Thank you all reviewers! I felt so warm inside as I read them all. I am glad you liked it. I am sorry-not really!- to announce that this will be a bit of a cliffhanger ending. I hope you like it just the same and I hope it ignites a hunger for the next chapter.
I do not pretend to own Harry Potter.
Several of you had asked me before if I had seen Sense and Sensibility. YES! I LOVE IT and as you noticed I worked in the answer in the last chapter. It is one of my favorite Alan Rickman movies! -swoons- I love him. Someday he will be my love slave.....I hope.
"Remus," I hissed crawling up on his bed covering his mouth and poking him. "Remus, wake up."
Remus jerked awake with wide eyes. I slowly removed my hand from his mouth to be sure he would not make any loud noises and rouse the rest of the dormitory.
"Jane, it's too early. Come back later," Remus whined softly in a low tone.
"Please come down to the common room so we can talk. I know it's not an opportune time," I whispered. Something in my voice must have alerted him because he groaned and swung over the side of the bed. He stumbled down the stairs with me to the well-lit common room. He collapsed in a chair next to the fire.
"What is it you needed to talk about that was so important that you had to wake me up at this hour of the morning?" Remus asked rubbing his eyes.
I passed him the note but retained the forward moving time-turner stuffing it in my pocket.
"You have to leave today?" he asked looking up from the note. "But it's Christmas."
I bit my lip and nodded. Remus stood up and pulled me into a hug. I burst into lour noisy sobs then. I couldn't hold them back another second. Remus held me and let me have my cry. It took half an hour before I could stop.
Remus pulled away a bit so we could look each other in the eye, "Feel better?"
I shook my head and bit my lip to keep from bawling again. Remus gave me a sad look as he steered one to a seat.
He fished a partially melted chocolate frog from his pocket.
"It will help you feel better. Eat," he said pressing the box into my hand.
I opened the box. The frog gave a very small hop. I grabbed it squeezing it mercilessly about the middle. It croaked a bit in protest. It had a squished nose and one of the eyes was melted. I stuffed it in my mouth and chewed noisily as tears continued to flow down my cheeks.
"Pretty ring," he commented taking my hand and examining it. "You get engaged?"
"S-s-severus p-p-proposed tonight," I said stuttered through faltering breaths. I hiccoughed.
"Congratulations!" Remus grinned. "But you will have to find him in your time."
"I have to leave though and return to the future where he sneers at me, where he hates me," I began to bawl again.
"Jane, dearest, I'm sure he doesn't hate you. There is a question I've been meaning to ask you. Do I know you in the future? Because you can come and talk to me if you need to talk to someone of what occurred in the past who could perhaps have more of an understanding than teachers and such. I want us to be friends regardless of the fact that you will not talk to me for the next twenty years or so." Remus said and he feigned Slytherin snootiness at the fact that he meant no more than someone to talk to every twenty years.
I laughed at his absurdity even as my heart broke and tears ripped from my eyes. "We know each other. You will see me before I come back to this time and you must not talk to me of it until I return. I have always had the greatest respect for you. That is also how I knew that you were a werewolf," I hiccoughed.
"You're returning to the year 1997 right?" he asked.
I nodded hiccoughing again. Remus rubbed my back to try to comfort me.
"I promise to be there when you get back to your time," he whispered and rubbed my back some more.
"Thanks Remus. This means a lot to me. I'm really going to need you. Severus is a teacher of mine. How will I face him in class?" I asked pressing closer to Remus for comfort.
"Jane, you'll have to tell him. You are a Gryffindor. Gryffindors face their problems. You can not run away from this. You'll feel miserable the more you delay it," he said tilting my chin so I was looking at him.
"Thanks Remus," I whispered and sniffled. "I don't think I could get through this without you as my friend. Will you help me talk to Severus? He's so cantankerous in the future."
"He is cantankerous now," Remus said nodding. "Wait here. Before you leave I want to give you your present."
I forced a smile. Remus dashed up the stairs and returned seconds later with a handsomely done up package wrapped with red paper and a gold ribbon.
"Open it," he pleaded as he handed it to me. "They aren't very good. They're a bit lumpy if you want the truth but I hope you like them just the same."
"I'm sure that the gift is wonderful," I said forcing another smile. I peeled back the paper slowly. "Remus, they are beautiful."
A pair of red satin gloves with my real initials, H.J.G., embroidered with sparkly golden thread on one of them and my initials of this time, J.H.G., on the other.
"So you don't forget your time with us though I'm sure you won't but this way you'll always have a way to look back and remember our friendship should anything happen to me within the next twenty years. A relic if you will of my teenage years and my most silly hobby..." Remus grinned placing his hand behind his head and laughing uncomfortably.
"How many of my presents do you think I can take before it will look suspicious?" I asked.
"Well let's see," Remus said and I neatly arranged them before us as we sat before the fire.
"My dress that I have on as well Remus but I have to have it. I promised Severus that I would wear it today."
"The hair-comb will keep your hair back and as you have a great deal of it," here he paused and picked up a lock, "hardly suspicious. All the jewelry I think it would be more suspicious if you were caught not wearing it. The books unfortunately have to stay but Severus or I can hold on to them for you. The gloves I made of course can go. I would be most offended if you chose to leave them behind," Remus said with a wink. "Now we ought to see to Severus and the note you are going to write to him.
"Yes Remus," I said as he pulled a table over and set an inkbottle and roll of parchment in front of me. He pressed the quill firmly into my hand.
Dear Severus Augustus Snape; Love of my Life,
I must express my most sincere lamentations to you for what I've done when all along I knew the ending of this particular chapter of our lives. I wish I could have told you everything but the situation is far more complex than is easily explained. I do not have the chance to tell you everything in person and can truly not bring myself to explain the whole situation on paper. I am lucky to not have started wailing in my own pain but I know my own pain is nothing compared to what yours will be when you here the announcement at Lunch today.
I love you more than anyone ever I have before or ever I will. This will reach you through Remus Lupin. I hate to add to the repugnance that I know you already feel for him. Do not blame him for any of this. I never will die.
This chapter is over but the book is still going on for both of us! Someday we will meet again!
Love From Your Love,
H.J.G.
P.S. Watch for Charms!
"Remus may I transfigure your inkbottle into a last present for Severus?" I asked as I rolled up the parchment.
Remus grinned, "Whatever you need Hermione."
I tapped the inkbottle twice and it turned into a gold charm bracelet. Each of the links was shaped like a lion head and the charm would dangle from its mouth.
"Thank you Remus," I said and rolled the parchment and sealed it with magic slipping the bracelet over to hold the roll. I fingered my initials and tapped it with my wand. It came off and rested in my palm. I tapped it again and the H and J switched places. "Accio rose hair-comb," I said. The hair-comb zoomed into my hand seconds later.
Carefully I stuck the charm through one of the comb's teeth and stuck the comb through one end of the scroll.
"Remus, be sure that Severus receives this scroll immediately," I said staring into his eyes and pressing it firmly into his hands.
"I'll give it to him today," Remus said tucking it into the pocket of his night robe.
"Please come with me. I don't want to do this alone," I whispered holding onto the front of his robes.
"Shush. Of course I'll come with you," he whispered before rubbing my back again. "Just let me get dressed." He padded upstairs.
Remus returned about five minutes later.
"Remus my..." I started.
"In my pocket. Is there anywhere I might try looking for him today?" Remus said and he took my hand in reassurance.
"He'll be in the library at ten this morning," I said trying to bite my lip in order to stem the pain in my heart. The tears still cascaded from my eyes with no way to stop them.
Remus squeezed my hand again.
"Jane everything will be alright in the end. I promise to help get you and Severus back together," Remus said as we walked down the hall. "Where are we going?"
"The charms classroom. That's where I'll brew the potion," I said through steadying breaths.
When we arrived there was a cauldron already set up with ingredients out on a table.
"Hello my dear," Headmaster Dumbledore said to me. "I see young Remus is here with you. Does he know everything about what's happening?"
"Yes sir, I had to. He kind of figured it out by himself anyway," I answered. "Please let him stay. I need someone my age here with me."
"Of course my dear," Professor Dumbledore said. "Remus none of this is to be said to anyone at this time. Is that understood?"
"I understand Headmaster," Remus said nodding.
Headmaster Dumbledore nodded in return, "I'll leave you to it then."
I brewed the potion in silence. There was not much to say. I stopped when I knew that I had five minutes to let the potion simmer before I would have to dip the forward time-turner in and return to Harry and Ron and my time, 1997.
Remus stepped forward. "Jane, I'm not good at good-byes. This will be very hard for me. I'll miss you over the next twenty years. I want you to know that I can't wait to see you again," Remus began to tear up as he wrapped his arms around me in a farewell for the moment.
I wrapped my arms tight around his neck briefly, "Goodbye Remus Lupin. See you in 1997." I released him and moved over to the cauldron. I dipped the time-turner into the potion. I spiraled downward into darkness.
I hope you all enjoyed. PLease hit the little button and review my story. I would be very much obliged if you would. It means a lot to me to be able to read nice reviews. Please send me one! Only if it is nice though!