Uncertainty Principle
Chapter 3: Getting To Know You
xXx
September 16, 1975
Sirius eventually tells James and Peter about the medallion. Both are floored by the information, but in true James Potter fashion Hermione is now on his radar in a big way. He snaps a bit more at anyone who calls her that awful nickname and now that they're paying attention to her, they notice the number of blood purists paying her a bit too much attention too.
"She's a muggle born who keeps to herself. They know if they mess with her no one will stand up for her." Lily tells them one afternoon.
Sirius scowls. "You know about it, why don't you stand up for her?"
"I would if I was there when it happens. She goes out of her way to be by herself, Sirius. They know that and they know better than to bother her when people are around."
"How do you know about it then?" Remus asks. It's not accusing, only curious.
"Severus and I saw her run out of the stacks one afternoon a few years ago. A few Slytherins came out a little while later and Severus mentioned that that's probably what happened."
"Marlene doesn't seem to like her much, what about you?" James asks.
"Marlene has some ridiculous notion that Hermione thinks she's better than everyone else and that's why she keeps to herself. I've tried to make friends with her, but everytime I think I've started something she goes completely cold the next day."
"Hence the nickname." Peter mutters. James glares at him and Peter ducks his head, turning his attention back to his lunch.
"Why are you so interested all of sudden?" Lily asks. The boys hesitate to answer.
"It's complicated." Sirius replies softly.
As if drawn in by their conversation, Hermione enters the great hall, spotting an empty spot far away from anyone else and taking a seat. She makes a cup of tea and fills her plate before pulling a book from her bag.
James looks around at his friends, sharing a look with Sirius. As one they grab their bags and plates. "Come on." James says, nudging Remus. Sirius nudges Peter to join them and James turns to Lily as he gets to his feet and gestures to her to come too if she wants. She does and as one they make their way down the table sitting around Hermione.
No one misses the way she tenses as they sit down around her and she looks up at them. "Hey." James grins. "Mind if we sit with you?" he asks. She cuts her eyes down the table where they had been sitting when she walked in, then looks back.
"No." she replies softly before turning back to her lunch. Not wanting to push and make things difficult, they all go back to their lunches chatting as if there's nothing off. They don't try to fold her into the conversation, letting her sit in the silence she seems to prefer.
After a while, Hermione cleans up and stands. "Where are you going?" Sirius asks.
She looks stunned for a moment as if the idea that someone would ask is entirely unheard of. "Class." she finally replies, prompting Lily to look at her watch. She gasps.
"Crap, I didn't realize it was that late." she says in a hurry, grabbing her own bag. "Charms right?" she asks Hermione. Hermione nods. "Me too." and then as if they had discussed it beforehand they walk out together, the line of Hermione's shoulders stiff.
"Do you think we started something?" Peter asks, sounding hopeful.
"Maybe." Remus replies. "She seems determined to be alone though. Guess we'll see what happens."
xXx
Hermione and Lily walk into the Great Hall for dinner side by side. Their bags and robes are gone, now only in their uniforms and Lily is keeping up a continuous stream of conversation while Hermione appears to be listening intently. Lily leads them to the two empty seats with the Marauders and continues to talk even as she fills her plate with food.
"So I tell her, if I was ever convinced to marry a man like him and so young, I would blow my brains out and now everyone is mad at me even though they all agree."
Hermione snorts into her pumpkin juice, trying to hide a smile behind her napkin as she cleans her face. Thrilled by the sudden show of emotion, James asks what they're talking about.
Lily huffs, rolling her eyes. "My sister is dropping out of University to marry her boyfriend."
"What's wrong with that?" Peter asks.
"Nothing if that's what she actually wanted. She's talked about going to University her whole life, now all of a sudden she can't get married fast enough. I guarantee he talked her into it." she shakes her head. "The man is a conman. Always has some kind of scheme to get rich."
"Sounds like a wanker." Sirius replies, looking to Hermione as she turns her head enough in an attempt to hide her smirk. She schools her features when she notices him looking and he deflates a bit.
Maybe he's putting too much thought into this. Maybe his obsession is unhealthy and he needs to let it go, but there's something about this girl that won't stop nagging at him and he's determined to figure it out. She's a mystery that he wants to solve, and not just because of what she's done for him.
Sirius' attention is drawn back to the conversation and he lets the thoughts go for now.
xXx
September 17th, 1975
"It's like we've never had a conversation in our lives." Lily says, dropping onto the sofa next to Remus. She leans into his side heavily, clearly exhausted.
"Really?" James asks and Remus thinks it speaks volumes about his determination that he doesn't seem to care about Remus and Lily's proximity.
Lily nods pathetically. "She wasn't even in bed this morning when I got up."
"Oh yeah, she went out first thing this morning." Remus replies. Lily sits up abruptly, turning to look at him.
"What do you mean? You saw her?" she asks.
Nodding, he replies, "I got up early and she came down shortly after."
"Did she say anything to you?"
"She said good morning." He backs away a bit from her intense look.
"Did she say where she was going?" Sirius asks.
"The library?" he tells them and there's a split second before everyone jumps up, rushing toward the portrait hole. "Yeah, this isn't going to end badly." Remus mutters under his breath, getting up much more steadily and following after.
She's not at the tables out in the open when they arrive. So they split up almost by unspoken agreement and search the library. Remus manages to go off by himself, hoping that he finds Hermione first so he can apologize before the vultures descend on her, but he doesn't find her and when he reconnects with the others they announce they haven't found her either.
"It was hours ago, she probably went somewhere else." Remus tells them, which was the absolute wrong thing to say. Lily tells them she's going down to the Great Hall for lunch and to see if Hermione is there. When she's gone, Sirius and James share a look before smirking. Remus rolls his eyes, knowing what's coming next.
The four boys make their way back to the dorm, slipping up to their room and making sure they're alone. Sirius pulls the parchment from his trunk and joins them on James' bed where he unfolds it and sets it between them.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Sirius says, tapping his wand to the paper. Ink lines begin to bleed into existence, populating the parchment. As soon as it's done they unfold the map and begin searching for a familiar name.
"There!" Peter exclaims excitedly. "On the seventh floor." he looks confused for a moment. "Her name just appeared out of nowhere," he says. They all look.
"That's not her." Sirius says. "Look, the name says Granger. Hermione's last name is Ramsey isn't it?"
"That's the name she goes by." Remus nods. "But remember, we charmed the map to show true names."
"So her real name is Hermione Granger?" Peter asks. "Why would she change it?"
"Maybe she was adopted." James suggests.
Remus shakes her head. "Then her name change would be legal and that would be her true name."
"I know the name Ramsey." Peter mutters to himself.
"Carmichael Ramsey." Remus explains. "He's a prosecutor at the Ministry. He and my dad used to be friends until… well."
"He's prejudiced?" Sirius asks, a spark of anger in his silver eyes.
"No, I thought so at first, especially after he stopped coming around for dinner and such, but then the last time I visited my dad at work, one of his clerks told me that Carmichael didn't like the way my dad started treating me after I was infected. She said they had a row about it and now they don't speak unless they absolutely have to." he pauses, watching the line smooth out between Sirius' brow. "He's never mentioned a child of his own though. He seems like the kind of man who would talk about his children non stop if he could. He's also a pureblood, if I recall and Lily said Hermione was Muggleborn."
"He could be fostering her." James suggests. "That's not official is it?" Remus nods. "But then why change her name?"
"Maybe she really is in danger." Sirius says, looking at Remus. Remus silently agrees.
"She's coming back to the common room." Peter says, drawing their attention back to the map. Sure enough, Hermione's name tag stood outside the portrait of the fat lady.
"Mischief managed." Sirius says, tapping his wand against the parchment. They rush to clean up, folding the paper and shoving it back into Sirius' trunk. James is the first one out the door followed by Sirius, Peter then Remus who's still not convinced they aren't stalking the poor girl.
They make it to the bottom of the stairs just as Hermione stops to go up them. She startles, stepping back and looking a bit wide eyed. Her cheeks are flushed and puffy and there's very little doubt to any of them that she's been crying.
"Are you alright?" Sirius asks, pushing his way to the front of the group. He reaches a comforting hand to her and she looks as though she wants to back away, but doesn't. Sirius doesn't seem to notice. "Did someone hurt you?"
"What? No! Of course not." she waves off his concern. "It's… just allergies." she explains. "A lot of dust in the library." They were all pretty proud of themselves for hiding their skepticism. "Thank you though." she continues hesitantly.
Sirius grins. "Of course, what are friends for?" he says. They watch as she stares at them wearily before it shifts to resignation.
She sighs. "Yeah, I guess so."
Remus tries not to think about how her admission feels like a victory. Instead, he says; "Peter and I are going down to the Quidditch Pitch in a little while to watch James try out new Chasers. Want to come?" he asks. Sirius and James both look over their shoulders at him with a pleased smile. When they look back at her, they can see the conflict in her eyes. Whatever it is that's holding her back from making friends, it doesn't have the same grip on her.
"Sure." she finally replies, that one single word lightening the mood considerably. "When are you going down?" she asks.
"About an hour." Remus replies.
Hermione nods. "Alright, I'll meet you down here in a little bit." with that they step aside so she can ascend the stairs. When she's out of sight, James and Sirius grin at Remus proudly.
"Good going Moony." Sirius tells him, wrapping his arm around Remus' neck and pulling him into a playful headlock. Remus growls as he messes his hair and the boys laugh at the display.
xXx
"Ready?" Hermione asks, her voice hesitant as she stops behind the sofa. Remus looks back at her and smiles, getting up. "Where's Peter?"
"Kingsley recruited him to help show the first years how to navigate the stairs. A few of them have ended up on the restricted floor once or twice and gotten detention for it."
Hermione huffs as she follows him out of the common room. "Born leader that Kingsley." she says. Remus smiles, nodding in agreement.
Side by side they make their way down to the entrance hall then cut across the side hall and out into the grounds. The air was crisp but not cold, the perfect temperature for lazing about outside for a few hours. They could hear James' voice as they neared the pitch. Ascending into the Gryffindor stands they take a seat near the top and look down at the ground where the current team is lined up behind James as he talks to the new recruits. They can't really hear what he's saying from up in the stands but it's probably the most serious Hermione has ever seen him.
"Since it's his first year as captain, he's determined to win the cup." Remus explains as they stare down at them.
"Understandable." Hermione replies and they fall into silence. When everyone takes off into the air, they sit back, leaning against the backboard of the stands. They watch as James runs potentials through drills, even going so far as to help some of the younger years improve.
"So," Remus begins. "Ramsey, any relation to Carmichael Ramsey?"
Hermione tenses for a moment before her shoulders relax. "Sort of." she replies. "He's my foster father. Do you know him?" she asks.
Remus nods. "Yeah, he works with my dad. Nice guy."
"Yeah," she replies softly. "He is. Took me in right before first year." she explains.
Remus debates what to say next. He wants to ask questions, ask why she needed a foster home to begin with, but he also doesn't want to pry. It's only the first day they've managed to pass her walls enough for her to admit they're friends, he doesn't want to ruin that.
Remus sits up from his slouched position, but before he can say anything someone above them calls out; "Watch out!" They both look up in time to see one of the Bludgers dropping down on them like a lead weight. Remus moves quickly, grabbing her and using his weight to push them both out of the way. The Bludger comes down hard, splintering the wood of the seat and getting stuck. The stands shake as the bludger struggles to free itself, but before it can, Hermione steps around Remus and shoots a verballess spell at it, ceasing its movements.
Remus looks down at her impressed, but any comment he might have made gets lost on his tongue when laughter pulls their attention across the pitch to the Slytherin stands. Standing near the edge are McNair and his cronies, laughing and pointing at them. Remus feels the wave of anger from the young witch and looks down in time to see the ends of her curly hair begin to spark.
"Are you two alright?" Sirius calls out to them as he and James fly down to them. They both notice Hermione's anger watching as she raises her wand again and flicks it at the bludger. The bludger breaks free, rising up and shooting off across the pitch where McNair and the others just barely manage to duck out of the way. McNair gets to his feet a moment later, screaming profanities at her.
"Filthy Mud-."
He doesn't get to finish as the bludger strikes again, knocking McNair in the back. He stumbles, hitting the ground. The bludger doesn't stop there, shooting after the other boys who have run screaming out of the stands, dragging McNair behind them, all while the Gryffindor team laughs at their retreating forms.
Sirius, James and Remus look at her impressed, grins lighting up their faces. "Kitten's got claws." Sirius says. Hermione huffs, rolling her eyes and claiming a new seat. Remus takes the one next to her and Sirius and James return to tryouts.
"That was pretty cool." Remus tells her once they're alone.
Hermione focuses on a loose button on her cardigan, fiddling with it as she replies; "I've had enough of death eaters and their wanna be counterparts to last a lifetime." she tells him.
When tryouts are finished, Hermione and Remus meet James and Sirius on the ground outside the stands. Both are still grinning, whether because of Hermione's actions or at having just finished a successful tryout session, Remus doesn't know. Whatever the reason it's short lived as Professor Dumbledore appears on their way back to the castle.
"Can I assume you were all at the pitch just now?" Dumbledore asks in his kindly way.
"Yes sir." Hermione replies before any of them can. "Did you see those boys coming back? Are they alright?" she asks, concern in her tone. Remus, James and Sirius share a look behind her.
"So you saw what happened?" he asks.
"Yes Professor, the bludger just went crazy. It nearly hit Remus and I in the stands and then flew off after them. I couldn't really see who they were." Hermione explains.
"Yeah, the bludger chased after them too. Was anyone able to stop it?" Remus adds.
"Thankfully yes." Dumbledore replies. "Professor Flitwick came across them on their mad dash back to the castle," he explains. "They seem to be under the impression that you enchanted the bludger to attack them, Miss Ramsey." he continues.
Remus has to admit, she's an excellent liar. Her expression shifts to one of confusion. "What? Why would I?"
"Well, Professor Flitwick gave them all detention for using blood slurs when they were explaining what happened, so I can only assume that's why they believe you're to blame. I shall inform them it was a freak occurrence and that should be the end of it." The look in his eye tells them he doesn't actually think that will be the end of it, and Remus gets the feeling he's hinting at them to keep an eye on her. He won't have to worry about that. They won't be letting her out of their sight if they can help it.
Satisfied, Dumbledore turns and walks back to the school, leaving them to make their way back to the dorms to get cleaned up for dinner. It's not until they step out of the portrait hole that anyone says anything.
Grinning from ear to ear, Sirius tosses his broom to Peter who gets up to greet them and moves toward Hermione, picking her up and spinning her around. "That was bloody brilliant!" Hermione squeaks at the sudden movement, holding on as he goes. Remus tries not to laugh at the shocked expression on her face as he stops spinning, grinning at everyone who looked up at the commotion.
"What happened?" Lily asks from her place next to Marlene on the sofa.
"McNair and his arsehole friends charmed one of the bludgers to attack Hermione and Remus so Hermione sent it right back at them and actually hit McNair. Then she got us all out of trouble for it with Dumbledore without batting an eye. Now they all have detention." Cheers go up around the room, even Marlene congratulates her. She blushes at the attention but thankfully, James takes it off of her, using Peter and Frank Longbottom to reenact what happened.
"Sirius." Hermione speaks softly, drawing his attention from the raucous display. He looks over at her, grinning and Remus hides his smirk as her blush deepens. "You can put me down now." she tells him.
Remus wasn't aware Sirius' grin could get any wider. "Nope." he pops the p obnoxiously. "I'm going to carry you around forever." he laughs.
Hermione rolls her eyes. "As much as I appreciate the sentiment, I would prefer to walk."
There's a moment before he puts her down, Sirius staring up at her, his grin slowly shifting into a smile, Hermione still blushing furiously but unable to look away from him, that Remus realizes it's not gratitude that drives Sirius' affection for Hermione. He smiles to himself then, thinking about all the things he'll need to do to push them together.
