were Harry's parents standing before her, only seventeen years old? Before she had fallen asleep, it had felt too unreal to completely comprehend. Now that she knew that she was truly awake and that this was truly reality, maybe not hers, but it was reality, she felt the antagonizing wave of hysteria that was beginning to take hold of her, quickening her breath and closing her throat. She had always had the weakness of panicking in difficult and dangerous situations, though in the last few years she had improved greatly. Hermione was very clever and when her mind was fairly clear of fear, for you could never really rid of all of it, she was a force to be reckoned with. But now, everything felt so unreal her brain felt blank and misty, no brilliant plans manifested in her mind, no quick explanations, no faked smile or forced calm as she met James Potter for the first time.

Not that they noticed her silent break down, they were still bickering, and not looking at her. Hermione realized that she had completely tuned out what they were saying.

"But Lily, darling, I'm Head Boy and it's my job to welcome the new transfer student." James replied, his eyes shining and a smirk playing at his lips.

Lily rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling, "You're such a git.

James wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek, "I know, but at least I'm a damn good looking one."

Lily pushed him away playfully and turned her attention back to Hermione, who was yawning hugely again.

"Sorry about waking you." James said to Hermione. Hermione only nodded numbly at his apology. She needed to leave, she didn't belong in this compartment, on this train, in this time. And yet here she was.

She averted their eyes as she got to her shaking feet. For a moment she wasn't sure if her knees would give or not, she begged they wouldn't. She couldn't be trapped in a compartment with two ghostly memories.

She shoved the door aside and bolted down the corridors, allowing hot tears to stream down her cheeks.

"Hey! Wait!" Hermione heard someone call out from behind her. But she didn't stop. Where could she go now? She just wanted to vanish off this train...

If only she could've apparated from the Black House to Hogsmeade, damn those wards, she thought, and those same kind of wards stopped her now from apparating.

She was now facing the door that led to the small platform off the back of the train. Surely they wouldn't try to find her? She noticed a narrow door just to her left, she slid it back and stepped inside. It was a very small compartment that only held one cushioned bench. Although it had a large window like the other compartments, there were mops and brooms hanging from the walls, this was an extra compartment, used for storage, she realized, no one would come looking for her in here. She flopped down on the dusty and tattered cushions and watched as the drizzle outside steadily fell, until it was torrential, and the window fogged over.

Hermione felt herself beginning to relax, she needed to keep her wits about her. She had time traveled before, just not quite in this way. Even if Dumbledore couldn't send her back, the Ministry would probably be able to, she thought. She remembered the Time Room in the Department of Mysteries, surely a matter of traveling twenty years in the future was not too much of a problem?

She pulled her photo album out and turned the pages. Being alone, on the Hogwarts Express and watching the familiar greenish blur of the trees passing, with memories of her friends almost made her feel at home.

When night fell and she could no longer make out Ron and Harry's grinning faces, she tucked the album safely away in her pocket. She stood and slowly pushed the door aside, she was hungry, perhaps the food trolley was nearby? The halls were dark and empty save for two dark shadows who were talking in hushed tones, well, except for one.

"Best bloody prank on the planet, where the hell is James!" The voice exclaimed.

Hermione slid the door until it was open only a crack. The shadow that was speaking so animatedly was Sirius Black. She recognized his voice right away, although now it sounded light and mirthful, not bitter and heartless as she had heard it this morning.

The slightly shorter silhouette shook his head, "Sirius, what did you have to drink to think up something like that?" The voice was vaguely familiar, it was a boy's voice, only a little softer than Sirius's.

The two stepped into a pool of light that came from a gently burning candle and Hermione was able to see Sirius for the first time. She had to clap a hand over her mouth, Sirius was no more than seventeen. He looked so different now, his black hair fell into his storm gray eyes, which were so different. They had a light behind them, it seemed, like an eclipse, full of life. They did not look sunken or dead. Hermione couldn't help but notice that Sirius was very handsome. Well, he used to be very handsome, she corrected herself.

Sirius stopped and put his arm over the other silhouette's shoulder, as would a father to a son, "Moony, old boy, the beauty is it was my own sheer stroke of brilliance that thought 'this one up.' I had no one's influence, nor was I under the influence as you seem so keen to think."

Hermione's eye's widened, Moony... that was Lupin's old school nick name. Hermione watched the silhouette step into the light, to reveal a much younger version of Remus Lupin. He stood his arms crossed over his chest, a dubious look aimed at Sirius. His light brown hair was not tainted with gray, but with honey highlights, the same color of his warm eyes. His face held no creases and his skin was smooth with youth, albeit a little pale, but still very handsome as well.

Remus laughed and Hermione smiled, his eyes seemed glow and his laughter was light and uplifting. In her time Lupin rarely laughed, he hadn't any reason to...

"Well, Padfoot, I must admit, you've astounded me again with your 'uninfluenced brilliance,' although..."

Hermione could see the frown developing on his face.

"Although what?" Sirius asked slowly.

"You're-we're, not really going to go through with it, right?"

To Hermione, it sounded as if Lupin was asking a question he already knew the answer to.

Sirius snorted, "'Course we are, don't you think they deserve it?" He grinned, "Remus, I thought you were all for inter-house unity? Now what's wrong with sending a few hundred gifts to our fellow classmates during the Christmas season? Just imagine the looks on their faces..."

Hermione watched as a wicked grin spread over Sirius's partially illuminated face.

"But it's going to cost us, and it'll take a few dozen trips to Hogsmeade to get everything..."

"Exactly. It's too expensive to buy so many dung bombs." Remus interjected.

"Well, we could always make some from scratch..." Sirius replied thoughtfully.

Remus made a face, "I'm sorry to say, but you'll be on your own with that one."

Sirius laughed, "Joking, Moony, only joking, I've got a better ideas, than that. We'll just reopen our business and make a few galleons..."

Sirius extracted a long sheet of parchment from his pocket.

"God help us." Remus muttered as he ran a hand over his face.

"Moony, you worry too much." Sirius replied as he skimmed over the page, "We'll have to tell Prongs and Wormtail of course, no doubt they'll approve." Sirius rolled up the piece of paper tucked it in his pocket and then unfolded another familiar one; the Marauder's Map. "Ah, of course, he's with Lily, and aren't their dots rather close together?" Remus looked at the map, "They said they had Head Duties."

"Of course." Sirius answered still grinning. He folded the map away, "The Black Market is officially reopened for business." He announced into the deserted hallway. "You know, I don't know why you're so worried, I mean sure we got into a few spots of trouble last year, but do you remember how much we made? James had enough to buy a bloody, brand new broomstick."

"Yeah, I kno-"

"Whoaa!" Sirius exclaimed as the train turned so sharply the sound of crashing trunks from the compartments broke the steady quiet.

Hermione was thrust to the right, the door slammed open, and she toppled into the corridor, effectively knocking Remus and Sirius into a great tangled pile on the floor.

"What the bloody hell?!"

"Oww."

"Sorry, Moony."

"No, that wasn't me."

Hermione pushed herself off the floor with help from Lupin. Perfect, she thought. She muttered an apology, refusing to look at either of them. She couldn't let them see her face, otherwise they'd remember her in the future, and who knew what that might change...

Through her curtain of curls Hermione caught the baffled look Sirius and Remus exchanged, probably at her odd behavior. But it didn't matter at all, she needed to stay silent and out of sight. Why had she been listening to their conversation? She was too curious for her own good.

"Are you all right?" Remus asked uncertainly.

Hermione nodded still staring at the floor.

"Did you happen to hear-" Sirius began, but Remus cut him off by stepping on his foot.

Hermione reached down for her photo album, straightened up, and hurried down the hall again. She heard Sirius's faint voice as she reached the door to the next car, "That was weird, ever seen her before? She new?"

But she shut the door and wiped her eyes.

Hermione hid in the girl's lavatory until she felt the train stop, and she knew she had made it to Hogwarts. She waited until the bustling hallways became silent again before she slipped off into Hogsmeade Station.

And there high up on the mountain, was Hogwarts Castle, it's windows glowing in welcome through the rain. She knew she would be home soon.

She looked towards the road and her heart sank, all the carriages were gone, she would have to walk.

Her feet sank deep into the muddy road and the rain chilled and drenched her. It felt like a half hour had passed by the time she reached the castle's towering doors. Relieved she pushed through them and into the warmth and glow of the Entrance Hall.

It was empty as she suspected, everyone was at the feast, but she stood, dripping, enjoying the feeling of how at home she felt even if it was twenty years younger than she knew it. There was the sound of applause and then the sound of cutlery on plates and she knew that Dumbledore's speech was over, the smell of food quickly filled the Entrance Hall and her stomach growled.

She walked to the doors and pushed through entering the Great Hall that was filled with students, all eating, talking, or laughing. Only a few noticed her as she walked to the Head table, most of the students were too preoccupied.

Dumbledore watched as she approached, he made eye contact with her and Hermione concentrated on her situation, willing him to understand. The moment passed and he smiled at her, blue eyes twinkling.

"Welcome, Miss Granger." He said quietly, "Would you please come to my office after dinner and we can discuss everything there, but why don't you eat first." Dumbledore pulled a golden chair from thin air with his wand and set it beside his own. "Please have a seat."

Hermione smiled, "Thank you very much, sir." She said gratefully.

"If I may suggest, the roast ham is excellent." Dumbledore said while passing her the dish.

Hermione ate two servings of it, her worry finally fading away into nothingness.

Hermione sat in a chair across from Dumbledore. The story Dumbledore had told the school was that she was Hermione Baddeley, a foreign exchange student from the United States, and she was staying at Hogwarts for a while to see if she liked it better than Beuxbatons. She had a cover story that explained who she was and where she came from, but to many of the students, she was still an intriguing mystery.

Dumbledore sighed, "I fear you might be here in this time longer than you expected."

Hermione sat rigid staring at the floor, "How long?"

Dumbledore leaned forward in his chair, "Not extremely long, but you will miss much of your seventh year in your own time. If the spell is created correctly, I should say you will be able to leave sometime in the spring."

Hermione snapped her head up, "Professor, are you sure? I mean isn't there any other way... sooner?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Do you understand how you came to be in this time?"

Hermione shook her head, "A timekey?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, "It's very peculiar, but you must know that it was intentional, someone wanted someone to travel to this time. Perhaps it was not meant for you, but for another."

Hermione frowned, who would want her to go back to 1977? Or anyone else for that matter...

"You are correct, the platter you held at exactly nine o clock in 1997 on the night of August the thirty-first, was a timekey. The laws that apply to it, are that if one is to turn an object into a timekey that object has to exist in the present and the past that they are traveling to."

"The platter?" Hermione asked.

Dumbledore nodded. "It exists now, and in 1997, and you'll need it to get back home."

Hermione covered her face with her hands, "I left the platter in Sirius's room." She said miserably, "I don't have it, Professor."

"Naturally, it will need to be retrieved, but not now, there will be plenty of time later, believe it or not." Dumbledore said, smiling mysteriously, "But for now, I think all you need to worry about is your new life here, would you like to continue your classes?"

"Yes, sir." Hermione answered.

"Were you to be in all advanced courses for your seventh year?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes."

"Well, done, Miss... Baddeley, I assume you would like to remain in Gryffindor House then?"

Hermione nodded.

"Miss Baddeley, you know how serious your actions will be in this time, you cannot reveal the future to anyone, otherwise the world that you know in 1997 will be unidentifiable when you return. But I understand that you know about the rules of time travel?"

"Yes, Professor."

"Very well, then, good night, Miss Granger and good luck."

Hermione stood outside the Gryffindor portrait hole, cursing her luck. The Fat Lady would not let her in as she didn't have the new password.

"Please, I'm really tired, just let me in." Hermione pleaded.

But the Fat Lady stared down at her, "No password, no entry."

Hermione could've screamed out in frustration, but she knew she would get in trouble by Filch, and that threat kept her silent.

Her legs were covered in a thick coating of caked and damp mud, but the showers were locked behind the Portrait Hole, as was her bed and dry clothes. She thought of her options, which were now few to nothing. She wandered over to the window and stared at out at the now calm lake. The sky reflected in the still water, the clouds had broken up and splashes of diamond sky flickered on the lake's surface.

Hermione pushed the window open, it was a warm night, but the lake water would be cold from the storm... She sighed, what other choice did she have? She had been waiting outside Gryffindor Tower for an hour now and there was no sight of anyone that could let her in.

She snuck down the staircase and through a hidden passage behind a tapestry. Hermione knew the castle well, she had studied the Marauder's Map over the years for the times she, Harry, and Ron all snuck out. She climbed down three floors by use of a bronze ladder and she came out of a hidden door into the Entrance Hall.

Instead of using the front door, Hermione lifted up the gray flagstone against the wall, that revealed a tunnel that went down and under the castle and up outside. She groaned, the bottom of the tunnel was filled in with rain water. She replaced the flagstone and looked at the door. How much noise would she make if she tried to open it? Was it worth the risk? She took a hesitant step towards it and slid the heavy wooden lock back. She pulled at the handle and sighed with relief as the door eased open silently, she slipped outside and shut it.

She stumbled down the slippery wet lawns to the lake. The half moon supplied her with enough light to see her way, and at the same time, it wasn't bright enough to reveal her moving form to any eyes in Hogwarts. She chose a secluded area, it was surrounded by large overgrown bushes, it would be just enough to hide her from the castle's view, if she didn't go too far out in the lake.

She knew this part of the lake well, in her sixth year, she and Ginny had discovered it, and had gone swimming there during the spring. Often, she found it was the best place to a have a private conversation, as no one would dare get so close to the Forbidden Forest. A stream leading off that part of the lake flowed three feet deep into the forest, it wound its way until it disappeared into the misty trees, on more than one occasion it gave her the creeps.

But she came here to take a bath, to relax, and to clear her mind. The day had been a rollercoaster of emotions, and she found that she just wanted to forget it all. She knelt down by the water and pulled her photo album out of her pocket, it was dry, amazingly, and in fine condition considering the abuse it had been put through. Hermione pulled out her wand and created an enchanted fire, one that burned hot, but created no light and smoke, it was a specialty of hers. She placed the album on a rock and removed her sneakers and socks.

She slipped into the cool water, still wearing all her clothes, and dipped under. She rubbed the mud free off her arms and legs. Once underwater, she peeled off the remainder of her clothes, aimed her wand at them, and muttered, "scourgify." She rinsed them in the water, resurfaced, swam as quietly as she could to shore and laid them on a rock. She quickly dried them with her wand before going back. After using the scourgify charm on herself, she floated on the surface of the water, staring at the sky, thinking.

She would be in 1977 until at least spring, or so Dumbledore said. What would Harry and Ron think, would they know? Did they wake up and wonder what had happened to her in the night? No, they hadn't because it hadn't happened yet. In fact, she rationalized, it wouldn't happen for another twenty years or so. Complicated thing, time travel.

She stayed in until she felt the chill of the water and her teeth began to chatter. She swam back to the shore and dried herself with the use of her wand. She had just buttoned up her robe when a light caught her eye. A green flame, it was deep into the forest, a firefly perhaps? But she had a feeling that it wasn't something as innocent as a night bug. Curiousity getting the better of her, again, she tucked her photo album into her pocket, muttered "lumos" and set off along the stream, following the green light.

She was careful not to tread on any sticks, she tried to remain as quiet as possible, though she fought against the underbrush that snagged at her hair and robes. The light glowed brighter and brighter the more she walked, deeper into the forest, where the moon's light grew dimmer and the trees denser. She could see the shadows of three people and hear the murmurs of their voices. She crept closer, until she could understand what they were saying, she dropped to her knees and ducked behind a tree, listening.

"Look, if you're just going to make things more complicated then just forget it." A woman's harsh sneering voice snapped.

Hermione knew it from somewhere...

"I see." A girl's high voice replied, it had a certain power to it and at the same time was gentle yet, cold? This voice was unfamiliar. "Perhaps you'd like to do it yourself, here, see how complicated things get without me."

The ground thudded as something solid was tossed onto it. There was silence for a solid minute, then a silvery laugh broke it. "Exactly. You need me, so it'd be smart not to play little mind games, otherwise I'll just leave and you two will be screwed." The girl's voice replied in a pleased tone.

"I think you'd be the 'screwed one,' Isis, if you refuse to do it. But, if you do what we ask, you can have whatever you like." A man's drawling voice answered.

"Is that so?" The girl Isis replied, "I only want one thing. No material possessions or powers or whatever you have, would make me more happy or as willing to do it, as this one thing."

"And what could that possibly be?" The sneering woman asked.

"Allow me to kill the half beast, and keep the pelt, and I'll do it."

There was the sound of rushed whispering.

"You may kill him, but not until we tell you to do so." The drawling voice answered after five minutes, "He might yet be of importance, "Do we have a deal?"

"I believe we just might." Isis replied.

"Now onto other matters, Isis, I suggest you have a seat this might take a while..."

But Hermione was already on her feet and sprinting through the trees. She didn't stop, even after she broke through the tree line, or when she reached the castle door. She didn't stop running until she was forced to stop, by an invisible barrier, that cried out as she fell to the stone floor.

A/N: AHH, a cliffie, what a horrible one, too... lol well would you believe me if I told you I wrote this all in one day?! I woke up at 6 am and started at 9 am, it's about 6:30 pm now and I still need to post it... well what do you think? Too much info for one day? Perhaps... lol... well, until next time hope you liked it! :)

(finished posting at about 8pm :P)

Review. ;)

-:- Mikairi -:-