Chapter 6
Hermione had been at Hogwarts for three months when the Marauders called her out of the Common Room to go for a walk with them. Lily looked up surprised, she had just started dating James, and she couldn't think of why the boys would want to talk to Hermione over her, she let it pass however.
Hermione followed James and Peter down the corridor, Remus and Sirius walked behind her, and she couldn't help but feel she was being escorted. She knew that she had little choice in where she was going, and she suspected that if she hadn't agreed to go with them, they would have carried her anyway.
Finally they stopped at a door that Hermione recognised all to well, they were at the Room of Requirement. Entering the room, she saw it was very small, holding two chairs, and not much else. Walking over to one she sat down, waiting for the others to do the same, however only Remus followed her into the room, the others staying outside.
"Hermione," He started, "I don't quite know what to say, I mean I have never told anyone this before."
"I take it the others know. How did they find out?" Hermione asked.
"They worked it out. I want you to know though." Remus looked so tense.
"Rem, you look really upset. You don't have to tell me if you don't want, don't think I will feel left out."
"No I want to tell you." He assured her.
"Is it that you are," Hermione began.
"That I'm what?" Remus cut in.
"A werewolf." Hermione finished waiting for the bombshell to come.
"You knew?" Remus yelled. Hearing him shout the door crashed open and Sirius and James ran in, Peter slipped in slightly slower.
"Yes, but I thought you would let me know when you were ready to share. Like I said, I don't care, I know however you would, so I let you come to me."
"When did you figure it out?" Remus asked softly. James and Sirius looked much more relaxed now and were leaning up against the wall.
"I had a inkling at the first Hogsmead weekend, in the three broomsticks. Then the full moons, and subsequent ones confirmed it. Plus your friends call you Moony, and its not because you keep baring you arse at them." She finished, getting up walking round to hug him.
She felt his arms snake around her, "Thank you." he muttered.
"It's OK Rem." Hermione grinned pulling back. "I'm just honoured you felt you could share that secret with me. Now I want to share something with all of you." They all looked down at her, interested. Standing up, she retrieved her wand and looked around at them.
"Now, this is illegal, in the very sense. So if you plan on turning me over to the Ministry look away now." She smiled at them and waved.
The Marauders looked at where the girl had once stood, yet she wasn't there anymore. Looking down they saw a small white husky. They all stood looking at the fluffy white dog, amazed. Then Hermione appeared again before the eyes.
"My old Headmaster taught me, thought it would come in useful. Of course I'm unregistered." Looking round, she wondered if the other Marauders would reveal their secrets, now she had offered them something.
"Herm, will you wait out side for a moment?" James asked softly, pushing her to the door.
In the time after Remus had told me he was a werewolf and the rest of the Marauders showed me their animagus forms, not much changed. Lily and James got closer. The Daily Prophet began to report more and more deaths in the Wizarding world, and muggle. Yet life at Hogwarts still went on, constant and unchanging, that was until 8th of March. I remember the day still.
Walking down to the Great Hall, no one could predict the way the day would turn. Entering the Hall we were met with silence. Looking around I grabbed a copy of the Daily Prophet and scanned the front page. Not seeing anything there I looked up and my eyes caught the object everyone else in the Room was looking at. The huge owl, carrying a black envelope, was flying towards us.
The Marauders, Lily and Hermione stood transfixed looking at the owl, that the Ministry had taken to sending out to notify people of the deaths of loved ones. At first they had come rarely, the numbers built up to on coming regularly once or twice a week. Now they came almost daily.
The owl swooped down and dropped the letter which James caught. Scanning the name on the front he handed the envelope to a white and shaking Lily. She opened the envelope with unsteady hands, and then passed it back to James, who also read it but this time out-loud to the whole group.
"Miss Evans,
It is with great regret we inform you of the death of you mother and father. The only constellation we can offer you at this time is that your sister went unharmed.
With Sympathy"
That day went by as a blur for the group of friends. The atmosphere was sealed by another letter arriving at dinner, again for Lily, this time however it was from her sister.
Lily went white as she read the brief note from Petunia, the message offered no support, it just let her know not to try and contact Petunia, who would be staying with her boyfriends family.
I remember when I first heard of the theory of chaos. In science, both Muggle and Magic the word chaos means something very different to the word that we tend to use daily to describe disorder. In science the idea of sensitive dependence on initial conditions comes into play. This is where a very small change in the initial event may cause large changes in the final result. In the idea ascribed to Lorenz, we call this the 'butterfly effect'.
I am sure you will have heard of the butterfly effect, even if the reason is just because you know of the muggle film released a while ago. The theory sets out that under the right conditions it is mathematically possible for a butterfly flapping its wings in Peru can cause a typhoon in the Philippines.
In this way I was under the impression that my being in this time, being such a big change in my perception of the timeline would have a huge influence on the events that would come to pass. Yet here we were Lily's parents dead, her sister living with the Dursleys, and refusing to speak to Lily. So far I could see little change in the past.
A/N: Sorry about the delay, but I was on holiday, thanks to all of you who reviewed and more should be up shortly.
Charlatan
xXx
