Hermione and Lily were sitting quietly together in the library studying. Lily kept glancing up at Hermione wanting to talk to her, but not knowing how to begin. The third time Hermione caught Lily staring, she set her own book down.

"Lily, is something wrong?" asked Hermione patiently.

Lily looked at her friend uncertainly. "I don't want to bother you."

Hermione laughed softly. "You're already driving me crazy, so just spit it out."

Lily frowned. "I'm sorry," she said returning her attention to her book.

"Lily," said Hermione. "I was only teasing. What's the matter?"

Lily took a deep breath. "I just wanted to say I was sorry about last night."

"Last night? What happened last night?"

"You know," insisted Lily. "The comment I made about you and Remus being in love."

Hermione blushed. "Oh," she said quietly. "Don't worry about that. I know you didn't mean anything by it."

Before she could stop herself, Lily's curiosity got the better of her. "How do you feel about him?" she asked.

"Lily," Hermione said in a warning tone.

"Come on, Hermione. We're friends."

Hermione smiled. "If I knew, I'd tell you." She wanted to return to her studying, but Lily was still watching her, silently demanding more. With a sigh, Hermione set down her book. "Remus and I enjoy each other's company, and I care about him a lot."

"But," prompted Lily.

"There's no but. That's where we are. Remus doesn't love me. It's too soon."

"Remus loves you," said Lily, "even if he doesn't know it yet. The question is how do you feel? Personally, I think you love him to."

Hermione didn't answer.

"Unless there's someone else."

Hermione laughed. "Yeah, there's someone else. Guys are just banging the doors down to get to me."

Lily would not be deterred by Hermione's joke. "Maybe back home," she insisted. "There had to have been someone back home."

"Well there wasn't," said Hermione firmly.

"If you think I'm going to believe there's never been anyone else, then you're not as smart as everyone thinks you are."

"I didn't say there was never anyone else," said Hermione. "I said there isn't anyone else now."

Lily leaned forward excitedly. "Now we're getting somewhere," she said. "Who was he?"

"What about you," countered Hermione. "There had to be someone before James."

"Of course there was," said Lily easily. "James and I didn't get together until this year. I mean, he's been chasing me since we were thirteen, but back then, I don't know, he was different, I was different."

Hermione smiled. "And now?"

"Now I can't imagine ever being with anyone else," said Lily smiling to herself. "Hermione, can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course," said Hermione quickly.

"I mean a real secret. You can't tell Remus. You know how the boys are. They tell each other everything."

"I promise," said Hermione leaning toward Lily.

Lily took a deep breath. "I'd marry James Potter, if he ever asked me."

"Oh Lily," breathed Hermione. "That's wonderful."

"Do you think so? Because sometimes when I have those thoughts I think I must be crazy. We're only seventeen. How could I think that?"

"I don't think you're crazy," said Hermione. "I know you and James would be happy together forever. Just because you're young, doesn't mean you don't know what you want."

Both girls giggled before settling back into their chairs.

"Ok," said Lily. "Now you."

"Me what?"

Lily sighed in exasperation. "Fine, be difficult. Just tell me who was the last boy you kissed, before Remus I mean."

Hermione turned scarlet.

"Ooh, it must be someone really good. You just turned the brightest shade of red I ever saw anyone turn," Lily teased.

"It's time to go," said Hermione gathering her books. Lily laughed, but followed Hermione's lead. The subject obviously bothered Hermione, and although she was curious, she would never do anything to make Hermione purposely uncomfortable.

They left the library together and by the time they reached the second floor, were already laughing about a completely different subject.

Hermione and Lily entered the common room to see the four boys huddled together whispering excitedly.

"Ten Galleons says they're up to no good," whispered Lily to Hermione.

Hermione giggled. "That's a sucker's bet."

"What's up guys?" asked Lily, sitting down next to James.

Hermione sat next to Remus, who instantly took her hand in his.

James looked around the room to make sure no one was within ear shot. "We're planning what we're going to do on Sirius's birthday," said James conspiratorially.

"When's your birthday?" asked Hermione.

"Two weeks from Friday," replied Sirius.

"Anyway," continued James. "We're planning something big this year."

"What?" asked Lily warily.

"We're going to go to London," said Sirius gleefully.

"What?" exclaimed Lily in a forced whisper.

"Yeah," said James. "We're going to leave Friday night after lights out and not come back until Saturday morning."

"You mean stay out all night," asked Lily, not quite believing what her boyfriend was proposing.

"That's right," said James, matter-of-factly. "And we want you and Hermione to come with us."

"Oh James, I don't know. If we got caught we'd be in so much trouble."

"That's what makes it so exciting," said Sirius.

"Still," said Lily slowly, but you could tell from her eyes that the thought of being in London at night was starting to appeal to her.

"Lily," said Hermione in shock. "I can't believe you're actually considering this."

"I know, Hermione, but think about it. This is our absolute last time to do anything this reckless. We're graduating in a couple of months and we'll officially be adults. So what if we stay out all night then."

"What do you think about this?" asked Hermione turning to Remus.

He shrugged. "I think it might be fun."

"I don't know," said Hermione, still not convinced.

"Come on, Hermione," said Sirius. "It's my birthday."

Hermione looked around at the five eager faces staring at her. "Oh, all right," she gave in. Everyone grinned excitedly.

"Just one thing," asked Hermione. "How are we getting to London?"

"We're going to fly," spoke up Peter.

"Oh," she said quietly.

Remus squeezed her hand. "You'll be fine. I'll fly next to you the whole time." Hermione smiled, but didn't feel reassured in the least.

Two weeks never seemed to pass so quickly. Before they knew it, it was Sirius's birthday. They could hardly contain their excitement. Even Hermione, who wasn't looking forward to the flight, but was definitely looking forward to seeing London at night with Remus and her friends.

That night, Lily and Hermione dressed as quietly as they could so they wouldn't wake any of the other girls and made their way downstairs. Remus was waiting for them.

"Ready," he grinned.

They nodded excitedly.

"James didn't think we should all go together in case we ran into someone, so they went down ahead with the map. They left the invisibility cloak for us." He pulled out the cloak and motioned for the girls to get under.

"Are we all covered?" he asked.

"Yes," whispered Lily and Hermione together.

"Okay, then let's go." They crept out of Gryffindor Tower as quietly as possible.

"I can't believe we're really doing this," whispered Lily excitedly.

"I know," said Hermione, feeling as excited as Lily sounded.

"If you two keep jabbering we're going to get caught," muttered Remus nervously.

Hermione and Lily giggled unable to contain their glee.

Finally, they made it to the front of the castle where James, Sirius, and Peter were waiting.

"It took you long enough," said an exasperated Sirius.

Lily rolled her eyes. "We're here now, so let's just go."

"Peter, where'd you put the extra brooms for Lily and Hermione?" asked Sirius.

"I stashed them behind that bush earlier," he said pointing toward the north wall of the castle. "I'll go get them." He said, trotting over to retrieve the brooms. He grabbed them and ran back to the group, handing one to Lily and the other to Hermione.

"You know Hermione," began Remus. "Maybe you ought to use my broom. You've flown on it before and you're more familiar with it."

"Maybe," began Hermione.

"No," piped up Peter. Remus and Hermione turned to him. "It's just that the school brooms are slower," explained Peter awkwardly. "Your broom has built in acceleration. What if she loses control?"

"Maybe Peter's right," said Hermione. "But you're sweet for offering." She leaned over and kissed Remus on the cheek.

"Can we go?" asked James impatiently.

Hermione suppressed a laugh and mounted the broom before they all kicked off the ground. She could feel the cold rush of air against her face and was thankful that she had thought to put on a sweater under her robes.

Sirius led the way, followed by James and Lily, then Remus and Hermione, and in the rear, Peter.

They looped around the castle and headed for the Forbidden Forest via the lake. Hermione was feeling somewhat comfortable on the broom when suddenly she felt a swooping sensation in her stomach and her broom dropped about ten feet. She sucked in her breath and grasped the handle a bit tighter, trying to pull it upward the way Remus had taught her.

Remus descended quickly and flew so close to her that their robes whipped against each other. "What happened," he called out to her. "Are you ok?"

She nodded, "I must have..." She never finished her sentence. It was as if the broom disappeared from under her and with a gasp and a small scream she fell from the night air.

"Hermione," Remus yelled, diving after her.

Hermione could barely think seeing the dark murky water of the lake approaching at a rapid pace. She hit the water with so much force that she immediately blacked out.

Hermione would never know how long she was in the water. When she came to, it was cold and her lungs were screaming for air. The water was everywhere. Her sodden robes were impeding her ability to do anything. In panic she tried to take a breath, but there was no air only water.

"I'm drowning," she thought as the water filled her lungs. "This is it." She kicked hard with the little bit of strength she had left, but in the dark cold she had no idea which way was up. Her hand reached out grasping for something, anything, but there was nothing to take hold of. She grew very still and darkness swept across her mind like a veil.

"Hermione," whispered a familiar voice. Hermione laid very still letting the voice cover her like a warm blanket. "Hermione, open your eyes," commanded the voice. She obeyed slowly.

When she opened her eyes everything was out of focus. She squeezed her eyes shut again and opened them slowly. She expected someone to be standing over her, but there was no one. "Hello," she called out. "Is someone there?" As she spoke the words, the images around her that were blurred and out of focus came into view.

She was at Hogwarts lying under the tree by the lake that she had spent so many Sunday afternoon's under with Ron and Harry.

"Hello," she repeated her voice tight with fear.

"It's ok, Hermione," said another voice. "We're here. You're safe now."

Hermione turned slowly, knowing now who the voices were, but not trusting her ears. "Harry," she breathed. "Ron?"

They both smiled and dropped to their knees next to her. "I never thought I'd see either one of you again," she cried and pulled them each into a massive hug.

They held each other tight for several minutes as she cried against them. Finally, she pulled away and took a good look at her best friends. "You look so young," she said in confusion. And they did. The Ron and Harry sitting in front of her looked more like the boys she met that first day on the Hogwarts Express rather than the seventeen year old men she had left behind.

"I don't understand," she said.

"You see us this way because in your happiest memories of us, we were eleven," explained Harry.

"Where are we," she asked in awe.

"That's a bit complicated," said Ron.

"We're not really at Hogwarts, are we?"

"Well you are," said Ron. "Or to be more precise, you're in the lake."

Hermione's eyes grew wide. "Am I dead?"

Harry and Ron looked at each other.

"Am I?" she shouted.

"Calm down, Hermione," said a Harry softly. "You're not dead. We're not going to let anything happen to you. Do you understand? That's why we have to hurry."

"Why are we here together?" she asked.

"We're always together, Hermione," said Harry.

"But why here and where is here?"

"You see, Hermione," Harry began. "People travel through life in pairs and groups. They're meant to meet and meant to be together forever and when they're apart, they're incomplete. I guess in the simplest terms, you could say that we're soul mates."

"Soul mates?" she questioned.

"Yes, contrary to popular opinions, being soul mates has very little to do with romantic love."

"We belong together, just like Peter, James, Sirius, and Remus belong together," explained Ron.

"I thought it might be fate or something that brought me back to them. But I don't belong here with them, do I?" she said softly.

"No, you do," said Harry. "You were meant to go back."

"How did it happen?"

"We can't tell you," injected Ron. "We just wanted to reassure you that you're doing the right thing. No matter what happens, you have to remember that, even when things get bad."

"When things get bad? Why'd you say that? What's going to happen?

"Ron," said Harry sharply. He gave him a warning look and then turned back to Hermione. "Don't worry. You're doing fine and everything will be all right."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because this isn't the first time something like this has happened."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you remember the Department of Mysteries?" asked Harry.

"Of course," said Hermione.

"Do you remember the room with all the time-turners?"

"Yes."

"In that room, there's a door and behind that door..."

Harry was interrupted when Hermione began coughing violently. Immediately the two boys were on their feet.

"We're out of time," said Ron tensely.

Hermione slumped forward and gasped for air. "I... can't... breath," she said haltingly.

"It's ok," said Harry soothingly, putting his hand on her cheek. "We're going to take care of you. You just have to trust us." He pushed her shoulders back. "Lie down and close your eyes."

Hermione did as she was told and reached out for Harry's hand. She held it tightly. "Will I... ever... see you again," she asked between gasps.

"Shh," he hushed her gently, pushing the hair back from her forehead. Ron moved closer and took her other hand.

Tears fell down the sides of her face. "I miss your faces," she whispered just before her eyes slid shut.


"There she is," shouted Sirius. "Remus, over there."

Remus swooped low over the lake. He balanced carefully on his broom and shrugged his robe off before diving in after Hermione.

The coldness of the lake water hit his body with the force of a thousand sharp knives. He surfaced above the water and forced himself to take a deep breath before paddling over to Hermione.

He pulled her head out of the water, but in the darkness he could barely see her face. While treading water, he put his ear close to her mouth to see if she was breathing. She wasn't, but he couldn't concentrate on that now. He had to get her out of the lake.

He positioned her so that her head rested against his shoulder, above the water and began kicking as hard as he could back to the shore.

The rest of the group had landed near the edge of the lake and when Remus was close enough, James and Sirius ran into the lake to help him get Hermione out.

Her soaked robe and dead weight was making it difficult to lift her out of the water, but with a unified heave, they managed it.

"She's not breathing," gasped Remus as they settled her on the rocky shore.

"Someone go get help," shouted James.

Immediately Lily bolted for the castle.

"We need light," said Remus as he ripped her robe open and put his ear over her heart.

"Lumos," said James and Sirius simultaneously, holding out their wands.

Remus could feel rather than hear, the flutter of her heart beating faintly.

"She's dead," wailed Peter. "What are we going to do?"

"Shut up, Peter," snapped Remus, his eyes wild with fear. "She's not going to die." By the faint light of his best friend's wands, he could finally see her face. Her lips were blue and her face was deathly pale. He ran his hand down her face and over her lips, hoping to feel her breath.

"Remus, move over," said Sirius, dropping to his knees beside them. He leaned over Hermione and placed his mouth over hers, breathing for her.

"What are you doing?" asked Remus.

Sirius pulled up and ran his hand over her chest. "Damn it," he cried out in frustration. "I can't feel anything underneath this sweater. He pulled out his wand and uttered a spell. Instantly, Hermione's sweater was gone, leaving her in only her bra.

"What are you doing?" shouted Remus in horror.

"CPR," gasped Sirius, pumping Hermione's chest. He leaned over and placed his mouth over hers again. "Learned it in muggle studies," he said as he rose up and pumped her chest again.

"Come on Hermione," he urged. "Breathe." He continued alternating between breathing for her and pumping her chest. After about a minute, Remus couldn't take it anymore. He fell back on his seat as Sirius continued to work on her, staring blankly at James.

James was standing above them all. His hands hung limply at his side and he mouthed the word, 'breathe,' over and over again.

"Hermione, don't do this to us," shouted Sirius. "Breathe, damn it, breathe."

The tears flowed down his face, but he continued to work. As he leaned over to cover her mouth again, Hermione's head jerked to the side and she began to cough.

The lake water dribbled from the corner of her mouth and Sirius quickly turned her so she wouldn't choke on it again. Hermione began to retch violently, expelling the lake water from her body with every heave.

Remus and James gave shouts of joy and moved closer to Sirius and Hermione.

"That's it, Hermione," said Sirius, rubbing her back gently. "Just try to take slow deep breaths."

When it finally seemed that there was nothing left to expel from her stomach, Sirius allowed Hermione to rest on her back. They watched her chest rise and fall for a moment, each one wanting to assure themselves that she was in fact breathing. When she began to visibly shake, they jumped back into action.

"James, give me your robe," commanded Remus.

James took off his robe and handed it to Remus, who promptly wrapped it around Hermione. Then he tucked his arms under her back and legs and lifted her up. "It's ok, Mione," he murmured. "I've got you now. You're going to be ok."

She settled limply in his arms and rested her head against his chest. "Harry," she whispered. Remus looked down at her, but couldn't see her face. "No," he said hesitatingly. "It's not Harry, its Remus. Hermione, do you know where you are?"

"Department of Mysteries... Harry, Ron... Don't leave me... No... Department of Mysteries...," her eyes slid closed as she continued mumbling random words.

"Come on, we've got to get her inside," said Sirius quickly. "Do you want me to carry her, Remus?"

"I've got her," he said sharply, tightening his hold on her. He never wanted to let her go again.

They began walking briskly back to the castle, James and Sirius leading the way, while Remus whispered words of assurance to Hermione.

"Hospital wing," ordered Sirius once they entered the castle and James and Remus immediately obeyed.

There were two students already occupying beds in the hospital wing and Madame Pomfrey was snoring lightly in a chair in her office.

"Madame Pomfrey," called out Sirius as they barged into the ward.

The older witch woke with a start and jumped up from her chair. "What the devil," she cursed as she entered the open ward. "Sirius Black, what do you mean by making all that noise at this time of night?" Then she spotted Remus carrying Hermione. "What on earth? What happened? Why are you two all wet?"

"She fell in the lake," explained Remus as he laid her down on a nearby bed.

"Fell in the lake," said Madame Pomfrey. "How?"

"Well you see," said James slowly, glancing at Sirius. "We were flying over the lake and she fell off her broom."

"James Potter, as head boy you should know better," scolded Madame Pomfrey as she fussed over Hermione. "Remus," she said sharply without looking up. "Get out of those wet clothes, right now. Honestly, you boys...."

She was interrupted when the door to the hospital wing burst open admitting Lily, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Dumbledore.

"How is she doing, Poppy," asked Dumbledore urgently, striding over to the group.

"Oh, they'll be fine," said Madame Pomfrey with a wave of her hand. "Just a little cold and frightened by the looks of it."

"Miss Evans said she'd stopped breathing," injected Professor McGonagall.

"Stopped breathing," said Madame Pomfrey in shock. "You should have said that," she accused. She looked back down at Hermione, who was staring off to the side, her eyes unfocused. Then she walked briskly to her office and came back seconds later with a potion in her hand. She forced Hermione to open her mouth and poured the liquid in. Hermione winced and coughed, but said nothing in protest.

"I think the four of you better start explaining things from the beginning," said Dumbledore sternly. He gave Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus a hard stare and waited.

Sirius looked down uncomfortably. "It's my fault," he said solemnly.

"No," spoke up James. "It was my idea."

Dumbledore put his hand in the air silencing them. "I am sure there is more than enough blame to go around, but I am not interested in that. I would like to know what happened, now."

All four heads dropped again.

"We were sneaking out," confessed James. "We were going to fly to London for the night."

"I see," said Dumbledore seriously. "And I assume Miss Granger fell from her broom while you were attempting to leave Hogwarts."

The four nodded silently.

"And I also assume you are all aware that Miss Granger is neither experienced nor comfortable on a broom, or did that not occur to you."

"We thought she could handle it, sir," injected Lily. "Remus gave her a flying lesson."

"I see," said Dumbledore flatly.

"Yeah," said Sirius uncomfortably. "But we were wrong. She fell off her broom and landed in the lake."

"How long was she in the lake," interrupted Madame Pomfrey, still hovering over Hermione.

"I don't know," admitted Sirius. "Just a couple of minutes, then we found her and Remus dove in and pulled her out, but by then she wasn't breathing."

"But then Sirius did RSP," interrupted James, "and got her breathing again."

"CPR," muttered Sirius.

"Right," corrected James. "CPR, and then we brought her here."

"Is she going to be ok, Madame Pomfrey," asked Lily desperately.

Madame Pomfrey looked angrily at the group. "She will be no thanks to you lot."

Tears fell down Lily's face and each boy looked as if they felt the same way.

"What possessed you to do such a thing," scolded Professor McGonagall.

Nobody could answer. They each knew all too well what almost happened that night and felt the weight of it on their shoulders.

"Please professor," croaked Hermione from her bed and everyone's head turned to her. "Please don't be so hard on them. It's just as much my fault as it is theirs."

"I am well aware of that, Miss Granger," said Professor McGonagall, but in a gentler voice than before.

"Minerva, I think they've had enough scolding for one night. If you would escort them back to Gryffindor tower, we can continue this discussion in the morning."

"Quite right, Albus," agreed Madame Pomfrey. "All right, you lot. You heard the Headmaster."

Lily, James, and Sirius obediently moved to the door, but Remus hung back, staring intently at Hermione. "You too, Mr. Lupin," said Professor McGonagall sharply.

Remus and Hermione's eyes were locked on each other. "Go," she mouthed. "I'll be ok." He nodded and reluctantly followed his friends out.

Professor McGonagall escorted them all the way back to Gryffindor Tower and watched Lily head up the girl's staircase and the boy's head up their own. Once inside their dorm room, Sirius immediately went to Peter's bed and threw the curtains open. The bed was empty. "Where did that little rat disappear to," growled Sirius.

"Who knows," said James angrily. "Did either of you notice when he snuck off?"

Sirius shook his head. "I was so focused on Hermione. I swear when I get my hands... What does he mean by disappearing like that? Afraid of taking part of the blame?"

"You mean all the blame," said Remus quietly.

Sirius and James looked sharply at Remus. "Why do you say that?" asked James.

"Hermione didn't fall off that broom. I was right there. That broom just seemed to give out."

"Come on, Remus," began James. "You can't mean that Peter messed with that broom."

"That's exactly what I mean," argued Remus. "He was the one who volunteered to get that broom."

"Still," said James doubtfully. He turned to Sirius. "What do you think about this, Padfoot?"

Sirius was turned away from James and Remus leaning against the post of his bed. "I don't know what to think," said Sirius. "And right now, I don't care." He got into bed and wrenched his curtains closed.

Remus and James looked at each other in surprise, but said nothing.

"James," said Remus in a lowered voice. "Can I borrow the cloak?"

James nodded immediately. "Where are you going?"

"To check on Hermione," said Remus moving to the door.

Remus went straight to the hospital wing under the cover of the cloak. When he opened the door, Hermione lifted her head and glanced at the open door. Remus checked to make sure Madame Pomfrey was back in her office, asleep, before he threw off the cloak.

"Remus," whispered Hermione.

"Shh," he hushed her. He walked over to her quickly, wanting desperately to hold her, but when he reached her he held back.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "You're going to get in trouble."

"I don't care," he said obstinately.

"I'm glad you came," admitted Hermione.

Remus pulled up a chair and sat by her bedside. "Are you ok?"

She nodded. They stared at each other. Each could see the desperation for contact in the others eyes. Finally, Hermione lifted her hand out and touched his face gently. Immediately Remus half stood and crushed Hermione in a tight embrace. Her arms went around his neck and she held him tight against her.

"I was so scared," confessed Hermione in a whisper.

"Me too," returned Remus. "I thought I'd lost you."

Hermione's eyes slid closed she wrapped her arms tighter around him.

"If you had died..." Remus trailed off and pulled away from her. She whimpered at the loss of contact. He cupped her face in his hands. "Hermione, I love you. I was afraid to say it before, because I wasn't sure how you felt, but I don't care anymore. I love you."

"Remus," breathed Hermione.

"You don't have to say it back," he said quickly. "I understand, but I have to tell you how I feel or I'm going to go crazy."

"Remus," Hermione repeated.

"No, I mean it. It doesn't matter to me if you don't love me yet. It doesn't matter if you never love me. It doesn't change how I feel."

"Remus," said Hermione a little too loudly.

"Shh," he hushed her and they both glanced at Madame Pomfrey's office. She was still sleeping in her chair.

"Remus," Hermione said again, a little softer this time. "Would you let me talk?"

"Sorry," he mumbled.

She smiled softly. "I love you too."

He smiled widely. "You do?"

Hermione's heart ached. She knew him well enough by now to know what he was thinking. "You have as much right as anyone else to love and be loved, and I do."

He leaned closer and pressed his lips to hers in a slow gentle kiss. "I love you," he murmured against her lips.

He didn't hold her long. When they finally pulled away from each other, he could see tears in her eyes. He brushed them away gently and kissed each eyelid. "Go to sleep," he whispered. She settled back in bed, but took hold of his hand.

"Stay with me until I fall asleep," she requested.

He smiled and nodded, stroking her hand and occaisionally her face until at last she was asleep.

A/N: See, I told you I'd update soon. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for the reviews as always, I love them.