Disclaimer: I own about as much as a plot twist. Happy? No? Good, you shouldn't be! Kidding, I luv ya really!
A/N wow! I got some great reviews and some confusing questions. Thanks to every one who reviewed!
Also since there are now two Remus-s in the past, the younger one is Remus and the older one is Lupin.
Chapter 7: Telling Lily and other things
Hermione and Remus walked slowly back to the common room. From the outside, nothing had appeared to change. In their heads, they were ecstatic. Hermione couldn't stop looking at Remus every two seconds and Remus couldn't help but watch her continuously. Before they turned the corner to face the Fat Lady Remus caught Hermione's hand. Hermione blushed.
"Mi, because I won't get to do this properly once we're in the common room, goodnight." Remus' lips brushed gently across Hermione's and his hand cupped her cheek.
"'Night, Rem," she replied feeling amazing. They walked into the common room after giving the Fat Lady the password (phoenix flame) and bid each other goodnight in a more friends only manner. Remus sat down next to James and stared into the fire. Hermione said goodnight to James, who had calmed down considerably, and walked up the stairs to the girls' dormitory, feeling happier than ever. When she reached her dorm room she pushed the door open slowly, Lily might be asleep, Hermione thought to herself. Looking around, Hermione saw Lily sitting on her bed anxiously.
"Lily?" Hermione enquired.
"Mione! Oh my God, I thought you'd… never mind. Did Remus find you?" Lily asked wondering how stable Hermione was at the moment.
"Yeah, he did," Hermione answered.
"And…? What did he say?"
"To tell the truth, not a lot," Hermione answered, a smile playing on her lips.
"What? He was supposed to tell you everything and…what did he do?" Lily asked sceptically.
"Well, he walked into the room wearing James' invisibility cloak. I turned around and he grabbed my wrist. Nothing bad," Hermione added quickly after hearing a sharp intake of breath from Lily. "He pulled the cloak off and I started to apologise for my behaviour. I got as far as 'Rem, I'm…' when he…um…"
"Well…?" Lily was as attentive as was humanly possible.
"He kinda kissed me," Hermione mumbled.
"He did what?" Lily shouted.
"Lily, keep it down, the guys might hear you," Hermione pleaded.
"Sorry," Lily whispered.
"Lily!"
"O.K. O.K."
"Anyway we kissed for a couple of minutes…"
"Wait. Minutes? I didn't think you'd kissed Sirius for that long."
"I haven't. It's just that Remus is everything that Sirius isn't. He's quiet, sweet, intelligent. But he shows it," Hermione retorted to Lily's forming statement. She was going to say that Sirius was intelligent. The truth was that although they were both very clever, Remus showed it in activities other than pranks. Sirius had one new achievement under his belt at the moment. After spending hours in the library (yes he does know where it is, Remus showed him in fourth year) he had done what no other boy before him had done…got up the stairs leading to the girls' dormitory! In fact, he was outside Hermione and Lily's room right now, listening to every word.
Dumbledore looked blank. "Too late for what?"
"When Hermione came to the future, her own time, I told her that her friends were betrayed, and now she's going to change the…" Lupin stopped suddenly. He'd just thought of something. Would the future just…it wouldn't would it?
"Future, yes I understand that, but wouldn't she just set it up? I mean if you remember her then surely you remember being told, don't you?"
"What?" Lupin then vaguely recollected what Dumbledore had been saying. "Oh, no I don't. Excuse me, Headmaster, I need to do some research," and with that, Lupin left and walked to the Library.
Sirius ran down the stairs and out of the common room. He couldn't believe it. His best friend, well second best, had stolen his girlfriend. He was going to go to the library; the one place no-one would look for him. As he turned the corner that led to the library doors he spotted an unfamiliar man.
"Who're you?" He asked rather rudely.
"Sirius?" The stranger asked.
"Yeah, do I know you?" Sirius asked feeling confused.
"No, I suppose not," The stranger replied looking upset. His friend didn't recognise him. This was going to be hard. "So, where're you heading?" Lupin asked Sirius.
"Library, and before you ask, yes I do know where it is," Sirius added. Lupin smiled.
"Really? O.K. I believe you. Would you mind showing me the way?" Lupin asked feeling that Sirius wanted to be alone but needed the company.
"U m…sure," Sirius answered uncertainly. "But it's just around the corner."
"Really? I didn't think I'd come this far." They turned the corner and walked through the doors. Lupin headed straight towards the section on experimental magic. Sirius, being who he was, decided to follow. The stranger was, well, just that, strange. The man picked up a book on time travel. What the hell…? Sirius thought to himself. The stranger muttered to himself as he flicked through the pages. Suddenly, his words became clearer.
"Damn, I thought it would. There's now no future, it's gone because of her," Lupin slammed the book shut, turned around and found himself, for the second time that day, looking at the end of a wand.
"Who are you?" Sirius demanded.
"Sirius…"
"Tell me!" It was lucky the library was empty. The librarian had gone outside to yell at the only other person who had been there.
"You want to know? Fine, my name is Remus Lupin, Padfoot," Lupin looked at his friend.
"O.K. yeah, and the guy who's in the common room with James is…?"
"Me, well, younger me. I'm from the future."
"Prove it," was all that Sirius could say.
"O.K. You just overheard Lily and Hermione talking and you came here to calm down," Lupin rushed hoping that it would be enough for Sirius.
"What were they talking about?"
"How I kissed Hermione," Remus answered shortly.
"What're we going to do on Friday night?" Sirius questioned.
"It's a full moon, we're going into Hogsmeade. This time, though, without Wormtail," Lupin added as an afterthought.
"You knew he's a traitor?" Sirius asked.
"No, we didn't, and it cost Lily, James and you your lives," Lupin replied through gritted teeth.
"I believe you, because you're answering like a true Marauder," Sirius stated. "So, why are you here or now or whatever?"
"Hermione has pretty much destroyed the timeline, erasing the future," Sirius' face was twisted.
"You mean that…"
"Everything that the future was built on has crumbled away. I'm assuming that it's the death of Lily and James, but I could be wrong."
"If you anything like you are now, you're not," Sirius commented. "Why's their… you know," Sirius couldn't bring himself to say the word 'death' "so important?"
"They sacrifice their lives to save that of their son, Harry," Sirius' eyes widened.
"Lily and James have a kid? Score one for James."
"Sirius!" Lupin yelled. I can't believe he just said that, Lupin thought to himself. Azkaban really did change him after all. "Is Hermione still in her dorm?"
"As far as I know, yeah," Sirius answered, unsure of where this was heading.
"I have to talk to her," Lupin answered.
"Rem, you can't get up the stairs," Sirius commented, knowing what the reply would be.
"Fine, but I warn you, Lily ain't gonna be happy when she finds out," Sirius commented.
"I know, I know."
They walked to the common room in silence. Sirius couldn't help but picture Hermione kissing Lupin. That was one image he wanted out of his head. Sirius gave the password and both he and Lupin walked into the almost deserted common room. There were two people there; James and Remus.
"Sirius! Where've you…Who are you?" James asked Lupin.
"It's kinda…confusing," Lupin commented, not wanting to repeat himself when Lily saw him. "Sirius…"
"O.K. O.K. I'm going," Sirius answered catching the drift.
"What the…?" James started, but Sirius was gone.
"He's going up the girls' staircase. Is he mad?" Remus asked incredulously.
"No, just clever," Lupin replied.
"After a few seconds silence, voices were heard. "Sirius Black, are you mad!" Lily's voice yelled. "How the hell did you get up here?" There was a few seconds in which, supposedly, Sirius was talking. Then, "What do you mean, 'it doesn't matter'? Of course it matters, you pervert!" Lily yelled and then her footsteps could be heard. She stormed into the room and sat down on the unoccupied side of James. It was only then that she noticed that there was someone new in the room. "Oh, I'm sorry, sir, let me introduce myself. I'm Lily Evans, and you are…?"
"I'll tell you when Hermione and Sirius get here," was all that Lupin could say in response.
It was another minute or two until Hermione and Sirius walked down the stairs. She had a smile on her face when she sat on the sofa arm next to Remus. Sirius, on the other hand, looked…well, serious. James noticed this and sent a questioning look to him.
"Later," Sirius mouthed.
"O.K. I suppose that you're all wondering who I am," Lupin said. It was at this that Hermione's head snapped up and her eyes widened. She hadn't noticed Lupin before he spoke. She had been focused on Remus. "One thing, before I tell you my name, is that I am not insane, joking, lying, or in any other way not telling the truth. Got it?" He looked around at James, Lily and Remus, who nodded. "O.K. my name is Remus Lupin," he looked at the three who didn't know. They were sceptical to say the least.
"Uh huh… yeah, are we supposed to believe you?" Remus asked.
"I'm from the future," Lupin stated slowly. He looked at Hermione, his eyes longing for help.
"He is, guys," Hermione said. James, Lily, Remus and Sirius turned to look at her. "You know I was in the future? This is Remus."
"Thanks, Mi," Lupin said. This sealed it for Remus and Lily. Remus was the only person who ever called Hermione 'Mi'. James, however, still looked disbelieving at Lupin.
"When's your birthday? What's your favourite colour? What are we going to do on Friday?" James asked in rapid succession.
"10th March, blue and what is it with that question? It's a full moon, we're going into Hogsmeade. This time, though, without Wormtail," Lupin replied.
"Wait, you didn't know he was the traitor?" Lily asked.
"No, we didn't. It cost too many lives. Actually, that leads on to why I'm here. Mi, you changed too much when you came back here. There's now no future to return to. For either of us," Lupin added, knowing that Hermione had to tell her friends at some point, even if it was useless information now.
"Hermione, what is he talking about? And what do we call you?" Sirius added to Lupin.
"Hermione first, then me," Lupin said.
"Well, you know when I went to the future? I found out that I was kinda …well…born in 1979."
"What! You're kidding? So why do we know you?" James asked.
"I don't know," Hermione admitted.
"I do, the spell used on you, Commuto Tempus, affects the timeline. It makes you and everyone around you believe that you are meant to be there. Anyway, call me whatever, Remus or Moony, or whatever," Lupin added to his explanation.
"OK, Whatever," Sirius joked.
"Sirius!" Lupin yelled.
A/N What do you think? Like it? The only reason it's longer than every other chapter so far is because I got bored in revision periods. Hehe lol! Review please, it makes my day! Luv u loads J
