Tempus Magia

Part Three

Chapter 31: Always a Marauder

Hermione Granger made a grave error during the final battle that resulted in Remus's death. Working as an unspeakable she spends two years working on a spell using powder from time turners to go back to Remus's greatest hour of need. What if Remus's greatest time of need wasn't in *this* war?

Hermione and Remus stayed in a magical coma, side by side for two weeks. Neither of them could go to Saint Mungos and therefore were cared for by Madam Pomfrey. Hermione, because she was a time traveler and Remus because he was a werewolf and it was against the law. Pandora and Lily were by every day and Sirius and James came as often as their Auror and Order duties allowed them.

Peter had returned in the aftermath apologizing for his absence. The brothers took him back in stride and when they went to visit Remus, he was excited to meet Hermione but missed her because Madam Pomfrey was bathing her.

He developed a stutter the next time they saw him. He claimed it was just nerves.

Halfway through the third week, Remus woke jackknifing out of bed and gave Madam Pomfrey a fright. She had been shooing pesky students who had managed to sneak into the ward out and suddenly Remus was sitting up, his eyes a bright and vibrant yellow shouting, "Hermione!"

The students were terrified and ran from the wing on their own accord.

Her former ward was panicking and covered with sweat, "Hermione? Hermione!"

"Mister Lupin, please calm yourself! You're alarming the other students!" Remus' eyes focused in on the witch who had been one of the first people outside his family to show him kindness and love. "Miss Peverell, is resting in the cot on your left side."

Remus was out of his cot and walking barefoot on the cold floors before the nurse could usher him back into his bed. He collapsed in sobs at the sight of her heavily scarred arms and the minor scarring on her face. "I did this. I did this."

"Mister Lupin, what has come over you? I must insist you lay back in your bed before I forcibly administer a calming draught."

Three minutes later, he was back in his cot with Minerva McGonagall hovering over his sleeping form. "Poppy, what happened?"

Poppy Pomfrey was no fool. She was a nurse who listened to the sleeping musings of many of her patients. She was also a passable occlumens as well as legillemencer, it was part of her Healership training.

Casting silencing charms and wards she drew Minerva in. "Does the name Hermione Granger ring a bell?"

Minerva rose one dark manicured eyebrow. "Yes, she's a muggleborn. She's not even a year old."

Poppy looked at her pointedly and then at the bushy-haired girl in the bed. "Good Godric, it's not possible."

"Remus talks in his sleep, or don't you remember how we found out that four students successfully became animagusai in their fifth year?"

"Shut ye geggi," was the only bit of Minerva's tirade of curses that Poppy understood before she went full Scottish and she wasn't sure what a geggi was.

"Minerva, not that I'm not pleased to see you, but I need what are you doing up here? I was actually about to fetch you."

"Albus sent me. Our boy has a standing appointment with the Head Alpha of the UK. He's threatening to start sending out all the werewolves under him to bite children if he misses the deadline. The deadline is in two days."

Poppy gasped and grasped his hand in hers. It was no longer as small as it was when he first arrived in her care but it was no less scarred and she loved the boy no less than the first time she cared for him. "Is there nothing to be done?"

"Albus believes this girl is the key to his survival. She apparently blew up You Know Who's headquarters and killed four of his inner circle, including Abraxas Malfoy."

"The world is a better place," Poppy muttered.

"Yes, but it begs the question as to where such a young girl got this many scars and that much knowledge." Minvera was massaging the scar on her frail and heavily bandaged arm.

"We'll have to keep an eye on her when she arrives."

"In eleven years, Poppy?"

"Yes, Minvera. Now, if she's as brave as you say she is. She's probably one of your little cubs. Would you like to wake them up? I have six students who decided to… enlarge themselves."

Minerva chuckled. It happened every couple of years, "I'll wake them up. You go deal with the boys."

Poppy sighed. "They weren't all boys."

Hermione woke to Professor McGonagall's firm stare. "You're awake, Miss Peverell."

"Yes, ma'am."

"You and Mister Lupin were in an accident. You've been left… scarred." Hermione picked up the mirror and gasped. There were red angry marks running the length of her face.

"Well, at least my outsides match my insides," she muttered.

"And what do your insides look like?" she asked sternly.

"Broken, Professor."

"I don't see a broken girl. I see a young woman who is both brave and intelligent. I see a young woman who was abducted and found a way out of an impossible situation she was in. I see a young girl who destroyed You Know Who's chief base of operations. I see the girl who saved a pregnant witch, who would have turned her nose up at you and ignored you if you were dying right in front of her. You may not know this Miss Peverell, but I am the head of the Gryffindor House here at Hogwarts. Had you gone to school here, I would have been honored to have you in my house."

A tear leaked out from Hermione's eye. "Professor McGonagall, what day is it?"

"March fourteenth." Hermione struggled to get out of her bed.

"You don't understand. They'll kill him."

"I understand well enough. Albus has sent word to Reynir Greyback letting him know that you are coming and that you are delayed because of an attack on your person."

"It was accidental magic-"

"Actually, it was Death Eaters attempting to break through Albus's wards. Foolish, they all perished. Regardless, of who blew up Albus's house that he doesn't use that is not important right now. While I enjoyed having one of my favorite pupils back I believe it is time for both of you to return to your tasks."

Hermione nodded. "I will trust you can both slip out of the school unseen. Albus has the asinine idea of sending the Order with you into a werewolf camp."

"We will leave tonight."

Her beloved Professor walked to the door. "Oh, and Miss Granger?" Seriously? "See to it, that those bastards do not win."

Hermione smirked. "They don't."

"Good. I teach my Gryffindors better than those monsters in their hovels."

Hermione walked cautiously to Remus's bedside. Sitting beside him, she tucked one soft strand of sandy hair out of his eyes. She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Remus, love?"

He stirred but just barely. She kissed each of his cheeks, "Remus?"

The sun was setting behind them giving way for the night to settle in. His eyelids fluttered just as her lips reached down on his. Her lips ghosted over his, her tongue darting out playfully before retreating back into her mouth. "Remus?"

"Hermione?" His voice cracked. His arms came up around her and tugged her down into his arms. "Hermione, I thought I lost you."

She sighed. This was the part where the girl said, 'never' and the boy promised to only love her for all of time. It wasn't their path. It wasn't their love story.

"We have to go Remus. The Alphas are reconvening in ten hours. Reynir owled Dumbledore. He wants to respond by sending the Order in. It'll be a massacre. We need to sneak out and get there first."

Remus nodded.

"I wish we had Harry's bloody map," she complained

Remus chuckled as he dressed. "Hermione, you forget that I wrote the map."

"Oh."

Remus held out a hand. They flitted through corridors, in and out of tapestries, paintings, statutes, and mirrors. "Everything that is in Hogwarts has a purpose. Once you realize that, it's easy to find all of the hidey holes. I haven't figured out the suits of armors, yet-"

"They can be used to fight for the school."

"Oh," he said.

They were still holding hands and Hermione had yet to let go. It took an hour, but they finally made it to an abandoned alleyway in Hogsmeade. "Ready to apparate?"

Hermione snuggled into his chest.

Remus chuckled, "Now she decides she wants to cuddle."

He apparated them directly to the apparition point. They emerged to wands pointed at them.

"Drop the wands," the creepy girl's twin brother ordered. Jormungand picked up their wands as soon as they dropped them. Hermione's bag was shrunken down into a silver locket around her neck. They were allowed to stay in the same tent, however, Jormungand and Vali stayed inside with them all night.

Remus held Hermione in his arms hand as they sat together side by side waiting for dawn. They cuddled and Remus played with her hair, murmuring apologies for her scars. Neither spoke of their fears. They didn't voice that it was likely the last time they would see each other until he died for her on another battlefield. Hermione wondered if she would die on this battlefield for Remus. It would be poetic and it would turn the proverbial time turner in full circle.

Yes, she would take an avada for him. She would take one for little Teddy who loved his stuffed werewolves and who never got to know his father because of her. She would save Remus because she loved him, truly and deeply loved him. She loved him enough to want him to be happy with Tonks and little Teddy for the short time they were given. She would meet him in another life. She knew that and she would hold onto that.

Dawn came faster than either of them were ready for. Remus wanted to hold Hermione in his arms forever. He had a feeling today was going to be the day she left him and he wasn't sure he wanted to live without her.

A quick look around the round table of the Alphas showed missing faces. The Scottish and English packs were missing. Scattered around the usually filled walls were werewolves missing. Something was going to happen and he needed to make sure his mate , his Hermione was safe.

Reynir was sitting leaning heavily on his side. Even for someone who didn't hate the man, he looked weak. Fenrir preyed on the weak. He always had. Now, he was pacing in front of his father, looking like the rabid dog he was.

The day of the full moon was dedicated to initiating new recruits. Something told Remus that today was going to go horribly wrong. Mostly in the form of Moony snarling and howling at him to take Hermione and run.

He stood by Hermione's side holding her small hands throughout the initiations and the speeches. The two packs were condemned for ignoring the Alpha's summons and the packs were encouraged to hunt them down once the sun set. Finally, one hour before the sun was to go down, Remus and Morfran were called up.

Remus kissed Hermione, "Be strong, my love."

She only nodded her hand tightening on her wand. It had been returned to her before the duel since she was the only human here. Much like the first duel, there was a great deal of shouting and stomping. Hermione was entirely unfazed by it.

"Distracted by your mate, Lupin?" sneered Morfran.

"Not particularly. I just don't want to get your blood on her new sweater when I tear your throat out." Morfran roared and charged at him just as the full moon made its ascent into the sky.

It had begun.