Hermione was overwhelmed.

Lily had taken her directly to the dorm room and had pointed Hermione towards her old… future bed. It was astonishing, but Hermione was not at all surprised by the fact that the dorm was exactly the same as she remembered.

Although, as she immersed herself in her surroundings, Hermione realised that despite how it looked, Hogwarts was entirely different. A group of girls thundered down the stairs behind her and Hermione flinched at the sound of their unfamiliar laughter.

She was never going to pretend that she had known everyone in Gryffindor – but regular faces and routines had contributed to Hermione's home comfort of Hogwarts. And now… that was all gone. In looks alone she was home. But Hermione's home was now full of unknown music and unfamiliar voices.

Hermione slowly sat on the edge of the four-poster bed, and gently brushed the red throw so that the trace of her hand left the material a darker shade of red. A momentary smile flickered on her face at the thought of Hogwarts having the same sheets for twenty years. It was mildly worrying – but the anticipation of sleeping in her own bed gave her some much-needed comfort.

Lily had been talking, explaining how Hogwarts worked, but Hermione had tuned out. Her mind was in a haze between her two worlds. She knew she was somewhere different… but it was the same. Every time her gaze fixed onto something, it shifted away, as though she couldn't focus. Hermione was having an out-of-body experience and she was beginning to struggle with her breathing as white spots broke out across her vision…

"Hermione!"

Hermione flinched away from Lily. She was stood in front of her with her arms folded and a deep worried frown on her face. Hermione blinked, and she focused on Lily again.

"I'm fine," Hermione mumbled.

Lily raised an eyebrow. "I didn't ask and no you're not." She held her hand out for Hermione to take and gestured with her head towards the door. "Come on, let's go get breakfast."

"I'm not really that hungry…" Hermione began, thinking of the simple breakfast she had picked at in the Hospital Wing, but Lily grabbed her hand and dragged her from the bed anyway.

They passed through the common room in a whirlwind, but it was enough time for several people to call out in greeting to Lily as they flew by. Hermione kept her head low as she desired a little less attention than she was already receiving.

For one, as a new student; as new students almost never (closer to never) started at Hogwarts. This was not forgetting her own dramatic fainting spell into the arms of the most exclusive group in Hogwarts and her sudden status in the Pureblood community. She bit her lip; there really was no point in trying to hide, was there?

The side-glances and whispers confirmed this, but Hermione held her head high and placed the most charming smile she could muster on her face. If this wasn't a second chance to rebrand herself at Hogwarts, be damned.

A second chance at a lot of things, it seemed.

…

Remus was in anguish. He knew he was being a bit dramatic, but with the other boys' daily tendency for their own dramatics, he thought he deserved some of his own time wistfully staring up at the canopy on his bed and refusing to get dressed.

"Oh my god, Moony. If you don't get up right now, I swear I'm eating all the hash browns and leaving you none."

Remus sighed and rolled his eyes but threw his duvet off himself anyway. "It's Hogwarts, Sirius. They'd never run out of hash browns," he replied as he opened the drapes around his bed.

Sirius was sat on the edge of his bed with one foot next to him, the other on the floor, as he attempted to lace up his boots. He didn't look up as he shrugged and pulled the laces tight. "I mean… I haven't really tried…"

At the same time as James said: "Mate, do it," Peter also said, "Please don't."

Sirius dropped his foot to the floor with a dull thud as Remus stood up and stretched. Sirius barely had time to reply when Remus held up his hand.

"Please don't give the House Elves an aneurism the first day back," he pleaded.

Sirius smirked. "I won't."

"Oh my god Sirius, if you stress those creatures out any more…"

"Fine! I won't… jeez."

Remus sighed and fished some clean clothes out of his trunk. He loved his friends with all of his heart, but more often than not, they made him feel like their bloody father. Remus froze. At the stark reminder of why he was feeling particularly mopey, he visibly cringed and dropped one of his socks.

"You alright, mate?"

Remus didn't look up at James as he replied, "Fine." He picked up his fallen sock and headed towards the bathroom, his heart heavier than usual.

…

Hermione could not stop staring at Lily. She was just so… vibrant. Hermione had never seen anything like her. Lily was talking animatedly to Marlene (who she had just introduced Hermione to) about their new timetables and Hermione was entranced.

The way her hair moved when she spoke while gesturing wildly with her hands, yet never seeming too overzealous, reflected her quiet confidence perfectly. Everything about her posture and actions simply screamed with ease, but not in a way that made everyone around her aware of it. No wonder James was obsessed with her; Hermione was a little obsessed herself.

Hermione's smile froze.

Lily was nothing like Harry.

Or rather… the opposite. But regardless, it had stopped Hermione in her tracks. The thought had come to her as she'd silently wished for friends like this growing up – maybe exposure to healthily confident people would have made Hermione more socially confident herself. But it had reminded her of Harry… and the fact that he wasn't either.

Hermione took a shaky deep breath and blinked away the threatening tears in her eyes. It was all bloody too much. She had to stop thinking like this. She was so deep in thought with herself that she didn't even hear the Marauders come into the hall.

"OI!" Sirius yelled suddenly, despite only being a foot away.

Hermione physically jumped and bumped into her plate of nothing. Her heart was pounding so hard that her eyes blurred, but there was no mistaking the annoyance on Sirius and James' faces.

Sirius started speaking before he'd even reached them. "We were supposed to get Hermione this morning, Evans!"

"I don't appreciate that tone, Black. Just because she's your cousin doesn't mean she's your property."

"Second cousin, actually. I think… Prongs, do you remember? …But hell, Lily, do you always need to be such a bloody stuck-up…"

Hermione rolled her eyes and tuned out. James was standing beside Sirius, furiously nodding along to everything Sirius was saying. Remus had sat on the bench down from Hermione, leaving a canyon-wide gap between them for some unknown reason. Therefore, Hermione turned to the last (her past self was screaming at her for even thinking this) sane Marauder.

"Hi, Peter," she said.

Peter blinked as he was distracted from the confrontation happening behind Hermione. "Oh, morning, Hermione."

Hermione patted the bench between her and Remus, who was simply staring at a bowl of porridge with his arms folded on the table in front of him. "Sit."

Peter sat. He glanced back up at Sirius and James before beginning to help himself to the food in front of him.

"Why didn't you wait for us this morning?" Peter asked, having paused mid-serving sausages, as though he'd spoken as soon as the thought had entered his head.

Hermione sighed. "Madam Pomfrey asked Lily to come get me since we're dorm mates now."

He nodded slowly and resumed piling sausages onto his place. "Why doesn't Lily just say that then?" Peter gestured to the trio behind Hermione, of which, two were pointing aggressively into the other's chests.

Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled. "Sexual tension, Peter."

With a sputter and a clatter of his cutlery, Peter faced Hermione with watery eyes. "Wha… between Lily and… and Sirius?"

Hermione laughed. "No, not Sirius."

Remus made a sudden noise somewhere between a choke and a gasp and shot up out of his seat.

Hermione and Peter mirrored each other's surprise as Remus blurted: "Hermione can I speak to you? Please."

He didn't look at her and began to walk down the hall. Hermione blinked several times. When she realised he meant for her to follow him, she shook her head.

"Guess I better go then," she mumbled sarcastically as she climbed out of the bench.

"He's been weird since you fainted last night," Peter said quickly. "James says it's because he cares about you a bit too much."

Hermione frowned. What did he mean by that? A small part of her felt betrayed at the idea of the boys talking about her behind her back, but she dismissed it quickly: of course they would talk about her – she'd literally crashed into their lives and filled their heads with confusing, contradictory information about themselves twenty years in the future.

She shook her head in exasperation. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see James trying to hold Lily back from Sirius, who now had a firm grasp on his hair that Marlene was unsuccessfully trying to pry apart.

"Thanks, Peter," Hermione said with a sigh. She looked up at the enchanted ceiling. "I don't need this!" she said to the ceiling. She looked back at Peter's confused expression. "I really don't need this," she said to him before walking off after Remus.

I'm here to save everyone – not to be anybody's bloody mother, Hermione thought as she made her way out of the hall.

But as Hermione approached the pacing, angsty werewolf in the Entrance Hall, she realised that there were so many little steps to achieve before that day would ever come.

…

Despite not having eaten anything, Remus felt as though he was going to throw up. He heard Hermione approach, but he did not turn around – he couldn't face it.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Hermione exclaimed as soon as she was close enough to him.

Remus turned and looked at her sharply. Well, that was not what he had been expecting. "Uh… what?" he asked warily.

Hermione waved her hands up and down his torso area angrily. "All… this!"

"I…" Remus was so, very confused. "I don't understand," he stated.

Hermione sighed. "Me neither."

They were both silent in their confused miscommunication for a moment. "I feel like we should start again," Remus suggested warily.

With a curt nod, Hermione crossed her arms, waiting for him to start talking.

Remus cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Am I your friend's father?" He stumbled the words, but they were clear, if not weird. Even as he spoke, Remus felt stupid.

Hermione unfolded her arms and took a step backwards in surprise. "Why?" she asked quietly.

Remus could almost feel the sadness emanating from Hermione and he felt so much worse than he did before. A crushing sensation tore through his chest that made it difficult for him to breath for a moment.

He really was the father, wasn't he? With Lily as the child's mother. Remus really couldn't breathe anymore.

"Oh god," he said as he stumbled backwards into the stone wall behind him. He grasped his shirt and Gryffindor tie. "It really is my fault, oh god."

Remus could vaguely feel Hermione's small hands grasp the top of his own on his chest. He was the fault of the breaking up of the Marauders – the only true friends he had ever had and likely would have at any time in his life.

"How could I do that to them?" he mumbled, staring into space above Hermione's head.

Remus flinched when he felt Hermione's hand on his neck. He only looked down at her when he felt her other hand reach for his other side.

"Don't," Remus whispered as a shiver shot down his spine at her hands positioned on either side of his face.

Hermione ignored him and gently moved his head down so Remus had to look at her. He wanted to close his eyes, but she held his gaze with glistening eyes.

"Remus," she began softly but firmly, and Remus' stomach swooped in an unfamiliar way. He couldn't bear it. He didn't want to hear it. If she said…

"You are not the father."

With a feeling similar to what he expected feeling like being hit by a bus, Remus unclenched his fingers and let his hands drop to his sides. This time he did close his eyes and let his head drop against the wall behind him.

He stayed there for a moment, allowing his body to relax, neither of them saying anything. His hands seemed to find comfort in Hermione's hair of their own accord.

"And you're sure?" Remus finally said, barely above a whisper, and barely making eye contact with Hermione as his hands wound themselves into her hair at the base of her neck.

"Remus," she replied. He looked down at her as her hand directed him to again. "Believe me, you are not his father." She smiled. "Once you see him, you'll kick yourself for even thinking this."

He didn't quite understand what she meant but he smiled, too. "But Lily…" he began as his smile slipped away.

Hermione rolled her eyes and pushed some of his hair back behind his ear. "Please don't ask me things I can't… or shouldn't answer, Remus."

His eyes were closed at the comforting feeling of having Hermione touch his hair. Remus would never have thought he would have begun his sixth year worried about being someone's father and being so elated and sad at the same time to find out that he wasn't.

"I have so many bloody questions," he mumbled. His mind was jumping from one mad thing to another and she wasn't giving him any reassurance about any of it – not that she even could, and Remus understood that. But that didn't mean he wasn't frustrated about it.

"Her…" he began, but he suddenly felt Hermione bump against his torso and Remus looked down to see that she was hugging him.

His surprise was hidden by his comfort; he didn't want her to let go. Then, when she rested her cheek against his chest, Remus thought he was going to combust.

Oh, no, he thought.

Oh, hell.

As Hermione peeked up at him and smiled, Remus realised something terrible.

He liked her.

…

Hermione breathed deeply. Remus smelled like clean washing and soft mint. She had no idea what she was doing or what was happening, but an unspoken understanding had grown between them where neither were going to discuss this boundary crossing: both of them sought the comfort the other gave.

The slow rise and fall of Remus' chest made Hermione feel calm in a way she couldn't even remember the last time that she had.

People asked, and Hermione had even asked herself, why did she trust Remus resolutely and find the most comfort in his presence above anyone else? It hadn't been as though she had been particularly close with future-Lupin. Especially not this close.

Amused by the thought of trying to bear-hug her old teacher, Hermione smiled and looked up at Remus without drawing away from him in any way. There, she could see it in his eyes: the same look she had seen in her own reflection since travelling back in time.

Loneliness.

They were just two lonely souls seeking comfort surrounded by loud characters in a mad world.

Then, before Hermione could voice her thoughts, he kissed her.

…

Minerva had not added 'break up fight between her favourite students at breakfast' to her agenda for her first day of term. Although, she would never admit aloud that even one of those damn Marauders were even in her top ten students (not that she had any sort of list in the first place).

Therefore, she was a little out of sorts having had to put Lily Evans and James Potter in Body-Bind curses to save Sirius Black from a beating before nine o'clock in the morning. She had left them a foot apart across the Gryffindor benches, appropriately supervised by an irate Miss McKinnon.

"A bloody Prefect," Minerva mumbled to herself as she exited the Great Hall. She shook her head as she made her way to her classroom to prepare for the first class of term.

A movement in the corner of her eye stopped her in her tracks. Wand lit, Minerva prepared to berate more of her pupils suffering from new year over-excitement. However, the shock stopped her mid-step and clamped her mouth shut.

A smile broke on Minerva's face as she recognised the… canoodling students. She quickly glanced around to see if anyone else had seen her stop. While it was unusual behaviour for Minerva to observe two of her students getting to know one another without intervention, she felt she could make an exception for this one.

Minerva cast a quick Notice-Me-Not charm on the two Gryffindors she was now rooting for.

"Ten points to Gryffindor, Mr Lupin," she whispered as she walked away, a smile playing around the edges of her mouth.