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Chapter 4: Bells of Freedom
Hermione stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, unable to tear away her gaze. Gone was the teen witch, bright eyed and keen. In place stood a young woman, a healing slash down her left cheek and a matching one above her eyebrow. It wasn't the battle scars that Hermione couldn't shake - it was the haunted look in her eyes - the seeming dulling of her chocolate iris' to a light hazel.
She'd noticed the opposite in Sirius - this younger, lively version of the wizard she new had bright, vibrant eyes - the hidden scars of Azkaban not yet formed.
The logical Hermione who would ideally be trying to assess her situation was nowhere to be found, in her stead was a woman locked in grief.
A sob escaped her lips, but no tears fell, and she found her mind once again wandering to the battle. She hadn't cried yet, and she wondered if that made her insensitive or uncaring. All she felt was hollowness, a numbness. She wanted to cry but as she stood alone she found it impossible to find the release of tears she needed. They just would not spill.
She silently made her way back to the room she was sharing with Lily. The other girl smiled at her as she entered and sat on the bed Lily's parents had moved in for her.
"How are you feeling?" Lily asked.
"Alone." She heard herself answer.
Lily cocked her head to the side at this, her eyes full of concern.
"I know we don't know each other well, but if you want to talk I'll be here to listen, ok?" Lily offered.
Hermione gave her a soft smile, "Thanks," she said quietly as she lay down and wished tonight sleep would bring her comfort.
Lily's peaceful slumber was interrupted in the early hours of the morning by muffled cries from across the room. She sat up and quietly slipped out of her bed and across the floor.
"Hermione," Lily said softly shaking the trembling sleeper, "wake up." She shook the distressed witch a little harder. "Come on, Hermione. Wake up."
Hermione was now thrashing about in her sleep. "NO!" She screamed and sat up, eyes as wide as saucepans and her heart racing.
"Its ok, it was just a dream, just a dream," Lily soothed bundling up the trembling girl in her arms.
"They just killed them," Hermione whispered.
"Its ok," Lily soothed. "Try not to think about it." She said trying to calm Hermione down.
"The death eaters just attacked the students. They killed one of my best friends," Hermione whispered. "It hurts so much."
"Oh Hermione, I'm so sorry. Come on, lay down, try to get some rest," Lily said. "I'll stay with you until you fall asleep."
Hermione lay back down slowly, her eyes finding nothing to focus on across the room. "You want to know the worst of it?" she asked Lily, closing her eyes. When she got no reply she continued, "I can't even cry for them."
"You're just in shock" Lily started but realized Hermione had fallen back to sleep."Oh Hermione, what happened to you?" she whispered to the sleeping girl as she got up and quietly made her way to her own bed.
Over the next few weeks Hermione and Lily became close and Hermione began to realize why people in her time idolized the redhead. She found they had a lot in common as they studied one day in the yard for their apparition test.
Lily laughed suddenly, drawing Hermione from the words in front of her. "What's the bet the guys aren't even studying for this," she mused.
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "I'm taking a guess here that you mean James and Sirius?" she asked
Lily grinned and nodded. "Why didn't you mention Remus?" she returned.
Hermione laughed lightly. "From what you've told me he seems to be the only one with his head screwed on right"
Lily nodded again. "Actually I take it back if Remus is staying with James as well I'm sure those two were forced to study."
Hermione silently agreed with this. If Remus was anything like Professor Lupin then Sirius and James probably picked up a book during the summer for the first time.
Lily studied Hermione as the strange witch went back to reading. Her new friend hadn't spoken anymore about her ordeal after the first night and seemed to be improving - apart from the nightly dreams. She hoped that a new school year and some companionship might help. And as much as Lily didn't want to admit herself she felt that the Marauders may actually be an asset to Hermione's recovery.
Physically Hermione was feeling better, most of her bruises had all but disappeared and her cuts were fading to pale scars. She sat quietly on her borrowed bed and gazed around the quaint room.
Emotionally she was exhausted. The time she felt the best was in the company of Lily, but as soon as she was alone her mind wandered back to the battle and images of Ron flashed before her eyes. These were the hardest moments for Hermione; the times of solitude.
As the day of her apparition test dawned, Hermione felt a wave of homesickness. She should be doing this with Harry and Ron, almost everything they'd accomplished was together.
Lily entered the room and sent Hermione a gentle smile. "Are you ready?" she asked.
Hermione nodded and got to her feet.
"We'll floo to the ministry and go from there." Lily said, making her way downstairs.
"Have you been to the ministry before?" Hermione asked, following.
"No, but I'm sure we'll find out way around," Lily replied glancing back at Hermione with a confident smile.
Hermione thought back to her own encounter at the ministry as they made their way into the living room. She fought back another wave of grief as she remembered her beloved Transfiguration Professor.
"Do you know how to floo?" Lily asked, turning and breaking Hermione's train of thought.
Morphing her face back to calm, Hermione nodded. "Yes, I've done it several times."
Lily nodded "Do you want to go first?" she asked, holding out the stone jar of floo powder.
Hermione paused, then reached out, scooping up a handfull and stepping into the green flames before clearly stating: "Ministry of Magic."
She appeared in the lobby of the Ministry and her gaze shot left, immediately landing on the golden fountain in the center with the figures that in the future, would help save Harry's life.
She felt Lily come and stand beside her.
"Wow." The redhead said in awe.
"Yeah," agreed Hermione, softly. "Wow."
"Hey Lily! Over here!" A familiar voice called out.
The girls turned to see Remus walking towards them. Both girls smiled at the young marauder.
"How are you both?" he asked as he reached them.
"I'm fine," replied Lily. Hermione just smiled and nodded. "You?" Lily asked.
"I'm good, supposed to meet James, Sirius and Peter, uhh, well ten minutes ago actually." He said with a grimace as he rubbed his hand through his hair and looked around - his acute amber eyes sweeping the large hall.
Two heads of black hair, one sleek and one wild, bobbed in the distance. Hermione placed her hand on Remus' arm and pointed the two boys out. Remus smiled and waved to catch their attention.
"Oi, Padfoot, Prongs, over here."
In response to their nicknames, the two boys turned in the direction of the group.
"Hey Moony," greeted Sirius as they approached. "Hello Hermione, alright?" he asked as they pulled up to the group.
"Fine thank you," she replied and gave him a smile.
Sirius nodded, but doubt flickered through his eyes as he gazed down at the witch in front of him.
James had sided over to Lily.
"Lily my dear, feeling alright?" he asked.
"Fine, James," she replied eyeing him warily, "you?"
"I'm great, did you miss me?"
Lily rolled her eyes and turned to greet Sirius who was attempting to lure Hermione into a conversation, and Peter who had just arrived.
Remus in turn hit James upside the head. "Real smooth Prongs, real smooth," he smirked.
"Do you know where to go?" Hermione asked the Marauders.
Sirius nodded. "Yeah I had to come with my cousin Bellatrix once, its over this way."
Hermione's eyes hardened at the mention of the woman responsible for Professor McGonagall's death.
Sirius glanced across at Hermione as they made their way across the marble floor. "Hey," he asked softly, "are you ok?"
"I'm fine," she repeated. "Just a little nervous."
"Ahh it'll be fine, come on it's this way." He said leading the group towards a set of doors.
The test wasn't hard, especially with the readings that Lily and Hermione had completed. In the end even Peter managed to pass, although he did almost splinch himself.
"We'll see you ladies on the train then?" asked James - the group sharing farewells before getting ready to apparate home.
This time Lily waited for Hermione to answer.
Hermione smiled. "That would be nice."
All four boys smiled at this and one by one vanished out of sight.
"Right," said Lily with a twinkle in her eyes. "See you at home?"
Hermione nodded, watched her new friend dissapear before she herself apparated back to Lily's place.
