Disclaimer: I dont own Harry Potter or any rights blah...blah...blah
A/N: Ok I didn't expect to upload the next chapter so soon but I just had this brain wave and boom! before I knew it, I had Chapter 8. Glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter and to answer LongLegs564: I'm not exactly sure how many more chapters there will be, but not very many. At first this story started out rather random, but I already have the ending planned out. Thanks for reviewing everybody! Enjoy Chapter 8!
The rest of the week was pretty uneventful, unless of course you counted when Sirius and James bewitched Snape's hair to a giant tarantula. Peeves the Poltergeist found Snape the night Sirius and Hermione caught him spying. Peeves decided to pelt the dangling Snape with balloons filled with pond scum and he gleefully made up a song called, "Sleazy, Slimy, Snape" which he sang loudly whenever Snape was around. Snape was eventually found by a group of Slytherins who let him down. Sirius must've been right to think Snape wouldn't finger him as the culprit because Sirius never got in trouble for it (not that Sirius would've cared).
Hermione seemed to notice that James, Sirius and even Remus were putting in an extra effort to be mean to Snape. Hermione supposed it was their way exacting revenge. Lily didn't participate in the Snape-torturing games but she didn't put much effort in trying to stop the three Marauders.
"Now c'mon guys that's enough." Was all she said and she didn't assert much emotion into it, as she normally would have. She simply warned the Marauders once and didn't bother telling them off after that. Hermoine agreed that Snape deserved the torture but she didn't necessarily agree with it. She kept her opinions to herself, however. Actually, the only Marauder not taking turns in torturing Snape was Peter. He laughed when any of the others did something to Snape but Hermione couldn't help but notice that it wasn't the same hearty, fully enjoyable laugh that she associated Peter with. It sounded forced. But none of the others noticed this and Hermione figured it was probably just her paranoia about what she knew about Peter in the future and decided not to mention it to anyone else, though she kept a close eye on Peter all the while.
"Oh, Remus! You look so ill." Hermione said worriedly as she ran to the bottom of the boys' staircase where Remus was.
"I'm fine." He said weakly.
"You don't look fine." Hermione countered.
She had a point. Remus' already pale skin was ghostly white; as if he were a corpse and his eyes had heavy circles underneath them. He seemed to barely hold himself up and his face, Hermione noticed, was unusually sweaty.
"It's ok love. I usually am like this the day of the full moon." He reassured her with a welcoming kiss.
"Ok." Hermione said uneasily.
She knew that tonight would be Remus' transformation but she had no idea he would look so sickly.
"Trust me, I'm fine." He said, noticing the uneasy expression on Hermione's face. He smiled weakly.
"Hey Moony! How are you holding up?" James asked, coming down the staircase along with Sirius and Peter.
"Alright." Remus replied, allowing Hermione to help him stand upright.
"Well, if it's any comfort, you've looked worse." Sirius said, stepping off the staircase with Peter.
"Hey, where's Lily?" James asked, looking around the common room.
"She'll be down in a minute. She just had to brush her hair." Hermione informed him.
James rolled his eyes, "What is it with women and their hair?"
"Hey, hair is a very important feature." Sirius said, shaking his head graciously.
James scoffed, "Well, I like my hair messy."
"Yes you do." Came Lily's voice from behind him and running her hands through James' mass of untidy black hair.
James turned around and smiled, "Morning my love." He said, giving Lily a kiss.
"Shall we get to breakfast before I lose my appetite?" Sirius asked with another disgusted look on his face.
"You're just jealous 'cause you don't have a girl to snog." James taunted, putting his arm around Lily's neck.
"Please! I have plenty of girls to snog. Unlike you and Moony here, I don't have one dame to tie me down." Sirius replied, looking over at a sixth year brunette and flashing her a dashing smile. The brunette blushed and turned away to her giggling friends. Lily looked at Hermione and rolled her eyes.
Once they were at the table, Hermione was welcomed with a tawny barn owl. She took the letter it was holding with much curiosity. She never got mail. Who would send her any? Her question was answered when she recognized the writing.
"It's from Dumbledore." Hermione announced to the others who were all looking curiously at the letter.
"Well, what does it say?" Sirius asked, stuffing scrambled eggs into his mouth.
"It says he wants to have a meeting with me tonight." She read.
"Any chance you're going to tell us what this meeting's about?" Sirius asked.
"No." Hermione said simply. She hadn't told any of the others what her and Dumbledore talked about in their first meeting, even though Sirius and James had tried to get her to tell them.
"Tonight? But you'll miss Moony's transformation. You've got to see if your potion worked." James said, nibbling on some bacon.
"That's alright. She doesn't need to see that anyway." Remus said quietly, looking down at his toast and blushing.
"C'mon Moony, don't you want your girlfriend to see?" Sirius asked excitedly.
"No I-"
"I'm sure Remus can tell me tomorrow morning if the potion worked or not." Hermione interjected. She looked at Remus who gave her a grateful smile. She knew from the beginning that Remus wouldn't want her of all people to see him in his wolf state. She knew how embarrassed Remus felt and how he would feel if Hermione was standing right there witnessing his transformation.
"Fine. Whatever. Suit yourself." Sirius said dully, going back to his eggs.
"Thanks." Remus whispered in Hermione's ear. Hermione knew why Remus didn't want her there and understood his reasons but she still didn't agree with him. After all, she loved Remus, werewolf or not and she thought he had no reason to be embarrassed or even ashamed of something that he had no control over. But then again, he was a guy and guys were very strange.
"No problem." She whispered back. They smiled at each other and kissed.
"Oh, c'mon! Not while I'm eating!" Sirius said at Hermione's and Remus' PDA. They both laughed and kissed again, much longer than before.
"Oh, for the love of Merlin!" Sirius said, shaking his head. At this, James and Lily joined in the fun and Sirius was forced to watch two couples kiss each other while he was eating.
That evening, Hermione said good-bye to Remus as Madam Pomfrey escorted him to the Whomping Willow.
"Bye. I'll see you in the morning sweetheart." He said in her ear as they hugged.
"See you. Tell me how it goes." She said. They kissed good-bye and Hermione watched as Madam Pomfrey led Remus away.
After she watched Remus disappear into the secret passageway of the immobilized Whomping Willow. Hermione turned and headed for Dumbledore's office. Why did he want another meeting? Had he found out something else about the mysterious door? Or had he found out about the Wolfsbane Potion? No, he would've summoned everyone in his office if that were the case. She walked to the stone gargoyle that leapt aside emitting a spiraling, moving staircase after she said the password, "Licorice Wands."
She knocked on the Griffin knocker and was told to enter. She opened the door and found Dumbledore sitting at his desk as if he had been waiting for her. The office looked the same as it did when she had entered it when she was first transported to this time. Dumbledore motioned for her to sit in the empty chair in front of his desk and Hermione obeyed.
"Hello Hermione." He said pleasantly as if they were meeting for tea.
"Good evening Headmaster." She replied as pleasantly.
"As you may recall at our last meeting, we discussed much and learned a great deal."
Hermoine nodded.
"Now you may remember me telling you that I believe a former student used the same door that transported you here and used it to his advantage."
She nodded again.
"And I also believed that the door only appears to certain people."
Again, she nodded. "But sir, what exactly does that have to do with me?"
Dumbledore smiled at Hermione. "I think that to best answer that, I should tell you my theory. Now keep in mind, it's just a theory and I may be wrong. Yet again, I might be right."
"Yes sir."
"Excellent. Now I assume that since Voldemort exists in your time, you know about him?" He asked.
"Yes sir. Harry knows more about him than anyone but I do know that he's a master at the Dark Arts and-"
"And do you know how he got to be so well trained in the Dark Arts?" Dumbledore interrupted.
Hermione stopped. She never really thought about it. She had always assumed that Voldemort had just practiced and studied like anyone else. She shook her head.
"Neither do I." He said bluntly.
Hermione gave him a very strange look.
He smiled at her and continued, "I don't know for a fact but I have reason to believe that that particular door which appeared to you, appeared to Voldemort. I think he may have realized what it was and how to work it. After all, he was a very bright student."
Hermione listened carefully, not daring to even breathe loudly.
"I believe that Voldemort chose to go back to the time of his ancestor, Salazar Slytherin and I believe that he had Slytherin, himself, teach him the Dark Arts that he was so fond of."
Hermione stared at Dumbledore. So, that's how Voldemort became so well trained in the Dark Arts. He had Salazar Slytherin teach him. It all made sense. Hermione wondered where Voldemort had learned to use such powerful Dark Magic that no one had even heard of. Of course Salazar Slytherin would know such dark spells, as that was what he based his House upon. Of course the other founders must've limited Slytherin as to what spells he could teach the students. But if Voldemort had come to Slytherin and requested he be trained in such Dark Magic. Slytherin would of course agreed as long as the other founders never found out.
"So the question we must ask ourselves is how did Voldemort get the door to appear again for him to return to his own time?" Dumbledore's voice broke through Hermoine's thoughts. That was an interesting question. How did Voldemort get it to reappear?
"Do you have any theories?" Hermoine asked.
Dumbledore sighed. "I'm afraid not Hermione. But I think that once we figure that out, we can send you home."
"Home?" But she had adopted this place and time as her home. She had fallen in love and was best friends with the Mauraders and Lily. How could she go back to her own time?
"Yes, home." Dumbledore repeated.
Hermoine looked at him and gave a very fake smile. "That-That'd be wonderful." She said in a falsely cheerful voice.
Dumbledore smiled back. "Well that's all for tonight I'm afraid." Dumbledore said.
"Yes sir." Hermione got up and made her way to the door. She stopped and turned around, however.
"Is there something else?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly.
"Yes sir. I was wondering…what if I-I didn't want to go back…to my own time. What if I wanted to stay here?"
Dumbledore looked at Hermione several minutes before speaking. When he did speak, it was with a sad voice. "I'm sorry Hermione but that would be impossible. When the time comes, I'm afraid you must go back to your own time. Your place is in your own time, not here in the past." His eyes had a sad look in them.
Hermione nodded and looked to the floor as she made to leave.
"And Hermione," Dumbledore said when Hermione was halfway through the door. "I think it would be best if you told Mr. Lupin that and prepare him to say good-bye. For it will come sooner or later."
Hermione could feel her heart break in two as Dumbledore spoke those last few words.
"I'm sorry Hermione." Dumbledore said quietly.
Hermione nodded and held back the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. She left the office and ran. She didn't know where she was running to or why but all she knew was that if she kept running, everything would be ok. If she kept running, her problems would fall behind her. Finally, she stopped when the stitch in her side got too much to bear. She looked around and saw that her feet had led her to the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. Since she was here, she might as well go in. There was no sense in parading around the castle at night. She mumbled the password and the portrait of the fat lady swung open. She crawled through the portrait hold to find Lily, alone, in the common room. She was reading by the fire. She looked up at the sight of Hermione.
"Her Hermoine! Oh no, what's wrong?" She asked upon looking at Hermoine's tear-stained face.
Hermione could do nothing but cry.
Lily dropped her book and ran to the sobbing Hermione and embraced her in a tight hug. She led Hermione to the couch and conjured up a box of tissues. Hermione blew her nose and told Lily about the doorway that transported certain students through the time, about how Dumbledore warned Hermione not to warn any of them about the future, about how she had to prepare to say good-bye to Remus and how she couldn't stay in this time even if she wanted to.
"And…Dumbledore said that I-I-I have to t-tell Re-Remus good-good-bye because he-he doesn't know when-when the door will appear again." Hermione sobbed.
"Oh, Hermione. I'm so sorry." Lily said, grabbing Hermione and hugging her.
"What do I do Lily? I mean, I can't say good-bye to Remus. I love him."
Lily listened and stroked Hermione's hair. "Well, you're going to have to tell Remus the truth."
"What?" Hermione bolted upright out of Lily's embrace.
"You're going to have to tell him the truth." Lily repeated.
"But I can't-"
"Yes you can. You at least owe it to Remus. And I know that the day you leave, whether it be tomorrow or ten years from now, Remus will still love you." She said soothingly. How did Lily know exactly what to say?
"But what if he hates me and won't listen?"
Lily shook her head. "I've known Remus for a while and I know he wouldn't do that."
Hermione looked out the window to see dawn approaching. Maybe Lily was right. Maybe Remus would still love Hermione despite the fact that she would eventually have to leave him. "Thanks Lily. You're the best." Hermione said.
Lily smiled. "You're welcome. I'll always be here if you need me."
Hermione smiled and felt the weight on her shoulders become heavier. She knew that Lily wouldn't always be there and she was powerless to stop it.
A/N: Ok, so that was Chapter 8. Hope you all liked! I'm currently writing Chapter 9 and if I can't sleep (like I haven't been able to for the past two nights) then I'll more than likely post it tonight. Well, thanks for reading and pleease review. Love you all!