Disclaimer: I do not own any Harry Potter related stuff, characters or anything else.

(A/N: Puh-lease review!)

Hermione's Troubles:

Chapter Five:

Hermione looked around her frantically, but there was nothing but absolute whiteness, as if she was drifting, floating on something that could not be seen, and did not exist. She shook her head to try and clear it, dizziness clouding her senses.

"I've never doubted Professor Dumbledore before." She muttered firmly. "And I'm not about to start now." She confirmed decisively. "But still…" She stared around herself, looking desperately for some change in the indistinguishable, yet overpowering light. Dumbledore's voice still echoed softly around her, strangely reassuring. Hermione found comfort in the ever-repeated chant, even though it was the reason appeared to be stuck in this never ending landscape.

"Magic, Future, Present, Past.

Back in time this spell does cast.

To nineteen-eighty-seven go,

In the time of Christmas, friends and snow."

Suddenly, Professor Dumbledore's serene, mild voice rose to a terrifying crescendo. Hermione shuddered convulsively; she didn't think she'd ever heard her easy-going headmaster raise his voice, not even when fighting Lord Voldemort himself in her fifth year.

All of a sudden, Hermione's legs buckled underneath her as they collided with the first solid thing she'd felt since entering this abstract domain. The only thing she saw was a glittering of silver sparkles, like the ones that had incased her to bring her into the vast white emptiness, and a pair of half-moon spectacles.

In his office, the younger Professor Dumbledore got one of the biggest shocks of his life as a student randomly appeared in the middle of his office with a shower of silver glittery shimmers.

"What have we got here?" He muttered to himself, bending down to examine the incomer. He got one glance into her deep, chocolate brown eyes, and then she fainted. "Hmmm." He said to himself. The girl was wearing robes, not in any style he'd ever seen in his already considerable years at Hogwarts, but they had the Hogwarts crest emblazoned on them, marking her as a student. And she was wearing the Gryffindor colours. Yet he had never seen her before. "Who are you?" He said in puzzlement, standing and stroking his beard. Hermione stirred slightly, as if aware of his scrutiny.

Opening her eyes, Hermione looked straight into two deep, twinkling blue eyes. She sat bolt upright, looking around. Everything was almost exactly the same. An old, yet surprisingly strong hand came into her view. She grasped it, and was hauled to her feet.

"What year is this?" She said frantically, nostrils flaring in trepidation.

"Why, it's 1987." Professor Dumbledore said in surprise. "To be exact, it's December the 14th, 1987." He glanced at a massive grandfather clock in a corner of his office. "At a quarter past Eleven in the morning." He added for her further benefit. "It's also a Monday." He gave her a mischievous grin.

"But I left on a Saturday…" Hermione said, more to herself than anyone else. Professor Dumbledore gave her a calculating look.

"Please, sit down." He said kindly, gesturing to a chair infront of his desk. Hermione sat, looking around her, wide-eyed. Now that she looked more carefully, things had changed. There were several less small, spindly objects than she remembered, and the grandfather clock was a new addition.

"Or should I say old addition?" She thought in puzzlement, then mentally chided herself for such a futile exercise. "T'isn't like it's going to matter." She though heartily. Looking up at her Professor, she realized he was staring at her oddly.

"I suppose you'd like to know how I came to appear in your office sir?" She asked tiredly.

"Well, yes, I was wondering, Miss…"

"Granger, Hermione Granger." She supplied, remembering the instructions Dumbledore had given her before he'd cast her back in time.

"Well, you sent me here Professor." She explained. "You sent me back in time from 18 years in the future." She added, hoping her wouldn't think she was a nut. On the contrary, he looked quite interested, leaning forward over his desk.

"So, Miss… Granger… are you saying that I sent you here, well my future self did?" He asked, looking at her curiously. "I wonder why I did that?" He mused.

"You sent me back because, well…" She blushed. "I can't tell him he sent me back after Snape and McGonagall walked in, and Remy, and that whole talk… I can't." She thought wildly. "Ah, you sent me back because somehow in the past I came back anyway. So it was required that you send me back this time. When I first came here it created a time lapse, which resulted in me time traveling now. So you sent me here." She explained. "Also," She added in sudden inspiration, "give Remus Lupin permission to create his own, personal, hidden little alcove in the Library. It's there in the future. It means more than you can possibly know." She added for emphasis. "You said in my time that you gave it him because you felt he needed a place of his own."

"Actually," Professor Dumbledore admitted smiling, "he already has it." Hermione blushed.

"Sorry." She shrugged. "I just wanted to make sure it was still there in my own time."

"So I gather you know of his… secret?" Dumbledore asked, looking at her carefully.

"Yes. He was my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in my third year." She paused. "There were… circumstances… in which I found out." She winced, realizing she'd just given away part of the future.

"Ah. Well…" He mused, stroking his beard. "Miss Granger, in what House did you belong to in your time?" He said, surveying her robes. "They've red edging, but I wanted to make sure." He added.

"Gryffindor. I was in my Seventh Year." She revealed. "Ah, I'll only be here for a few months, one in the least. What will I tell the students?"

"Tell them that you've moved from…." He paused. "Tell them that you moved from France, and that you attended Beauxbatons." He finished. "And you must not tell anyone things about the future." He said gravely. "Ah, I'll call for someone to 'show' you how to get into Gryffindor Tower. The password's 'Butterbeer.'" He confided. A large red phoenix fluttered over to perch on the arm of his chair. "Fawkes, could you please fetch…" he glanced at Hermione, "A Gryffindor Seventh Year?" Fawkes trilled a few notes, and then disappeared with a flash of flame. The music lingering in the air made Hermione feel a lot less nervous.

"Professor, I already know of most the Gryffindor Seventh Years, and a few in Slytherin." She admitted.

"Well, just pretend that you don't." He said simply. "And don't reveal the future." He instructed sternly. Suddenly a calming note floated in the room, and Fawkes appeared with a flash, and trilled something into Dumbledore's left ear. "It appears that Fawkes has found someone. Remus Lupin was the only one not particularly occupied. I just couldn't disrupt James and Sirius from what they're plotting, it's just too good." He laughed. "Do you know Mr. Lupin?"

"Er, yes, yes, I know him." Hermione stuttered, heart thumping. "Yeah, do I know him!" She thought quickly.

"Come in!" Dumbledore called to the person outside the door. The door creaked open, and Hermione nearly died of shock.

Remus Lupin stepped into the room. He was paler than most people, and his light brown hair was messy, but Hermione didn't think she could ever have met a cuter guy. He was roughly only just shorter than Harry, who was tall for his age, and very thin.

"Yes Professor?" He asked, glancing at the girl sitting infront of his Headmaster.

"I'd like you to show Miss Granger here to the Gryffindor Common Room. She's to be a new Gryffindor." That was all he said. "You may go."

"Yes Professor Dumbledore." Hermione rose to her feet and stood beside Remus, tingling.

"Thank you Professor." She said gratefully. The two Gryffindors left the room. If they'd chanced to glance backwards, they would have seen Professor Dumbledore staring at them with a very mischievous glint in his clear blue eyes.

"So, Miss Granger, why have you suddenly moved to Hogwarts?" Remus asked quietly after they'd walked in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes.

"I uh, my family just moved from France." She lied. "I went to Beauxbatons over there."

"Cool." He nodded. "What's Beauxbatons like?"

"Its, uh, very, nice." She said lamely. "I've always wanted to come to Hogwarts though, I've read 'Hogwarts, a History,' sooo many times." She added, knowing she'd slip up and mention something about Hogwarts she shouldn't seem to know.

"Have you really?" Remus replied mildly. "I've read it heaps of times too. James and the others are always paying me out about it." He smiled wryly. Hermione smiled. "Why couldn't you come to Hogwarts before, Miss Granger?" He asked.

"Well, my parents are muggles." She stated. "It was too far for me to travel, and of course we couldn't use magic. And you can call me Hermione." She added shyly.

"Okay… Hermione." He replied, brushing a strand of his light brown hair out of his eyes, smiling slightly. "Why am I so nervous?" He thought to himself. "Well, her we are." He announced shrugging. "Gryffindor Tower. Password's 'Butterbeer.'" The portrait of the Fat Lady swung forward. "Password changes every now and then, someone will tell you, if you forget it you'll just have to wait until someone lets you in." He continued.

"Thanks." Hermione smiled shyly. "I can't believe I'm standing here with Remus!" She thought giddily. "Um, so is there anything else I should know?"

"Umm, no." He responded cautiously. "I don't think so. Well, let's go in."

Hermione clambered through the portrait-hole after Lupin, sadly remembering her friends in her own time. She straightened up and was met by a very strange sight. The Common Room looked just as it had in her own time, yet there were some familiar faces amongst the people in the room. It was nearly deserted.

"This is a free period for all seventh year. There are only 8 people left in my Gryffindor year. James, Sirius, Peter, me, Lily, Renae, Zoe, and Angelica." He explained.

"Why so few?" She exclaimed in shock. "Only eight people?" Remus gave her a calculating look.

"Well, Lord Voldemort." He said simply. Hermione eye's widened. He said the name! "Most people are too afraid to send their children here. Most of our year pulled out. The younger years are dwindling off too. In seventh year there 8 Gryffindors, 5 Hufflepuffs, 7 Ravenclaws, 7 Slytherins." He grimaced at the last one. Hermione was shocked. Twenty-six people in a year?

"Oh." She said, at a loss for words. Suddenly a loud voice cut across the room.

"Oi, Evans, will you go out with me?" James Potter yelled across the Common Room.

"No, James!" Lily responded in frustration. Remus laughed.

"Look, there's James and Sirius!" Remus exclaimed suddenly, changing the subject abruptly.

"James and Sirius!" Hermione thought in shock. "I forgot they'd be in this time!" Remus strode over to his friends. Hermione followed behind him.

"I told you that wouldn't work James." He said, shaking his head. "He's trying to ask Lily out at random moments to see if she'll say 'yes.'" He explained, turning his head slightly to talk to Hermione.

"Hey, who's she?" James and Sirius exclaimed.

"She's a new girl." Remus replied to his friends. "Hermione. Comes from Beauxbatons. Family moved." He summarized Hermione's entire lie in a few words.

"Hey Hermione." Sirius said ruffling his hair with his fingers and raising an eyebrow at her. Hermione's stomach clenched. "When I return to my time he'll be DEAD." She thought in horror.

"Hello Sirius." She replied, laughing, but inside her emotions were whirling.

"Hi." James said suggestively. He slid a sidelong glance along the room, where Lily was looking indignant at his tone, and winked at Hermione. "You busy this weekend?" He asked smiling a mischievous smile. Lily got up and walked across the room to the table were James was sitting.

"James Potter!" She said loudly. "You're supposed to be pining after me!"

"Well, Lily dear, you just keep refusing me. A man's got to move on sometime." He said loftily.

"You're not a man." Lily said scathingly. "And don't call me dear. I don't like you, remember, Potter!" She snapped. James looked affronted, and stood.

"Well, Lily, judging by the way you responded when I flirted with Hermione here," James retorted, winking at Hermione again. "I'd say that's just the opposite." He smiled smugly. Lily glared at him. "And everyone knows I'm very manly." He said, smirking. Hermione glimpsed Sirius twitching his hand, which was suddenly holding his wand. Suddenly James was standing there and, instead of wearing his robes, he was wearing a long, pink, sequined gown, long pink sequined gloves and ballet shoes that matched the gown, and had a pink, feathery scarf-ish thing wrapped around over his neck and strung over his shoulders.

Hermione just stood there in shock. She glanced at Remus, feeling her fingers tingle, and saw that he was just standing there with his eyes wide open, watching the exchange between James and Lily very carefully.

Lily cracked up.

"James, you look like an idiot!" She exclaimed, doubling over with laughter. She looked at him with tears of mirth bubbling in her eyes. "Very manly indeed, I'm sure." She said giggling. Three girls in Gryffindor robes who'd been watching intently started laughing. Hermione couldn't help it, a giggle escaped her mouth. James looked so silly standing there in that, and she'd just noticed a sequined tiara sitting in his scruffy black hair. Sirius was sitting there silently, looking on in amazement and mischief, you could see he was trying desperately not to laugh. Even the silent Remus who had been standing stock-sill beside her was laughing.

"What?" James said puzzled, looking at everyone around him, who were in hysterics. "What!" He looked down. "Sirius!" He said in an anguished voice. Sirius started laughing, his deep, throaty laugh only causing everyone else to laugh more.

"Very manly, James." Lily said, still laughing. She walked over to the three girls on the far side of the room. "C'mon girls, let's go." She giggled. "It's a bit too… pink and fluffy… around here!" The girls grabbed there things and climbed out of the portrait hole.

"Sirius!" James said again, turning around. "Why did you do that? I nearly had a date!"

"Prongs old fella, sorry to be the one to tell you, but she just will not go out with you!" Sirius replied gleefully. "And it was just too funny!" He guffawed. "Well, at least you know she likes you!" He added. Hermione risked another glance at Remus, and saw his expression tighten at Sirius's last comment.

"Hermione, I'm sorry, I really wasn't serious about this weekend." James said apologetically.

"That's fine!" She said smilingly. "The sight of you – in that dress – was worth it!"

"Hey, Hermione," Remus said suddenly, startling everyone. "Do you want to see the library?"

"Yeah, sure!" She replied eagerly. She wanted to go to the Library as soon as possible anyway, because it was one of her favourite places, and she knew she'd want to go there.

"Okay. See you later guys." He waved, then walked towards the portrait hole. Hermione followed.

"What was with his expression when James asked Lily out?" She wondered as they were walking. Total silence was between them, both lost in their own thoughts. "He looked happy, for James, and hopeful for his friend, but when she said no… it was almost as if he was relieved." Suddenly it dawned on her. A piece of memory floated into her mind, a memory of a memory. Harry had told them how in his third year he'd been standing on a bridge, talking to Remus about his parents, and Remus had said something rather shocking.

"Your mother was a wonderful woman Harry. She had a gift… a gift for seeing the good in people… especially when those people could not see it in themselves."

The voice floated in her mind, Remus's voice, not Harry, even though it had been Harry who'd repeated it. She'd forgotten. It was only mentioned once, before she'd began to care for him. She'd forgotten a very important thing. Remus had loved Lily. In love with the untouchable, the love of his best friend's life. The love of his life. She felt tears sting at her eyes. Of course, he'd never do anything about it, James and Sirius were best friends, pals since almost forever. Sirius'd side with James. Remus would lose his two best friends, not including Peter, who didn't really count.

Remus abruptly stopped walking, and jerked Hermione out of her trail of thought.

"Oh, so are we at the Library?" She asked, feigning that she didn't know, when she knew full well were the Library was.

"Yeah." Remus said quietly. He pushed open the door and let Hermione through. She remembered to gasp and sound surprised as she entered the Library.

"It's huge." She said in fake awe. "I love books, this is going to be so good." She smiled. Remus smiled tentively back. They rounded a bookshelf, only to come face to face with one Lily Potter. Err… Evans.

"Hello!" She said bubbly. "Remus, who's this?"

"I'm Hermione. I'm new." Hermione stated.

"From Beauxbatons." Remus added, finding his voice.

"Oooh, that's so European!" One girl said, giggling.

"Oh, this is Zoe." Lily explained, indicating the girl who'd giggled. Zoe had brown hair, tan skin, and a really big smile. Her eyes were a startling colour of blue. Hermione smiled awkwardly.

"Umm… hello." She said, fidgeting.

"I'm Angelica." A tall, curvy girl came up and shook Hermione's had exuberantly. Her dark, curly hair bounced.

"You should really call her Mrs. Black." Zoe jibed. Angelica blushed.

"This is Renae." Lily continued, ignoring her friends. A tall, willowy blonde girl stepped forward and nodded to Hermione. Her blue eyes seemed unnaturally cold, and Hermione nearly stepped away.

"Hi Hermione." She said indifferently. "So Remus," she added in a much warmer tone, "How have you been?" Remus blushed scarlet, the girl was plainly flirting. Hermione tried not to scowl.

"Uh, Lily, could you show Hermione all the girls stuff, like her dormitory, and bathrooms, and so on?" He asked awkwardly. "And I've been fine." He answered Renae, directing all his attention to Lily. Renae looked annoyed.

"Oh, yeah sure. I'll show her now. C'mon Hermione." Hermione almost winced at being left with these people.

"She's Harry's mother." She reminded herself sternly. "And they're probably not that bad. Except for Zoe." She thought before she could stop herself, seeing the girl taunting Angelica in the background.

"Okay. Coming." Hermione responded quietly. "Bye Remus." She said helplessly, waving. "See you around. She hurried to follow Lily and her cronies, who had already left the Library.

"Bye." Remus responded, nodded. Hermione ran out of the door and caught up to Lily. For a few seconds he stared at the retreating backs of the five girls, then turned and disappeared within the bookshelves.

(A/N: What do you think of this chapter? I tried to make Hermione as natural as possible. Did it work? Yes, Remus is in love with Lily. Will Hermione succeed in making him see her instead of Lily? Should she? I truthfully have no idea. The next chapters aren't written yet! laughs . Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you're all fantastic, and a MASSIVE thanks to lovenotknown, you've reviewed to like every chapter! If you've taken the time to read my work, please spare just a few more moments to review, I really appreciate it! Sorry about the gap between updates. They will become less and less frequent, I'm getting less free time on the computer and I start year 10 next week, so I'm gonna be busy. Unfortunately. I'd rather write than do school work. Byez for now!)