A/N: Okay, this is the last of the chapters that I'd already written, so updates may get slightly sporadic. I will try to update as regularly the possible. In a brief side note, the one scene where Hermione was visibly upset, and Remus tried to get her to talk, and she wouldn't? That wasn't about Diggory. That was a 'why am I feeling this way about Sirius Black' moment. Diggory was irritating to Hermione because he was arrogant, chauvinistic and a general, all around tool. You've all dated him. I know I have. She was just using him, though.
Summer Holiday, 1976
"I can't believe that your mother and father allowed you to come stay with me for the summer," Lily squealed excitedly. Hermione grinned widely.
"I know, right? I'm so excited. We'll get to spend every single day with Sev. Oh! I almost forgot! I got all of us tickets to see the Ramones in London in July. It's going to be amazing!" Hermione bounced in excitement.
"Er, about that, Hermione," Lily said cautiously, eyeing her friend. Hermione's smile faltered slightly.
"What?" She asked quietly.
"You can't dress like that at my house. My sister will make fun of you. Do you have any muggle clothes?" Lily explained in embarrassment. She had grown used to Hermione's beautiful silk dresses—it was just what Hermione wore. Her friend looked down at her clothes and then stared at Lily. She had the funniest expression on her face, it looked almost pained.
"You know, I forgot?" Hermione whispered, her cheeks flushing. "I can't believe that I forgot. I mean, I knew, but I'm so used to…oh bloody hell."
"The boys are rubbing off on you," Lily said with a giggle.
After the attempted attack on Hermione, the marauders had spent all of their time guarding Hermione. It was hysterically funny to watch what Hermione sarcastically dubbed 'the changing of the guard'. The marauders couldn't be with her every class of the day, and when they weren't with her, Severus was. The marauders wouldn't talk to him, and he never spoke to them, but there was this weird dogs circling one another dance that they would do outside the class. Lily noticed that Lucius Malfoy and Regulus Black always maintained a presence in the hallways near Severus when Hermione changed classes. She even saw Sirius nod almost imperceptibly to Regulus. No one else noticed, but Lily had been watching the two brothers, and she saw it. It made Lily feel better to know that Severus and James were able to come to a truce for Hermione's sake. Unfortunately, that did nothing for the safety of her heart, which seemed to traitorously declare ever more of itself for the stupid Chaser.
"I have muggle money, Father took me to Gringott's. We weren't sure how much would be enough, but I bet it's enough to get some muggle clothes," Hermione said firmly. "We should go now before we go to your house, right?"
Taking Hermione clothes shopping was one of the most amusing things that Lily had done so far this summer. When she walked into a store, she expected sales people to run over to her because that was just what happened in wizard stores. After all, she was Hermione Potter. That confidence that came from breeding and privilege did bring sales people. Most of them recognized that the quality of Hermione's clothing was ridiculously expensive. Hermione was non-plussed when the clothing did not automatically resize itself. She frowned darkly at a pair of jeans that was too tight.
Hermione was so confused. She had Old Hermione's memories, but funnily enough she had not considered clothes shopping a high priority because those memories were somewhat fuzzy and indistinct. She remembered wearing jeans and preferring them to anything else, but now the fabric felt rough and uncomfortable against her skin. She knew that James and Sirius ran around wearing jeans and t-shirts when they went into town, but the boys were allowed all sorts of shocking freedoms that she, as a girl child, wasn't. She sighed and tried on another pair of jeans. These were snug, they looked like they were painted on. Old Hermione thought they were perfect, but Hermione Potter was horrified. Her legs were there for just anybody to look at. Her butt was practically on display and the snugness emphasized her curvy hips.
You need to relax, kiddo. Let Auntie Hermione show you how it's done.
She found several outfits that Old Hermione heartily approved of and purchased everything. She was going to be staying with Lily for the whole summer after all, and she had to have clothes. She ended up wearing the painted on jeans, sandals, and a dark blue halter top. Hermione found a pair of oversized sunglasses and put those on as well. After they paid for everything and left the store, Hermione walked down the street, trying to get used to the feel of denim rubbing between her legs. It was an odd sensation and it made her slightly uncomfortable.
"Uh, Hermione?" Lily asked hesitantly. Hermione stopped and looked at Lily who was watching her with wide eyes.
"What is it Lils?" She asked curiously.
"How are you doing that?" Lily asked. Hermione frowned.
"Doing what?"
"That…that…sort of hip-swaying shimmy thing. Men keep staring at you," Lily hurried over and hissed at her. Hermione blinked behind her sunglasses and her cheeks turned pink.
"I'm just walking," she muttered. "Like I always do."
"You walk like that in your dresses? It sure doesn't look like it," Lily replied.
"It's probably because of how I was taught to walk," Hermione said finally. She imitated her mother, "a lady glides, Hermione. She does not stomp, nor does she lumber."
"I think I remember your mother saying something like that," Lily said thoughtfully.
"Well, I can't help it!" Hermione said in frustration. "I'm not trying to do it like this, I just do. When I wear dresses, you can't tell."
"I bet if it was a tight enough dress we could," Lily muttered to herself.
"A lady's robes are never that tight," Hermione replied dryly.
"Well, we'll just have to deal with it," Lily said firmly. "Maybe we can have Sev pretend to be your boyfriend and scare off guys."
"Surely it won't be an issue," Hermione said uncertainly. "No gentleman would approach a lady with whom he hadn't been formally introduced. It wouldn't be proper."
"These are not pureblood wizards," Lily said flatly. "They're muggle men and you look like a huge bowl of chocolate candy."
"I do?" Hermione said in surprise. Lily closed her eyes for a moment and Hermione knew she was counting. Then her emerald green eyes snapped open and she stared at Hermione.
"Are you serious? No, of course you are. Hermione, my most beloved sister, you have grown up. You are a freaking knock out. The boys at Hogwarts aren't going to know what's hit them. Thank Merlin you dumped Diggory at the end of last year," Lily added under her breath.
"Lily, don't be silly," Hermione said with a throaty chuckle that drew admiring glances. Lily grabbed her hand and hurried down the street.
"Yeah, that's me, the silly one," Lily muttered.
HP/HG/HP
"That was the most incredible thing I have ever seen, ever!" squealed Hermione, bouncing down the street.
"It was pretty intense," Severus observed with a shrug. Hermione laughed up into his face.
"It was incredible," she insisted.
"Hermione, did you drink anything in there?" Lily asked worriedly. Hermione giggled.
"I did, but it was just rum and coke," Hermione said with a wicked grin.
The Ramones. London. July 1976. It was the sort of thing that Old Hermione had been secretly jealous about—that she was born too late and had missed out on seeing one of the most incredible, influential bands ever in live concert. Tonight she had actually seen them. In person. Hermione had stolen three ID cards and had glamoured the three of them to look like their cards. Hermione currently looked like a punk rocker, but sort of adorable at the same time. Her hair was short, and she'd spiked it out a little. She had on tight jeans, converse and a cut up Ramones t-shirt. Severus had liberty spikes. She wasn't sure they'd look okay on Sev, but they looked okay on the person he was glamoured to look like.
"Hermione!" Lily's voice was properly scandalized. Hermione snorted and started laughing.
"Shhh. 'Sokay. Shhh. Shhh," then she started giggling again.
"Why are you shushing me?" Lily demanded, her voice getting a little louder. Hermione's hand clapped over Lily's mouth and she giggled some more. She stopped in front of two men who were standing outside of a restaurant smoking. It was James and Sirius.
"That's why," Hermione whispered loudly and giggled some more.
"Er, do you ladies need help?" James asked cautiously, carefully eyeing the giggling woman in front of him. The other girl shook her head frantically, her eyes wide.
"You know," Hermione said standing up and weaving only slightly. "Smoking is a disgusting habit."
"So's public intoxication, love," Sirius observed coolly after taking a drag. She started giggling again. "What's so funny?"
"You, preaching about public intoxication," Hermione would have fallen to the ground if Severus hadn't caught her by the elbow. She frowned at him. "No, I'm fine. Stop treating me like I'm going to break."
"Why is that funny," Sirius asked with a frown. Hermione straightened up again and poked him in the chest.
"You…you become the biggest public intoxicator I've ever seen. I've seen you passed out clothed, naked, half-clothed, dirty, clean, once in a bathtub with jell-o, with women, with a woman, sans women all together, and once…once with Remus, which was totally disturbing." She told him…weaving slightly. Sirius spluttered and turned various shades of red. He didn't know who this girl was, or what exactly she was saying, but he was incredibly disturbed at the moment.
"Remus?" James said in surprise, turning to stare at Sirius. "Really?"
"Not like that!" Hermione slapped James' arm. "No, I think it was the anniversary of…of…oh shit."
Her eyes had gone strange and she seemed to staring at something no one else could see. Her eyes—they had no whites to them—they looked completely black, there was no pupil, no iris. She was whimpering quietly, and her hands where clenching and unclenching at her sides.
"Love, what do you see?" Severus asked gently, cupping Hermione's face in his hands. Her eyes were wide and panicked, and she was hyperventilating.
"James," she gasped, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Oh, god, James."
"Excuse me?" James asked, confused, staring at the three strange people in front of him.
"Not James," the woman was gasping and crying, her voice thick with pain. "Please not James."
"No," the man whispered soothingly. "No, we won't let anything happen to James."
"Promise me," the woman's voice sounded broken. "Promise me."
"I promise," he muttered, glancing back at the other girl who was staring at them with wide eyes. Her expression surprised and shocked.
"What's happening?" The other girl asked, worry evident in her features.
"It's a vision," the man muttered. "Shit, this is bad. If he finds out, bloody hell, if he finds out she's a Seer, he's going to want her. You can't tell anyone about this. Nobody."
The two of them glanced at James and Sirius, and then looked at each other. The girl swallowed convulsively, and reached out to touch the man's arm.
"He?" The other squeaked, her eyes filled with horror. "Who's he?"
"Who the bloody hell do you think? We have to go. Now," he muttered. He swung the one girl up in his arms. The other girl looked like she was full-blown panicking.
"What do you mean he'd want her?" She asked in a small voice. The man turned and just looked at her.
"He's not going to want to snog her, he'd…he'd….oh I think I'm going to be sick," he muttered to himself. "Come on, we have to go."
"Okay, I'm coming," she said, hurrying to match his stride.
"Hey, wait!" James called after them. The other girl looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes wide with fear and they seemed hurry faster.
"What the hell?" Sirius said, his cigarette laying on the sidewalk burning. James was frowning at the quickly moving figures.
"I don't know…but I don't like it." He said finally. "D'you suppose she meant me?"
"You, as in 'James'? I don't know. The one bloke said she was a Seer, that's…that's rare James, you know that. Dangerous right now, too," Sirius said darkly, thinking about his family.
"Yeah," James agreed. "I think that guy meant You-know-who when he said 'he'. I don't think they knew their friend was a Seer, and they're terrified now."
"Looks like it," Sirius said slowly. The group was completely gone.
"Thank Merlin Hermione's not a Seer. I'd hate to think of him trying to get his hands on her," James muttered shuddering reflexively. Sirius frowned.
"Why on earth would Hermione be a Seer?" Sirius scoffed. James looked at him and flushed.
"Didn't you know? Seers run in the family. Not often, of course. Haven't had one in a couple centuries." James said with a shrug. Sirius felt cold at those words, and couldn't help agreeing whole-heartedly with James.
"Yeah? Well, then, thank Merlin she's not," Sirius muttered.
HP/HG/HP
"Bloody fucking hell," Severus muttered as they walked along the streets toward Spinner's End.
"Don't hold it all in, Sev," Lily snapped, "tell me how you really feel."
"That's not amusing, Lily," Severus snapped back. Lily frowned at him, but tried to keep up with his long stride.
"I don't understand what's going on. I'm really confused, and you look like you're three seconds away from completely losing it," Lily threw at him. He didn't stop, he just kept moving almost clutching Hermione against him.
"I need Lucius," Severus said finally. "I can't do this by myself. Does your house have a basement?"
"Yes, it does," Lily said uncertainly.
"Do you think you could sneak us in there if I got Lucius? He's graduated so he's legal and he could do disillusionment charms on the both of us." Severus said quietly. "In addition, I have just decided that there is no way in hell that Hermione is staying anywhere that isn't warded to within an inch of its life, and you and I aren't legal."
"Yeah, sure. I can send Eleanor to him," Lily said softly, referring to her owl. "What should I say?"
"Domina pericula est." Severus said shortly. Lily nodded and hurried to her house, with Severus following closely behind.
Lily heard the soft crack of Lucius apparating and then he and Severus were hurrying toward them, hiding in Lily's back yard. Lucius looked livid, and he appeared to be attempting control of himself.
"What the hell is going on?" He hissed at both of them. "I was in the middle of an engagement dinner with my damn family and the ancient and most noble house of Black. This had better be bloody good Severus, or I'm going to kick your ass."
"Hermione's a Seer," Lily said quietly.
With those words, everything changed. Lucius' dropped to his knees a look of horror and agony on his face.
"No," he whispered, staring at Hermione's unconscious form.
"Yes," Severus muttered, looking around them nervously. "And right now, she's staying in a house with no wards."
"What the hell is wrong with the Potter family? Are they insane?" Lucius was sputtering in rage.
"I don't think they knew, I don't think Hermione knows," Severus said quietly.
"I…I think maybe she does," Lily said softly, shifting from foot to foot uncertainly. Both men turned to glare at her.
"Just what do you mean," Lucius asked her in a silky, dangerous voice. Lily swallowed nervously and turned to look at Severus.
"First, you tell me what this means? I'm muggleborn, remember?" Lily pleaded. Severus ran a hand through his hair and looked at Lucius who was surreptitiously wiping a tear from his cheek. Lily blinked in surprise. Lucius cleared his throat and stood up, towering over her.
"Well, you may not realize it, but witches and wizards are rather rare," he began slowly, frowning to himself. "The majority still come from the pureblood families, but the percentage of muggleborn and halfbloods appears to be steadily increasing. I would hazard a guess that all the so-called muggleborns actually have a disowned squib or two dotting the family tree."
"Why would you guess that?" Lily asked in surprise.
"It isn't as though magic just pops up out of nowhere. It follows certain laws and rules. You need magical blood for a magical child, period. Anyway, compared to the human population, we are a tiny group of people, you do understand that, yes?" Lucius continued with a look of irritation.
"Of course, it's in Hogwarts, A History," Lily recited. Lucius rolled his eyes and she thought she heard Severus muttering something about Nimue's Innocence.
"Yes, well. There's a lot that book doesn't cover. Anyway, as rare as we are, among humans, that's how rare a seer is among us. You might have only one or two in a generation. Or at least, that's the way it would be normally, except that seers are so prized that they are usually in incredible danger. The Potters used to throw one every so often, but they haven't in at least a century, maybe longer," Lucius explained carefully.
"Why would she be in danger if she's so precious?" Lily asked in confusion.
"It's the dark that wants them, the dark that wants to use them," Severus growled at her. "He's not the first dark wizard to hunt them down for his own ends."
"But…wouldn't he treat her really well then?" Lily said slowly, not understanding.
"Would she go to him willingly?" Severus asked dryly. Lily whirled on him, her green eyes snapping.
"No, she'd rather—oh. I see," Lily said, comprehension dawning in her eyes.
"Now, what did you mean, you think she knows?" Severus demanded, his black eyes smoldering at her.
"Erm, about that. Don't you remember when she flat-out refused to take Divination? It's a required course, and she pitched a fit and Mr. and Mrs. Potter spoke to the Headmaster and she never took Divination. Not even one class." Lily spoke urgently to Severus. Lucius' eyebrows rose. Usually the Potter family encouraged their offspring to rub elbows with the masses. They were fairly egalitarian and always had been.
"How do you know that?" Severus asked curiously. Lily flushed in embarrassment and hunched her shoulders.
"It was one of the only fights that Hermione and I have ever had," Lily admitted miserably, wringing her hands. "I…I said some rude things…I, well, I accused her of some rude things, and she laughed at me. I've always remembered what she said that night: 'the day that Divination class will tell me something I don't already know is the day that Centaurs decide they all want to serve mankind.' I didn't know what that meant, I had to look up wizard/Centaur relations, but it wasn't just what she said…it was the look in her eyes. It was like looking into an abyss. It made me cold all over."
"Wouldn't Mr. and Mrs. Potter know, too, then?" Severus asked with a frown. Lily shook her head.
"No. I mean, I don't think she did that weird eye thing to them, I think it was just around me. Hermione was probably afraid it would happen in class." Lily explained.
"The Seer's eyes," Lucius whispered, shivering in the relatively warm air of a July evening in London. "Bloody hell, Severus, how will we be able to protect her?"
"First off, we're going to ward this place so hard that nothing could get through. We can't make it unplottable because Lily's family has to be able to come and go. She's only here for a bit longer, but she needs to be safe. Then you and I are going to teach her Malfoy family wards and Prince family wards so that she can add them to her own house," Severus said firmly. Lucius seemed to think for a minute and then he nodded, reluctantly.
"Fine. Let's do this," he muttered under his breath.
HP/HG/HP
Lily's room was dark, the lights had been extinguished, and Hermione lay motionless in the bed. She was staring, unseeing at the wall in front of her. All she could see were horrible images playing over and over again in her mind.
A small cozy, cottage, which she knew belonged to James and Lily Potter. James was standing downstairs, nervous, tense. He was pacing back and forth. He hadn't slept well for months. You-know-who wanted him. At first, it had been almost like some sort of sick, twisted courtship. He tried to offer James what he thought he wanted. James shuddered. Lily's parents had been a warning. He and Lily had told you-know-who that he could bugger himself. His parents had been the next warning. Natural causes, his ass! They'd only been in their sixties. Dumbledore was a hundred and thirty and still going strong. That had been the threat, though. See how easy it is for me to kill, and make it look like an accident? James clenched his hands and fought for breath. Now, Sirius and Remus were doubting one another, circling each other like suspicious dogs. He was trying to take everything away from James, until there was nothing left. He could stop it, if he joined. He could save people from dying, if he just gave up. That was the insidious lie that you-know-who tried to spread. Thank Merlin that Lily was so much smarter than that.
"It never stops James. He'll keep killing and killing and killing. If you give up, he wins you like a prize at the fair, but he'll still kill people. He'll kill Remus because he's a werewolf. He'll kill me because I'm muggleborn. Giving in to him will change nothing," Lily had said dully, her arms hugging her middle.
"I know," James replied, staring out their window. Lily watched him warily.
"So we're not giving up?" she asked cautiously. James shook his head.
"Hell, no." He said firmly. Lily threw her arms around him and hugged him so tightly he thought she might crack a rib.
"I love you, James Potter," she whispered fiercely against his chest.
"I love you, too, Lily-flower," he muttered into her hair.
Now it was day time, but somehow she knew that it was a different day. Maybe it was weeks later, she wasn't sure. Sirius looked almost as haggard as James and they were arguing fiercely in the corner. Lily ignored them and bounced Harry on her knee.
"Who's the smartest, bravest, most handsome wizard in the land?" Lily cooed in his ear. He laughed and waved his chubby baby fists. "That's right! You are. My sweet, sweet love."
"Lily, talk some sense into your idiot husband," Sirius growled from their corner. Lily rolled her eyes at them both.
"It hasn't worked yet, I fail to see why he would start now," she said dryly.
"Look, Lils, I'm honored, okay? I'm honored that James tossed Dumbledore over and wants me as the secret-keeper, but everyone will expect it. What if we used someone else, someone no one would suspect as the secret-keeper? I could pretend I was hiding out, and they'd chase me, but the secret-keeper would be safe and cozy. Perfect, right?" Sirius was pleading, and it bothered Lily more than she could say. He was always handsome, arrogant, smooth. Sirius oozed confidence out of every pore. This desperate man was not their Padfoot.
"What about Remus, then?" Lily said. She loved Remus just as much as she loved Sirius, and the estrangement between them hurt her as much as it hurt James.
"No," Sirius said flatly, his grey eyes hooded. "I was thinking Peter might be better."
"Peter?" Lily asked in surprise. Sirius gave a sharp laugh that grated against Lily's nerves.
"See?" He asked James. "Even Lily didn't consider him."
"I don't know, Padfoot," James ran a hand through his hair.
"Please think about it," Sirius begged his blood-brother.
"Fine. Fine. We'll think about it," James muttered finally.
Now it was night…and it was days or maybe weeks later. It was Halloween. She could see the jack o'lanterns on people's porches. He was pacing again, her James. His face was contorted with worry and fear for all the people he loved. Lily was standing nearby, watching him. Her eyes tracked his every movement, her face pale and drawn.
The crackle and hiss of power made them both turn to the door. James turned to Lily.
"Run!" He yelled at her. "Run, Lily, now!"
"I love you," she threw over her shoulder, running up the stairs as fast as she could.
He stood there, facing the door, facing death. He knew what was coming, he had known for months, and he didn't fear death. He had Peverell blood, for Merlin's sake. When the wards were destroyed, they backlashed into him and he lost his balance for a minute, going down to his knees. The pain of the backlash made him lose his breath, but he was back to his feet after that. He and Lily had talked about this, she hadn't understood a lot of what Dumbledore was talking about, but he and Sirius had known, and they had explained it all to her in detail. The door blew open and Peter walked in behind Voldemort. Peter. The pain in James' chest was overwhelming. For just a moment, hatred and anger almost took control. Almost. He fought for precious seconds—releasing the hatred, giving up the anger. Lily. Harry. I love you. He let go of everything, for them. He looked at Peter, ignoring Voldemort completely.
"I forgive you," he said. There was a flash of green fire and then nothing.
Now it was daytime again, and James lay there staring at nothing, his glasses askew on his face, his house in shambles around him.
Hermione couldn't cry anymore, she had no more tears left. The old her had heard the stories from Harry, from Sirius, from Remus, but she'd never really had an immediate link to James and Lily's death. All of the stories she'd heard focused on Lily protecting her son in the upstairs bedroom. Very few of them spoke of the man who'd waited downstairs, trying to act as a buffer between his family and evil. Lily's love saved Harry. She'd heard that over and over again, but now she wondered. Hermione Potter thought that these memories showed that both parents had played specific roles in the protection of their son. Most of the really old magic required a balance of masculine and feminine magic. It only made sense that Lily and James had combined their power to save their son.
Why? Why is this happening to me? Why am I seeing this? Why now?
I think it's my fault.
Your fault? You weren't a seer.
Yes, but I, we, you, whoever—came back to restore balance. I belonged here. I am you, or you are me, oh hell. Anyway, you need this to restore balance. I never knew half of what Harry knew. The prat always held his cards very close to his chest. He worried about upsetting us, I think. If this is the kind of shit he was seeing, I can sort of see his point. I think this seeing thing is an important piece, it will give you information that will help you. I mean, we're not letting James die this time, right?
NO! Not James!
Right, see I was paying attention earlier. So you being a seer will help you save his life.
Sure, if Voldemort doesn't use me as a play toy first.
What are you talking about?
Seers are incredibly rare, incredibly valuable, and often don't live long if the right dark wizard comes along. I suspected…but I only had weird flashes here and there that I put down to your memories, but lately…there's no way you remember any of this.
Uh, no. God no. No wonder Harry and Sirius had nightmares. I feel bad now for all the times I yelled at Sirius for drinking. Hell, I feel like a drink.
Doesn't this strike you as a little trite? I'm a seer? Boom! A new magic power?
Not really. You have to realize that right now you have forty years worth of experience wrapped up in a sixteen year-old body. Would you find it as odd if we were talking about a forty-year-old witch?
Maybe not. Well, except for the seer part. That usually happens fairly young. I remember pitching a fit about Divination, and my parents gave in almost right away because I never asked for anything. I don't remember why I didn't want Divination, I just knew it was a waste of my time. I just don't remember any visions…not until lately. Why now?
Okay. I think I know the answer to that actually.
So? Could we share please?
It starts now. It all starts now. From now on, it's war.
Hermione started shuddering and she couldn't stop. There were no more tears, but her body shook with dry heaves. Lily pounded up the stairs and stared at her blood-sister, her best friend.
"Hermione?" She whispered. Her hand was tingling, but Hermione seemed locked inside herself. Almost like convulsions. This appeared to be very bad. Okay, then…time to expose some of what they had tried to keep hidden for the love of her sister. She didn't care if she was breaking the law. Hermione had carefully taught both Severus and herself how to nonverbally cast a patronus message. She had explained that in battle, it was necessary to do things quickly and efficiently.
"Mr. and Mrs. Potter, Hermione is sick, and I don't know what to do. I'm afraid to floo her, I can't apparate and I'm worried that an owl will take too long. Oh! And, um, the house is sort of warded so you'll have to wait and have me let you in." Lily said clearly and quickly and then her doe was racing toward Potter manor.
The Potters and Sirius were all sitting down eating lunch when a silvery doe cantered into the dining room. She was beautiful and graceful and picked her way toward the head of the table where Mr. and Mrs. Potter sat. James had dropped his fork and stared at the patronus messenger. His eyes almost popped out of his head when Lily's worried voice echoed in the dining room.
"Dad, did you know you could do that?" James asked as soon as the patronus vanished. Mr. Potter blinked at his son.
"Er…no. Uh, I had debated the idea with Dumbledore, actually, but it was just an idea," Mr. Potter said slowly. He looked gobsmacked.
"Who cares about magical theory? Hermione's sick!" Dorea Potter jumped up from the table and the three men followed her. They apparated to Lily's house and all four people stared at it for a moment.
"Sort of warded?" Sirius snorted. "Sort of warded? This place makes Gringott's look lazy."
Lily opened the door and hurried out. Her face was pale, and fear lurked in the depths of her eyes. They could see that her wand was in her hand, hidden by her sleeve. She looked at James, and seemed to steel herself mentally.
"What happened at your parent's house this last Christmas?" she asked coldly. He blanched and glanced at his parents.
"Do we have to talk about that now?" He said weakly. She tossed her hair.
"Standard operating procedure," she muttered at him. "Answer the question or I assume you're hostile."
"Fine! We kissed under the mistletoe. Happy?" James hissed at her.
"Yes, actually. I will take you, and only you inside the wards," she said coldly. "Come on."
"I like her," Charlus observed fondly. Dorea and Sirius stared at him as thought he'd grown an extra head.
"Um, Mr. P, you might have noticed that she seems a little crazy paranoid?" Sirius pointed out carefully.
"That's why I like her. She's taking the protection of Hermione very seriously," Charlus observed.
James came out of the house, pale and grim-looking, Hermione clutched to his chest. She seemed to be shuddering or twitching, her eyes were open and staring. Lily's eyes were huge in her face, fear flickering there. Dorea took a step forward.
"Do you know what's wrong with her?" she asked urgently. Lily stuffed a fist in her mouth and shook her head frantically, tears streaking her pale cheeks. "St. Mungo's then, Charlus. James, let your father take her."
"Thank you, Lily," Charlus said gravely. "Later, I'd like to talk to you about your patronus."
"Of course, sir, but it's just a standard messenger patronus. Hermione taught Sev and I how to do it." Lily said innocently, confusion evident in her features.
"Standard? Like your sort of warded house?" Sirius couldn't help himself, this was getting weirder by the moment.
"Oh. Well, I don't know anything about wards. Severus took care of that for me." Lily explained wringing her hands. She couldn't talk about Lucius. That wasn't supposed to be common knowledge.
"Why would you do all of this?" Charlus asked in confusion. Lily looked at him oddly.
"To protect those I love, sir," she said with quiet dignity. She retreated into the house and shut the door. The four of them stood staring at one another for a minute before they left for St. Mungo's.
HP/HG/HP
"Jamie, damn it, I'm not going to break! Knock it off!" Hermione's screeching could be heard all over the manor. Dorea and Charlus Potter just looked at one another and sighed.
"It's your turn," Dorea observed quietly. Charlus rolled his eyes.
"Fine, but if I have to immobilize one of our children, it is not my fault," he muttered as he headed upstairs toward Hermione's rooms.
"It would be best if you just did both, dear," Dorea called after him, a slight smile playing about her lips.
"Now," Charlus said firmly from his daughter's doorway. "What, exactly, is going on in here?"
"Father, I am not an invalid, nor am I mentally deficient," Hermione began hotly, a becoming flush in her cheeks.
"My Own, you were at St. Mungo's for a week! You need to be careful," James argued just as hotly. Hermione shrieked with rage and pulled out her wand.
"Princess," Charlus said warningly. Hermione visibly tried to calm down and put her wand away. "Now, James, while I respect your concern for your sister, I cannot help but agree with her that you are taking things just a bit too far."
"But, Father!"
"He was trying to carry me to the facilities. Again!" Hermione's voice was getting more strident again, revealing her irritation with her brother.
"James, we've spoken about this. At length, son," Charlus said firmly. James had the grace to flush.
"What if they're wrong?" James' voice was anguished, and he'd turned away from Charlus and Hermione. Sirius moved toward James and touched his arm.
"What if who is wrong?" Charlus asked.
"The healers," Hermione said flatly, her chin rising as she prepared to fight.
"Ah," Charlus said in understanding. "James, Hermione is fine."
"Jamie," Hermione sighed heavily and moved toward James and Sirius. She hugged her brother, and to her surprise—Sirius became a part of the hug as well. She could of sworn that she felt the feather-light presence of his lips in her hair, but she ignored it for the moment.
"It'll be okay, Prongs," she heard Sirius mutter for James' ears. Probably not, but I'm not going to argue with either of you if I get to use the facilities by myself.
HP/HG/HP
"They're acting oddly, have you noticed?" James asked Sirius quietly in their compartment on the Hogwarts Express.
"Who?" Sirius looked up from his current girlfriend to stare at James with glazed eyes.
"Them. Lily and Severus and Hermione," James said.
"Oh, them. No, not really. A little intense maybe on the greetings, but that was it." Sirius whispered something in the girl's ear that made her giggle in a way that grated on James' nerves.
"They smelled of fear," Remus whispered quietly to James, frowning slightly.
"Who did?" James asked, just as quietly.
"Lily and Severus reeked of fear, I could smell them before I even saw them, but once they saw Hermione, and they were able to touch her…I don't know it was weird. Once they had each hugged her, they were calmer." Remus tried to explain the complex scents and emotions that he'd witnessed earlier on the platform.
"Why would they be afraid?" James muttered, thinking aloud.
"Her illness?" Remus shrugged. He wasn't certain, and he hated guessing.
"Hmm. Maybe," James said thoughtfully.
"Are you ever going to tell your sister? You know, about everything," Remus asked urgently. James glanced at Sirius, who had a hand up his girlfriend's shirt and his tongue down her throat and rolled his eyes at Remus.
"Are you okay with that?" James asked with a frown. Remus' well being was very important to him.
"Yeah. For Hermione, yeah. She's always been my friend, always stood up for me," Remus said softly. James frowned.
"Maybe we should," he said cautiously. "She probably won't be very happy to find out we've kept it from her for almost a year."
"We can talk about it once we're in the dorm room," Remus murmured, glancing at the girl with a moue of distaste. He wasn't a virgin, nor was he a prude, but some of the girls that Sirius chose to associate with made all of his lupine senses shudder with distaste. James nodded, a similar irritated look on his face.