Happy Monday lovelies!
I know a lot of people have been waiting for this, so hopefully you lot enjoy this chapter! I promised that nicer things were on the way x
Please leave a review and let me know what you think x
My tumblr: indiebluecrown. tumblr. com
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.
Wednesday, February 3rd, 1999
Undisclosed Location Along Wales's Coastline, UK
Sett Cottage
Silverware clinking, the scent of aromatic tea was wafting into Sirius's nostrils. The wizard in question was sat in a pine chair at a four-person table a few feet away from the kitchen counter.
A pale haired witch was flitting here and there as she readied some tea and plucked some chocolate chip cookies out of a stout, bright yellow ceramic jar that had the word, 'smile' written on it in black.
Riley insisted she put a pot of tea on before she filled him in on all details that she was privy to; Sirius had waited this long; he could wait a bit longer.
Sirius stared down at the moon tattoo on his wrist, and lazily rubbed at the inked skin. It's funny how all of my tattoos seemed to have revitalised after I escaped Azkaban, Sirius thought. The almost full moon was bright, and ethereal, as if he was gazing up at the cold mistress in the sky herself.
Sirius was brought back to the present by the small, round plate of cookies that Riley placed in the middle of the table. Sirius narrowed his eyes at the stack of baked goodness while Riley rushed back into the kitchen to grab the two mugs of tea—the cups were cornflower blue, and a yellow sunflower decal wove its way around the handles.
Riley smiled tightly as she put the cups down, and after inhaling deeply, she joined him at the table.
The pair indulged in some of the piping hot tea—Sirius spent almost two full minutes blowing on his before he tipped the liquid to his lips—and a cookie or two in complete silence.
Neither of them knew where to begin: the euphoria of seeing each other had worn off a little, and the reality of the situation was resting heavily on them. How did one broach the subject of friends that had travelled to the past, lived amongst them, all whilst full aware of the events to come?
On top of it all, a lot had happened in the past nineteen years. They had both been on drastically different paths, living completely dissimilar lives. How does one bridge a gap so vast, yet so infinitesimal?
"They knew what was going to happen," Sirius said, crudely smashing through the tense silence with a sledgehammer. He daintily took a sip of his tea.
"They did—"
Riley was interrupted by an unexpected guest: a sleek, black cat jumped onto the table, and a growl ripped from Sirius's throat before he could stop himself. The cat's back curved, its hair stood up on end, its claws scratched the dark-stained wooden surface, and it hissed most ferociously.
"Midnight? How in Godric's name are you still alive?" Sirius gaped at the black cat regarding him with mild disdain. The feline hissed in reply, back still arched.
Sirius growled, "little fucker always hated me." The cat replied to that with another hiss.
"Midnight?" Riley asked with a furrowed brow, but understanding dawned on her face, and her confusion melted into thick amusement.
"Twilight, there's no need to be like that," Riley said fondly.
"Twilight?" Sirius asked.
So that's who she was talking to, Sirius thought.
"Midnight passed away years ago now—the night after…November first. The sun had barely risen, and I came outside to find her on my doorstep, fast asleep."
Riley reached out and affectionately stroked the cat's head—the response was immediate, the cat purred loudly and rubbed its body against its owner's hand.
"This is Midnight's granddaughter, Twilight. One day, Midnight disappeared for a week, and shortly thereafter I found out she was pregnant…she had a litter not long after she showed up actually," Riley explained.
"I called Twilight's Mother, Dawn...and all the other cats I gave away or sold in the town over," Riley said with pursed lips.
"You bestowed the spawn of that evil creature to Muggles?" Sirius raised an eyebrow, and Twilight hissed again, as if to say she understood exactly what he was insinuating, and she did not approve in the slightest.
"Dawn had a couple of litters over the years, and I did the same with all of her kittens aside from Twilight," Riley added with a wry tweak of her lips.
"I repeat, you gave the spawn of that evil creature to Muggles?"
"Midnight was a sweetheart," Riley chuckled softly. Some of her pale hair fell forward into her face, covering her scarred flesh, and blind eye. Sirius leaned across the table and tucked the hair behind her ear—he wanted to take in all of her beautiful visage.
"That's cause the fucker liked you."
"I was the next best thing after…" Riley trailed off, and her hand froze in the middle of Twilight's back. Riley sat back in her chair, and she stared at him blankly.
"What?"
Riley didn't respond, she merely got up, took the three steps over to Sirius, and she knelt down in front of him.
"Riles?"
Riley took his hands in hers, and ducked her head to pepper soft kisses against his knuckles. When the witch finished, she released his hands, and rested her cheek against his thigh. "I don't know a lot."
"You know more than I do," Sirius pointed out.
"Draco and Hermione were from the future. They took an Unbreakable Vow under duress from Dumbledore," Riley came to a screeching stop when she noticed that Sirius's blank expression hadn't changed. "You already know about the vow."
Sirius let out a haggard breath, and he stroked Riley's cheek. The witch's head rose, and she scotched forward so that her chin was digging into his left thigh—he didn't mind.
"Remus and I found a letter that Hermione wrote, she clearly never intended to send it…and Merlin knows why she didn't burn it, but she mentioned the vow. When I asked McGonagall about it, she confirmed it."
"So you know what the Vow entailed?" Riley asked, wide eyed.
"Don't you?"
"Draco said it basically stopped him and Hermione from saying or doing anything that would endanger the future where the light won. That's paraphrasing a little though," Riley said pensively.
"...And he told you this before he disappeared the 'second' time?" Sirius inquired, bent at the middle, his face inches away from Riley's.
"Yes."
"Fuck. I can believe I'm asking this, and part of me really doesn't want to know, but did Draco die after he told you?"
Riley stiffened to stone, and her tone was a smidge cold as she said, "of course he didn't die."
"Then I must be missing something, sweetness. It's an Unbreakable Vow…if you break it you die, that's kind of how it works."
"That's what I'm trying to tell you, he didn't break it," Riley huffed.
Sirius was thoroughly befuddled now. "Okay, that makes no sense. Something isn't adding up, Riles."
Riley lifted her head up off of his leg, pressed her forehead to his, and tenderly she said, "I told you already. Hermione and Draco used—"
"A powerful spell," Sirius cut her off, and with a frustrated exhale he extracted himself from her and straightened up until his back hit the chair. It was in they were speaking in circles, and every time they made a bit of progress, they swung back to the starting point.
Riley groaned softly, sitting back on her haunches as she studied him. "They used blood magic."
"I beg your pardon?" Sirius's brow knitted together. Riley was being vague, and not at all forthcoming, and his frustration and confusion was mounting to an almost unbearable level.
"They used blood magic…and well it's complicated, but Draco didn't have a lot of time to explain it to me so I'm not even sure I understand it. He gave me his and Hermione's ruddy chests and then one morning he bid me farewell and left, told me he'd been gone for oh, about twenty years and then he never fucking came back," Riley exploded, panting heavily as she tried to catch her breath; she had hardly paused at all during that expulsion of words.
"Riles, breathe. I'm sorry I got so—" Sirius began to apologise, but Riley waved a hand in the air and he clamped his mouth shut—like an obedient dog who'd received a command from its human companion.
"No, it's me who should be sorry. This is all just a lot," Riley sighed, her eyes fluttering shut. "I must have pictured seeing you—seeing everyone at least once a day for the past nineteen years, but I always imagined it would be all of you. That Hermione and Draco would be back."
"You thought they would have explained everything to us," Sirius guessed, and all of his frustration fled his body. Sirius tenderly cupped Riley's cheeks. Getting worked up wasn't going to get anyone anywhere.
Sirius smiled reassuringly, and kindly he said, "it's okay, we don't have to rush. We have time."
There was a long pause before Riley offered, "Hermione was already gone." Quietly, she said, "you could tell it was weighing on him being without her."
Sirius stroked his thumbs across her cheeks, and something inside of him compelled him to kiss his witch, so he did. Riley's grin when he pulled away was almost blinding.
You could tell it was weighing on him being without her. For some reason that comment stuck out like a sore thumb, and there was a tingling sensation that swept across his scalp.
"What do you mean by that?"
"By what?"
"That it was weighing on Draco without Hermione there…"
"I know from personal experience that it's absolutely dreadful not having the one you love with you," Riley said sombrely.
"The one he what now?"
"The one he loved?"
"Fucking what?"
"Don't you remember? Hermione and Draco are together."
"When you say…together, what do you mean exactly?" Sirius squinted his eyes at Riley, pressed his lips together and partially flared his nostrils.
"They're dating, they're together. I dunno, they like like each other."
"Fucking what?" However, as soon as the words left Sirius's mouth, he remembered.
Monday, February 8th, 1999
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
"How were classes today?" Ron asked, toying with the end of the raven black, ridiculously long braid that belonged to his female companion; a brown skinned witch.
"Exhausting, Flitwick flew through his lecture today, and don't even get me started on the nightmare that was Arithmancy today," Padma groaned, rubbing at her temples.
The pair was sat on one of the staircases that led up to the Seventh floor: Padma was sitting on the step below Ron, her feet stretched out along the length of it—their book bags were piled together on a step down from the witch.
Ronald Weasley and Padma Patil were a mix of contrasts, but, the ginger boy often thought that perhaps that's why they worked so well together.
"I won't," Ron teased, electric blue eyes sparking with mirth as the witch scowled at him.
"I was going to spare you the gory details, but I think I want to see you suffer a little," Padma smirked, and Ron's smile fell. Padma grabbed hold of his free hand, and in a grave tone said, "your sister and Nott were snogging rather eagerly in the Courtyard today."
"Fuck," Ron swore lowly.
It had admittedly taken Ron a couple weeks to get accustomed to his younger sister shoving her tongue down the throat of the tall wizard with dark, curly hair and ice blue eyes—now, he was even happy for his sister—but that didn't mean he wanted to hear every intimate detail of their relationship.
Ron dropped Padma's braid, and rolled up the sleeves of his long-sleeved button down; Ron had shed his tie and outer robes the moment he exited his last class of the day, and they were stuffed into his book bag. Padma on the other hand had only removed her outer robes; otherwise, her uniform was immaculate.
"You have to admit they're cute," Padma sang gaily, and Ron shot her a droll look.
"They may be fucking cute or whatever, but Nott better treat my sister right, or he'll have me to deal with," Ron grumbled.
"Ginny can handle herself," Padma pointed out.
Ron's head bowed slightly, and he nodded lazily as a warm smile spread across his face, "I know, but that won't stop me from wanting to protect her as much as I can."
"Which is why you're a good brother," Padma giggled, but it died in her throat harshly, and when Ron looked up tears were welling up in Padma's eyes. "Sorry, I just, I—Parvati."
The witch didn't utter a word more before Ron somehow gathered her into his arms; it was made abundantly clear that they were twisted in an uncomfortable, awkward mess of limbs, so Padma did something about it. Padma shifted so that she was kneeling on her step, and threw her arms around Ron before she sobbed heavily into his chest. Ron pressed a kiss to her temple.
The war had ripped too many things from them, and one of the many unfortunate casualties during the Battle of Hogwarts was Parvati Patil—she'd thrown her sister out of the way of a slicing hex, and caught the brunt of the blow herself. Parvati died in her twin's arms.
Padma sniffed, "tell—tell me something, anything."
Ron swallowed thickly, rubbing small circles across the girl's back as she blubbered. He told her what he only dared to tell himself under the cover of darkness when he lay awake in bed some nights, "sometimes I wonder if Hermione is ever going to come back."
As soon as he said it, he kicked himself mentally. Padma was shattered—literally falling apart in his arms over her sister that was never coming back—and he had the audacity to talk about a witch who could possibly be coming back in the future.
"Padma, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking, I shouldn't have said that—"
Padma pulled back abruptly, hot tears streaming down her face, but she didn't look angry—quite the opposite really. Ron released his hold on her, only to wipe away the tear tracks on her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.
"Ron. She is one of your best mates, you're allowed to say you miss her, and wonder if she's okay," Padma said with a watery smile.
"Yea, but your sister…"
"I miss her more than words can express. There is going to be a—a hole in my chest forever, and a void where our bond once was, but she wouldn't want me to be crying right now," Padma gulped in shaky pockets of air. "I asked you to tell me something, and you did. You didn't say anything wrong, gorgeous."
"I still shouldn't have said something so insensitive. Out of all the things I could have said, I said that," Ron frowned. Padma had a wobbly smile on her face as her index finger rubbed at the lines on Ron's glabella—as if attempting to banish them.
Ron wrinkled his nose, and a smile found itself splayed across his features. The ginger lightly caught Padma's wrist, and he tugged her closer to him. Their noses were brushing. "Stop that, it tickles," Ron scolded playfully, and just like that the entire situation melted into the past.
Ron was thinking about how he really had to think before he spoke when Padma's soft lips were against his; his other hand slid around her waist and the witch pressed herself closer. Padma gripped at the lapel of his shirt, and Ron interlaced their fingers. It was the first time they'd ever kissed.
The kiss was salty, and it was like she was breathing fire directly into his soul's hearth.
Ron deepened the kiss just as a soft, "ah, shite," came from behind them.
The pair broke apart, and glanced up to the top of the stairs were two mussed figures were awkwardly standing.
"Sorry Finnigan, Thomas, this staircase is taken," Ron said wryly.
The boys' robes were all askew, their hair was unkempt, and Seamus's pale face was flushed bright red; ever so slowly, Seamus slipped his hand into Dean's, and laced their fingers together. Dean glanced down at their joined hands, and smiled subtly.
Then, as if just recalling that they weren't alone, Dean piped up with, "ah, right, we'll just…leave."
"Don't have too much fun now!" Padma exclaimed, beaming at the two lions.
"Hush, Patil. Considering how we found the two of ya, I should be sayin' that to ya," Seamus grumbled.
"C'mon, Seamus," Dean said, rubbing at his nape as he gripped Seamus's hand tighter and pulled the boy after him until they were out of sight. Ron and Padma could still hear Seamus's voice bouncing off the walls in the following moments—he was talking at a mile a minute, and his thick Irish accent made his words almost indistinguishable to them, but clearly Dean could understand him as every now and then he replied.
The boys' voices faded. Ron faced Padma once more with a crooked smirk on his face, "it's about time."
"You're telling me," Padma laughed breathily, and then she grimaced. "Okay, the stairs are digging into my shins." The witch untangled herself from Ron, and slowly unfolded herself until she was towering above him.
Ron traced the lines on her shins from where the stairs had left an impression, "sorry."
"Why are you apologising?" Padma rolled her eyes, and she glanced over her shoulder to make sure she didn't trip over their bags, and moved two steps down. Ron rose, and stretched his hands high above his head.
"Felt right," Ron yawned, and Padma fondly shook her head at that.
The witch bent at the middle and was careful not to knock over Ron's things as she swung her book bag over her shoulder, she wiped away the rest of her tears, and picked Ron's bag up and held it out to him. Ron met her halfway, and gratefully accepted it.
A few minutes later, Ron's arm was around Padma's shoulders, she was tucked into his side, and the pair meandered in the direction of the Ravenclaw Tower. The torches were flickering across them, and every time they passed by a window, they would pause to gaze out at the starry night; the waning moon was about half-full and thus the grounds were fairly well lit.
"Do you think that Hermione is looking out at a similar sight right now, in the past I mean?" Padma asked when they came to a stop just around the corner from the entrance to the Ravenclaw Tower.
The sudden disappearance of two students couldn't be kept under wraps for long, and whilst most of their classmates didn't have the full story, news of Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy's trip to the past spread like wildfire. The finer details however, had only been shared with a select few; during Ron's courtship of Padma Patil, she had been brought into the fold and was now one of those few.
"I have no idea…I just hope that she's okay," Ron said, wrapping both of his arms around Padma and drawing her close. Ron stared at the icy mistress in the sky, and quietly wondered what Hermione was doing this very moment.