Author's Note:

Two quick things.

First, I'd like to apologize for any cringey grammatical errors on prior chapters. My rule of thumb is to write it and post before overthinking haha, and I figured the edits can come after everything here is finished.

Secondly, I'd like two thank my reviewers so far for their encouragement! In particular, Dark Angel Baby, thank you for keeping up with the fic so far and for your clear interest in this haha. I cannot approve or deny your guesses as to what will happen later on. I also appreciate those who have favorited this fic and have added this fic to their alert lists! I haven't written in a long while, and so knowing that people are following this storyline gives me motivation to keep posting. Thank you all :)

Also, please make allowances on the geography because I do not know anything haha. Lastly, not certain if I'm going to make this as dark as I was initially intending so we'll see what happens.

'Nuff said, on to the story.


Hermione stood before a mirror in her makeshift bedroom at the Lupins and looked at herself. The girl that stood there- herself, she vaguely acknowledged- was nothing but skin and bone. For a Gryffindor, she couldn't dare herself to look at the scars she knew adorned her now. Some new scars, some old. The healers could only do so much for her and, in the end, the rest was all up to her body. She felt ashamed to think that person in the mirror was her. She felt she shouldn't have survived, but also that she should have tried harder to fight.

She applied an aloe ointment that was mostly muggle to her body to help sooth some of the aches that still occurred.

Mr. and Mrs. Lupins were downstairs, she could hear. It had been a few days by now and she still wasn't sure what to refer to them as. They were going about their morning routine it seemed. The smell of bacon cooking was almost tempting as it wafted up to her. Her appetite wasn't quite back to where it needed to be, though Mrs. Lupin had tried over the last few days to encourage her appetite to return.

Hermione threw on a quick jumper and a pair of bell-bottom jeans, grimacing at the clearly 70s fashion, and slowly limped out of the room.

When Dumbledore first apparated her to the Lupins residence in Yorkshire, the shabby college and run down appearance of their neighbors houses' left their own dry impression. It was difficult to believe that anything magical would live in a place like it, which was all the better for Hermione to hide in she assumed. It was dark at night and somewhere in the distance she could hear the crashing of trash cans as a dog barked.

After Dumbledore knocked on their front door, Hermione half expected a young Remus Lupin to come charging to open it and greet them. She did not expect a tired, lanky Lyall Lupin nor his wife Hope. Both of them seemed tense when mention of their son came up in the conversation. They simply stated that he was at a friend's residence for part of the summer and would be back at a later date. It was clear to anyone with eyes that Lyall his son stay out of sight, out of mind.

It didn't take much convincing to let Hermione stay with them. Hope Lupin seemed quietly pleased at having another face around. Lyall Lupin seemed to understand that there was something more going on and opened his mouth as if to question it when Dumbledore very pointedly brought up Hermione attending Hogwarts with Remus in the fall and covering both of their tuitions. When Dumbledore offered to pay them additional funds to take her as their charge, they both accepted their new guardianship roles readily. Neither questioned the made up story of her being a distant family member of theirs, neither asked from which side of their bloodline she came. They didn't care.

For all intents and purposes, Hermione came across as a silently tragic girl who wouldn't cause any trouble as long as she had a roof over her head. Moreover? They'd be getting paid for it. Hope seemed optimistic about the change whereas Lyall's eyes seemed cool and calculating.

Dumbledore left slightly thereafter. The Lupins walked Hermione up to her room where they swiftly helped to make up a bed for her from a spare camping cot, and then provided an extra filing cabinet that now doubled as a makeshift dresser after a quick transfiguration. Hermione was left alone for a moment to unpack her meager belongings. There wasn't much to unpack and so her room came across as sparse. Hope knocked on the door shortly thereafter after gave Hermione a handful of clothes that looked well worn before leaving her for the evening.

It gave her the appearance of belonging in this time and with these people. Hence, the bell-bottom jeans she now wore.

Mr. Lupin was smoking on a pipe as he flipped through the newspaper on the table. Mrs. Lupin was spooking some eggs onto a plate with bacon and toast. The two of her caretakers stopped in their routine when Hermione walked into the room.

"Hermione, dear!" Mrs. Lupin was the first to react. "Come here, take a seat at the table. I have breakfast all warmed up for you." She set the plate at the table in front of Hermione as Hermione sat down. It wasn't the type of heap like Mrs. Weasley would provide in overabundance, but it was still a generous amount of food. "We have a little extra food since our son isn't staying with us, and you look like you could use it dear."

Nausea swirled in Hermione's stomach as she picked up a fork and took the first bite. There was an understanding look in Mrs. Lupin's eyes as she watched Hermione force herself to eat. She didn't probe for what happened to Hermione and provided her the space she needed to recover. Today was the first day since staying with them that she pushed Hermione a little more.

"So," Mrs. Lupin cleared her throat awkwardly. "Which side of the family are you from? Only so we can explain if we're asked," she finished hurriedly, as if not quite wanting to push for more information.

Mr. Lupin, who'd ignored them thus far, peered over his paper at Hermione as he also anticipated receiving an answer.

The eggs Hermione had taken a bite from were slowly swallowed as she contemplated how to answer. No matter how hard she tried, she still couldn't find the ability within her to mutter a single sound. Hermione wasn't certain if she could ever find the will to speak again since every time she opened her mouth the remembrance of her screaming from pain echoed in her mind.

She averted her eyes from them and her gaze fell on the newspaper Mr. Lupin held. There was a crossword showing on the side of the paper facing her which presented an idea.

Hermione motioned her hand as if she were writing with a quill. Hope watched with a confused expression before understanding washed over her. She opened a drawer from a desk in the corner of the room and pulled out a pencil along with a pad of paper. Once they were set in front of Hermione, Hermione picked up the pencil and carefully wrote her answer to their question.

It read:

'My parents were muggles. I thought I was the first witch in my family, and only learned I was related to Mrs. Lupin through the Howell line after they passed away. There was a blood test done during my medical treatment and it showed a scattered familial magical line that eventually connected to Remus. And, by extension, you.'

Mrs. Lupin teared up as she read it aloud to her husband. Mr. Lupin 'hmphed' and turned another page in his paper, effectively ignoring the two women again.

"Oh, love," she reached over and grasped Hermione's hand tightly. Hermione fought the instinct to flinch but could not keep her body from tensing. "We don't expect to be a replacement for your parents. You're already well grown and likely don't need much looking after now, but trust that you are not alone. We're family now. We will always be there to support you."

Hermione knew if she were to look over at Lyall that he would be rolling his eyes. As it was he huffed again and it was clear that he wanted silence again in the kitchen. The sounds of clattering silverware and chewing were all that Hermione heard over the next few minutes. Suddenly, Mr. Lupin folded his paper and with a smack he agitatedly set it on the table. He tossed back the rest of his morning coffee, lit a pipe, and arranged a brown jacket across his shoulders.

"I have business to attend to for the next few weeks," he gruffed as exhaled a puff of smoke and kissed Hope on the cheek. He picked up a suitcase that Hermione hadn't noticed sitting by the door. "A nasty set of boggarts and doxys found home in a building some gents are converting into a storefront. 'S easy enough to handle so I'll be back 'round noon for a late lunch. I'm setting out for Romania by this evening to deal with a vampire coven with no respect for the Statute of Secrecy and a nasty habit of turning muggles before abandoning them. Foul creatures." With little more fanfare, Lyall swept out of the small home and left Hope and Hermione to their own devices.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Hermione turned to Hope to see a wide smile stretched across her space. "Hermione, dear, I'm sorry to leave you as well. With Lyall setting out this evening, now seems to be as good a time as any to send a missive to my son Remus to return home for a stretch. I'm certain he'd like to meet you as well."

Hermione sent a questioning look at Hope. She understood Remus's condition of lycanthropy, not that Hope knew, but she was hoping for more insight as to why Lyall came across as aloof as he was. Hope caught the look and was almost pained as she responded, "Remus is a loving boy, but got into some trouble when he was young through no fault of his own. He and his father don't quite see eye to eye since then, you see. It's better for them both to have some healthy space."

Hermione couldn't help but wonder where that left Hope in this picture. Mrs. Lupin left within the hour after her husband, and Hermione was alone to her thoughts. The cottage was so quiet and unfamiliar, though it's ragged hominess was reluctantly beginning to grow on her. You deserve better than this repugnant place, girl. That dark part of her was whispering in her mind again. She felt that if she also stayed here that it would begin to leave some of the darkness behind.

There was an rusty old bike leaning against the cottage that clearly had not been used in some time. Hope had pointed it out to Hermione not long after she'd arrived and allowed Hermione use of the bike whenever she'd like. There hadn't been anywhere to go so she'd seen no use in riding the thing. Now, even though she still hadn't a clear picture of where to go in her mind, she knew her thoughts would run her crazy if she didn't have anything to preoccupy her.

At some point she would need to work on either getting back to her present, or working on cementing her presence in this time, but decided that it would be an issue for tomorrow. Hermione also exited the cottage, tugged the bike from where the weeds had begun to tangle in it's tires against the house, and settled herself onto the bike seat. She chose a random direction and began to ride.

The Lupins lived in a rural section of Yorkshire in the midlands that was not too far in either direction a township: one direction brought a more central part of Yorkshire, or in the other direction then the outskirts of the suburbs of Cokeworth. Hermione hadn't asked when Hope was explaining how to get where because at the time it hadn't seemed to matter. Nothing did.

As Hermione rode the bike she found the feeling refreshing. There was a part of her that felt still tense being this open, knowing the horrors that could await her if the wrong person stumbled across her, and another part of her that felt relieved. There was a gentle breeze against her face as she rode. Though her body was still sore from her various wounds, the movements of the bike allowed her to stretch her stiff limbs. She could convince herself for the moment at least that she was safe and that she was free.

The rode she took was winding but thankfully not taxing on her body. She passed few other houses at first, mainly forestry and the odd farm or two, and the sunlight was warm as it cast across her face. Soon the houses became to grow in number until it was clear she'd entered a small cul-de-sack and the rode became more structured to accommodate the residents there. Some twisted part of herself was looking at this clearly muggle community in disgust, though Hermione shoved that feeling away and allowed the familiarity of the community to wash over her. It reminded her of a similar community from her own time, and of an innocent girl who grew up with parents who were dentists.

So deep in her reminiscing was she that Hermione hadn't noticed when a scrap from her pants got caught in the bike chain. It was a sudden change when Hermione went from riding the bike smoothly to crashing sideways into a rubbish bin, both she and the bin toppling over. Of course fate would have it that she'd finally start having a good day that would be ruined by falling into trash.

The noise drew the attention of another who came running over. Hermione felt hands pulling her back up before she could even understand what was happening, and they quickly began cleaning her off. "What rotten luck," a distinctly feminine voice said. "I saw the whole thing, are you all right?"

Once Hermione got her bearings she took in the other girl. Red hair and green eyes that Hermione would know anywhere. Lily Potter.

Hermione could only nod as she immediately looked down at the mess. She didn't have a new wand, and couldn't articulate to Lily that she too was a witch, and so the mess would need to be cleaned the muggle way.

"Lily! What are you doing now, you freak?" a shrill voice called from the home adjacent to the scene. There was another girl standing in the doorway with a disdainful sneer on her face. "Antagonizing our neighbors?"

Lily swore under her breath as her eyes flashed in annoyance. "Don't worry about what I'm doing, Petunia. Don't you have somewhere else to be?" she called back.

"You're quite right that I do," Petunia replied contemptuously as she opened the door of a small car in the driveway. She threw a sour look at Hermione and Lily as she got into the vehicle and rolled down the window. Hermione and Lily had both leaned down to start cleaning the trash from the street after placing the rubbish bin back upright. "Not that you need to know, but let my parents know I have better places to be than here with you and that I won't be back until later this evening."

"They're my parents too, Tuney," Lily replied to no avail as Petunia had already rolled up the car window and began to pull out of the drive. Exhaust spit in both Hermione's and Lily's faces causing them to cough as Petunia drove away. "Bitch," Lily muttered before turning back to Hermione.

Lily pursed her lips thoughtfully for a moment, fully taking in Hermione's appearance for the first time. It made Hermione uncomfortable in her awkward stance and the clothing that didn't fit quite right, and made her squirm under the observation. "I know you from somewhere. Where do I know you?"

Hermione shrugged halfheartedly, still unable to look at those green eyes, and leaned down to pick up the bike. When she stood up, Lily was almost completely in her face and it made Hermione startle. Lily gasped in recognition and she gestured to the other girl. "You're from Hogwarts!" she exclaimed loudly. Realizing she was drawing more attention than necessary, she repeated the statement quietly. "You're from Hogwarts, right?" Hermione nodded and Lily continued speaking, "They say you broke into the castle and attacked students, but that you weren't right in the mind at the time. Is it true you spent all of last term in the hospital wing? Are you going to be a student there in the next term?"

Lily spoke so fast that Hermione couldn't reply even if she wanted to. "Oh, where are my manners?" Lily exasperatedly sighed and held out her hand, "I'm Lily Evans. I'll be going into my seventh year of Hogwarts as a Gryffindor. And, you are?"

Hermione took the offered hand in a hesitant handshake, and opened her mouth to attempt to respond (there was no paper in sight for her to escape it this time). "He-hermione G-gran-" her voice cracked and stuttered, she had to clear her throat and her cheeks burned in embarrassment. How many times had Lily Evans seen Hermione falling into things now? Add to it that she could barely say her name. "Granger," she completed defeatedly. Her posture drooped as the energy and optimism left her. She should have stayed at the cottage even if she was alone.

Lily had strained to hear the raspy words Hermione spoke, brows furrowed in confusion, though whatever questions she may have had Lily was tactful enough not to ask them. Instead she focused on Hermione's name and tilted her head as she confirmed, "Hermione, like from Shakespeare's 'The Winter's Tale'?"

Surprised to find that Lily knew the play from which her parents got her namesake, Hermione met Lily's eyes in shock. Lily laughed lightly, "Don't look so surprised, Hermione. I know how to read literature, though it does help that Shakespeare is rather a famous playwright." She quirked her lips as she stated, "If you're named after it, then I'm assuming you're either a muggleborn or half-blood then. I haven't met a pureblood yet- except maybe Dumbledore- who could fathom the concept of reading muggle literature."

Hermione really shouldn't be so surprised to find Lily as bright as she was told from those in her own time, and found herself nodding yes yet again to Lily's conclusions.

Lily grinned excitedly, "It's nice to know there's another witch in the area. My family doesn't really understand me, and it's difficult to talk with others who don't know I'm a witch when such a big part of my life has to be a secret. Would you like to stay for lunch? I can tell you all about Hogwarts."

Before Hermione knew it, she and Lily had gone inside and spent the afternoon together. Lily gathered soon enough that Hermione preferred not to speak, and so she spent most of the time regaling Hermione with stories from her time at Hogwarts. Stories that Hermione was certain that Harry would love to hear. Hermione payed rapt attention throughout the duration, and whenever a questioning look overtook her face then Lily would stop to expand on something. It was as if Lily was intuitive to what Hermione needed without Hermione needing to utter a word, which was an astounding development in their new friendship since they'd only known one another for a few hours.

As the afternoon sun sank deeper in the sky, deep reds and vibrant oranges hugging the clouds in the last few hours before dusk, Hermione stood and gestured to leave. Lily leapt from her chair and ran into the back room, returning soon after with a book. "Here!" She gave the book to Hermione. "This was one of the very first books I read when I found out I was a witch. I thought maybe since you'll be going to Hogwarts soon, that you'd like to read it too?"

Hermione looked down at the book and read the cover to see that she was holding none other than her own favorite book, 'Hogwarts: A History'. Her eyes watered a bit and she had to swallow a lump in her throat as she looked shakily back up at Lily. Lily must have caught her tear-filled eyes and pulled Hermione into a crushing hug. "You can keep it if you'd like. Merlin knows I've read that enough times to have it memorized so don't worry about returning it." Lily pulled back from the hug but kept her hands on Hermione's arms in a reassuring way. "I don't want to assume anything," Lily began carefully. "So please don't take this the wrong way, but you look like you could use a good friend. If you'd like, I could be that friend for you?" Hermione looked away and rubbed at her eyes to keep the tears from falling. "You don't have to decide on that now if you don't want to," Lily laughed. "I'll be here for most of the summer, so feel free to visit if you'd like. You can owl me."

Hermione nodded again after she'd gathered herself, and smiled cautiously at Lily in return. Friends sounded promising than almost anything else that Hermione had stumbled upon yet in this time. Friends.

Shortly after Hermione found herself riding the bike back to the Lupins. The ride back went much easier than the first, with a few simple turns before coming upon the rode she could take solely back to the cottage. She rode up the drive just as the sun was completely setting the darkness started to fall across the sky. She set the bike against the house again and entered the Lupins residence. Immediately she could smell something savory drifting from the kitchen.

"Hermione dear, is that you?" Mrs. Lupin called from further in the house. Hermione heard footsteps coming closer to where she lingered in the doorway, and Hope soon stood before her. "Wonderful timing, I was just setting the table. I received a response from Remus earlier and he'll be returning from the Potter's tomorrow. He's curious about you and offered to show you to Diagon later this week to get anything you might need. Isn't that wonderful?"

A nervous flutter began in her stomach as Hermione smiled shakily at Mrs. Lupin. She hadn't thought much about it when meeting Lily earlier as their interactions together had flowed seamlessly and naturally. Remus was someone she'd known though in her past as a professor, a mentor and friend. She wasn't certain how she would be able to act like Remus was a stranger, or how to put the tired older man she knew with what she was sure going to be the young carefree Marauder of the past.

One thing was certain though. Having been placed with the Lupins was giving her an advantage to the first step in her plan: creating connections to tie her to this time. She'd already found guardians in Lyall and Hope Lupin, and Dumbledore would also be wary of her as the sole person to know of Hermione's origin. Lily had proactively offered her friendship, with a summer to build upon it. With Remus returning home, she knew that following him would be the rest of the Marauders. Sirius. James. Peter.

It was surreal to wonder how things seemed to be falling into place not even a week into the summer before seventh year, and Hermione couldn't help but anticipate whatever would come next.